"What should I wear, hmm?"
I stared at my big wardrobe, unable to decide what to put on to go to the mall.
A few weeks ago, I went shopping with my parents, and yet, I still think I need more.
I picked out a few outfits and held them up against me in front of the mirror.
"A long skirt with a light blue blouse?"
I shook my head. Nah, that doesn't really suit me.
"A short-sleeved red blouse with brown jeans?"
Hmm… not really feeling it.
I kept pulling out more clothes until my wardrobe was almost empty.
"I guess Mom was right—having just a few outfits isn't enough…"
Why do I even worry about these things?
A few months ago, I didn't really care how I dressed, but for some reason, now I do.
I guess that's what happens when you start… caring about how others see you.
I shook my head. Making excuses won't help.
I always wanted to pay more attention to how I dress, but my low self-esteem held me back. Now, things are different.
That's exactly why I wanted to go to the mall today—to buy more clothes.
"This should work."
After thinking it over, I went with a short-sleeved red blouse under a brown coat, a pair of shorts, and black knee-high socks.
Winter's just starting, so I decided to skip the scarf.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
"It's warm enough and doesn't restrict my movement." I spun around a couple of times to make sure it was comfortable.
Once I was ready, I grabbed my phone, my house key, and the credit card my mom gave me.
She can be a bit over the top…
"If you're going shopping, you'll need this. Don't worry about the limit—money's meant to be spent on what you like."
I'm not sure if I should be concerned about how casually she handed me a gold credit card...
Though, I guess it also means she really trusts me.
But honestly, it's probably because she wanted to come with me today but had to leave for an urgent business trip, while my dad has a medical conference in another city, so he'll be away for the weekend too.
Being a company executive and the head doctor at a hospital must be tough…
Still, unlike before, they spend more time at home now, so I get to see them more often.
Without thinking about it any further, I left my room and headed straight for the front door.
I double-checked that I had everything before leaving.
With everything ready, I started walking toward the train station.
The walk was calm and short—after a quick train ride, I arrived at the mall. The station is really close, just a few minutes on foot.
Standing in front of the mall entrance, I checked the time on my phone.
"I'm ten minutes early, hmm… I guess Raiden won't take long."
We agreed a week ago to meet today at eleven in front of the mall. I even reminded him yesterday, and he said he wouldn't forget.
I sat down on a nearby bench and started watching some funny animal videos.
…
"Raiden's taking his time…"
It's already 11:20 a.m.—twenty minutes past our meeting time.
Did he forget?
No, Raiden wouldn't forget. He's probably just running late.
I kept watching a few more videos.
…
"That idiot actually forgot!"
It's already 11:30. There's no way it takes him thirty minutes to get from his house to the mall.
"But if he thinks he can get away from me just because he forgot, he's dead wrong!"
I'm not even going to give him the chance to make excuses—I'm seriously mad.
I quickly dialed a number on my phone.
"Good morning, Yumiko-san."
The person I called was Rumi, Raiden's younger sister.
Ideally, I'd have called him directly, but he refused to share his contact with me—said his mental stability couldn't handle it. Still, I had Rumi's number.
"Hey, Rumi-chan, quick question— is Raiden home?" I asked, trying to keep my irritation in check after he'd stood me up.
"He's in his room reading. Do you need something?"
"Yes, please put him on the phone."
"Sure."
A few seconds later I heard Rumi's footsteps and the sound of a door opening.
"Come in," Raiden said in a relaxed voice.
"Yumiko-san wants to talk to you."
"Huh? But it's Saturday… can't I at least rest for one day?"
I cracked my knuckles. Did he just call me a nuisance indirectly?
"Just talk to her."
"What a pain…"
Someone was going to suffer—and if not today, then on Monday.
"She's on the line."
"You could've said that earlier… Hello, Yumiko. What's up?" His careless tone didn't make him any less guilty.
"I just called to ask how you were doing today. Maybe you're busy," I said, forcing a calm voice.
"I'm not doing anything. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. By the way, are you sure you don't have anything pending? Maybe you forgot something."
"Hmmm, don't think so. And if I did, it probably wasn't important."
That relaxed, easygoing tone was the worst.
"I see…"
"If that's all, I'll get back to my reading…"
"Just one last thing."
"Sure, go ahead." He actually sounded more cheerful about ending the call.
"Do you remember what you told me last week during lunch?"
"Hmmm, did I say something?"
Is he doing this on purpose?
"You did. Think about it for a second."
"We talked about a lot of things…"
"Try a little harder. Maybe… a promise?"
"A promise? I don't remember making any..."
He fell silent.
"Did you remember?" I asked sweetly.
"…Well, I…"
"Someone said that day he's the kind of person who always keeps his word."
"…Maybe I exaggerated a bit…" His voice sounded unsure—like he was facing a life-or-death decision.
"…"
"…Yumiko, why aren't you saying anything…"
"Do I need to say more?"
"Alright, alright," I heard him sigh. "I'll be there in about—"
"YOU HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES TO GET HERE!!!" I hung up.
Honestly, this guy could be stupid sometimes... I ignored the glances from the people who'd reacted to my shout.
"Her boyfriend must've stood her up."
"With that attitude, it's easy to see why."
"Look, Mom — that girl's yelling at her phone."
"Don't point, just ignore her."
I could hear the snippets of other conversations, and they only made me angrier. I clenched my fists. I think I'll kill him when he shows up.
"Hey beautiful, want to come…"
"HUH?!" I fixed my gaze on the owner of that voice.
"Sorry!" A stranger had come up to me and tried to talk, then quickly ran off.
I ignored it and focused on my phone; I set a 15-minute timer. If he was even one second late, I wouldn't forgive him.
…
"I'm here…" Raiden said, breathing hard.
I stopped the timer at 14 minutes and 55 seconds.
"Anything else to say?"
"The time is..." He trailed off when he felt my stare.
"…Sorry I'm late…" He lowered his head.
"It's nothing, I was just waiting for you for forty-five minutes," I said with a cheerful voice that didn't match how I felt.
"I give up, it's totally my fault…" When he didn't know what to say, he usually surrendered like that and took the blame.
"Anything else?"
"I'm an idiot."
"Good that you admit it."
"Then…"
"Let's go in already." I pulled out my gold credit card. "I have a lot to buy."
When I said that, I noticed his eyes lose their sparkle and his expression go downcast.
At first, I wasn't planning to buy much, but I changed my mind. Mom always says money is meant to be spent—and if I have someone to carry everything I buy, I'd be foolish not to take advantage of it.
…
"Do you really need to buy that many clothes?"
"Yes, I do."
"This is the fourth store…"
"I don't have much in my wardrobe, so I wanted to take the chance to buy what I need," I said while browsing through some blouses.
My anger had finally started to fade after two hours of shopping.
"I think all these bags are enough," Raiden muttered, emphasizing the small mountain of bags he was holding.
"It's ironic that you complain about clothes when you came dressed like that."
"Is there something wrong with it?"
"It doesn't match."
"Huh? And who decides that?"
"A magazine I read a few days ago."
Raiden was wearing a cream hoodie and black jeans.
"I'll never understand those people…" he sighed, visibly exhausted.
"If I had to guess, you just put on the first thing you saw, right?"
"What makes you think that?" He shook his head. "I just threw a hoodie over what I was wearing at home."
He says it so casually. It's actually kind of impressive how little he cares.
"You should care more about how you dress."
"I don't care as long as I meet society's requirements."
"And what are those?"
"Not walking around half-naked on the streets."
My hands froze midair as I turned to look at him.
His tone was so serious it told me he meant it.
"Your mother must have a hard time…"
"Hey, why do you pity her?"
"Since we're here, I'll buy you some clothes." I nodded decisively.
A few extra purchases won't make any difference anyway.
"I don't need your pity. And stop looking at me like I'm some lost cause."
"You should be more grateful," I said, tilting my head toward him.
"Why is everyone trying to mess with me today…?"
After saying that, Raiden walked out and stood by the shop's entrance.
He loves teasing others subtly but can't handle it when the tables turn—it's like dealing with a little kid.
I let him throw his mini tantrum and kept picking out more clothes.
…
"My arms are exhausted…"
"You're such a drama queen."
"I lost count after ten bags. Even other guys were starting to feel sorry for me," he said with a weary sigh.
"Alright, alright, stop complaining. I already had everything sent to my house."
Apparently, the mall offers a delivery service for your purchases. When I came here with my parents, we just carried everything in the car.
Good to know for next time.
"Use that option next time," Raiden said, taking a sip of his drink.
We were sitting in the food court, waiting for our meal.
"Of course I will. But I'll need your help to carry all the bags in one go. Going back and forth would be exhausting."
Raiden gave me a puzzled look.
"My help? When did I volunteer for that?"
"We're friends." I took a sip of my drink.
"That's not a very convincing answer."
"Then I'll just call Rumi and tell her you refused to come with me." I smiled innocently.
Raiden froze. I hit the weak spot.
"Using my sister against me… that's low."
After meeting Rumi, we became pretty close. We message each other almost every day—especially when she sends me pictures of Kuro, Raiden's adorable black cat.
"But she told me her big brother is very reliable." I tilted my head as I said it.
"Fine, just tell me the day."
"Well, that was a quick change of heart." I blinked, honestly surprised at how easily he gave in.
"I can't let my sweet little sister look like a liar."
Sometimes he really acts like a total siscon.
"You're way too easy to manipulate."
"Rumi wouldn't trust someone she wasn't comfortable with."
"So you can make that face too, huh?"
Raiden smiled calmly—and unlike before, this one felt genuine.
"I'm her beloved Onii-chan. I have to live up to it."
"Total siscon!"
His usual serious attitude completely contradicts how he acts when it comes to his sister. He's quite something, in his own way.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You're hopeless…" I sighed. "Anyway, go grab the food."
"Yeah, yeah."
The announcement came over the speakers saying our order was ready.
A few seconds later, Raiden came back carrying the pizza I had ordered. Since he'd carried all my shopping bags, I let him pick what to eat for lunch. I always thought he'd prefer Japanese food over Western, though.
"Didn't think you liked pizza that much."
I took a slice and bit into it.
"It gives me a weird sense of familiarity."
Raiden started eating too.
I glanced at him curiously, but he stayed quiet, lost in thought—as if remembering something from his past.
As for me, this was my first time eating pizza. It had never really caught my attention before. Japanese food has its own charm, after all.
"By the way, are you sure you're okay spending that much money?" Raiden asked while grabbing another slice.
"My mom said I could spend freely."
"My mistake—I forgot your family's loaded."
"You think so?" I looked at him doubtfully, replaying his words in my head.
I'd never really thought about it.
"Your dad's the head doctor at a hospital, your mom's a company manager, and your house is huge in a nice neighborhood."
"But your parents have good jobs too, and your house is big as well."
Rumi had told me a bit about their family, and I'd already visited their house a few times.
"We're more upper-middle class. My parents both work and hold good positions."
"So where would that put me?"
"Hmm, maybe upper-class middle?"
"And what's the difference?"
Pretty much what he said first.
"The order of the words," he said mockingly.
"You do realize I'm the one who bought the pizza, right?"
"And I appreciate it." Raiden took another slice before adding, "If I have to explain it, I'd say my mother's job is well above average, while my father's is more middle-of-the-road. He had the chance to move up but prefers to avoid the paperwork that comes with a higher-paying position."
"And your mother didn't say anything?"
When I asked Rumi how she'd describe her mother, she said, 'Terrifying.'
"As long as my father enjoys his work, my mother said it's fine. Besides, I can't really picture my father in a role that requires a lot of socializing."
"Like you, I see…" I nodded thoughtfully.
"Hey—why do you think I'm bad at socializing?"
"Am I wrong?"
"To some extent, but mostly I don't have to; if I had to, I would."
I get that. When I first met him, he acted like the whole world didn't exist—quiet, detached, like everyone around him was just background noise.
But when he talked to me, he did it so casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You should try harder; maybe then you'd make more friends."
If you ignore a few of his many flaws, he's actually a pleasant person.
"You're not the one to say that, when the only person you bother at school is me."
"Huh?" I grabbed the last slice of pizza before Raiden could reach it.
"Sorry for being annoying," I said, dripping sarcasm.
"I'd like to, but I know you'll get over it by tomorrow, so it's still too soon."
It makes me furious how calmly he says things like that.
No hesitation. No flustered reaction. Just that annoying composure of his.
"You know there are guys who would do anything just to get me to talk to them, right?"
The past few weeks, I've been getting confession letters nonstop. Some guys even try to flirt with me between classes. They never spoke to me before I changed my appearance—but now? Suddenly I'm their type.
What shallow idiots.
"They do that because they don't really know you; if they did, they'd regret it."
"You say that as if I forced you to stay by my side."
Who does he think I am?
"So can I go?"
"Of course not!"
"You're a tyrant." He sighed, clearly exasperated.
Tyrant? I see—then I'll just have to prove him wrong.
"I'll buy another pizza." I pulled out my credit card with a grin.
"Whoever called you a tyrant, I'll punch that guy!"
I burst out laughing at his sudden change in tone.
Maybe Raiden has his flaws—actually, a lot of them—but he's undeniably entertaining.