"W-wife?!"
Loris reacted instantly, her voice sharp with surprise. She hadn't understood what "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" meant, but she knew exactly what the word "wife" implied.
"She's neither my girlfriend nor my wife," Shinji denied again without hesitation.
"Oh… is that so?" the shop clerk asked, looking a little startled.
"She's… my younger sister," Shinji added, deciding it was easier to explain this way. He had already guessed that this particular women's clothing store might only allow female customers. If they appeared to have no connection at all, there was a real chance the clerk would have asked them to leave.
"When did I become—" Loris started to question, but Shinji quickly covered her mouth with one hand. With the other, he guided her further into the store to browse.
Only when they were out of sight from the clerk did Shinji release her.
"It's just pretend. No need to overreact," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Why do we need to pretend in the first place?" Loris asked, frowning slightly.
Shinji didn't bother with a full explanation. "Would you rather people think you're my sister or my wife?"
"Uh…" Loris hesitated, caught off guard by the choice. "Then I'll be your sister. Being your wife sounds… way too much."
Even as an alien, she clearly understood the meaning of "wife." In the world of One Punch Man, humans, animals, and even aliens all spoke Japanese, so there was never any language barrier for her.
"Alright, enough about that. Just pick your clothes so we can leave," Shinji urged, bringing the conversation to a close.
The reason Loris's presence didn't alarm the store employees was simple: she could close the third eye on her forehead. With that hidden and only her pointed, elf-like ears visible, she didn't appear all that different from an ordinary human. And pointed ears alone weren't enough to cause panic.
Despite being an alien, Loris was still a woman, and her instinctive love for beauty quickly surfaced. At first she had shown little interest in clothes, but soon she was moving from rack to rack, pulling out dresses and tops with obvious enthusiasm.
"Don't just keep picking those. Choose your underwear first," Shinji reminded her when he saw her stacking up only skirts, jeans, and dresses.
"Underwear? What's that?" Loris asked, tilting her head.
"It's those," Shinji said, pointing toward a nearby section lined with all kinds of women's lingerie.
"So that's called underwear…" Loris murmured, giving a small nod as if filing the word away.
Shinji eyed her reaction, then asked in disbelief, "Don't tell me you've never worn any before?"
"That's right. What would I wear those for?" she replied without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"…"
For a moment, Shinji was at a loss for words. He didn't even know where to start explaining.
"Forget it. If you really don't want to wear them, then fine," Shinji said at last, deciding it wasn't worth arguing. He had no intention of forcing his own habits or ideas onto her. As long as she didn't do anything too outrageous, it was fine.
After that, Loris didn't even glance toward the underwear section again.
…
"How about this one?"
"This one?"
"And what about this one?"
By now, Loris had gathered an armful of dresses, holding each one against herself and repeatedly asking Shinji for his opinion.
"Don't ask me. I have no talent for choosing clothes for others," Shinji replied flatly.
"Just give me a quick look. I only need a bit of reference," she pressed, her tone carrying a faint hint of playfulness, almost like she was trying to act spoiled.
"Honestly, there's no point. With your face and figure, nothing you wear will look bad, so my opinion doesn't matter." Shinji spoke without hesitation. People with naturally good looks and a well-proportioned figure could look fine in almost anything. It was those with average or awkward appearances who had to carefully study combinations to make themselves more appealing. Loris was clearly in the first category.
Besides, he had little interest in this kind of task. Before he crossed over, his mother had dragged him along for endless shopping trips, making him wander store after store to look at clothes or, worse, to be on the way to look at clothes. Every time, it had been pure torture.
"…What do you mean? Are you saying I'm pretty?" Loris asked, caught slightly off guard.
"I mean, duh~. You're always going to look good, so there's no need to ask me." Shinji glanced at the time on his phone. "And hurry up, it's getting late."
"Hmph, even if you praise me for being pretty, I still won't marry you…" Loris muttered under her breath.
"…What kind of strange thought process is that?" Shinji said, speechless. "No one's asking you to marry me. Just hurry up."
Soon, with the help of a shop assistant, Loris entered the fitting room. She tried on every single outfit she had chosen, and almost every one of them she decided she wanted. In the end, she had the assistant pack them all up.
"You really don't hold back, do you? …Though I guess you don't even realize these clothes cost money," Shinji remarked.
"Don't you just take them? You have to pay?" Loris asked, genuinely puzzled.
From her reaction, Shinji knew he had guessed right. Shopping was a transaction, and transactions required currency, even on other planets. But with a brother known as the Tyrant of the Universe and her own considerable strength, Loris was used to people never daring to charge her. Over time, it had simply become second nature.
"What did you think?" Shinji asked.
"That's bad. I don't have this planet's currency…" Loris admitted with a slight frown.
"These clothes aren't worth much. I'll pay for you first, just make sure you pay me back later." Without much fuss, Shinji paid for everything. He wasn't going to be all kind and saint for Loris.
"Alright," Loris agreed cheerfully.
…
After settling things with Loris, Shinji returned to farming points. This time, he used the Wood Clone Technique, summoning multiple clones to capture bounty targets in other cities simultaneously. Although the clones weren't as strong as the original, they were more than enough to handle ordinary bounty criminals.
[Points: 130]
[Points: 395]
…
[Points: 750]
Shinji's efficiency in gathering points had skyrocketed. Soon, he would be able to acquire a complete set of Rinnegan. Although a single Rinnegan could use basic ocular techniques and allow someone to become a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, it could never compare to the power of a perfect pair.
The Rinnegan in the points shop belonged to Madara Uchiha, and if Shinji could get both, he would gain access to unique ocular powers such as Limbo: Border Jail and a Chibaku Tensei on Madara's level.
(AN: I did consider using the English version of Naruto attacks, but I think many wouldn't understand the English version as much.)