Shinji decided it was best to take Loris out to buy some proper clothes. The way she was dressed now would be enough to spark all kinds of misunderstandings. It might not matter among familiar faces like Bang and the others, but if strangers saw her, his hard-earned reputation could go down the drain.
"Before we go out, zip up your jacket and at least put on a pair of pants."
As he spoke, Shinji pulled a pair of loose white sweatpants from his Kamui space and held them out to her.
"Got it…" Loris accepted them without the slightest sign of discomfort or hesitation. She slipped on the pants quickly, zipped her jacket all the way up, and stood waiting.
Though the clothes were his, they didn't look terribly out of place on her, just a little loose. Loris was nearly as tall as Shinji, her proportions almost flawless. The only obvious mismatch was the jacket's sleeves, which hung too long and left her hands half-hidden, but the sweatpants fit her long legs surprisingly well.
"Is this fine now?" she asked.
Shinji stared at her for a moment, then let out a short sigh. "…Do you really need to ask me that? If you're not embarrassed walking around like that, then it's fine."
"Embarrassed? Not really. And your clothes are way more comfortable than that armor," Loris said, glancing down at herself with casual approval.
"That's good, but… don't you think something feels a bit off?" Shinji asked, his tone carrying a faint hint of implication.
"Really? I don't think so," she replied without a second thought.
"Then never mind…" he said, deciding to drop it.
What he meant, of course, was that Loris was currently going commando. But there wasn't much he could do about that, as he wasn't about to hand her a pair of his own boxers. And Loris herself didn't notice anything strange because she'd never worn such undergarments in the first place. Even when her armor was intact, she'd worn nothing beneath it. Maybe the alien thing.
"Boyfriend jacket and boyfriend sweatpants, huh? Interesting…" Bang mused aloud, stroking his chin as though making a deep observation.
"Stop making fun of me," Shinji said, half amused and half helpless.
"Master Bang, please be serious," Genos interjected, firmly siding with Shinji.
"Alright, alright. I just thought it was a fitting description," Bang replied with a sheepish smile.
Loris, unfamiliar with the term "boyfriend" in this context, didn't react at all.
Before leaving, Shinji set the little kitten down.
"Come to think of it, you didn't just bring back an alien, but also a kitten?" Saitama said, eyeing the small creature curiously.
"Master likes cats? Did you pick it up off the street?" Genos asked.
"I'm not sure if it counts as a stray, but one thing's certain…" Shinji said evenly. "It's a Dragon-level monster."
"A Dragon-level monster? In such a tiny kitten? I never would've guessed. Though I have heard that some particularly strong Demon-level or Dragon-level monsters disguise themselves as something harmless to mislead their opponents before striking unexpectedly," Genos remarked, his eyes lighting with surprise.
"Speaking of which… you guys keep mentioning Wolf-level, Dragon-level monsters and all that. What's the difference?" Saitama asked, sounding genuinely curious.
He really couldn't see the point of having so many classifications. Well, after all, for him, everything is just one hit to kill.
"Genos, explain it to him," Shinji said, leaving the explanation to his disciple.
The breakdown Genos gave was straightforward, simply outlining the meaning of each disaster level as defined by the Hero Association's standards.
After listening, Saitama nodded as if he understood, though it was more of a half-hearted comprehension than genuine clarity.
Shinji wasn't surprised. For Saitama, whether it was the weakest Wolf-level creature or the most dangerous Dragon-level monster, it would still end with one punch. To him, categorizing them was pointless.
"This little kitty might look calm now, but you should still keep an eye on it. It's a Dragon-level monster after all, so make sure it doesn't tear my house apart," Shinji said in an even tone.
"No problem," Genos replied with a firm nod.
"Relax. If your place gets trashed, mine won't be safe either. I'm not about to let this little thing run wild," Saitama added, his expression matching the simplicity of his words.
"Good."
With Saitama's assurance, Shinji was completely at ease. He then left with Loris following behind.
Bang, however, stayed where he was. He had wanted to discuss a few matters with Shinji, but seeing that he was busy, he decided to wait until Shinji returned.
...
On the bustling streets of Z City, Loris trailed behind Shinji, her eyes wandering with curiosity.
It was her first time on Earth, and as an alien, she had never encountered so many unfamiliar sights. They didn't truly amaze her, after all, the technology on other planets she had visited was not inferior to Earth's, but the novelty still caught her interest.
"I want to go check that out," she said, glancing toward something in the distance.
Before she could take more than a couple of steps, Shinji stopped her.
"Clothes first."
His voice was calm but decisive.
"Fine..." Loris muttered under her breath. "The clothes I'm wearing are already enough. Why buy more?"
"They're my clothes. I never said I was giving them to you," Shinji replied without pause. Seriously, he wanted to clear something before he himself develops the said kinks.
...
Before long, the two arrived at a large shopping mall and stepped into a women's clothing store.
The shop catered exclusively to women, so all the staff were female. When Shinji walked in with Loris, they were immediately assumed to be a couple. Normally, a man wouldn't be allowed to linger inside without a clear reason.
A saleswoman quickly came forward, smiling in welcome. "Good afternoon. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Let her look around first," Shinji answered.
He turned to Loris. "If you see anything you like, just choose it."
"We usually suggest that gentlemen accompany their girlfriends while shopping," the saleswoman offered with a friendly smile.
"She's not my girlfriend."
Shinji denied it immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
Loris didn't react at all, either because she didn't care about such distinctions or because she didn't even understand what "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" meant.
"Oh… my apologies for assuming!" The saleswoman bowed slightly before correcting herself. "So she's your wife. My mistake."
Unfortunately, she had only made things worse.
This time, a subtle change finally appeared on Loris's face.
Shinji looked tired and sighed.
Fuck.