Chapter-04 · EP-058
Episode 58: I Can't Keep Up with Girls' Shopping
The train early Saturday morning wasn't as crowded as the weekend rush, but it was comfortably busy. The morning sun streaming through the windows was dazzling. I was sitting with Yuno, Maika, and Iori on the Special Rapid train heading to Shinjuku Dungeon.
"Trains in Tokyo are so complicated, with all the limited expresses, rapid expresses, semi-rapids…"
Yuno answered my comment.
"I don't really get it either, but you can figure it out by searching on your phone, right?"
"Yeah, true. Transfers must have been brutally hard back in the days before smartphones…"
Hearing our conversation, Maika asked.
"Didn't your town have different train types, Shirou-kun?"
"No, we hardly even took the train at all. I guess it's a car-centric society. Students would go everywhere by bicycle."
"I sometimes went out by bus."
We chatted about such trivial things, rocked by the train. We were scheduled to arrive at our destination in a little over forty minutes.
"Speaking of Shinjuku, last week we transferred here to go to Harajuku."
"The cat café?"
"Yeah, that's right. Right, Iori?"
"Ah, yes. I'd like to go there every week, if possible."
Remembering the cat café, Iori had a slightly goofy grin.
"That's not the kind of place you go every week, is it? If you like it that much, you might as well get a cat."
"That's true. I definitely plan to welcome a kitty-chan into my home in the future."
Somehow, Iori, who I thought was a cooler person, seemed to change when it came to fighting and cats.
"Let's save the cats for another time. Today's destination is the Explorer Recycle Market."
"R-right, that's right…"
Iori's expression turned serious again.
"I hope they have cute equipment."
As soon as we started talking about today's main subject, Maika said something completely off-topic.
Yuno immediately agreed.
"Yeah, let's definitely find some cute equipment."
"Do you two actually intend to explore seriously…?"
Outside the window, high-rise buildings gradually came into view.
We got off at Shinjuku, and with me leading the way, we guided the girls to the Explorer Recycle Market gathered in front of the Shinjuku Dungeon building.
Having shopped here last week, I walked around introducing various things to the three.
"So, first we look for exploration gear?"
"Yeah. We can stick with wooden swords for weapons for now, but we need cute clothes to get excited!"
They were still fixated on "cute."
I found a shop that seemed suitable for beginners like us, and we decided to look together.
"How about this? A set made from Large Lizard leather. It's light and sturdy."
"That's not cute at all! Shirou, you have no taste."
"Cute…?"
Seeing me confused, Maika explained.
"Beast leather might look cool on a guy, but it doesn't suit girls."
Was that so?
However, there were many items made from leather dropped by monsters. Were all of these no good…?
Pulling myself together, I looked for items not made of leather.
"Yuno, how about this? It looks like a blade-resistant jacket. And it's cheap."
"Hmm? Black?"
"Color?"
"It's not cute, right?"
Yuno rejected the black color, and Maika agreed it wasn't cute. Were these two seriously looking for cute clothes?
Iori was also silently browsing the clothes in the shop, but she didn't seem to have found anything she liked.
"Well then, what kind do you want?"
"Hmm… A silhouette that's not too masculine, something with a cute, feminine shape."
I couldn't understand what she was saying.
"I definitely prefer brighter colors."
They were going to get dirty anyway, so I didn't see the point in being picky about colors.
"I'm looking for something with a cat print or embroidery."
The last one was the most concerning.
…I had no confidence in finding items that would appeal to these three.
"I can't find what you're looking for. Sorry…"
After visiting several stalls for about thirty minutes, I finally gave up.
Hearing my declaration of defeat, Yuno, Maika, and Iori looked at each other.
"Maybe we won't find good clothes in a place like this. Want to try a department store?"
"Let's do that."
"Wait a minute! I can't keep shopping with you! Let's split up!"
"I guess that can't be helped…"
I realized that I couldn't keep up with the female tendency to browse slowly and leisurely when shopping.
So we decided to split up and agreed to meet for lunch at the Shinjuku Dungeon building.
After watching the three walk off towards the department store, I checked my phone.
The current time was 9:30 AM. I had some time until noon.
"Now, how should I kill time?"
I turned around. There stood the towering Shinjuku Dungeon building.
Right. I knew the best way to kill time.
Alright. Let's go continue exploring the fourth floor of the Shinjuku Dungeon!