"Let's check out this shop too," Natsume said, pointing to a clothing store under the shade of a roadside tree. A sign hanging in the window read: Now Open~
Today's outing with Mei had two goals: to pick up a few things for himself, and more importantly, to go shopping for clothes with her.
With that mission in mind, the two had already been browsing for a while now.
So far, the number of outfits they'd actually bought?
Zero.
Maybe it was a matter of differing perspectives.
Every time Natsume saw something that looked decent, he was ready to pay and pack it up on the spot.
Clothes, after all, just needed to be wearable.
As long as they weren't ugly and were reasonably comfortable, they were good enough.
And if they happened to be cheap? Then that was a top-tier find.
That's why Natsume usually shopped quickly.
His process was simple: spot a decent-looking store, head in, try something on, pay, and go.
He rarely ever visited more than three stores in one outing.
Because even before he left the house, he already had a clear idea of what he needed.
Once out, it was straight to the point—get what he came for and leave.
He absolutely would not spend an extra second lingering outside.
But in this regard, Mei had a different opinion.
For Mei—and for most girls, really—whether or not they actually bought something wasn't the point.
The whole purpose of going shopping was, well… shopping.
Wandering around, browsing here and there, walking with a friend or boyfriend—that experience was the whole point.
The process mattered much more than the outcome.
And more often than not, the most important part of that process was the person you were with.
"Coming, coming!"
Mei, who had been squatting by the roadside playing with a Pidove, suddenly sprang to her feet and rushed to Natsume's side in a few quick strides.
Then—
"Ugh, my head's spinning…"
Maybe it was from standing up too fast after squatting for too long.
Mei felt like someone had pulled the plug on her vision—like an old TV with a loose cable, everything suddenly went dark.
It was like her soul had been locked away from her body.
Sounds, visuals—all of it felt distant and muffled.
"Thump."
She instinctively stumbled back, about to collapse.
Thankfully, Natsume reacted quickly and caught her just in time.
Otherwise, Mei might've ended up sitting on the sidewalk right in the middle of the street.
"Careful," he said.
"You're always like this when we're traveling too…"
As Mei slowly regained her senses, she heard Natsume muttering under his breath.
Logically, as a Pokémon trainer who trained regularly, she thought her physical condition was decent.
But things like this still happened now and then.
"Alright, alright, I get it," she cut him off. "Let's just go look at clothes already."
She pushed Natsume toward the shop, deliberately steering the conversation away.
She knew he was only worried, and she didn't mind the nagging too much.
But still—was now really the time?
They were still out shopping.
Couldn't he save the lecture for later tonight?
So Natsume's well-intentioned nagging was left hanging in the air as he followed Mei into the store to continue browsing.
"How about this one?" Mei asked, holding up two outfits and posing in front of the full-length mirror.
For some reason, she felt like the mirror made her look a bit taller.
Maybe it was a trick of the store's design? To make the clothes look more appealing?
"Hm…"
"I think it works," Natsume said after a few seconds of thoughtful silence, arms folded across his chest. "It gives off a kind of intellectual vibe."
Apparently, when picking out clothes with a girl, you shouldn't respond immediately.
Taking a few seconds to pause before giving your opinion was supposed to make it sound more sincere.
Natsume didn't know who came up with that rule, but he figured it made sense.
At the very least, it made it seem like he was seriously considering it.
Truthfully though, Natsume's fashion sense was still firmly rooted in practicality.
Fabric type? Cut? Weight per square meter?
Yeah, none of that really registered for him.
His judgment was based entirely on first impressions.
If it looked fine at first glance, then it was fine.
If not, then it wasn't.
So far, everything Mei tried on had looked good.
Probably because Mei herself was already so striking.
Attractive people could pull off almost anything.
Even a potato sack would look runway-ready on her.
Especially considering how avant-garde some fashion shows were these days.
"Oh yeah?" Mei said, glancing at him through the mirror. "You seem to really like this 'intellectual' look."
Natsume responded casually, like it was no big deal.
"It's fine. I just think if you tried that kind of style now and then, you'd look amazing."
"Really eye-catching, you know?"
"Mmhmm."
Mei gave a cryptic hum and dropped the topic.
She never saw herself as the quiet, bookish type. The whole "intellectual" thing didn't really match her personality.
But if Natsume thought it'd look good on her… maybe she could try it sometime?
"This outfit does look great on you," the sales clerk chimed in, seizing the opportunity to launch into a sales pitch.
She explained how the cut was on trend, the craftsmanship, the feel of the fabric—none of which Mei was really paying attention to.
What caught her ear was just one phrase: your boyfriend.
She instinctively turned her head to look at Natsume—
And their eyes met.
They were standing quite close.
In that moment, time seemed to stretch.
Even the clerk's enthusiastic voice faded into the background.
"So, what do you think, miss?"
"Ah… it's nice. I'll keep looking around," Mei replied, quickly snapping out of it.
She broke eye contact and began examining herself in the mirror again.
For some reason, her earlobes felt warm.
The outfit in the mirror also suddenly looked… kind of ordinary.
"Let me check out something else."
She straightened the clothes and hung them back on the rack. Then, almost on impulse, she grabbed Natsume's hand and headed for the door.
"Alright, come again anytime, miss!" the sales clerk called out cheerily. "Oh, and we're having a promotion—why not take another look with your boyfriend?"
She was clearly eager to make a sale.
But Mei's mind wasn't really on clothes anymore.
Outside the store, she walked with her head slightly down.
The warmth of Natsume's hand made her instinctively want to pull away.
But the steady pressure holding her hand made her attempts to let go unsuccessful.
So she gave up.
And just kept holding his hand as they continued their stroll.
Back on that one night, when she'd acted on impulse and crossed a line, it had only been once.
After that, Mei had spent the next few days avoiding Natsume out of sheer embarrassment.
When the adrenaline faded, all that was left behind was regret and shyness.
"Didn't like the outfit?"
"Mm, didn't quite suit me."
"Got it. Alright then."
And just like that, the conversation stalled again.
Neither of them really knew what to say next.
There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn't know where to begin.
Natsume felt a strange flutter in his chest.
A feeling he couldn't quite describe.
A feeling he had never experienced before.
Not even when he was staring at that half-human-sized Strike Freedom Gundam model equipped with a DCD belt.
And those 2D waifus? Don't even mention them.
The gap between 2D and 3D was just too wide.
You couldn't even feel their warmth, let alone talk about something as elusive as a racing heartbeat.
Of course, maybe it was because Natsume's cultivation wasn't strong enough yet. He still couldn't break through the dimensional wall to communicate with his 2D wife.
Which is why Natsume decided to enter the 2D world himself. (Strikethrough.)
Holding Mei's hand, Natsume could no longer tell whose sweat it was that made their palms damp.
He walked just half a step behind her.
From that angle, he could clearly see the blush on the side of her face.
And her ears—so red they could rival the ripest peaches on a summer tree.
He didn't say a word, only adjusted his pace so he could walk side by side with Mei.
Meanwhile, in his pocket, Rotom was practically bursting to jump out and teach Natsume how to speak.
Come on, man, say something!
Aren't you usually pretty talkative?
I've seen you roast people online without pausing for breath!
Why so shy now?
Keyboard warrior online, tongue-tied introvert in real life?
No way. I've gotta help Natsume find something to say in a moment like this.
There's gotta be a million dating one-liners online...
Click.
After a brief search, Rotom silently closed the browser tab.
It's already the year 4202.
Why are the internet's dating lines still stuck in 2010?
What's with all the ancient "Martian text" slang?
Argh.
Have you people really not found a new way to flirt in all these years?!
Rotom was so frustrated, it started cursing in foreign languages.
Swearing in other languages—something it picked up from Natsume.
Natsume always believed swearing was bad. It ruined your image and put others in a bad mood if they overheard.
So when Natsume got mad, he usually cursed in foreign languages.
Ask him to hold a conversation in a second language? He'd stumble, stutter, and barely squeeze out a sentence.
But ask him to cuss in one?
He'd switch between languages like a pro.
Who do you think taught Corviknight all its colorful vocabulary in the first place?
Ahem. Let's skip over that rather "elegant and refined" topic.
At this very moment, Rotom felt like it was facing the biggest professional challenge of its entire existence.
As a Pokémon devoted to making a Trainer's life easier—handling the little things so they could focus on training—Rotom saw itself as Natsume's personal butler.
Always ready to dig up whatever info he needed, help build the best plans.
But now? Rotom's virtual brain was practically overheating.
The so-called "dating tips" online were useless.
Either they were fairy-tale scripts written by people who'd never been in a relationship—
Or they were tips shared by serial players.
None of it was anything Natsume could actually use.
Was honest, simple love really that hard to come by on the modern internet?
With a weary sigh, Rotom realized it might not be much help in this department after all.
It wasn't like it had ever been in love either.
Luckily, while Natsume was still single, he wasn't a complete blockhead.
Soon, he found something to say to break the awkward silence.
And just like that, things slipped back into their usual rhythm—
Except for the hands they were still holding.
Night had fallen, but the crowd on the streets hadn't thinned one bit.
In fact, with the evening stalls opening along the pedestrian street, it had gotten even more packed.
"Didn't even notice it got this late," Mei said.
Standing by the manmade lake, she raised her hand to the breeze, trying to catch and hold on to a wisp of that carefree wind.
Sometimes, people just want to hold onto things that can't be held.
Like time. Like youth.
"Yeah," Natsume replied.
Sitting on the grass, he discreetly rubbed his ankle.
It was sore.
For the first time since becoming an adult, Natsume was starting to feel like his stamina might not be what it used to be.
If he hadn't found an excuse to sit down for a bit at that milk tea shop earlier...
His ankle wouldn't just be sore—it'd probably be throbbing by now.
Seriously, how do girls go shopping for hours and feel nothing?
One by one, the lakeside lights flickered on.
Natsume glanced at the now fully dark sky, then at the lamps just coming to life.
He didn't feel like commenting.
Every neighborhood probably had a few of those streetlights—no one knew why they were there.
They always turned on late, constantly broke for no reason, and no one ever came to fix them. Just stayed broken forever.
"Heave-ho."
Plopping down beside him, Mei even made a cute sound effect for herself.
The fall grasses were dry and brittle, and sitting down, you could feel them poking through your pants.
Even thick fabric couldn't block them entirely.
These weeds seemed to have a way of getting everywhere.
A few decorative lotus lanterns floated quietly on the lake's surface.
"Natsume."
"What's up?"
Mei sat quietly for a moment beside him, then suddenly spoke, breaking the stillness.
"What exactly are we now?"
With her elbows on her knees and her hand propping up her chin, she tilted her head slightly to look at him.
A few strands of hair fell by her ear, dancing lightly in the breeze.
For a girl, asking that question took some courage.
"As of now…"
Natsume didn't answer right away, like he was intentionally teasing her.
Finally, under Mei's expectant gaze, he said the words.
"We're dating, right?"
"But you haven't even confessed yet."
"Then let me fix that now."
He stood up and shifted his posture, looking at Mei seriously.
"Mei, will you be my girlfriend?"
"Most of the time, yes."
"And the rest of the time?"
"Absolutely yes."
No flowers, no candles, no big dramatic declarations.
But sometimes, things are just that simple.
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell