We arrived at the shopping mall in front of the station. Tachibana-san seemed to know exactly where everything was and smoothly navigated through the floors. Apparently, she already had a specific store in mind.

Even though I was being pulled along by Tachibana-san’s hand, I was distracted by other things to the point that I almost forgot about our destination.

…And that was the gaze of the people around us.

Being so close to her, holding hands, I could really feel how much attention Tachibana-san draws from others. The woman in a suit who glances at us as we pass by, the high school girls who deliberately slow down their walking speed, the young man who double-takes with a surprised expression… the list goes on and on.

Even though they probably think we wouldn’t notice since they aren’t being obvious about it, you can really sense when you’re being looked at.

“What’s wrong, Natsuki? You’ve been looking around like that for a while.”

“No, it’s just…”

When I hesitated to explain, Tachibana-san let out a small “Ah.”

“You’ll get used to it soon.”

“Is that so…? I don’t really think so.”

Honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. My tolerance for being watched was nowhere near what Tachibana-san’s was.

“More importantly, Natsuki, don’t you think there’s someone more important to focus on right in front of you?”

Tachibana-san spun around and faced me, slowly bringing her face closer. For a moment, I thought an incredibly handsome man had suddenly appeared before me, and my heart almost skipped a beat.

…That could never happen, though. For a brief moment, I wondered if she was going to kiss me.

“See? You stopped worrying about it now, didn’t you?”

That was a drastic measure. But it really did work. In the face of someone as overwhelming as Tachibana-san, everyone else just fades into the background.

Ah, man… my face is definitely red now. Being with Tachibana-san makes it hard to keep my mental state in check. Ever since yesterday, I’ve become more and more aware that Tachibana-san is a girl, and that’s definitely been affecting me in ways I didn’t expect.

“Oh? Your face is red. Are you embarrassed?”

“Well, it’s kind of inevitable. A cute girl suddenly brings her face close like that.”

“…I see. So that’s the approach you’re taking, Natsuki?”

Tachibana-san moved back to walking beside me, firmly gripping my hand. It hurt a little from how tight she was holding it.

◆

I was taken by Tachibana-san to a stylish women’s clothing store with an unreadable name. It had a vaguely French vibe, but I wasn’t confident about that. In front of the store, mannequins struck poses in summer dresses that looked perfect for the season, and I was surprised. So, the world was already selling summer clothes.

Once inside, a trendy-looking female shop assistant walked toward us. She froze for a moment upon seeing Tachibana-san, then froze again when she noticed our hands were connected. I was really sorry for causing a scene.

“Welcome. …What kind of clothes are you looking for?”

The shop assistant looked clearly bewildered. It was understandable; if two men were holding hands and walked into a women’s store, it would definitely be surprising. If it was just one man, she might have thought, “Is this for a gift for his girlfriend?”

“I’m looking for spring clothes that would suit me. Something that would make him think I look cute.”

“Eh… really…!?”

The shop assistant let out a surprised sound that you definitely shouldn’t make in customer service, and looked at Tachibana-san.

…In her mind, a million thoughts were probably swirling at high speed. I wanted to tell her that Tachibana-san was a girl, but I wasn’t calm enough to offer any help. Tachibana-san’s statement had been so blunt. I started frantically trying to cool down my face.

“Uh… alright, understood! Please feel free to try on a variety of things.”

Even though Tachibana-san was tall, if you looked closely at her body shape, fingers, eyes, and skin, you could tell she was a girl. The shop assistant finally seemed to conclude that “Tachibana-san is a girl,” though she didn’t seem entirely confident about it.

“Thank you very much. Come on, Natsuki, let’s go?”

Tachibana-san pulled my hand and began walking. I really wanted to run away at that moment because of how embarrassing everything was, but I couldn’t help but be interested in how Tachibana-san would look in feminine clothes.

I didn’t know what others thought, but Tachibana-san looked really good in the Suzakura school uniform. I was sure she’d look great in cute clothes too. I even thought it’d be fun to see her wear Cyberia’s maid outfit, but there was no way I could say that to her.

Saying “I want to see you in a maid outfit” was just way too weird.

“How about this one?”

The shop assistant recommended a white dress. I wasn’t familiar with women’s fashion, so I wasn’t sure how to describe it, but I thought it was a pretty simple design.

“What do you think, Natsuki?”

Tachibana-san asked me for my opinion. Since I didn’t know anything about fashion, I decided to answer honestly.

“Hmm… I guess I won’t know until you try it on.”

Since I had the image of her in Cyberia’s suit and her current boyish outfit in my head, I couldn’t quite picture her in the white dress.

Tachibana-san gently let go of my hand, took the dress with both hands, and smiled at me.

“Well, I’ll go try it on. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Alright, I’ll be back soon, Natsuki.”

Tachibana-san disappeared into the fitting room, leaving me alone with the shop assistant for a short time.

“…”

The shop assistant gave me a look filled with various thoughts, and I quietly nodded. “She’s a girl, right?” “Yes, she is.” It felt like we were having a silent conversation. Really, Tachibana-san is amazing.

About a minute later, the sound of fabric rustling echoed, and the fitting room curtain opened—

“Um… how do I look…?”

There stood Tachibana-san, who turned her face away in embarrassment.