Mine! No Objections Allowed (Mikhaiah Adaptation)

Chapter 16 : Rabbit's Ear And Shoes

When Aiah got onto the car she'd already saved this address.

Most people love to shop at malls, there's plenty of brands there and the things tend to be of better quality. Aiah wasn't most people though, and she preferred these little streets instead.

But Mikha, she was completely out of touch with even the idea of shopping.

If she had the time, she'd rather run a few more laps, but she did see that little spark in Aiah's eyes.

It's just shopping... she thought. 

Aiah looked all around her as she walked out of the shop and went straight into the little stall opposite the chiropractor's and came back with two Cornettos.

She held the two in front of Mikha and asked, "Do you prefer chocolate or strawberry?"

Mikha's frown deepened, the distaste obvious on her face.

Just as she was about to speak, she saw that the person in front was staring at the chocolate flavored cone on the right, as if afraid that she'd choose it.

In a blink of an eye, Aiah's right hand was empty.

Mikha took the chocolate cornetto, saying, "Let's go."

Aiah was speechless.

The ice cream was a childhood memory. When she ate it again, the flavor had improved plenty; Mikha took a bite, the iciness spreading in her mouth.

Thinking about Aiah's plight with her diet, she gently reminded her. "There's plenty of calories in ice cream."

Aiah instinctively pursed her lips. "I know that."

She unwrapped her ice cream, but didn't eat it -instead, she took a picture with her phone.

It's uncertain whether she intended for Mikha's shoes to show up in the frame.

After taking the photo, Aiah scooped out as much ice cream as her little spoon could take and threw the rest into the trash bin by the road. Then she pulled her mask down and, carefully, started licking the ice cream on the spoon.

Mikha wanted to laugh, but looking at the way Aiah was eating her ice cream, even Mikha's own ice cream started tasting better.

Aiah asked, "Was that chiropractor just now your friend?"

"Yeah."

"He's an ex comrade too?"

"No," Mikha said. "We met outside of camp."

"During a mission?"

She guessed it right.

The master's previous clinic was their little town's biggest shop, with plenty of students and a reputation for being really good at what they did. Plenty of people from the city would willingly make a trip to go find him for a massage. Thanks to a landslide, not only was the clinic gone, but the people were also trapped inside.

It's fortunate that they weren't there for long before they were saved, with Mikha being the leader of that search and rescue team.

However, Mikha didn't answer her and Aiah didn't continue asking. After finishing her ice cream she pulled her mask back on.

They were both really tall, which, together with Mikha's rather out-of-place suit, made sure they really stood out in the crowd.

They passed a shop selling ornaments.

Aiah took a turn and entered first. Mikha paused for a moment before following her in.

The shop was small, one person took up half of the aisle by just standing there. They had to walk sideways to get into the shop. They were standing so close to each other— in a stall so poorly ventilated —that Mikha could clearly smell the light scent on Aiah. She couldn't quite place the fragrance , but it smelled really good.