Love Advice: Beginner’s Edition

“Please, do your best, Sensei!”

“Stop calling me Sensei…”

On my day off, I came to the station area because Akitsu asked me to help pick out clothes.

“Eh, but you’re Manami-chan’s Sensei, right?”

“Well…”

“Kouki-nii’s great at being a Sensei!”

“Really? Well, for today, you’re kinda like my Sensei, then.”

“Ha…”

Akitsu asked me to pick out clothes that suit Hayato’s taste—basically, something close to Aisa’s style. I knew I’d struggle on my own, so I called Manami for backup.

At first, I thought about asking Aisa herself to come, but she shot that idea down. Well, I guess even Akitsu would feel awkward doing this in front of Aisa…

“Anyway, I brought plenty of pocket money, so I’m counting on you, Kouki-kun!”

“Got it.”

With the unusual trio of Akitsu, Manami, and me, the shopping trip kicked off.

◇

“By the way, don’t you think Rikako-senpai’s kinda cute?”

While we waited for Akitsu to come out of the fitting room, Manami suddenly dropped that comment.

“Cute…?”

I mean, sure, her face is pretty, and she’s super popular with the guys, but something about the nuance feels off.

“Like, I don’t know… she’s got this pure, innocent vibe? Or maybe she’s just super earnest? That innocence kinda reminds me of Onee-chan, and it makes me think she’d be easy to win over.”

“If Manami’s predictions are right, that’d be great.”

No matter how popular Akitsu is, the guy she’s aiming for is the grade’s top-tier heartthrob. No telling how it’ll go, but I’ll do what I can to help.

As we were talking, Akitsu pulled back the fitting room curtain.

“H-How do I look…?”

Akitsu stepped out, her cheeks flushed.

The outfit was one Manami had picked as a candidate, and I’d chosen something from her suggestions that felt like Aisa’s style…

“It’s cute!”

“Ehehe, thanks, Manami-chan!”

Akitsu generally looks good in anything, but her usual style leans toward flashy. She comes off a bit like a gyaru at first glance, but today’s outfit had a calm, refined cuteness—yep, very Aisa-like.

“I’m not really used to these super girly clothes… all the frills kinda throw me off…”

“It’s not that frilly, is it?”

“But still…”

“Relax, it looks good on you.”

“Ugh…”

Honestly, I bet Akitsu actually likes this kind of outfit.

She might’ve hesitated to pick it herself, but I could tell her eyes kept drifting toward these clothes as we walked around. Plus, she was practically bouncing when she went to try them on.

Yeah, like Manami said, there’s a certain pure, adorable charm to her.

“Rikako-senpai, how about this one next? Kouki-nii’s been sneaking glances at it, so it’s probably a winner!”

“Huh?”

Manami, who’d apparently been tracking my every glance, shoved the clothes—and Akitsu—back into the fitting room.

From inside, I heard Akitsu’s voice…

“Wait!? This is a bit much…”

“What’d you hand her…?”

“Hmm? That sexy one Kouki-nii was eyeing earlier.”

“…”

Oh, that one I thought looked kinda like a cheongsam…?

“Hey, don’t you think Onee-chan would look good in it?”

“Well…”

I couldn’t help but picture it.

“Rikako-senpai’s cute too, so I wanna see her try it! And since their sizes seem the same, if we don’t buy it, we could always give it to Onee-chan as a souvenir…”

“Oh…”

If it’s a souvenir, Aisa would probably wear it.

As we chatted, Akitsu’s voice came through the curtain.

“Um… this is a bit too much…”

“It’s cute, though!”

“Manami-chan, seriously!?”

Manami casually poked her head into the fitting room, and her voice carried out… Now I’m curious…

“You should let Kouki-nii see it too!”

“No way… I’m too embarrassed to even open the curtain. If I can’t wear it without hesitating, there’s no way I’d buy it…”

“Come on, just open the curtain and let’s see!”

“Ugh…”

Overpowered by Manami’s insistence, the curtain slid open.

Standing there was…

“Ugh, just save this kind of thing for Aisa, okay!?”

Akitsu, face blazing red, clutched her body as if shielding herself.

“If you showed this to Hayato, he’d fall for you on the spot, wouldn’t he…?”

“No way that’d happen!”

Her face, which I thought couldn’t get any redder, somehow flushed deeper. Apparently hitting her limit, she yanked the curtain shut with a sharp whoosh.

“Well, if you can pull that off, the earlier outfit should be no problem, right?”

“Okay, fine, you’ve got a point… Wait, was that your plan all along, Manami-chan?”

“Hehe! Alright, then the last one’s for Kouki-nii to buy for Onee-chan to wear! Pick out a color, Kouki-nii!”

And just like that, both Akitsu and I got played by Manami’s schemes. Before we knew it, the whirlwind shopping trip was over in a flash.