Delusions of Normality Pt. 2

"And that checks off the paper lanterns," Saki said while looking at her phone. "Next up... red and yellow streamers. Off we go! Hey, Tsuki, are you alright back there?"

"Never better," I replied.

While those two were just a couple of steps ahead of me, I was straggling behind while carrying all of their bags. I can't blame anyone but myself.

The first store we stopped at, Saki bought a lot of small accessories and trinkets that she was going to scatter across the festival ground. It seemed like she was struggling to carry the bag, so I offered to carry it. Next thing I knew, I was left to carry all the bags after every stop.

"Are you sure, Tsuki?" Ayaka taunted. "Your arms look like they're shaking."

"I think you need to get your eyes checked because they're clearly not," I said.

"Hah! Yeah, right."

"Why don't you ignore me like you've always done and pay attention to where you're walking? You're going to bump into someone."

"I'm not as blind as you, so I'll be fine."

What was I thinking, coming here today? I thought it would be interesting. Instead, it's only been annoying, especially since Ayaka won't stop bothering me. We've only been here for an hour, and all she has done is throw out some snarky retort after everything I said.

Doesn't she hate me? I'm sure she still does, so why is she suddenly getting comfortable? No... That's probably why she's doing it. She's just trying to annoy me, and it's working flawlessly.

"Oh! The restroom!" Saki exclaimed when she saw a sign on the wall. "I'll be right back, you two. Don't get into a fight while I'm gone, okay?"

"Sure," we both said at the same time, then our eyes aggressively locked.

"Alright... I'm trusting you guys."

When she disappeared into the hallway that leads to the restroom, Ayaka walked off into a nearby clothing store. I expected nothing less from her. After a deep breath, I followed behind her.

"What are you doing?" she asked while browsing through a rack.

"Making sure you don't get into trouble again," I said.

"Oh, wow. I feel so~ safe with you next to me. Tsuki, my knight in shining armor, coming in to save me from danger like you did last time. I'm absolutely flattered."

"... Whatever."

Suddenly, she let out a small giggle, quiet as a mouse, but just enough for me to hear. She quickly turned her head away to avoid my eyes. However, that was more than enough time for me to see that smile on her face.

She then turned back with a playful smirk. "You're so easy to mess with."

For a moment, I was left in a daze. My eyes stopped moving, and whatever I was going to say completely disappeared. What... just happened?

Ayaka pulled off a fancy blouse from one of the racks and held it up to her torso.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"What's this all of a sudden?" I scoffed. "I don't know."

"Just tell me whether or not it looks good on me."

"Bold of you to assume that I have even the smallest sense of fashion."

"Says the guy in a freaking trench coat. Look at that thing. You had to have had some kind of ego to buy something like that."

"I didn't buy it. It was gifted to me."

"Tch... Give me an answer already, will you?"

I sighed and looked at her once more. To be honest, the blouse was rather nice. The color was a mix of white and cotton blue, which matched well with her wine hair. The cuffs were oversized and puffy, and the front where the buttons were had a wavy pattern. Near the top were straps used to create a stylish knot.

"Well?" Ayaka asked.

"I think it would suit you well," I replied. "The color goes well with your hair. While a top like this isn't often seen, I think you could pull it off."

"W-wha..."

There she goes again with that flustered expression.

"You know, you could act a lot less surprised," I sighed. "Didn't I tell you that my sense of fashion wasn't good? I tried my best."

"No, that's not it," she said, her face returning to normal. "So you think it looks good on me?"

"Don't take my word for it, but I think so."

"I see."

After studying the blouse for a bit longer, she went over to the counter and paid for it straight up. It was only after she came back with another bag that I realized what she had just done.

"Did you... seriously just do that?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"What? You said it looked nice, so I bought it," she said. "Were you lying to me?"

"Not at all. I didn't think you would go ahead and buy it after hearing one opinion—my opinion especially."

"What can I say? I'm easily pleased."

"Hah. No, you're most definitely not. I'd imagine you get asked out almost every day, yet here you stand, single and alone."

"Psh, I can easily get a boyfriend with a snap of a finger. It's just hard when all of them want the same thing, and trust me... It's never anything pleasant."

For a moment there, I noticed that her expression was... off. Well, not 'off' per se, but it wasn't her usual self.

"What about you?" Ayaka asked. "What do you look for in a girl?"

"Where's this coming from?" I sighed. "You've been asking a lot of strange questions today."

"I told you, didn't I? I'm just a curious fellow student."

I remember when she said that to me the first time. It was after the first culture club meeting. Wasn't that just an excuse to dig up some dirt on me? Seems like more than just subtle 'curiosity.'

"Hm... I don't know," I answered.

"What do you mean?" she grumbled. "Everyone has a type."

"I suppose I'm not like everyone else. Why should I bother myself with something that I'm uninterested in?"

"Just say that you can't get any girls next time."

"Uh-huh. I'd rather not get any girls than pull a trio of grandpas."

That was all it took to catch her off guard. "What the...?! Didn't I tell you to forget about that?!"

"Hard to forget when it happened just an hour ago."

"Ugh... Just thinking about it is making my body tingle."

"Hah, what? They weren't your type?"

"Ew, absolutely not. If only you were there to see how it went down. I was just minding my own business, and they suddenly approached me, all smiles and shit like they were gonna kidnap me."

"And here I was thinking that you could've handled it yourself. Maybe I shouldn't have waited so long to jump in."

Her face abruptly fell. "Wait... You saw the whole thing? You didn't just bump into me by chance?"

"No. I saw most of it, and I wish I hadn't. For a while, I debated interfering, but I decided that I should let you try and handle it first. Definitely didn't want you screaming at me again."

I waited for her to reply with some kind of abrasive comment, but nothing came out. Eventually, I grew tired of waiting, and when I turned to look at her, I was left in shock.

She was looking at me as if I was an alien specimen, eyes wide and glistening, and her mouth was slightly ajar.

"What is it this time?" I sighed. "Did I do something I wasn't supposed to do again?"

"Ah, n-no... It's just..." she mumbled before going back to her usual self. "Hmph. I didn't know you were capable of being considerate."

"Give me a bit of credit. The first time was a lesson learned. If it happens any other time after that, then I learned nothing. That's just how it is."

"Is that so? Heh. You really are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

When she turned to walk away, I noticed her eyes dropping and her smile fading. For a brief moment, she seemed sad. My senses are too keen to be imagining things, but they do act up sometimes. This might be one of those times.

I rested the bags on the ground to give my hands some time to relax. I shook them around, and stretched them.

She left pretty fast there. I'm starting to think that I did, in fact, say something I wasn't supposed to say. However, no matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind.

As I was heading for the front entrance of the store, I saw Ayaka just standing there with her arms crossed and the bag dangling from her hands. Hesitantly, I approached her, worried that she might blow up on me after sharing a somewhat decent moment.

"I'm... sorry?" I said with uncertainty.

She replied without turning her head. "What's this now? Before, you refused to apologize to me, but now, you're saying it so easily."

"Well, unlike last time, I recognize that I might have said something to disappoint you like this."

"What? Haaa... It's not like that. Trust me."

"Then what is it?"

She broke into a soft giggle, before turning around to meet me with a seductive glare.

"I'll keep that to myself," she winked.

"... That's... not fair," I mumbled.

"Never is, is it? Anyway, my hands are getting tired."

She lifted the bag, resting the string on her index finger alone as a wide smirk grew upon her face.

"You'll be a gentleman, won't you?"