[A Gift]
I needed to avoid places that were too crowded, just in case Han Su-a felt uncomfortable. And since Lee Jiyoon had threatened to kill me if I was too late, I had to be back home by 11:00 PM at the latest. As long as I kept to those two rules, there wasn't much else to worry about, which made things easy. The only real risk was getting caught by another student while I was with Han Su-a and having rumors spread throughout the academy... but honestly? That had its own kind of entertainment value, so I wasn't entirely opposed to the idea.
As for Lee Jiyoon, we’d already shown each other our honest sides to some extent, so she’d probably just think, "That perverted bastard finally went and did it." And Lee Hayoon? She could just dismiss it by saying, "That’s just a groundless rumor," and then solve the whole thing by publicly announcing we were dating. Considering the aftermath, that was actually the cleanest solution. From Han Su-a’s perspective, having learned about male-female relationships through Yozora, she’d probably assume Lee Hayoon and I had a similar dynamic to Yozora and me anyway. Well... regardless of the outcome, the process was a hassle, so it was better not to get caught if I could help it.
"Let’s head that way. Looking at the map, I think it’s this alley."
"You don't really know either, do you, Teacher...?"
"Su-a."
"Ah, Wo, Woojin... You don't really know either, or rather, you don't know..."
"...Yeah. I told you earlier. I don't know much about clothes."
"...Don't laugh."
"I'm not laughing."
"You were laughing...! ...You were."
The sun was setting, bleeding into an orange hue across the sky. After roughly checking the map, I shoved my phone into my pocket and pulled Han Su-a along, matching my walking pace to hers so she wouldn't get hurt. I kept us glued to the side of the buildings rather than walking in the middle of the street. It wasn't because I was trying to hide our faces, nor was it because I was worried about some unpleasant incident happening in the crowd. It was for a much simpler reason: the downtown area in front of the station was already packed with people, given the time and the location. The loud busking music blaring from a crowd of people nearby was the same. I’d worried that Han Su-a might secretly hate being in such a crowded place, but fortunately, the things I feared didn't happen. She was much more docile than I expected. The only thing was that her hand, which I was holding, was fidgeting restlessly.
...Perhaps because her reactions were so childish, it didn't feel like I was walking through a downtown area with a twenty-year-old woman, but rather like I was taking my young niece out. I glanced at Han Su-a, who was trotting along half a step behind me, and with a smile I couldn't quite explain, I stepped through the main entrance of a large clothing store.
"Welcome."
The clerk’s indifferent greeting made me wonder if she was just a part-timer. She looked too young to be a young female owner. Or was this just the trend these days? We walked deeper into the store, following the greeting of the clerk who had been helping another customer. The music playing was calm, and there weren't many customers around, so I liked the atmosphere. I liked a quiet atmosphere without many customers. It might be rude to the shop owner, but still.
Let's see. Dresses. Jeans. Bags. And hats and accessories... Was that section over there shirts? As I began to slow my pace and look around, Han Su-a followed behind me, casting her gaze quietly. But strangely, everything around us was women's clothing. According to what I’d looked up on the internet, it was supposed to be a store that sold both men's and women's clothing. As I turned my head, a short phrase caught my eye: 1F. WOMAN. 2F. MAN. The clothing stores I’d visited with Lee Jiyoon and Lee Hayoon before had been divided by gender based on the center of the floor, but it seemed this place separated them by floor. Maybe... it was because the store itself was so large.
It wasn't that I was disappointed or anything. My intention had been to use the excuse of picking out clothes for each other to dress Han Su-a according to my own tastes. If anything, the situation had actually improved.
"The second floor is for men's clothes and the first is for women's, so let's pick out your clothes first."
"...Um."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Tea... Woojin, can't we pick out your clothes first?"
"My clothes first? ...Do we have to? I was going to pick out yours anyway, so it doesn't really matter."
"To be honest, that... I like these kinds of clothes the best..."
"...Hmm."
A pitch-black t-shirt without a single print and dolphin shorts—the perfect outfit for lounging around the house. One step. Two steps. After I deliberately widened the distance and scanned her from head to toe, she must have felt embarrassed, because she turned red and started covering her body with both arms. She covered half her face with one hand and frantically covered her chest with the other. Funny. It just made her look cute, that's all. Of course, I could sympathize with the "it's a hassle to change into other clothes" feeling that came with such comfortable outfits. It was best to wear something comfortable when relaxing at home. Plus, since she was naturally beautiful, she looked pretty even in clothes like that. But even if she was naturally beautiful, it felt a bit of a waste to be satisfied with her just wearing such sloppy clothes. Just as a craftsman is sensitive about their tools, I wanted her to at least dress as well as the people walking around outside right now...
"Then let's try changing three times."
"Three times...?"
"Yeah. You're pretty enough as you are, but I want to see you in even prettier clothes."
"..."
"Do you hate doing it three times?"
"...Three... times... is okay..."
"...Good. Just a moment."
Judging by her reaction, if I just complimented her by saying she looked pretty, she’d probably change ten times without a problem. I smiled softly at Han Su-a and called over the female clerk who had been killing time in the distance.
"Excuse me, but can she try on what that mannequin is wearing? Just the top and bottom, nothing else."
"Yes? Customer... Ah, your girlfriend."
"Yes, yes."
"......"
"Just a moment. I'll bring you the right size."
She didn't pay much attention to customers usually, but she was quick to respond when called. I was satisfied with the customer service that fit my tastes, but that was short-lived. The clerk returned not with two empty hangers, but four, and handed the clothes to me.
"I brought them, but your girlfriend has such a great figure. Instead of wearing this shirt as is, I thought it would be better to coordinate it with this cropped layered top or something baggy, so I brought them along on the way. What do you think?"
"...Ah, yes."
"And I think you prefer sweatpants, but if you look over there, there are some nice ones in this season's pastel tones..."
"Yes, yes. Just a moment. Uh, let's try this on first."
What was she talking about? I nodded enthusiastically, saying I understood for now. I didn't quite grasp it, but she seemed to be trying hard to teach me something. It didn't seem like she was just trying to sell a lot of clothes, either. The female clerk, who had been glancing at Su-a from behind me, told me to call her if I needed anything and disappeared to the other side of the counter. Something... the whole thing felt like a mirage. Maybe it was because she had come in so abruptly and left so quickly. I didn't think this happened when I picked out clothes for Lee Jiyoon, but maybe that was because Lee Hayoon had picked out most of them when she was there. Hmm, I let out a quiet breath through my nose and handed the clothes to Han Su-a, who was looking just as bewildered.
"Here. There's a fitting room over there, try them on."
"..."
There was no particular answer. But seeing her take them and trot toward the fitting room, it seemed she had the intention to wear them. After confirming that the fitting room curtain had closed with a swish, I used the spare time to check my phone. I hadn't been able to check it because Han Su-a was right next to me, but when I first entered the store, my phone had vibrated twice.
"...?"
I’d naturally assumed it was Lee Jiyoon urging me to hurry up, but there was a missed call. *Caller ID Hidden.* It was a suspicious call at first glance. Even more so, considering it had only rung once or twice before cutting off. The first thing that came to mind was a prank by Yozora... but I couldn't be sure. I’d been targeted by others before, so I couldn't be certain. I didn't know what route they’d used to find my number, but there had been times when high-ranking people used their subordinates to contact me like this. Roughly twice a year. That was the frequency. Come to think of it, the date was also late April, back when I was twenty. If my memory served me right, it was around this time of year that a French politician had contacted me in top secret because of his erectile dysfunction...
"Eh...?"
"...?"
While I was lost in old memories, Han Su-a’s voice drifted from behind the fitting room curtain, where only the sound of fabric rubbing should have been heard. What was it? If she’d tripped, it wouldn't have been a voice full of questions, but a scream. Maybe she’d accidentally ripped a tag off the clothes. I approached the fitting room a little closer and spoke from a distance where I wouldn't be misunderstood by those around me.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"...Ah, no. Nothing's wrong, but..."
"Then why? Does the size not fit?"
"Th-that's not it... It's just..."
Rustle. A very thin sound compared to the swish when she’d entered the fitting room. At the same time, what began to appear before my eyes was...
"...The clothes are a bit..."
"..."
Her eyes were drenched in shyness, enough to kill off her usual fierce aura. Her cheeks were flushed to the limit. And, the clothes. She was trying to pull them down with her hands, but the thin waistline, contrasting with her heavy breasts, was mostly exposed. Such clothes.
...Was it because I’d been staring for too long, speechless? Han Su-a, who had started glaring at me with teary eyes, closed the curtain a little more without a word.
"D-don't just stare like that, say something..."
"...Say what? That it looks good on you?"
"No, the clothes are weird...!"
"They aren't particularly weird. There are more people wearing clothes like that around than you’d think."
"Aren't those things only worn by perverts...?"
"I don't know. How would I know women's trends? They must wear them because they're pretty. Just like the dolphin shorts you wore here."
Had she said it was a cropped layered top earlier? It occurred to me now, but I had definitely felt the length was a bit short when I’d received the clothes. Well, I’d just brushed it off, thinking it was women's clothing and therefore different from men's. But I hadn't realized it was *that* short. ...That it would reveal Han Su-a’s belly button. I’d seen her to my heart's content while having sex, yet seeing her soft waistline in a place like this started to stir my sexual desires. I hadn't expected that.
"..."
But I couldn't do it here. Locking Han Su-a in the fitting room and having suffocating sex would certainly feel good, but... we’d be caught in less than three minutes, and I wasn't so shameless that I didn't know what shame was. I had to hold it in. Fuck.
As I was wiping my mouth with my hand, Han Su-a, who had pulled the curtain a little tighter, whispered to me.
"...Does it look good?"
"...Huh?"
"The clothes. Do they really look good on me?"
"...Yeah."
"...Then I'll wear them for you at home later. For now, get me something else..."
"..."
"Get me something else...! Hurry..."
"...Alright. Just a moment."
...She was making me want to go to a place with a bed, forget the movie theater or whatever. ...Crazy woman.