“Thank you for your support—! Please visit us again—!”

While clerk saw them off cheerfully, Fuyuka and Ohana left the store.

“… That was tiring.”
“Good work there. After all that was necessary.”

Probably for she dressed so many times afterwards, Ohana was greatly consumed. From point of the girl who worn as much as kimono before, existence of western clothes seemed alien and uncanny.

“Furthermore, this cloth is so thin… I feel rather alarmed.”

Since the beginning, Ohana fussily held the train of the dresses which she tried on. Burdening herself by change from bulky Japanese attire to thin contemporary garments, she appears nervous up until now.
In connection, for she had her own clothes vanished in the twinkle, she exited the place as is, wearing purchased dress.
Fuyuka smiles and replies to visibly disturbed Ohana:

“You’ll have to get accustomed to it. From now on, you are forbidden to wear clothes made of any sort of spiritual power.”
“E-eeh!?”

From Fuyuka’s view, the likelihood of her sudden posing nude in the street shall be noughted. If it came to that, the outcome would be no trivial incident.

(If that were to happen, it would be far from police matter… We have neither residence certificate nor insurance card, let alone the proof of identity.)

Presently, the greatest Fuyuka’s fear is that being requested for Ohana’s identity under whatever pretext. Ohana has no such thing in possession, anyhow. At such occurrence, she cannot even measure the suspicion which might befall herself for providing girl with shelter.

(We have to avoid that much by any means…)

As before, Fuyuka shudder imagining​ the broadcast of her person being apprehended.

“What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing… More importantly, you should do your best to get accustomed to it. For living here, that is.”
“I should indeed. I do apologies, I have caused you inconvenience. I shall do my best! However… pray excuse me… you had to make all these purchases for my sake.”

Ohana, then, gestured to bag she was keeping. The clothes, of course, were not the only articles of their buying, in addition to first dress, they also bought a pair of footwear, which made up the luggage considerable.

“It’s fine. I have the money since I didn’t spend any… That aside, I can carry them, too. All these clothes—I am sure it’s heavy.”
“I am all right! It was bought for me, I shall carry it myself.”
“I hope that’s okay. Let me know if it gets hard.”
“Yes, thank you very much!”

Ohana of fatigued bearing from a moment ago yet again re-lighted her customary brightness.

“Come to think of it, we are coming up to lunchtime. Why don’t we take the chance and dine out?”
“Dine-out?”
“Eating a meal at the outside. It’s worth to be familiar with, perhaps you would need it yourself in the future.”
“Hee—? As the station?”¹
“Station?”
“Yes; the camp at the ridge or at the mountain path where one might allow oneself of a halt. One do pay to acquire dumplings, tea… Is it different?”
“Umm—, sounds like different, and not so different… Well, we’ll understand when we there, shall we.”

The words of Ohana emerged in Fuyuka the image of something from a period drama. It occurred to Fuyuka, “Right, after all, her values and knowledge are based on Japan of older days.”
If that is the case, “In the end, I must teach her common sense of the modern era,” once again recognised Fuyuka.

“And since we are at it, is there anything you would like, Ohana?”

Stepping into arcade near the station, one may find next to any kind of restaurant. “Most likely she’d prefer something of Japanese cuisine,” contemplated Fuyuka; the request, however, meant to sent her in utter daze.

“Um, I… I was hoping to taste the fare titled the ‘Hamburger.’”
“Eh!? Hamburger!?”
“I-it’s all right if I cannot! However, I have seen the promotion on tivi, and it looked so delicious.”
“A-aw, that’s what it was. You surprised me.”

Fuyuka was startled by vocabulary she could not even think she would ever hear. Although everything fell into place, after she heard that the girl seemed to only grow curious after TV commercial.

“It’s precisely in front of the station, let’s go there then. Oh, but it comes with onions, is that all right?”
“Eh? I don’t mind if I do. I have no particular preferences.”
“I-I see. Right…”
“?”

Dogs, foxes, and other animals are basically refrain from consuming onions. Bearing this knowledge, Fuyuka unconsciously questioned the matter, but the girl was Youko, and had no particular issue with them.

“That’s good then, let’s head there. I hope it will suit your taste.”

“I wonder whether something like hamburger, the ‘western food,’ can suit Ohana, as she kept Japanese-centred diet so far.”
Despite concerning of this, Fuyuka was also slightly excited to see her reaction.

♦

“Umm—, this is delicious!”

Such apprehension ended up groundless. In her front was Ohana, deliciously munching on a large hamburger in her hands.
Girls visited store named the “Queens Burger” which offer hamburgers of large size. Its voluminousness was evident for Ohana held it with both hands.

“‘Delicious’?”
“Yes, it is! Although I taste it for the first time, it appears exceedingly flavourful!”
“Oh, I’m glad.”

She could but notice how the other was unaccustomed to such eating, sauce had been all over the girl’s lips; it appeared, however, enigmatically picturesque upon girl like Ohana.

“Look, it’s all around your mouth.”
“Mmh-nmh…”

For she held a hamburger with either hand, Fuyuka has but to wipe it there for her with paper napkin.

“You can eat calmly. It doesn’t bother me if you take your time.”
“Y-yesh, pardon me…”
“When you done, we’ll go shopping, and then I explain to you about the money here.”
“Yes, kindly, thank you very much!”

In early afternoon of such day off, peaceful time was slowly flowing by.

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1. the actual term she refer to is [茶屋] [Chaya] - rest stop (used in the Edo period, which was between 1603 and 1867), nowadays it has the meaning of teahouse; back