Chapter Text
Tanaka should’ve known better than to let Junko come with him at the grocery store. He should’ve been firm and said no when she asked to go with him.
Maybe, things won’t be as awkward as they are right now.
“Papa… please?” Junko whined as he paced around their house, trying to do a last minute sweep of things he needed to buy at the store.
“Junko-chan. I’ll just go to the grocery store. It’s not really exciting,” Tanaka said, he honestly hates grocery shopping more than putting away laundry, which is the most dreadful of all house chores to ever exist.
“Papa, please? I want to come with you,” Junko insisted. She even went as far as pouting, something she only does when she wants to get something that she really likes. Which is not often, or not as often as he did when he was her age.
He’s been told again and again that Junko is a far easier kid than he is. And in his recollection, he was probably the worst kid, if Junko ever turned out even a quarter of how he was as a kid, he would for sure lose his mind on a daily basis.
He’s eternally grateful Junko was an easier kid.
“Honestly, Junko-chan, what’s your fascination with grocery stores?” A corner shop with all its assortment of things, Tanaka could understand any kids’ fascination with those, but a grocery store?
Not even the adults find those fascinating.
Junko just shrugs her shoulders. “I like the cart,” she said simply.
“Alright then,” Tanaka acquiesced. “If you like those shopping carts that much, I guess I have no choice but to bring you with me.”
Junko squealed immediately, clapped her hands like she won something greater than a grocery trip.
Tanaka thought about letting Junko know about the list of things and his plan of sticking to those items, but he didn’t need to, she wouldn’t have asked him for anything.
“Alright then, Junko-chan. Your shopping cart awaits you.” Another round of squeal can be heard through their apartment complex.
⏪️
“What is this for, Papa?” Junko asks as he puts another item on their cart. She picked up the bathroom cleaner and regarded it suspiciously.
“That’s a toilet bowl cleaner, Junko-chan,” Tanaka explained, as patiently as he could while rolling the cart on the cleaning supply aisle, looking for other supplies that he has on his list.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?” Tanaka asks, a little confused with their conversation.
“Why do we need to have that?” Junko clarifies, still regarding the toilet bowl cleaner with suspicion.
“Well, to make sure our toilet remains clean,” Tanaka explained, hoping that’s enough to satisfy her curiosity.
“But our toilet’s always clean, Papa,” Junko replied, still frowning at him.
“Yes, because I always make sure it’s clean by using that. And now, we ran out.”
“And we’re buying this to make sure our toilet is clean?”
Tanaka nodded his head.
“You know Junko-chan, when you said you like the cart, I really thought you meant the baby seat, not the inside of the cart like you’re of the grocery items,” Tanaka said, he probably earned some looks because who let a four year old inside the cart?
“I like it here better,” Junko reasoned out. Then she reached out to a random item on their cart, “Why do you have a coli?”
“Well… I’ve been told that you don’t like broccoli when they serve it at school. So… we’ll have it some time this coming week,” Tanaka answered, he could’ve easily said because he likes broccoli, but he hated it with a passion, but he doesn’t want his child to hate it so he decided to conquer his hatred for the cruciferous vegetable.
Junko-chan eyed the vegetable with suspicion.
He was about to reach for the last meat in the freezer when another hand also reached for it at the same time as his.
“Oh, sorry—” Tanaka said as he retracted his hand and looked at the stranger.
It was Katori. “Katori-sensei!” Junko squealed, clearly delighted to see her teacher outside of school, waving enthusiastically at him.
“Hello there, Junko-chan. I see you went with your Papa to do grocery?” Katori replied.
“Yes! I love carts!” Junko-chan exclaimed as she sat inside the cart, in front of her are the grocery items they’ve accumulated.
“I can see that. You don’t want the baby seat?”
“I’m not a baby,” Junko-chan replied, and Tanaka didn’t know whether to scoff or laugh at her reason.
“No, I suppose you’re no longer a baby,” Katori readily agrees, nodding his head. Junko preened at her teacher’s agreement.
Then came silence. Awkward and little tensed silence, “It’s nice to see you, Katori-kun, but we need to get going,” Tanaka said, breaking the silence between them, then turned to his daughter, “Junko-chan. Say goodbye to Katori-sensei.”
Junko was about to do what she was told when a man approached them. More like he approaches Katori, “Love, they don’t have the soy sauce that you want. But I think this’ll be a good replacement…” the man prattled on, then he noticed Tanaka and Junko standing near him, “Uh. Hello…” Then he turned to Katori, probably silently asking him to know who they were.
Katori cleared his throat, “Honey, this is Tanaka and Junko-chan. She’s a student of mine.”
“And he’s my Papa!” Junko happily piped in.
“Right. Tanaka is Junko-chan’s father,” Katori said.
“Hello there, Junko-chan. It was so nice meeting you,” the man said, smiling at his daughter.
Tanaka may not be the brightest student back then, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize who the man is.
“Katori-sensei and Papa were classmates in school! Uncle Shun said,” Junko shared unprompted.
“It must be nice,” the man commented, still smiling at them, “Running onto an old classmate. When Katori and I were still in Tokyo, I would always bump into my old classmates from high school.”
Tanaka has a different thought in mind but he chose not to say it outloud, “Yeah. You could say that, I guess. I haven’t seen Katori-san in a very long time. Not since high school, isn’t that right?”
“Yeah,” Katori replied shortly.
“We’ve been in Tokyo this whole time,” the man chimed in, “Oh where are my manners. I’m Hamada Ryosuke. I’m Katori’s boyfriend.”