After dining, we wandered around the mall, planning to do some window shopping.
"How do I look?" Haruka-san asked as she tried on some clothes she had picked up in the store.
"It looks great on you," I complimented, thanks to Ayaka's training.
Aria-san tried on some clothes as well, and Mocha-san bashfully let the others choose outfits for her. Ayaka also joined in, giving and receiving fashion advice from Haruka-san. Haruka-san, being an expert in this field, supervised and offered tips on color combinations that mixed and matched well, considering current trends and her experience from the nature of her work. Even Mei-san, who seemed indifferent to the activity, got dragged into dressing up because we didn't want her to feel excluded.
As for me, I had become a compliment-giving machine ...Now that I think about it, I wondered why we were only visiting women's apparel stores, then realized I'm the only guy in this group. I could feel the other girls' gazes on me; they must have felt uncomfortable having a guy in the same store.
Feeling that this might take a while, I decided to step out for some fresh air, letting the girls enjoy their shopping day.
"Where's Yukiya-kun?" Haruka-san inquired, wondering where I had gone.
Mei-san replied, "Yukiya-sama went out to get some fresh air."
There they saw me outside, conversing with some group of people surrounding me.
"Yukiya-kun!" Haruka-san called out, stepping out of the store to see what was happening and to check if I was alright with those people.
"Is that your girlfriend?" a boy teasingly elbowed me in the side while standing uncomfortably close.
I then introduced who they are. "These are my old classmates from Minamigawa Middle School." hen I introduced Haruka-san, starting with "And this is Ha-" I stopped myself, remembering Haruka-san is going incognito right now. "A mysterious person" I continued.
"Pwhahaha. A mysterious person, he says." The others can't help but laugh at my obvious aversion, as though I was keeping the girl's identity secret.
One of the girls in the group said, "Hey, how about we do that thing again? For old time's sake."
"Oh, that thing?" The others instantly understood what she was referring to. "Let's do it!" All of a sudden, one of the boys knelt down on all fours, and the others followed, forming a throne-like shape. Their formation was so swift and precise that it was clear they had practiced it many times before.
"How about it? Our league. Your throne is waiting for you." They eagerly invited me to sit.
I smiled, calmly telling everyone that "You guys shouldn't be doing things like this anymore. We're already in high school" is what the lie I told them, but actually really wanted to sit on that throne.
"Do you really have the right to tell us that, Supreme Leader?" they responded, unimpressed by my statement, clearly catching my lie.
Grinning, I replied, "Well, if you insist."
So, on their request, I sat on the throne, crossing my legs dramatically as their one and only monarch from the shadows.
"Aw~ I wanted to be the cushion," one of the girls lamented, wishing to support my weight.
"Too bad. You're my girlfriend now. I won't let my girlfriend kneel on this dirty floor." Out of nowhere, the two started flirting.
"You two started dating?" I asked, catching up on what my old classmates had been up to while I was gone.
Aria-san and the others stepped out of the store, curious about the commotion.
"What do you think you're doing?" Aria-san inquired, giving me an unamused stare.
I got down from the throne and introduced my friends to the others, at which point my old classmates recognized a familiar face. "Hey, it's Ayaka-san!" they exclaimed.
Ayaka just smiled back and waved at my old classmates.
"So, Yukiya-kun, is your sister still available?" a guy friend joked.
I elbowed him hard in the stomach, telling him, "Do you want to die?" with a genuinely intimidating glare.
After catching up with my old classmates, we waved them goodbye as they have other places to be.
"You sure have some strange friends," Haruka-san chuckled, a little impressed by their quirkiness, unaware that the weirdest one stood right beside her.
We enjoyed the rest of our day and rested at a nearby park, about to call it a day. Before that, Ayaka and I went off to fetch some ice cream, and Haruka-san accompanied us to help carry the ice creams back.
"W-Where's Mei-san?" Mocha-san asked nervously, trying to break the silence as she sat alone with Aria-san on a bench.
"She went to buy something for me. She should be here any minute now," Aria-san replied, appearing a little distant.
"O-Okay. I-If you say so," Mocha-san said, and the conversation fell into silence once again.
We returned to their spot and handed out the ice creams. Aria-san held two, one of which was for Mei-san. Just as Aria-san said, Mei-san returned a minute later, shopping bag in hand.
As the sun began to set, we walked toward the station, chatting about trivial things and reminiscing about the fun we just had.
'Today was so much fun. It's like I'm a normal high school girl again,' Haruka-san thought to herself, regretting that it had to end. But then she realized...
Quickening her pace, she walked in front of everyone and suggested, "Since we'll be clubmates from now on, how about we start a group chat?" 'The fun doesn't have to end today,' she thought.
The only few people who treated her normally were me, Ayaka, the others, and Aria-san, who could only spare a glance for her idol work because of her family's prominence. We're one of the only few people to treat her as though her celebrity status didn't matter at all.
"Sure, but..." We glanced at Mocha-san, who still hadn't purchased a smartphone.
Haruka-san, a little flustered, said, "Ah, no! ...M-Maybe when Mocha-san gets a smartphone." She tried to correct herself, not wanting to seem insensitive to Mocha-san's financial situation.
[Why are they treating her as if Mocha-san was homeless?]
Mocha-san then replied, "I-It's all right. You can just add me when I buy one in the future."
"If that's what you want..." I reluctantly agreed, but also not wanting to make a big deal out of it if the person said so.
Mei-san then whispered to Aria-san, "Isn't it the perfect time to give her that?"
Seizing the opportunity, Aria-san took out a box from her shopping bag, telling Mocha-san to "Here, take it" she said, handing over the box in gift wrappings, too embarrassed to look Mocha-san in the eyes.
"Eh? For me?!" Mocha-san was taken aback by the sudden gesture and wanted to confirm, "I-Is this really for me?"
"Just take it!" Aria-san insisted, shoving the box into Mocha-san's hands, still unable to look her in the eyes.
"C-Can I open it?" Mocha-san asked for permission, having an idea of what was inside and wanting to confirm her suspicions
Aria-san, bashfully annoyed, replied, "It's yours. Do whatever you want with it."
"Uhm. O-Okay then." Mocha-san hesitated but began to unwrap the box, surprised to find a luxury smartphone—the latest model from a brand , the one Aria-san pressed her master on buying.
"I-Is this really for me and not Yukiya-kun?" she asked again, struggling to remember doing anything special to deserve such a gift.
Flustered, Aria-san retorted, "W-What does he have to do with any of this? Just open it already!"
Because it was the same model as Aria-san's phone, Mocha-san thought perhaps Aria-san wanted to match phones with him (me).
"Is it really alright for me to accept this gift?" Mocha-san asked for clarification one last time.
"D-Don't get me wrong," Aria-san said, clearing her throat. "Since we're going to be in the same club from now on, we need a way to reach you." She added, "Now you can join our group chat as part of the special service club."
Hearing this cleared Mocha-san's conscience about receiving the gift. 'So this is what it feels like to have a tsundere by your side...' she thought.
Looking at the two of them, I began to ponder. I recalled Mocha-san's earlier words: "You're more alike than you think." 'So this is what she meant, huh...' I thought to myself, feeling a bit jealous. 'You could have bought me one too, you know...' I stared at the sky being reminded that my recent phone purchase had cut into my shadow hero funds.
After setting up Mocha-san's phone, we successfully created a group chat, and the official group chat for the Special Service Club was established.