“Are you done with your coffee? I want us to get over to shopping for clothes as soon as possible.” Azurie said as she moved to get up.

Four… In the span it took me to finish one cup of coffee… She ate four parfaits! Just what kind of sweet tooth does this girl have? I don’t know what’s more impressive. The way and amount she eats or the fact that she can maintain her figure despite that.

“Yeah, lets just get out of here.”

We walked over to the lady by the counter and I got my card back. As we walked out I could see the smug look Azurie was giving me.

“Hmmm~ You really can act like a boyfriend.” She teased as we walked. “I guess I was worried for nothing.”

“I really don’t want to hear that from you.” I groaned my annoyance as she grabbed onto my arm.

As we walked to the next store my eyes were usually on the other people we walked by. I could tell that their eyes were mostly on Azurie. I expected that sort of attention when she forced me to go on this date. But it was the glances at me that I hated. I didn’t even watch long enough to see what kind of look they were giving me. It didn’t matter, I simply hated the attention I was getting.

“Azurie… What the hell is this store?” I asked in disbelief. The store was far too nice and sleek. “I can’t afford any of this stuff.” I said as I flipped one of the price tags of the shirts.

“Just shut up and let me pamper you.” She said in a tone that left no room for argument as she shoved a pile of clothes in my arms. “Go, get changed I want to see how you look.”

She pushed me towards the changing room. When I was inside I had to change practically everything. New shoes, pants, shirt, and jacket. I looked myself over in the mirror and I felt like I was wearing an outfit straight out of a model catalogue. Sleek shoes, nice fitting black pants, a grey shirt that hugged shoulders and chest which felt weird. Then there was the black coat that felt like it tied the whole thing together.

My eyes trailed my body from toe to head in the mirror. I was glad that she stuck to the dark color scheme I preferred but there was one thing I couldn’t understand. Why was I glaring at myself in the mirror?

“How do I look?” I asked as I pulled back the curtain.

Azurie’s jaw dropped and I could see a few heads turn to look at me. I felt my stomach twist like I was going to vomit. I hated it, hated it, hated it.

“This is fucking ridiculous.” I growled as I gripped the curtain until my knuckles turned white.

“Whoa, hey, you look really good.” She said as she stepped closer.

She saw the way I was gripping the curtain and placed her hand on my arm. She gave my arm a reassuring squeeze before stepping back.

“Lets just buy this and leave, okay?” She suggested softly as she searched my face for a response.

She took a step back and I closed the curtain. Changing back to my original and comfortable outfit. The clothes she chose by no means felt uncomfortable to wear. But it was the attention that it brought and the way people looked at me that made my skin crawl.

“How come you didn’t like the clothes? I’ve never seen you look so angry before.” She said as we walked out of the store and made our way back to the station.

“The clothes were fine.” I said dismissively as I carried the bag of clothes.

I know I had no reason to act the way I did. Which only made me feel more like an idiot than I am. There’s no way I could tell her I felt sick to my stomach because people were looking at me. Not just looking at me but seeing me positively. It only reminded me of a time I’d rather not remember.

We got on the train and afterwards I walked her to her house. Which was massive with a modern design. Only solidifying the fact that she was a rich girl.

“You know you didn’t need to walk me home.” She said as we stood out front.

“I would have felt guilty if I didn’t because of how late it is. Plus I need to thank you for all the money you spent on me today.”

On the inside I wanted nothing more than to go back to my apartment and just into the shower. Try whatever I could to wash off whatever it was that I was feeling right now.

“Don’t worry about it. It was more for me than it was for you.” She said glancing over at the house. “I’ll send you the money for the date later tonight. I’ll see you at school.”

As she walked towards the door I looked up at the second floor of her house. Seeing a figure standing in the window. No doubt it was her father watching us. From where I stood and the glare of light I couldn’t really see his expression. So I just gave him a parting nod before leaving.

“Gah, that was exhausting.” I said to myself as I jumped in bed. My hair still slightly damp from my shower.

“How was the date?” Tomori grinned as he hopped onto my chest still in cat form.

“A pain.” I answered as I swatted him off of my bed.

I rolled over on my side as I opened my phone. Immediately rolling for girls in my gatcha game.

“Tsk, I would have hoped that going on a date with a cute girl would have done something to change you.”

“I already told you that whatever you have planned won’t work on me.”

“Hm?”

In that moment I pulled an SSR tier character. A biker girl with short hair and a leather jacket with spikes on it. A cool tattoo that trailed the side of her neck.

“Well that’s only because you haven’t triggered any events or quests.” Tomori said sounding far too smug.

I could only dread what he had planned for me. To make things worse I had a feeling none of these would pop up at convenient times. He was planning on making my school life absolute hell.