Just a Little Longer!
I want to stay with you a little longer!
"Complete~ revival!!! Revive!"
"You say that like you actually died and came back to life. Come on, Clear Sky."
As soon as the rain stopped, her personality switched from Ame to Clear Sky like magic.
The whole atmosphere changed completely.
Her voice, her eyes—everything.
The first time I witnessed Yuri's personality shift, my honest impression was...
'That's fascinating. It really is like magic.'
It wasn't like she was wrapped in a dazzling light and transformed all at once like a magical girl or anything.
She was actually relaxed enough to say a proper goodbye.
'See you next time. It was really fun meeting you outside like this today... Yes, I mean it. You want me to say it one more time? Ugh... Shut up, you damn Noah!'
Ame delivered her exit line with full tsundere energy before closing her eyes. Then, slowly, her hair began to take on a golden hue as the entire mood melted into something warmer.
When she opened her eyes again, they had shifted from pale violet to a reddish tone, and she was back to being the Clear Sky we all knew.
'So even at night, when her original personality comes out, it happens like this.'
I suddenly felt a little curious about it.
About seeing the most Yuri-like version of her—the one with the pink hair.
'To be honest, don't you just want to see the original Yuri waking up in your arms and getting all shy?'
Yeah... I can't deny that.
You got me this time, Yellow.
I almost used my Happy Grab on her, but settled for gently stroking her head instead.
Anyway, the rain had stopped, and our three-hour stay at the manga café was up.
"Shall we head out, Clear Sky?"
"Yeah! Noah, do you have any plans after this?"
"Hmm. Honestly, I haven't decided yet. I was thinking of just going home and figuring it out there."
"Hehe, then how about we do a little shopping at Lotte Tower?"
Shopping, huh.
Now that I thought about it, I couldn't remember ever really buying anything with Yuri before.
It was kind of ironic that we hadn't done one of the most common couple activities even once.
'I remember Dad always coming back from shopping with Mom looking like nothing but bones...'
He always looked so drained.
Strangely enough, Mom's skin would be glowing and smooth compared to before she left.
Maybe shopping dates between married couples were a whole different beast.
"Noah... you don't want to...?"
"Sorry. I was just lost in pointless thoughts for a second."
"You can't lose focus on me like that!"
Clear Sky puffed out her cheeks and widened her eyes in protest.
Anyone who could say no to a face like that wouldn't be human—they'd be an oni.
I took Yuri's hand and gently calmed her down.
"Let's go. It's exactly four o'clock anyway. We can hang out there and grab dinner too."
"Great idea! We didn't really eat much for lunch, right? This is our chance to make up for it~"
"We'll check out the menu when we get there. So? What are you planning to shop for?"
When it came to a girl's shopping list, accessories or clothes were the most likely suspects.
Yuri wasn't the type to indulge in luxury no matter which personality was in control, and only Clear Sky really did outdoor activities.
Maybe shirts or workout clothes.
Or... since she was a gamer, computer gear was also a possibility.
But what Yuri said next, clasping her hands together and looking up at me with sparkling eyes, was something I never could have predicted.
"Underwear!"
"Huh?"
"My size grew again! Even what I'm wearing right now feels so tight!"
Holy.....
The power of a single word is terrifying.
Honestly, it's just a thin piece of fabric that touches your skin.
If we're only talking about covering something, it's no different from a shirt or pants.
So why does my heart start pounding like this the moment the word "underwear" is mentioned?
"Hmm-hmm~♪ Noah! Which color do you think would suit me? Sky blue? Or maybe pink would look better on me?"
Clear Sky smiled brightly as she held up two different bras in front of my face, one in each hand.
One was a simple design.
The other had lace and was... that kind of design.
For a moment I didn't know where to look and just stared into empty space before cautiously glancing down at Yuri.
She had an expression that clearly said, "Hurry up and choose."
Far from being embarrassed, she was seriously comparing the two.
'Am I the weird one here? Isn't it common sense to get shy when showing swimsuits or underwear to the opposite sex?!'
Well, if she were the type to get shy, she probably wouldn't have dragged me underwear shopping in the first place.
Anyway, Clear Sky was way too casual about it.
If it had been regular clothes, I could've fought back with something like, "Should we get matching couple outfits?"
But because it was underwear, I was stuck on the receiving end of her one-sided assault.
"Um... the pink one looks prettier."
"Really? You have to look properly! Put some heart into it, Noah!"
"It's hard to focus when you're shoving something that dangerous in my face."
Yuri had a very mature body for her age.
Even when I turned my head away, I could still catch a glimpse of the bra size...
Whew. Wow...
"Hmph... I went through all that trouble picking these out."
"Ahaha... Sorry, Yuri. But could you think about me a little too? As a guy, this is pretty stimulating. It's getting hard to hold back, you know?"
"....That's exactly why I asked you to come. Idiot."
"Hm? What did you say?"
She seemed to mutter something, but I couldn't catch it.
Since she called me an idiot at the end, it was probably some kind of insult.
Yuri wouldn't even turn her face toward me. She puffed out her cheeks and whipped her head away.
She looked genuinely sulky.
I scratched my cheek and asked her again.
"I mean, it's not regular clothes—it's underwear. Do you really need my opinion on this? It's not like..."
Saying it out loud was so embarrassing.
"...you're going to show it to me anyway, right?"
Yuri slightly lowered her head.
Then, with her face growing even redder, she spoke in a tiny, crawling voice.
"...You never know. Not right now, but... after more time passes... maybe even what's under the underwear..."
"Hey, when you say it like that..."
At Yuri's words, we both turned into tomatoes.
We'd both imagined it.
A scene that might still be far in the future—lying in the same bed, skin to skin... that kind of scene.
....Just thinking about it was driving me crazy.
My mind went completely blank.
My face, my heart, my whole body burned bright red.
"Sorry, Noah. Yeah... now I get why the main body is feeling so embarrassed inside. Ahaha, I really put you in a tough spot~"
Clear Sky fanned her cheeks with her palm and laughed awkwardly.
She seemed to want to change the mood somehow, but once the air had heated up like that, it wasn't easy to cool back down.
Then, the moment she stood up to put the underwear she'd picked out back on the rack—
"Um...?"
"Hey, Yuri."
I grabbed her arm and mumbled hesitantly.
I still couldn't meet her eyes and kept staring at the floor, but I told her my honest feelings.
"....The pink one would suit you better. The simple design... I mean..."
"It won't distract me, so I can focus completely on you... I think. Ahaha..."
I'd done it now.
If she slapped me and called me a pervert, I wouldn't have any defense.
"Geez..."
What came back was Yuri's light, warm, love-soaked voice.
It sounded like she was saying "I can't help it" and "You're so adorable I could die" at the same time.
I couldn't see her expression, but somehow I could picture it perfectly.
"Hehe... Then I'll go with the pink one. Simple, with no lace or decorations at all. A design that fully shows off my shape—exactly Noah's taste♪"
"Hey, hey..."
"Hehe, wait here. I'll pay and be right back~"
Yuri let go of my hand and hurried over to the register.
I could only see her back, but from how excitedly she was running, I could tell she was smiling with pure happiness.
I ruffled my hair and looked up at the ceiling.
"Four years... that's way too long. I want to become an adult already. I don't think I can hold out until then."
After the dizzying underwear purchase, the rest of the shopping was surprisingly normal.
Since I was there anyway, I browsed a few summer shirts and shorts, while Yuri spent a long time in the sleepwear section.
When she came out of the fitting room wearing a full-body penguin onesie...
'Oh... I really do like penguins.'
I almost lost control and went "waaah," but somehow managed to hold it together.
While we wandered around laughing at everything, the place we naturally stopped at was—
"Should I get a hat?"
In front of a wall completely covered in hats.
I tilted my head, poking at them one by one with my finger.
There were simple logo designs and flashy graphic street-style ones.
"Clear Sky, what about this one?"
It was a black ball cap with big letters on the front that read 'NO CHICKEN, NO LIFE.'
Yuri, who had been watching me from the side, gave me an utterly dumbfounded look.
"Noah... you're seriously going to buy a hat with that phrase on it...?"
"Why? Isn't it cool? And it's about chicken. Golden crispy, you know?"
"Liking chicken and wearing it proudly on your head are two completely different things, don't you think?"
Yuri let out a disbelieving sigh and reached up to take the hat off my head.
"I'm the one who has to look at you! Here, take this instead."
What she put in my hand was a simple-colored ball cap.
The brim had a nice curve, and only a small brand logo was engraved on the front—a refined design.
"Yeah, this is way better. What the heck was that chicken thing!"
I figured she'd just take it back if I complained, so I quietly put it on and adjusted it.
"It does look neat."
"Right? It's so much better than your catastrophic fashion sense! I'll get the same color then~"
"You're getting one too? Won't it be too matching?"
"That's the point! Later when we wear them together while exercising... yeah. It won't look too obvious, right? Hehe."
She winked at me with excitement and stuck close to my side.
"It looks good! Don't you think we match well?"
At her words, I looked back at the mirror.
The two of us standing side by side wearing the same hats.
Under the slightly lowered brims, my face and Clear Sky's face were reflected together.
For some reason... it gave me a strange, subtle feeling.
Without thinking much, I brought my hand to my chin while looking in the mirror.
It was completely unconscious.
A pose I made without any thought.
"Hehe!"
Yuri saw it and playfully copied the exact same pose.
"What? Matching me now?"
"Yup! Because we're childhood friends!"
This time she linked her arm with mine and struck a confident pose.
I couldn't just let her have all the fun.
"Huh?"
She looked surprised.
And then a bright, radiant smile spread across her face.
Looking at that smile, even now I don't know what came over me.
Like I was possessed, I pulled out my phone from my pocket.
"Want to take a picture together, Yuri?"
