Accompanying girls while shopping required both stamina and patience.
Doing it for one was already like that—let alone for two at once.
Sure, walking down the street with them drew plenty of stares, the kind that gave a man a sense of pride. But more than anything, one needed to brace himself mentally. After all, when it came to shopping, girls' endurance simply couldn't be measured by common sense.
At first, during dinner, Yukino had said she was mainly just tagging along for Utaha's shopping. She claimed she'd just walk around afterward to digest the food.
But an hour later, she had completely forgotten those words.
Inside a women's clothing store, Ichin trailed behind Utaha and Yukino as they picked out outfits, his hands already weighed down with multiple shopping bags.
This was already the fifth store they had visited, and their total spending had surpassed half a million yen.
For the three of them, that wasn't much. A single meal they cooked together at home could already cost a fortune in ingredients.
Thinking of it that way, perhaps they'd been a little too low-key outside?
Ichin slowly shook his head. No—keeping low-key wasn't a bad thing. It saved a lot of trouble.
At that moment, Utaha held a form-fitting dress against herself and turned to him. "Ichin, what do you think of this one?"
Ichin glanced at it and replied, "Hmm… the style's good, but if it came in another color, it would be better. This shade is too loud—it doesn't really suit you. Something with simpler tones would be nicer."
Beside them, Yukino agreed. "I think so too. How about this one instead?"
She handed Utaha an off-shoulder crimson dress.
Compared to her old habit of judging clothes solely by fabric durability, Yukino had changed a lot. Thanks to the influence of Utaha, Haruno, and even Hazuki, she had learned the right way to choose clothes. Occasionally, she even flipped through fashion magazines.
Taking the dress from Yukino, Utaha smiled. "You're right, this one feels more like me. I'll go try it on."
With the clerk's guidance, Utaha went toward the fitting room, while Yukino kept browsing.
Ichin walked up to her, smiling. "Found anything you like?"
Yukino shook her head with mild frustration. "No. The spring collection here doesn't suit me. It's either tight-fitting or off-shoulder—styles that are all about showing off the figure."
Saying this, she couldn't help but lower her head, her eyes falling to her feet.
Already in college, and yet her figure hadn't changed at all. By her first year, her sister had already looked better than a model.
Yukino seriously suspected that when their mother gave birth to her sister, all the body-shaping genes were passed on then—none left for her.
Ichin noticed her subtle movement, but wisely said nothing.
A girl's figure wasn't something you could casually comment on. Especially not with someone as proud as Yukino—one wrong word and she'd be upset.
Looking through the racks, he also realized these clothes really didn't fit her style.
It wasn't that Yukino couldn't wear skirts—her height and proportions would make them look good. Just not the best.
And Yukino herself didn't like revealing outfits. She wasn't dressing for parties or banquets.
For daily wear, she preferred comfort first, design second.
Pulling out his phone, Ichin checked quickly and said, "If nothing here works, let's head upstairs after Utaha's done. There's a shop up there that should suit you better."
Yukino had no objections. Glancing at the bags in his hands, she let out a small smile. "Isn't it getting a bit much?"
"It's fine." Ichin didn't mind at all. "It's still early anyway—we can keep going. And since I've been watching you two shop, now I kind of want to pick up some clothes myself. I'll need your help choosing later. For now, I'll just run down and drop these in the car, then come back up to join you."
The parking garage was only a floor or two below—not a big hassle.
Just as he finished speaking, a familiar voice called out.
"Ah, Ichin-kun! Yukino!"
They turned and saw Narumi Tsubame and Momiji Mochizuki approaching.
Ichin smiled. "So it's you two. Out shopping too? Oh, right—you live in the apartments nearby."
Indeed, the two still lived in the place they had rented before. They had considered moving into Kou Yagami's complex, but after two raises, their finances were stable, and with a kind landlady, they hadn't been in any rush to move. Maybe later.
Narumi laughed. "Yeah, it's less than ten minutes away on foot. We'd just finished dinner and decided to stroll. But today's group is unusual. Ichin-kun, are you out with Yukino alone?"
"Of course not." Ichin pointed toward the fitting room door that had just opened. "See? Utaha's changing."
Utaha stepped out in the crimson off-shoulder dress and, spotting the pair, smiled. "You two are shopping as well? Want to join us?"
Narumi and Momiji exchanged a glance, then shook their heads. Narumi replied, "Nah, we're just browsing. We've already planned where to go. Let's go together another time."
With that, they waved goodbye and headed toward their chosen store.
Once they were gone, Ichin turned his attention to Utaha's outfit.
The off-shoulder long dress looked stunning on her, highlighting her figure perfectly.
"This one's really good," Ichin nodded. "What do you think?"
"I like it too. I'll take it."
After she changed back, Ichin paid for it directly. Then the three of them went upstairs, where Yukino finally found several outfits she liked.
Next came Ichin's turn—to choose clothes for himself.
For Yukino, this was her first time picking clothes for a guy. She found it surprisingly fun—a totally different experience from shopping for herself.
The three wandered the mall until after nine o'clock, arms full of bags, before finally leaving and bringing the night's outing to an end.
*
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