Chapter 36: Preference for Long Black Hair

Utaha twirled in front of Ichin and asked, "How about this one?"

"It looks really nice," Ichin replied, giving her a thumbs up after admiring her outfit. "It suits you well, but perhaps it might look even better with a different hairstyle?"

Given that Ichin had experience with art-related work during his time developing games in his past life, his aesthetic sense wasn't too shabby.

"A different hairstyle?" Utaha tilted her head slightly and brushed her long, straight black hair with her fingers. "Then tell me, what kind of hairstyle do you think would look better?"

"It doesn't need to be anything too complicated," Ichin mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe some curls would work... no, wait, on second thought, keep it as it is. It looks great right now."

Utaha smiled and narrowed her eyes at Ichin. "Ah, does Ichin-kun prefer long, straight black hair?"

Ichin nodded honestly. "Yeah, compared to other hairstyles, I do prefer long, straight black hair. And you, Kasumigaoka, really suit it. Other styles just—"

After mentally imagining a few alternatives, Ichin firmly stated, "They wouldn't look as good as your current hairstyle."

Ichin's straightforward confession left Utaha feeling a bit embarrassed. She brushed her hair behind her ear and turned toward the fitting room. "I'll go try on another outfit."

Was she shy?

If Ichin wasn't mistaken, Utaha's ears had turned a bit red. It seemed that even she could get flustered.

Shaking his head, Ichin waited patiently.

Inside the fitting room, Utaha didn't start changing immediately. Instead, she sat down and tried to calm herself. She gently held a lock of her long hair, speaking quietly to herself, "So he likes long, straight black hair, huh? When he first mentioned that another hairstyle might suit the dress, I was considering trying something new. But then he said that… It's so like Ichin-kun to be so open about his preferences. It's not bad, though."

Determined to keep her hair well-maintained, Utaha began changing clothes.

For the next half hour, Ichin was treated to an endless fashion show as Utaha tried on one outfit after another. From Bohemian styles to British chic, she showcased a variety of looks, each giving Ichin a fresh perspective.

In the end, though, Utaha only purchased a light blue dress.

"Only one?" Ichin asked, taking the shopping bag handed over by the clerk. "There were a few others you seemed to really like."

Smiling, Utaha replied, "We still have several more stores to visit, so there's no rush."

"Alright," Ichin agreed.

After visiting three more shops, Utaha bought two more outfits and even picked up a jacket for her mother.

Passing by a lingerie store, Utaha glanced at Ichin and asked, "Ichin-kun, do you want to go in here?"

"Huh?" Ichin was momentarily confused until he turned to look at the store she meant. Feeling a bit awkward, he replied, "Please, don't tease me like that. I can't accompany you in there."

"Don't worry. I was just mentioning it—I wasn't planning to buy anything today."

Well, thank goodness. I wouldn't even know how to react, Ichin thought, letting out a sigh of relief. He then asked, "We came out today to do some research, but so far, it's just been shopping. Do you have other plans?"

"Of course I do! I've saved those for the afternoon," Utaha said brightly. "But for now, let's find a restaurant for lunch. It's already midday."

Time had flown by as they visited one store after another, and lunchtime had arrived before they knew it.

Ichin and Utaha left the mall and headed to a popular nearby restaurant for lunch. After eating and resting for a bit, they came out of the restaurant and found themselves in front of a movie theater.

"Going to watch a movie?" Ichin asked.

"That's right," Utaha nodded as she led the way into the theater. After storing their shopping bags in a locker, they headed toward the ticket counter together. "There's a scene in my novel that involves watching a movie, so I wanted to experience it firsthand. Plus, it's been a while since I've been to the theater. Ichin-kun, do you have a movie you want to watch? I'll let you decide this time!"

"A movie, huh?" Ichin hadn't kept up with recent releases due to school and spending most of his time developing games at home. He glanced over the list of currently playing films and noticed one that piqued his interest.

Free Guy? 

Ichin vaguely remembered seeing trailers for it before leaving the country. So it was out already, huh?

He suggested, "How about Free Guy? I don't think you've seen it yet. I'm pretty interested in it."

Utaha's eyes fell on the title after Ichin mentioned it. It seemed to be related to games.

"As expected of you, Ichin-kun," Utaha teased, smiling. "Even when we're out to watch a movie, you're still thinking about games."

"Sorry, occupational hazard," Ichin said helplessly. "If you'd rather pick something else, I can always watch this one later."

"No need, let's go with this one," Utaha decisively told the ticket agent, "Are there seats left for the 2:30 screening?"

"Yes, there are. Please choose your seats," the ticket agent replied, and a seating chart appeared on the screen in front of them. However, many seats were already taken.

After scanning the screen, Utaha noted, "There aren't many good seats left."

The ticket agent offered a suggestion, "If you prefer, we have a special screening room with couples' seats available for the 2:30 show. However, the tickets are a bit more expensive. Would you be interested?"

"Couples' seats?" Utaha's eyes lit up at the mention. "Let's go with that! Let me pick the seats."

She turned to Ichin with a smile. "It's all for research, you know. Research!"

Yeah, right. Like I'm buying that.

However, since Utaha was insistent, Ichin had no objections. He let her choose the seats and took out his wallet to pay for the tickets.

When Ichin paid first, Utaha seemed a bit surprised but quickly accepted it with a pleased expression. With their tickets in hand, the two found seats in the waiting area to pass the time until the show started. It wasn't even 2:00 yet, so they had a while before the screening.

As they sat down, Utaha's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she faced Ichin. "Ichin-kun, what do you think the couples' seats will be like?"

"What else could they be? Probably just two seats pushed together without a divider between them," Ichin replied.

"Oh my, Ichin-kun seems pretty knowledgeable about this," Utaha leaned forward playfully. "Have you been to one before?"

…