... Meanwhile, Elion was feeling gloomy and thinking:
"Damn it! I should have done it right away. Why did I think it was inappropriate? Is it my age again?!" he reproached himself.
The girl, having calmed down after laughing, quickly caught up with him and walked beside him as if nothing had happened.
—... The guy stared at her maliciously.
"Mmm..." Is there something on my face? Or are you impressed by my beauty again?" She said with a sweet smile.
He turned away from her silently, suppressing a heavy sigh. Then he thought:
"Hey, how long have we been walking? Did she trick me again?" He turned to her, his face clouding over again.
"No way! You really can't take your eyes off me for even a second!" she exclaimed, exaggerating.
Elion remained silent and did not change his sullen expression.
"Okay, what's wrong?" she asked, sighing discontentedly.
"...
"What does that mean?" she asked, tilting her head.
He remained silent, still looking dissatisfied.
"Hey, are you playing charades? Or do you think I can read your mind?"
It was at this point that the guy realized the essence of the problem: the impossibility of conveying meaning without words. Although Noel often understood the general meaning from a single expression on his face, she wasn't omnipotent.
"Is it beneath your dignity to say a few words, sir?" she asked contemptuously, ignoring what he had said just a moment ago.
Elion said nothing but turned away silently. The opportunity to wander aimlessly for an unknown amount of time did not outweigh his unwillingness to talk.
"You know what? You're a bore! A stubborn bore!" the girl exclaimed indignantly, pointing her finger at him.
The guy pretended not to care and walked beside her, as if that had been his intention all along.
After a while, the well-maintained, wealthy-looking buildings were replaced by more ordinary ones made of gray stone that were still presentable. After walking a little further, the girl turned off the street into an alley. They emerged onto a small square, behind which was a pleasant green park and a large wooden building.
"This way," said Noel, still a little sulky. She turned immediately after exiting the alley toward a small shop built into a three-story stone building.
A bright pink sign above an equally pink one read:
"Girls, come this way!"
Elion's expression didn't change; he just blinked a little harder.
"Hehe, it can't be. Are you really..." But she didn't have time to finish, because Elion calmly opened the door and entered the store silently.
Noel stood there for a moment, stamping her foot, and then followed him into the shop.
What she saw there...
"Wow, just look at that..."
"And look at this fabric! How it shines!"
"It's amazing! A whole new level of fashion!"
Three women in their thirties surrounded the poor guy, fondling his coat with delight and offering admiring comments.
—Elion stood frowning. Elion stood frowning. He was probably trying to figure out when and how it all went wrong.
... Noel froze, looking slightly shocked. It seemed that all her bravado about her own popularity faded away with the guy's appearance near the women.
... After looking around the store, he made his way through the hands reaching out to him. He approached the stand with rubber bands and began to examine them, ignoring the women's questions.
"Hah..." The girl sighed heavily and followed him to see his choice, listening to the women's stories about the boy's magnificent style.
Elion's amazing ability to let everything go in one ear and out the other—even if the sounds were coming from right next to him—was useful now.
— ... After looking through all the colors and materials, the man silently picked up the last rubber band and went to the register.
He knocked on the counter, and the woman standing next to him had to let go of him and go to the register.
"Oh, just a hair tie, huh? You know, it will go very well with your hair. You really are the kind of person who can make the right choice." Would you like to look at anything else? We have a wonderful selection of hats and other accessories," the woman said, her eyes shining.
Elion shook his head silently.
"That's right. Your look doesn't need any extra details. Everything is already incredibly harmonious. That'll be 20 pence."
He immediately handed over two coins, turned around, and almost bumped into Noel, who was standing behind him.
"Well? Which one did you get? Come on, show me," she asked casually.
—Elion stood frowning. He silently opened his right palm.
"Ooh..." The color is like a peach. "You have the same taste as girls, huh?" She asked with a playful smile.
Elion said nothing, didn't even frown, and silently walked to the exit, glancing at the rubber band.
"Wait for me outside, okay? I'll buy one for myself too," Noel said hastily.
Ignoring her words and the pitying glances of the shop assistants, Elion left the store and glanced around.
In front of him was a small alley with a path leading to the nearest park.
Elion approached the nearest bench and leaned back on it, relaxed.
He silently raised his hand with the rubber band and began to look at it in the bright sunlight.
Meanwhile, in the store...
"Here you go, ma'am!" Noel smiled as she placed the red rubber band on the counter.
"45 pence," the woman replied dryly.
"What?! You sold it to that guy for 20!" she protested.
"Regular customers get a discount," the woman replied neutrally.
"But it's his first time here!"
"From today on, he's a regular customer. Take it or leave it."
"Tsk... Extortionists," she said discontentedly as she handed over a 50-cent coin.
"Change," the woman said, handing her a small coin.
"Keep it, you bastards!" she said angrily, walking away.
Slamming the door behind her, she vowed never to set foot in that discriminatory place again.