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The Saturday afternoon crowd filled the shopping mall with a constant buzz of conversation, laughter, and music drifting from the stores that lined every level. Students wandered between clothing boutiques carrying colorful shopping bags, families gathered around the food court deciding what to eat, and couples strolled hand in hand beneath strings of decorative lights hanging from the high glass ceiling. It was the perfect place to spend a weekend, at least according to Kentaro Yamada. To Taira, however, it felt less like a shopping trip and more like the setting of an impossible final exam.
Taira stood just inside the entrance gripping his phone with both hands while staring blankly at the enormous mall directory.
"I can't do this."
Beside him, Kentaro Yamada took a sip of his iced coffee.
"You've said that six times."
"I've only been here for three minutes."
Tani smiled patiently.
"You've actually been here for eight."
Taira groaned dramatically.
"That makes it worse."
Yamada looked at him with an amused grin.
"You know, most people get excited about celebrating their one month anniversary."
"I am excited."
"You don't look excited."
"I look terrified."
"You do."
Taira sighed deeply.
"What if she doesn't like my present?"
Yamada blinked.
"What if she thinks it's too small?"
Tani folded his arms.
"What if it's too expensive?"
Yamada shook his head.
"What if it's too ordinary?"
Tani chuckled.
"What if I accidentally buy something that reminds her of her least favorite color?"
Yamada stared.
"...That's oddly specific."
"I've considered every possible disaster."
Yamada laughed.
"You've definitely been overthinking."
Taira buried his face in his hands.
"I know."
The three friends had known one another since the beginning of High School, and over the past few years their personalities had become wonderfully familiar. Yamada approached almost every problem with cheerful optimism. Tani balanced every situation with calm common sense. Taira, meanwhile, possessed an incredible talent for imagining every possible thing that could go wrong before anything had even happened.
Yamada gently patted his shoulder.
"Take a breath."
"I already took three."
"Take another one."
Taira did.
It helped for approximately five seconds.
"I just..."
He smiled sheepishly.
"...I really like Azuma."
Yamada's expression immediately softened.
"We know."
"I want today to be perfect."
Tani nodded.
"And that's exactly why you're nervous."
Taira looked at him.
"It is?"
"You care."
Yamada pointed toward him.
"That's actually a good thing."
"It doesn't feel like one."
"It will."
They began walking through the mall together, passing bookstores, cafés, clothing shops, and small gift stores filled with plush animals, candles, notebooks, and jewelry.
Every single display somehow made Taira even more anxious.
He picked up a small stuffed bear.
"What about this?"
Yamada smiled.
"It's cute."
Tani nodded.
"It is."
Taira immediately put it back.
"Too childish."
Five minutes later he picked up a bracelet.
"What about this?"
Yamada examined it.
"It looks nice."
Tani agreed.
"It's elegant."
Taira frowned.
"Maybe too elegant."
Yamada sighed dramatically.
"You've rejected everything."
"I haven't rejected everything."
Yamada slowly counted on his fingers.
"The teddy bear."
"It was too childish."
"The bracelet."
"Too elegant."
"The flowers."
"They'll wilt."
"The chocolates."
"They disappear."
"The photo frame."
"I don't know what picture to put inside."
Tani smiled.
"You're making this difficult."
"I know."
Yamada laughed.
"You've somehow turned buying a present into a philosophy class."
Taira rubbed the back of his neck.
"I just want Azuma to know she's important."
Yamada smiled warmly.
"I promise you."
"What?"
"She already knows."
Taira looked unconvinced.
"How?"
"You've been smiling every time someone mentions her."
Tani nodded.
"You also check your phone every five minutes."
"I do not."
Yamada raised an eyebrow.
"Check your pocket."
Without thinking, Taira reached for his phone.
Yamada pointed triumphantly.
"There."
Taira froze.
"...Oh."
Both of his friends laughed.
"You got me."
Yamada grinned.
"Very easily."
As they wandered farther through the mall, they eventually stopped near a quiet seating area overlooking the central fountain.
Taira sighed again.
"I still don't know."
Yamada sat down on one of the benches.
"Can I tell you something?"
Taira nodded.
"When Natsumi and I had been dating for about a month..."
A smile naturally appeared on Yamada's face at the mention of his girlfriend.
"...I spent almost an entire week worrying about our first monthly anniversary."
"You did?"
"Oh, absolutely."
Tani chuckled.
"He asked me if buying flowers was too predictable."
Yamada laughed.
"I really did."
"What happened?"
"I bought the flowers."
"And?"
"Natsumi smiled."
Yamada's own smile widened just remembering it.
"She kept one of the little notes I wrote."
Taira looked surprised.
"Really?"
Yamada nodded.
"It wasn't the flowers."
"What was it?"
"It was that I thought about her."
Taira quietly considered those words.
Tani smiled.
"I had the exact same experience."
"You did?"
"When Suzuki and I had our first anniversary..."
He laughed softly.
"...I thought I needed some huge romantic surprise."
Yamada nodded knowingly.
"I remember."
Tani smiled.
"I spent days planning."
"And?"
"I ended up giving her a scrapbook with photos, movie tickets, and little memories from our first four years together."
Taira smiled.
"That sounds really sweet."
Tani laughed.
"Do you know what Suzuki liked most?"
"What?"
"The handwritten note inside."
"Not the scrapbook?"
"No."
"The note?"
"She said knowing why I appreciated her meant more than anything expensive."
Yamada nodded.
"Natsumi's the same way."
Taira looked thoughtful.
"So..."
Yamada smiled.
"It isn't about finding the most impressive gift."
Tani continued.
"It's about finding something that says you know her."
They resumed walking, this time paying less attention to the price tags and more attention to the kinds of things Azuma actually enjoyed.
Yamada pointed toward a stationery shop.
"Doesn't Azuma like journaling?"
Taira blinked.
"She does."
"And drawing little sketches."
"She does."
Tani smiled.
"What does she always carry?"
Taira answered immediately.
"A notebook."
Yamada grinned.
"There you go."
They stepped inside.
The shop was filled with elegant journals, colorful pens, bookmarks, and beautifully crafted notebooks.
Taira wandered quietly through the aisles.
Then he stopped.
Resting on one shelf was a beautifully bound journal with a simple navy cover and delicate silver stars across the front.
He picked it up.
"...She'd love this."
Yamada smiled.
"I think she would too."
Taira opened it.
The pages were thick enough for writing and sketching.
There was even a ribbon bookmark.
He smiled.
"She always says she runs out of notebook space."
Tani nodded.
"So now she'll have another one."
Taira's smile grew a little wider.
"I could write something on the first page."
Yamada's immediately pointed at him.
"Exactly."
Tani smiled.
"That's the important part."
Taira looked down at the journal.
"I could tell her..."
He laughed quietly to himself.
"...that I hope it fills up with memories we'll make together."
Yamada placed both hands on Taira's shoulders.
"Now that's romantic."
Tani nodded approvingly.
"And it's personal."
For the first time all afternoon, Taira looked genuinely relieved.
"I think..."
He smiled.
"...this is it."
Yamada raised both fists in celebration.
"We did it."
Tani laughed.
"We survived."
After buying the journal, they stopped by a small café in the food court for drinks.
Taira looked noticeably calmer.
Yamada smiled across the table.
"Feeling better?"
"I really am."
Tani stirred his coffee.
"You were worrying because you wanted everything to be perfect."
Taira nodded.
"I guess I forgot something."
"What?"
Yamada smiled.
"Azuma started dating you."
Taira blinked.
"...Yeah."
"That means she likes you."
Tani chuckled.
"She's not evaluating your shopping skills."
Yamada laughed.
"She's celebrating your relationship."
Taira smiled.
"When you put it that way..."
"It sounds a lot less scary."
Yamada nodded.
"Exactly."
Taira looked at both of his friends with genuine gratitude.
"Thanks."
"What for?" Yamada asked.
"For listening to me panic."
Tani smiled.
"We're your friends."
Yamada grinned.
"And someday, when I inevitably overthink something involving Natsumi..."
Taira laughed.
"I'll remind you of this conversation."
"Deal."
The three of them clinked their paper coffee cups together with easy smiles.
As they continued chatting about college classes, weekend plans, and the upcoming anniversary celebration, Taira found himself no longer worrying about whether the gift was perfect.
Instead, he was looking forward to seeing Azuma's smile.
And thanks to the encouragement of two friends who understood that the most meaningful gifts came from sincerity rather than perfection, he realized that was exactly what mattered most.