Chiaya laughed, swearing, "Honestly, this really wasn't my idea. This time, I'm not to blame if you try on clothes and take them off."
They entered a tuxedo rental shop. To avoid wasting any more money, Chiaya had chosen a small, modest place—not too fancy. Inside, alongside tuxedos, dresses and suits were also available for rent.
She had forgotten to explain to Karan what a tuxedo was. Karan looked at the costumes anxiously, worried he might have to wear one of them—especially the alien costume.
Chiaya thought once again, "Good thing I took time off work." She would never want to miss this sight.
Inside, there was only one other customer. After the salesman finished talking with him, he asked, "How may I help you?"
"My friend needs a tuxedo for tomorrow," Chiaya said.
The man replied, "Normally, we rent tuxedos for more common body sizes, but luckily I have a few that might fit your height. They're not from very good brands, but I think they'll do the job."
The man went to get the tuxedos from a room inside.
Seeing Chiaya, people might have thought they came to rent a dress for her instead. She was staring at the rental dresses with sparkling eyes, completely lost in thought—until Karan's voice startled her.
She hadn't realized Karan was standing behind her.
"Anything you like?" Karan asked.
"Actually, yes, I want to try too."
The man brought several options to Karan. He gave Karan a bunch of explanations that didn't really matter to him, as they all looked the same to Karan.
Meanwhile, Chiaya picked an elegant black dress with a deep neckline and a slit.
They both went into the fitting rooms at the same time.
Karan came out first. He had to wear a lot of layers and tie that strange thing around his neck.
Why she is taking so long, even though she only have to wear a single piece he wondered.
As he looked at himself in the mirror, he heard the sound of Chiaya's fitting room door opening. When he turned around, Chiaya was standing there in her dress, looking at him.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Karan couldn't speak. How could a single piece of black fabric look so good on a person? She looked breathtaking.
He managed to say only, "Beautiful."
"Oh, really? I really like this dress. You look very handsome, too."
The man said when mentioning the dress code that you can be creative with the masks. "Just make sure you'll blend in." he had said.
Blend in to what? she had no idea what to do, but she was going to try her best.
First, they tried on some mutated superhero masks. When Chiaya laughed so hard she almost died, he realized she was doing it just for fun.
"Okay, okay, I'll be serious now. How about this one?" she said, holding up a fox mask made of colorful metal plates and wood, leaving the area under the nose exposed. Compared to the other options, this one looked more wearable.
Chiaya picked a beautiful mask made of dried silver and golden-yellow leaves that would cover her face asymmetrically. With her dress, it really looked stunning.
"I think we found what we were looking for," Chiaya said.
Although Chiaya said, "You don't have to pay. I actually had a dress at home; I only bought this because I wanted to wear it, not because I needed it." Karan didn't care.
As they got into the car, Chiaya turned to Karan as if about to say something serious.
"Karan, I'm about to introduce you to one of humanity's greatest inventions: fast food."
"Fast food? The food is moving?" he asked.
"It's served quickly. Yes, maybe I made it sound a bit magical. I think it really is a little magical," she said, and they went to a burger joint.
While placing their order, Chiaya asked, "I'm taking the onions off your order, but is it okay if I eat them?"
"No problem, just don't sing on the way home," Karan said, laughing.
Chiaya smacked his arm.
They argued about which tasted better—ketchup or mayonnaise. According to Chiaya, ketchup was too sweet to be considered a sauce.
Once again, Chiaya seemed to forget she wasn't alone as she ate. Where had her manners gone?
"When we get home, we'll continue your reading lessons, pupil," Chiaya said.
"I'm sorry, it's hard to take you seriously with sauce on your cheek," Karan said, wiping it off with his thumb.
Chiaya's face turned bright red. She quickly ran to wash her hands and face, hoping Karan hadn't noticed.
While Karan was waiting for her, someone called out, "Oh, Karan! I didn't expect to see you here."
The man approaching with a smile and holding food was Narev.
"I came here to eat after work. I really like their burgers. Mind if I join you?"
"Of course," Karan replied.
"Is Chiaya here too?"
"Oh yes, she went to the restroom. She'll be back soon."
"By the way," Narev said, bringing his hand to his head, "there's something I didn't tell you the other day. You asked how to talk to the girl you like, remember?"
"Oh Karan, that was really embarrassing, but yes, I remember."
"In my hometown, when you like someone, inviting them to spar with you is one of the first steps."
"Sparring? What do you mean by that?"
Karan knew that most humans didn't actually practice fighting.
"Find something they're good at and love, then ask to be their opponent. It shows you respect them and think they're worthy of being your rival."
"Oh, that could actually be a good idea. I don't know what I could compete with her in, but I'll find out. Thanks, Karan."
When Chiaya returned from the restroom, they ended the conversation.
When Chiaya asked, "What were you talking about?" both of them answered "Nothing" at the same time.
Chiaya wondered when Karan and Narev had gotten close enough to keep secrets from her, but she decided not to pry. Maybe if she couldn't resist, she'd corner Karan at home later to find out.