Chapter 52: Plain and Simple
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[-Continuation-]
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[Hachiman's POV]
I said moving. "Right, then let's hurry up and pick something out then."
"We know about Yuigahama's preferred genre, so let's make do with that." She added to get herself psyched again.
…
With that, Yukinoshita promptly made it to the nearby clothing store.
As soon as we were inside, she picked up the products on display and inspected them with a straight face. I simply decided to stay in the background, letting her do her thing.
I regretted it almost immediately. No, not because of her weird antics.
Contrarily, her actions looked cute and funny.
However, from the start, it was painful how all these various women present in the store stared at a guy who was roaming randomly, which is 'me.'
It felt like they saw me as some kind of insect.
I get it, though.
This place was a girls/couples-only zone, just like the photo booths.
Most people here are women or couples, and I, a being with a single status, seems out of place, almost like I am in enemy territory.
As a follow-up to everything, a nearby female shop assistant sprang on her feet suddenly, as if wary of my every move. Everyone in the room was on high alert.
"Um, sir… are you looking for something?" The shop assistant asked me, hiding her wariness of me underneath a tight-lipped smile.
Behind that businesslike smile, she was trying to convey. 'Could you kindly exit the premises, sir?'
"I am with her." Choosing my words clearly, I simply said, pointing towards Yuinkoshita, a few meters away from me.
Hearing my words Yuinkoshita immediately walked back towards me while the shop assistant allies who were stealthily ganging up on me from behind stopped in their tracks. However, there is still a vigilant look on their faces.
"Hikigaya… what did you do?" Yukinoshita approached me, looking down on me imperiously.
Why is it that whenever there's trouble, I am the automatic source of it?
…oddly enough, her actions from outside looked like a girlfriend caught her boyfriend flirting with someone.
Irrespective of the intent, the suspicion faded from the shop assistants' eyes.
Just as expected from Yukinoshita – making people back off was her area of expertise.
"Oh, come on, you did this on purpose." I whined playfully, attempting to deflect the blame.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Are your brain cells finally dead, making you dumb." She shot back nonchalantly, clearly not understanding.
"Oh, you were waiting for your girlfriend, I see. Please take your time~" Watching our beakering, the shop assistant said in understanding before she turned to leave.
"..." - "..." I and Yukinoshita simply stayed silent at her words.
As Yukinoshita and I refrained from speaking a single word in response to the comment made by the store assistant, causing the onlookers to once again grow wary of our reactions.
"..." This prompted the store assistant to pause in her tracks and look at us again with half-suspicious eyes, our silence hanging awkwardly in the air.
That's when an idea suddenly crossed my mind - No.
On second thought, it's not exactly an idea. It's just something like taking advantage of the scenario and teasing her, maybe.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that Yukinoshita might get super mad about it. And I am sure I would get some real beating. If not today, definitely later.
…or not. Well, let's find it directly.
Pushing these thoughts aside, I steeled myself for whatever and took action without hesitation.
Drawing closer to Yukinoshita until our shoulders almost touched, I played along, breaking the silence with a light-hearted tone. "Yeah, yeah, I was waiting for my 'girlfriend.'"
"She is Yukino... Isn't she a cutie?" I continued, grinning widely, acting like an affectionate boyfriend proudly boasting about his partner.
"..Uhh!" Yukinoshita clearly shot a look of surprise at me, hearing her first name so casually.
The store assistant instantly reversed her expression, completely disarmed by my words. "Oh my goodness, she's absolutely stunning!" She gushed.
"I know, right?" I nodded enthusiastically.
"Good grief… Hikigaya." Yukinoshita, composing herself, let out an exasperated sigh beside me, but there was a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
"I got everything I needed. Let's go." She added in a rush, clearly wanting to escape from the situation. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me towards the exit.
...and that was all it took to ward them off again.
As soon as we were outside the store, the tension between us dissipated, and we both let out relieved breaths
"…say, am I really that shady?" I asked Yukinoshita as she moved away, making my voice a little ExTra sad.
Perhaps misunderstanding my 'directed' sadness, Yukinoshita said, out of her own way of showing sympathy. "I don't think it's you per say, it looks like a lone male will be regarded with suspicion in this area. From what I saw, all the men in that store were part of a couple."
See. She has the same thoughts. I was definitely not the main problem. Moreover, she also didn't seem to criticize my actions inside the store. I thought with a small hint of relief.
...again, for now, that is.
"That settles it, then. Should we head to the next place…" I said, already taking a step forward.
"Hold it right there, Hikigaya." Yukinoshita's voice called out from behind.
…welp, it seems not. Her piercing tone made my initial assumption crumble.
I turned around to see her walking towards me, her head held high in a regal manner. Her long black hair cascaded down her back in a sleek ponytail, accentuating her elegant figure.
"Was that really necessary?" She questioned nothing in particular, but we both know exactly what she meant.
"Was it not?" Instead of giving a straight answer, I countered with another question.
"..." After an exact two-second pause, she spoke with annoyance, lacing her words. "Forget it…" It was like she didn't want to waste her breath arguing with me.
And I also clearly understood the underlying meaning behind those words. 'Forget it for now.'
With that, she started moving ahead of me, and I tailed behind her two steps away.
"So which store are 'you' going to now? Something caught your eye?" I inquired, emphasising her involvement more than deemed.
This seemed to evoke an immediate reaction from Yukinoshita.
In response, she halted her steps abruptly and looked back at me with a piercing gaze.
"You are not planning to leave things to my judgement, are you?" She questioned me sharply.
"No. But if I do, is there a problem with that?" I asked casually.
"Not to brag or anything here, but my standards are quite a bit different from those of a regular high school girl."
"So you knew… But why do your words look like you are proud of it though?"
It is like she is highlighting her one-of-a-kind taste.
"..." She just stared at me with a blank face, clearly displeased.
"...*ahem, don't worry, I am not going anywhere." I coughed and changed the topic, not wanting to push my luck anymore.
"We just need to act like we did in the store just now. Plain and simple." I suggested something again, contradicting my retrieval thoughts.
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[To be continued…]
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