Volume 6 Chapter 3 (2/2)
”Umm. Like ones with flared legs, or tight ones, or straight ones. I'm simplifying it, but that kind of thing.”
Additionally there were various other things, like the rise of the jeans, but she omitted them all. If you tell all these things to a beginner, their head would explode.
”Yours”
”Huh?”
”The ones you're wearing now. That's the shape I want.”
Yumi took off her coat to better display them, then asked Sachiko-sama.
”These?”
Stonewashed, straight jeans. A totally uninteresting, completely standard pair of jeans.
”Right. When I saw you in that outfit, I wanted a pair of jeans.”
”Huh- !?”
Unthinkingly she cried out. Because her beloved Sachiko-sama wanted to copy her. An astonis.h.i.+ng bolt from the blue.
”Your voice is so loud.”
But the store was so noisy that n.o.body paid any attention.
”You're much more stylish than me, so a pair of slim jeans would suit you better.”
She was grumbling, but it wasn't ill-natured. Yumi had Sachiko-sama whisper her waist measurement into her ear, then went to the shelves with the straight jeans and returned with two pairs.
”The legs are a little bit long.”
Sachiko-sama said, holding them up against herself.
”Try them on, then you can get them cut to size. Or people fold them and wear them like that.”
”What do you do, Yumi?”
”Of course, I get mine cut to fit.”
”Then I'll do that too.”
Sachiko-sama entered into one of the row of changing rooms in a good mood.
”When you've got them on, let me know.”
Yumi stood in front of the curtain. Planning to act as a guard, just in case. There were a lot of male customers, and the change rooms were self-service so there were no staff around. It would be a disaster if someone were to mistakenly walk in on her onee-sama as she was changing.
At the sound of rustling clothes, her heart beat a bit faster.
She's taking off her coat now. That's the scarf coming off. The way she was imagining it was like a perverted old man. You could probably blame that on Rosa Gigantea.
(For onee-sama, the legs will probably only be 'a little bit' long.)
In her case, the legs were always quite long. Or, rather, way too long. Whenever she got them cut to size, there was enough material to make a tissue case and a purse.
Their height was quite different, so she thought that their legs would also be different lengths. Her quick impression was that Sachiko-sama would have enough left to make a pencil case if you combined both legs.
(Even still)
It was quite unfair that Sachiko-sama's bust should be bigger than hers, but the waist smaller. What the heck were you doing there, G.o.d. - She was thinking these grievances when suddenly a voice called out from behind the curtain.
”Yumi? Are you there?”
”Ah, yes.”
”Can you help me.”
”Okay?”
She was wondering what Sachiko-sama wanted her help with when she said 'Excuse me,' opened the curtain a fraction and poked her head inside.
”Whoa”
The words came out reflexively.
Sachiko-sama looked at Yumi a tad awkwardly. As though she wanted to be angry at Yumi for saying 'whoa', but was unable to given the current circ.u.mstances.
”What should I do?”
Somehow Sachiko-sama had managed to put on the moderately long jeans without turning up the cuffs. But it still looked somewhat fas.h.i.+onable on her. The jeans were folded at her heel, and her toes could just be seen peeking out. It's a bit rude, but it was suggestive of a drain spout.
”Excuse me for a bit”
Formalities dealt with once more, this time Yumi slid her whole body inside. Of course, she took her shoes off before doing so.
”Forgive my inadequate explanation, onee-sama. You have to fold these.”
As she said this, Yumi squatted down by Sachiko-sama's feet.
”Onee-sama, can you please stay standing and lift up your heel?”
”Ahh... like this?”
Shaky.
”Ahh!”
Yumi hurriedly steadied Sachiko-sama as she swayed violently.
”Onee-sama, please put your hands on my shoulders, then lift your heels one at a time, okay?”
”&h.e.l.lip; I see. I got it.”
Soon, she felt a weight on both her shoulders. Despite the circ.u.mstances, she felt strangely happy. Right now, I'm supporting onee-sama's body, was how her thoughts went. And also, onee-sama trusts me enough to lean her weight against me.
”Okay, we'll start with the right foot.”
Following Yumi's instructions, Sachiko-sama quietly raised her right heel. After hurriedly folding up the right cuff, she did the same thing for the left. When Sachiko-sama could put both feet on the ground, her balance would return and she wouldn't have to brace herself.
She supposed she had become accustomed to seeing her stockinged legs below her skirt, but Sachiko-sama's feet with only stockings covering them looked like an adult woman's. Looking at such pretty feet, she could somewhat understand the feelings of foot fetis.h.i.+sts.
”How's the length?”
She asked, making minute adjustments. Just like she was one of the store clerks.
”Seems okay”
”Please put your shoes on and have a look in the full-length mirror outside the change rooms. To see how they balance, that sort of thing.”
”&h.e.l.lip; But, Yumi. Is it okay in pumps?”
”Ahh, I see. Onee-sama, what shoes were you planning on wearing with your jeans?”
”I'd like to wear shoes like yours, Yumi.”
Even though she said this, they weren't fine goods you would normally l.u.s.t after. They were plain, ordinary sneakers.
”&h.e.l.lip;. And your shoe size is?”
”The same as yours, Yumi. 23.”
Smiling sweetly.
”&h.e.l.lip; Okay.”
And like that, she was partially coerced into lending Sachiko-sama her plain, ordinary (and a little bit dirty) sneakers. Although their shoe size was the same, Yumi in her socks couldn't fit into Sachiko-sama's high heel pumps. Because she couldn't see the mirror from inside the change room, she was temporarily stuck with the tricky task of trying to walk with just her toes in the pumps.
”Here, Yumi, hold on to me.”
Sachiko-sama held out her hand to Yumi.
”Ah, okay.”
Their roles were now reversed. The mirror mercilessly reflected Yumi's timid, awkward posture next to Sachiko-sama's slender, cool, jeans-wearing figure.
”These are fine.”
Sachiko-sama made a snap decision, without trying the other pair on. They were simple, but they fit her extremely well. It was almost as if they had been made for her.
”Okay, I'll put a clip here to hold the position then you can take them off.”
Yumi attached two of the large clips to the right leg of the jeans to prevent the fold from moving.
”Ahh, so this is what they meant by 'clips holding it'.”
In the changing room there were instructions saying ”Jeans taken up free of charge. Bring them to the register with clips holding it.”
”That's right. If you take it to the store employee they'll take them up for you.”
”Understood.”
Sachiko-sama entered the changing room and closed the curtain. As she was doing up the laces of her sneakers, Yumi was secretly relieved.
Somehow they'd been able to clear this hurdle too.
Afterwards, it would finally be time for tea. She would have a cake set at a cafe she had wanted to go to for a long time. That was the plan.
”Yumi”
Sachiko-sama's familiar voice called from the other side of the curtain.
”Yeah”
”Before we go to the cafe, there's another place that I'd like to visit. Is that okay?”
”Hmm”
She had a bad feeling about this. But she couldn't say no. Since they'd made it this far, she would accompany Sachiko-sama anywhere.
”That's okay..... So, where to?”
There was a chance it wouldn't match her premonition, so she asked just in case.
But, unfortunately, she had hit the nail on the head.
”Do they sell sneakers at regular shoe shops?”
She hadn't yet paid for her jeans but already Sachiko-sama's mind had warped to another location.
”&h.e.l.lip; d.a.m.n it.”
Tsutako muttered as she stood in front of the cinema.
It was a debacle.
It was rare that she would make such a careless mistake. What a blunder.
”The next session doesn't start immediately after the previous session ends.”
”So it appears. I humbly apologize.”
”It's okay. You've exceeded my expectations with what you've done.”
Minako-sama patted Tsutako on the shoulder as she consoled her.
Perhaps due to warming herself with canned green tea and filling her stomach, Minako-sama was feeling generous.
”You took some photos of Rei-san and Chisato-san before they went into the movie theater, right? That should be enough.”
”Hmm”
They had been having a leisurely lunch inside the train station building. So they just made it to the front of the cinema at the time she had memorized. But that time was for the beginning of the next session, so there weren't any patrons exiting from the cinema.
The shock was worse than the time she took an out-of-focus photograph of Rosa Canina. Because this time there was no chance of recovery.
”At any rate, locating s.h.i.+mako-san should be our top priority. If you really did see her in the food court, then it stands to reason that they would have eaten at a bench, like us.”
”Hmm. Stands to reason, I guess.”
Even as she responded in the affirmative, the image of Toudou s.h.i.+mako and Kanina s.h.i.+zuka eating side-dishes together on a bench didn't really take hold in her imagination. Eating on a bench required you to put the food on your lap, which would lead to them hunching over to eat. But that image didn't fit those two at all. But, on the other hand, why not? That was exactly what Minako-sama and herself had done, shamefully hunching over to eat the sautéed thistle root. Throw-away wooden chopsticks would accompany that perfectly.
”And at the same time as we're doing that, we can also look for Sachiko-san's group.”
”Huh, why do you think that...!”
She hadn't said anything herself. She supposed that Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama were currently enjoying their first date somewhere around here.
She had a sinking feeling. If the conversation looked like turning towards her, she would have to take care to redirect it. Otherwise all her effort so far would be in vain.
Minako-sama was done with the movie theater already, and turned and walked off towards the station. Consequently, Tsutako chased after her. There was no way they were going to use this ambush plan again, right? At least spare her from that.
”That's right. Together with Miss s.h.i.+mazu Yos.h.i.+no.”
Minako-sama made this bizarre statement as they walked along beside each other.
”Huh? Together, you say?”
”Together, I said. With Sachiko-san's group. Hmm, I wonder if together is actually correct? When I met her, she had strayed by herself and was looking lonely.”
”Sachiko-sama and Yumi-san &h.e.l.lip; and Yos.h.i.+no-san?”
”Right. Oh, wait, did I say Yumi-san's name?”
”Huh? Ahh, yeah, you said it just before, Minako-sama.”
Danger, danger. She had to take care, otherwise she would leak the gossip about Yumi-san.
”Really? I wonder. Anyway, it's not important. What do you think about that grouping?”
”Well....”
I want to hear more about this, she thought. How did Yos.h.i.+no-san get mixed in with Yumi-san's first date? When they had met at the ticket gate, she hadn't heard a peep about Yos.h.i.+no-san.
”Yumi-san and the others don't have anything to do with the treasure hunt prize, so we should keep that quiet...”
”You're being naive, Tsutako-san. A reporter must never turn away from a story. Everything you gather becomes material. If we can pin down Sachiko-san's group that becomes insurance in case we can't find s.h.i.+mako-san.”
”Ohh, insurance.”
Even if they did find s.h.i.+mako-san's group, the collected material would probably all be used in a story. That was how Minako-sama worked.
”Eye-witness account of the Rosa Chinensis en bouton sisters day off!” sprung to mind.
Good grief, she shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't a newspaper reporter but she was a photographer. If good material rolled her way, she wouldn't hesitate to pick it up. No, she understood quite well.
A bus was stopped at the bus-stop in front of the station.
Tsutako idly thought 'If I got on this, it would take me to school,' as she was reading the destination display. Right now, a young woman was being sucked into the entrance.
(Hmm?)
Again, she got the feeling that it was a face that she knew. Unfortunately, it wasn't either s.h.i.+
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