Afterschool — Once the homeroom ended with a bow from the students, a wave of relief washed over the classroom. In no time at all, the previously solemn mood in the class was replaced with the noisy chatter of the students.
Afterschool was the time where students with club activities would stay in school until the bell rang. The cheers of the Baseball club as their members ran a few laps around the school ground had become an everyday occurrence. Similarly, when one passed in front of the Science Prep Room where the Manga Research club occupied, sometimes one could hear a vulgar female laughter followed by the words “seme” and “uke.” For obvious reasons, no obscene materials were allowed inside the school premises.
However, club activities weren’t the only reason why students would stay after the school ended. Some students went to the library for some light reading or looking up material for their assignment, some were called by a teacher either for guidance or being asked for help, while some other students simply stayed because they liked the atmosphere of the school after it ended.
Of course, not every student lingered in school. Those who’d leave the school premises the moment they were allowed were part of the biggest, most popular club in the entire school, the Go-Home Club. Their club activities included going to an arcade afterschool with friends, stopping by popular fast food chains, or the more diligent ones would go to cram schools.
Takumi was part of the Go-Home Club. His activities used to be going straight home, as he had no friends to play with after school. However, starting May 13th last Wednesday, he gained more activities to his plate, namely training his ESP and receiving pointers from his coach.
The training was scheduled 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Today was Thursday, a free day, and Takumi would allocate any free day to review the materials he missed during his training days.
As Takumi slung his bag onto his shoulder, ready to leave the classroom, a girl called out to him from behind.
“Ah, Takumi-kun. Wait a minute.”
Takumi turned around, and saw a short girl with carrot-colored hair and ample bosom walking towards him.
It was Saki, his newly made friend. Each time she stepped, the click and clack of the numerous pins on her bag was iconic. Today, she was wearing a bright lilac cardigan on top of her uniform, perhaps because it was a particularly windy day.
“Are you free this Saturday? There is a place I want you to come with.”
“This Saturday? I am free, but why?”
If it was any normal highschool boy, he would be overjoyed as it sounded like Saki invited him out on a date. Takumi, unfortunately, was not normal, and he learned that Saki didn’t hold that kind of feelings for him back in the karaoke booth a week ago.
And true enough, Saki’s next words reflected that.
“So you see, Takumi-kun, while I know your opponent is going to be that, I figured that you don’t have an appropriate costume to show up in Omega Battle, right?”
“That’s, well…”
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to wear your dad’s old jerseys or something.”
Saki rolled her eyes as if predicting Takumi’s answer. Takumi made a shocked face, or presumably he did behind his bangs, as he seemed surprised that Saki read his mind.
“…eh, I can’t?”
He asked genuinely, instigating a sigh from Saki.
“Of course you can’t! This is going to be your debut battle, you know? First impressions are important, and people all around the world are going to watch you. Not to mention, your appearance is your brand in this line of business. No one is going to take you seriously if you show up in jerseys, and that could impact your prospect of finding an opponent in the future.”
Saki’s painfully correct argument left Takumi wordless. Saki sighed again.
“Either way, let’s meet up in front of the station tomorrow morning, okay? Since the more heads the better, I’ll ask Jun or someone else to come with us too.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t forget to bring money, okay? Well then, see you tomorrow!”
Takumi answered Saki’s goodbye with a “yeah,” then he watched her skipping down the hallway, pins clacking as her bag swayed, before she met up with her friend from another class.
This whole Omega Battle business was becoming a much bigger deal than I initially thought, mused Takumi. As he walked out of the classroom, he pondered whether he should break open his piggy bank that he’s been diligently keeping since elementary school or not.
♤♠♤♠♤
The promised day had come. Takumi looked at his phone, it was 9:55. He’d come to the rendezvous point 15 minutes earlier than promised because he thought that was the right manner, but now he’d come to regret it. With summer closing in, the heat from the sun was baking him alive, and the stares from the pedestrians were getting annoying.
Takumi, however, didn’t realize that a boy with bangs so long they covered half of his face, standing all alone under the sun, while wearing school uniform meant that he was basically begging for people to stare at him.
Two minutes later, the familiar click and clack sound of pins reached Takumi’s ear, and as expected, a short girl with carrot-colored hair—Saki called out to him.
“Takumi-kun~ Sorry, did you wait long?’
Saki waved her hand. She was wearing an open coat with blue polkadots on top of a navy blue shirt that she tucked under white slacks. The coordination seemed to accentuate her thin waist in contrast to her ample breasts. She wore a cap with some kind of logo on it, perhaps one of her Omega merchandise, to protect her face from the sun.
This was the first time Takumi saw Saki in her casual attire. Takumi himself didn’t know much about fashion, but he knew that she looked good in those clothes. And so, he opened his mouth and—
“Yeah, I’ve waited for 15 minutes.”
—replied curtly, but honestly. He figured that being honest was a good sign of friendship. Although, someone else challenged that notion of him with a sigh.
“Now look, Takumi. At times like this, the norm is to say ‘no, I didn’t wait at all’ or ‘it’s okay, I just arrived too’ to reassure the other person even if you have to lie. You’re the only person who’d answer that honestly. Not to mention, a cute girl asked you out on a weekend like this, and yet you’re wearing a uniform? I can’t tell if you’re just socially inept or too much of an honor student.”
The person who rebuked him out of nowhere was a girl wearing a pale pink blouse on the top, and black span skirt reaching her toes with a slit on one side on the bottom. She was carrying a tea-colored tote bag in one hand. The overall outfit gave her slender body the image of a mature woman, while the muted color palette complemented well with her wavy shoulder-length ashen hair.
When she saw Takumi looking a bit confused, as if couldn’t recognize her, the girl made an astonished face.
“It’s me, the girl who’s been sitting next to you since the start of the semester, Imai Asa. We went to karaoke together last week.”
There should be a limit to how disinterested you are with people, Asa added under her breath. Takumi racked his brain, and upon the keyword Karaoke, something struck his memory.
Ah, it’s the girl who wets her—
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“If you’re thinking something weird, I will actually kill you.”
Asa threatened, as if reading Takumi’s mind. Oddly enough, despite half of his face covered with bangs, Takumi’s expression was easy to read.
“I’m sorry,” Takumi honestly apologized. “At least you’re honest,” Asa huffed.
“Well, since everyone is here, let’s go.”
Saki urged, but Takumi felt like someone was missing. Reading that, Saki opened her mouth.
“If it’s Jun-kun, he said he already made a promise to play with everyone from the soccer club so he can’t come.”
“Good for you, Takumi. You’ve got a flower in each hand.”
Asa teased him, but the joke seemed to fly over his head, as Takumi tilted his neck not quite getting what Asa meant. Asa only shook her head in exasperation at that.
“So, Saki. Where are we going?”
When asked by Asa, Saki puffed her chest and made a smug face.
“To the land of cheap and trustworthy clothes — UNIQLO.”
♤♠♤♠♤
Rows and rows of clothes of various sizes, types, and colors, some were lining the racks, some were showcased on the walls, some were worn by mannequins in various poses. There were also non-clothes products lining the shelves, such as futons, kitchenwares, and even camping gears.
For Takumi who still wore the same set of shirts from three years ago other than the ones his mother occasionally bought for him, he felt out of place in this store. Even worse—
“Saki, do you think this one is better? Or the one with the ribbons? I like the motifs here, but yellow isn’t my color.”
Asked Asa, holding up one cloth hanger on each hand. On the hangers were a garment too gaudy to be underwear, but too exposing to be a proper outfit, as it was merely a pair of bikini and bottom.
Indeed, Takumi was stuck in the women’s swimsuit section of the store, as seemingly both of his “flowers” forgot the reason why they came to this store at all. Even the socially dull Takumi understood that he, a healthy teenage boy, was drawing weird stares for being in the forbidden sanctuary for women.
Saki took a closer look between the two pairs of swimsuits Asa was holding, seemingly genuinely torn, before opening her mouth.
“They both look cute. Why don’t you buy both?”
“I would, but it’s not like I’m going to the beach or the pool everyday, so buying two when I’m just using one feels like a waste.”
“Is that how it is?”
The notion of buying extra was a waste sounded weird to Saki. After all, isn’t it good to have more of the things you like?
“Hmm, I don’t know. I think you’ll look cute in both of them, Asa-chan”
“Thanks, but I guess you don’t. Haah.”
Asa let out a sigh. That’s when her eyes noticed Takumi, who had been standing still in silence like a cat in a new house.
“What about you, Takumi? Do you like the white one with big red ribbons on the side, or the yellow one with flower motifs?”
“…aren’t they both swimsuits? The right one is cheaper.”
Takumi pointed to the yellow one. Perhaps it was cheaper because the motifs came with the fabric; Takumi mused as he answered with his honest opinion. Asa, however, frowned as if she was disgusted when hearing his answer.
“…I asked the wrong person.”
She simply said that then returned the swimsuits she picked back to their racks, before she went back browsing for more. Saki, besides her, also looked through the collection of swimsuits on the racks. At this rate, the three of them would waste another hour in the swimsuit section without accomplishing the original goal of today’s outing.
A normal guy with a normal sense of social cues would be patient and wait until the girls finished their business. Unfortunately, Takumi was not normal, and he couldn’t understand social cues even if they were thrown to his face.
“…Can we go along already?”
Takumi asked impatiently. Asa was about to open her mouth in protest, but Saki spoke up faster before she could.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Takumi-kun, even though I’m the one who invited you. But since we’re here, we just want to get a cute swimsuit. I promise we’ll be quick, okay?”
Saki reassured him with a genuine smile.
In the end, it took them 30 more minutes until they made up their minds. After going around for a while, and a small toilet break, they found a good enough spot to scour for Takumi’s costume.
Takumi was about to find some himself, but Asa stopped him, saying that “You’re just going to pick the cheapest outfit, so no,” which he regrettably couldn’t deny.
After rummaging through the racks for a few minutes and finding something, Asa walked to Takumi, shoved a bundle of clothes to his hands, and shoved Takumi into the dressing room.
“Go and try it,” commanded her. One minute later, Takumi opened the curtain to reveal his costume.
A loose-fitting white jacket with wide sleeves, tied together by an obi around the waist. The pants that came with it were similarly loose-fitting, allowing ease of movement. The entire outfit was made of a thick fabric. It was—
“A dougi?” Saki made her observation.
“Yup. Omega Battle is physically demanding right? So it’s only natural to wear the traditional martial arts outfit since it won’t tear easily.”
Asa made her reasoning, but Saki didn’t seem to buy the idea.
“That may be true, but if you’re wearing a dougi, the viewers will expect you to do martial arts like Judo or Karate. That kind of image doesn’t disappear. I don’t think we can go with this.”
“I see. You’re right, I didn’t think of that.”
Asa easily accepted Saki’s argument.
This time, Saki handed Takumi a bundle of clothes for him to wear. A minute later, Takumi opened the curtain, revealing him in a two-colored outfit. Both the long-sleeved shirt and the baggy pants had stripes in alternating black and white color.
“Takumi-kun’s power is both light and darkness, that’s why I pick an outfit that shows it off at first glance. It’s eye-catching, right?”
“Saki…that's a prisoner’s uniform.”
Saki made a triumphant face when she explained her reasoning, but when Asa pointed out the outfit made Takumi look even more suspicious than usual, the smirk on Saki’s face disappeared.
One minute later, Takumi opened the curtain, dressed like a pirate. When Saki shook her head, Takumi next showed up dressed like a monochrome killer clown. Asa shook her head, then gave Takumi a new set of costumes, this time, a post-apocalypse biker.
This cycle repeated a few more times, until eventually—
“…don’t play around using me,” Takumi protested.
His hair was all standing up in large triangles, revealing a huge forehead, while his eyes were covered by comically large sunglasses. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, with an inflatable ducky tire around his waist, and his feet were enveloped in beach sandals. It was as if the Saiyan Prince was on a holiday, earning a stifled chuckle from both Saki and Asa.
“Where did you even get something like this,” Takumi murmured as he tore off the wig from his head.
“Sorry, sorry, we’ll try to be more serious,” Asa took the wig from Takumi’s hand. She took another look at it, then laughed again.
“Do you have something specific in mind, Takumi-kun? Maybe an outfit that compliments your battle style.”
Saki looked through the rack again. At her question, Takumi pondered for a bit then opened his mouth.
“Simple and sharp, something that’s easy to draw, I think?”
“Your ESP has something to do with drawing, Takumi?”
Asa asked, but Saki seemed to catch on what Takumi meant and headed to the formal wear aisle. After finding what she was looking for, Saki walked back and handed Takumi another bundle of clothes.
A minute later, Takumi opened the curtain. Black tux on top of white long sleeved business shirt. Black ties, black pants, and black shoes as well. It was indeed, a sharp looking outfit that was easy to recreate, but—
“Isn’t that a mourning suit?”
Commented Asa. Saki also figured it out the moment she saw Takumi wearing the entire outfit. Considering the opponent though, maybe wearing a mourning outfit is appropriate, Saki thought to herself.
Asa held her chin, seemingly pondering something, then made a suggestion.
“Simple and sharp, and easy to draw. If that’s all, then what if we reverse the color?”
“Reverse how?”
Instead of answering Saki’s question, Asa headed to the black shirts section. Saki caught onto her, then headed to the white jacket section.
“Why not this one?”
“Don’t you think he’ll look like a waiter?”
“Oh you’re right. Then this one?”
“Hm…”
Such murmurs were heard from the two girls. Takumi, who became their dress up doll, could only wait in silence. After receiving the bundle of clothes from both of them once they returned, Takumi closed the curtain and changed outfit for the nth time.
Long-sleeved black shirt, crimson red tie, and white vest on top of it. Coupled with the sleek black pants and brown dress shoes, the coordination of the entire outfit gave Takumi a sleek, traditional but monochromatic look. The attire fit well with his tall stature, and the red tie paired well against the black backdrop which was his shirt, seemingly almost blending in but having its own character.
“Well?” Takumi raised both hands 90 degrees to his elbows as if presenting himself. Saki and Asa stayed in silence, their faces suggested they looked troubled.
“…Takumi, try playing with the buttons on your sleeve. And turn around a bit so that we’re looking at your side profile.”
“…”
Takumi couldn’t get what Asa was getting at, but he followed her instruction nonetheless. He turned 45 degrees, then with his right hand, he took off the buttons of the sleeves of his left hand.
“It’s like, you know…”
“Yeah…”
Looking at him like that, Saki and Asa made an ambiguous impression.
“”You look like a spy movie villain.””
Spoke Saki and Asa together. Takumi slumped his shoulders, ready to change to the next costume, but Asa’s next words denied it.
“I think it looks good.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
Saki also agreed.
Finally, thought Takumi as he let out a sigh. He was getting tired of all these costumes that he considered wearing the jerseys regardless of what Saki had told him.
Takumi only let his guard down for a second, but he was too late to notice that Asa was reaching out for his face.
“Let’s go to beauty salon next, we need to do something about your stupidly long—”
Asa froze whilst holding up Takumi’s bangs. Takumi was surprised too, but his arm reflexively swatted Asa’s hand away.
It was too late, however. He was already seen.
“…Sorry,” Asa apologized a bit late. “I think they’re pretty, your eyes I mean.”
That was how the outing ended on an awkward note.
In the end, while it was supposed to be an outing to find Takumi’s costume, the girls left with three times more bags than Takumi did.