After I Started Living Alone, My Place Turned Into a Hangout Spot for Beautiful Girls - Chapter 12: Outing (Part 1)

Chapter 12: Outing (Part 1)

Today was the day I went out with Shizuru Mizutani and Sakuya Ieyiri.

I got my hair cut at Kato’s brother’s salon and picked out clothes that matched the season, so I was fully prepared.

It wasn’t a big deal to go shopping with Sakuya, but the thought of shopping with Shizuru made me really nervous.

Even though I was sweating bullets before we left, I managed to reach the meeting spot.

And there…

“Hey, Teruaki!”

Shizuru spotted me and ran over.

She wasn’t in her school uniform today.

Instead, she showed up in a casual outfit: a white off-shoulder blouse and skinny jeans that hugged her legs perfectly.

Not only did she look stunning enough to make my heart skip a beat, but the way she ran toward me with that dazzling smile was absolutely overwhelming.

“M-Morning. That’s a cute outfit,” I said.

“Hehe, right?” she replied.

Shizuru smiled, a little embarrassed.

Then she looked me up and down, gave me a thumbs-up, and complimented me.

“You’re looking pretty cool today, Teruaki.”

It felt good to know that getting my hair cut and picking out clothes paid off.

As I started to feel pretty good about her compliment, a voice came from behind me.

“Well, for Teruaki, you’re looking pretty decent today.”

I turned around to see Sakuya, also in casual clothes.

Alright, everyone was at the meeting spot.

“Let’s go,” I said.

I suggested we start walking toward our destination.

But Shizuru scolded me a bit.

“Hey, it’s not cool to say nothing about Sakuya’s outfit. She put effort into looking stylish today, so you should at least pay attention.”

Shizuru puffed out her cheeks adorably as she chided me.

Prompted by her, I looked at Sakuya’s outfit.

She wore a white dress with a cardigan over it and a small shoulder bag slung across her body. Her makeup was bolder than usual, making her already refined features look even more mature.

Sakuya looked like a model straight out of a magazine.

Yeah, it’d be crazy for a guy to see this and say nothing.

Feeling a bit shy, I commented on her outfit.

“Th-The dress suits you really well. It’s cute,” I said.

I wanted to compliment her more eloquently.

But I was too embarrassed to pull it off.

Sakuya put a hand to her mouth and giggled softly as she looked at me.

“Hehe, I never thought I’d get a compliment from you.”

“Was it weird?” I asked.

“Not weird at all. It’s just… the way you shyly complimented me was kind of cute.”

“Haha, totally!” Shizuru chimed in. “It’s got that ‘I’m not used to saying stuff like this’ vibe, which is, like, kinda cute!”

“Right?” Sakuya added.

Please, stop calling me cute…

It was Sunday.

And so, my outing with Sakuya and Shizuru began.

※

The purpose of today’s outing was to buy swimsuits.

We arrived at a swimwear shop, but…

Was it really okay for a guy to tag along while girls shopped for swimsuits?

I was feeling uneasy about it when Shizuru spoke up.

“Excuse me, I’m with a guy. Is that okay?” she asked a store clerk.

The clerk smiled and replied, “Yes, as long as you’re mindful not to make other customers uncomfortable, it’s fine. If the fitting rooms aren’t occupied, you can even have the gentleman come in to see how the swimsuits look.”

“See, Teruaki? I’m so glad we didn’t have to ditch you!” Shizuru said.

“Please take your time browsing,” the clerk added before heading back to the register.

I thought Shizuru would start looking for the swimsuits she’d picked out online, but…

“Oh, this is cute too!” she said.

She got distracted by a completely different swimsuit.

Well, yeah, it’d be a waste not to check out all the options.

As Shizuru held up a swimsuit she liked, I said, “That pink one’s nice, but I think a different color might suit you better.”

“Oh, Teruaki’s getting into the swimsuit picking!” she teased.

“It’d be weirder to stay quiet after coming all this way,” I replied.

“True, true! If you see any swimsuits that look good, let me know!” Shizuru said.

“Don’t do that, Shizuru,” Sakuya interjected. “He’ll just hand you something with barely any fabric.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” I said with a wry smile, but I started looking for a swimsuit that might suit Shizuru.

Honestly, with someone as stunning as Shizuru, any swimsuit would probably look adorable on her…

Oh, that one’s nice.

Looking at an off-shoulder white bikini, I asked Shizuru, “Those frills on the chest of that off-shoulder bikini—aren’t they super cute?”

“Oh, you’re right! I’ll try it on later,” she said.

“And that one’s nice too,” I added.

“Ooh, which one?” she asked.

I kept pointing out swimsuits to Shizuru enthusiastically.

As we were having fun picking out swimsuits, going back and forth about this and that, Shizuru said, “You’re not just picking for me, right? Pick something for Sakuya too!”

She reminded me that Sakuya was here too.

No way, Sakuya would never wear a swimsuit I picked out, I thought.

Still, following Shizuru’s advice, I looked for a swimsuit that might suit Sakuya.

“That white one-piece type might look good on you,” I suggested.

It seemed like it would match Sakuya’s mature vibe.

Sakuya looked at the swimsuit I recommended with a complicated expression.

“I was actually thinking about getting that one. But now that you’ve suggested it, it feels like I’d be buying it just to make you happy, which makes it harder to choose…”

“Sorry about that,” I said. “But I really think that one-piece would suit you. Why don’t you try it on?”

“…Well, alright. Since we’re here, I might as well,” she replied.

“Oh, then I’ll try on the one I was eyeing too!” Shizuru added.

They both called the clerk and headed to the fitting rooms.

Since there were other customers in the store, I figured I’d step outside until they were done trying on their swimsuits.

But as I started to walk, Shizuru grabbed my hand.

“No way, you’re watching! If I didn’t want you to see me try stuff on, I wouldn’t have brought you along in the first place!”

So, she was going to show me how she looked in the swimsuits.

Yeah, coming along today was definitely worth it.

Shizuru went into the fitting room.

A few minutes later, the curtain slid open with a whoosh.

“So, how do I look?” she asked.

Shizuru had changed into the off-shoulder white bikini I’d suggested.

She smiled shyly as she showed off how it looked.

The white off-shoulder bikini, with her shoulders elegantly exposed, seemed to highlight her freshness and charm even more.

“Hey, don’t just stand there—say something!” Shizuru urged.

I was so stunned by how cute she looked that I froze, but I quickly spoke up.

“It looks amazing on you. I think I like this one even more than the one I saw earlier…”

I tried hard not to grin like an idiot as I shared my thoughts.

Shizuru’s face lit up, and she said something so adorable it made my heart race.

“If you like it, Teruaki, maybe I’ll go with this one for the summer…”

Saying something that cute with that face? That’s just unfair.

As Shizuru looked in the fitting room mirror, seriously considering the swimsuit, my heart kept pounding.

Alright, I needed to calm down by looking at Sakuya.

I walked to the fitting room Sakuya was using and called out to her.

“So, how’s it going, Sakuya?”

As I said that, the curtain opened.

“…Ugh, just keep staring at Shizuru and ignore me,” Sakuya grumbled.

Despite her complaints, she stepped out in front of me.

The moment Sakuya appeared in the white one-piece swimsuit, my mind went blank, and I couldn’t say a word.

Even though it was a modest swimsuit, on Sakuya, it exuded both elegance and maturity, somehow more striking than a bold bikini.

I hadn’t noticed before because I wasn’t paying attention, but was Sakuya always this incredibly cute…?

“Are you, like, totally captivated by my swimsuit look?” Sakuya teased with a playful smile.

Not wanting her to notice how flustered I was, I blurted out, “W-Well, it’s cute, so…”

It sounded like I was completely smitten.

Sakuya’s face turned bright red the moment she heard me, as if she hadn’t expected it.

“…That’s enough!” she snapped, quickly pulling the curtain shut to hide her embarrassment.