After all the yelling and shouting, Chiaya convinced him to go buy some clothes. Even though she barely managed to take off his vambraces, the coat he was wearing would still catch her friends' attention.
Although she told Buse, it was something for work, there was no way she'd let him show up to the meetup dressed like that.
Chiaya wasn't a big fan of malls. So instead, they headed to the shopping street downtown where she sometimes bought clothes from smaller stores.
Karan had never been inside a men's clothing store before—at least not in this world. The tailors in Narval were much smaller, and they only had a few outfits on display. Why did humanity need this many options anyway?
As for Chiaya, she hadn't been to a men's store either. She had only shopped once for her dad's birthday—and even that was online. The clothes didn't fit, they looked awful, and the whole thing just made her feel super awkward.
So yeah, she didn't have much confidence when it came to men's fashion.
But maybe the shop assistants could help, she thought.
They stepped into a modern-looking men's clothing store. The saleswoman spotted them and looked at Karan like he was a rough gem that just needed polishing—her eyes practically sparkling.
The man was ridiculously handsome, and his body was unreal. What more could she ask for?
"Welcome to our store! How can I help you?" the woman asked with a smile.
She looked like she was in her late twenties, with straight blond hair tied back at the nape of her neck.
Then Chiaya walked up to the counter and explained:
"Look, I really don't know much about men's clothes," she said, pointing at Karan. "And my friend here, as you can see, doesn't know much about fashion either. We need your help."
The saleswoman looked at them with shining eyes—like she'd been waiting for this exact request.
"Of course! I'd be happy to help!" she said.
Chiaya picked out a few things. She chose a gray knitted sweater, thinking it would go well with his eyes, and a pair of slim-fit brown pants.
First, Karan tried on the things Chiaya had picked. The sweater looked good on him, but the pants were a little too loose. Honestly, they looked worse than the raccoon-printed yellow pajama bottoms he'd worn the morning before.
But this saleswoman clearly knew what she was doing. She brought over more pieces, showed which ones went together, and handed them all to Karan.
Chiaya sat down while the saleswoman stood next to her, both of them waiting eagerly.
Every time Karan stepped out of the fitting room, the outfit looked amazing on him. Their eyes lit up every time.
At one point, they couldn't hold it in anymore and actually clapped with joy.
It made Karan smile.
He wasn't sure what amused him more—Chiaya's face and reactions, or the fact that she seemed to genuinely like what she saw. Either way, he laughed.
They bought the things they liked most—two sweaters, one shirt, two pairs of pants and a pajama set.
For the meetup, they picked the brown pants-ot the ones Chiaya had chosen earlier. And a light cream-colored knitted sweater.
Just as they were about to leave, the saleswoman rushed over.
"Oh! I forgot the jacket! This one would look amazing with what you're wearing," she said, holding out a sleek leather jacket.
"You're absolutely right! We did forget a jacket!" Chiaya said.
She quickly helped Karan put it on.
She and the saleswoman stepped back, looked at him, and nodded. It looked really good.
They walked toward the checkout.
Karan was carrying all the clothes in his arms, staring at them like they were strange objects.
"Do I really need all of these?" he asked.
"Don't be a cheapskate," Chiaya said with a grin.
Karan had figured out what "cheapskate" meant from the way she said it.
"That's not what I meant," he said. But he still brought everything to the counter.
The saleswoman gave them an extra discount. Maybe hoping she'd get to dress this handsome man again someday.
They walked out carrying shopping bags.
"Do I need anything else?" Karan asked.
"Well, we could get you a wallet and a belt," Chiaya said with a smile. "But if you don't want to, it's totally fine for now."
"Thanks, Karan. For going along with it," she added, genuinely grateful.
Karan saw the look on her face, turned around, and said,
"Alright. Let's go get a wannet and a belt."
Chiaya giggled.
"It's not wannet, it's wallet."
Once they were done dressing Karan, Chiaya almost regretted it. Now he looked too good. Her friends were definitely going to ask why she'd never mentioned having such a handsome childhood friend.
Still, she was proud of the result. Very proud, actually. This was what those women felt like—the ones who walked around proudly with their ridiculously attractive boyfriends.
People on the street were definitely checking him out, then checking her, trying to figure out who the lucky girl was.
Do they think I look bad next to him? Chiaya couldn't help but wonder.
They were getting close to the place where they were going to meet. As they walked, Chiaya said,
"Okay, let's practice one more time."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Chiaya's childhood friend from her old neighborhood."
"What school did you go to?"
"I went to some public schools for elementary and high school, then I dropped out and started working small jobs."
"What kind of jobs?"
"Construction sites, sales assistant in stores… but none of them lasted."
"Why did you come here?"
"I got a temporary job handing out flyers, roleplaying for an action figure store."
"How long will you stay?"
"Three more days. Then I'm going back to our old neighborhood."
"Perfect. For the rest of the questions, just apologize, say you need to use the bathroom, and walk away."
"How many times can I go to the bathroom in one evening?"
"Ohhh, if you've had five beers, unlimited times. But let's say you have three chances for now. Worst case, I'll say you have a prostate problem," Chiaya said, laughing.
"I don't have a prostate problem," Karan replied, sounding a bit offended.
"It was a joke, Karan," Chiaya said, grabbing Karan's arm and giving it a little shake.