area51novel Page 113
Page 113
"Don't wrongly accuse someone."
Asagiri shook her head and replied with a light laugh.
"This is purely a natural talent."
"You're pretty proud of yourself."
Kato Megumi smiled gently, tucked her medium-length hair behind her ear, and said softly.
"Alright, enough joking. Actually, I contacted Asuna and Kotoko, but one said she hadn't recovered yet and wanted to go home to rest, while the other said she had to handle some requests from local Tokyo yokai and also asked the yokai she knew to spread the word that she had recovered, so that she wouldn't be mistaken for an imposter by yokai who didn't know her. So... I can only ask you to come with me."
Asagiri sighed, feigning disappointment.
"Oh, so I was just an alternative after all."
"You're definitely not an option, you're just..."
Kato Megumi pursed her lips before speaking.
"The main thing is, I still need to buy underwear today."
"Wow, isn't that a perfect match for my major?"
Asagiri waved his hand and spoke with an air of grandeur.
"I know so much about lingerie."
Kato Megumi reached out and tugged at his sleeve, blushing as she whispered a reminder.
"Hey, we're still on the street... Everyone's looking this way, don't be so loud..."
Asagiri retorted confidently, "Haven't you always wanted to increase your visibility?"
Kato Megumi sighed, rubbing her forehead: "This isn't the kind of attention I want..."
……
Half an hour later, inside a clothing store on the street.
"Hmm...they're all a bit pricey..."
Kato Megumi looked at a white dress. Although she was very satisfied with the appearance of the dress, she reluctantly gave up the idea of buying it when she saw the price tag of "4,500 yen".
"For a spring dress, this price isn't expensive, it's actually quite cheap, right?"
Upon hearing Asagiri's words, Kato Megumi turned to look at the luxury brand casual wear the other person was wearing and sighed slightly.
“I’m just an ordinary student, I don’t have that much pocket money. Not to mention, all I wear are expensive luxury brands, except for school uniforms. I’ve heard Kotoko talk about her clothes, they seem to be specially designed and made according to her aesthetic, they’re unique, and there’s no chance of wearing the same clothes as someone else. Asuna’s clothes aren’t that extravagant, but even a short-sleeved shirt costs 20,000 to 30,000 yen. I also need to buy a tracksuit later, so my budget is quite tight. I’d better look around more.”
"How about... I buy it for you?"
"How is that possible?"
Kato Megumi looked displeased, turned around and stared intently at Asagiri's face, speaking in a serious tone.
"Although we are friends... no, precisely because we are friends, we should be more discreet, right? Exchanging gifts occasionally is fine, but when it comes to buying clothes, even if you're not short of money, I certainly can't let you pay for them."
After Kato Megumi finished speaking, she saw Asagiri smiling slightly, and couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
"why are you laughing?"
"What you said is exactly the same as Asuna's."
"is it?"
Kato Megumi gave a noncommittal reply, then turned back to continue browsing the clothes on the shelf, speaking softly.
"In short, I need to buy three sets of underwear, one set of spring clothes, and two sets of sportswear within my limited budget. The sportswear I bought a couple of days ago is worn out, so I need to buy a new one."
Asagiri asked tentatively.
"So, your budget is...?"
Kato Megumi held up her fair index finger, waved it in front of him, and smiled.
"Twenty-five thousand yen."
"How could anyone afford that?"
"Hmm? You can buy it."
Kato Megumi withdrew her fingers, counting on her fingers as she muttered to herself.
"Hmm... If I were to buy online, 10,000 yen should be enough for a spring dress and jacket, and 5,000 yen should be enough for two sets of sportswear. Anyway, sportswear just needs to be durable, so I don't need anything too fancy. But with the remaining 10,000 yen, I'm not sure if I can afford underwear... After all, it's underwear, so the quality can't be too bad..."
Listening to Kato Megumi's self-talk and watching her carefully calculating, Asagiri couldn't help but laugh.
"No matter how you calculate it, it's not enough, is it?"
"It's not enough...but..."
Kato Megumi tilted her cute face up and said in a serious tone.
"That's how it is for ordinary high school girls. They have to plan how to use their allowance to buy clothes, go out with friends, buy magazines, dolls, accessories, and the like. They have to be careful with their money."
"So, let me buy you the sportswear. This isn't just your business, it's the business of our whole team, so it's perfectly reasonable."
"Um……"
Kato Megumi raised her hand to support her fair chin, looking hesitant. After all, for an ordinary high school girl like her, entering the dungeon three times a month meant buying at least three more sets of sportswear each month, and this was an extra expense that she couldn't explain to her parents.
"OK then."
Before Asagiri could even speak after hearing Kato Megumi agree, Kato Megumi quickly added.
"But since it's a team matter, if you buy me two sets of sportswear, you should also buy some for Asuna and Kotoko, otherwise... it doesn't feel right."
"Let's just forget about them."
"Hmm? You can't do it like that."
Kato Megumi frowned slightly and said in a serious tone.
“Although Kotoko usually seems carefree, she is still a girl, and Asuna is your first teammate. How can you only buy things for me and not for them? They will be angry with you, won’t they?”
“You’re right, but…”
Asagiri looked at Kato Megumi's serious expression and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Asuna has light armor, and Kotoko always wears her own dress when she enters a dungeon. Why would we buy them sportswear? In our team, besides me, you're probably the only one who needs this kind of thing, right?"
"Forehead……"
Kato Megumi was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then turned her head and coughed lightly twice to cover up her embarrassment.
"Oh right... then... then why don't you buy them something else..."
Asagiri flatly refused: "I won't see you off."
Kato Megumi asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Asagiri shrugged and explained casually.
"Didn't I already say that buying you sportswear was an official matter concerning the entire team, not a personal gift? If it were a gift given to you out of personal feelings, then it would be necessary to treat everyone equally and avoid favoritism, and to give gifts specifically to the two of them."
"I see……"
Kato Megumi nodded as if she understood, then walked to the white dress she had just picked out, took it off, and smiled.
"Then I'll buy this one."
"Hmm? Not going to pick anymore?"
Upon hearing Asagiri's question, Kato Megumi turned around, shook her head, looked at Asagiri standing there with a gentle expression and a hint of playfulness, and spoke softly.
"You think shopping is boring, so... let's just buy this one!"
……
Twenty minutes later, in a women's lingerie store.
“Utsunomiya-kun…”
Seeing Asagiri following closely beside her, helping her choose lingerie, even with Kato Megumi's calm personality, she couldn't help but feel a little shy when she felt the curious gazes from the surrounding customers and sales assistants.
"Um... you don't need to stay with me, like those other guests' boyfriends, sitting in the lounge waiting... ah, no, that's not right."
Halfway through her sentence, Kato Megumi realized her slip of the tongue and quickly waved her hand to explain.
"What I mean is that you're a man too, so you can just sit with them in the rest area over there and wait. I'm not saying you're mine..."
"It does not matter."
Seeing Asagiri's nonchalant expression, Kato Megumi said shyly.
Don't you feel embarrassed?
"Why should I be embarrassed?"
Asagiri replied in a matter-of-fact tone, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
"I'm here to help you pick out lingerie, not for me to wear myself, so what's there to be embarrassed about?"
52
Chapter 52 The Wishes of the Mitas
Upon hearing this, Kato Megumi was taken aback for a moment, opened her lips, but didn't know what to say.
Asagiri's words... seem to make no real problem.
"If you don't feel awkward, then stay with me."
Kato Megumi didn't seem to care much, but Asagiri kept following her around. Whether it was because Asagiri's appearance was too outstanding or because it was too rare to see a high school boy and girl choosing underwear together, all the customers and sales assistants in the store were curiously watching the two of them, which made her, who had never received much attention growing up, feel a little uncomfortable.
"Hmm... this outfit... but it doesn't feel very comfortable to wear."
As they watched Kato Megumi, dressed in Toyosaki school uniform, calmly selecting underwear, with the strikingly beautiful Asagiri beside her, the female customers and the store's sales assistants couldn't help but smile like doting aunts.
Is this the pure and innocent nature of high school couples?
Even though the young couple were both very shy, they pretended to be very calm and didn't want to be apart for even a moment.
Youth is great.
……
After buying the lingerie and leaving the store, Kato Megumi looked at Asagiri, who was carrying the bags for her, raised her hand to tuck a strand of long hair behind her ear, and said softly.
"Utsunomiya-san, thank you for coming with me to buy clothes today. We've finished shopping, now we'll..."
"Now it's your turn to help me."
"Hmm? To help you?"
Hearing Asagiri's words, Kato Megumi felt both puzzled and delighted.
What puzzled her was that she didn't know what Utsunomiya-san needed her help with, but what pleased her was that although Kato Megumi was an understanding and emotionally intelligent girl who didn't want to keep Asagiri company while shopping, deep down she still hoped to spend as much time with Asagiri as possible.
"Let's go."
Asagiri didn't explain much, but walked forward. It was rush hour, and the streets were getting congested.
"Don't get lost."
"Ah."
Kato Megumi obediently responded, took the initiative to reach out and hold Asagiri's sleeve, revealed a gentle smile, looked at Asagiri's profile, and said softly.
"But if it's Utsunomiya-kun, even in a crowd, he could spot me at a glance, right?"
"of course."
Asagiri nodded and spoke softly.
"After all, for me..."
"Kato Megumi is special."
……
Half an hour later, at an amusement park in Tokyo.
"Is this...is this the legendary amusement park where clogs are..."
Seeing the adorable Mita wearing a dress and a red bow, looking at the various rides in the amusement park with excitement on her cute face and anticipation in her eyes, Asagiri took her right hand and smiled.