Chapter 90: Making her into a dress-up doll!
I selected some photos from the data on my phone that I wanted to develop and was waiting for them to be finished when I got a call. The caller was Kaede. I wondered what was going on.
“Hello, what’s wrong, Kaede?”
“Help me, Yuya-onii-chan! Kaede-onee-chan! Kaede-onee-chan…!”
What I heard was Rika-chan’s voice. She seemed to be in a great hurry. Did something happen to Kaede!?
“What’s the matter, Rika-chan! Calm down, can you tell me what’s going on?”
“Y-you see! I was out shopping for clothes with my Kaede-onee-chan. But now, Kaede-onee-chan has gone a little crazy. She’s annoying the shopkeeper. So hurry up and come help me, Yuya-onii-chan!”
Hmm? Annoying the shopkeeper? Kaede? Why? As I was thinking that, Rika-chan let me hear what was going on in the store. The voice that popped in was—.
“So! Let me buy all your clothes from here to here! I’ll be fine with the money! You don’t have to worry about me! — Why can’t I do that!?”
“… I think I got the gist of it.”
“That’s what I was talking about, so come quick! I’ll be waiting for you! In the super express store!”
I suppressed my temples at the unexpectedly predictable turn of events. Sure enough, Kaede had gone off the rails, hadn’t she? ‘I’m glad I made her into a dress-up doll to see which clothes would suit Rika-chan, but she’s so cute, I can’t choose. Then I’ll buy them all!’ I’m sure that was what she thought. She may have thought it was a good idea, but of course, the store would not let a high school girl buy multiple shelves.
“But, well. I don’t know how I feel about it.”
I muttered to myself as I received the well-timed photos and checked the finished product. Rika-chan’s sunflower-like smile in the photo was like holy water that healed the heart. By the way, Kaede standing next to me smiling was definitely like a saint. I imagined her as my future wife.
“No. This makes me very happy.”
Shaking my head, I put the photos into the three envelopes I had received. One for Rika, one for Kaede and one for me. The one for me was for my personal enjoyment. What was shown was a secret.
“Well, I guess I’ll go stop Kaede, who is running amok.”
I put the photos in my bag and hurried to the store where they were. A runaway robot wouldn’t stop until its power was turned off, but would it really be able to stop Kaede?
＊＊＊＊＊
I saw Rika scurrying in front of the store. I guess she couldn’t wait to see me, because she jumped up and down and waved as she noticed me.
“You’re late, Yuya-onii-chan!”
“Hahaha…I’m sorry, Rika-chan. So, what’s Kaede up to now?”
“You’ll have to see that for yourself. Ugh… I’m more embarrassed than she should be.”
What kind of behavior makes a first grader feel embarrassed? Rika and I walked into the store with apprehension. What I saw was Kaede confronting the clerk with a puffy face that looked like she was grunting. Seriously?
“Why, sir? Why won’t you let me buy them? These all look good on you, don’t they, Rika-chan? Aren’t they cute? So please let me buy them all!”
Ah, yes. I know exactly how Rika-chan feels about this. If people keep telling you that everything looks good on you and that you look cute, you might be happy at first, but then you will become embarrassed and want to scream for them to stop. But Kaede didn’t. Even the clerk was reluctant.
“No, that’s why… you can’t have everything…”
“It’s okay! I’ll tell my father! He’ll be more than happy if I tell him that I bought a lot of clothes as a rehearsal for when I have children in the future!”
The clerk looked at her like she was crazy, but actually she wasn’t. The entire family was so crazy that they were willing to listen to their only daughter Kaede’s first and biggest request, ‘I want to live with him’. They would surely be happy to pay for it all.
“Ugh… If this happens, Yuya-kun will have to persuade him too… Ah, Yuya-kun! I’ve been waiting for you! Now, come with me to persuad–… ouch!”
I swung a chop at Kaede’s head without question, my face flushed red with shame. I was like a stubborn old man who believed that hitting the TV would fix it when it was no longer working. Still, this was the only way to stop Kaede’s crazy rampage.
“I’m sorry, I’m very sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll make sure to choose and buy properly. Again, I’m really sorry.”
Ignoring Kaede’s teary eyes, puffed out cheeks like a blowfish, and protesting gaze, I bowed to the clerk. He smiled bitterly, said, “Yes, please take your time and make your choice,” and walked away. I’m sure he would be staying in the back, sighing profusely.
“Mou! Don’t you want to see a cute Rika-chan, Yuya-kun! Don’t you think all of this would look good on Rika-chan!?”
“No, that’s what I think too, but… as expected, I’m not sure about all of them…”
Kaede wasn’t convinced! The clothes on the shelves that she pointed to were indeed all cute. From dresses to T-shirts perfect for the coming season. There were also skirts, pants, and everything in between. It was understandable that she was troubled, but still, she shouldn’t be buying from the shelves.
“We’re going to have a fashion show when we get home! It’ll be fun for sure!”
“Yeah, that would be a lot of fun, but let’s forget about buying entire shelves first.”
“Why is that? You don’t understand, Yuya-kun!”
Kaede stomped her feet on the ground with a dum-dum. Rika-chan was completely taken aback. I felt the same way, but as her boyfriend, it was my job to calm her down.
But what to do? I couldn’t pick out the cutest outfit that would look best on Rika out of all these clothes. I moved my eyes quickly from side to side to observe my surroundings, and I noticed something. This is it.
“I’ll have to call my father and ask him to buy it for me…”
“Kaede! If you’re going to go through the trouble, why don’t you buy some clothes for yourself too!?”
“… Eh? Me too?”
“Look, it’s like these two mannequins’ coordination. How about Kaede and Rika wearing the same outfit? Maybe we could call it mother-daughter coordination? I think it would be really cute!”
I pointed to two mannequins on display, one mother and one child. They were wearing a white dress with a floral pattern and a thin cardigan over it. The spring-like outfit, just right for the coming season, created a mature female atmosphere when Kaede would wear it, and accentuated the cuteness of a young girl when Rika would wear it. This was exactly the kind of outfit that would suit the two of them.
“Maybe you’re more like sisters than parents and children, but I think I’d look good for both Kaede and Rika-chan, right? I’d love to see you two side by side… you know.”
I scratched my cheek, looking absentmindedly far into the future as if to cover up the fact that I had just smiled just thinking about it. Kaede’s eyes widened and she stared at the mannequin for a few seconds. The pouty face turned into a debauched face.
“Yuya-kun, if you insist so much, I’ll coordinate with Rika-chan as mother-daughter. Ehehe.”
Yes, yes, yes! Mission successful! I turned around and gave Rika-chan a thumbs up! I thought she’d give one back to me, but for some reason, Rika-chan’s cheeks were flushed and she was looking down. Why?
“Matching with Kaede-onee-chan… I’m too embarrassed to do it…”
“Ehehe. That’s not true. Come on, Rika-chan. Let’s go to the fitting room together. We need to show Yuya-kun our mother-daughter coordination.”
Kaede, who had a determined look on her face, grabbed Rika’s hand that was hiding behind my back and dragged her away. I heard cries for help, but I ignored them and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
Phew. What a relief.
Chapter 90: Making her into a dress-up doll!
I selected some photos from the data on my phone that I wanted to develop and was waiting for them to be finished when I got a call. The caller was Kaede. I wondered what was going on.
“Hello, what’s wrong, Kaede?”
“Help me, Yuya-onii-chan! Kaede-onee-chan! Kaede-onee-chan…!”
What I heard was Rika-chan’s voice. She seemed to be in a great hurry. Did something happen to Kaede!?
“What’s the matter, Rika-chan! Calm down, can you tell me what’s going on?”
“Y-you see! I was out shopping for clothes with my Kaede-onee-chan. But now, Kaede-onee-chan has gone a little crazy. She’s annoying the shopkeeper. So hurry up and come help me, Yuya-onii-chan!”
Hmm? Annoying the shopkeeper? Kaede? Why? As I was thinking that, Rika-chan let me hear what was going on in the store. The voice that popped in was—.
“So! Let me buy all your clothes from here to here! I’ll be fine with the money! You don’t have to worry about me! — Why can’t I do that!?”
“… I think I got the gist of it.”
“That’s what I was talking about, so come quick! I’ll be waiting for you! In the super express store!”
I suppressed my temples at the unexpectedly predictable turn of events. Sure enough, Kaede had gone off the rails, hadn’t she? ‘I’m glad I made her into a dress-up doll to see which clothes would suit Rika-chan, but she’s so cute, I can’t choose. Then I’ll buy them all!’ I’m sure that was what she thought. She may have thought it was a good idea, but of course, the store would not let a high school girl buy multiple shelves.
“But, well. I don’t know how I feel about it.”
I muttered to myself as I received the well-timed photos and checked the finished product. Rika-chan’s sunflower-like smile in the photo was like holy water that healed the heart. By the way, Kaede standing next to me smiling was definitely like a saint. I imagined her as my future wife.
“No. This makes me very happy.”
Shaking my head, I put the photos into the three envelopes I had received. One for Rika, one for Kaede and one for me. The one for me was for my personal enjoyment. What was shown was a secret.
“Well, I guess I’ll go stop Kaede, who is running amok.”
I put the photos in my bag and hurried to the store where they were. A runaway robot wouldn’t stop until its power was turned off, but would it really be able to stop Kaede?
＊＊＊＊＊
I saw Rika scurrying in front of the store. I guess she couldn’t wait to see me, because she jumped up and down and waved as she noticed me.
“You’re late, Yuya-onii-chan!”
“Hahaha…I’m sorry, Rika-chan. So, what’s Kaede up to now?”
“You’ll have to see that for yourself. Ugh… I’m more embarrassed than she should be.”
What kind of behavior makes a first grader feel embarrassed? Rika and I walked into the store with apprehension. What I saw was Kaede confronting the clerk with a puffy face that looked like she was grunting. Seriously?
“Why, sir? Why won’t you let me buy them? These all look good on you, don’t they, Rika-chan? Aren’t they cute? So please let me buy them all!”
Ah, yes. I know exactly how Rika-chan feels about this. If people keep telling you that everything looks good on you and that you look cute, you might be happy at first, but then you will become embarrassed and want to scream for them to stop. But Kaede didn’t. Even the clerk was reluctant.
“No, that’s why… you can’t have everything…”
“It’s okay! I’ll tell my father! He’ll be more than happy if I tell him that I bought a lot of clothes as a rehearsal for when I have children in the future!”
The clerk looked at her like she was crazy, but actually she wasn’t. The entire family was so crazy that they were willing to listen to their only daughter Kaede’s first and biggest request, ‘I want to live with him’. They would surely be happy to pay for it all.
“Ugh… If this happens, Yuya-kun will have to persuade him too… Ah, Yuya-kun! I’ve been waiting for you! Now, come with me to persuad–… ouch!”
I swung a chop at Kaede’s head without question, my face flushed red with shame. I was like a stubborn old man who believed that hitting the TV would fix it when it was no longer working. Still, this was the only way to stop Kaede’s crazy rampage.
“I’m sorry, I’m very sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll make sure to choose and buy properly. Again, I’m really sorry.”
Ignoring Kaede’s teary eyes, puffed out cheeks like a blowfish, and protesting gaze, I bowed to the clerk. He smiled bitterly, said, “Yes, please take your time and make your choice,” and walked away. I’m sure he would be staying in the back, sighing profusely.
“Mou! Don’t you want to see a cute Rika-chan, Yuya-kun! Don’t you think all of this would look good on Rika-chan!?”
“No, that’s what I think too, but… as expected, I’m not sure about all of them…”
Kaede wasn’t convinced! The clothes on the shelves that she pointed to were indeed all cute. From dresses to T-shirts perfect for the coming season. There were also skirts, pants, and everything in between. It was understandable that she was troubled, but still, she shouldn’t be buying from the shelves.
“We’re going to have a fashion show when we get home! It’ll be fun for sure!”
“Yeah, that would be a lot of fun, but let’s forget about buying entire shelves first.”
“Why is that? You don’t understand, Yuya-kun!”
Kaede stomped her feet on the ground with a dum-dum. Rika-chan was completely taken aback. I felt the same way, but as her boyfriend, it was my job to calm her down.
But what to do? I couldn’t pick out the cutest outfit that would look best on Rika out of all these clothes. I moved my eyes quickly from side to side to observe my surroundings, and I noticed something. This is it.
“I’ll have to call my father and ask him to buy it for me…”
“Kaede! If you’re going to go through the trouble, why don’t you buy some clothes for yourself too!?”
“… Eh? Me too?”
“Look, it’s like these two mannequins’ coordination. How about Kaede and Rika wearing the same outfit? Maybe we could call it mother-daughter coordination? I think it would be really cute!”
I pointed to two mannequins on display, one mother and one child. They were wearing a white dress with a floral pattern and a thin cardigan over it. The spring-like outfit, just right for the coming season, created a mature female atmosphere when Kaede would wear it, and accentuated the cuteness of a young girl when Rika would wear it. This was exactly the kind of outfit that would suit the two of them.
“Maybe you’re more like sisters than parents and children, but I think I’d look good for both Kaede and Rika-chan, right? I’d love to see you two side by side… you know.”
I scratched my cheek, looking absentmindedly far into the future as if to cover up the fact that I had just smiled just thinking about it. Kaede’s eyes widened and she stared at the mannequin for a few seconds. The pouty face turned into a debauched face.
“Yuya-kun, if you insist so much, I’ll coordinate with Rika-chan as mother-daughter. Ehehe.”
Yes, yes, yes! Mission successful! I turned around and gave Rika-chan a thumbs up! I thought she’d give one back to me, but for some reason, Rika-chan’s cheeks were flushed and she was looking down. Why?
“Matching with Kaede-onee-chan… I’m too embarrassed to do it…”
“Ehehe. That’s not true. Come on, Rika-chan. Let’s go to the fitting room together. We need to show Yuya-kun our mother-daughter coordination.”
Kaede, who had a determined look on her face, grabbed Rika’s hand that was hiding behind my back and dragged her away. I heard cries for help, but I ignored them and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
Phew. What a relief.
