Chapter 16: Date Preparations

"...Ki... Kill me..."

"Now, now—none of that talk!"

"She’s right! C’mon, quit crouching there like a gremlin—up you go!"

We were currently at an outlet park.

The reason was simple—to buy clothes for Towa-chan!

"I’m fine with my usual outfit, honestly..."

"No no no! This is where you put in the effort!"

"Exactly! It’s a special date, after all!"

"A date...?"

In the original story, there was an episode where the two of them went on a date back in elementary school—recounted in nostalgic, painstaking detail.

In other words, it was one of the author’s favorite arcs.

And if I didn’t go all-out for this, could I even call myself a true fan?

Besides—

"I wanna dress up Towa-chan...!"

My favorite character was standing right in front of me.

Sure, technically she had the mind of a high school boy right now, but that didn’t change the fact that I was face-to-face with my ultimate bias. And not just that—I got to be her friend, too. A two-for-one deal!

"Ugh... Fine, whatever..."

And so, with Eien-chan in full defeatist mode, we headed into the clothing store.

"Towa-chan, you’re okay with skirts, right?"

"Ugh... Ever since I got stuck in this body, I just try not to think too hard while wearing ’em. But still—"

With a flap, she yanked down the hem of the skirt she was trying on, her face burning red and eyes brimming with tears.

"THIS IS WAY TOO SHORT, DON’T YOU THINK?!?!?"

And she wasn’t wrong—we’d picked out a miniskirt that barely covered half her thighs.

Paired with a cropped shirt (showing off her midriff), knee socks, and her usual hoodie, it was a look. We would’ve pushed for even more skin, but if she ended up sunburned and miserable, it’d defeat the whole purpose.

"What are you talking about? This is your date with Yuuki! You gotta put in the effort!"

"Yeah, yeah! Frankly, we wanted more exposure!"

"Tch... I get it. Even I know I’m a knockout right now. But still! Humans have something called dignity, y’know?!"

With that, she snapped the fitting room curtain shut. A shame—I wanted to stare a little longer.

"Guess the ex-boy thing makes it harder for her..."

"Huh? Towa-chan used to be a boy...?"

Oops. Aimi looked mildly traumatized. Yeah, I get it—it’s one thing if your fave just looks like someone else, but realizing their body’s technically hijacked? Yikes.

...Well, it’s more like their personalities merged, so it’s still her.

Plus, canon Towa-chan rarely wore skirts anyway—maybe that’s part of it.

"Wait... so it’s like... psychological BL... I CAN STILL STAN!!"

"Uh... Aimi??"

Leaving those ominous words hanging, Aimi scampered off, returning with a new outfit.

"Then how about this?"

She held up something white.

"Fine, I’ll try it... But no way am I wearing that last thing again."

What Towa-chan stepped out in was a long, white dress—the skirt brushing just above her ankles, modest yet somehow more alluring for it. The sleeves, ending mid-forearm, framed her pale skin perfectly, while frills cascaded from her shoulders to her waist, accented by soft seafoam-green ribbons. The white fabric made her golden hair glow.

"...Yeah. I like this one."

"Agreed. Nice pick, Aimi."

"Hnnngh... so... pretty...!"

With unanimous approval, the little white dress officially made the starting lineup and was promptly sent to checkout.

(Incidentally, the funds came from Towa's mom—who’d recently returned to work and, guilt-ridden over being too busy, had supplied her with an allowance far exceeding elementary-schooler standards. Her dad, too, had chipped in with lunch money, insisting "Treat yourself to something good.")

"Now, about tomorrow’s date plans—"

"Hmm... I think I’ll leave that to Yuuki."

"Why’s that?"

"This whole thing’s meant to make up for the time I couldn’t spend with him. Least I can do is let him take the lead."

"...Makes sense."

If that’s how she feels, then fine.

Some things only exist in the rhythm between two people—an invisible cadence no outsider could ever nitpick. There was a specific atmosphere between them, something inexplicable. Like fries dipped in vanilla soft-serve—a combo only the initiated could understand.

"It’ll be fine. I’m sure you’ll have a great time."

"...Yeah. You’re right."

...Maybe it was just my imagination, but for a moment, Towa-chan’s smile looked just a little lonely.

I decided to believe it was.