Chapter 7 – Yukata Is Not a Weapon

Shun Yamada, a peculiar man also known as Mr Yamada to his students. No matter how hard he tried he could not fully look the role of an average person, let alone a teacher. Even though he wore fake glasses and a nice enough suit, it all felt out of place. Unable to hide the man underneath, everything about him was a facade to hide a man with a complicated past.

Yamada sensei awoke early everyday at 5 AM exact. Being accustomed to a strict routine, this wasn’t something he was able to break. Getting out of bed with urgency, the moment his feet hit the cold floor he was ready. Running out the door, he took his usual hiking route.

Yamada believed he needed to be strong in both the physical and mental. This is why every morning he ran for 2 KM or until he got too where he needed. Practising martial arts and meditating were also no exception to his daily routine.

No exception to any other morning, he ran down the broken in path along the fields edge. In the middle of his hike around just when he reached grassy clearing, his phone started mysteriously ringing. Skeptical of a phone call at this time, most ordinary people would still be asleep. Slowly his pace as he reached into his pocket, Yamada had a suspicion of who it might be.

“Why are you calling me?”

“Shun, it’s been awhile.”

“It hasn’t been long enough.”

Not wanting to continue this conversation, Yamada prepared to hang up the call. His past was something he did not feel like reliving at this point.

“Listen, there is something I would like you to reconsider.”

“Do not ever call me again.”

“Shun there is going to be an event-”

Click

Taking in a deep breathe of the cold morning air, Yamada surveyed the landscape below. This was the same running path he took everyday. The large valley below opened up to a large green field. Wrapping around the edge of the grass, the trail circled it’s perimeter. Each morning a thick fog always covered the ground that refused to lift. Taking in the view, Yamada felt like there was too much from his past he didn’t want to relive.

Removing his hands from his pocket, scars trailing down his forearm were whitened from the cold. Scars he always hid, they were part of a past he left behind. Mr. Yamada was his new identity now, the lovable school teacher. But no matter how hard he tried, he didn't’ feel like the image fit. He felt no one would truly understand what he had been through.

Stretching his legs before continuing, the morning resumed as he re-started his run. He had all the time in the world now.

“Lets go, Mr Yamada...”

Arriving late to school this morning Haruki and Rena had stayed up too late the night before. This wasn’t something they had planned, but Rena had hard time sleeping. Non-stop questions about the upcoming festival as well as other things they had learned, kept her wide awake.

“Are we really going?”

“Is it really about me Nyaa~?

“What kind of things will we do there?”

Before they knew it, the night had turned to the next day. Even when she finally settled down, Rena still had trouble getting comfortable. Asking Haruki to snuggle next to her, she didn’t like feeling alone. Haruki being a gentleman, politely refused because, you never know what might happen.

Rushing to their classroom, they both hurriedly sat down and opened their books as if they were ready. Both entering at once with a dishevelled appearance, caused a bit of commotion in the class. Haruki knew it would be hard to continue playing it off like they were just friends.

Staring at the both out of breath, Mr Yamada thought it was quite obvious they were more than just normal classmates. The way Haruki tried to remain calm and play things off like it was normal, reminded Yamada of himself when he was younger. Laughing to himself about the whole situation, despite how he felt he had to do his job.

“Haruki and Rena, both of you are late. It’s important we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Both of you will be required to make up the time after class.”

“Yes sir!”

Responding at the same time, it was a bit embarrassing being made a spectacle, but there wasn’t much they could do.

“Haruki.”

“Yes, Mr Yamada!”

“It’s not proper to make other classmates late as well, please refrain from doing it again.”

“Sorry... Mr Yamada!”

If they weren’t already the talk of the class that morning, that final exchange sealed the nail in the coffin. Whispers among the classroom started to spread. All Haruki could do was try to hide his embarrassment. Mr Yamada noticed Haruki looking down awkwardly. Smiling as he turned around to face the board, he could tell what was growing between his students.

Rena was oblivious to what everyone was talking about and to her it was just a normal day. Sitting calmly in the seat next to Haruki, she happily hummed to herself. Her thoughts were still on the festival and what fun they would be having. As she sat cutely with her hair done up in two black bows, her tail joyously twitched beneath her skirt as she was lost in thought. Hardly able to contain her excitement about the event, it was all she could think about. She was sure there would be lots of fun things to do, and different types of food she had never tried before.

The classroom resumed normally with the rest of the lesson. Time seemed to drag on as everyone half paid attention to what was being said. Lunchtime started to draw near, and the closer it got the more impatient Rena grew. Finally the bell rang, signalling the most important time of the day for her, time to eat.

Jumping out of her seat the moment she heard the bell, she quickly grabbed her lunch box. Preparing to grab Haruki for the regular roof top date, she stopped to stretch out her stiff arms. Before making she could grab his attention, a conversation from the corner of the classroom caused her ears to perk. A group of girls she had never talked to before, were gossiping about the festival.

“What are you wearing this year? I found something with a really cute design.”

“I’m having a hard time deciding about what colour Yukata.”

“You’re always so indesicive about everything.”

“Sayuri, are you going to watch the fireworks with anyone.”

“So what if I am? At least I will be prepared. My Yukata will outdo everyone's”

It was hard for Rena to not eavesdrop when it came to a subject she was obsessing over. Hearing the topic of conversation however, caused Rena to panic.

Yukata... what is that. Should I have one?

Looking up and seeing that Rena was deep in thought, one of the two girls interrupted Rena’s concentration.

“Rena-chan, I bet you’re wearing something amazing for the festival.”

Sayuri Hoshizaki, a popular girl who was quite pretty and full of attitude. She had curly brown hair with perfectly styled bangs. Sayuri was always quite bold in her appearance and personality. Speaking in a harsher accent from the country side, she was always outspoken. But despite her stylish appearance, she couldn’t help being jealous of Rena natural beauty.

Thoughts filled with anxiety, Rena had never thought about what her outfit she might wear to the festival. It never occurred to her that everyone would be wearing something special, and that she should have planned to find something nice. Rena thought back to her torn outfit she had when she first arrived, she knew there was no way she could wear that.

Catching a glimpse of them talking, Mika Fujibayashi made her way towards the conversation. An overly enthusiastic and bubbly girl, Mika was never low on energy. With shoulder length dark hair and rare blue eyes right through you, her and Sayuri made the perfect duo.

“Ohh! Rena-chan, I bet you’re going to be really cute!”

“Nyaa~”

Anxiously letting out her own accent, Rena wasn’t sure how to answer both of the girls overwhelming compliments. Thankfully both the girls passed Rena’s speech as part of her being foreign.

“Actually... I don’t have anything special to wear...”

“You don’t have anything to wear!?”

Gasping as she spoke almost too loud, Sayuri’s voice was almost as dramatic as her body language as she crossed her arms. Glaring at Rena with look of confusion, she stepped in front of her desk and leaned forward. Rena slumped herself deeper into her seat.

“Why don’t you have a yukata?”

Mika asked with a bit more of a cute tone, as she stood next to Sayuri. Her large blue eyes big with panic as she also questioned Rena.

“I – I never thought about it...”

Rena’s explanation wasn’t enough to satisfy Sayuri. Dropping her hands on Rena’s desk while looking at her with disapproval. Sayuri could simply not accept what Rena was saying.

“Rena, this is the biggest event of the year, and YOU DIDN’T THINK ABOUT IT!?”

“I’m not an expert on human events, how was I supposed to know!?”

This time Rena stood up from her chair and leaned forward so her face was right in front of Sayuri’s. Standing her ground, she wasn’t going to be made fun of.

“Hahahaha, at least you’re funny.”

Taking a step back as she laughed at Rena’s interesting way of wording things, Sayuri felt as if she finally met someone who was on her level. Other people she had encountered up until now were too intimidated or scared to even question Sayuri’s judgment. As a result, the only friend Sayuri had was Mika, who was just too ditzy to even be bothered.

“Sayuri, this is a huge emergency, we need to do something about this!!”

Turning to face Sayuri as she expressed her concern. Mika knew there was no way they could let another girl as pretty as Rena go to the festival unprepared.

As her friend stared at her blankly, a slight smirk developed on Sayuri’s face. This would be a perfect excuse for her to show off her fashion ability, and help Rena at the same time.

“I think I know what to do! First, there’s no way you’re wearing that short black skirt to the Youen no Matsuri.”

“I I’ts not that short.”

“Yes it is, and way to tight!”

Casually flipping her hair while she battled opinions with Rena, Sayuri was going to make Rena her own personal project. Becoming friends and helping out the new cute exchange student would only increase her popularity among her class mates.

“...Anyways, you’re coming with us, so we can fix this situation.”

Unsure if she should accept their odd invitation, Rena glanced over at Haruki for help. Unbeknownst to her, Haruki was already making plans of his own with Daichi.

Still convinced that he needed to properly ask Rena on a date to the festival, Haruki was still feeling a bit anxious with the idea. This would be the first time he had taken a girl to an event as special as this and he didn’t want to mess things up. Even though she had already intended to go, he wanted to make his own intentions clear and ask her.

Part 2

Arriving at the mall after school, Haruki and Daichi were both hoping to find gifts for their potential dates. It was a custom to give something to your festival date. An important gesture Haruki did not want to skip. This was the last day before the festival and the only chance he would have to find something nice for Rena. Haruki was only hoping that bringing Daichi along would not be a nuisance.

Daichi was also in a predicament: trying to gain the attention of his target girl might prove to be difficult. Taking on the monumental task of asking someone like Sayuri on a festival date would not be easy. Not only was Sayuri high maintenance, she never agreed to be seen with anyone she didn’t feel worthy of her time.

Both boys on were on a mission of love, tasked with gaining the affection of their own target girls. As they walked through the busy shopping mall, staying focused on the task proved to be difficult. Everywhere was crowded with people who all had the same goal of the upcoming festival. Stores were set up with colourful clothing and unique looking masks were on display to attract customers. Finding the perfect gift idea would not be easy.

“Soo... Haruki my friend. Any idea’s about what we should get the lovely ladies?”

Overwhelmed from all the choices available, Haruki was unsure of where to even look first. Plus in the back of his mind he was still concerned with what Rena was doing. This was the first time he had left her alone at home. He knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but it still worried him that she might cause a fire in the kitchen or something. But he had no other choice, he couldn't let her ruin his surprise.

“Hmm... maybe we should get something they can wear?”

“...You mean like a flower or something?”

“No! Not a flower, every girl is going to be wearing something basic like that.”

“Right, so what then...?”

Haruki honestly had no clue what he was looking for. There had to be something special they could find in a place like this. Just as they were about to walk into a store, Haruki grabbed Daichi and stopped him from moving. He couldn’t believe what he just saw walk past.

Rena!? What is she doing here...?

Not only did Rena just walk past, but she was with two other girls from their class. One happened to be Sayuri, the most popular girl in school. The other was Mika, who wasn’t as popular but only hung around Sayuri.

Wait, how does she know them...

Why is she with Sayuri!?

There’s no way she could have known I was here.

Panic flooded his senses as the series of thoughts ran through his head. Shocked with disbelief as to how this whole situation arrised, Haruki was frozen in his tracks.

“Quick—! Haruki get down!!”

Daichi grabbed Haruki and pulled him back into the store directly behind them. The sudden aggressive movement caused them both to fall into a clothing rack. Daichi unfazed, held his friend down until the girls passed by without suspecting a thing.

“This is a danger zone now! If they see us our mission will be failed!!!”

Behaving as they were soldiers on a battlefield, Daichi was acting a bit over dramatic despite being right. Being found out at this stage would be detrimental to their plans.

“What are they doing here...?”

Peaking out of the clothing rack, Haruki whispered as the group of girls walked by.

“Not just what are they doing here, how do they know each other?”

Spying at the girls from inside the clothing rack, the two boys did not realize where they had ended up in. Too absorbed in the situation that was unfolding, they didn’t notice the sexy outfits on the rack surrounding them.

“Ara~ is there something I can do to help you two boys? Perhaps a cute outfit for your girlfriends?”

Interrupting their feeling of security from their hideout, they jumped from the sound of the flirtatious voice. Turning around, they both locked eyes with gorgeous feminine figure. Probably a bit older but still stunning, the woman leaned forward striking a cute pose. Smiling as she pointed at the lacy items on the clothing rack, she looked at them both inquisitively.

Turning bright red, both Haruki and Daichi realized where they had stepped into as they looked at the womens lingerie store. They were surrounded in a trap of red and pink women's underwear. It occurred to them they had escaped one battlefield only to land in unfamiliar territory.

“S–s–sorry, were good thanks....!”

Haruki grabbed Daichi this time, and dragged him boy the arm to the next war zone. Stumbling out of the clothing store, Haruki quickly observed the surroundings until he spotted a bench.

“Hahahaha....”

Daichi couldn’t help hysterically laughing as he was being pulled out of the store. Almost further causing a scene as he was quickly being moved to the bench.

“Well that was the wrong safe zone, Haruki!”

“Shhh... Come on.”

Sitting down on the bench, the boys took a moment to regroup and regain their calm. It took a moment before Haruki came up with a plan on how to handle the remainder of their mission. Standing back up and pointing towards a giant plan in the store hallway, Haruki grabbed his comrade. Weaving in between the crowd cautiously, they were like secret spys on a mission hoping to not get caught. Hiding behind the pot, they continued surveying the other party from between the plant leaves.

Oblivious to the fact that they were being watched, the group of girls continued their own mission while enjoying their girls day out.

Rena hummed cutely while she was munching on a stick of Dango that Sayuri had bought for her. Looking into all the colourful stores, Rena felt overwhelmed in a good way. Part of her felt like an average human girl out on a shopping trip with her friends. Rena breathed in the relaxing air around as she took another bite.

Sayuri and Mika were shopping for the same reason. To buy accessories and to help Rena look her best for the festival. Sayuri took pride in the fact that Rena valued her opinion on what to wear. There was no way she would let her go in anything less than a perfect yukata.

While wandering around Sayuri and Mika gossiped about boys as Rena was in awe of all the different sights. After setting their eyes on a large clothing store, the trio of girls decided to enter.

Haruki knew this was the only opportunity they would have to escape. Cautiously searching around for then next hiding point, they both noticed an interesting gift shop. Patting his friend on the back, Haruki prepared to run towards the entrance.

“This is our chance, lets move!”

Inside the gigantic clothing store Rena was in shock from the many amazing types of clothing and items on display. Glowing eyes fixated on everything, she looked like an excited small child who walked into a toy store for the first time.

Any young girl would obsess over the many items the store was filled with. Different styles of clothing with vibrant colours were arranged along the walls. This was the first time Rena had ever seen a place as big as this, or even been shopping with friends at all. She had of course been shopping with Haruki before at a small local shop, but it was nothing compared to this.

“Nyaaa~!”

Letting out a sound of amazement from the sheer awesomeness of it all. It was hard for Rena to contain her excitement.

Standing beside her, Sayuri turned her head slightly. Unsure if this was a reaction a normal person would have, she was left a bit suspicious.

“Rena, don’t tell me this is the first time you have been to a store like this?”

“...”

Awoken from her amazed state, Rena tried to come up with a response for the girl next to her. She had almost forgot that she couldn’t let anyone get too suspicious from her behaviour.

“Well... of course not! Haruki takes me shopping all the time!”

Taken by a bit of surprise from her statement, Sayuri batted her eyes while coming to grips with what was said.

“...You and Haruki go shopping together? You two must be really close.”

Mika who standing on the side of Rena, was also a bit shocked. From what her and Sayuri knew of Haruki, he did no usually talk to girls.

“Rena-chan are you and Haruki more than just friends?”

Rena blushed from the sudden ambush of accusations from her new friends. Rena did spend a lot of time with Haruki, and there was some truth to what they were implying. Feeling like she needed address their concerns, she quickly came up with a story.

“I—I mean that uhm... I make him come with me!”

Sayuri nodded her head as she thought she understood this statement, as she also never voluntarily accepted invitations from boys. Interupting before Rena over explained, she smirked at her new companion.

“Of course you make him go with you, I’m sure a pretty girl like you also gets harassed by other boys in public. It helps to have another man come along to deter attention.”

Brushing a strand of brown hair from her face, Sayuri stepped forward towards an exspensive clothing rack.

“Anyways... My parents give me a lot of money to spend, so lets not waste anymore time. Girls let the Yukata mission begin!”

Thus began the search through the many displays and arrangements of clothes, like they were searching for a hidden treasure. Sayuri was determined to not leave this place unsuccessful.

Being dragged along by her new friends was a bit over stimulating for Rena, especially as they held up different articles of clothing in front of her. Even though it was all a bit much, Rena couldn’t help but smile as she was enjoying herself. Eventually after they all neared the end of the store, they found the section that had beautiful yukata on display.

Yukatta in different colours and styles were neatly set up in rows along the walls and worn on manequins. From flower patterns to beautiful animal prints, there was so much selection to chose from. Rena had no idea where to begin. Luckily, the two other girls had everything under control and were ready to help. Grabbing a deep purple coloured yukata, Sayuri handed it to Rena and point at the nearest change room.

“Here, go over there and try this on.”

Rena remembered this same thing happened before when she first went shopping with Haruki. He had asked her to go into the strange room alone and she had refused. Still feeling a bit uneasy about going into the small room with a mirror, Rena shook her head.

“Try it on... but... what do you mean? Do I have to get naked in that small room!?”

Sayuri and Mika both gave Rena a blank stare.

“... You don’t have to come out naked! Just go try it on so we can see how it looks!”

Gathering all the courage she could Rena took the Yukata and cautiously went into the change room.

It just so happened that the store Haruki and Daichi walked into was the perfect place to be. Full with different fashion accessories and jewellery that would be perfect for any girl. At least it would have been perfect except for the fact that they were boys, and finding a gift for 2 girls was a daunting task. Neither of them had been on a first date before so they were both a little inexperienced.

Wandering around the store like they were both lost puppies, they anxiously stared at all the feminine accessories and gifts. Unsure of where to even begin, they stood in the middle of the store looking dumbfounded.

“There has to me something here...!”

Daichi was getting frustrated with the multitude of decisions in front of him. Talking to a girl was one thing, but finding her a gift for a first festival date was a completely different problem.

“Hello, there!”

Turning around promptly and assuming the small voice was speaking to him. What Daichi saw standing before him was a bit to powerful for his eyesight.

Long flowing pink hair that was gently surrounding the shape of a young women. She was dressed in a daring pink flower dress that accented her body.

“H–hh—hi, you must have the wrong...”

Daichi almost short circuited while trying to get the correct words out of his mouth. From where he was standing the image in front of him appeared to be an angel from the heavens. Cutely looking up at him while smiling, the girl batted her eyes and leaned forward.

“Haruki right, coincedence seeing you here~?”

“Haha... Hi Erica... we’re actually just looking for festival gifts.”

Completely ignoring Daichi standing directly in front of her, Erica turned her sights on Haruki. It happened to be perfect timing that Erica was also shopping for items to sell during the festival. She was planning on setting up a super special romance booth, the items from the store would go well with the theme.

“Wait! Don’t tell me you’re shopping for Rena?”

“How... did you know... haha?”

Awkwardly looking around while trying not to seem so obvious, he had hoped to keep his mission top secret. Oddly enough Erica seemed to have that sixth sense about things again. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Haruki felt a bit caught off guard.

“Two boys wandering around a girls accessories store, kinda hard not to guess!”

“Yeah... guess that’s a good point.”

“Oh! Come with me, I know exactly what you should get.

Pointing her finger in the air like ‘ ta-da!’ Erica grabbed his arm and held it close to her chest while she led him across the store.

“Ss—s— so.”

Daichi was standing speechless still trying to overcome the shock of a girl like Erica speaking to him. Leaving him behind, Erica and Haruki walked around closely together searching displays. Haruki wasn’t so sure he was comfortable being this close to a girl he barely knew, but she seemed to want to help. With no idea what to get Rena in the firsts place, any help he could get would be useful.

At least Rena isn’t here to lose her calm...

“Here! This is it.”

Brushing the hair out of her face as she looked up at him and handed him a large black hair bow. Something like this would be perfect for Rena, even though she already had one.

“Oh! And I almost forgot. This is for you~”

In Daichi’s hand, Erica placed a red hair clip with a pink flower on top. Winking directly at him as she turned to leave, Erica looked back over her shoulder and blew a kiss. And with that she softly swayed out of the store.

“B—b–bye...”

“Hey snap out of it! We have bigger things to focus on.”

Slapping Daichi on the back causing him to lunge forward, Haruki shook his head at his friend in disapproval. Erica was of course very cute, but they both had two other girls that were enough to handle.

“Wait a minute.... how do you know that glorious angel?”

“Her name is Erica, don’t worry about it. She wouldn’t be into you anyways.”

“How would you even know! And what is it with you and these girls, maybe try giving the rest of a chance.”

Ignoring his friends unnecessary question, Haruki turned back to the shelf with all the hair bows. As he looked at the black bow in his hand, he remember that Rena already had one just like it. While searching the assortment of hair accessories in front of him, a colourful item caught his attention. A unique looking orange bow with gold trim and pink flower patterns stood out. Swaping it with the one in his hand, he felt it would suit her much better.

This is perfect...

“So you’re not going to take the advice of the guardian angel?”

“Rena already has a black bow. Besides... I want my gift to be special.”

“I prefer to trust another woman's intuition.”

“That’s probably why you don’t have a girlfriend—”

Haruki grabbed Daichi’s shoulder and jokingly shook it. Before Daichi could retaliate, Haruki turned around and headed towards the counter. Promptly paying for both their gifts, they exited the store hoping not to be seen.

Inside the change room, Rena was feeling a bit crowded and unsure how to wear the article of clothing. It was simillar to what she wore before, but she hadn’t put anything like that on in quite some time.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Staring at her appearance made her unconfident that she would be able to dress up nicely in something like this. Wanting to look good for Haruki, it worried her that he would not approve.

Why am I so bothered by this...

Slowly removing her clothing, she almost forgot that she had a large fluffy tail. As she removed her skirt, she without realizing untied her tail that was against her leg. Not paying much attention to it swishing around, she quickly changed into the Yukata as best she could.

Too lose in some places but tight in others, mostly it fit her but one part of her stuck out awkwardly. Her chest held open the front part of the yukata more than it should. Rena was also confused on how to properly tie the obi, so she wrapped it around her waist loosely.

Wondering what was taking so long, both Mika and Sayuri were impatiently waiting for Rena to hurry up. Mika started to feel anxious and knocked on the side of the room.

“Rena-chan is everything okay in there... Are you going to come out and show us?”

Taking a deep breath in, Rena did her best to try and look good in the yukata. Hoping they wouldn’t make fun of her, she put on a confident expression before quickly pulling the curtain open.

“—What do you think, am I cute?”

Staring at Rena’s improperly fitted outfit, Sayuri and Mika tried hard not to giggle. Barely hanging off Rena’s shoulders, the yukata looked like Rena was dressed as a courtesan. Her midsection exposed as the obi was barely hanging off her waist, it’s a good thing there were no boys around.

“Fu fu fu fu.”

Sayuri tried to hide her laughter but the sight in front of her was too much to handle. Trying to be as polite as possible she calmed her laughter before speaking.

“I’m not sure if cute is the right word... but I can see why Haruki likes you”

Mika was staring at something else that was frantically swaying around in the air behind. Pointing directly at Rena’s tail, Mika’s eyes grew wide with confusion.

“Rena-chan why are you already dressed like a yokai before the festival?”

Grabbing her tail in a panic, Rena quickly tried to hide it under the yukata, but it was already too late and the secret was out.

“What a cute tail... I’m sure Haruki’s going to go crazy over that as well.”

Sayuri and Mika both smirked at the overall situation of a half dressed cat girl in front of them. Not realizing that her tail was the real thing, the timing of everything made them believe she was wearing a costume.

Rena started becoming red with embarrassment as she nervously laughed. She tried hard to relax knowing that she wasn’t caught even though this was a close call.

“Haha... maybe he will like it.”

“Well if we don’t do something about how your dressed, it won’t just be your tail he’s crazy about!”

Pointing at Rena’s bare chest, Sayuri rolled her eyes as she pushed Rena back into the change room.

“Come on Mika, we have to fix this.”

Falling backwards as she was pushed, Rena was caught off guard and tripped over her tail.

“Nyaaaa~!”

Haruki and Daichi continued their journey through the mall. Feeling a bit more relaxed knowing they had completed their mission they came for, their pace started to slow. Daichi started to fall behind as he noticed other walking buy with food in their hands.

“Wow, I’m really hungry.”

“Then go buy something to eat.”

“I don’t have any money. I was hoping you would offer to pay.”

“Am I just paying for this entire outing now?”

Not really surprised that his friend exspected him to pay, Haruki already came prepared with enough money for both of them. Looking around the mall to see what was availble, a few good places were close by.

“How about sushi?”

“Already had that.”

“Ramen?”

“No, food cour Ramen sucks.”

“How about a burger?”

“...maybe. Wait, no don’t want that either.”

Haruki pushed his friend forward, while tripping his foot. Daichi almost fell into a table trying to catch his balance.

“You sure are picky for someone who is broke.”

As Daichi adjusted his glasses and looked up, whathe saw caused him to suddenly panic. Sayuri and Mika were in plain sight across the hall in a clothing store. Before he could think of a better plan, Daichi grabbed Haruki and pulled him under the table.

“Haruki, get down!”

“Geez, what was that for...?”

Looking in the direction that Daichi was pointing, Haruki realized what the problem was. It seemed the group of girls had still not left the mall.

“I thought they would have left already”

The moment he said those words, he realized the error in his judgement. Whenever Haruki took Rena anywhere, she easily became distracted by anything she saw, this situation would have been no different.

She must be obsessing over everything she sees...

Looking quite suspicious hiding under the table, the two boys were being glared at by onlookers as if they were up to no good. Being too preocupied spying on the girls to even notice, they didn’t even bother to get up.

While they were watching the scene unfold, Haruki noticed something odd.

“Why are they all going into the change room?”

As Rena fell backwards into the changeroom, she felt like she was being attacked. Being pushed so aggressively inside, she hit the wall as her friends squished next to her. Rena felt embarrased and anxious being half dressed in such a tight space.

“Nyaaa!”

Sayuri and Mika were pulling her every which way while trying to remove the yukata. Both girls tugged at the clothing on both sides until it started to fall off Rena’s body. Eventually Rena’s entire mid-section was exposed as she stood there embarsingly covering herself with her hands.

“Rena why are you naked!?”

“Because you two told me to take off my clothes and change!”

Her friends had confused looks on their face, as they tried to understand why Rena wasn’t wearing at least a bra. Standing before them both with nothing but panties, Rena crossed her arms and pouted feeling she was wronged.

“YOU STILL HAVE TO WEAR UNDERWEAR!”

Sayuri yelled at Rena while holding the Yukata over her shoulders. Rena looked away out of shyness, hoping that they didn’t see too much.

“Oh well, it doesn’t matter at this point. Lets get you properly dressed.”

The two friends grabbed Rena’s arms and shoved them back into the yukata sleeves. But as they tried to close the yukata in front, Rena’s tail with a mind of its own, kept moving around and getting in the way.

“Wow Rena-chan that is the most realistic tail I have ever seen, where did you get it?”

“Oh uh... Haruki helped me buy it...”

Mika tried to grab it and hold it down so Sayuri could finish wrapping the yukata, but as she reached out, it smacked her head in the head.

“Paaaaa— Wow it’s so fluffy I want one!”

“Mika please focus, we must get her into at least one yukata today.”

After a bit of struggling back and forth while forcing Rena’s tail to settle down, the girls finally got the yukatta properly fitted. All that was left was for the obi to be tied around her waist.

Feeling a bit squished Rena panicked and once again fell backwards. The sudden movement caused Sayuri to accidentally pull the obi too tight, causing it to squeeze all the air out of Rena’s body.

“Nyaaa, what is this thing, a weapon!?”

“Rena you have to hold still!”

All the commotion going on inside the change room could be heard throughout the entire store and was starting to attract attention.

Knock... knock... knock...

“Hello, is everything okay in there?”

One of the female store associates who overheard all the noise, was a bit concerned and felt she should check in on the situation.

Answering her question like a large eruption—

Rena burst out of the change room while gasping for air. Eventually catching her breathe, she looked up and saw her appearance in a mirror hanging on the wall. Rena’s eyes widened as she stared at herself. She didn’t look like this since she first came to this world, and couldn’t help feel like she was beautiful.

“You sure are beautiful miss, that yukatta definately suits you.”

“Are you sure... But what about a different colour...?”

“Coe this way, we have a large selection to choose from!”

The sales associate led Rena over to another large display of yukata that she had not yet seen. Looking at all the colours in front of her, immediately her eyes locked on a bright orange one with a pink flower pattern. Highlighted in gold trim, the patterns were intricate with bright colours. Rena thought this was the most beautiful piece of clothing she had ever seen.

“This one, I want this one!”

Not realizing that this was the most expensive one in the store, Rena couldn’t contain her excitement. She knew if she had to wear something special, this was exactly what she wanted.

By the time Rena had gotten it off the wall, Sayuri and Mika had caught up. Staring at the dazzling piece of clothing she was wearing, they both nodded their head in agreement.

“You have exspensive taste... It’s a good thing my dad makes alot of money! But I agree... you need to have that one”

“Rena-chan, you will look gorgeous!”

Everyone continued shopping for a little while longer, until Sayuri took everyone to the counter and paid for everything. They all started to exit the store and move towards the hallway, when they stopped from seeing something odd.

Security guards were talking to two boys that were crawling out from under a table.

“Wait... is that?”

“Haruki!”

Sparing not even a second, Rena joyously ran over as soon as she saw who it was. Launching herself at him, he barely had enough time to catch her without falling over.

“Rena, what are you...”

“Are you also shopping for Yukatta! why were you under the table?”

Trying to hide the shopping bag behind his back, he didn’t want Rena to accidently see the gift before the fesitival.

Reading the room correctly for once, Daichi immediately came up with an excuse to distract the girls.

“—It was my fault, I lost my glasses.”

“But why are you two here, don’t tell me you were spying on us!”

Sayuri pointed at Daichi with an annoyed look on her face. For some reason she had been running into him often lately and wasn’t entirely aware of why.

“Okay ladies, are men not allowed to have a day out too?”

“Pffft men....”

Daichi grinned while also hiding the gift he had bought. He had planned on asking Sayuri to go to the festival, but was in some ways frightened at the idea.

“Sayuri and Mika, why are you both here with Rena?”

“Oh we’re shopping for—”

Immediately standing in front of Rena, so she wouldn’t accidentally ruin her own surprise, Sayuri interrupted.

“Were buying supplies for our sleepover.”

“Yay sleepover! I ‘ll bring the snacks”

Mika jumped with excitement as she high-fived the air as if their was something there. Anytime spent with friends was a good time in her opinion.

“Sleepover... what’s that? Is Haruki going to be there?”

“Sorry, no boys allowed this is a girls only event!”

“It’s okay Rena, go have fun. I will see you tomorrow at the festival.”

Flicking her hair as she pushed past Daichi, Sayuri pulled Rena arm while Mika followed along. Leading Rena out of the mall they explained to her all the fun they would have, including all the snacks. The thought of food alone was enough to convince her even though she still wished Haruki would be there.

Part 3

Not much sleeping was happening at the sleepover. Rena and her new friends were wide awaking gossiping about the festival and what they would be wearing. Of course the topic of boys came up as well, reminding Rena that she would be meeting up with Haruki the next day. As snacks littered the floor of Sayuri’s room, Rena tried to get comfortable while lying in giant bed they had made in the middle of the floor.

“I wonder what Haruki is doing right now.”

“Geez Rena, can you go one night without talking to him? You two obviously have a thing.”

“I just like being around him...”

Staring at the roof in the darkness, Rena wondered if Haruki missed her too. Also on her mind was whether or not he would like how she looked in the yukatta she picked out. She had never been on a official date before from what she could remember, and wanted to make sure she looked the best she could.

Is this a real date....?

“Hey Rena?”

Sayuri spoke and startled Rena from her thoughts.

“Hmm... what is it?”

“Have you kissed Haruki yet?”

Immediately turning over to the other side to face her friend, Rena felt a bit embarrassed. The idea of kissing had not crossed her mind yet.

“K- kkissed him, why would I do that?”

“Don’t tell me you havn’t kissed a boy before...”

Rena’s ears slightly twitched the more she thought about it. Certainly it wouldn’t have been uncomfortable kissing him, she just wasn’t sure what that meant if they did. Haruki was still a human, and her not being from here, made her wonder if this was okay for them to be that way.

“Do you think he wants to kiss me?”

“Pfft, of course he does, you’re a cute girl.”

“....nyaaaaa~”

Trying to avoid the subject, Rena let out a yawn and thought of how to change the subject.

“Mika are you going with anyone?”

After not getting a response, Rena rolled over to check on her friend that was just awake next to her. Already fast asleep, Mika remained silent as she laid near the edge of the bed.

Closing her own eyes, Rena pretended she was going to also fall asleep, but in the quiet, she could hear her heart thumping. Gently playing with the bracelet of bells around her wrist, she did her best to settle down.

Neatly laying on chair next to the bed, was the bright orange yukatta. Waiting to be worn for the special night ahead.