My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 3 - Chapter 3

Isana Higashira Dresses Up

“Please don’t make it sound like I’m indecent!”

In what could only be described as a folly of youth, I had a so-called boyfriend during eighth and ninth grade.

A wise person can probably already guess what I was like back in those days from the way I talk about that time. For someone like me who lacked any refinement, it was clear as day that I had a problem that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible—I needed to learn how to dress.

Before we dated, we’d spent day after day rendezvousing at school during summer break, meaning that we’d always been in our school uniforms. And then, our first date had been at the summer festival, so I’d worn a yukata. I made tactical decisions in order to stay one step ahead of my problem wardrobe, and it worked up until we officially started dating.

Since we were indoorsy types, our date ideas consisted of visiting bookstores and libraries, which was fine, but we had to meet up first before heading to our destination. Plus, these dates were not during school days, but on our days off, meaning it would’ve been weird for me to wear my uniform.

I had to dress in my own clothes, which would put my lack of fashion sense on display. Since I didn’t have any friends, the only resources I could rely on were the internet and magazines.

After learning the dos and don’ts of fashion, I innocently asked my mom for funds and mustered up the courage to enter an apparel shop—a battlefield I’d never thought I would enter. After successfully infiltrating, I could only tremble in fear as I was immediately accosted by an energetic saleswoman.

After this and that, I finally obtained a date outfit. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I could hardly believe it was really me. If anything, looking at my reflection just made me think I was playing dress-up. Maybe that’s why, despite usually having no confidence in my appearance, I felt proud and thought that I looked pretty cute.

It was the first time I’d ever thought that after looking in the mirror. After all, the only people who looked in the mirror and thought they looked good were narcissists. I wasn’t cringe enough to call myself cute all the time. There was little to no chance that I’d ever grow to genuinely think I was cute...or at least that’s what I thought back then.

Here’s a message to all the guys out there: girls are not necessarily narcissists. There’s a difference between thinking that clothes are cute and thinking that we ourselves are cute.

In all likelihood, the moment I thought I was cute after dressing up was precisely the moment that I awoke to being a girl. Putting aside my self-appraisal, I definitely began to understand the benefits of fashion. Thanks to dating that guy, I learned about its importance for the first time in my life.

It took me until I entered high school to realize this, but my fashion sense had warped from “what guys like” to “what that guy likes.”

On the day of our date, I’d arrived wearing not the usual knee-length school skirt, but a miniskirt. Who would’ve expected that someone so out of tune with fashion like me would wear something that exposed her thighs? So, how do you think Mizuto Irido reacted when he saw me dressed like that?

“Morning. Let’s get going,” he said, motioning for me to follow him.

Uh, hello? No reaction? This is the first time you’re seeing your girlfriend in her street clothes. Do you know how hard I worked to learn how to dress up? Uh...I am your girlfriend, right?!

On the surface, I was calm, but I continued to flash nervous glances at him. No matter how much I waited, though, he gave no indication that he was ever going to say a single thing about my outfit, which worried me.

Oh no, is my outfit totally lame? Personally, I thought I looked pretty cute, but maybe that was just me. Irido-kun’s kind, so maybe he decided to be considerate and not comment at all.

The more I thought about it, the more that seemed to be the case. How else could I have explained his lack of compliments when he was such a kind and considerate person? I know better now, but back then, I hadn’t thought there was any way he’d do something as stereotypical as just forget to compliment me on my outfit.

Then, all I could think about were all the things that I’d messed up in the past, and suddenly my head was a storm of negativity. This only served to hammer home the fact that my outfit was not as cute as I’d thought it was, making me even more depressed.

Despite that, I still pulled off the perfect date consisting of visiting different bookstores and chatting at a café.

At the end of it all, when it seemed like we were about to say goodbye for the day, he said something completely out of the blue. “Your clothes today... I think they’re cute.”

“Huh?” My mind was so full of all my past mistakes that this caught me completely by surprise. Why now? Why when we’re going home?!

I had a lot of questions, but the way he averted his eyes and covered his mouth with his hand was enough of an answer. He’d wanted to compliment me earlier, but he was too embarrassed. By the time he’d worked up the courage to do so, our date had ended.

I absolutely freaked out on the inside. I’m getting chills! Who is this embarrassed boy in front of me?! My poor past self had no idea how much of a painful memory this’d be in the future. But I couldn’t help it. I was trembling with happiness, knowing what had gone through his head.

“But, um, I’d be grateful if...you didn’t wear a miniskirt again.” He followed up with an unexpected comment.

“Huh? D-Do you not like miniskirts?”

“No, that’s not it. I just...” Then, he made a face as if to say that it wasn’t a big deal. “You can wear them, just not in public.”

“Huh?” I tilted my head in confusion.

I had no clue what he was thinking, so I just kinda agreed. Then, we waved goodbye and went home for the day. It wasn’t until I was almost home that the gears in my head started to turn. What did he mean by “just not in public”? So it’s okay for me to wear it at home? Why can’t I wear it outside? Because there are other people around?

That’s when it hit me. He didn’t want other people to see my bare legs. As soon as I realized that, my cheeks turned hot, and I tugged on the hem of my skirt. “Gross. Possessive, much?” is what I think now, but back then, it was the opposite. The fact that someone wanted me all to themselves was like a dream come true. Better yet, he wanted me.

It was surprising that someone as calm as he could be so transparently possessive. After realizing that, my face was nothing but smiles the entire way home, and I never wore a miniskirt again.

◇

Akatsuki-san and I sat down on the stone edge of a flower bed at the corner of an intersection and idly watched people pass us by. Since this was the weekend, the ratio of plainclothes to suits was much higher than usual. I was kind of impressed by how most of the people in the world knew what kind of clothes they could wear without other people giving them weird looks.

“What kinda clothes do you think she’ll be wearing?” Akatsuki-san asked me suddenly.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I replied.

“Okay, then what?”

“Hm... A goth look or something?”

“No way can she afford those kinds of clothes!”

“All right, then what do you think, Akatsuki-san?”

“I bet she’ll come in her school uniform.”

“Oh, makes sense. Uniforms are convenient.”

“They are! When I don’t have to put on a uniform, I find myself thinking about how annoying it is to pick out an outfit.”

“When we go to college, we’re gonna have to pick an outfit every day.”

“Ugh, what a pain.” Akatsuki-san burst out laughing. “But anyway, we should start mentally preparing ourselves for whatever she’s got on.”

“True. I need to prepare for goth clothes.”

“I’ve got no clue how exactly to prepare ourselves though.”

“True...”

While we continued our random conversation, the person we were waiting for finally showed up. She started jogging towards us as we stood up.

“M-My apologies! A-Am I tardy?”

The entire time she drew closer to us, both Akatsuki-san and I stared at Isana Higashira in silence.

She was wearing a shirt with some random words on it that were so stretched out by the robustness of her chest they looked more like some kind of code. Plus, she had a shabby hooded jacket and denim jeans...which had probably been blue at some point, but were now faded, most likely due to repeated washing over the years.

Looking at her, both Akatsuki-san and I had the following reaction: a sigh of relief.

“W-Wait, what? Why do the two of you seem so relieved?”

“Phew, you came in normal, lame-lookin’ clothes.”

“I had no clue how I was gonna react if you came in a full-blown goth outfit. Lame clothes, I can deal with.”

“U-Um am I possibly being bullied? I am, aren’t I?!” she said tearfully in her (lame) outfit.

The clothes she had on were okay if she was just going to a convenience store or something, but definitely not out with friends like this. If she were hanging out with anyone but us, they’d definitely laugh at her for real without a shred of sympathy.

“Higashira-san, it’s time to announce what we’re doing today!” Akatsuki-san said, pointing at her. “I call today’s objective: ‘Isana Higashira’s Glow-Up.’”

“P-Pardon?!” Higashira-san looked visibly confused, most likely since she didn’t have much experience going out with friends like this.

“Well, listen—we never really got to check out your wardrobe during the entire confession strategizing, and if you think about it, finals are just around the corner with summer vacation hot on their heels. You know what that means, don’tcha? You’ll be hanging out with Irido-kun in an outfit other than your school uniform. You don’t want to wear anything embarrassing, do you?”

“U-Um, please explain why you assume my attire would be embarrassing? You’ve never laid eyes on my clothes.”

“I bet you don’t have much money on you, so we’ll foot the bill.”

“Yes, we’ll help split the costs of the clothes you buy,” I chimed in, also choosing to ignore Higashira-san’s question.

“P-Please wait! I-I could not possibly ask for you two to pay in my stead!”

“Chill, it’s all good! Just think about it as a gift.”

“Exactly! And in return, we just ask for one small thing.”

“Wh-What would that be?”

“No complaining. Wear whatever we tell you to,” Akatsuki-san and I said in unison while smiling.

Higashira-san let out a silent scream in response to the true objective of “Isana Higashira’s Glow-Up”—or rather, “My Dress-Up Isana Higashira.”

“Aw, don’t worry, we won’t make you wear anything too bad, right, Yume-chan?”

“Yes, of course. We’ll make sure everything conforms to public decency laws.”

The two of us repeatedly tried to reassure Higashira-san that she’d be okay as we walked around the mall, but she wasn’t having it.

“A-Are you positive? You’re not going to make me wear a garment that exposes my belly button are you?” she asked, trembling like a squirrel that’d fallen into a lion’s den.

“Of course not! It might be summer, but that’s slut territory,” Akatsuki-san said with a bright smile as she brought us into a clothing store.

Upon entry, it was obvious that the majority of the clothes were summer-wear, which made sense since it was June and the temperature was beginning to get warmer.

Akatsuki-san squealed and instantly grabbed a top from the sea of revealing clothes. “I found a camisole!”

“N-No, thank you! That is the one thing that I absolutely must not wear! My cleavage will be completely exposed!”

“Shut yer trap and put it on!” Akatsuki-san grabbed some nearby short shorts and shoved them into Higashira-san’s arms with the camisole.

I was frightened by how quickly Akatsuki-san switched into an abusive father.

“I-I must wear these? These are the kinds of garments straight from ‘sexy time’ in a horror movie! Are you serious? Are you in your right mind?!”

“Wear whatever we tell you to.”

“No complaining,” I insisted.

Higashira-san yelped as we pushed her into the fitting room. After realizing that she wasn’t getting past the two of us, she gave up and began changing.

“Hm? W-Wait, I-I think this is too small!”

“Want some heeelp?” Akatsuki-san said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

“N-No, I-I will manage by myself. Something about the tone of your voice frightens me.”

“I wanted to see those huge milkers in the flesh.” Akatsuki-san clicked her tongue in disappointment.

“You’re way too true to your desires.” I kinda wanted to see them too, though.

After a minute or so passed, we heard a timid voice from the other side of the curtain. “U-Um, I have finished dressing myself. A-Are there any other people present?”

“Nope, just us.”

“Y-You’re not lying, are you? I’m going to trust you. I’m putting my trust in you, okay?”

Then, after about a ten-second pause, the curtains opened, and both Akatsuki-san and I gulped after seeing Higashira-san. The camisole was stretched to its limits thanks to her bountiful chest, and as a result, it was pulled up far enough that her bellybutton was on full display. Her short shorts were digging into her thighs as well—they were probably a size too small.

If we had to describe her appearance into one word, it’d be...

“Sexy!!!”

“I told you!” Higashira-san practically screamed before shutting the curtain.

The level of sexiness was enough to leave anyone speechless. If she walked outside like this, she’d be detained for indecent and obscene exposure.

“My mother always tells me not to wear clothes that are too revealing because my body exceeds all conventions of sexy and jumps into vulgar territory.”

“Your mom is a wise woman.” I nodded in understanding.

“I like that outfit on you, but I can’t letcha get arrested for indecent exposure.”

With that, it was my turn since I was the one who specialized in more reserved clothing. After all, I was known (among my friends) as the girl who made it a point to not expose my bare legs to anyone. I walked around the store and picked out a few items that looked good before returning to the fitting room.

“How about this? It has a neckline, so the exposure should be minimal.”

“I feel like it’s a little flirty, but that should work. It’s got a pure feel to it too.”

“My fashion sense is flirty?”

“And it totally works for you, Yume-chan! It’s cute!”

“Flirty?” I was a little hung up on that, but I’d gotten the green light from Akatsuki-san, so I passed the clothes to Higashira-san.

“I suppose these clothes are fine...” She accepted my choices, shut the curtain, and then there was the sound of clothes rustling before the curtain opened again. “How is this...?”

The outfit I had chosen for her focused on simplicity: a shirt and a high-waist skirt to match. Akatsuki-san may have called this “pure,” but that’s because I’d chosen plain colors—a white shirt and navy blue skirt—to go well with Higashira-san’s personality. Most likely, similar to him, she wasn’t a big fan of flashy colors.

I’d also heard before that people with big breasts worry that people will think that they’re chubby, so I decided to give her a high skirt that would make her waistline clear. However, her beautiful chest was made more prominent thanks to her shirt being tucked in.

“Sexy!!!” Akatsuki-san and I exclaimed again.

“What am I supposed to do?!” Higashira-san asked while crouching, her face flushed.

Her embarrassed expression made her seem even sexier. Akatsuki-san and I both folded our arms.

“This might be a little harder than we thought, Yume-chan.”

“Yes, no matter what she wears, she makes it erotic.”

“P-Please stop! Please don’t make it sound like I’m indecent! I’m already self-conscious in that regard!” Higashira-san pulled the curtain back closed to hide herself.

From behind the curtains, I could hear the sound of clothes being desperately taken off. She was taking off those pure, but dirty, clothes... Sexy.

“In the first place, we should be focusing on a way to deal with those G-cup breasts of hers. The only options we have are to let her look either ‘thicc’ or like a video game character,” I suggested.

“Girls with big tits have it rough, huh? I think this is the first time I’ve felt anything but hatred for them.”

“You have that much hatred for them?!”

“How about we make her a titty bag! Let’s lean into the 2D world!”

“Sorry, a what?”

“Like this!” Akatsuki-san pulled out her phone and showed me something that looked like a screenshot from some anime where the bust of a beautiful girl could be clearly seen even through her clothes.

“Um, that looks like it’s defying the laws of gravity.”

“I’m sure it’s possible in real life. I bet Higashira-san would really enjoy having something like this too!”

“Please do not combine fiction and reality!” Higashira-san cried passionately as she exited the fitting room, back in her old clothes. “For your reference, anyone who walks around with a ‘titty bag’ in broad daylight is either not right in the head or has no shred of shame! They are akin to Adam and Eve before they bit the apple!”

“Doesn’t that kinda put them in a better light?”

“Damn, I wanted to make Higashira-san cosplay.”

“Cosplay? Oh, if it’s something like a maid outfit, I am perfectly okay with that.”

“You are?!” Akatsuki-san said excitedly.

“Of course you have an interest in cosplay...”

“M-Me? N-No! Not in the slightest!” But as hard as Higashira-san tried to deny it, it was all too obvious that she did.

We continued looking around the store, and I started trying to think of what kind of clothes would best hide her bust lines. Something loose would be best, I figured, but if we weren’t careful, we’d end up making it look like she was heavier than she was. And if we tried to tie the shirt against her waist, it would just emphasize her breasts. Mm... This is hard.

“I’m thinkin’ something loose and flowy would be good,” Akatsuki-san suggested.

“Loose and...” I started.

“Flowy?” Higashira-san blinked.

“Something close to your style of clothes, Yume-chan.”

I looked down at my own outfit—a white blouse with a beige flared skirt. The reason I had a penchant for choosing brighter colors was that my black hair would overlap with the darker clothes that he’d wear back when we were dating. I absolutely did not want to be the kind of couple who wore matching colors.

“With the clothes you wear, your figure isn’t clearly defined,” Akatsuki-san explained. “You’re the kinda girl who doesn’t like people looking at you, right? So that’s why you buy tops that are bigger than your actual size and wear skirts that are loose and flowy. I bet you also wear gauchos, right? I think that kinda look would work with Higashira-san. She kinda has that flowy vibe to begin with.”

“Hm... That’s true.”

“I’m...flowy?” Higashira-san tilted her head in confusion.

Yes. Yes you are.

“But the only thing is that your styles would overlap,” Akatsuki-san said with a grimace.

“Is it a problem if we do?” Higashira-san tilted her head again.

“Of course! Isn’t it kinda sad if you see two loose and flowy girls walking next to each other?”

“So you’re saying that it is insufficient to simply wear clothes that suit you. It’s vital to also match the people around you as well? That’s...”

“‘Annoying’? It’s written all over your face, Higashira-san.” Akatsuki-san said, finishing Higashira-san’s sentence. “But you’re right. It is annoying. Welcome to the world of girls!”

“I think I’m presently even more inclined to never involve myself in that world.”

“Well, we’re not so mean as to make you conform to all the rules right off the bat, right, Yume-chan?”

“Huh?”

I had no clue why she was asking me this question.

“If your two styles overlap, then we just have to change your style, Yume-chan!”

“Huh? M-Mine?”

“Yeah! Let’s take this chance to revolutionize your wardrobe!”

Oh my god. This was her plan all along! She’d constantly been talking about how she wanted me to try wearing “cooler” clothes. I keep telling her that those kinds of clothes aren’t my thing!

“Hm, what should I choose...? Oh, maybe this?”

Before I could stop her, Akatsuki-san had already begun browsing the different pants. What’s going on?! Th-This is supposed to be Higashira-san’s dress-up day, not mine! In the blink of an eye, Akatsuki-san had already finished gathering the clothes she wanted me to put on. This had to have been premeditated.

“All righty, try these on!”

“I-I think I’ll pa—”

“Try. These. On.” The smile on her face made it clear that I didn’t have the luxury of saying “no” here.

I tried looking to Higashira-san for help, but she immediately looked away. Have you no heart?! Sure, misery loves company, but that doesn’t mean—

“C’mon, go on in! Oh, and tie your hair up. It’ll definitely look better that way. Here’s a hair tie!” Akatsuki-san rushed me into the fitting room.

When I was in there, I saw myself in the mirror with the clothes that she’d given me, the lines of my body distinctly visible. The kinds of clothes I usually avoided. I internally moaned at my current situation. How could a girl who only recently got used to her school uniform wear something like this?!

But all I had to do was wear this once, and then that should satiate Akatsuki-san. That was my only way out of this. I quickly changed out of my clothes and into the ones that she’d chosen for me—a sleeveless blue top and white skinny jeans. The outfit may not have been very exposing, but it did perfectly outline my legs.

As for the finishing touches, I tied my hair up, but since a ponytail would be too close to Akatsuki-san’s style, I decided to lay it over my shoulder instead. Even as I gazed upon the finished product, I had no idea whether I looked good or not. I had nothing to compare it to, or more accurately...I had nobody I wanted to show this to.

In the past, when I would get dressed up, it was because there was someone I wanted to show off to. I’d imagine their reaction and choose whatever I thought would make them the happiest. This helped make up for my lack of a fashion sense, but now that I no longer had someone like that, I was pretty much the same as Higashira-san—a fashion newbie. I had no idea what to do to really “complete” my look. But at this point, I decided that I’d just get it over with because agonizing was too annoying. With that in mind, I pulled back the curtain.

“What...do you think?”

Akatsuki-san and Higashira-san looked me up and down and then...

“Whoa!!!”

“S-So cool...!”

They loved it. Akatsuki-san’s face grew red from excitement while Higashira-san’s eyes glittered with admiration. Huh? Really? I look good in this?

“I knew you’d look good in this since you’re so slender! There aren’t many girls who can pull off skinny jeans, but you seriously do!”

Judging by how quickly Akatsuki-san was speaking, it was probably safe to take her word for it. Suddenly, I felt kinda embarrassed. Up until now, my fashion sense had been focused on pleasing someone of the opposite sex—more specifically, just not wearing anything that would embarrass him. But trying on clothes like this with my friends was...not bad at all.

I looked at myself again. It was like I’d grown three years older. The outfit made me feel as if all my outfits until now were just childish, overly girly, or too pandering to guys. This wasn’t too bad at all...maybe?

I looked at the price tags and was surprised by how affordable they were. Recently, I’d been borrowing books from him, so I had a little more money from my book budget. Plus, I already typically bought books that were on the cheaper side. Thanks to that, I had a good amount of money. I guess... Might as well.

“I’m going to get someone to cut off the tags.”

“Finally! My hopes, my dreams...! Thank you, God!!!”

This was a good chance to change things up. I couldn’t keep wearing the same kinds of clothes that I’d been wearing since middle school. I had no reason to match my clothes to his preferences.

“All right then, it’s time for the main event. It’s your turn, Higashira-san! Here ya go!”

While I paid, Akatsuki-san was already picking an outfit for Higashira-san. The clothes she’d decided on were all on the darker side and avoided making her look heavyset.

“U-Um, I’m unsure about these clothes. Wouldn’t you agree that they’re a little too cute?”

“They’re to make you cuter, so of course they are! Now, go on. Try ’em!” She pushed Higashira-san into the fitting room and shut the curtain behind her.

I honestly wished that Higashira-san could find dressing up fun without having it be tied to romance. If she could, I was sure that her lack of confidence could be at least slightly improved. Right now, she might have been relying on him a little too much, but I couldn’t really say too much if they were both okay with it.

As I thought that, I waited with Akatsuki-san outside of the fitting room, and that’s when an unexpected situation occurred.

“Huh? What are you guys doing here?” a familiar voice called out to us.

We turned around and froze. There were two guys looking at us from the entrance of the store. One of them had messily styled hair, was wearing capris, and had a very frivolous air to him. He was my classmate and Akatsuki-san’s childhood friend, Kogure Kawanami.

In contrast, the other one was wearing a worn-out vest and shirt, wrinkled chino pants, and had an extremely bored look in his eyes. It was my ex and little stepbrother, Mizuto Irido.

For some reason the two people with the deepest connections to us were here.

“K-Kawanami?” Akatsuki-san’s face slightly stiffened for some reason. “What’re you two doing here?”

“Whaddya mean? We’re here to buy clothes. It’s summer, so I wanted to get ‘Mizuto-kun’ here some summer clothes before we enter the hell of final exams.”

“Didn’t ask you to...” Mizuto said with great annoyance.

“Aw, don’t say that! I’m gonna make you into the hottest guy the summer’s ever seen!” Kawanami-san said with a bright smile, putting his hand on Mizuto’s shoulder.

“I don’t need to be. Dammit, why’d I go over to your place at all? I messed up.”

“Nah, you didn’t! Not only did you give your parents some alone time, but now you’re getting treated to some fresh threads!”

Oh, I see. No wonder he’s with Kawanami-kun. This must have been part of the trade of letting him stay over that one time. But more importantly...was there a summer version of the hottie from our aquarium date? I kinda wanted to ask for a little more information, but before I could, Kawanami-kun looked at me and gasped.

“Irido-san, you’re rockin’ a different vibe today. Lookin’ cool!”

“Right?! I guess even you can see how great she looks!” Akatsuki-san said proudly.

“What do you mean ‘even me’? Also, what are you acting so proud for?”

Now that Kawanami-kun mentioned it, though, I was reminded that I was in a completely different outfit than I’d worn in middle school. Mizuto’s eyes kept flitting towards me, and my body just stiffened even more. All the clothes I normally wore were just an extension of the clothes I’d worn when we dated, but not now.

Akatsuki-san and Higashira-san may have really liked it, but he— No, I needed to stop myself from thinking about what he thought. What did it matter if he didn’t like what I was wearing? His opinion had absolutely no effect on me. All I had to do was wear clothes that I wanted to wear.

All right, go on. Tell me what you think. But no matter what you say, it won’t bother me one bit. I began taking a defensive stance, ready to take him on, but just as I looked into his eyes, he turned away. So these really aren’t the kinds of clothes he likes. Whatever. That’s fine. I don’t care at all.

“Hm?” Kawanami-kun was directing his gaze behind us to where Higashira-san was currently changing.

“Your friend back there?”

“Nope! Nuh-uh. Complete stranger! I’m on a date with just Yume-chan!”

Huh? Just as I was wondering why Akatsuki-san was lying, she grabbed my arm and simultaneously whispered into my ear. “We absolutely cannot let him meet Higashira-san, Yume-chan!”

I had no clue what would be so bad about the two of them meeting, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

“I see.” Kawanami-kun looked away from the fitting room as if he was convinced.

Just as Akatsuki-san let out a breath of relief, we heard the shutter of a phone’s camera from behind us.

“Huh?”

After a brief pause, Mizuto’s phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen tiredly before completely freezing. He looked from his phone to the fitting room that Higashira-san was in and stared at it.

Oh, no... I didn’t want to even imagine what’d just happened, but it seemed that both Akatsuki-san and I had the same thought. There was no way Higashira-san just...

“You get a LINE message? From who?”

“My dad,” Mizuto said, casually distancing himself from Kawanami-kun while hiding the screen from him.

He moved his slender fingers across the screen to reply.

“Let’s get this over with, Kawanami. I wanna go home and read.” Mizuto quickly walked out of the store.

“Okay, okay. I guess you are here for my enjoyment. Later!” Kawanami-kun followed right behind him, waving bye to us before they both disappeared into the crowd.

After we were sure they were gone, Akatsuki-san and I slowly turned to the fitting room...and flung the curtains open.

“Ah! Wh-What are you doing?!” Higashira-san jumped in surprise...fully clothed.

She had on a loose green V-neck tucked into a beige flared skirt. Like this, her chest didn’t really stand out, and her waist was clearly defined, just like Akatsuki-san had intended. It may have looked kinda plain, but plain worked well for Higashira-san. My first impression was that she was similar to the village girls that appeared in video games, but it really suited her.

However, her outfit was not the thing we were most interested in right now; it was the phone she was clutching tightly to her chest.

“I don’t think this will violate public decency laws,” I noted.

“Yeah, this isn’t completely dirty or anything.”

“H-Huh?” Higashira-san looked at both of us with confusion.

The worst possible scenario would have been if she had been using her phone while half-naked, but that thought apparently hadn’t crossed her mind.

“I’ll let you off the hook this time, since it looks like we jumped to conclusions.”

“Yeah, you may have taken action before conferring with us, but I totally get you wanting to show him your outfit first.”

“Huh? How... How did you know?”

Don’t make us spell it out for you!

“So how’d it go? What’d he think?” Akatsuki-san said, changing the subject.

“Um, well...” Higashira lifted her phone to hide her mouth behind it, but we could easily tell she was smiling.

From that, it was pretty easy to tell what the answer was.

“Can I...buy these clothes?” she asked, looking up at us with puppy dog eyes.

“Very well,” Akatsuki-san said kind of pompously.

I agreed too. Higashira-san looked back at her phone and beamed again.

Well, in the end, I figured it didn’t matter how she got her start. It’s totally okay if she bought clothes that fit the tastes of the person she liked. She could change that as she went along.

“Heh heh heh...”

Looking at Higashira-san, who was happily glancing between her reflection and her phone, I couldn’t help but think that she really was following in my footsteps.

After that fiasco, the three of us had resumed wandering around the mall. I’d been holding onto a question I wanted to ask Higashira-san, so when we sat on a bench while Akatsuki-san made a trip to the bathroom, I pounced on the opportunity.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Hm?” Higashira-san happily licked the cream from her crepe and looked over at me.

“Do you... Do you still have feelings for him?”

“Are you referring to Mizuto-kun?”

I nodded. She’d just confessed and gotten rejected earlier this month, yet she seemed perfectly fine despite all of that. And that being said, there were scenarios like earlier when she’d tried to catch his eye when he wasn’t looking, which made it seem as if she was still interested in him.

This begged the question: was she still into him or not?

“Indeed. My feelings towards him are unchanged,” she replied, taking a bite of her crepe. “The reason I developed my attraction was not because I had the intention of becoming his partner, so I am doubtful that my feelings both as a romantic interest and a friend shall ever wane.”

“Isn’t that...” I hesitated before continuing. “Isn’t that hard on you?”

“Hm, of that I’m unsure. At the very least, I’m positive that I’m enjoying myself around him more than I did previously. Perhaps that has to do with the fact that I’ve no reason to hide my feelings any longer.”

“But what if...” Suddenly, I remembered myself from just a little before. “What if he got a girlfriend?”

“Hm... I’m certain I’d be vexed. As laughable as it may sound, I’d feel as if I’d lost. However, I don’t believe that Mizuto-kun would ever distance himself from me, and I think that’s fine in its own right. Then again, I cannot truly predict my feelings until it actually happens. If anything, I think I’d be more jealous if Mizuto-kun made another friend.”

“Huh?”

“The person Mizuto-kun has the most fun around must be me! If he were to enjoy himself with some unknown person... Ugh, just the thought of it irritates me so.” She then proceeded to gobble up the rest of her crepe.

Hold the phone. What? Oh, wait. Higashira-san wasn’t in the same class as Kawanami-kun, so she didn’t know about him. Finally, it all made sense why Akatsuki-san didn’t want the two of them to meet.

“So you’ll get jealous of his friends, but not his girlfriend?”

“Yes. Simply imagining that scenario tears me up inside. Is this what being a cuckold feels like? You know what I mean, don’t you, Yume-san? Hypothetically, if one day, his long-lost little sister were to show up, how would you feel?”

“Well...”

A lot of mixed feelings began swirling inside of me. The thought was definitely unpleasant, but it was a different feeling than when I thought that Higashira-san might become his girlfriend. It wasn’t resentment, frustration, or irritation, it was...

“Fear, right?” Higashira-san said, looking at the empty paper that had once held her crepe. “I only have Mizuto-kun. If he began making more friends and didn’t need me anymore... That thought scares me a great deal. I’d be very lonely.”

I really, really, understand where you’re coming from. Like if you were forced out of your home into the cold, harsh world, all by yourself. Now I understood that she wasn’t trying to keep Mizuto for herself, but desperately trying to keep her place beside him. But...is that really okay with you? Was she really okay relying on him, clinging onto him, and fawning over him like this forever?

“Higashira-san.”

“Yes?”

“You have some cream on your face.”

“Ah!”

As I wiped Higashira-san’s mouth, I thought about how, despite her reliance on Mizuto’s friendship, she was right here with us—no Mizuto in sight. Akatsuki-san and I were the ones who had helped her pick an outfit today, not him.

“Higashira-san, we’re friends, aren’t we?” I asked.

“Huh? U-Uh...” She started to fidget and turned away, her face flushing red before cautiously looking at me. “I-Is that okay?” It was almost as if she was asking for permission, but there was absolutely no need for that.

“Of course! I’ve thought we were friends for a while now.”

“U-Um, b-but—” She had seemed all fired up in one moment, clenching her fist, but then deflated in the next. “You aren’t a replacement for Mizuto-kun,” she said in a very low voice.

It must’ve been very important for her to make that declaration, but it didn’t bother me at all.

“Yes, I know.” That goes double—maybe even more—for you.

◇

After the three of us said goodbye for the day, I returned home and saw that the aforementioned little stepbrother had already come back. He was sitting on the living room couch.

“So, what’d you think?” I asked, jumping right into the topic at hand.

“About?”

“Higashira-san.”

“Not bad, I guess,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“Just say she was cute. So, what was her response?”

Mizuto gave me an annoyed look before grabbing his phone, unlocking it, and shoving it in my face, his chat log with Higashira-san over LINE on full display. In response to his sorry excuse for a compliment, Higashira-san had replied with the following: Act now to receive one more picture for a mere thousand yen.

This girl... Why couldn’t she have shown Mizuto the same reaction that she’d shown us? It was seriously so unfortunate that she couldn’t be more honest about her feelings. You have my sympathy.

“Why’s she hiding her eyes with her phone?”

“Ask her about that.”

“I doubt I’ll get a straight answer.”

It was as if she was taking dirty pictures to post on her socials...which was probably the exact vibe she was going for. I made a mental note to give her a stern talking-to later.

Suddenly, I felt his gaze on me, and as I looked to confirm, he turned his head away. Why’s he looking at me? I was still wearing the outfit that Akatsuki-san had picked out for me—the very same outfit he’d completely ignored when he’d seen it earlier. I was sure that he didn’t like it at all, but maybe...

“Hmm?” I playfully smirked as I slunk around to the front of the couch.

In response, he looked straight down, doing his best to avoid catching so much as a glimpse of me. I had absolutely no reason to wear clothes to match his preferences. I had no reason to use his preferences as the basis for my outfits. That being said... I took out my phone, turned it sideways, and tried taking a picture just like Higashira-san had, hiding my eyes with my phone.

“H-Hey...” Mizuto’s voice shook a little, his mouth slightly twitching. “What are you doing?”

“What? I’m just holding my phone up high to look at it.”

“If you’ve got somethin’ you wanna say, just come out and say it.”

“Me? I don’t have anything like that. Maybe you’re the one who has something he’d like to say?”

Mizuto frowned and turned away once more. Then, in a very stiff voice, he said, “Your outfit... It’s not bad, I guess.” He grimaced.

I giggled triumphantly, savoring my victory. I had no reason to avoid miniskirts. He had no right to stop me no matter how much of my legs I wanted to show. But more than that, it was extremely enjoyable to break through that stiff face of his, and I wasn’t ready to relinquish this to anyone else.