You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!!

“I’ve brought them for now!”

“…Wasn’t I supposed to choose?”

In front of Shiori, who made a sour face, stood Kaika, who had stuffed a basket full of clothes.

“Shiori-san, you don’t have much knowledge about fashion, right? That’s why I chose them!”

“…Well… indeed.”

“But I will respect Shiori-san’s opinion too!”

While saying so, she rummaged through the basket,

“First up is this!”

“…These pants… are too big.”

“They’re called wide pants! You’ll wear them with this T-shirt!”

Holding the two-piece set Kaika gave, they moved in front of the changing room.

Kaika then forcefully closed the curtain after letting Shiori, holding the basket, step into the booth.

“Then, please!”

“…Yes.”

Strongly urged through the curtain, Shiori hesitantly changed clothes.

…

“Finished changing.”

Shaa!

“…My choice is pretty good, too.”

Before Shiori could finish speaking, Kaika opened the curtain and expressed her frank impression. Then, she picked up the next item from the basket at Shiori’s feet.

“Next is this striped skirt! Please wear it with this white T-shirt!”

“…”

Unable to find words to return to the excited girl, she accepted the clothes handed to her again and closed the curtain.

“Perhaps this is the safest choice…”

Sorato, who had been brought along with the flow, mutters this while in the men’s section.

It was a small wish of his to act separately, and finally, he was allowed to do so, picking up items on his own.

“I wonder if Kaika is choosing clothes with Shiori-san now… Oh, sorry.”

Someone’s shoulder bumps into his back.

The store, Black and White, was very spacious.

It was probably the largest clothing store in this shopping mall.

Due to its size, it was crowded, and it was common to brush against others while passing by.

“It looks like it’s full after all.”

And so, the fitting rooms were all occupied.

Black and White had fitting rooms located throughout the store.

He had gone to a section with many individual rooms, but as expected, it was full.

Sorato gave up on that spot and aimed for another fitting room.

“Well, I expected as much.”

When he arrived at the central fitting rooms, the shoes taken off by others were lined up, indicating they were occupied.

In the bustling store, it seemed impossible to try anything on without waiting in front of a fitting room.

“Sorato! Have you picked something?”

“Kaika.”

Kaika, carrying a basket filled with clothes, and Shiori, looking tired, walked over.

“No, I just got separated for a bit and someone else took the fitting room.”

“I haven’t even tried anything on yet.”

“Really? What did you choose?”

With that, Kaika starts rummaging through the basket Sorato was holding.

The person being searched did not seem to resist, perhaps having given up from the start.

Kaika then picks up a price tag.

“This price seems normal, right?”

“Price?”

“It’s about Shiori-san’s sense of prices…”

“They’re normally expensive.”

Shiori raised her voice sharply. She randomly pulled a piece of clothing from Kaika’s basket.

“3800 yen for a single piece of clothing is ridiculous.”

“…”

“So, Sorato. A word about Shiori-san’s statement.”

Sorato, who remained silent at Shiori’s words, was prompted by Kaika with a smile to share his thoughts.

“…Indeed, it’s expensive.”

“Hey, Sorato!”

Kaika pressed the boy, who averted his gaze.

“I’m not familiar with ladies’ clothing, so I’m not sure.”

“Is it because of Shiori-san? Are you twisting your true feelings for her!”

Kaika dropped the basket to the floor, exploding with her deduced thoughts.

“Speak your mind!”

“It’s fine.”

Sorato places the basket at his feet, looking away from the pressing Kaika and turning to Shiori, who had been silent.

“Shiori-san, I think you shouldn’t worry about the price and just buy the clothes you want.”

“Hey!”

While resisting Kaika’s nudging, Sorato conveyed his considerate words.

At those words, Shiori looked into the basket at Kaika’s feet.

“Then all the clothes Kaika chose are out.”

“What?!”

At Shiori’s outright rejection, Kaika raises her voice.

“If I buy, the maximum I’d spend on one piece is about 2000 yen.”

“You’re subtly setting the limit at 1900 yen!”

Kaika interjects, and then Sorato lightly nudges her.

“Kaika, if Shiori-san wants to buy it for that price, we should respect her decision. Besides, it’s Shiori-san who’s paying.”

“Well, it’s coming out of Shiori-san’s wallet… I can’t really argue…”

“Then it’s decided. We’ll look for something in that price range.”

“…Alright.”

With the boy’s convincing argument, the girl could not complain and picked up the basket from the floor again.

“Then, Sorato, please secure a fitting room.”

“There aren’t any.”

“Then we wait for one.”

“…Okay.”

Following Kaika’s instruction to check the back, Sorato once again looked around the shop.

However, as expected, the curtains of the visible fitting rooms were closed.

“It seems none are available after all.”

“…It’s just us left, huh… Shiori-san.”

“Kaika’s enthusiasm is… quite something…”

“Sorry about that. My team members…”

Sorato, apologizing for the bad parts of his companions, offers a small apology to Shiori, who wears a tired look in her eyes.

“You two are a team, right?”

“Yeah, well.”

“It’s really Kaika leading the team, isn’t it?”

With that positivity. Aside from knowledge, there’s hardly anything that could make her comrades feel uneasy when she’s in front.

Shiori understood that well enough.

“She leads us like it’s part of her daily life, with all her bright sides.”

Recalling past memories, Sorato’s face brought a smile to Shiori’s.

“Doesn’t it bother you, being led by a girl?”

“Kaika is better in terms of ability, so jealousy would just be a grudge.”

“You’re admirable for recognizing that, really.”

Shiori shifted her gaze away from Sorato, her mouth moving as if recalling something.

“It’s truly admirable, a boy who understands his own abilities.”

“Hm?… Did something happen?”

Holding onto his curiosity, Sorato asked Shiori, who was looking in a direction far away.

“I’m a ranked member… among the girls, in the first year, at the bottom… well, there’s a lot.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Well, those troubles will all be gone with the promotion, so it might get a bit easier…”

“Gone?”

As Sorato’s questions kept piling up, footsteps were heard from behind.

“I’ve chosen some!”

It was Kaika, coming back with new clothes.

“Why haven’t you moved!”

“We got caught up in a conversation.”

“What are you talking about, you idiot.”

Kaika showed dissatisfaction at Sorato’s words.

Shiori stared at the basket in Kaika’s hands.

“The price is fine but… I’m not sure about buying.”

“Please buy it because Amakusa-sensei will say something!”

At Kaika’s words, Shiori gulped, imagining her homeroom teacher’s face.

“But the fitting rooms are all taken, we can’t check if it suits us.”

“…About that.”

Reacting to Shiori’s words, Kaika pointed to one of the fitting rooms with a displeased face.

“I think that’s cheating.”

“That?”

Walking slowly, they approached the cubicle to take another look.

“Shoes for two… two people?”

“Bringing in up to five outfits per person, but with that, you could wear up to ten.”

“Eh… who would do such a strange thing?”

“Then, what other reason could there be for locking themselves in a fitting room together?”

“…Maybe they are helping a small child try on clothes.”

“From the looks of the shoes, they’re not for children. Plus, they’re just regular sports shoes.”

Stumped by Kaika’s insight, Sorato was at a loss for words.

With that conversation in the background, Shiori was already facing the fitting room in question.

“Anyway, we should just complain, right? I’ll go talk to them.”

“Ah, I’ll go.”

“Then let’s go together.”

“…!?”

As Shiori and Kaika took action together, a thought crossed Sorato’s mind.

“Wait a minute.”

“What’s wrong, Sorato?”

“…Are they really just trying on clothes?”

“…Meaning?”

“If… something ecchi is happening in that cubicle…”

“「……」”

The two girls glared at the boy with a critical eye.

Naturally. The only response to a boy leaking such a pubescent thought is a stern look.

“Let’s leave Sorato and complain to those inside the fitting room.”

“Right, let’s go.”

“Wait, wait a minute!”

Ignoring the flustered Sorato, Kaika and Shiori headed for the fitting room.

“Wait, let me prepare mentally first!”

“The size is one thing, but neither design is particularly cute or feminine.”

“So, you’re suggesting men are doing something together?”

“I’m amazed by your way of thinking. Dissolve the team?”

As Kaika continued without stopping, they were only a few steps away from reaching their destination.

“Sorato, just wait here and…!”

“!?”

“Hey!”

“What’s up?”

“The lights went out!”

It was darkness that interrupted Kaika’s words. The landscape visible to the eye was instantly dyed black, and the noise began to spread through the space.

“A blackout?”

“It’s not just a blackout, all the emergency lights are out too. Plus, with visibility this bad, the corridors outside are probably pitch dark as well.”

“Is the entire shopping mall experiencing a power outage… But”

“Normally, you’d think backup power or something would kick in to light the emergency lights…”

There was no light to illuminate anything. The Bravhowa store had no windows, leaving no room for sunlight to enter. Within that, Shiori reached into her pocket,

“Let’s create light with our devices.”

“Yes,”

Following Shiori’s instructions, the two also took out their devices.

“For now, let’s head towards the store’s exit!?”

Next, Shiori’s words were cut off.

The light that was turned on all at once. The space covered in darkness was suddenly cleared, and the surrounding scene became clearly visible.

“We’re back on…”

“Yes, but why?”

Sorato expressed his confusion over the sudden recovery from the power outage.

“It seems they are investigating that right now, the staff’s movements are frantic,”

In Shiori’s eyes, turning towards others, was the sight of the staff in a panicked state.

“There’s a lot of people, so the commotion is big… Shall we give up on shopping for today?”