Chapter 168: Shopping
Coming closer to look at the weather forecast on Kaede's phone, and knowing it would be a short shower, Eriri happily nodded: "Sounds good! The weather will be much cooler after the rain, so let's go out for a stroll!"
They had already talked about buying yukata before, and it was unpleasant to go out when it was hot. Today's weather was just perfect!
After dinner, they rested for a moment.
Today's shower indeed ended quickly, just as the weather forecast said.
Seeing the weather cool down, Eriri excitedly grabbed Kaede's hand and said, "Kaede-kun, we can go out now!"
"Don't rush, we have plenty of time. Go change your clothes first."
Compared to Eriri, Kaede was much more leisurely. He had already changed his clothes and just needed to sit on the sofa, drink tea, and wait for Eriri to come out after changing.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, Eriri finally emerged from the bedroom.
Looking at Eriri, who had changed into a dress, Kaede smiled helplessly, "Just change your clothes, why did you put on makeup too? It's already evening."
Although it was light makeup, Kaede could still tell.
"What are you talking about!"
Walking up to Kaede, Eriri put her hands on her hips and said seriously, "What about evening? As long as I'm going out, of course I have to dress up!"
"I don't need to."
"Boys are different! And Kaede-kun, you don't even have any decent makeup!"
"No, I do," Kaede stood up and said, "Facial cleanser. That stuff I bought was really expensive."
"Facial cleanser doesn't count at all!"
Amidst Eriri's renewed attempts to educate Kaede about cosmetics, the two left the apartment.
Outside, just after the rain, the ground was still noticeably damp, and the temperature had unusually dropped to a refreshing level.
Holding Kaede's hand, Eriri happily said, "Finally, we can go out!"
"Couldn't you normally?"
"It was too hot those past few days! Unless it was essential shopping, I didn't want to go out!" Eriri pouted and said, "But, after being cooped up at home drawing all these days, I've grown to like the feeling of going out for a walk even more."
Kaede listened and nodded in agreement: "Indeed, staying cooped up at home all the time isn't good. The hot weather before was unavoidable, but as summer passes, the temperature should gradually drop. Eriri, how about we go out for a walk after dinner in the evenings from now on?"
Always sitting in front of the computer without exercising, Kaede felt that it was really not good for Eriri's health, not to mention Eriri hardly ever exercised anyway.
It seemed she truly found drawing at home all the time boring, so Eriri readily agreed to Kaede's suggestion: "Okay! Going out for a walk, and we can find delicious food!"
...I think you just want to find food, don't you?
Kaede smiled and pinched Eriri's cheek: "Who was it this morning who was yelling about wanting to lose weight?"
"Ugh... Didn't Kaede-kun say I wasn't fat?"
Eriri glared at Kaede and said, "Anyway, since you said I'm not fat, if anyone thinks I'm fat, I'll hold you accountable!"
"That's fine. Anyway, I think Eriri is cute no matter what."
Furthermore, Kaede thought Eriri must have the kind of physique where she never gains weight. From the moment they first met until their current relationship, Eriri had always been a girl who loved snacks and enjoyed seeking out good food.
Kaede had truly never seen her face look chubby, nor had her weight fluctuated significantly.
Hmm, Eriri definitely shouldn't brag about this everywhere, or she might attract jealousy.
Although there was a supermarket and a shopping street near the apartment, they wanted to buy yukata tonight, and small shops wouldn't suffice, so they would have to take the train two more stops to the large department store.
At this time, many people were just getting off work. After Kaede and Eriri entered the train car and found seats, Kaede said, "It's still over a year away. Once I turn 18, I definitely want to get my driver's license. That way, it will be easier to go anywhere."
Eriri nodded in agreement. "I think so too, but I won't learn. I'm not cut out for it."
Since there was still over a year, Kaede wasn't in a hurry to look at cars now. He could just choose a newly released model when the time came, and by then, he estimated he would have a significant amount of spare money again.
Upon arriving at the department store, the two headed straight for the shop selling kimono and yukata.
Although kimono are more formal, they were only attending a fireworks festival, and yukata are more convenient to wear and move around in, plus they come in a wider variety of styles.
As soon as they entered, Eriri was dazzled by the wide array of yukata styles displayed before her.
"Kaede-kun, Kaede-kun, what kind do you think I should choose?"
Kaede looked around and said, "Hmm, I haven't really looked at yukata much before. I didn't realize there were so many styles. I genuinely can't decide right now. How about you, Eriri, pick two to try on first?"
Eriri also felt it would be hard to choose just by looking, so she nodded and said, "Alright, I'll pick two first and try them on."
After browsing, Eriri finally chose three: one pink and white with a printed pattern, one dark blue with light-colored petals, and the last one a light purple with various small designs. The three yukata definitely had distinct styles.
Although yukata are not as complicated as kimono, they are still troublesome to put on alone, so a female clerk immediately accompanied Eriri to the fitting room to help her dress.
Soon, Eriri emerged, having changed into the pink and white yukata.
Coming before Kaede, Eriri spun around once and asked, "Kaede-kun, how is this one?"
"Hmm, very cute."
The pink and white yukata, paired with Eriri's delicate features and her golden hair, certainly had a unique charm.
Taking out his phone, Kaede said, "I'll take a picture of Eriri first, and then you can try on the other two sets. We'll decide at the end, okay?"
"Okay!"
Eriri agreed with a smile, and after letting Kaede take the photo, she immediately went back to change into another outfit.
After trying on all three sets, Eriri, wearing the light purple yukata, looked at the photos on Kaede's phone and said, "Hmm~ The dark blue one in the middle doesn't seem to suit me very well, but it's really hard to choose between these two others."
Seeing that Eriri seemed to like both, Kaede smiled and decided, "How about this? We'll buy both. It's not like you'll only wear them once; you'll definitely use them again in the future. Once we get home, you can just choose which one to wear."
Patting Eriri lightly on the head, Kaede said, "Alright, go change back into your clothes."
He then looked at the clerk nearby: "Excuse me, could you please wrap up this one and the first pink and white one for me?"
The young clerk naturally agreed with a bright smile; customers as generous as Kaede were their favorites.
Although Eriri thought it wasn't necessary, she genuinely liked both yukata, so she happily listened to Kaede and went to change back into her clothes.
After choosing Eriri's, it was Kaede's turn, but as a guy, he didn't need to be so particular. He just chose a dark blue one with a faint pinstripe pattern.
After paying and emerging with three shopping bags, Kaede asked Eriri, "Since we're at the mall, is there anywhere else you want to go?"
Eriri thought for a moment, then suddenly spotted a promotional sign, pointed at it, and said, "Let's go watch a movie!"
Following the direction Eriri was pointing, Kaede froze.
A Conan movie?