They both seemed to be staring at a piece of clothing displayed in the store's showcase.
Wait, the shop they were looking at was a clothing store. I had no idea how many times I'd already stood in front of this shop, and I really hoped I wouldn't end up going inside—
Yuu-chan suddenly turned around and looked at me with sparkling eyes. She looked incredibly excited.
Oh no, it looks like this is really going to happen—
"Yukito-sama, I think it's about time Hime and I changed our clothes, don't you think?" Yuu-chan asked.
"That's right, that's right. Yukito-san, come inside with us, okay?" Hime said as she looked at me as well.
See? I knew it would happen. I honestly didn't really mind their request, yosh.
"I'm fine with it. Luke, you should come too—" Before I could finish my sentence, I turned my head toward Luke, who had been standing beside me.
And sure enough, he was already gone, seemingly having gone somewhere else.
I tried looking toward the crowd of people walking around, and I spotted Luke heading away from us.
He noticed me looking at him and made a gesture as if to say, "I suddenly have something to take care of, so please look after them, okay?"—or something like that.
I knew he didn't actually have any sudden business to deal with. I was sure he just wanted to leave me alone in this situation.
"Hah… fine, I'll go in too," I said.
The two of them immediately smiled and entered the store, with me following behind them.
There was nothing unusual about this clothing store. Everything looked normal, just like any other shop.
Still, why did they suddenly want new clothes? I didn't think they had any particular reason to change what they were wearing now.
Their clothes still looked perfectly wearable to me, still clean—so what was lacking?
They approached a woman standing at the cashier counter, probably asking her about some clothes.
I didn't follow them, but I noticed a long bench without a backrest. Oh, this was perfect.
I rested my legs and sat down on the bench. There really wasn't anything for me to do in a clothing store like this.
Then it hit me—this was a women's clothing store. I vaguely remembered seeing a sign outside, but I guess I hadn't noticed it earlier.
Aside from the three of us, there were other women inside the store as well.
And… I could feel their gazes, as if they found it strange that a guy like me had entered a place like this.
Ah, I was sure they were whispering about me behind my back, saying I was some kind of perverted guy.
Geez… now I understood why Luke didn't want to come into this store with us. Damn it… he should've taken me with him.
"Yukito-sama, we're going to try these clothes on. Come with us. We need your help," Yuu-chan said as she approached me with Hime beside her.
They were both holding a bag that probably contained the clothes they wanted to try on.
Well, I had to do what I had to do. As long as I didn't have any weird intentions, I'd be fine.
I stood up from the bench and asked them.
"What kind of help? Don't tell me you want me to judge the clothes you're going to try on," I asked while looking straight at them.
"Of course, Yukito-san. Luke already left, so you're the only one we can ask for help now," Hime said.
"Alright, I'll help you. But don't blame me if my answers don't satisfy the two of you," I said.
They looked at each other and then let out a small laugh after hearing what I said.
——
Inside the store, there were two small rooms used as fitting rooms, and as coverings, the store had installed curtain-like drapes to close them off.
All I could do was lean against the wall near the fitting rooms and wait for them to come out wearing their new clothes.
Even so, I was curious about how they would look. Maybe Hime would appear more beautiful and elegant?
Or maybe Yuu-chan would look like a cheerful girl who always wanted attention?
Various images of them appeared in my mind. Geez, why couldn't I calm down like this?
"Yukito-san…"
While I was thinking about them with my head lowered, I heard Hime calling my name.
With my head still down, I could see the footwear Hime was wearing.
She was wearing black shoes. Their design wasn't too flashy, but I could say they suited her very well.
She was also wearing white socks that reached a few centimeters above her ankles.
My face reflexively turned a little red as I slowly lifted my gaze.
My eyes widened slightly when I saw Hime standing in front of me. She felt very different from the Hime I usually saw.
She was wearing a white top with black buttons down the middle, and its length only reached just below her stomach.
The top didn't cover her shoulders, but it had white sections that covered the middle of her arms, positioned between her shoulders and elbows.
This outfit seemed to be designed to leave her shoulders exposed when worn.
Below the white top, she was wearing a black skirt that extended past her knees by about two or three centimeters.
Around her waist, she was wearing a cloak. However, this cloak was positioned at her waist, with its upper part resting there.
As a result, it covered her from the waist down to her legs, though it wasn't long enough to reach the floor.
The cloak was a light purple color, the same color as the outfit she had been wearing before.
Honestly, I could say that the outfit she was wearing now looked cute and beautiful on her.
It was as if this outfit added an extra layer of beauty to Hime.
She asked me in her gentle voice, looking at me with slightly flushed cheeks.
"What do you think?" Hime asked while gazing at me, who was still staring at her outfit.
"I-it… really suits you. You look even more beautiful than before," I replied.
With her looking like that, how could I not be honest?
I could see the pleased and relieved expression on her face, which meant my answer had satisfied her.
"I-I'll go back inside. I still haven't put away the clothes I wore before—" Hime said as she returned to the fitting room.
My cheeks were surely red by now. I couldn't handle seeing Hime looking so cute and beautiful like that.
Not long after Hime went back inside, Yuu-chan came out of her fitting room and approached me.
"Yukito-sama~ How is it? This looks really good on me, right~?" Yuu-chan asked with a smile.
She was also wearing a white top, with blue lines in several places, and its length reached down to the upper part of her thighs.
Just like Hime, the top didn't cover her shoulders, but had blue-and-white sections that covered the middle of her arms, between her shoulders and elbows.
Maybe the two of them had chosen outfits with the same design?
She was wearing short pants in a dark gray—or maybe light gray—color. They reached above her knees, since I could still see them.
She was also wearing boots-like shoes, though the material looked like soft fabric.
The height of the shoes reached nearly the middle of her calves, but there was still a fair amount of her legs visible.
The shoes were light brown, with white lines near the top.
At the back of her top, there was an additional piece of fabric as wide as her back, extending downward as if it were part of the outfit.
It wasn't very long—maybe reaching around her waist or slightly below. Still, I felt that Yuu-chan was no less charming than Hime.
"It looks good. The color really suits you. Do you like clothes in this kind of style?" I asked.
"Hime was the one who recommended it to me. Does my appearance right now make you interested~?" Yuu-chan asked again.
"W-well… that depends on the person. But I think you're already pretty," I replied.
She suddenly went back into the fitting room without responding to what I said.
Phew… my heart hadn't stopped pounding this whole time after seeing how they looked.
I felt like I had to protect them in case they were approached by strange or suspicious people who only had bad intentions—
No, no, I shouldn't be thinking things like that about them. But still… the two of them really did look cuter and more adorable than before.