<Author's Comment>
Since I received a request for a "date with Yuzu" during the Miss Contest! This is a story from before they went to the training camp.
“Huh? Takkun, what are you doing?”
It was during the first half of summer vacation. As usual, Yuzu peeked into my room while eating a popsicle.
“Packing. I’m leaving for the training camp the day after tomorrow.”
“Training camp? For what?”
“Club activities.”
“Heh!? Takkun, you actually joined a club!?”
“Yeah, well...”
Yuzu-shi’s mouth hung open in shock at my vague response.
“Ho— so that’s how it is, I didn’t know...! Wait, uh, so, I suspect this might be the case, but...”
She pointed at my hand with the same hand holding the popsicle.
“...Are you planning to wear those clothes?”
“Yeah, but...?”
I reflexively looked down at the band T-shirt I was holding before looking back at Yuzu.
“............!”
Yuzu was trembling and her mouth was still wide open. What, do I need to explain?
“Um, I bought this T-shirt during a live concert at Zepp Tokyo, though...?”
“............!?”
Yuzu slowly shook her head. Apparently, she was at a loss for words.
“Um, Yuzu-san, what’s wrong...?”
“I’m so speechless at how lame it is, it’s Zekku Tokyo...”
“...Huh?”
The moment I doubted my ears because of the sudden cold pun, she started ranting all at once, as if making up for her silence.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Those kinds of clothes are only allowed to be shown inside the house as pajamas! Even that band didn’t make that shirt with the intention of having people wear it normally!”
“Is that so...?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Definitely!”
She nodded violently and repeatedly.
“Takkun, let's go buy some clothes!?”
The popsicle in her right hand was melting and invading her palm, but she didn't care. She turned pale and clung to me.
“No, but, it doesn't really matter what I look like, does it?”
“It does matter! Yuzu doesn't want to live as the younger sister of such a lame person!”
“Don't say you don't want to live, you don't have to go that far... Besides, if I buy clothes, I'll lose money...”
“If you go in such lame clothes, you'll lose something even more important!?”
She continued her persuasion with her eyes wide open.
“Something more important, like what...?”
“Like a future girlfriend!”
“I wouldn't have one either way... Hey, don't touch me with those sticky hands...”
“Whose fault do you think it is that they're sticky!?”
“It’s your fault!”
The Rascal within me peeked out for a moment.
Well, as it turns out, there was no point in an older brother resisting his younger sister. For now, I came with Yuzu to the representative shopping center of Ichinatsu Town.
Apparently, a long time ago, it was Japan's first outlet mall, but with the rise of other major outlet malls and large supermarkets, it eventually declined and went out of business as an outlet. After renovations, it is now a regular outdoor shopping center.
“You said a clothing store, but which store should we go to? Nitori?”
I tilted my head in front of the store directory near the entrance.
“Nitori is a furniture store... Hmm, though, Yuzu isn't that familiar with men's clothing stores either.”
“Men's? What’s with that urban way of saying it...”
“Now, now, let's just walk around for now!”
I followed the energetic girl as she scouted the clothing stores one by one.
At a certain store.
“Welcome~?”
“Hic...”
I felt something terrifying in the clerk's fawning voice and cringed.
On the other hand, Yuzu didn't mind at all and walked straight into the center of the store. Eh, she doesn't have enough money to buy anything decent, so why can she be so composed?
“It's summer right now, right?”
“I guess so...”
And why is she suddenly saying something so obvious...?
“So, I think you should just buy about three T-shirts, and for pants, the jeans you already have are fine.”
“No, that's why I said I already have the T-shirts I bought at the band's live concert at home. Those are cool.”
“............”
Why is she speechless again...?
“I get it already...”
So, the problem is that the band's name is on it, right?
Thinking that, I looked around.
“Oh.”
I found a perfect T-shirt.
“How about this one?”
“Ugh...”
It said 'Everyday is good!' on it.
“If you translate it, it's just 'Daily life is good'... What is this tasteless English that doesn't resonate at all... Do you really think this is okay?”
“Stop, don't look at me with those eyes...”
What's wrong with it? Daily life is good...
In the end, we visited several stores and bought three T-shirts.
By the way, every time I gave an opinion, it was rejected, so halfway through, I cleared my mind and did exactly as Yuzu said.
“Maybe Yuzu should buy something too.”
Yuzu, feeling like she had finished her job, entered a specialty hat store. She put on a baseball cap and looked at herself from various angles in the mirror.
“Why a baseball cap? Because it's summer?”
“No, it's not a baseball cap, it's a 'cap.' It's embarrassing, so please just stop and don't say a word, Takkun.”
“O-Oh...”
You don't have to reject me that much...
As I flinched,
“That design over there~ is a unisex model~ so the two of you can share it~ and since there are plenty of color variations~ you can even do a pair look with different colors~”
The clerk smoothly spoke to us from behind, making my shoulders jump.
“Y-Yes...!?”
...I mean, did this person just say sex!? In broad daylight, why did they say sex!?
“Ah, there’s no reason for me to match with this person.”
Ignoring my inner turmoil, Yuzu replied bluntly.
“Ah~ is that so~... Then~ please take your time~”
The clerk smiled with a slightly awkward face and left to attend to someone else.
“Hey, Yuzu, earlier that person said se... sex...”
“Seriously, don't open your mouth anymore.”
She glared at me from under the brim of her hat.
Ugh, she's scary...
After finishing Yuzu's baseba... cap shopping, we went out to the main street in the shopping center.
“Yuzu wants to eat a crepe.”
Then, Yuzu pointed at a food truck parked there with a sullen look. Apparently, the incident at the hat store was still lingering.
“Um, which one do you want to eat?”
With a sigh, I took out my wallet, and she started a serious staring contest with the crepe shop's menu.
“Hmm...”
When Yuzu starts agonizing over things like this, it takes a really long time.
“Here, take this.”
“Mm.”
I pressed a 500-yen coin into Yuzu's hand as she kept her face buried in the menu, and then I sat on a bench a little further away.
“It's hot...”
I fanned my face with my hand and looked up at the sky.
Blue sky, white clouds. Hmm, it really feels like summer...
...No, it's actually incredibly hot. We're outdoors. Yuzu-chan, please buy it quickly...
Is she still struggling? When I looked back toward Yuzu, she was being talked to by a pair of tanned boys in tank tops.
Are they her friends? My sister really is popular. I'm not good with those types... As I was thinking that, Yuzu glanced over here.
“...?”
“T-Takkun!”
...Yes?
At the sound of Yuzu's panicked voice, I stood up for the time being and approached them.
“Yuzu, what's wrong?”
When I spoke up,
“Ah, she had a companion with her. Well then...!” “Yeah, see ya...!”
Saying that, the tanned boys walked away.
“What, are they your friends?”
“N-No, they're strangers... They said they'd treat me to crepes and asked if I wanted to go hang out...”
“Huh?”
What was that? What middle school are those guys from? Don't go around hitting on people in our hometown.
“Whew, that was scary...”
Wiping away her cold sweat with the back of her right hand, she had, at some point, tightly grabbed my wrist with her left hand.
“Yuzu is not good with those types...”
“Hoh... I thought you didn't have any weaknesses.”
I was watching her, thinking she said something unexpected, when she looked up at me and grinned.
“For Yuzu, even if he's lame, Takkun is more reassuring...” she said.
“Well, I mean, we're family after all...”
Why is she going out of her way to say something so obvious?
But anyway, I'm glad she seems to be in a better mood.
Now I can ask the thing that’s been bothering me.
“So, why did the clerk at the hat store say se...?”
“I told you to never open your mouth again!”