I'm a Sucker for That Smile

It's a sunny Saturday, the temperature is just right, the air is crisp, and I woke up feeling great.

Lately, going out for a bit on the weekends with my wife has become our thing.

My wife is basically a homebody who prefers to spend her days off just playing video games, but since that usually leads to us just lounging around until the day is over, I've been taking her out somewhat forcefully.

I'm not good at sitting still, and whenever I have free time, I just want to go out.

Going for a drive by myself is nice, but it's definitely more fun when we do things together.

Today, our main goal is to buy summer clothes.

There's an old department store near our house where we could buy clothes, but the selection is limited, there aren't many size options, and the prices are quite steep.

So lately, we've been exclusively choosing our clothes at the UNIQLO or Workman Plus in the next town over.

I wait patiently for my wife to get ready, then we hop in the car.

Since the parking lot gets a lot of sun, it's already hot inside the car.

I start the engine, turn on the air conditioning, and set off while playing songs by the male idol group my wife is obsessed with.

When you have someone to talk to, the time to reach your destination flies by.

First, we head to UNIQLO.

Since it's Saturday, it's quite crowded.

We're looking for different things, so we go our separate ways.

I don't spend much time shopping for clothes, so I often buy things without even trying them on once I decide they're the ones.

I walked through the store, but I didn't find anything worth getting.

My wife is the cautious type, so she puts several items in her basket—even if they're the same design but different sizes or colors—and always tries them on.

I see my wife off to the fitting room, then sit on a nearby chair and read a book.

After about ten or fifteen minutes, the curtain opens, and she tells me she's torn between this one and that one.

The size is decided, so now it's just the color.

Saying "either one is fine" here is a forbidden phrase.

You must pick up both items, stare at them intently, and give a proper opinion, like "Hmm, both are nice, but I think this one makes you look slimmer, and I think it suits you well."

My wife replies with a "Really?" and, looking quite troubled, says, "The design and color are both nice, but the price isn't very cute," while holding the clothes up to her body repeatedly.

This part is always long, but since waiting doesn't get us anywhere, I say, "I'll buy it for you," and take the clothes.

My wife says, "Are you sure!?" and her face lights up with a smile.

Seeing that face makes me feel not so bad about it, and I head to the register.

After paying and handing the clothes to my wife, she is in a great mood, saying, "Thank you so much!"

After that, we went a little further to a second Workman Plus store.

They sell casual clothes for men, functional innerwear for women, and breathable hoodies at very low prices, so we've been frequenting them lately.

I bought a hat and some shorts, both of which were a bargain at 980 yen each.

Here, too, my wife disappears into the fitting room.

It seems she had decided on what to buy to some extent today, so there wasn't such a long wait.

The price of each individual item is cheap, but when they add up, it becomes a decent amount.

My wife starts glancing at me again.

Since I already know what she wants to say, I just say, "Hmm," take the basket, and head to the checkout.

"Thanks!" my wife says in appreciation.

It's a good trait of hers that she properly expresses gratitude instead of taking it for granted.

After checking my wallet, which had become quite thin from the two shopping trips, we had a quick lunch of Tanaka Udon and a seaweed rice ball at Dondon Udon.

On the way home, we stopped by a fairly large park for a leisurely stroll.

The early afternoon sun was a bit strong, and I broke into a light sweat.

There were many couples with small children pushing strollers, and I thought it was a perfect day for an outing.

After that, I did a little grocery shopping for dinner and headed home.

It was a fulfilling day with a proper outing.

Once I got home, I properly accompanied my wife in her fashion show as she showed off today's spoils.

While doing that, it already became evening.

I'm writing this while thinking about heading to the kitchen soon.

I think I'll also write a little bit about last night's dinner while I'm at it.

Yesterday was fish day.

Norwegian mackerel was cheap, so that was the main dish.

I sprinkled it with salt and let it sit for a while.

In the meantime, I made a side dish.

I peeled the lettuce, washed it well, and tore it by hand.

I sliced some new onions.

I shredded some crab sticks coarsely.

I combined everything and seasoned it with salt, garlic, sesame oil, yuzu kosho, and umami seasoning, then mixed it well.

With that, the Korean-style crab stick and lettuce salad was complete.

Another dish was a rolled omelet with chirimen sansho (dried young sardines with Japanese pepper).

I seasoned it with just a tiny bit of white dashi.

There was a little bit of leftover grilled pork, so we ate that too.

The rest is carrot rice bran pickles.

The miso soup has new potatoes in it.

I wash the salted mackerel, wipe it well, and then grill it.

Once it's grilled, I microwave some frozen rice, serve it, and dinner is ready.

I call my wife and we say 'itadakimasu'.

Yesterday was a day off from drinking.

First, starting with the crab stick and lettuce salad.

The combination of salt and sesame oil never fails.

Adding the punch of garlic and the sharp spiciness of yuzu kosho makes for a quite deep flavor.

The new onions were also juicy, so it was the right choice to include them.

Next is the rolled omelet with chirimen sansho (dried young sardines with Japanese pepper).

The compatibility between the chirimen sansho and the eggs was excellent.

My wife seemed to like it too, as she kept eating it up.

I take a break with the miso soup and then stuff my cheeks with rice and grilled mackerel.

The mackerel was well-fattened and had just the right amount of saltiness, making it perfect with rice.

The rice bran pickles also turned out pretty well.

I finished off the grilled pork as well, and feeling quite full, I said 'gochisosama'.

After cleaning up, I stayed up late reading an essay by Makita Sports before going to bed.

A sunny day right before the rainy season starts is something to be grateful for.

I walked quite a bit, so the beer is going to taste great today.

I feel like I've been saying that all year long.