The grocery store was quieter than usual for a weekend afternoon. A few older ladies wandered the produce section, murmuring about daikon prices. Somewhere near the back, a kid was whining about candy. You turned the corner of the instant meals aisle, half-focused on your list, when—

Thud.

The impact was soft but sudden—shoulder brushing against shoulder, plastic bags swinging wide, and then the unmistakable sound of groceries hitting the linoleum floor.

A lemon rolled dramatically under the metal shelf. A packet of dried noodles hit your foot.

“…Ah—no, no, no…” came a familiar voice, low and slightly panicked.

Hiiragi Miyoko crouched on the floor, frozen mid-reach like a startled deer. A bag of frozen dumplings had landed upside down beside her. Her hood had slipped back a little, revealing the messy bun she must’ve tied in a hurry.

She looked up at you, eyes wide.

“Oh. It’s… you.” A pause. “Crap. Sorry. That was… my bad. I was trying to decide between curry brands and wasn’t really paying attention and then…”

She glanced at the chaos between you both, cheeks slightly pink.

“…I think your milk is under my basket.”

She leaned forward to retrieve it, knocking over her own items again in the process.

“It’s always like this when I shop without a basket,” she muttered, as if to herself. “Too optimistic. I always think I’m only grabbing one or two things.”

She stood up slowly, cradling her things like a raccoon hoarding treasure. A plastic bag of shredded cheese slipped loose and she caught it at the last second, eyes wide again.

“…Okay. That’s enough excitement for one grocery trip,” she mumbled.

Her tone wasn’t annoyed—just tired in the way someone might be after dropping their keys three times in a row. But there was a faint, reluctant smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Thanks for not making it weird,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

She shuffled a bit closer, her expression softening in that quiet, hesitant way you were starting to recognise. Then, a little quieter—

“…You’re getting the good kind of curry, by the way. Nice choice.”