Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 96 Shimizu Rei's Girlish Thoughts
After leaving Meiji Shrine, the three of them boarded a tram and headed to Ginza.

It's almost 3 p.m. now, a perfect time for afternoon tea.

"This shop called Senbikiya is very good. It is the number one fruit shop in the country, and the desserts are also very exquisite."

While riding the tram, Makoto Akizuki took the time to look up recommendations for dessert shops in Ginza, and ninety percent of the results were for Senbikiya.

This is a fruit shop with a history of over a hundred years. It initially sold mainly fruit, but in recent decades it has started making desserts, such as fruit-themed cakes and parfaits.

Because of its long history and its location in Ginza, a single parfait costs as much as 2,000 yen.

This was a huge sum of money for Shimizu Rei, whose monthly allowance was only 5,000 yen, and this was considered a lot.

People her age only earn three or four thousand yen a month.

Fortunately, with Akizuki Makoto around, there's plenty of food and drink to go around, and he won't be stingy.

Money is meant to be spent; he'd treat someone to a parfait that costs thousands of yen a cup, or even tens of thousands.

"It looks really nice, so exquisite!"

Shimizu Rei moved closer to Akizuki Makoto, looked at the picture on his half-broken phone screen, and exclaimed in surprise.

Dongzi also leaned her little head closer, staring at the dessert on the screen, a few drops of clear liquid dribbling from the corner of her mouth.

Back in her hometown, the only dessert she could get was pudding from a convenience store.

The better option was crepes, which Shimizu Rei bought specifically for her because she knew Shimizu liked sweets.

As for high-end desserts like cakes and parfaits, they are simply out of reach.

There's nothing like that sold on the main island; you have to take a ferry to Takamatsu City to buy it, but her parents wouldn't go out of their way to buy it for her.

Even on her birthday, I would only buy her a small piece of cake.

“Paffy…Paffy…”

Dongzi murmured, her eyes filled with longing for Parfait, and the ahoge on her head swayed like a tail, making her incredibly cute.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto placed his head on top of hers, suppressing the stray hair that was moving, and said with a smile, "Today you can eat your fill, but you should eat less in the future, otherwise it will be bad for your health."

"Well……"

Dongzi pursed her lips and tentatively asked, "Can I eat it once a week?"

"Once a week..."

After thinking for a while, Akizuki Makoto felt that eating parfait or cake once a week wouldn't be too much, so he nodded in agreement: "Once a week is fine, but it's not unlimited. You can only have one cake and one cup of parfait."

"Does your brother bring Dongzi here to eat every week?"

Dongzi's eyes lit up, and her ahoge (cowlick) started to twitch uncontrollably, making Qiuyue Cheng's palms itch.

“I bring Dongzi here every week. Not just Senbikiya, but I take Dongzi to any good dessert shop.”

"Pinky promise! Don't lie to Dongzi!"

Dongzi excitedly extended her little finger, and Qiuyue Cheng smiled and made a pinky promise with her.

"You two have such a good relationship, I'm so envious!"

Shimizu Rei, standing to the side, watched the two make a pinky promise and spoke with a sour tone.

I wish Akizuki Makoto could treat her like that, promising to take her out for dessert every week.

In her opinion, this was no different from a date. After all, when you go out, you're bound to do more than just eat parfaits. You'll probably go somewhere else afterward, right?

"You can come along with the gifts too. What's there to envy? It's not like we're excluding you."

"Alright, alright, you two siblings are so close, I won't bother you any longer..."

At this point, Shimizu Rei paused, then said with a hint of resentment, "Besides, I can only stay in Tokyo for half a month, so I can only go out to eat with you guys twice at most!"

"What does it matter? Your dream school is also in Tokyo, isn't it? We can go together next year, right?"

Akizuki Makoto still didn't understand what Shimizu Rei was concerned about.

In his opinion, Shimizu Rei was a little glutton who complained that he ate desserts without taking her along.

However, it's understandable that he doesn't understand, since he hasn't realized that Shimizu Rei has a crush on him.

That's how it is with childhood sweethearts; even ambiguous gestures seem ordinary and unremarkable.

"Next year..."

Shimizu Rei murmured, but did not reply.

If she fails to confess her feelings after two weeks, then by March of next year, it will be too late, right?

She had a strange feeling that Akizuki Makoto would find a girlfriend before the following year.

……

After getting off at Ginza Station, Makoto Akizuki followed the navigation and walked for about seven minutes before arriving at the entrance of "Senbikiya".

From the outside, "Senbikiya" doesn't look like a fruit shop; it looks more like a jewelry store, magnificent and exuding an air of luxury.

The magnificent marble columns, large glass windows, and high ceilings resemble a majestic Greek temple.

The two-story shop, nearly ten meters high, has a street-facing first floor and a high second floor, both decorated with floor-to-ceiling windows.

The fruits sold inside are indeed as precious as jewels.

Stepping into Senbikiya, the store is brightly lit and tastefully decorated, making it comparable to a trendy boutique.

The store is luxurious and elegant, with staff dressed in sharp suits and exquisite merchandise carefully displayed on elegant velvet fabrics.

Some rare fruits are displayed in high-transparency glass cases, each of which is quite valuable.

A box of twelve strawberries can cost tens of thousands of yen.

That's not even the most outrageous part. The most outrageous are the honeydew melons or watermelons. Prices start at six figures, and two or three hundred thousand yen are common. The signature "Yubari King Melon" once sold for a whopping 1.5 million yen!

These fruits are so expensive that just one glance at their prices is enough to make you gasp.

"This...this is so expensive?"

Shimizu Rei stared wide-eyed at the fruit displayed in the glass case and the price tags next to it.

"One apple costs 1,500 yen?"

"Grapes... grapes the size of ping-pong balls, two thousand yen?"

"My God, this mango called 'Sun Jade' costs 100,000 yen?"

She wondered if she was seeing things, otherwise how could she have seen such an outrageous price tag?

Fruit is always expensive in Japan, but it's not this expensive, is it?

In her hometown, even the most expensive watermelon can be bought for five or six thousand yen.

But here, five or six thousand yen might only buy a small piece.

Even though she was mentally prepared and knew that this store was the Hermes of the fruit world, she was still deeply shocked because she came from the countryside.

"Tokyoites...are amazing."

She sighed, and then followed Akizuki Makoto, guided by the staff, to the magnificent second floor, which resembled a high-end restaurant.

We ate dessert here. The seats were almost full, with only empty seats in the poorly lit corners.

At first glance, the people sitting here are mostly women, dressed in a very fashionable and sophisticated way, with long, wavy hair, sunglasses, and designer bags...

Among these people, Akizuki Makoto and his two companions stood out conspicuously, after all, they were young and a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

The lively and cheerful Shimizu Rei couldn't help but quiet down in this situation, feeling that it would be embarrassing if she continued to make a scene like before.

"This is the menu, please take a look."

After the three of them sat down, the waiter handed them a thick menu with a wide variety of dishes, including fruit drinks, cakes, parfaits, and fruit platters.

Fruit drinks are relatively inexpensive compared to other beverages; you can get a cup for only five or six hundred yen.

The price of the cake is about the same; you can get a small slice for around 1,000 yen.

Parfaits cost around 2,000 yen and come in several combinations, including strawberry, cantaloupe, watermelon, and kiwi.

"Dongzi wants to eat this."

Dongzi stretched out her finger and pressed it on the strawberry parfait, then pointed to a piece of strawberry cake.

"Okay, a strawberry parfait and a cake, right?"

The clerk immediately took down the order on the iPad he was holding, and then looked at Akizuki Makoto and Shimizu Rei.

Although Akizuki Makoto had said he would treat everyone before he arrived, Shimizu Rei was still hesitant when she saw how expensive the prices were.

Qiuyue treated us to the barbecue, which cost a little over 10,000 yuan including tax. She only realized how expensive it was when she paid the bill, as the price wasn't listed on the order.

Although she knew that Akizuki Makoto was rich, she still felt uncomfortable spending his money like this.

"Another strawberry and cantaloupe parfait, and one mango and one cherry cake each."

Akizuki Makoto noticed Shimizu Rei's concerns, so he "took it upon himself" to decide on the order for her.

He knew that Shimizu Rei also liked strawberries... or rather, this guy wasn't picky about food; he loved all kinds of fruit and cakes.

"Okay, is that all?"

"that's it."

After deciding on everyone's orders, the clerk bowed to the three of them with a professional smile and slowly took his leave.

"It's so expensive..."

Shimizu Rei muttered to herself that the desserts for the three of them, including tax, cost more than 10,000 yen, which was several months' worth of her allowance.

"Don't say that, your happiness is priceless."

Qiu Yuecheng chuckled and continued, "Besides, why are you being so polite with me? Didn't you just say you were going to squeeze every last drop out of my wallet?"

"That was just a casual remark! Don't take it seriously!"

Shimizu Rei's cheeks flushed slightly. How could she possibly be the kind of bad woman who spends a man's money without any guilt?

"Don't worry about it. As you know, I've become a writer now, and I'm quite well-off."

"So what if you're a writer! Wait until I become a professional athlete and make a fortune, then I'll see how I use money to humiliate you and keep you as my sugar daddy!"

"Dongzi... can also make money."

At this moment, Dongzi interjected, whispering, "Dongzi can draw and make dolls to earn money for her brother to spend."

"Yes, Dongzi is great."

Akizuki smiled and patted Touko's head, feeling gratified.

Being able to think about working hard to earn money is perhaps a sign of growing up.

After that, he would have to ask Dongzi if she wanted to go to school.

Staying at home all the time is useless; it will only make you more closed off.

He hoped that Dongzi could meet more people, make other friends, and gradually experience the taste of growing up.

If the parents can't do these things, then he, as the older brother, should take on the responsibility for his younger sister's life.

(End of this chapter)