Ch. 80.2 - A Surprise for Hoshikawa Pt2
“Chouko, what do you think of this one?”
Nogami lifted a long white chiffon skirt printed with small scattered flowers. Holding it against her waist, she eagerly asked Chouko for her opinion.
“If you pair it with a top in a softer color, it should help mellow out and balance… mm, Izumi, your whole sharp, high-and-mighty vibe a little.”
Chouko carefully chose her words, making sure nothing she said would sound offensive before she actually voiced her thoughts.
“Exactly!”
Nogami hooked the white floral chiffon skirt back onto the rack, then grabbed a loose off-shoulder lavender knit and held it up against herself, checking her reflection in the mirror.
“Minako keeps telling me I’m too strong-willed. She says I can’t help giving off this scary aura… Not so much at school, but outside? I at least don’t wanna be mistaken for some ‘Queen’ or ‘sadistic dominatrix’ or whatever weird labels people come up with.”
So you do know you’re terrifying?!
Of course, Chouko thought. She and Izumi were similar… yet completely different.
A hawk soaring freely through the sky, lonely, intimidating, but unrestrained.
A canary in a gilded cage, adored, pampered, but trapped, doomed to spend its life as a pretty ornament.
Same upbringing. Same flawless looks, brains, and figure. But Izumi had real friends, people she could speak with freely. Meanwhile, Shihou Chouko was always alone. Even to pursue the “real thing” she longed for, she’d had to reject the perfect Hoshikawa.
Izumi… you really are someone to envy…
“Chouko, I think this one suits you.”
Nogami stepped close, holding a black semi-sheer off-shoulder blouse over Chouko’s upper body, comparing it against her reflection.
A fresh, elegant perfume drifted with her movement, brushing lightly across Chouko’s nose.
Mm… that soft, calming scent is so nice… I should ask Izumi what perfume she uses later…
Then, suddenly, when Izumi took her hand, the warmth of skin against skin shot straight through her nerves. Chouko jolted on reflex.
“Shh—don’t move.”
“…”
Wh-What is Izumi… doing?!
She’d nearly yelped out loud just now.
And once the panic settled, a storm of wild, uncontrollable thoughts rushed in.
Girls’ hands really were soft, Izumi’s too, even though she seemed so sharp and domineering.
It wasn’t her first time touching another girl her age… but somehow it didn’t feel any different. Anyone close to her, classmates, “friends”, all treated her like she was some untouchable noble lady because of her overwhelming family background.
Even something as simple as linking arms, almost no one dared do it with her.
Hoshikawa’s hands, she thought… were bigger, warmer, rougher than Izumi’s…
No, no, no—why am I thinking about that right now?!
“Izumi… w-what is it?”
“Hehe, use the corner of your eye and sneak a quick look behind us.”
“Huh?”
Chouko glanced back carefully, and there was Harutaki, pretending to examine a piece of clothing… while his gaze was completely glued to them.
Seriously? Was he really that obvious? That guilty expression was hilarious.
“That idiot Hoshikawa is totally peeking at us. His technique sucks, what a dummy.”
“Pfft… honestly? If he were good at peeping, that’d be way more suspicious~”
So this… is what it feels like for girls to whisper secrets together?
Feeling Izumi’s breath brushing against her cheek, Chouko’s heart began pounding faster.
Of course, it wasn’t anything dramatic. It was just her first time experiencing this kind of close whispered gossip… and she couldn’t hold back her excitement.
This—this was what normal girls do.
What “perfectly ordinary” girls get to enjoy.
“Hey, Chouko, wanna change into new outfits together and mess with that idiot Hoshikawa?”
“Eh? Isn’t that… not very nice?”
Yes!
Izumi enjoys mischief too! Just like her!
Even though she said no out loud, the anticipation already leaked onto Chouko’s face.
“You get why Hoshikawa doesn’t dare approach us right now, right?”
“M-Maybe… since when two girls are choosing clothes together, the only guy present usually gets asked…”
She instantly understood Izumi’s implication. But would something like that really not ruin their friendship?
“C’mon, don’t be such a scaredy-cat. Obviously he’s terrified, terrified we’ll ask ‘Who looks better?’~”
I’m scared too!
If they asked… and Hoshikawa said she looked better, wouldn’t it be unbearably awkward?
She didn’t think she’d lose to Izumi in any category, but Izumi was her precious, newly gained friend. She didn’t want this perfect, carefree moment to shatter before the day even ended.
“B-But… even as a joke, Hoshikawa might hate us for embarrassing him…”
After thinking for a moment, she whispered timidly:
“I think guys don’t like girls who bully them and make them feel awkward.”
“Eh? Really?”
Nogami blinked wide in surprise, then mumbled defensively:
“I-I don’t care if that guy likes it or not. But… you’re right. How about we just change into something pretty, make that idiot unable to look away, and then laugh at him?”
She looked thoughtfully at the nearby racks.
“Tch. Hard to choose. Even though I asked that guy earlier what type he likes…”
“He told you?”
Chouko thought: So even someone as confident and free as Izumi cares about how others see her?
Well… that’s normal. Girls care about what boys think.
“Hoshikawa just brushed it off with, ‘Cute girls look good in anything.’”
“Haha… yep, that sounds just like Hoshikawa.”
Thinking of how the boy would crack stupid, dirty jokes with a serious face, yet still respect and protect her to the end… Chouko suddenly found it hard to breathe. Her chest tightened, like someone had placed a weight on it.
Hoshikawa was a great guy. Of course, someday a wonderful girl would fall for him, and he’d love her back.
That girl would be cherished by him, protected by him… hear his dumb jokes… eat the warm meals he cooked with such care…
“Chouko, try this one.”
Nogami held up a sleeveless knit top with a black silky overlay and compared it against her.
“Mm, as expected, Chouko, you suit the sexy style best.”
“Eh—e-eh?! S-Sexy—?”
She’d never even heard anyone say such a thing to her.
And as the eldest daughter of the Shihou family… wearing something “sexy” felt a bit too…
“Contrast! Contrast! Don’t you know guys like Hoshikawa love that?”
“C-Contrast…?”
“Like how I need to wear softer, cuter, more feminine clothes to create contrast with my sharp personality. You always give off that elegant, graceful, quiet lady vibe, right? So if you suddenly wear something a little bold, a little sexy, it’s super charming.”
She handed Chouko a khaki skirt. It was shorter than their school uniform but soft-toned, not tight or provocative, just enough to highlight a young girl’s natural beauty.
Snidel was a brand aimed at teenage girls, after all.
“But if you want to be more feminine, shouldn’t you try this one too? I think it’d look great on you.”
“If I wear that, my aura will get even more aggressive. I’d look like I’m out hunting for innocent boys to devour.”
Chouko immediately pictured Izumi wearing that outfit— and burst out laughing.
“And if I add black stockings or thigh-highs, Hoshikawa would probably dream about us the whole night~”
“He’d probably use us as side dishes. Just thinking about it gives me chills.”
Still chatting and laughing, the two of them carried their chosen outfits toward the fitting rooms in the back, agreeing that afterward, they would give Harutaki a little surprise.