NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: Shopping Spree
"Hey, Nifuruji-kun, can we get that, like, shiny couch over there?"
"What?"
Riku followed Ai's gaze to an atrocious, blindingly reflective, chrome-gold abomination of a couch sitting proudly in the showroom. He squinted at it.
"No."
Ai pouted. "Why not?"
"It's too pricey."
And so began their chaotic shopping spree:
At IKEA, Riku handled things like a responsible adult, checking for practical furniture, while Ai got distracted by every single weird display setup. She was a walking, talking distraction.
"Ooooh, Nifuruji-kun, look! This chair spins!"
"Cool."
"Let's buy it!"
"No."
"Why?! It's only— oh, yeah, that's a lot."
Ai immediately abandoned the idea and, like a wind-up toy with a broken navigation system, wandered off into another section without a second thought. Obviously, she had that full-on hide-her-face mode, but her voice is just loud, somewhat diminishing that mode.
Riku sighed, shifting his grip on the twins—and yes, he was the one carrying them. Why? Because, for some reason, these tiny reincarnated beings had collectively decided that he was the superior transportation method. It wasn't even a debate. The moment he picked them up earlier, they had latched onto him like he was their personal chariot, completely rejecting Ai's attempts to carry them, even Aqua.
He didn't blame them. If he were reborn into a new life with the memory of his past self intact, he too would seek out the most competent person in the room. And clearly, between him and Ai, that person wasn't their mother.
The twins were currently too busy worshiping the IKEA ceiling to care about his internal monologue, though, their tiny hands reaching out toward the showroom lights as if they were experiencing divine enlightenment.
Meanwhile, Ai was nowhere in sight.
Riku clicked his tongue. "Unbelievable."
Adjusting the twins in his arms, he set off to retrieve their wayward mother before she got herself trapped in a display kitchen and had to be rescued by employees.
Later on, at Don Quijote, what was supposed to be a simple grocery run turned into an impulse-buying nightmare.
"Nifuruji-kun, hear me out," Ai said, holding up a pair of light-up sneakers. "What if we matched?"
"Absolutely not."
"But it would be cute—OH MY GOD, A SAMURAI SWORD UMBRELLA."
"No."
"But—"
"No."
Riku physically stopped her from impulse-buying an entire crate of novelty keychains and forcibly redirected her toward actual necessities.
At Babies 'R Us, Ai did a complete 180 and suddenly acted like a responsible mother—probably because the entire store layout made her feel like she was leveling up as a parent.
"So this is where real moms shop…" she muttered in awe, inspecting a baby bottle like it held the secrets of the whole world.
Riku, already exhausted, just sighed. "Yes, welcome to parenthood. Now, hurry up."
For once, Ai actually focused, and they managed to get all the baby essentials without her wandering off. Progress.
At Tokyu Hands, however, all that progress died instantly.
Ai went full magpie mode, grabbing anything that sparkled, glowed, or looked remotely cute. "Riku-kun, look at this pastel bunny-shaped tissue box!"
"We don't need it."
"But—"
"Hoshino."
"Fine! But I'm getting these twinkly fairy lights!"
"Jesus Christ."
Riku had to veto half of her choices to prevent their living space from turning into an overwhelming pastel explosion. They eventually compromised—Ai got her "aesthetic," and Riku made sure they also had actual useful household items.
By the time they finished, Riku was carrying more bags than should be humanly possible, Ai was humming happily, and the twins were peacefully napping like they hadn't just been part of an endurance test disguised as a shopping trip. And by the time they came home, Riku had spent the entire day helping Ai set up everything.
***
"—Ngh~!"
Ai stretched, producing a sound that was entirely too suggestive for someone who had just been moving furniture around.
Riku, in contrast, let out a much more respectable grunt as he stretched as well. 'That was a lot of work.'
He scanned the room, taking in their progress. The living room was no longer the barren wasteland it had been before. The once-empty space now had a decently sized couch, an actual coffee table, and a TV stand—though the TV itself was still in its box because Riku refused to deal with the setup right now. Shelves had been mounted, decorations (the ones Ai had fought for) were in place, and overall, the space looked inhabitable.
The dining area, previously just an existential void, now had an actual table and chairs. The bedrooms had real beds instead of sad futons on the floor. Even the kitchen had been upgraded with necessary utensils, pots, and a rice cooker, because Riku had standards.
Speaking of the kitchen—
"Nifuruji-kun, you can cook?" Ai asked, sounding just as exhausted as he felt.
Riku didn't even look up as he made his way to the fridge. "Yeah. Though, since I'm not a chef, you might wanna hire one for that. How much are they paying you per month?"
"Uh, it should be... one million yen."
Riku froze mid-step.
He turned his head slowly, staring at Ai. 'That's a lot.'
His own salary was decent—half of Ai's monthly income, to be exact. And sure, that might sound impressive, but compared to what the agency was making off B-Komachi—pennies. Their estimated annual revenue from B-Komachi—or just Ai alone—easily broke a billion yen.
Riku sighed, shaking his head before pulling out ingredients. "I'll never understand the entertainment industry."
Ai shrugged. "Me neither. I just sing and act cute."
"Sounds about right."
As he got to work cooking—slicing vegetables, stirring a pot of miso soup, and checking the rice—his eyes flicked toward Ai again. She was sitting on the floor with the twins, both kids happily grabbing at her clothes, giggling as she tickled them.
The image of her smiling so naturally, so freely, stuck with him for a moment longer than he expected.
He looked back at the cutting board and exhaled through his nose.
"Something wrong, Nifuruji-kun?"
Riku blinked. Ai was looking at him now, head tilted slightly, curious.
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head and refocusing on his work. A beat passed before he spoke again, forcing his tone to stay casual.
"I was just wondering... did you enjoy our trip earlier?"
Ai raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the question. Then, after a moment, a soft smile formed on her lips. "Yeah. I don't go out much, so..."
Riku nodded, stirring the soup. "I'll find fun places for you next time. Something that is purely for entertainment."
Ai widened her eyes slightly before beaming. "I'll look forward to that.."
***
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