— — — — — —
The moment Yukino appeared, Oikawa froze.
...Why is she here?
At this hour, shouldn't she and Yui be visiting the shrine? He'd just seen the photos Yui posted in their LINE group.
"Oikawa-kun, yahallo!"
Before he could sort out his thoughts, another cheerful voice reached him.
Yui was wearing her usual hair in a bun, a bright yellow coat over a turquoise scarf. The moment she saw Oikawa, her face lit up with an infectious smile.
Without realizing it, Oikawa smiled too.
Yui had that kind of magic. Somehow, just being around her made everyone else feel happier.
"What are you two doing here? I just checked LINE. Weren't you at the shrine a little while ago?" He looked back and forth between Yukino and Yui.
"We were just heading over to your place." Yui beamed as she skipped over to Yukino's side. "We promised we'd all have dinner together today, remember?"
"When exactly did we agree to that?" Oikawa looked genuinely confused. He had absolutely no memory of making plans.
"Last night!" Yui giggled. "You didn't object, so we took that as a yes."
Oikawa couldn't help laughing.
So that's what counts as agreeing now.
Still having dinner together sounded nice. He had already eaten, but knowing there were people thinking about him enough to come all this way warmed his heart.
It wasn't hard to guess what was going on.
Yui and Yukino were probably worried he'd end up spending New Year's alone, with no one to celebrate with, so they'd come to drag him out. Maybe Shizuka Hiratsuka had even put them up to it. Fortunately, she didn't seem to have told them about the suicide attempt that had led to his transmigration.
"All right then. Lunch is on me." Oikawa nodded gently.
Even though it was New Year's Day, plenty of restaurants were still open. Most people were busy visiting shrines, after all.
"I want fried chicken!" Yui declared immediately. "Yukinon, what about you?"
"Me? Anything is fine." Yukino didn't seem to care. She pulled out the novel she'd been reading from her pocket and lowered her head to continue where she'd left off, just as she always did.
She might have gotten a year older, but she hadn't changed a bit.
Oikawa took out his phone and searched for restaurants that were open. A fried chicken place caught his eye.
He set the navigation and the three of them headed out.
Walking through the streets of Chiba on New Year's Day, they saw smiling faces everywhere they looked.
The festive mood was contagious, lifting Oikawa's spirits even higher.
Yui quietly drifted over beside him and lowered her voice. "Oikawa-kun... when are we going to buy Yukinon's birthday present? Are you free tomorrow?"
Oikawa shook his head. "I can't. I have to go to Tokyo."
In fact, he'd have to leave tonight. If he waited until tomorrow morning, there was a good chance he wouldn't even make it onto a train. Holiday crowds were absolutely insane.
Yukino's birthday was January 3rd. Oikawa had only found out yesterday, after Yui mentioned it on LINE.
The timing couldn't have been worse. He already had plans to meet Utaha in Tokyo on the third.
Besides, he had no idea what to get Yukino.
For Christmas he'd given her a cat photo book. He couldn't exactly give her another cat photo book, could he?
"So what do we do?" Yui's shoulders slumped. "Yukinon's birthday is on the third... If you're busy tomorrow too, doesn't that mean we won't have time?"
She sounded hesitant, as if she wanted to ask whether he could rearrange his schedule somehow.
But in the end, she swallowed the words.
That was just who Yui Yuigahama was. Even if she wanted something, she would never put someone else in a difficult position.
"I'll still be in Tokyo on the third," Oikawa said after thinking for a moment. "I'll figure something out. Worst case, I'll just buy her present while I'm in Tokyo."
There wasn't much else he could do.
If he'd known about Yukino's birthday sooner, he could have made time.
Thinking about it... his schedule after New Year's was ridiculously packed.
Book signing on the second. Meeting Utaha in Tokyo on the third. Playing confession practice partner for Iroha Isshiki on the fourth.
He was busier than a full-time office worker. He was practically becoming a salaryman.
"...All right." Yui looked even more dejected than before, her disappointment written all over her face.
Oikawa didn't say anything. He simply walked beside her, silently.
Then an idea struck him. "How about this afternoon? We ditch Yukino for a while and secretly go pick out her birthday present."
Seeing Yui so downhearted was more than he could bear.
"That's a great idea!" Yui's eyes instantly lit up.
She looked at him as if he'd just invented fire.
Oikawa sighed.
'She's hopeless.'
Kawasaki sometimes played dumb. Yui, on the other hand, was genuinely airheaded.
No wonder her grades were so terrible. Especially math.
She always looked like she studied so hard, yet every exam ended with a score somewhere in the twenties.
"Dummy." He muttered it under his breath.
Unfortunately, Yui heard him.
"Who are you calling a dummy?" She puffed up her cheeks and glared at him.
"I didn't say anything."
Oikawa immediately slipped over to Yukino's side.
Yui refused to let him escape and hurried after him. "Yukinon, Oikawa-kun called me a dummy!"
"I did not."
"You did!"
The two of them began a childish game of tag, circling around Yukino like hyperactive kids.
Yukino looked utterly exasperated. Yet, a tiny smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and in a barely audible whisper, she muttered to herself, "A pair of idiots."
...
After they finished eating, Yui made up a quick excuse to send Yukino on her way.
Honestly, it wasn't hard. Yukino had always been a quiet, solitary soul who detested crowded places. If Yui hadn't practically begged her, she wouldn't have agreed to the shrine visit in the first place.
Before long, it was just Oikawa and Yui.
Oikawa grinned, teasing her. "You're quite the little liar, aren't you?"
"Am not!" Yui retorted defensively, looking him dead in the eye. "That was a white lie! It doesn't count!"
A white lie is still a lie, isn't it?
Oikawa smirked but didn't press the issue. Instead, he let her lead him into the largest shopping mall nearby.
A love for fashion is practically hardwired into girls. Without even asking Oikawa, Yui dragged him straight into a clothing boutique and immediately started picking out outfits to try on.
Walking over to the full-length mirror, she unceremoniously shed her coat and her knit sweater right in front of him, leaving her in just a form-fitting T-shirt.
Oikawa caught sight of her surprisingly curvaceous figure and rubbed his nose, clearing his throat.
"This sweater looks like it'd really suit Yukinon," Yui murmured, studying her reflection. "I feel like she'd look way better in it than me."
Oikawa looked at her reflection, evaluating the view with an appreciative gaze. He briefly considered looking away to be polite, but ultimately decided to embrace his red-blooded male instincts. Why deny myself a good view?
The fabric was stretched remarkably tight across Yui's chest. Oikawa honestly thought the sweater looked much better on her than it ever would on Yukino.
With the soft, ambient music playing in the shop, Oikawa's mind began to wander. A row of fitting rooms stood just a few paces away. In so many hentai videos, this was exactly where the "action" took place.
Never mind the classics. The one Oikawa had watched recently—about a girls' academy—featured a middle-aged guy and a bunch of high school girls.
Oikawa could only think, My stamina is seriously top-tier. If they ever make a live-action adaptation with a role like that, they better cast me.
What made it even crazier was that it had been a threesome in the fitting room.
Oikawa remembered grinding his teeth in pure envy when he watched it. The jealousy was real. And honestly, the school principal and the student council president in the next episode were absolute knockouts. Their curves, their boobs, they had a body designed for sex... With a sigh, Oikawa couldn't help thinking that bodies like theirs could only exist in fiction. Even Kawasaki and Yui fell a little short by comparison.
'Still, they have plenty of room for development,' he thought with a grin.
"Oikawa-kun, what do you think? "Oikawa-kun?!"
Yui's voice snapped him out of his reverie.
"Ah, cough, sorry. What's up?" Oikawa did his best to keep a straight face.
"I was asking you a question! How does this look?" Yui puffed out her cheeks, looking thoroughly offended and a little hurt. "Hmph, are you really that bored being with me?"
"No, no, not at all!" Oikawa raised his hands in defense. "I was just distracted by a sudden thought. I mean, getting to go on a date with a gorgeous girl like you, Yui-chan? I'm over the moon!"
The word "date" sent a sudden blush rushing to Yui's cheeks.
"It's... it's not a... Oh, okay, I forgive you!" She quickly spun around, showing off the outfit with a bright smile. "So, do you think it looks good on me?"
"It looks fantastic," Oikawa said. "But..."
Seeing him hesitate, Yui immediately pressed, "But what?"
"But wasn't this supposed to be a gift for Yukino-san? Do you really think that size is going to fit her?" Oikawa let his gaze linger pointedly on a certain prominent area of Yui's chest.
Yui's face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. "Oh... I guess it really is a bit too big," she mumbled.
She hastily took the sweater off, returned it to its rack, and began browsing for other options.
A few minutes later, Yui spotted an open-front knit vest. Clutching it to her chest, she grabbed Oikawa's arm and pulled him over to the fitting rooms.
Well, to be precise, Yui went inside with the vest, and Oikawa was left waiting outside.
Before long, the soft rustling of shifting fabric drifted out from behind the curtain, making Oikawa's heart beat just a fraction faster.
According to the laws of hentai, the next step would be the heroine pulling the hero inside to ask for his opinion.
And as if on cue, the fantasy became reality.
Just as the thought crossed Oikawa's mind, the fitting room door cracked open. Yui's hand reached out, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him inside.
In an instant, the door shut, leaving them standing inches apart in the cramped space.
"So... Oikawa-kun, what do you think of this vest?" Yui's face was burning up. She was wearing nothing but her delicate bra, with the open-front vest draped loosely over her shoulders.
Oikawa swallowed hard.
It seemed Yui had deliberately picked out a vest in Yukino's size. But on Yui's much more generous figure, the garment was pushed to its absolute limits.
It was full, bursting, and breathtakingly close.
Oikawa could only stare, completely captivated by the view from his perfect, front-row seat.
"D-Don't stare... Hurry up and tell me if you think this would suit Yukinon." Even the tips of her ears had turned bright red. She tugged lightly at the corner of Oikawa's sleeve, sounding almost like she was pouting.
"I think it looks good," Oikawa answered. "It'd suit Yukino."
The truth was, he hadn't really been paying attention to the clothes at all.
How was he supposed to? Come on. There weren't many men capable of staying perfectly composed in a situation like this.
"Hehe, then this is the one!" Yui beamed happily and started taking the vest off, only to suddenly realize Oikawa was still standing there.
"O-Okay, out. Get out already." She hurriedly shoved him out of the fitting room.
Oikawa sighed helplessly.
...
A few moments later, Yui stepped out of the fitting room with the neatly folded cardigan vest in her arms.
Their eyes met for a split second.
Her face immediately flushed again, and she hurried off toward the checkout counter.
The cashier noticed her bright red cheeks and smiled teasingly. "You look awfully flustered. Don't tell me you and your boyfriend were getting up to something in the fitting room?"
"N-No! And... he's not my boyfriend!" Yui waved her hands frantically, blushing so hard she looked like a startled little rabbit.
The cashier's smile only grew wider.
"Oh? Really not?" She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "In that case, do you think I could ask him for his LINE later? He's totally my type."
"No!"
The answer came so quickly that even Yui surprised herself. She stared at the cashier as if facing a dangerous rival.
Then, seeing the amused look on the woman's face, she realized she'd been teased. Her head immediately dropped in embarrassment.
After paying, she rushed straight over to Oikawa, grabbed his arm, and practically dragged him out of the store.
Their next stop was a shop dedicated entirely to cat-themed merchandise. It didn't take long before Yui excitedly held up a pair of socks shaped like cat paws.
"Oikawa-kun, look! I think Yukinon would love these."
They really were adorable.
Oikawa couldn't help smiling. "I think so too."
To be more precise, he figured Yukino would probably treasure anything Yui gave her. After all, she was her best friend.
Looking more closely, he noticed the bottoms of the socks even had soft pink paw pads sewn onto them.
"...That's a nice touch."
What practical purpose they served was another question entirely.
From a functional standpoint, the design wasn't exactly efficient. From a guy's perspective, though... Ten out of ten.
"These are the kind of socks you'd only wear at home anyway," Yui said. "You wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing them."
"Yeah," Oikawa agreed. "They're cute."
Besides the paw socks, Yui also picked out a pair of cat-themed gloves and a cat-ear headband.
Oikawa studied the growing pile.
'Still feels like something's missing... a cat tail will complete the whole set perfectly.'
...On second thought, if he gave Yukino a cat tail as a birthday present, she'd probably write him off as a complete pervert.
Her older sister might even try to kill him.
'Yeah... let's save that idea for another lifetime.'
Once Yui had finished buying her gifts, it was Oikawa's turn. Honestly, he was tempted to buy Yukino a cosplay outfit.
But fantasy was one thing. Reality was another.
He still wanted to survive until spring break.
'Maybe someday, after we're a lot closer, I can casually suggest something like that...for now, absolutely not.'
Still... What should he get Yukino? Clothes were obviously off the table.
He wandered around the mall for quite a while before finally remembering something.
Yukino had mentioned back in the Service Club that her blue-light glasses needed a stronger prescription.
A new pair of glasses. Perfect. That settled it.
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