"So.... Do you really know how to bake?" Yui asked nervously.
They were both walking alongside each other, drifting around the mall aimlessly.
She looked like she was trying hard to find something to keep the conversation going, which made Reiji chuckle internally.
"Yeah, I'd say I'm pretty good. I'm joining my school's cooking club, so if we bake something I can give some of it to you to try?"
"Really??!! Yes please! Which school do you go to?"
"Souhei High, I'm a freshman," Reiji replied.
"No way, I'm attending Souhei High too! I'm a second year," Yui clapped her hands enthusiastically.
"Wow really? I don't think I've seen you at school."
Though Reiji obviously knew this already, he had to keep the act going so that it didn't seem strange.
"Ah.... Something came up so I only started coming to school in the past week," Yui laughed weakly, but she was clearly hiding something.
And Reiji knew what it was.
'The injury....'
He played with the silver ring on his left hand, his mind wandering off to the reason why the Villainess only showed up a month after the school year started.
A leg injury, one that happened not because of an accident.
'I'm gonna punch that motherfucker one of these days.'
"A-Anyway, since I'm your senior.... Let's hear you call me Senpai," Yui said mischievously, interrupting his thoughts.
Reiji looked at her with a smirk, leaning forward to get eye-level with her.
"Wow, I didn't think you were that type, Senpai~" he whispered, narrowing his eyes.
Yui blinked rapidly at the close proximity of his face and turned away immediately.
"Hmm, that didn't sound too bad but I prefer Yui," she said as she walked away.
Good thing her fluffy hair blocked her ears, or Reiji would've noticed just how red they had become. Reiji followed along with a smile, his hands in his pockets.
He was intentionally steering her to the part of the mall that was furthest away from the fountain. This would prevent from her introductory event from happening in the first place, and hopefully she would never cross paths with Riku.
"Hey, let's take a look at that store! The clothes look nice," Yui called out, pulling Reiji's arm into the shop across from them.
As they entered, the salespeople inside turned towards them. Everyone froze in shock as they saw two stunningly attractive people stride in, glancing at the racks of clothes around them.
"Woah, are they celebrities? Why have I never seen them before?"
"I don't know, but do you think they're dating? Should I ask for the guy's number?"
"Oh please, take a look in the mirror first."
Ignoring their hushed whispers, Reiji looked around to see if there was anything he could buy. But it was a predominantly women's fashion boutique, so there was nothing that caught his eye.
Yui, on the other hand, was happily browsing the cute dresses they had. There was already a pile of them in her hands, and it didn't look like she was going to stop anytime soon.
Reiji grinned at the sight, feeling satisfied at her apparent happiness.
'It would be nice if she could just live like a normal girl like this.'
As he was thinking this, his eyes zeroed in on a dress on one of the mannequins in the corner. It was a beautiful knee length one piece with a flowing skirt. The bright red coloring would perfectly match Yui's hair and eyes, while the black corset offered a dark contrast that would also serve to highlight her figure.
He tapped Yui on the shoulder and she tilted her head questioningly.
"Hey, what about that dress over there? I think it would look great on you!"
She stared at the dress for a good 10 seconds before turning back to Reiji with a smirk.
"Oho, does my cute junior want to see me in that dress?" She responded seductively, stepping closer to him as she said it.
It seemed like she wanted to get revenge for earlier.
"Sure, why not? It's got the same color as your hair, so it'll definitely look good," Reiji replied, pretending to be oblivious.
Yui clicked her tongue when she saw that it had no effect on him, but there was a sparkle in her eyes as she looked at his profile. She then walked over to a salesperson and asked to try on the dress.
"You go sit over there, I'm going to show you all the clothes I try on and you have to give me your thoughts, ok?"
Reiji collapsed onto the sofa next to the trial rooms as Yui carried her pile of clothes inside.
He took out his phone as he waited, opening up a webnovel that he had been reading called 'I Became The Scum in the Famous Love Game' which was pretty fun.
'It's kinda like my current situation,' he laughed internally.
While he was reading, a pair of feet popped up in his field of view, forcing him to look up at the person standing in front of him. It was one of the employees at the boutique, who was fidgeting nervously in place.
"Um, can I help you with something?" He asked in confusion.
"U-Uh, c-can I get your number if possible?" She stuttered, holding out her phone.
Reiji stiffened at the request, his mouth gaping with confusion. This was actually the first time something like this had ever happened to him, so he didn't know how to respond.
But before he could answer, a chillingly cold voice cut into the conversation.
"What do you think you're doing?"
They both turned quickly and saw Yui standing there in the red dress, with the black corset encircling her waist.
She would have looked absolutely gorgeous, but the dark look on her face and her emotionless eyes only made her look stunningly intimidating.
"Th-That's... I-I," the woman stepped back nervously, clearly scared of the blood-red eyes that seemed to lock onto her.
"Do you think what you're doing is professional? Harassing a customer like this, aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Yui hissed, taking a small step forward with every few words.
As she narrowed the gap between them, the woman started shaking even more, dropping the phone in her hands. Reiji couldn't blame her, he was also a little intimidated and the anger wasn't even directed at him.
"I-I'm sorry ma'am," the poor lady stammered with clenched fists.
Just as Yui was about to retort even angrily, Reiji got up and stood between them.
"Calm down Yui, why are you getting so mad?" He whispered in a comforting tone.
"You.... Are you on her side??" She snapped in frustration, scowling at Reiji's mediation.
"It's not about taking sides, she did nothing wrong. You don't have to get so worked up over this. Did you forget that we're not dating?" He continued in the same warm voice.
He knew these words would cut into her, but indulging her possessiveness right after she had taken the step to start slowly would have been counterproductive and even more harmful.
As he thought, Yui's expression twisted into anger and pain as she glared at him. But before she had a chance to say something, he turned around and faced the salesperson.
"I'm sorry but I can't give you my number," he said, bowing a little to reassure her.
The woman shook her hands and said it was okay before running off quickly, wanting to stay away from the psychopath.
Reiji then swiveled to Yui, whose eyes had softened slightly at his refusal, though there was still some disappointment within them.
"Wow..... I knew it would look good on you, but dayum! I'm gonna go buy it for you," he grinned cheekily as his eyes wandered over her body, a little revenge for the same thing she had done earlier.
Yui blushed at his words, zoning out a little at the appreciative look that he gave her. Her hands started twitching as if she had no idea what to do with them, making her look awkward as she just stood there with her arms hanging at her side.
By the time she refocused, Reiji was already at the payment counter. She ran up to him in confusion and asked in bewilderment.
"Wait! Why are you paying for it??"
"Hm? Because I suggested the dress and I liked it?"
"Y-You don't have to do that, I can pay for myself!"
"I know you can, I just want to do it," Reiji smiled.
Yui went speechless at that, zoning out once again. As the cashier rang him up, she placed a bag in front of him.
"Would you like to wear the dress out, or would you prefer to change back into your other clothes?" she asked, glancing at Yui.
"I-I'll change back quickly," she replied, running back into the trial room.
Reiji just laughed at her excitement and shook his head.
***
As the two of them left the store, Yui fumbled with the bag in her hands. There was a comfortably uncomfortable silence hanging in the air as they just walked alongside each other.
Yui didn't spend anymore time trying on the other clothes, she didn't want to risk leaving Reiji out there alone again. So she simply changed back, packed her new dress, and they left.
Neither of them exchanged a word, simply strolling around as they took in their surroundings.
But just as Reiji opened his mouth to say something, he froze in place. Yui stopped as well, looking at Reiji cluelessly.
Reiji shut his open mouth and started cursing internally.
Because standing right in front of them, were Riku and Hina, who were both looking at him in fear and astonishment.