"She needs a dress for tonight, and we need it now," Akari said as she and Rin stood inside Mr. Tomo's shop.
Mr. Tomo just stared at her, then slowly adjusted his glasses before letting the words slip out.
"Lady Akari, you see…" he cleared his throat, "do I look like a magician who can puff clothes out of thin air?" He snapped his fingers dramatically. "There's this little thing called a waiting list. I have a lot of orders made, so you'll have to wait in line for yours. Let me check… hmm…" he unrolled a scroll, scanning it. "Ah, yes. That will be… 200 days from now."
He looked up, only to meet Akari's furious glare.
"See here, Mr. Tomo—she has a date tonight with Queen Selene, aka the Ice Queen." Akari jabbed a finger at Rin while holding her by the collar. "My cousin here wants a dress so beautiful it'll make her fiancé fall head over heels for her, so you better—"
Akari's words were cut off as Rin's face went bright red.
"Head over heels? I want her to be heads under heels!" Rin blurted out, then quickly looked at Mr. Tomo. "Hey, Mister, if there's any dress you already have that I can wear tonight, I'll take it. It doesn't have to be beautiful."
Akari turned to Rin, arms folded, staring her down.
"Then why did you say you needed a dress in the first place if you're okay with wearing anything? You have tons of clothes in your cabinet. Why not wear those instead?"
Rin's eyes narrowed. "I said I needed you to help me pick, not buy a new one! You're the one who dragged me here!"
"Dragged you? You're the one who always gets new dresses weekly! That's why I thought you wanted a new one! You should've just said you wanted me to pick from your cabinet!" Akari shot back.
"That was exactly what I said!" Rin snapped, her voice rising.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tomo just stood there silently, his head turning back and forth as if he were watching a tennis match. He didn't even try to interrupt anymore.
"Why do you even need me to pick a dress for you when you're perfect at that, cousin?" Akari said as she calmed down, pressing her finger on her nose.
"Well… well," Rin hesitated before continuing, "the first date, Selene made a lot of effort on her dress. She was stunning in everything she wore, so I want to pay it back by looking stunning too."
Akari blinked at her, confused. "What's the difference with what I said earlier, cousin Rin? We're both saying the same thing here." Then she raised her voice. "You just want to look beautiful for your stunning Selene!"
"I am not doing this for Selene!" Rin snapped.
"Why won't you admit it! You're just confusing yourself, not me here," Akari shot back.
"Cough, cough—young ladies!" Mr. Tomo interrupted, making them both look at him.
"Lady Rin," he said firmly.
"Yes?" Rin answered.
"You want a dress that makes you look stunning, correct?" he asked.
"That's right," Rin nodded.
"But not to make your date fall in love with you?" he pressed.
"Exactly!" Rin said quickly.
Mr. Tomo leaned in, closing one eye slyly. "But if you look stunning, won't she be all over you? Tell me, Lady Rin… what exactly do you expect from this person?"
Rin's words tumbled out too fast. "What I expect from her is to just not fall for me." Then, slower, her voice softened. "I don't know what I want from her. But… she's making a lot of effort to make me fall in love with her, and I don't want to… even when she keeps smiling, which makes my heart beat faster than it should. Whenever the room feels cold, I feel her around… and every time she kisses me, I don't want her to stop and—"
She froze, realizing both Akari and Mr. Tomo were leaning in close, listening.
"Go on, cousin. I did say earlier I'm all ears," Akari said, gesturing with her hand.
"So what you expect from this person is for her to stop… and not stop?" Mr. Tomo teased.
"I don't know, okay?!" Rin burst out. "I've never felt this way before. I push everyone away and they never come back, but this one—she keeps coming back, like my grandma… but too frequently."
Mr. Tomo adjusted his glasses, speaking softer. "Maybe you should first figure out what you truly want. Then, when you do, you'll have a clearer way of admitting you're falling in love with this person."
"I am not going to fall for Selene!" Rin shouted.
"Yes, yes… everyone says that," Mr. Tomo muttered, adjusting his glasses with a smirk. "And they're always the ones who end up falling the hardest."
Rin shot him a sharp glare, her cheeks hot. "That's not—" she cut herself off, fumbling for words.
Mr. Tomo raised his brows knowingly but smoothly changed the subject. "Anyway, I already have some dresses made. That yellow one will look… stunning on you."
Rin snatched the dress, muttering under her breath. She slipped into the changing room and came out moments later.
"Wow, this will make the ice queen head over heels for you, girl," Akari teased, grinning wide.
Rin froze, her eyes flashing toward Akari like knives. "Shut it," she hissed, but her ears turned crimson.
Mr. Tomo chuckled under his breath, folding his arms. "Ice queen, hmm? Interesting nickname… but judging from your face, I'd say she's more than just ice to you."
"I never said—!" Rin blurted, but she stopped herself, realizing too late that she sounded defensive. Her face burned brighter.
Akari laughed and leaned in. "Ohhh, so there is someone melting you after all."
Rin turned away, fussing with the hem of the dress. "The fit's too tight. Fix it," she muttered, trying to change the subject.
"Sure, sure," Mr. Tomo said, grinning like a cat who'd cornered a mouse. He adjusted the dress and handed it back.
Rin tried it on again and nodded stiffly. "Now it's okay."
Mr. Tomo wrapped it neatly in paper. "Payment?"
"Put it on Master Hoshino's account," Akari said smoothly.
Mr. Tomo's face twitched as he folded his arms. "Of course. As always."
"Good. Now, cousin," Akari said brightly, tugging Rin's arm as they stepped out, "let's branch to the Maiden's Club for refreshments—and then you can tell me more about the kisses."
Rin's face went scarlet. "No way!"