My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason

On the train to the shopping mall, Yukina stood out in two ways. Both were related to her appearance: one, she was cute, and two, people wondered why such a cute girl was in a tracksuit.

Finally realizing that wearing a tracksuit for a long trip was too embarrassing, Yukina lowered her head in shame.

I understood how she felt. Yesterday, even though I didn’t attract any attention, I still felt somewhat embarrassed.

Not wanting Yukina to be seen like this, I stood in front of her to hide her as much as possible. She grabbed the fabric near my waist tightly.

When we arrived at the shopping mall, we headed straight to the store we visited yesterday. Yukina looked confused as we approached.

“Huh? Huh?”

“Yukina, when you go out with me, you promised to show me a stylish version of yourself, right?”

“I-I did say that…but it’s kind of embarrassing to go in there dressed like this…”

“It’s too late to be embarrassed now. Besides, where did you plan to buy clothes to show me your stylish side?”

“On…the internet…”

Without a word, I grabbed Yukina’s hand and pulled her into the store. Once we were inside, I felt like we were in control.

“Is there anything you’d like to wear?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t really looked…Also, I don’t think it’s fun searching for clothes like this with you.”

I wasn’t knowledgeable about fashion, so I had no idea what would suit her. I wouldn’t know until I saw her wearing something.

Recalling what Mano-san had said, I looked for a store clerk who seemed approachable. Spotting a female employee by herself, I called out to her.

“Excuse me.”

The sales clerk glanced at Yukina for a moment, her expression briefly clouding, but she quickly smiled and asked how she could help.

“Could you pick out some clothes that would suit this girl?”

Her eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Does that mean I have free reign?”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Understood!”

With incredible speed, she disappeared somewhere and returned with several outfits, including skirts.

Both Yukina and I were overwhelmed by her quickness. The sales clerk took Yukina’s hand and gently dragged her away.

“Y-Yusuke-kun…”

Yukina reached out to me with teary eyes, pleading for help, but I ignored her.

“Don’t worry. Let’s show your boyfriend how cute you can look!”

The sales clerk’s soothing words were well-received by Yukina, but I didn’t correct her mistake. I thought it would hurt Yukina’s feelings if I did.

Yukina was put in the fitting room, and the sales clerk dressed her like a doll, one outfit after another. Each time, she showed me the results, but I couldn’t really tell. All I knew was that everything looked cute on her. However, I couldn’t decide which outfit suited her best.

Then, something unexpected happened.

“How do you like this dress?”

Yukina appeared in a light blue dress. Embarrassed, she looked down, her lips tightly pressed together, trembling slightly.

I was too mesmerized by her to respond to the sales clerk’s question, and she chuckled at me.

“Shall we go with this?”

“Ah, um…What do you think? Do you like it?”

Yukina shook her head, her expression firm.

It was a shame, but if Yukina didn’t like it, there was no need for her to wear it.

“Next, please.”

The next outfit had her wearing a light jacket over a short-sleeved top. It was paired with a long skirt that made her look like a refined beauty.

With less skin showing, Yukina seemed less embarrassed and finally lifted her face. Though her cheeks were still slightly flushed.

“How do you like it?”

“You look cute, and it suits you…”

Without hesitation this time, I spoke the words aloud, which made the clerk chuckle again.

“Shall we settle on this?”

I gave Yukina a glance, and she nodded quickly, so the decision was made.

“Um, can she wear it out?”

“Of course.”

“Then we’ll go with that.”

While I paid, another sales clerk adjusted the tags and finished up the details on Yukina’s outfit.

The expenses from yesterday and today were starting to add up. I still had some money left, but my wallet was getting a bit empty. Yukina tapped my back.

When I turned around, she looked down and pulled out her wallet.

“I’ll pay you back…How much?”

“You don’t have to.”

“But…you also treated me to lunch…I feel bad.”

“Consider this a repayment.”

“Repayment?”

Yukina looked puzzled.

“Yes, a repayment for giving me the right to go out with you. So don’t worry about it.”

By saying that, I hoped it would ease some of her guilt.

“We still have time. Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t want to go anywhere…”

“Why not?”