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We made our way through the crowd to the floor where the women’s clothing brands were gathered.
The first store we entered sold sophisticated, elegant clothing.
Naturally, this was the kind of place I would never go into on my own. The moment I stepped inside, I felt completely out of place.
Even so, Ellis didn’t seem to notice my discomfort; she was happily looking around the store.
Perhaps she was used to places like this; the way she picked up clothes from the racks seemed completely natural.
“Rintaro, what do you think of this?”
The item Ellis picked up was a pale pink-beige knit top.
The neckline was slightly open, and the sleeves flared out softly. She was trying to pair it with a pale white long skirt that looked like it would flatter her figure.
Rather than being overtly cute with frills and ribbons, the overall look was soft and elegant—the kind of outfit only someone confident in their own style would wear.
It was the sort of thing you’d see a fashionable influencer wearing in a photo taken at a café on her day off.
I’m sure Elis could pull it off beautifully, but for everyday wear at college, it feels a bit too dressed up.
“I think it suits you, but you might stand out a bit too much at college.”
“Stand out…?”
“It means you’ll get noticed—for better or worse.”
When I said that, Ellis looked down at the clothes in her hands.
I thought she might get discouraged, but she didn’t. Instead, she looked up as if she’d been waiting for that moment.
“Then you pick, Rintaro.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. The clothes you want me to wear.”
Could it be that Elis had planned this all along?
It would have been easy to refuse, saying it was too much for me to handle, but since I’d already criticized the clothes she’d picked out herself, it felt a little awkward to turn her down.
“I don’t know anything about girls’ clothes, though.”
So I tried to back down, thinking, “Well, I guess there’s no helping it,” but
“I don’t know anything about clothes that won’t make me stand out at a Japanese university either.”
Hearing that, my only escape route was completely cut off.
I guess there’s no helping it now.
“…We’re just picking clothes that won’t make you stand out at a Japanese university, right?”
“Yeah. Clothes that Rintaro wants me to wear.”
“The way you put that…”
I looked around the store, wondering what to do.
Of course, at a time like this, the sales staff looked too busy to ask for help. They always seem to pop up right when I don’t want them to talk to me.
So I gave up and decided to pick something on my own.
If I go too cute, she’ll stand out too much, but if I go too plain, it’ll waste Elis’s natural charm.
It won’t make her stand out. But it’ll suit her. Ordinary. But she’ll still look pretty.
Is that asking too much?
After agonizing over it for a while, I chose a white dress that seemed easy to mix and match.
It’s much more subdued than the outfit from earlier. But if Elis wears it, it shouldn’t look plain.
“How about this…?”
Furrowing my brow, I timidly held the dress out to Elis.
I thought she might say something, but Elis took the dress with a cheerful expression and headed straight for the fitting room.
A moment later, the curtain opened.
The Elis who emerged had a completely different vibe from the one holding the dress just a moment ago.
It was less sweet, more crisp, and more mature.
But it didn’t feel cold; her softness was still very much there.
To be honest, it suited her quite well.
“What do you think?”
“Yeah, I think it’s nice. I don’t think you’ll stick out at college in this.”
When I said that, Elis shook her head as if to say that wasn’t the point, and
“I don’t care what everyone else thinks. What do you think, Rintaro?”
she pressed.
I doubt asking my opinion would be of any use, though.
“Yeah, I think it suits you. You really have great features.”
Even my mediocre—or worse—sense of style looks like a glamorous model’s everyday outfit when it comes to Elis.
The moment I said that, Elis froze in her tracks.
“……The material.”
“Huh?”
“The material is… good.”
“No, I don’t mean it in a weird way. The reason it looks good on you even when I pick it out is because you’re naturally beautiful, I guess.”
After I said that, I realized I’d said something a little off.
Elis, still clutching the hem of the dress, blushed visibly before my eyes.
Her ears were red, too. Just a moment ago, she was full of confidence, trying to get me to pick one for her, but now that I’d actually complimented her, she was clearly flustered.
“…I’ll buy it.”
“Isn’t that a bit fast?”
“I’m definitely buying it.”
“Shouldn’t we at least look at some others first?”
“I like this one.”
Elis placed her hand over her chest and looked down slightly.
“Because Rintaro picked it out for me and said it suits me.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t say a word.
Elis changed back into her original clothes and headed to the register, clutching the white dress.
Even while we waited to pay, she seemed somewhat giddy, and even after receiving the paper bag, she held it carefully in both hands.
I wondered if she could really be that happy over just one piece of clothing, but I guess that wasn’t the point. For Elis, the fact that I chose it seemed to be more important.
We went to a few more stores after that, and at every one, Ellis immediately bought whatever I said I liked. It feels weird for me to say this since I was the one who picked them out, but is that really okay?
Once we were done shopping, today’s goal was accomplished.
I thought we’d grab some lunch and head home, but Ellis started heading toward another store as if she wasn’t done yet.
“Are you going to buy something else?”
“Next is Rintaro’s turn.”
“No, we came here today to buy clothes for Elis, right?”
“Yeah. So next, it’s Rintaro’s clothes.”
I don’t get the connection there.
The place Elis took me to was a men’s clothing store.
The clothes I usually wear are the kind that just need to be clean and unobtrusive. Plain shirts, pants in subdued colors, sneakers that aren’t too flashy. Plus a few trendy outerwear pieces that popped up as recommendations on Instagram and video sites.
Since I have no intention of trying to “make a splash” at college, I naturally avoid weirdly expensive clothes or flashy outfits—
But the clothes Elis picked up were the exact opposite.
Flashy outerwear like what rappers wear in music videos, shirts with quirky patterns. Baggy pants. Does Elis want me to dress in a streetwear style…?
Just looking at the clothes, they might be stylish, but since the person wearing them is me, I’d rather pass.
“Ellis, this just isn’t going to work.”
“Huh? I think it suits you.”
“Even if it did, I wouldn’t feel comfortable in it.”
I simply couldn’t budge on this point.
When I flatly refused, Ellis looked disappointed but gave up surprisingly easily.
I felt a twinge of guilt at her expression, but that didn’t change the fact that I had no intention of wearing it.
However, Ellis quickly shifted gears and came up with an alternative.
“If clothes are out, how about accessories?”
“Ah, well… I guess that’s better than clothes.”
Since I’d already turned down the outfit she’d picked out for me, I felt a little hesitant to refuse this as well.
Besides, since accessories wouldn’t change my overall look that much, I figured it would be fine and decided to accept it.
“If you want something simple, how about this?”
Elis had picked out a thin silver bracelet.
It was simple, with no flashy decorations, just a star symbol as an accent.
This wouldn’t be too flashy, and it wouldn’t look out of place on anyone.
“Well, I guess this is fine.”
“Good. Then I’ll give this to you as a present, okay?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll pay for it myself.”
“No way. You’ve helped me out so much, Rintaro, so this is my way of thanking you.”
Elis said this with complete sincerity.
When it comes to things like this, Elis is strangely unyielding.
In the end, the bracelet became a gift from Elis.
“Rintaro, will you put this on right away?”
“Sure.”
Prompted by her, I slipped it onto my wrist right there.
Hmm, not bad. I could probably wear this every day.
When I nodded, Ellis smiled contentedly at the sight.
★ ☆ ★
After finishing our shopping, we decided to have a late lunch.
We went to a Japanese restaurant that Elis had requested.
I chose the ginger pork set meal, and Elis chose the teriyaki yellowtail set meal.
“I’m looking forward to this authentic Japanese restaurant.”
When the food arrived, Elis’s eyes lit up, and she started taking pictures.
If she’s this happy, the staff must be thrilled too.
“Rintaro, can I take a picture with you?”
“……Sure.”
I leaned forward slightly and looked at the screen of Elis’s smartphone.
Click.
The moment the shutter sounded, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a silver bracelet on Elis’s wrist as she made a peace sign.
A bad feeling washed over me, and when I looked down at my own wrist, I saw that the bracelet was the same one I had…
“Elis, when did you—”
Elis, sensing what I was about to say, grinned without a hint of guilt and showed me the photo she’d just taken.
In it, Elis and I were clearly wearing matching accessories.
“When I bought Rintaro’s, I went ahead and bought one for myself, too.”
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“Now, every time we look at today’s photos, we’ll remember this—”
It was supposed to be just an ordinary day.
We’d go clothes shopping together, grab a bite to eat, and head home.
But it seems Ellis isn’t going to let that happen.
“Take good care of our first matching item.”
Saying that, Ellis gently touched her bracelet as if cherishing it.
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