"This one's good—try it on."
"Why me..."
"Cat Café."
"...Fine, I'll try it."
Blushing, Yukino changed into the dress Yumiko had picked out for her.
Yumiko glanced over Yukino's entire body, shook her head in disappointment, waved her hand, and signaled her to change back.
"Not suitable. Especially around the chest. This outfit would only suit Yui."
"..."
This kind of anger hadn't surfaced in Yukino's heart since the day she met Yuu.
But she had her principles and integrity. A promise already made couldn't be taken back—so, despite her embarrassment and reluctance, Yukino could only bite her lip and allow them to hold the clothes and dress her.
Yes, them.
Yuigahama, Ordinary Girl, and even Masuzu joined Yumiko. They didn't want to miss this rare chance to dress up the Ice Queen. They weren't afraid even when she gave them cold stares, making them shiver from head to toe.
"Yukinon, this dress will definitely look very elegant on you!"
"Yukinoshita-san, please try this one!"
"Yukinoshita-san, this outfit I'm recommending has several styles from international designers—Araki-sensei, you must try it!"
"...Isn't this men's underwear?"
"Shallow, Yukinoshita-san, so shallow! Don't casually define beautiful clothing! Even if it looks like underwear, when you wear it on your head, it's no longer underwear!"
"Natsukawa-san, I'll call a taxi to send you home right now."
That meant get lost.
As for Yuu, he had found a way out for himself.
For most men, shopping with women was undoubtedly torture. They'd be tested physically and mentally. They could only rely on their phones and rest areas to catch their breath.
Yuu was the type to pick clothes randomly, comparing prices rather than brands. He was someone who shopped as quickly as possible. Besides, he was shopping with five women—he'd inevitably end up being used as a tool. Their happiness and sadness had nothing to do with him. In the end, this rare picnic would conclude with trivial matters, and he'd return home with only painful memories.
Of course, getting to witness Yukino's fashion show should count as luck among misfortunes—but if that were all, Yuu wouldn't deserve to be called a system owner.
Among the many skills he'd acquired, there was Fashion Sense (Expert Level)—enough to qualify him as a fashion magazine columnist.
Not to mention the two skills: Makeup (Expert Level) and Disguise (Perfect Level). His knowledge of fashion trends, clothing brands, and makeup was deeper than most women's. His professional level far surpassed that of these high school girls.
So, when the girls posed deadly questions like which one is better, this or that? or this color or that color, which is better?, Yuu didn't just smile calmly—he analyzed them systematically and offered plenty of useful suggestions.
The girls, who had initially argued over which was better, gradually fell silent. They all stared wide-eyed, as if their perception of him had completely changed.
Even Yukino couldn't help slightly opening her mouth. She stared at the outfit in Yuu's hand with a shocked expression.
"I originally planned to just watch and stay quiet, but since you asked me yourselves, I'll show off a little expertise... Yukinoshita, this one should suit you perfectly—try it."
Yuu smiled, extending his hand, signaling her to take it.
"..."
They all exchanged glances in silence.
The next second, Yumiko firmly dragged Yukino into another changing room. The other girls surrounded her, completely blocking Yuu's view.
Their voices clearly reached his ears.
"I feel so disgusted... Could it be that he spends his time studying women's clothing?"
"Yumiko, don't say that... Though it's disgusting, Yuu does have good intentions."
"I'd rather not have good intentions like that. Anyway, the way he naturally asks girls to try on clothes he picked—it's impressive in its own way."
"Sorry, my boyfriend is a bit mentally unstable. Honestly, even the clothes I'm wearing now were chosen by him. They're so revealing—I want to cry..."
"Hey, Tenkuji-san can hear us from behind... I feel like he'll come over and hit our heads any second."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The enjoyable shopping time continued for two hours.
At three in the afternoon, rain finally began to fall. They still had two hours left before gathering at five, but they'd only visited about half of the shopping street.
Except for Yukino, whose eyes were blank like a doll's, the others were still full of energy. They swung their large and small bags in their hands and kept walking toward the next store.
"Yumiko, look! Though this is a scenic area, it's not just entertainment facilities—it has an arcade too... Impressive."
"Wanna go? Taking photobooth pictures would be fun."
"There are so many people—hope we don't have to queue..."
"I think we've had enough. Let's find a café to rest while waiting for the meeting time..."
"What are you saying, Yukinoshita? Our journey's just begun! Don't stop here!"
"...I'll kill you later."
Regarding the rain.
They planned to wait until closer to meeting time, check the weather, then decide whether to buy rain gear at the convenience store or not—after all, Yukino and Yuu had umbrellas. Yuu even carried an extra raincoat.
If they huddled close, they might not need to buy any. Class B and Class J could each use one umbrella and board the bus smoothly. Nothing to worry about.
But as they were about to head to the arcade, Masuzu suddenly stopped. She said with a slightly apologetic tone: "Sorry, my stomach suddenly hurts. You all go ahead."
"I'll accompany you." As her boyfriend, Yuu naturally had to fulfill his duty to accompany her—of course, not by going in with her.
"No need. You go with them. I'll be back soon."
Unexpectedly, Masuzu not only refused his offer to accompany her, she didn't even make any jokes. She just calmly walked toward the restroom.
And after half an hour passed, she vanished from the world as if she'd never existed.
Gloomy rain covered the entire scenic area.
People who foolishly trusted the weather forecast and weren't prepared quickly took shelter under roofs. They watched the rain grow heavier, seemingly not stopping anytime soon.
Yuu held an umbrella. He walked through the cold wind and rain. In his other hand, he held his phone. He asked very quickly:
"You didn't find her in the women's restroom?"