What Clothes to Buy?
What clothes should we buy?
It was nothing to brag about, but I hadn't had a single friend since the second year of middle school.
My twisted personality played a part, sure, but there was a more fundamental reason than that.
Everyone has walls around their heart. And mine were sturdier than most.
I never let anyone breach them. Even when someone tried to get close, I kept my distance. That was just the kind of person I was, and true to form, I preferred not going out at all.
So when it came to hanging around downtown with other people, I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
"Reina, what do you want to do?"
Even when Ceryll asked, I couldn't think of an answer.
"You're the one who wanted to come out, so let's do whatever you want."
I chose to go along with Ceryll instead. On a normal day I would've just turned around and gone home, but today I had decided to treat her kindly.
So no matter how weird her suggestions got, I was ready to go along with every single one.
"Whatever I want, huh… Then how about we start by buying some clothes?"
"Sure."
I didn't care much about fashion, but Ceryll clearly did.
The academy sat in the capital of the kingdom, so the downtown area around us was packed with high-end shops. Naturally, the clothing store we walked into was one of the most famous in the entire realm.
"Welcome, customers."
The thing I hated most appeared the instant we stepped inside—an employee greeting us right at the door.
"Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
The clerk smiled brightly as she looked us over. Ceryll answered like she'd done this a hundred times.
"I'd like to see the new arrivals."
"Of course. We just got some fresh pieces in, as a matter of fact."
The employee quickly brought over the latest collection—dresses, pants, knits, everything.
"Wow! This one's pretty, and this one's pretty too! Oh, I like that one as well!"
Ceryll's eyes sparkled with delight at the clothes.
"Reina, which of these two do you think is better?"
She asked, and I gave the outfits a halfhearted glance.
"Does it really matter which?"
"No, it doesn't. These two are completely different styles."
I was a total fashion illiterate, so honestly I couldn't tell. The clothes I was wearing today were just a T-shirt and sweatpants, after all.
"Either one would look great on you, Ceryll."
I answered that way because I had no idea what to pick.
"…Honest Reina is unfair."
A faint blush colored Ceryll's cheeks. I scratched my head.
"More importantly, if it's you, Ceryll, couldn't you just buy both?"
Unlike me, she was rich. Money was never going to be a problem for her.
"That's true, but I still wanted to know which one you liked more."
"…My opinion doesn't really matter, does it?"
She was the one who'd be wearing it. She should buy whichever one she was more drawn to.
"No. It matters. I like both, but if I have to choose just one, I want to wear the one you prefer."
I couldn't understand what she was saying. But one thing was clear: unless I picked one, Ceryll would keep asking the same question forever.
I looked at the clothes she was holding again.
A long dress that really emphasizes the waistline.
Ceryll had a slim waist and a great figure, so she'd look amazing in it. Only someone confident in their body could pull off something like that.
And the second is a sky-blue blouse with a white skirt…
That wasn't bad either. The problem was that the blouse was off-shoulder, showing the shoulders, and the skirt flared open just enough to reveal a little leg.
…Both of them are kind of embarrassing.
If someone had told me to wear either one, I would've fled in disgust. As a spectator, though, I liked both just fine.
"I think this one is better."
After some thought, I chose the second. We were still students, after all—something that showed off the figure so blatantly felt a little wrong.
"I'll go change right now!"
Ceryll said that, grabbed something extra, and disappeared into the fitting room.
A few seconds later, Ceryll walked back out to me in the new outfit.
"Well?"
"It suits you."
"Right? This dress is really beautifully made. They say clothes make the man—looks like that saying is spot on!"
As she spoke, Ceryll started spinning in place. Just as the back of her head came into view, I opened my mouth.
"It looks good because you're pretty, Ceryll."
Even if clothes make the man, they don't cover for the wearer's face.
"It really does look great on you."
I said it with a smile. I wasn't usually good at compliments, but today I had decided to be kind to Ceryll, so I was offering the kind of lip service I never normally gave.
Of course, it wasn't a lie. I meant every word.
"…Ceryll?"
She suddenly stopped spinning and hung her head. Wondering what was wrong, I rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Ah."
She flinched in surprise.
"You okay?"
On a normal day I wouldn't have worried, but today was the anniversary of her mother's death. It wouldn't be strange if her mood swung from high to low without warning.
"…Y-yeah. I… I think I should buy this. I'm going to wear it all day."
I still didn't fully understand, but it didn't seem like anything serious had happened. Did that mean the clothes shopping was over?
"Now that I've bought mine, it's time to get something for you, Reina."
…Apparently not.
"I don't have any money."
"It's fine. I'll buy it for you."
As she spoke, Ceryll pulled out a black card. Whoa—it almost looked like it was glowing.
"It's okay."
Even if Ceryll was rich, getting something for free still felt weird. On top of that, the clothes here were insanely expensive.
"I want to buy it for you. As thanks for the lunchbox."
Back when the dungeon break happened, I had packed a lunch for her. As a massive glutton, she must have been deeply moved by it.
"I didn't do that expecting anything in return."
Besides, the real repayment had already come when she cut down that golem for me.
"If you don't accept, I'll feel unsettled."
Living with Ceryll had taught me one thing: she could be surprisingly stubborn. If I kept refusing she would eventually back down, but…
"…Fine. Just one outfit, though."
Today's me couldn't refuse. I had already made up my mind to treat her kindly.
"Is there anything you like?"
Ceryll asked with a thoroughly delighted expression. Seeing her eyes sparkle like that, I was glad I'd accepted.
"As long as it's sweatpants, anything's fine."
"…Do you like sweatpants, Reina?"
"It's not that I like them, exactly…"
Among women's clothes, they were pretty much the only things I could wear without wanting to die.
"If it's all right, could I pick something out for you?"
Ceryll picking for me. That made me a little uneasy. But looking at the expectant expression on her face, I somehow couldn't refuse.
"Sure."
If it got too bad I could just not buy it, I told myself, and agreed. Ceryll hopped in place with pure joy.
"I'll bring something that looks good on you, Reina!"
I sat on a chair and waited for her to return. Ceryll wandered all over the store, smiling from ear to ear as if she were having the time of her life. At last she came back—with a mountain of clothes.
The problem was…
They're all dresses.
Every single thing she had brought was a dress. They didn't particularly emphasize the figure, but they were still skirts, and that alone made me uncomfortable. Even though I wore a skirt with the school uniform, skirts still felt somehow off.
I was about to refuse. But then—
"Try this on! This one! Kyaa! I can't wait to see you in it!"
Watching Ceryll bounce around as she thrust the clothes at me, I found I couldn't say no.
"…Fine. I'll try it on."
If it hadn't been the anniversary of her mother's death, I definitely would have refused! I didn't want to see her get depressed if I turned her down.
"But I'm only trying on one."
I still needed to compromise somewhere.
"Then put this one on."
Ceryll held out a pure-white dress. Would something like this really suit me? The doubt crossed my mind, but I took it anyway.
I stepped into the fitting room and peeled my clothes off like a cast-off skin. Then I examined the dress from every angle.
Do I put it on from the top? Or from the bottom?
I decided to try stepping into it legs-first. It went on without a hitch, so that must have been right. After pulling it up over my chest and getting the shoulder straps into place, I realized there was one big problem.
"The zipper… I can't reach it."
I needed to pull the zipper up, but I couldn't do it alone. I tried every way I could think of, but it was no use. If only my arms were a little longer.
"Reina, are you almost done?"
Her voice came from outside the fitting room.
"…I can't get the zipper."
The moment I answered honestly—
"Then I'll do it for you."
—Ceryll walked right into the fitting room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Having the zipper in the back makes it hard to put on by yourself."
She nodded in understanding and moved behind me. She didn't seem to have any ulterior motives. No—there was no way she could. No one would get those kinds of feelings looking at a scrawny body like mine.
So the reason I was this tense had to be something else.
…I'm embarrassed.
Even though I wasn't naked, embarrassment welled up. The fact that I was wearing such an utterly girlish dress that didn't suit me at all, and the fact that someone had seen it—those two things filled me with a strange sense of shame.
I knew I was a girl now, so there was nothing strange about wearing it. But still…
Embarrassing was embarrassing. I uselessly brought both hands up toward my chest.
At the same time—
"Hah."
—an odd sound escaped me without permission. The reason was simple.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Looking at your back just made me want to touch it."
Ceryll had suddenly started touching me. More precisely, her fingers had glided over the slender curve of my waist, so of course I jumped.
"Your skin is so white, Reina. Your face is pale too, but especially here—it's really white."
As she spoke, she stroked my side. I bit my lip hard so I wouldn't make any more strange noises and managed to answer.
"…Just pull the zipper up."
"I'm jealous of that pure-white skin."
"…You're pretty white yourself, Ceryll."
So could you please zip me up already?
"Not as white as you."
"…That's more than fine. Your skin's clear, and… honestly, looking a bit more alive like you do is better. So just zip me up."
Ceryll spent a long time running her hands over me before she finally pulled the zipper closed.
I received the pure-white dress as a gift. And now I was being forced to walk around in it with Ceryll.
"I'll undo the zipper once we get back to the room."
Ceryll said that with a smile. I had wanted to put the dress in a shopping bag and just carry it, but she refused to unzip me, so I ended up stuck wearing it. I considered ripping it off, but that would have hurt her feelings, so I gave up.
"Reina, you're so cute! I knew a pure-white dress would look perfect on you! So cute. I want to take a bite out of you!"
And she was this happy about it, so maybe it was okay…
"Wow. She's really pretty."
"Yeah. I can't stop looking."
It was not okay. Having other people keep glancing at me was way too much pressure.
They're not looking at me. They're looking at Ceryll.
A beauty like Ceryll walking around with her shoulders bare was bound to draw every eye. My own looks weren't bad, but they weren't even in the same league as hers. So I should just ignore it.
"The girl in the dress next to her is cute too, don't you think?"
"Yeah. The way she looks like she's not used to that outfit makes her even cuter."
…I didn't want to care, but how could I not?
"Ceryll, let's go already."
I wanted to escape this spot right that second.
"Okay."
"But where are we going?"
Since we had decided to do whatever Ceryll wanted, I had no idea what our destination was.
"We're going to buy cosmetics."
Ah. Cosmetics…
"Just for you, right?"
"Nope. Yours too. And once we get there, I'll do your makeup for you!"