𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 [𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢]

• Chapter 4 •

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❝I didn't take you for the plushie type❞
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After that awkward moment in the clothing store, the rest of the trip was actually quite fun. The two of you went in a few more stores, in which you bought nothing, before heading to the cafeteria for some food.

"What kind of food are you into?"

"Really anything works, thanks. Are you sure you don't want me to buy it? You've spent a lot of your money already."

"How about we split the price?"

"Sounds good to me!"

Making your way to a pretzel place, you wait in line for a few minutes before making it to the front. Above the bustling of the mall, you hear the employee's voice.

"What would you like today?"

"We'll take two pretzels and a soda. Split the cost."

"Alright, here's your number."

'God, she's good at ordering,' you think to yourself. They hand Kugisaki a slip of ripped paper with the number 87 on it. You go to take a seat on a bench nearby while listening keenly for the number.

About a minute later, you hear someone say, "Number 87!" Making your way over quickly, the two of you take out your credit cards, and wait for them to process while taking your food. Taking the cards out, the employee thanks you and you go to find a table, before Kugisaki gets distracted. "I'm going to go over to that boba stand real quick, I'll be back soon!" You chuckle to yourself while watching her walk away.

Already halfway through your pretzel, she sits down in the chair across from you with her drink, slightly out of breath. She picks it up and swirls it around, making the translucent white orbs at the bottom spiral upwards. "What flavor is it?" you ask. "Green tea with lychee boba. It's actually pretty good!" What an odd combo. You decide not to judge though, and wait until the two of you are done with your food.

Finishing six minutes later, the two of you stand up and start walking to the exit before something catches your eye. A shop with a bright sign and giant plushies in the window makes you turn, grabbing Kugisaki by the wrist. "We need to go there," you say, determined to buy something. "Are you finally going to get something?" You nod. She shakes her head, but follows you anyways.

Making your way into the store, you realize it's a lot larger than you though it was. There's all types of things in here: various anime posters, figures, and plushies. It's perfect. You make your way over to the plushie section hurriedly, spotting a giant Snorlax blob. It's literally just an oval with white markings and a Snorlax face on it. Your eyes widen, and just as you're about to grab it, someone else's hand picks it up first.

"Hey!" you say, a little offended. You look up to see who robbed you. Surprised at who you see, you take a step back. He looks equally as shocked. "I didn't take you for the plushie type," Inumaki says. You can feel your cheeks getting warmer. "Neither did I!" you say smiling. You can easily imagine it though.

You starting giggling, and that turns to a laugh. You're not quite sure why you're laughing: maybe you were caught off guard so much the shock caused it, or maybe you're laughing because you just realized how upset you were that someone else ws about to take the plushie. Whatever the cause was, Inumaki starts chuckling too. Walking over confused, Kugisaki stares at the both of you. You're slightly hunched over, holding you're stomach, while Inumaki's hands are covering the little part of his face you can see.

"Are you guys alright?" she asks. Kugisaki's question is met with more laughter. Finally recovering, you look at Inumaki. His face is red, and you assume yours is as well. "Sorry about that," he says, putting the plushie back down. You pick it up again and place it gently in his arms. "It's fine, you can take it. I'm sure they'll restock next week." You can see the muscles under his eyes tighten. He walks over to the register, buys it, and walks out, waving goodbye to you. You wave back, and go back to looking at the plushies.

"What the hell just happened?" Kugisaki says, standing in front of you now. "Hard to explain," you respond. "Oh, I see~" she says, smirking. You shake your head, smiling.

After searching the multitude of stuffed animals for a good five minutes, you finally pick one up. "Please say you found something; I'm getting tired of standing here." "Sorry," you say through a chuckle. You turn the Dratini plush around in your hands, admiring it. Unfortunately, this one wasn't just a giant squishy blob, but it was still cute.

Walking over to a counter with an employee behind it, you buy the Dratini and hold it close to you.

Leaving the store, Kugisaki leads you to the exit.

"You don't spend much money, do you?"

"I try not to. I used to splurge everytime I went to the mall, and then I could never afford anything else. I guess I've kind of trained myself to not spend as much."

"Hm."

You gaze at the multitude of bags in her hands, and laugh silently to yourself. At least she was having fun.

Finally leaving the mall, you take a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill your lungs. It felt like you were in there for ages, and it was nice to be out. You did have fun though. Kugisaki turns on her phone, clicks a contact, and holds the phone to her ear. Tapping her foot impatiently, she tells who you assume to be Ijichi that we're ready to be picked up.

A little later, the black car pulls up in front of us. Entering, he asks us, "How was your trip?" Kugisaki rolls her eyes. "It was fun, I got a lot of clothes." 'Yeah, no shit,' you think to yourself. The ride back, the two of you talked more freely than you had before. It was fun, having another person to talk to.

Pulling up to the school, you get out, wave Kugisaki goodbye, and walk back to your building. You're surprised to see Inumaki entering the building, out of breath. He opens the door hurriedly and sprints inside. 'Did he run all the way here?' You can imagine pedestrians watching him sprint with the giant stuffed animal in his arms, and this makes you chuckle. You feel relieved that you let him take the plushie: he went through a lot to get it. And yet he still offered it to you. This observation makes your stomach flutter.

Smiling softly, you walk to your room. He'd entered his right before you. You hear the rustling of sheets: probably him finding a place to put the Snorlax. Laying on your bed, you put your earbuds in, and hold your plush close to you. You lie in your bed until you eventually fall asleep.