Uika Misumi and Sakiko Togawa

I'm home... Oh, something smells good.

Welcome home.

I'm home, Saki-chan. Oh, you're already making dinner.

Yes. Napa cabbage was on sale today.

Then napa cabbage is the star tonight. I'll take over from here, so you can sit down, Saki-chan.

It's all right. I'm nearly finished. You must be tired from work... Oh?

What is all that, if I may ask?

Oh, this? I did a little shopping after work.

That seems like quite a lot for "a little." What did you buy?

Let's see. First, coffee. We were almost out.

Ah, yes. That is true.

And face towels. Your towel is starting to fray, Saki-chan. These are popular on social media.

It was still usable... But thank you.

And slippers. They looked like your style, Saki-chan, so I bought them.

Two pairs? You bought them in different colors?

Oh, and the new room fragrances! I wasn't sure what kind of scent you'd like, Saki-chan, so I ended up buying the whole lineup.

The whole lineup... All eight of them?!

Yeah. Let's see, and then...

P-Please wait a moment.

Huh?

How much did you spend in total?

Huh? It wasn't that much. And, well, I don't really have anything else to spend money on...

Uika

I'm sorry...

*Sigh*... May I see the receipt?

S-Sure.

...

You spend too much... Even if you do have money to spare...

I get to the store, and suddenly everything feels like something we could use...

I am happy that you choose things for me. But there must be limits, wouldn't you agree?

Yes...

From now on, let us review our household budget together. We do share the same roof, after all.

Yeah... Thank you.

In that case, we should begin by keeping a household budget. We must cut back wherever we can.

You seem kind of excited, Saki-chan.

I am accustomed to living modestly.

Take the refrigerator, for example. If you overfill it, the cold air cannot circulate properly. Simply shopping a little more often can help reduce electricity costs.

Oh, I didn't know that. So buying too much at once isn't good either.

Precisely. There is also...

Ahaha... My stomach just growled.

Hehe... Shall we continue this after dinner?

Good idea. I'll help too. It'll be faster if we make it together.

Yes. I would appreciate that.

Oh... Saki-chan, can we stop by a convenience store?

Our snack stash is gone. I just remembered.

I do not mind, but... Would tomorrow be all right instead?

Come on, it can't wait~

We've both finished work for the day, and now we finally get to relax together. Snacks are absolutely essential!

Hehe. If you put it that way, shall we stop by before we get home?

Thanks, Saki-chan. Let's get some snacks you like too.

Convenience store snacks I like... I cannot think of any offhand.

Huh, really?

Yes. I have not had many chances to go to convenience stores... What kinds of snacks do they have?

All kinds! For example... Oh, wait, I'll pull up some pictures.

See? These kinds of gummies. Have you seen them at catering before?

Ah, yes. I have seen these gummies advertised on the train.

There are even sweets you can only get at convenience stores. They release new ones every season...

For this chain... They have strawberry mochi in spring and pineapple cake in summer!

There are so many...! With this many options, choosing must be quite a task.

That's the fun part. And then... Oh, these snacks...!

"Kara-Kara Chips..." They appear to be some kind of snack, but is there something special about them?

They used to be made by a famous brand, but they got discontinued a while ago.

But it looks like they brought them back under a different name as a store-brand product.

I thought they were gone, so... I'm kind of happy.

I see. I am glad for you. What do they taste like?

Let's see... I guess I'd call them kind of addictive. They're crispy and have a little spicy kick.

Spicy? That may be a little...

It's okay, they're not that spicy. I think you'll get hooked once you try them.

Is that so?

Since we're going anyway, let's try them.

Yes. Perhaps we could buy some to try.

But we must not buy too much...

I know, I know.

Oh, there it is! Let's go, Saki-chan!

My, Uika. You are getting rather excited. Hehe.

...

Saki-chan, good work today. Are you done with your meeting?

Yes. Everything went smoothly.

Good work to you too, Uika. How was your sumimi shoot?

Yeah, it's going well.

That is good to hear.

By the way... I watched it.

Watched what?

The sumimi video ad.

You watched it...! Thank you. That makes me really happy.

But... it is a little embarrassing.

There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You should be proud of it.

You really are amazing, Uika. You can share your charm as an idol through so many different media, not just onstage.

Thank you, Saki-chan.

But... I want to say this, just to be clear.

I am serious about Ave Mujica.

...!

What brought this on all of a sudden...?

Of course, sumimi is important to me too.

But that does not mean I would ever take Ave Mujica lightly. I will not do anything halfway. No matter what happens. Never.

So... Saki-chan. You don't have to worry.

Uika...

Yes. I know how you feel better than anyone.

Let us keep making Ave Mujica even better together.

For now... please take this.

A USB drive...?

It is a demo for a new song. I only just finished it.

A new song...!

Saki-chan, let's hurry home! I need to listen to it and start on the lyrics right away...!

Yes. Let us.