Chapter 222: Shopping with the Girls

Chapter 222: Shopping with the Girls

"Want to take a stroll around the city? Buy some winter clothes."

Yukima Azuma asked.

As long as the White Album 2 plan is completed before the winter Comiket, it's fine.

Right now, Laplace has a lot of personnel, and the timeline is similar to summer, but there's actually no need to rush.

"Winter clothes, huh? Then I'll go call Mafuyu-sensei."

Yukinoshita Yukino said and was about to go upstairs to call Kirisu Mafuyu.

However, before she could stand up—

Yukima Azuma had already stood up first.

He placed his hand on Yukinoshita's shoulder, pressing her back down onto the chair.

Yukima Azuma smiled and said:

"I'll go call Kirisu-sensei. You all can discuss which shopping district to visit."

"Compared to you girls, I'm completely clueless about shopping."

Yukinoshita Yukino blinked in surprise.

In reality, she wasn't very familiar with strolling around the city either.

Before entering university, all her clothes were custom-made by the Yukinoshita family.

After graduating from university and leaving home—

She never really had time to go shopping.

Yukino also didn't care much about it.

After all, she had never had anyone to go shopping with before.

But since Yukima Azuma had said so, she sat back down.

...

Yukima Azuma walked towards the staircase.

A month had passed.

Who knows what state Sensei's room had turned into by now?

It was better for him to go.

Might as well help that clumsy sensei tidy up a little.

Reaching Kirisu Mafuyu's door, Yukima Azuma knocked.

Inside, Mafuyu's slightly flustered voice rang out.

"Wh-Who is it?"

"It's me, Kirisu-sensei."

Hearing Yukima Azuma's voice—

Only then did the door crack open slightly.

Kirisu Mafuyu peeked her head out, glancing around the hallway.

Seeing that it was only Yukima Azuma standing there, she finally opened the door fully.

"Kirisu-sensei looks like she's hiding a lover in her room, acting so guilty."

(≖⩊≖)

Yukima Azuma couldn't help but tease, laughing.

Hearing that, Mafuyu shot Azuma a glare.

(≖_≖)

This troublesome student...

He even dares to tease his teacher!

The room wasn't as messy as Yukima Azuma had imagined.

After cleaning up multiple times, while Kirisu Mafuyu still couldn't arrange things in an orderly manner—

At the very least, she had learned to keep everything from falling into chaos.

Yukima Azuma casually tidied up a bit.

At the same time, he told Kirisu Mafuyu:

"Oh, everyone's planning to go out for a bit."

"The season's changing, so let's go buy some winter clothes."

Hearing that, Kirisu Mafuyu nodded slightly.

She didn't actually have many casual outfits.

As a teacher at Toyogasaki, she was almost always dressed in professional attire.

But after all, she was still a woman—

And no woman dislikes looking good.

What woman ever thinks she has too many clothes?

After finishing tidying up, the two of them left the room.

Going downstairs, they saw the other girls already ready to head out.

"You're surprisingly free today, huh? What are you butting into this for?"

(¬_¬)

Getting close to Haruno, Yukima Azuma lowered his voice and asked.

Being bluntly told to leave, Haruno didn't seem upset at all.

On the contrary, she maintained her enigmatic smile.

"I specifically took the day off today. After not seeing you for a month, how could I leave so quickly?"

(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

Yukima Azuma rolled his eyes.

With all the girls here, it wasn't convenient for him to chase her away either.

He might as well pretend this woman didn't exist during the rest of the trip.

Watching the two whispering to each other—

Kato Megumi became even more certain of her suspicions.

This scent—was the scent of a thieving cat!

These two definitely had something going on!

(≖ᴗ≖ ✿)

...

Minato Ward, Shopping District.

The shopping district here wasn't as famous as Ginza.

However, many prestigious custom-order brands had stores here, while Ginza did not.

After all, Ginza was Tokyo's commercial hub—

Mainly catering to tourists and the general public.

Though there were quite a few luxury brands—

Most of them still sold high-end goods that ordinary people could afford.

Meanwhile, the shopping district in Minato Ward—

Was mostly membership-based.

Eriri had a card here.

Haruno had one too.

If Yukino hadn't left home, she would probably have one as well.

But it didn't matter—Yukino had money now.

Shopping wasn't exactly a lighthearted recreational activity.

Usually, only women found enjoyment in it.

But when accompanying a group of Bishoujo—

Yukima Azuma had a different kind of pleasure.

Watching the girls try on outfits of different styles—

Was already a feast for him.

"Swipe the card."

Handing the black card to the staff, Yukima Azuma didn't even glance at the price.

"Sir, which outfit would you like to purchase?"

The female staff hesitated slightly.

After all, the girls had tried on quite a few outfits.

"All the ones they tried on—buy them all. Ship them to this address."

Like an arrogant Young Master who saw money as mere leaves—

Yukima Azuma waved his hand, extravagantly beyond reason.

(︶︿︶)_

Casually, he wrote down Yukima's home address for the staff.

Shopping at high-end stores like these had its perks—no need to carry the bags yourself.

The female staff, whose eyes had turned into dollar signs, quickly grabbed the card and dashed off.

(｡$ ᵕ $ )

This was a massive order.

The commission alone might be enough to live on for months.

"Isn't this a bit too much?"

Kato Megumi leaned in close to Yukima Azuma, lowering her voice.

She originally wasn't very interested in trying on clothes—

But Eriri had dragged her into trying on a few.

Now, she had finally slipped away while no one was paying much attention.

Kato Megumi had seen the prices of these clothes.

Even though, thanks to the profits from White Album, she was now a little rich young lady herself—

The numbers on the price tags still made her feel a little dizzy.

Spending habits weren't something that could change overnight.

"Everyone looked great in the outfits they tried on, so we might as well buy them all."

"Besides, the clothes you all have tried—I don't want anyone else to buy them."

( ︶◡︶)_

Yukima Azuma said with a smile.

Kato Megumi blinked her brown eyes.

"Honestly, Azuma-san, aren't you being a little too possessive?"

"Am I?" Yukima Azuma wasn't self-aware at all.

Kato Megumi nodded.

Then, she suddenly changed the subject.

"What's with Haruno-san?"

Normally, Kato Megumi wasn't the type to casually call people by name.

But with two people in the house sharing the surname Yukinoshita—

Calling them by their last name wouldn't differentiate who was who.

Yukima Azuma froze slightly at the question.

He wanted to change the topic...

But when his gaze met those captivating brown eyes—

It became a little difficult to lie.

"There was a small conflict in the past."

(,,¬﹏¬,,)

"Ex-girlfriend?" Kato Megumi guessed.

( ≖‿ ≖ )

She already knew that both Kasumigaoka-senpai and Eriri had been this boy's ex-girlfriends.

Though she felt that for someone as mature as Haruno, there wouldn't be anything in common with him—

But with his charm…

If it really was that kind of relationship, it wouldn't be too unbelievable.

Yukima Azuma choked for a moment and coughed awkwardly, then decisively shook his head.

"Cough cough… No!"

Kato Megumi blinked in surprise.

Not?

That made it even stranger.

She didn't think Yukima Azuma would lie to her.

After all, this guy—

Could even say outright that he wanted to start a harem.

Thinking about that…

Kato Megumi lost interest in questioning further.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"Azuma-san, you decide for yourself. I don't want to bother managing a light novel harem protagonist who's all over the place."

"But if Yukino-san finds out in the future, things definitely won't end well."

"When that time comes, my shoulder will be here if you need it."

With a soft hmpf, Kato Megumi ran off toward Eriri and the other girls.

Yukima Azuma stood there, feeling both amused and helpless.

Was Kato Megumi hoping he'd fall… or hoping he wouldn't?

But still, Megumi had a point.

If Yukino found out about Haruno…

With Yukino's personality, she would definitely be furious.

On the other side—

"Sis!" Yukino bit her red lips lightly.

Annoyed, she stared straight at her older sister.

Meanwhile, Haruno grinned while holding a revealing backless sweater in her hands.

"Listen to me, this is an enhancement for your charm."

"A girl's weapons—it'd be a shame not to use them."

"If you want to hold onto a guy's heart, this is a must-have."

"Yukino-chan, you have to work hard, or it'll be really hard to become the main wife."

(≖⩊≖)

Yukino wavered slightly at those words.

Not because of the so-called weapons of a girl—

But because of the part about holding onto his heart.

Her gaze unconsciously fell on the seductive backless sweater.

But she quickly realized something was off.

"Main wife? What are you even talking about? Stop saying nonsense."

Hearing this, Haruno simply smiled nonchalantly.

These ideas couldn't be changed with just a few words.

But… they could slowly take root over time.

It was a little mischievous, sure.

But if it meant her little sister had to struggle a bit—

In the end, wouldn't everyone be happy?

Haruno's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the three young girls in the distance—along with the mature female teacher.

Now, she could understand Yukima Azuma.

If she were a guy instead—

With girls like these around, she definitely wouldn't be able to let go of a single one.

Not even talking about beauty and appearance—each of them was a stunning beauty at first glance.

More importantly, after spending time with them—

They were all genuinely wonderful people.

Letting them slip away… would be far too much of a waste.

...

Kirisu Mafuyu, after trying on two outfits, didn't pick up any more.

Trying on clothes was too exhausting.

She had changed so much that her movements had become clumsy.

Stepping out of the fitting room, she walked over to Yukima Azuma.

Kirisu Mafuyu planned to just stand there with him and wait for the girls to finish.

"Kirisu-sensei, that was rough on you."

Yukima Azuma, seeing through Kirisu Mafuyu's thoughts, teased her with a grin:

"You're such a troublesome student."

Kirisu Mafuyu reached out and pinched his cheek lightly.

( ＾◡＾)っ(,,>﹏<,,)

She had a feeling that—

The dignity of a teacher had completely disappeared.

Now, this troublesome student was just being cheeky in front of her.

As they talked, Kirisu Mafuyu's gaze swept across the nearby area.

Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure.

Seeing Kirisu Mafuyu freeze, Yukima Azuma followed her gaze.