Transfer (2)
"Buy you dinner?"
Sera nodded eagerly, tugging lightly on my hand to pull me closer to her side.
"But why do you keep pulling me like this?"
"'Cause you said you'd buy me food."
"It's not even dinnertime yet."
"I can't decide what I want. Let's go out and walk around until something catches my eye."
Sera's grip tightened, drawing me along. Her expression and vibe didn't seem like she was joking...
This girl was unpredictable sometimes—you'd think you had her figured out, then bam, total mystery.
I groaned and hauled myself off the sofa.
"Fine, I haven't eaten out much since skipping team dinners anyway. Let's go."
Sera flashed a faint smile and, without letting go of my hand, led the way out.
The intense midsummer afternoon sun had sweat beading up almost immediately. Then, out of nowhere, a cool breeze brushed my neck. I glanced over to see Sera pulling out a handheld fan and aiming it my way.
"Hot? Here, fan for you."
She must be sweltering too, but she prioritized me. Few words, but a good heart.
I chuckled and ruffled her hair lightly.
"Thanks. I'm good now. You use it—you're probably dying in this heat."
"......"
Sera stared at me for a moment, fanned herself briefly, then switched it off and tucked it back into her bag.
Despite saying we were wandering to find food since she couldn't decide, Sera showed zero interest in actual restaurants.
She seemed oddly fidgety, scanning the street vendors and shops like she was searching for something specific.
Then she spotted a place called "Young Olive" and yanked me toward it.
A cosmetics store?
"Didn't you say dinner?"
"I wanna buy something. Come with me."
Ignoring my protest, Sera dragged me inside.
"Welcome to Young Olive~ Can I help you find anything?"
The staff greeted us warmly as we entered, but Sera brushed them off with a curt "I'll call if I need you" and refused to say what she wanted.
Instead, she wandered aimlessly through the massive store, looping around several times—dragging me the whole way.
What the hell does she even want to buy?
Cosmetics, lotion, hair dye—whatever it was, she could've just headed to that aisle. But no, anyone could see she was just circling with no purpose.
After over 20 minutes of this, I was the one who cracked first. There was no creature on earth more pathetic and drained than a guy dragged into a cosmetics store he had zero interest in.
"Sera, still no idea what you want? Aren't we just wasting time looping around?"
She flinched like I'd startled her, rolled her eyes at me, and twirled a strand of her hair around her finger before finally speaking.
"Nothing I want here. Let's go."
"......?"
Then what were we doing for the last 20 minutes?
Before I could process it, Sera was pulling me along again.
Next stop: a high-end clothing boutique. Pretty pricey brand from the looks of it.
This puzzled me even more.
Sera never wore makeup, always yanked a hat low over her face, and dressed like a total one-outfit wonder—fashion was not her thing.
Maybe as a student she just didn't get it, but Eunjae and Seona, only a year older, were obsessed with dolling up and knew all about fashion and beauty.
So no, Sera just straight-up didn't care. Yet here she was, hitting a cosmetics shop first, now a fancy clothing store?
This wasn't the Sera I knew.
"Welcome~ To Raja~"
The staff greeted us again. Sera dodged their questions the same way and started prowling the store.
Oh, hell no!
If this kept up, I'd be trapped wandering another 20 minutes of torture.
Cosmetics to clothes—the ultimate guy-killer combo. I couldn't take any more. I raised my hand to flag down a staff member.
"Over here!"
"Yes, looking for something?"
"...?"
Sera tilted her head at me as I waved.
"Can you recommend some outfits that'd suit her?"
I couldn't flail around in this hell anymore. Time to take control.
If she couldn't pick clothes, let the staff force some options. Buy or not, once they handled it, we'd have no reason to linger.
"Sure, let me take a look... Oh my."
The staff eyed Sera's build, then her face—and gasped, hand to mouth.
Her exotic, mixed-race features had them hooked. They stared, momentarily speechless.
"Oh wow, your girlfriend is gorgeous. Lucky guy~"
"...Girlfriend?"
"My girlfriend?"
"Uh..."
"Haha, she is pretty, yeah. But sorry, we're not together like that."
"Oh! My mistake, sorry about that."
"No worries. Can you pick out stuff that'd look good on her? Seems like she can't decide."
"Of course! What's her size?"
"...Forget it."
Sera's voice dropped flat. The staff and I turned to her. She stared at the floor, clutching my hand tight.
"W-We can come back next time. Sorry."
With that, she bolted out—empty-handed again. Her grip on my hand was unusually firm, almost tense.
"H-Hey? Where to now, Sera? Weren't we shopping?"
"Not buying."
And so her aimless adventure dragged on, pulling me along. We'd walk forever, then she'd stop at random spots: takoyaki cart, hot dog stand, chicken skewer vendor. She'd skipped clothes earlier but now hit a discount clothing store. At the arcade, she sucked at basketball—zero points—then won a plushie from a claw machine and shoved it at me, saying she didn't want it.
Finally, dinner was at a sushi spot near the dorm. But after all the snacking on the way, she was too full to finish half her plate—I had to clean it up.
Time had flown; even in midsummer, the sun had fully set for a late evening.
Sera, still not satisfied after dragging me around all day, suggested another stop.
"Coach, cafe over there... Let's grab coffee before heading back."
"Sure. But this is the last one today. My feet are killing me."
"......Okay..."
Her voice dipped noticeably low again.
Our drinks arrived, but Sera didn't touch hers—just sat there.
Finally, I voiced the weirdness I'd felt all day.
"Sera."
"Yeah?"
"Something going on with you?"
"...No."
"Bull. You know how off you've been today? You never care about dressing up, but you're dragging me into cosmetics stores and clothing shops without buying a thing.
Said you couldn't pick a menu, so we'd wander and choose dinner—then you snack everywhere before eating, end up at the sushi place by the dorm, barely touch your food. You're wandering like your head's somewhere else entirely."
"......"
"If something's up, tell me. I'm not a therapist, but I'm your coach. Whatever I can do, I'll—?!"
I cut off mid-sentence. Sera's eyes, which had been blank, welled up instantly. Fat tears like raindrops streamed down her cheeks.
"Wh...? H-Hey? You're crying? Why all of a sudden—"
Sera wailed, her voice breaking with sobs.
"Hic... sob... C-Coach, you're gonna abandon me!"