Neither of them shied away.
Staring at Marin's eyes, what Wakana saw was complete purity, the kind of unreserved, honest delight he usually reserved for observing something truly beautiful in nature, as if observing a butterfly flying through a field of flowers.
And staring at Wakana's eyes, what Marin saw was complete appreciation, the look of an artist fully engrossed in the subject's beauty, as if one gazed at the beauty of the moon to embrace its magnificence.
Wakana also showed her a brief, bright smile, instantly captivating Marin before he swiftly moved on.
"Kitagawa-san," he said softly, marking down the number in his notebook.
"Yes?"
"Please turn around. I'll measure your Shoulder Width next. And moved your hair up front for now, so I can get a clear line."
"Okay~"
Marin complied, turning her back to him and pulling her cascade of hair forward over her shoulder.
Wakana worked quickly.
He measured her shoulders, ensuring the tape lay flat across the back of her neck and shoulders. He then moved on to the back length, measuring from the nape of her neck to her natural waistline, and then her full back length to the floor.
As he worked, Wakana was completely locked in.
His movements were precise, efficient, and detached.
Marin, however, was silently enjoying it.
With his face so close, sometimes grazing her back or the back of her arms, she could feel his concentration and his warmth.
She loved the scent, clean and slightly dusty, like old paper and new fabric.
The fact that he was so close and yet so utterly professional made her feel both safe and thrillingly exposed.
He moved to her arms, measuring the bicep, elbow circumference, and wrist.
Then he measured the length of her outer arm, from the shoulder to the wrist, and the inner arm for the lining of the sleeve.
"Okay, now your waistline," Wakana instructed.
Marin took a deep breath, sucking in her stomach, and Wakana chuckled, a genuine, relaxed sound.
"Kitagawa-san, don't hold your breath. I need your natural, relaxed posture for an accurate fit," he instructed gently. "The Mirajane dress needs to fit you exactly as you are."
Marin relaxed, feeling her cheeks heat up again at his understanding.
He wrapped the tape around her slender midsection, noting the number with a sharp pencil stroke.
Next came the hips, the widest part of her lower body. This required him to kneel slightly, wrapping the tape around her bottom and the tops of her thighs.
Throughout this process, Marin's face remained a pleasant pink, but she held her posture perfectly.
After they finished with the essential circumference and length measurements, Marin suddenly asked, disrupting the technical flow.
"Gojo-kun, could you also measure my foot size?"
Wakana paused, stepping back up to his full height. "Your foot size? I don't really have much experience in making shoes, Kitagawa-san, but alright, we can give it a go. Is there anything wrong with it?"
"It's just that when I wear some shoes, my feet still end up hurting even though they're my size. Pretty weird, huh…" Marin raised her foot and pointed at a certain spot on the top of her arch. "I think the shoe size doesn't fit perfectly somewhere around my instep."
Fully understanding the situation, Wakana nodded.
Her problem wasn't the length, but the volume, which required specialized measurement.
"Alright, let's do it. That requires a few key measurements to figure out where the pressure points are."
He looked around for a bit and stared at his bed. "Can you sit down on my bed for a while so I can properly measure it?"
"Okay~!"
Plopping down immediately, Marin stretched her arms, reveling in the sudden comfort. "Haaa… Your bed is so big and comfortable, Gojo-kun. I bet two people can still sleep comfortably with still a lot of space to spare here."
Laughing lightly, Wakana nodded his head. "It really is quite nice."
He sat on the ground next to the bed and asked, "Kitagawa-san, your foot, please."
"Here you go, Gojo-kun."
Marin stretched both of her feet in Gojo's direction, completely unconcerned about the ambiguous view he was being treated to.
Wakana, sitting on the floor, found himself staring directly up at Marin.
He immediately retracted his gaze and forced his attention entirely onto the task. He focused on the instep, the ball of her foot, and the heel, meticulously wrapping the tape measure around her foot in several different directions. He even measured the volume of her ankle.
The proximity to her legs, bare and stretched out over his large bed, made his heart thump loudly against his ribs.
Gulp.
He was a professional.
He was focused.
The sting on his cheek helped.
Finally done.
Wakana sighed inwardly, standing up and dusting off his shorts. "What's next…" he thought out loud, consulting the list in his head.
"Bust size," Marin answered quickly, pushing her chest out slightly.
"You really did your research well, Kitagawa-san," Wakana praised, smiling genuinely at her dedication.
"Of course!" she giggled lightly.
Wakana approached her from behind, his hands steady.
He put his arms behind her and took the other side of the measuring tape, wrapping it slowly around her bulging chest. He felt the soft material of the bikini against his forearms.
He couldn't help but make a casual observation. "You don't easily get embarrassed, huh, Kitaga—"
Hearing no reaction whatsoever from Marin, Wakana chuckled and slowly raised his head up to finish his comment, only to be met by a surprising situation that made him cut his words off.
Marin Kitagawa's cheeks were now dyed a striking, undeniable red, and she was deliberately avoiding his gaze, staring intently at the ceiling fan.
Wakana softly smiled, a gentle understanding dawning on him. "I see."
He lowered his head and focused on the job at hand. "You are a girl, after all," he murmured to himself, but loud enough for her to hear.
The tension was momentarily released, and they were soon done with measuring the full bust size.
"Next is… Underbust and Bust Point Space," Wakana read from his notes, which were now perfectly organized.
He grabbed Kitagawa's hand and handed her the measuring tape. "Please do those yourself; it's not appropriate for me to do so. Just tell me the number."
Marin nodded understandingly, a grateful smile on her face. "Okay, thank you."
She carefully performed the two measurements, focusing intently on the numbers and relaying them to Wakana, who transcribed them without looking.
After measuring these two final points on her torso, came the final hurdle for the dress.
"Alright! We just need to measure your leg length next, for the hemline, and we're finally done with the main measurements."
"Gotcha~!"
Wakana knelt down again, this time facing her directly.
He stretched out the measuring tape, placing one end at her natural waist and slowly pulling it down to the bottom of her leg.
As he looked down to see the final number on the tape, he seemed to have felt a quick, but light sensation of touch on his finger.
"Uhm…" Wakana looked up at her face, his gaze still completely professional.
"Did you say something, Kitagawa-san?"
What met him, however, was another beet-red face, far deeper and hotter than the one he'd seen before.
"Why's your face so red?" Wakana asked, genuinely confused about her physical state after being so calm just moments ago.
Marin Kitagawa didn't say anything and only let out a small, quiet, and slightly strangled sound. "Heeh…"
"Are you feeling hot? Maybe we should open a window," Wakana suggested, already half-turning towards the large window.
Marin gathered her hair in her hands, holding the back of her neck, and muttered. "Geez… maybe. Just finish up, Gojo-kun."
Wakana, oblivious to what had just happened, nodded and continued.
...
"Done! That's everything we need for the basic pattern and fabric estimate! Excellent work, Kitagawa-san!" he announced, standing up.
"Thanks for everything today, we're finally done," Marin said, rubbing her arms.
"Yeah, I'll put on my clothes now."
While Marin was quickly changing back into her plaid shirt and denim shorts, Wakana was busy putting away the measuring tape and tidying his notes.
"Oh yeah," Wakana suddenly asked, looking up from his notebook. "Do you wanna stay over for dinner? I was thinking of making some katsudon."
"That sounds good… but sorry, maybe next time," Marin replied, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "My dad just came back and probably needs help around the house."
"Okay, no problem. Tell him I said hi," he casually joked.
However, Marin turned her gaze on him and let it linger for a little before looking away with a small smile on her face.
"Sure."
Wakana walked her to the genkan. As she put on her shoes, she turned back to him.
"See you on Monday, Gojo-kun. I'll send you the reference pictures of Mirajane's costume details tonight."
"I look forward to it, Kitagawa-san. And thank you for trusting me with this."
"No, thank you," Marin smiled, her eyes meeting his one last time before she turned left.