World Record Chapter 6

6. "Please pick me up" cardboard


After that, Iwato who have yet to enter any club activities, arrived at the supermarket.

a.s.suming that the exchange student will stay in his house starting from Monday, he won't know what kind of person is the exchange student until then.
That person might have a Ogre-like figure or a Loli figure like Tsumugu. Though both sounds weird for a student.
Therefore, he doesn't take actions a.s.suming that it's an Ogre, and even if he and Tsumugu's food for the weekends is only a small quant.i.ty, he needs to buy a large amount of food and return to his home.

First of all, he has no problem with the amount he need to bring back home.
Iwato has trained his body to some extent, and if he really can't bring it back by himself, he can just call a few taxis. As expected of a rich person to have such thought.
Second, regarding the money. This is not a problem.
To be honest, with the money that's received from Tsumugu's work, he can enjoy his whole life. And above all, Iwato can make progress on his shampoo business. Because he manufactured it on his own, there's a lot of shampoos left.
Then, there's no problem in this area. If there's a problem, then it's how to bring the stuffs to the cash register. But this can be solved just by asking the employee there.

[Hmmm, first, the staple food...]

The staple food purchased were rice and a large amount of bread. Of course, he chose the ones with the late expiry date. Although he actually hesitated on buying pasta, if the other party is an Ogre who keeps demanding for a second helping, the time to boil the noodles will be fatal. There's no time to waste in boiling when you're in the battleground(kitchen).

[Next is vegetables...]

As for vegetables, he bought long-lasting vegetables such as cabbage, tomato, carrot and green pepper. And also, he bought the spices for stir-fry vegetable and salad dressing. That person might be a monster that eats vegetables soaked in salad dressing.

[Next is frozen food...]

The next is frozen food which is very important.
He cannot think that he can satisfy an Ogre only with his dish. The Ogre's digestion speed is abnormal. If it turns out bad, the Ogre might say [Hey, I'm hungry] at the moment he thought that he finally satisfied the Ogre and can finally eat. By the way, Iwato sets that the Ogre is a higher rank species of Unknown.
Therefore, he bought a lot of frozen foods and develops a strategy to eat his own meal while waiting in front of the cash register for a few minutes. It's perfect.

[Next is meats...]

Meat. This is the Ogre's staple food.
Iwato himself doesn't even realize that the person who is going to stay in his house is not a student anymore, but an Ogre.
Hence, he doesn't take notice on those that won't last long, and he pick those that are frozen with his hunch. In addition to that, a large amount. By the way, in this era, meat is a super-valuable high cla.s.s ingredient due to the low numbers of wild animals.

[Next is fishes...]

This is out of the question because Ogre doesn't eat fishes.
"Then, why did you bought vegetables just now?". If his friend is there, he will definitely ask Iwato. But unfortunately, Iwato has already lost his sanity.

[Last is juice and confectionery...]

This is quite questionable.
The Ogre is a higher rank species that can live together with humans. It can be said that it's a humanoid monster.
Then, it's a piece of cake for such guy to take in confectionery and juice. Although it's a waste, let's just buy it. Such a foolish thinking.

And just like that, Iwato has more than 10 baskets of foods by the time he realized it. Those baskets were filled with food in a good manner.
It's already an acrobatic level, and the employee thought that [It's an amazing amount, but don't play with the goods] and as for the other customers [I will take a photograph].

[Un, this should be enough!]

Iwato mutters in satisfaction and calls out to the employee nearby.
By the way, the total price of the purchase had a lot of zeroes at the back.



☆☆☆



[Stupid. No way an Ogre will come... In the first place... it won't fit...in the fridge]

Tsumugu said so without expression to Iwato who explained the circ.u.mstances. And finally, Iwato regained sanity.
First of all, there's no way an Ogre will come. Just a normal student.
And second, he bought too much and it won't fit in the refrigerator.
And third, he forgot that Tsumugu is shy.
Iwato became all fours and for now, he decided to report to Tsumugu.

[Sorry Tsumu. A stranger will be coming to stay with us]
[Un... I won't speak with that person... so it's okay]
[Really sorry. As an apology, is there anything you want?]
[One favor]
[You sure looking at the long term, 9 years old chld]

For the time being, Iwato stands up and looks at the stuffs at the entranceway. He decided to put only the frozen foods and those that have high priority into the refrigerator. The others will be stored in Tsumugu's personal refrigerator--but that refrigerator is filled with melon soda. So he decided to buy a new refrigerator later.
Pointless spending piles up. Exactly a perfect example of a bad adult.

[Say, Tsumu, make it two favors, so give me a hand, please?]

Iwato said so even though he knew what will she reply.
However, Iwato became bewildered a little by Tsumugu's reply.

[Sure...we are...a family. That's why, it's natural to help]

--Because we are a family.
That was once the words that Iwato said to Tsumugu when she first came to the Nagumo family, and this was also the cause that made her into his stepsister.
Iwato loosens his face a little by those words.

[... You certainly have changed]

Although Tsumugu didn't reply, her face loosens just like Iwato's. Probably because she recalled the time when she met Iwato.
Well, although it's not a laughing matter during those days, the meeting was exactly [the worst]. Still, it can be thought as a laughing matter now.

[Then, let's get this moved]
[Un, I'll help]

And just like that, those two diligently making a round trip between the entranceway and the kitchen.




☆☆☆




The evening on that day.
Iwato who finished eating his dinner slightly early and have pickled the tableware in water, went out to buy a bigger refrigerator as planned.
The destination is a major company chain store called [Tanaka Electric]. It's a gla.s.sed-sided and slightly nice looking store.

Descending down the slope, turn left from the T junction, and turn right when he sees a convenient store on the right. Then, it's a gentle slope.
Iwato ignored the huge [Please pick me up] cardboard on the way, and he reached the highway after the slope.
And, when he looks at the right, there's the Tanaka Electric that's playing the [Tanaaka Denki♪] melody.

[The business hours should be until 9]

Iwato thoughts so and reached the entrance of Tanaka Electric. When he saw the business hours, he realized that there's still a lot of time left.

[I'm thirsty... Let's stop at the 1st floor...]

He sets foot into Tanaka Electric while saying that.
Basically, the first floor of Tanaka Electric is a rest area and there's vending machine placed around the floor. And from there, the escalator connects to the second floor. At least, this is how Tanaka Electric that Iwato went before looks like.
Iwato ignores the escalator and heads to the back. He then turns, and stop in front of a vending machine.
What he is thinking now is about Tsumugu. But her personal refrigerator should have a lot of melon soda stored in it. In the first place, Tsumugu who prefers melon soda rather than water will never let her melon soda to be out of stock.

[I guess I'll go with coffee]

Iwato inserts coins into the vending machine after decided to buy his share only for the time being.
And, he bought the high quality coffee that he saw. As expected of a rich person.
He then sits on the nearby bench and put his body weight onto the bench.
And--

[--Huh?]

Suddenly, he recalled the huge [Please pick me up] cardboard that he saw on the way.
If it's a dog, then even a small size cardboard is enough.
And yet, the cardboard that he saw just now has more than enough s.p.a.ce to fit one person in it-- If he were to compare it, it's a cardboard that's used for a Ogre's child.
When Iwato considered it, he feels uneasy.
An....Ogre?

Iwato who felt an unpleasant premonition returns to the road he came from.
He head left to the gentle slope. Although it may be dark, he can already see the cardboard in the residential area. It's just the right size to be picked up.

[...But]

Iwata arrived in front of the cardboard.
Although he ignored it not long ago, he will look inside this time.
Then, he saw a brown haired girl with a crest on the back of her left hand sleeping there.

[As expected, it's no a...human?]

Iwato mutters while looking at the girl and recalling the information.


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The second heroine appears!
Next chapter, he brings her back to home.