"Sakamaki?" I heard a faint voice calling out my name. I took out my earphone and looked in the direction that voice came from.

"What are you doing here, Denchi-kun?" Kana asked me. I didn't expect to meet her here.

"Nothing much, just heading to the supermarket," I said in my usual tone.

"Heading to the supermarket." She imitated me by making her voice hoarse.

I looked at and said nothing.

"Why are you always so serious?" She asked playfully.

"I'm not."

"Yes… you are."

"Anyway, I'm heading to the supermarket too." She answered. Seems like she is heading there, too.

"What are you going to buy?" I know it was a lame question, but I didn't want to break the flow of conversation we were having.

"Wait." The light turned green, so we walked to the other side and continued talking.

"Yeah, just things like shampoo and body wash."

"I see."

"Well, since you're here it won't be much boring now." I was more surprised at how her behaviour towards me changed in mere two days.

I will not say change. To be specific, she didn't talk with me because there was no need for that. Maybe she is just being nice to me as she does with everyone else.

We were walking around in the supermarket, tagging along behind her as she was browsing through the shampoo and soap section.

I was walking behind her. I could see a few strands of loose hair from her nape as she tied her hair up in a bun. Her hair was a shade of lighter brown. It was weird seeing her in casual clothes.

"Why are you alone?"

"Um, who brings their friends with them to go shopping?"

"Girls do." I shrugged.

"Uh, that's true." She laughed.

"Well, don't you and Yoshiwa-san live nearby each other?"

"Yeah, we do. How do you know?"

"Because you two come to school together and also walk back home together sometimes."

"Ahh... I thought you're a creepy stalker." She laughed while nudging me with her elbow.

"Your jokes are as lame as you."

"Haha hilarious." She rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"That wasn't a joke." I had a smug look on my face.

"Screw you." She headed towards the billing counter as she was done shopping.

"Wait, I'll be back in a moment." I said and headed over to what I wanted to buy.

I came back after a few minutes. Kana noticed my empty hands and asked. "What did you bring?"

"Ah, I ordered it, they will deliver it to my home in two days." She nodded, and we walked out of the supermarket.

"Uh yeah, that day you said you taught Tomose how to cook. Was it true?"

"Ah, yes. She was really a novice though she learns fast, so that's a positive thing."

"Really? How long have you known each other?"

"Well, it was last year, when our last semester was ending. I became friends with her." She smiled as she recalled those events.

"Wow, that's a long time."

"Forget about that, I'm really surprised at the fact that I'm talking to you out of all people." I gave a small laugh.

Well, I can understand her. I never thought I would talk with this bunch.

"You look good in this hairstyle." I pointed it out because it is really an odd sight for me.

"Wh-What? Thanks, I guess. Don't try to hit on me." She blushed and laughed.

Though it was not my intention. Seems like she misunderstood me. This was my first time noticing her blush. She may have blushed in school among her friends, but this was indeed a rare sight for me.

"No, I didn't mean it that way. It's just I have never seen you outside school."

"Hmph, I see what Yukimura meant when he said you're smooth with girls." She was slightly blushing, and a smile was on her face which kept her from embarrassing herself.

I guess getting compliments out of nowhere can easily embarrass any person. It's just that the reactions vary from person to person.

I just shrugged and we continued walking. There was an awkward silence between us now. She opened her mouth to say something, but instantly closed it. She decided not to say whatever was on her mind.

"You were going to say something?"

"Hmph, why do you notice everything?" She sighed.

"Do you like Tomose-san?" She looked up at my face.

I didn't have an answer to her question. I kept walking silently while glancing at her avidly, staring at me.

"Why do you ask?"

"You aren't someone who will just randomly want to be friends with people."

Damn, she saw right through me. She was more observant than I assumed her to be.

"That's not very nice of you to say." I chuckled.

"So… Do you like her?" She asked.

"Not at the moment." This was an appropriate answer.

"So you'll in the future?" She said with a smug.

"I didn't say that."

"Ehh?" She had a confused look on her face.

We finally reached the place from where we will both separate our ways.

"It felt less boring hitting the supermarket with someone." I said.

"I know right." She chuckled.

"Imagine, this is like my first time going shopping with someone." I laughed, thinking about how lame it was.

"Really?" I nodded as a reply to her question and we laughed.

The sun was setting, and the sky was illuminated in orange light.

"Well, see you later Denchi-kun" Her face was lit up by the orange light, and it gave her hair a fiery colour. There was a gentle smile on her face. She waved at me with her left hand and turned around, continuing on her way.

I waved her back and continued back towards my apartment. I didn't expect this turn of events but this definitely helped me to grow a little closer to her. Since being friends with Kana was definitely one of my objectives and I was able to progress in that today.

Kana was a nice girl apparently, but she had her own flaws. Talking about flaws, I have no right to judge others' flaws, being a defective product myself.

But being defective was not a bad thing at all. In my opinion, defective things can be fixed with the slightest of alteration. But the cruel truth was that, in this world, there was no place for a defective item.

I was like a piece of metal, which was beaten to attain perfection, but it lost its original shape in the process because it was a defective item.

I plugged in my earphones and kept walking.