Outfitting for the Next Round

Miyuki stared in the tall mirror at the girl looking back at her. She turned to the left and to the right, studying how the ruffled azure sundress looked on her. “I’m coming out now,” she informed Jin, who was waiting outside of the small fitting room. On the way over, she had grabbed a few different sun hats that matched the dresses she was about to try on. Paired with the dress she currently wore was a grey-blue hat with a darker ribbon tied to the base.

The door unlatched and Miyuki walked out with her hands clasped in front of her. “What do you think?”

Jin stared at her, drinking in her image. “It… looks good,” he said after a delay. “It suits you.”

“It does,” she agreed with a slight nod, “but I don’t think it’s quite what I need for the photoshoot. I like it a lot, though, so I might buy it for a different occasion.”

She stepped back into the changing room and carefully swapped outfits, this time slipping on the pink spotted dress. As she adorned her head with a rosy pink hat, she admired herself once again in the mirror. This outfit didn’t appeal to her as much as the previous had, but it still brought out some of her charms.

“How about this one?” She squeezed through the door.

“I think it’s cute,” Jin commented.

“Cute like a child or something more mature?” Miyuki asked sheepishly.

“A little bit of both, I think,” Jin answered, focusing his attention on the outfit.

Miyuki showed Jin a few more outfits, most of them not particularly impressive as she would have liked. Finally, she exited the room, wearing a yellow dress with a sky-blue ribbon tied around her waist. A wide-brim hat of straw sat angled on the top of her head.

Jin turned around when he heard the door open and his eyes widened. For some reason, Miyuki could pull off almost anything. But this dress especially radiated youthful beauty from her. From the way the ribbon ties the loose dress tightly to her waist, to the shadows cast upon her hair from her headwear, everything about her shined.

Her hands were behind her back and she leaned forward, eager for Jin’s opinion. “Do you like it…?”

It took a moment for him to catch the breath needed to respond. “It’s great… You look stunning. No wonder you’re so famous.”

Miyuki’s whole countenance lit up as if she were a child watching a firework show. “Really? I’m honored you feel that way,” her entire face flushed red like a radish. “This will look perfect for the photoshoot. We managed to find it quick,” she gave Jin a smile before bouncing back into the changing room.

With the door shut, she could take a moment to herself. She leaned her back against the dark wooden door, and her breathing was quick. Reflecting on Jin’s compliment urged her heart to run a marathon. It beat faster than Miyuki has experienced in a long time. ‘He said I looked stunning! Does that mean he likes me…? Or is he just being nice…?’ Miyuki shook her head to organize her thoughts.

Even after she had switched back to her own clothes, her mind could not stay away from what Jin had said. Gathering up the clothing she had brought in, she stood in front of the door. A few deep breaths helped her to calm her beating heart.

She pushed the door open and stepped out, holding the clothes in her arm. “L-let’s go put some of these back.” Miyuki brushed past Jin and marched toward the summer section to return all but the first and last outfits she had modeled.

It was convenient that there were workers stationed on each floor for customers to purchase items from. Miyuki approached the lady and placed the two dresses and hats on the counter in front of her.

“Did you find everything okay?” The worker smiled as she scanned the tags on the items.

“I did, yes,” Miyuki responded. “How are you doing?”

“Good, thank you for asking. That will be thirty-four thousand yen.”

Miyuki rummaged through her bag for some money and handed the required amount to the cashier, who then bagged the purchased items and handed them to Miyuki with a smile.

“Enjoy your day!”

“You as well,” Miyuki returned the smile.

Jin followed her to the escalators and stopped on the step behind her. Their descent was slow, and no words were shared until they stepped onto the floor below.

Miyuki glanced over to Jin at the base of the escalator. “There’s something I forgot to ask earlier… What were your thoughts on our performance?”

Jin walked beside Miyuki as they made their way out of the building. “I thought it was good. You must have put a lot of thought into those lyrics.”

“We did,” she nodded. “Did they resonate with you?”

“A little bit,” he said. The glass doors split open for the two’s departure.

“Please come again,” said a cheerful employee from nearby.

Outside, the warm summer air was refreshing after the time they spent in the overly air-conditioned store. Electronic billboards covered the many tall buildings, advertising countless shops and products “Just a little bit?” Miyuki asked.

“It reminded me of some of the time we’ve spent together, both recently and as kids,” he said. They joined the busy sidewalk traffic, forced to walk the same pace as everyone else. People moved all around them like ants marching toward food. “Though I suppose that’s where you got your inspiration from.”

Miyuki exhaled in disappointment. “You’re not great at sharing your feelings, are you?”

“Huh? Where’s that coming from?”

“Knowing your thoughts is good, but I want to know how you felt about it,” she emphasized. “Can you go over that a little more?”

“How I felt…?” Jin stared at the clouds in the sky, lost in thought. “I guess I felt like our time together recently has been meaningful.”

Miyuki tilted her head. “Meaningful? You didn’t think so before?”

“I just felt like I might’ve been too boring for you,” he breathed. “Most weeks I wonder why you still keep coming. But your song let me know that isn’t true.”

A slight blush was painted on Miyuki’s cheeks, touched that her song helped him realize at least some of her affection for him. “I didn’t know you felt that way…”

“Anyway,” Jin abruptly changed the topic, “good luck on your photoshoot.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll do my best. Thank you for coming shopping with me today.”