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Chapter X: Shopping Shenanigans

“Whether it’s a game or anything else, going full throttle requires preparations.”

That preparation included a mental aspect, and I was paying the price for not being ready for it.

Just buying clothes wasn’t enough; it included cosmetics, and even a full beauty regimen.

Like we were raiding a game, bouncing from floor to floor, area to area, our escapades were nothing short of relentless.

“Ooh, this one’s nice!”

“Hey, what do you think about this one?”

After circling back to the clothing store, we switched to the casual corner, and this time, the attempt to fit clothes on themselves was quite lively.

I expected this from Dayoung, but I didn’t think A-Jin would get into it too.

‘At this rate…’

Even if I wanted to bow out, those two looked so pumped and happy, it was a tricky spot to voice my thoughts.

Even with my body feeling fine, my mind was utterly exhausted, yet I sighed internally and let myself be dragged around.

At this point, I resembled a mushroom, completely inept at doing anything.

“Even with a discount, this is super pricey. Clothes are insane these days!”

“I, I’ll just stick with what I have at home…”

“Should I buy you something?”

“Uh? Why would you do that?!”

Seeing their startled expressions, I nodded nonchalantly.

What’s with the surprise? You had a meal earlier, didn’t you?

“Let’s not be silly, buy whatever you want. You can even pick two outfits. Summer’s right around the corner; we should get prepared.”

“No, we just had a meal, so why are you doing this, sis?”

“I-i’m fine too…”

Oh no, no lying now.

Even though she was trying to talk her way out of it, her eyes were saying otherwise.

They were currently darting back toward the clothes, weren’t they?

“Here, take this card. Pick out what you want right away.”

“R-right!”

“Yeah, thanks!”

She seemed to have her desired outfits already picked out in her mind, dashing off to select a few with an adorable flair.

Speaking of casual wear…

The outfit I had just bought felt like a heavy office suit, making me sneak glances at the casual clothes too.

‘Should I give it a shot?’

I pulled out a simple gray hoodie and held it up to the mirror.

Hmm, well…

‘Not bad at all.’

Definitely, the outfit I’m wearing feels a bit heavy. Having some comfortable clothes to roam around in would be nice.

As I picked a few similar options, I was really into this, trying them all out.

“Hmph!”

“J-just made a great discovery…”

Startled by a sneaky voice, I turned around, finding Dayoung and A-Jin, who’d already paid and were staring at me.

“Hehe, sis, you say you don’t want to, but deep down you really wanted to try other outfits, didn’t you? So predictable, this sis of mine. Can’t believe how unexpected you are!”

Dayoung had come up and playfully nudged me with a gleeful nod.

“You’re so cute. Seriously, sis, you can pull off anything. It’s fun seeing you dress up!”

“Hey, sis… next time, can we do a concept theme and maybe even dye your hair… and try a different style?”

…Seems like I made a wrong turn somewhere.

* * *

“Ugh! That was fantastic. With this, I can totally slay this summer!”

“I… me too!”

[“A-Jin, what’s the point of buying clothes when you have things at home?”]

“Sh-shut it!”

[“Seriously, how can you shop for hours? This is a clear win for me, the one enjoying my peaceful nap.”]

Ah, no wonder it was a bit too quiet; he had been sleeping until now.

I felt a twinge of envy creeping in… a slight scratch to my pride.

Stupid frog.

“Sis, aren’t you thirsty? There’s a nice café; do you want me to get you a coffee? A-Jin and I will go.”

“Y-yeah! I-I wanna tag along too…”

“Thanks. I’ll wait here. I want mine with lots of syrup.”

“Okay! My legs are sore anyway. I’ll be back soon.”

[“Get me a caramel macchiato with cinnamon, whipped cream, and syrup mixed in a water ratio 1:1! Ugh!”]

Dayoung squeezed the bag beside her and, with A-Jin, made their way toward the café.

I placed the shopping bags we bought next to me on the bench and slumped back.

“Finally, I can relax a bit.”

Ah…

I might’ve pushed myself too hard.

There they were, Dayoung and A-Jin waiting in line at the café among all the hustle and bustle.

Seeing their faces light up, especially A-Jin who usually struggled in such places, filled me with a sense of pride.

Well, doing this from time to time isn’t so bad.

While savoring that warm feeling in my heart, I was about to smile momentarily.

“Um…”

What the heck.

In the midst of my inner reflections, an unexpected interruption shook me from my thoughts.

I turned with a furrowed brow to see a guy with a face slicker than butter.

He looked to be around my age.

“Who are you?”

While I wasn’t exactly staring in a mirror, judging by how my facial muscles moved, I guessed I probably looked somewhat offended.

“Oh, it’s just you’re so pretty… Could we exchange numbers?”

“……”

Ah, this is that thing, street hunting.

Suddenly aware, I could feel the eyes of people glancing over, intrigued.

I thought today would be safe from this sort of thing, but with the gang around, I guess they didn’t come by.

Plus…

‘I really don’t like that look in his eyes.’

The other guys who approached before seemed somewhat shy, but this dude was coming at me way too confidently, making him look foolish.

It felt like someone like me could easily get a similar guy to swoon and somehow charm them into collapsing… that kind of arrogance?

“Numbers?”

“Yeah, your number.”

Don’t smile at me so broadly, dude.

If I hadn’t been summoned to this world, I might have had a son your age… or not.

Anyway, where does he get off acting so tough?

“Numbers, huh? What do you have to offer in return?”

“I could give you mine too! We can chat.”

“Oh, I see.”

I had my chin resting on my hand and chuckled lightly.

I thought he was annoying, but in retrospect, it wasn’t worth getting all riled up over.

Some kid like him, I could just dismiss nicely.

“Just move along. You aren’t that impressive, and I want to take a break right now.”

“Come on, don’t be like that.”

What’s with this persistence?

So annoying…

Just as I was about to apply a bit of force to shoo him off,

A voice chimed in from across.

“Sis?!”

Oh, I thought Dayoung and A-Jin were back and turned my head.

And there stood…

“Huh?”

With hair cascading to her waist, the stunning figure approaching was Yoon-Flowers, Eunha.

What are you doing here?