026: Chapter 2 ~ Small Gift ①

February 15, 2021 - 3 minutes read - 531 words

Two hours later

At a fashionable coffee shop, the three were enjoying a tea break. The terrace they’re on faces the sunny main street and overlooks the bustling traffic.

“Ok, I’ve bought a lot!” Allen

“Hmm, that’s a pretty significant amount.” Erika

“Huh, hey…” Charlotte

The Crawford brother and sister satisfied, while Charlotte is more worried. She has a pale face and barely picks anything from the cake set in front of the three.

“Hmm, what’s wrong? Charlotte? Have I not bought enough?” Allen

“It’s the opposite!” Charlotte raises her voice.

Behind the three are a pile of paper bags, they hold Charlotte’s new clothes, accessories, and shoes. Charlotte ended up being brought into multiple stores for shopping. Charlotte seems badly confused.

“You bought so much for just me… Please spend your money more carefully!” Charlotte

“Nah, they look so good on you.” Allen responds calmly.

Charlotte was given a large variety of outfits to try on, and they all looked great on her. Feminine and fluffy clothes, casual clothes that are easy to walk around in, even neat and mature clothes.

“I would like to see you wear those clothes at home, so it’s like I bought them for me. Don’t worry.” Allen

“Uhhhhh…” Charlotte looks down as her face blushes.

“What’s with this reaction?” Allen asks while tilting his neck.

“Hah, nature is amazing.” Erika laughs as she squeezes her crepe.

The crepe Erika has is full of fruit and cream, but she must have a skill that prevents her from staining the area around her mouth.

“But the skirt is so tasteless, what about the skirt I recommended? It’s too long in your opinion, right?” Allen

“Are you actually an old man in disguise? Ah, this is the opinion for people who don’t understand youth fashion.” Erika

“Like your libertine hobbies and tastes. I should hope I’m better than that?” Allen

Allen and Erika are glaring at each other. Charlotte begins to panic.

“No, stop quarreling. You’re brother and sister, so please get along.” Charlotte

“Oh, I’m sorry. This isn’t actually a fight.” Allen reassures Charlotte with a laugh.

This is just the sort of exchange Allen gets into when he visits his parent’s house. Erika smiles as well.

“Oh yeah. If we actually quarrel, you’ll see some blood.” Erika says with a wink.

“I don’t want to see…” Charlotte

“But a fight… that might not be bad.” Allen

“That could be cool?” Erika

“Uh huh” Allen

Charlotte isn’t very good at understanding these sorts of jokes. If the two had a fight, they’d just have some fun. It’s like what Allen was going for with the punching bag, he thought it would be a simple thing to have fun with.

“No… Let’s not fight now.” Allen responds to the oddly angry Erika.

“Why?” Erika

“Because that could cause trouble.” Allen

“Have you been turning soft? I didn’t expect you to lose interest.” Erika

“Well, it’s a damage thing, not a chicken thing!” Allen

Charlotte raises her voice and turns with a serious look to Allen.

“Fighting is not a good thing, it’s actually bad. Is that right?” Charlotte

“Well said.” Allen said as he smiled and nodded.