Silence

69. Grocery Shopping and Unprompted Conversations

A/n. Trying out a new writing style. Lemme know what you guys think.

Once the duo was done with lunch, Shizukana and Sakura walked to the nearby store to shop for their necessities. The store wasn't far away and had quite a variety of items, so it was a win-win situation. Before leaving, Sakura, along with a few suggestions from Shizukana, compiled a hefty list. They didn't have anything else to do for the rest of the day and had planned to ensure that all the boxes from their list were checked. 

"Should I buy this brand or this?" Sakura asked as she held two boxes of tea. Leaning against their shopping cart, Shizukana pursed her lips. They had decided to choose a different flavour of tea instead of their usual. One of the first things Shizukana did was find a suitable tea she preferred. The names were not the same as her previous life so finding the right tea was quite difficult.

"I suppose we can explore? Let's let fate decide." Shizukana suggested making Sakura nod. The pink-haired medic then chucked the box on her left hand into the cart. "If we don't like it, we can always go back to our usual."

Sakura simply hummed before looking at their list. "Next up, salt and pepper."

The two of them looked up at the signs to find out which aisle contained the salt and pepper. For some unknown reason, the pepper was on the opposite side of the store where the salt was.

"I'll get the salt and you get the pepper?" Sakura suggested before continuing. "We can meet up in front of the fish section after."

"Sounds like a plan," Shizukana replied before pushing the cart towards the pepper. It wasn't that far so Shizukana grabbed the first pack that she saw and began walking towards the fish section. As much as Shizukana enjoyed spending time with Sakura, she wasn't a fan of the bright artificial lights and the tacky floors of the store. She couldn't wait to get out. She knew that Sakura would detour and glance at random items before getting the salt so Shizukana simply eyed the dead fish in front of her.

There was this one particular fish that seemed as if it was staring into Shizukana's soul. Too preoccupied with the fish, Shizukana failed to notice a man walking toward her.

"It's like they stare back," a voice interrupted Shizukana from her staring contest with the fish. Her body immediately tensed. Cautiously looking over to the person, Shizukana found herself staring at a man with jet-black hair. He was dressed casually and was holding an empty shopping basket in his hands. He wasn't old but he wasn't around her age as well. For some unknown reason, Shizukana had the sudden urge to just disappear. From what Shizukana could tell, the man didn't seem armed but he did have this ominous vibe to him.

"Nothing is satisfying about watching dead eyes," he continued. "It's like staring into an endless abyss. But there are times when the dead are luckier than the living. They no longer have to suffer."

Just as Shizukana was about to excuse herself, the man turned to look at her. "Kazuki Shin."Shizukana simply nodded and bowed slightly, opting not to shake the man's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"You'd think it would be easy to pick a packet of salt but apparently, there's so many different variations," the oblivious voice of Sakura interrupted Shizukana. Once the pink-haired medic realised that she had interrupted a conversation, she froze. Just as she was about to apologize, the man waved his hand before walking away.