Cute Skirts, Cute Compliments, Cute Confidence

After some thought and self-reflection, Alex took Rumi's advice to heart. She had a big goal, being out here in the city starting fresh with a new life, yet she had been ignoring the little things. The tiny bits of her past that were still haunting her and preventing her from properly moving forward. To be fair, this new life was giving her chances she hadn't thought possible. It was like being a teenager again, falling in love and getting emotional over stupid, minor details that shouldn't matter. She had to mature, and that was going to change starting today! Hopefully.

This was the last heatwave before it officially cooled down, so she was going to take advantage of that by wearing the one summer outfit gathering dust in her closet. It fitted her perfectly, was exactly her style, and was completely office appropriate. There were two issues though that held her back from going out public with it. First, the white, puffy-sleeved shirt had a wide neckline, making her neck and collarbone much more visible than a standard dress shirt. She can't always wear shirts with collars obviously, and she thought that was boring. She bought it on purpose because it was different, as well as giving her more options with accessories. What was the point of buying necklaces and chokers if it was going to be hidden? Then she mulled over it again, wondered if that would bring unwanted attention to certain parts (one that Rumi rudely pointed out), and never bothered to give it a try.

Second, the black, laced skirt measured a couple of inches above her knees. Alex was relatively tall with long legs, so in reality the difference between it and her knee skirts was negligible. The mirror even agreed with her, as she fell in love with how well it shaped her immediately when buying it at the store. It was only because she compared them later that it dawned on her and she chickened out.

Once they were both put on, most of Alex's doubts vanished as she admired how lovely the two paired together. On the other hand, maybe she should wear shorts underneath just to be safe? No, stop. The sun is a deadly laser that will make you sweat a puddle in your chair. Better to take the chance than being known as that gross chick who left a swamp print behind. Besides, anyone who wore skirts regularly did it knowing the risks in doing so. She was no different. That's right! She was no different than anyone else who wore a cute skirt! It was the perverts who tried to sneak a peek that were in the wrong, not her, and damn it she was going to show them right here and now!

To finish off the look, she went with a peachier shade of makeup and lipstick rather than her usual darker palette. She also put her beret aside in favor of a sunhat with a white ribbon to match her shirt. With her outfit complete, she strode off to work with confidence, ready to take on the world.

---

As expected, Nami was the first person she ran into who noticed the change in style. Her wide eyes and matching grin were enough to know Alex had gotten her seal of approval.

"Wow, Alex! Looking cute today," Nami said. "Trying to step it up to impress the boys?"

"What? Oh no," Alex replied while glancing down at her white heels, feeling a bit bashful. "I just didn't want to miss the chance to wear this. I kept putting it off."

"Sure, sure. I get it. Well it's not like your bra straps are showing or anything, so I doubt you'll be distracting them too much."

Alex giggled in response, knowing Nami was teasing her. Speaking of boys, Alex ran into Mr. Hironori not long after, bumping into him on her way to the break room. Alex froze in place, not sure what to do, but her boss wasn't doing any better. He blinked twice in the entire moment he spent staring at her before adjusting his tie and recomposing himself.

"Ah... Miss Alex," Mr. Hironori said smoothly after clearing his throat. "It's good to see you. I was worried Rumi may have said something inappropriate to you the other day."

He was worried about her? Alex didn't know how to interpret that. Rumi did have a brash personality after all, so maybe he had talked down to girls before. That was a more likely explanation than thinking it was anything personal.

"No, it's fine," Alex said. "He actually gave me some good tips."

"I see..." Mr. Hironori then pushed up his glasses with his index finger. "I'm glad. Then there shouldn't be any issues with the shooting this afternoon?"

"None! We're good to go!" Alex was about to head into the break room as planned, but then stopped to turn her head back to Mr. Hironori. "Actually, do you want me to get you your coffee for you? It's still hazelnut with sweet cream, right?"

Mr. Hironori quirked an eyebrow. "You remembered."

"Well yeah! I told you I've had it before."

"Because of your father."

"Exactly! You remembered too."

Mr. Hironori's smile at that moment was serene, almost too beautiful for words. "Then I'll leave it to you."

Alex nodded and went into the break room to get her coffee orders done with. It was a simple enough task with the only hard part being the wait for the machine to brew the coffee. When she was sure no one was in sight, she jumped with joy and pumped her fist in the air at how great that interaction went. That was definitely a romance flag raised, right? Like in those visual novels! She had to be out of the stranger zone at this point, and she could step past up the acquaintance ladder in no time as long as she was consistent.

After dropping off Nami's drink first, she stepped into his office to deliver his. As usual, he was typing away at his computer without any acknowledgment whatsoever. She decided to respect his work by not interrupting him, leaving his drink at the side of his desk. However, as she was about to leave, it was then that he decided to speak up.

"Thank you, Alex," he said, eyes still locked on his computer. "But one more thing before you go."

"Yes?"

"It's about your outfit."

Alex nervously fidgeted where she stood, completely clueless as to where this was going. "Do you like it? I thought I'd try something different."

Mr. Hironori raised his head to look at Alex, his stern expression adding to Alex's anxiety. "I do like it."

She sighed with relief, barely able to keep herself standing as the weight of her stress lifted off her shoulders.

He then continued, "It suits your age. Your normal attire gives you the air of a mature french woman. While that in itself is appealing, it's not something you should feel you need to rush into. Enjoy your youth while you can."

Alex blushed from head to toe, amazed that he could get that kind of reading off of her while genuinely giving her advice. "Thanks, sir. To be honest, when I think of a real woman, french women are exactly what comes to mind. So I guess I took that as inspiration for how I'd dress while in the big city."

Mr. Hironori nodded in response, seeming to understand her. "Yes, Paris is considered to be the fashion capital of the world. If you were to take inspiration of fashion from anywhere, that would be the ideal place to start. I imagine you didn't get many opportunities where you previously lived?"

Alex laughed and shook her head. "God, no! The highest fashion back home is t-shirts and overalls."

"And that's where you interned as well, correct?"

"That's right! The Daily Orchard. The boss there was the one who gave you guys the referral."

"I know. I read it. Mr. Applebottom is a friendly associate of ours."

Friendly was not the first word that Alex would use to describe him. She grimly recalled having to get on her hands and knees to beg him for the referral as he sat his fat butt at his desk while smoking a Cuban cigar. His bushy, gray mustache covered up the snide smirk he'd have around women, and it was shocking how he avoided doing anything that would get him in direct trouble. Still, it was the best shot she had at the time, and at least she learned a lot from him.

"Well if that's all, I won't waste any more of your time," Alex said. "I'll see you at the shoot!"

"Alright," Mr. Hironori replied. "I'll see you then."

As Alex returned to her desk, she realized she should've known sooner that Mr. Hironori would be the one to get the referral. She prayed her former boss had some good things to say about her, but if he hadn't she might not have gotten the job, so she had to assume he had a kind heart in there somewhere. May she forever appreciate his good deed from afar.

Finally, at the shoot itself, Alex was prepared to face Rumi and receive his expert judgment. His input was important considering he was the one who encouraged her to do this. As soon as Rumi caught sight of her, he flashed her a thumbs up, sending Alex's heart soaring into the stratosphere.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Rumi said enthusiastically when he approached Alex. "Hope you didn't go out of your way for this one."

"No, I already owned this," Alex said. "This is just my first time actually wearing it in public."

"And you're comfortable in it?"

"100%."

"No doubts or regrets?"

"None, shockingly. I even got a few compliments. Not that it should really matter, but I mean it does feel good to get them, you know?"

Rumi ran a hand through his hair and exhaled a deep breath. "Okay, good. I can tell you're not just saying that for my sake. I'm... sorry if I came on too strong yesterday. I kinda got triggered over seeing someone remind me of my past self, that's all. It's more of a me problem than you."

"It's okay," Alex said, and with that any lingering annoyances she had towards him vanished. "I know it's not easy being an online influencer. I can hardly imagine the horrible things people must've said to you."

"Oh, you have no idea, sweetheart," Rumi replied playfully with a bit of a smirk. "The internet is full of trolls. They'll eat you alive if you're not careful."

Alex awkwardly laughed at the thought. "Thank goodness I never bothered, and I doubt I ever will."

"Good. Don't. Best thing to come out of it was meeting the love of my life." Rumi then averted his gaze with lightly pink cheeks. "B-But don't ever tell her I said that! Or tell anyone anything we've talked about. Especially that nosy chick you work for."

Alex smiled a little and rolled her eyes. "She probably knows already without me telling her. She can read minds."

"Seriously?!"

"Absolutely."

Rumi shivered at the idea, causing Alex to giggle.

The day ended normally with no real issues in the slightest. Alex wanted to give herself a gold star for giving it her all today. This was the most 'her' she had ever felt so far outside of her own bubble. While the outfit would be shelved away until next year, the confidence it gave her would live on in spirit.

---

The following day had the temperature drop nearly in half, so covering as much skin as possible was necessary rather than a choice at this point. She went back to her beret, had a brown skirt trailing a little past her knees, and wore a thin, red turtleneck sweater. On the surface, she had gone back to her old ways, but inside she was stronger. No more cowering and shrinking away. She was going to move forward like she set out to do.

Her insecurities weren't entirely gone, but she wasn't going to let them affect her as much. She even had the lights on for a whole minute the night before. A whole minute! Granted, that just reminded her of how bony and flat she looked without her padding, but it was a start. She can't hide in the dark forever. Literally. She could fall and seriously hurt herself.

Oddly enough, Mr. Hironori was the first person she ran into that morning, as the two of them entered the elevator together.

"Good morning, Mr. Hironori!" Alex cheerfully chirped. "Looking forward to another great day!"

"As am I," Mr. Hironori stated plainly.

That was all that needed to be said, so the two enjoyed the moment of silence together until they had to depart the elevator. The two were about to split and go their separate ways when Alex heard him call to her one last time.

"Oh, Alex?" he said.

Alex looked back at him with an innocently confused expression. "Yes?"

"You look nice. The beret may be better for you after all."

Her face glowed a rosy hue as she flashed him one of her brightest smiles. "Thanks! I know."