D-1: The Truth About This Novel's Genre Being Pure Love
Yujin and Lime walked side by side, glancing around the department store. Their first stop was the women's clothing section. No matter how you sliced it, they needed to buy some clothes for Lime.
"Hng~ I just don't get why humans produce so much useless crap. Isn't clothing good enough if it just covers your body?"
Despite her words, her gaze lingered on the outfits with obvious delight. She kept darting interested glances here and there. Seeing her act like a typical girl her age made her seem adorable.
"That's why there are so many kinds—you can try all sorts of styles. For some people, that's fun in itself."
"I don't need that many clothes. I wouldn't even know what suits me anyway."
"Lime, you're pretty, so anything you wear would look good on you."
Yujin stated it matter-of-factly. At his words, Lime's head jerked to a halt as if frozen solid. She didn't budge an inch.
"Lime?"
No response. Yujin tilted his head and approached her.
"What's wrong? You feeling sick?"
If she was, that'd be bad. This was the first time she'd been out this long. Worry crept into Yujin's voice.
Lime let out a small "Eut," her body twitching. She kept her head bowed, refusing to look up.
"If you're not feeling well, we can head back right now..."
"N-no, it's not that."
Lime turned her head and answered in a rush. Her cheeks flushed a light pink. Not just her cheeks—her ears were turning red too. She fanned her face like it was burning up.
"You know, could you stop saying stuff like that out of nowhere?"
"Like what?"
Yujin looked genuinely puzzled. Lime's face burned even hotter as she mumbled.
"L-like calling me pretty or saying stuff suits me..."
"But you are pretty. That's a fact."
"Ughhh..."
"Lime, I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."
Yujin meant it sincerely. Sure, the average looks in this world were high. Younghee and the class president were model-level beauties—any guy would gawk and think they were stunning. But personal taste was a thing. Lime felt the closest to his ideal. Well, it made sense; her body was shaped by his desires in the first place.
"That's why I mean it when I say any clothes would suit you."
"S-stop..."
Lime finally surrendered, raising both palms in front of her. She couldn't take the heat anymore. Steam might as well have been rising from her head.
"O-okay, I get it. You've made your point, so no more."
Really, this was Yujin's problem. He was clueless about romance to an absurd degree—which was exactly why he spouted embarrassing lines without a second thought. And she had to bear all the shame alone.
It wasn't unpleasant or humiliating. Praise from Yujin made her happy. Knowing he saw her as a girl even gave her a sense of superiority. But that was separate from her brain boiling over.
"A-anyway, if anything suits me, can I just pick what I want?"
"Yeah, go wild. Even a hundred outfits is fine."
"What if I go for super expensive ones?"
"The family's covering it anyway."
For the record, Yujin had a black card too. He wasn't one for waste, but when it came to Lime, all bets were off. The help she'd given him was beyond counting. He'd swipe whatever, even if it meant splurging. With Heukcheon's wealth, buying out the whole store wasn't impossible.
'It's not even my money anyway!'
Heukcheon threw cash around like it was nothing. No one would bat an eye at this.
"Oh, then there's this outfit I wanna try on."
Lime fidgeted unusually, her voice coy.
"Really? What is it?"
"Um, well..."
A moment later, Lime peeked out from behind the fitting room curtain, only her head visible. Yujin chuckled at her uncharacteristic shyness.
"Why hide?"
"C-cause... don't laugh if you see, okay?"
"I absolutely won't. Promise."
Lime parted the curtain and stepped out cautiously. She wore a white school uniform—not just any uniform, but the exact one from Yujin's academy. Her waist-length blonde hair swayed with it. She fidgeted with her fingers, unsure.
"H-how's it look? Eheh, think it suits a monster like me?"
!........
!.....
Yujin stared blankly for a moment. Her beauty was breathtaking, enough to stop his breath. It wasn't just the clothes. Lime's girlish charm was overwhelmingly lovable right now. He couldn't tear his eyes away.
"Yujin?"
"Ah, y-yeah!"
He snapped out of it only after she called.
"I-is it weird?"
"No, you're really pretty. It suits you perfectly."
"Eheh, good..."
Lime smiled in genuine relief. Seeing it made Yujin's heart pound again. Who'd have thought Lime would want a uniform? It was the most familiar outfit, yet on her, the impact was devastating.
"But why a uniform? There are tons of other clothes."
"Oh, um..."
Lime scratched her cheek bashfully.
"You and all your friends wear them, so..."
"Fair enough."
It was the academy's standard uniform, so in a way, it made sense. Especially Yujin's school's—comfortable, functional, stylish. No need for alternatives.
"I wanted to try it too. Plus, it'd match yours for a natural couple look."
Saying it aloud embarrassed her; steam practically rose from her head. Yujin swallowed hard at the endearing sight.
"Should we get this one then? Oh, and I wanna see some other clothes too."
"Other clothes? Like what?"
Yujin's eyes sparkled. He'd planned to buy her a variety anyway. But seeing her in casual wear had shifted his mindset. Now he just wanted to see her in more outfits, purely.
"It's a bit far, so maybe I should go alone?"
"No way! I'm fine with it! Where?"
At his words, Lime flashed a devilish little smile.
...*
The place they headed had bras and panties hanging everywhere. The mannequins by the glass wore scraps of fabric barely covering the essentials. The poster models posed sensually, flaunting their figures.
In short: a women's lingerie store.
"Lime?"
"Yeah~? Yujin~?"
"Can I just wait outside?"
"Nope~ Not letting you~"
Lime grinned cheekily, turning to eye him.
"Sigh~ I was gonna go alone thinking you'd be embarrassed~ But you said you really wanna come, so no choice~"
Lies. Look at that sly, giggling smirk. She'd planned this from the start. Dragging him to a place like this and reveling in his flustered panic. Pure little devil.
If she had a tail, it'd be swishing smugly.
'I walked right into it.'
Yujin was led in like a lamb to slaughter. They entered a spacious, empty fitting room—big as a studio apartment, with mirrors and a long chair. Yujin was forcibly seated.
"Ta-da! How's this?"
"Ah, Lime... please..."
Yujin flushed crimson, head bowed. He had no clue where to look. Too embarrassed to even lift his face.
And why? Lime stood there in sheer lace lingerie slipwear.
"That's way too sexy. I don't think girls should wear stuff like that."
"Hng~ So you do think it's sexy?"
Of course. The translucent fabric barely concealed her. Could you even call it covering? So thin her skin showed right through. He questioned if it functioned as "clothes" at all.
That secretive vibe felt even more erotic than nudity.
"...What? Come on, at least look properly."
"Why lingerie all of a sudden?"
Lime pouted. Then she thrust her face toward him.
"Punishment. For leaving me on the island and chatting only with other girls. Unforgivable."
Yujin had plenty to say about that, but he kept quiet for now. No point stirring her up more.
Lime spun around. The sheer lingerie and her blonde hair swayed with her. Just that alone felt charged with mana-like allure.
"...And who knows, might come in handy someday."
"Handy? For what?"
"Dunno, idiot."
With that, Lime started trying on the lingerie she'd grabbed, one by one.
No way she plans to model every single one...
Lime looked slightly disappointed.
"Hmm, too bad. No even sexier ones, huh."
"Well, with your chest size, nothing too risqué would—"
Thwack! She kicked his shin. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.
In the end, Lime's "punishment" only wrapped up after she'd modeled every piece she'd brought.