Shopping (1)
After picking up Sea's call, I changed into something I could actually go out in. Not that "going-out clothes" meant much — it was still just the same short-sleeved T-shirt and sweatpants I'd already been wearing.
The surprising part was that even with how much shorter I'd gotten, the pants weren't all that baggy. Fold the cuffs once and they were perfectly wearable.
"Watashi has good proportions, you know."
Well, given that I was supposedly an idol trainee, it stood to reason that my figure and proportions would be a cut above the ordinary. Looks weren't the only thing that had been upgraded.
I didn't bother with anything else. I just changed and left the apartment.
A racket was coming from next door, though. I cocked my head, thinking it over.
"Nobody even lives next door…?"
Don't tell me it's a ghost?
Ghosts didn't just show up in the middle of the afternoon, though.
Then a criminal?!
They said people were scarier than ghosts these days. Heart pounding, I crept over to check the neighboring unit.
The door was standing open. The apartment itself was empty and clean, and people in neat uniforms were bustling in and out.
"…They're moving in."
The logo printed on the backs of their uniforms finally let me breathe a sigh of relief.
So I was getting new neighbors? These days everyone kept to themselves, of course — you barely even talked to the people living right next door. I was curious who the new tenant was, but my appointment with Sea mattered more. I'd check later. I took the elevator down to the first floor.
Sea had surrendered to Mother's nagging, eaten lunch, and only then left the house.
I was going to have lunch with Oppa…!
She'd gone home yesterday and thought it over for a long time. The conclusion she'd reached was that she could actually use this whole incident as an opportunity.
Sea knew perfectly well that she and her brother had never been all that close. There was a faint wall between them — a distance she couldn't quite name. But now that he'd turned into a girl, he had to be in chaos. If she stayed close and helped as much as she could, that awkward gap would shrink. Today's shopping trip was step one.
Officially, they were buying clothes and underwear for her newly female brother. Sea had no intention of stopping there.
We missed lunch, but there's still dinner!
The most important thing was getting closer while still being as considerate as possible. Whether he could ever turn back into a man, she didn't know — but for as long as he was living as a girl, she was going to exploit the fact that they were the same gender now, and she was going to succeed.
With that resolution, she waited at the park they'd agreed on. With about three minutes left, a figure appeared in the distance.
"Oioi! Hello, Sea-chan!"
The way Hana waved and greeted her so cheerfully was… a lot. Mostly because of the outfit. It wasn't outright revealing, but that pure-white T-shirt packed more punch than actual skin would have.
The curves showing through the snow-white fabric. And, perched at the peaks of those mountains, two little points standing out…
"That's indecent!"
"…De?"
"This won't do. We're buying underwear first. Right now."
Had she known and worn it anyway? No chance. That innocent face said she wasn't even a little aware of it. But didn't she feel people staring, dressed like that? Guys especially would be looking with the greasiest eyes imaginable.
And they're huge, by the way…
Even in a boxy shirt, the size was impossible to miss. Yesterday had been too serious for Sea to notice, but looking now, Hana had a lethal weapon on par with her face.
Sea grabbed a bewildered Hana by the arm and started walking.
"Did you sleep okay last night? Nothing happened, right?"
"Um… well…"
"Something did happen?! What? Did someone do something to you?!"
It had been a courtesy check-in. When Hana hesitated, Sea recoiled in horror and pressed her. From a distance it would have looked bizarre — an eighteen-year-old little sister fussing over her twenty-one-year-old unnie like a worried child. Sea couldn't help it. Ever since the change, her brother had become someone else entirely. Looking at her now, Sea kept feeling like she'd left a kid by the water's edge.
Hana debated whether to even mention it, then gave a sheepish laugh and spilled.
"I, um, streamed earlier…"
"…Streamed? You were on TV?"
"Ah, no. Not that. Internet streaming… streaming, desu."
"Ah. Internet streaming."
The news was so out of left field that Sea didn't know how to react. She rested her chin in her hand, thought for a second, then asked,
"Did a lot of people watch?"
"…Hitori desu."
"Hitomi?"
"It means one person. Sea-chan, just now, what did you…"
"Hm? I didn't say anything."
"No, just now you definitely…"
Hana wouldn't let it go, so Sea answered with a chilly little smile.
"I said I didn't say anything."
"Hai."
Hana nodded rapidly in frantic agreement, thinking,
Sea-chan is terrifying!!
In the end, Sea dragged me all the way here.
To a lingerie shop.
Everywhere I looked, the stimulation was off the charts. This was way too much for someone who'd been a guy. The photos of underwear models plastered all over the walls felt like they were scolding me for even being here.
"Unnie. Why are you closing your eyes? You have to look and pick what you like."
"…W-watashi can't pick something like this!"
"Yeah? Then should I pick for you?"
That sounded infinitely better. I nodded, silently marveling at Sea's wisdom.
"Sea-chan can choose…"
"Hmm… Oh. This is nice. Right?"
Sea headed straight for one display and held out a piece of lingerie. I cracked my eyes open just enough to check it.
G-good lord…
"E-eh…"
"Eh?"
"It's etchi!"
"Edge? It's edgy?"
"It's dirty! Hentai!"
What Sea had shown me was the bottom half — panties — and they were anything but ordinary. Thin as strings, with everything but the essential bits left completely exposed… in other words, a thong.
"Sea-chan, you were that kind of shameless JK who wears etchi panties?! Watashi is disappointed!"
"Come on. It was a joke. I'm kidding, kidding."
Only after I watched her put the panties back did I finally let out a breath. Still — why were panties that filthy even in a regular underwear store? Weren't those supposed to be adult-shop exclusive?
"Hello. Are you looking for a particular brand?"
A clerk approached from the counter and greeted us. Why only now?! Normally I wanted staff to leave me alone, but this time I wanted to demand why she'd taken so long. Internally, of course.
Thankfully, Sea took the lead.
"No particular brand. We wanted to get a set of underwear our unnie can actually wear."
"Oh, I see! Would it be all right if I made a few recommendations?"
"That'd be great. Could you measure her, too? She said the bra she's been wearing is getting tighter."
"Of course! Unnie? Could you come this way for a moment?"
"…Eh?"
A lot of conversation seemed to have happened without me. Why was I being summoned all of a sudden? My kind little sister leaned in and whispered the answer.
"Oppa. Don't freak out. They're just taking your measurements."
"…D-do I really have to?"
"Of course."
"…Hiiing."
Measure Your Three Sizes
"……"
Three sizes refers to the measurements of the bust, waist, and hips.
"……"
"W-what's wrong? Your eyes are all teary all of a sudden…"
"…Nandemo nai."
Right. It's nothing.
Nothing at all…
I tried to console myself, but this was too much. This was not nothing!
I followed the clerk, wrestling with it the whole way, and finally worked up the nerve to speak.
"A-ano…"
"Yes?"
"No! I mean… could I maybe measure myself…?"
"Ah…"
Thankfully, the clerk seemed to understand how I felt. There might still be hope!
"I get it. Having a stranger's hands on you is embarrassing."
"…Sumimasen."
"Then would your sister like to take the measurements?"
"…Eh? Doshite?"
This was not the flow I'd been hoping for. But it was already too late to take it back.
"Can't be helped! Our unnie is really shy."
"Hehe. That's cute. The way she talks, too."
"Unnie watches a lot of anime, so she likes Japanese."
"Sea-ch—! Don't say weird things!"
Slandering me right in front of people! My protest didn't even register. Sea took the measuring tape from the clerk and, with a wicked little grin, slowly closed in on me.
"Hehehe…"
"H-hiiik!"