Chapter 30: My Angel Turned Out to Be a Goddess

The size measurements were finished, and based on that, we started picking out underwear first.

Unlike last time, I actually have some clothes I want for myself, so once we're done with the underwear, I plan to go find those.

The clothes I’m looking for are bottoms—pants, specifically.

Right now, I only have skirts, and I want something more casual and easy to wear. Sure, skirts can be casual too, but I still feel kind of uneasy in them.

I don’t mind if they’re short, as long as they’re loose and comfortable.

So, I grabbed some underwear and a few good-looking pieces of clothing to go with them, then went to check on Koharu-chan. She already had several outfits in her basket and was currently comparing two more in her hands.

“Find anything good?”

“Oh, Haru-chan. Summer’s all about showing off a girl’s charm, right? So I picked out something like this for you. What do you think?”

Koharu-chan pushed one of the outfits she was holding into my hands.

I see—it’s definitely summery, made with light fabric and looked cool to wear.

But when I unfolded it, I realized it wasn’t just a short-sleeved top. No, it was an off-shoulder piece with bare shoulders and an open chest, showing a lot of skin.

“What do I think…? I mean, this is…”

“It doesn’t suit me at all. But it’ll look perfect on you, Haru-chan! With this, even Kiriya-kun will be totally head over heels for you!”

Why bring up Kiri now?

Well… I guess he would like something like this. I don’t know if it’d make him melt, but yeah, he’d probably like it.

“Forget about Kiri for a sec—these all show a lot of skin, don’t they?”

The clothes Koharu-chan picked out were all pretty revealing—shoulders, cleavage, even some midriff. You could say they’re fitting for summer, but they’re all styles that Koharu-chan herself normally doesn’t wear.

Today she’s wearing a long pleated skirt and a sleeveless shirt. Her shoulders are exposed, but her chest is well-covered, and of course, no midriff showing.

“You don’t wear stuff like this, Koharu-chan?”

“Hmm… they just don’t look good on me. But on you, Haru-chan? You’ll look amazing! I guarantee it! And with skin as beautiful as yours, it’d be a waste not to show it off!”

So basically, she wants me to wear them because they don’t suit her.

Still, I think they’d suit her just fine—she’s got a slender figure.

“I don’t think that’s true. I bet you’d look great in them too, Koharu-chan.”

“Yeah, yeah, tell her more, Haru-chan.”

Nozomu-kun appeared. And right behind him was Kiri.

Naturally—or maybe inevitably—Kiri was carrying a basket with clothes inside. I’m guessing those are outfits he picked out for me.

“Koharu’s got nice skin too. I’d love to see her show it off more.”

“Oh come on, leave me out of this. —Anyway, now that we’re all here, it’s time for Haru-chan to try some stuff on!”

Ah, so that’s where this was heading after all.

“No, lower. Pull it down a bit more.”

“If I go any lower, it’s gonna show!”

“You’re fine, really. Look—like this, just down to here.”

“Wha—hey! Isn’t that too far?!”

Kiri had brought over a tube top. I mean… can we even call this clothing?

To put it simply, it was just a strip of fabric wrapped around the chest, with not even shoulder straps.

This thing looks like it’d shift out of place with the slightest movement. Disaster waiting to happen.

Shoulders, armpits, chest, stomach—everything’s out in the open. I feel so exposed.

There’s no way I can wear this without something over it.

“What if it slips and something shows?!”

“Well, that’d be grea—uh, I mean, I wouldn’t want other people seeing it.”

“Right!? So at least let me pull it up a bit more.”

I adjusted it higher to avoid a wardrobe malfunction.

That said, I didn’t cover everything—out of consideration for Kiri, I left the cleavage and chest area slightly visible.

Still… what kind of bra is even supposed to go with this?

Kiri’s picks are all pretty revealing. The guy’s just following his desires…

Actually, Koharu-chan’s choices were pretty revealing too. Do they both want to show off my skin that badly?

“I mean, they’re all designed to emphasize the V-line of the chest…”

“What are you talking about?! When you show that off, Haru-chan, it looks amazing! Your face, neck, and V-line!! You’ve got great features and flawless skin—it’s perfect!!”

“Uh… I see…”

I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by Koharu-chan’s enthusiasm.

“I mean, I really do want to show off your slim waist and everything from top to bottom, but that area’s just the easiest to highlight.”

...Hmm. I see.

Looking behind me, even the shop clerk was nodding deeply in agreement several times.

“And if you tie your hair up in a ponytail or something, it’ll draw more attention to your neck area too—make it even better!! Yep!!”

Being praised by Koharu-chan doesn’t feel bad at all.

When I glanced at Kiri, our eyes met—and he gave a firm nod.

So basically, everyone agrees. I’m not exactly thrilled about it, but I guess I’ve got no choice.

“Okay. Thanks, Koharu-chan. I’ll pick from these.”

There were over fifteen tops alone. No way I could buy all that, plus a swimsuit, even with the allowance I got from Mom. I had to at least cut the number in half.

After some discussion, the number of tops was halved, and bottoms were narrowed down to five.

For some reason, even the store clerk joined in as an "advisor," so it ended up being a five-person selection team.

By the way, the bottoms I picked—pants—got voted down. Four to one. I was the only “yes,” everyone else said “no.”

Come on, that’s not fair. Let me wear something besides skirts!

Anyway, the clothes we picked were handed over to hold for now, and next up was swimsuits.

“Haru, this way.”

“What?” I followed Kiri, and what I saw was a wall full of bikinis, lined up tightly.

“I already told you I’m not wearing that!”

“How about this one?”

You’re seriously ignoring me…?

I glanced at it. It was mostly white, even skimpier than a typical bikini, with string ties.

Ugh, of course he’d pick something like this.

I sighed in exasperation.

“Not wearing it.”

I turned away with a huff and flatly refused.

“But it’ll totally suit you, Haru!! I guarantee it!! Please!!”

Kiri, you’re way too desperate.

I peeked sideways and saw him clasping his hands like he was praying. Seriously?

What do I do with this guy…?

I mean, I’ve thought it before, but bikinis are basically just underwear. Walking around in one... it’s embarrassing.

But then again… hmm…

“Alright. But just once. Just try it on, please!! I’m begging you!!”

Honestly… You want to see me in a bikini that badly…?

If it’s just for trying on, and the only people seeing me are this group… I guess I can deal with it.

“…Fine. But only once!”

I took the swimsuit Kiri was holding and headed for the fitting room.

“Nice! Thanks, Haru!”

Kiri looked ridiculously happy. Just how badly do you want this?

I stepped into the changing room and began getting dressed.

Ugh… the strings are real.

One behind the neck, one on the back, and one around the waist—I tied them all in order.

I managed to put it on, but… it feels so unreliable. There’s even less support than underwear.

And I’m not even sure if I tied it properly. One wrong move and it might come undone.

If I were actually going to wear this for real, I’d need Koharu-chan to tie it for me.

Peeking my face out through the curtain’s gap, I saw the three of them waiting nearby.

“Koharu-chan, can I ask you something?”

“Hm? What’s up?”

I called Koharu-chan over and asked her to help tie the strings properly.

While she was doing that, she took the opportunity to touch my back and waist.

Um, Koharu-chan? Could you stop stroking me?

“You really look delicious. Kiriya-kun is so lucky.”

What is Koharu-chan even talking about?

And it’s not like I have that kind of relationship with Kiri.

Well… I mean… not long ago, I did have that kind of relationship—with Kusame-kun.

But that was because we were dating. Things are different now. Now we’re just close friends.

“Just kidding. Alright! I’ve tied it up nice and neat, so let’s show you off!”

With those words, Koharu-chan briskly flung open the curtain of the fitting room.

Wait! I’m not mentally ready for this yet!!

“Wha—!!”

“Ta-daa! Kiriya-kun, it’s Haru-chan in a bikini!”

Kiri was standing right there in front of the fitting room, staring at me intently.

And I mean intently—with a serious expression, like he was trying to engrave the image into his brain forever.

He’s already seen me naked before!! So why is he putting in so much effort now!?

…But then again, I can practically hear Kiri inside my head saying, “That was then, this is now.” Yeah, that totally sounds like something he’d say.

My cheeks flushed, my head felt like it was about to steam, and I froze in place out of sheer embarrassment.

Maybe because I was so flustered, the sounds around me all faded into silence.

Then, in that stillness, I heard just one sound: gulp—the sound of Kiri swallowing.

Why are you gulping like that!?

“That’s it! We’re done here!!”

I reached out to shut the curtain.

“Haru… you’re really dazzling. Beautiful. Even more than I imagined. You’re like a goddess.”

“Wh—!!”

What kind of ridiculous thing are you saying!?

But when I looked at Kiri’s face, I could tell… those were genuine words, from the heart. He was completely captivated by me.

No good—those words stir something deep inside me that I’ve been trying to keep buried.

—That made me happy.

Hearing Kiri praise me from the heart… made me happy.

Seeing that expression on his face, hearing him say those things—my body responded before I could stop it.

My heart pounded, my body tingled with excitement, and I was flooded with a joy I couldn’t even put into words.

This is bad. If this keeps up, I won’t be able to hold myself back.

If this keeps going… I’ll be forced to confront my true feelings.

“Haru-chan really is beautiful. That pale skin and white bikini look amazing together—so, so perfect.”

Koharu-chan said that as she gently stopped my hand from closing the curtain.

“Haru-chan, say something.”

Say something!?

What am I supposed to say? Thank you? I’m happy?

There’s no way I can say what I’m really feeling right now.

I need time. Time to sort myself out.

Then, I’ll be able to go back to normal.

“W-Wait! Just—let me think for a second!!”

With that, I yanked the curtain shut with force.

I must’ve reacted differently than they expected. An awkward silence filled the space around us.