Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 45

Chapter 45: The Hungry Gyaru and Impromptu Shopping Trip

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“Make hay while the sun shines,” as the saying goes.

That afternoon, I found myself being dragged along by Shizuku—or to be precise, shoved out the door by my older sister—to the shopping district downtown. We ended up at a sports store inside a shopping mall, specifically in the men’s swimwear section. Our mission: to buy a pair of board shorts for me. When I told Shizuku that I didn’t have any swimwear to play in the pool, she immediately responded with,”Then let’s go buy some now! Suou-kun, you don’t have any work today, right?”

And so, my older sister swiftly set the plan in motion. She pushed me to go out with Shizuku and here we were. 

“Alright! Leave it to me! I will pick the perfect swim shorts for you!”

With a cheerful bounce in her voice, Shizuku scanned the rows of board shorts on display. Despite being roped into accompanying me to buy swim shorts on short notice by my older sister, she seemed oddly thrilled about the whole ordeal.

“Sorry about this. Not only did you already go out of your own way to invite me out, but you also need to help me get my stuff in order for the outing.”

“It’s totally fine, totally fine! I’m doing this because I want to anyway! So, Suou-kun! Do you have any preferences? What kind of style do you like?”

“…Not really. As long as it fits, I’m good with anything.”

I answered and Shizuku gave me a deadpan stare.

“Hmmm… Suou-kun, so you’re the type to say that kind of thing, huh…”

“Say that kind of thing…? I mean, it’s just a swimsuit, right? As long as I can wear it, anything goes.”

“I see. Then how about this pastel pink one? Or maybe this coral pink one? Oh wait, maybe the shocking pink with hearts and stars—”

“My apologies. I’d prefer something more subtle. Please, I’m begging you, anything but the flash ones!”

I bowed my head deeply and Shizuku blinked at me before she burst out laughing. 

“Come on, I was just kidding! Don’t worry, I’ll pick something that actually suits you!”

Shizuku said while laughing.

“But I think something that contrasts with your usual look would be pretty great too. The juxtaposition would add a nice touch to it.”

She muttered under her breath as she began to pick out other swimwear. 

“Hm~ If I need to choose seriously then… Hey, how about this one?”

She said while holding out a pair of surf shorts with a botanical pattern. The primary colour of the surf shorts itself was black and upon closer inspection, the design subtly used other shades of black to create depth in the pattern. 

“…A patterned one, huh? Isn’t it a bit flashy?”

“Not really? If anything, this one is very subtle. It’s mostly black, with just a dash of white as an accent.”

“…I guess you’re right.”

I muttered and Shizuku nodded enthusiastically.

“Of course I’m right. Although I personally think something more colorful like this aloha pattern would be better. Something bolder is more exciting, but it wouldn’t match Suou-kun’s preference, right?”

“…You know me well.”

“Fufufu~ You see, I can see through everything!”

Brimming with confidence, Shizuku puffed out her chest. Her smile looked so bright and dazzling.

“Well, to be honest… Mio-oneesan actually told me about the colors and patterns you’d probably like.”

“So you already received inside information… Wait, Shizuku. Don’t you think you’ve been getting a bit too well with my older sister lately?”

“Ehehehe~ It’s fine, isn’t it?~”

Ever since I had brought Shizuku home after the whole mess with Yamachi, Shizuku had been texting and talking with my older sister on a more frequent basis. In fact, she seemed to be talking with my older sister more than with me. 

And how do I know that, you ask? Well…

『Hey, hey~ Gaku-kuuun. Guess what? I’m chatting with Shizuku-chan on LINE right now.  You must be jealous, right?~』

That was how irritating my older sister would get every time she got in contact with Shizuku. She kept trying to rub it on me.

“Thank you, Shizuku. For putting up with my older sister.”

At that, Shizuku tilted her head to the side. 

“Hmmm~ I wouldn’t say I’m putting up with her. If anything, Mio-oneesan is the one who’s putting up with me. It’s fun, like having a big sister. It makes me think ‘Oh, this is what having an older sister must feel like.’ So honestly, I should be the one thanking you here.”

“…Is that so?”

Well, as long as Shizuku doesn’t feel bothered by it, I guess there’s no problem. My older sister too. If she doesn’t feel comfortable interacting with Shizuku, she will say it outright and stop interacting with Shizuku on her own, so I don’t need to worry about that. Anyway, putting that aside—

“Alright. It’s decided. I’m going to buy this swimsuit.”

“Huh? Suou-kun, you’re not going to try to pick one yourself?”

“I don’t need to. You have a better fashion sense than I do and besides, this is the first time a friend has ever picked something out for me.”

In fact, I had never gone out with a friend before I met Shizuku. My first time happened when I went out to eat that giant hamburg with Shizuku. 

“So, I’ll go with what you chose. Thanks for picking it out for me.”

I said with a smile and…

“…You’re welcome!”

While looking a little embarrassed, Shizuku smiled back at me. After that, she picked out a rash guard for me and we also grabbed the other essentials we thought we’d need before leaving the store. Once we were outside, I checked the time on the watch I was wearing while we walked. I realized it had taken less than twenty minutes for us to shop, complete from the moment we walked into the store and the moment we came out of the store. 

“…But still, we managed to finish shopping faster than I thought.”

“Well, yeah. It’s because you instantly agreed on everything I picked, Suou-kun. I mean, I’m not trying to nitpick, but don’t you think you should be a bit more opinionated?”

“I did consider everything first, you know. It’s just even after I considered everything, the stuff that you chose was still the best option after all.”

If something didn’t feel right to me, I would’ve said so without holding back.

“Thanks again for picking everything out for me, Shizuku.”

I expressed my gratitude once more. 

“Ehehehe~”

Shizuku smiled shyly in return, but then…

“Ah!”

Suddenly, something caught her eye. She turned her gaze, as if she was drawn to it. Following her line of sight, I saw a Japanese-style sweets shop selling soft-serve ice cream at the storefront.

…Matcha and roasted tea, huh?

Though she didn’t say anything, but it was obvious she wanted to try it. The longing expression on her face gave it away immediately. She probably held herself from saying anything because she knew I’d have to head back and make dinner. That said, we managed to finish shopping much faster than expected, leaving us with plenty of time to spare. Besides, I’d been thinking of doing something to thank her for coming along with me, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Just to be sure, I checked my watch again.

“Shizuku, let’s get those before we head back home.”

“Huh? Really? Can we?!”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, we got everything done in no time. We have plenty of time to spare.”

Upon hearing my suggestion, Shizuku’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah!”

She gave me an enthusiastic nod and headed toward the sweet shop.

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