Book 7: Short Story: Ayase-san’s Days With Capsule Toy Vending Machines
One day, Ayase-san got really into capsule toys. And considering Ayase-san, who rarely showed such passion for such materialistic ideas, this was a surprise. This addiction was triggered on our way back home from Nagano after we visited our relatives. My old man and I were pretty used to this custom, but for Akiko-san and Ayase-san, it must have been relatively exhausting, no doubt. Even so, they both were quite cheerful and lively during the car ride home.
We grabbed a bite to eat as dinner at a service area on the way and had some time to buy some souvenirs. So, Ayase-san and I walked around, considering what to get for Narasaka-san and Maru respectively, when Ayase-san suddenly stopped. Looking in the same direction as her, I could tell her gaze was glued to the capsule toys that shone brightly. She was looking at one of those capsule toy vending machines. By throwing in some change, you get a small ball with a toy or other objects inside of it. And there were ten or so machines just standing next to the other.
“Alvar Aalto…”
What? Hearing something that resembled a chant, I glanced over at her face. Through that, I saw a passionate gaze in her eyes, telling me that something was off.
“Um…?”
“It’s so cute…”
Well, it’s normal for capsule toys to be about cute characters in miniature form. It ranged from regular cat goods to…whatever you could imagine. However, what caught her attention weren’t just some regular goods.
“You mean this?”
“Yeah.”