"But I'm not satisfied, so I'm going to give you a new birthday present!"
Elysia pointed to a nearby clothing store and said, "Come on, I'll pick out an outfit for you as compensation~"
Durandal: "..."
Compensation, she says...
Durandal was certain this was just an excuse Elysia had cooked up on the spot so she could use her as a mannequin to dress up as she pleased.
But then again, who could refuse such a cute girlfriend?
Of course, she had to agree!
And so, Durandal let Elysia pull her into the clothing store.
"Hmm... this set, this one, and that one too..."
As soon as they entered the store, Elysia's eyes lit up. She immediately picked out three outfits, each representing a different style—ladylike, hip-hop, and punk—all of which were new territory for Durandal.
Durandal's eyelid twitched slightly. "You want me to try on all of them?"
Elysia nodded eagerly. "Mm-hmm~"
Then, as if struck by an idea, Elysia mused, "How about this—I'll join you in the fitting room. That way you won't have to keep running back and forth."
Without waiting for Durandal to object, she pulled her straight into the fitting room.
"Here, try this one first~"
Elysia handed Durandal the punk-style outfit covered in studs, then settled herself on a nearby stool, resting her cheek on one hand, ready to watch the show up close.
Durandal: "..."
"Why aren't you moving?"
Seeing Durandal just standing there holding the clothes, Elysia frowned slightly, a hint of dissatisfaction in her expression.
"Elysia..."
Durandal set the clothes aside for a moment. Glancing at the other two outfits in Elysia's hands, she plucked out the ladylike one, held it up against Elysia, and then nodded.
"I think this one suits you quite well. If you stayed quiet and just sat still, you could almost pass for gentle and refined."
Elysia's eyes widened a little. "Wait—Durandal, explain yourself. What do you mean 'if I stayed quiet and just sat still, I could almost pass for gentle and refined'?"
"People have always praised me for being well-behaved and sensible since I was little!"
Hearing Elysia's protest, Durandal poked her puffed-out cheek and laughed. "Being well-behaved and sensible doesn't clash with being lively and cute, right? I'm complimenting you!"
Elysia tilted her head, genuinely unsure.
After all, Durandal did have a talent for making compliments sound like teases.
"Anyway, one set for you, one set for me. If we're changing, we're changing together!"
With that, Durandal shoved the ladylike outfit into Elysia's hands and picked up the punk-style clothes again.
Seeing this, Elysia was about to protest—wasn't this supposed to be about making up for Durandal's birthday gift? Why did she have to try on clothes too?
But then, her eyes sparkled with understanding.
A sly, knowing expression spread across Elysia's face as she teased, "Durandal, if you're feeling shy about undressing in front of me, you can just say so~"
"Besides, didn't we already see everything yesterday? And right now, you don't even have to take everything off—what's there to be afraid of?"
Durandal stiffened for a moment but quickly regained her composure, answering seriously, "Elysia, you said it yourself—we already saw everything yesterday. Why would I be afraid now? So really, I just think this outfit suits you."
"Really?"
Elysia remained skeptical.
Still, she looked down at the clothes in her hands and smiled. "Well, whether it's true or not, since you've said so, I'll play along~"
With that, Elysia began to undo her own clothes.
Seeing this, Durandal quickly turned away, her face flushing.
Elysia's eyes curved with amusement. 'Still saying you're not shy? I've seen right through you~'
The outfit Elysia held consisted of a black turtleneck sweater paired with a V-neck, mid-length wool-knit suspender dress.
So, Elysia unbuttoned her light brown coat, took off her beige high-neck sweater, revealing the thermal undershirt beneath.
"Eek!"
Just then, Elysia let out a sudden, exaggerated gasp.
Durandal, who had undressed to a similar point, quickly turned around, her face full of concern. "What's wrong?"
Seeing that Durandal had finally turned back, Elysia smiled playfully and twirled in front of her.
"Look! It's winter right now. Even when changing, after taking off those layers, there's still plenty left underneath. So really, there's no need to be shy at all, right?"
Hearing this, Durandal's gaze deepened slightly.
Elysia was right—it was winter, and she was still wearing form-fitting thermal underwear. Logically, there shouldn't be anything to feel shy about.
However, as everyone knows, form-fitting thermal wear, much like a qipao, has a way of accentuating the body's graceful curves.
"Elysia..."
Durandal slowly moved closer. The fitting room wasn't very large, so in just two steps, she was standing right in front of her.
Seeing the look in Durandal's eyes now, Elysia realized she might have taken the teasing a bit too far.
"Dur—"
Elysia had only managed to utter that single syllable before Durandal captured her lips, silencing any further words.
Instinctively, Elysia wrapped her arms around Durandal's neck, allowing the urgent kiss to deepen. At the same time, a slightly feverish hand slipped beneath her clothes, touching her skin...
However, Durandal's hand only lingered around the soft curve of Elysia's waist, neither venturing upward nor downward.
After what felt like a long while, Durandal finally broke the lingering kiss.
Their foreheads pressed together, Durandal withdrew her hand, her gaze locking with Elysia's from this intimate distance. "If there's a next time, I won't let you off so easily."
Hearing this, Elysia couldn't help but find it amusing.
Whose hand was it that didn't dare to wander just now?
Still... Elysia really didn't want to provoke her any further.
After all, this was a fitting room, not Room 8 at the Inn, nor their home in Nagazora City. They really ought to be more careful.
"I won't do it again~"
Elysia quickly pecked Durandal on the lips, and just as the other girl's eyes began to darken again, she hurriedly added, "If we don't hurry up and change to go out, the staff might come in to see what's going on."
--+--