Rize had changed into a light purple dress. The smooth, delicate fabric looked comfortable just from appearance alone.
"How is it?"
Rize modeled the dress for Byakuya.
"It's beautiful. Purple really does suit you."
Byakuya gave his honest assessment.
"Then I'm definitely buying this one."
Rize made her decision without hesitation.
"Though honestly, with your beauty, you'd look good in anything."
Byakuya added.
It was simply the truth. A naturally gorgeous woman looked good in anything—unless she deliberately tried to make herself look ugly.
"Darling's compliments are making me blush."
Rize said with a composed expression.
Next, Rize tried on the other dress—a white one.
Again seeking Byakuya's opinion.
"Also beautiful. Purple and white both work really well on you. Other colors might look good too—want to browse a bit more?"
Byakuya offered.
"That won't be necessary. These two are enough. As long as you think they look good, that's all that matters."
Rize smiled radiantly.
"Alright, let's head back then."
Byakuya had forgotten one thing—Rize still hadn't bought undergarments...
"What's the rush? I haven't bought underwear yet. You'll need to help me pick those out too~"
Rize smiled lightly, then returned to the fitting room to change back into her original clothes.
Byakuya blinked. Was Rize serious?
Helping with clothes was one thing. But underwear was...
He'd assumed she was joking, but when Rize emerged from the fitting room, she immediately pulled him toward the lingerie section.
"You said purple suits me, right? How about this one?"
She picked out a purple set that looked quite... alluring.
"Wait, you actually want me to help you pick underwear?"
Byakuya couldn't help but say.
"Why not? You're my boyfriend—isn't this perfectly normal?"
Rize countered.
"The problem is, our relationship isn't actually—"
Before Byakuya could finish, Rize pressed a finger to his lips.
"Don't be so shy. I'm not embarrassed."
"...Fine. If you don't mind, neither do I."
Byakuya said evenly. "But don't expect me to critique underwear."
"You don't need to critique it. Just tell me if it suits me or not."
Rize smiled.
"If we're talking about whether it suits you, then yes—that purple set definitely does."
Byakuya said matter-of-factly.
If Rize wasn't embarrassed, why should he be?
"Good, that's one set decided. Now I just need one more."
Rize then selected a red set in a bolder style. "How about this? Sexy, right?"
"Definitely... But I think white might suit you better."
Byakuya said almost instinctively.
"Oh~? Then I'll go with your choice."
But Rize's sharp intuition caught on immediately. "I think I understand now—you personally prefer the color white, don't you?"
"That's... actually true."
Byakuya couldn't deny it.
"I see. So you probably like things like white stockings, don't you?"
Rize mused.
Though she was a ghoul, she often read human fashion magazines—she was quite familiar with such styles.
Her usual wardrobe had some thought put into it. Looking beautiful wasn't just about personal preference—it also made hunting male prey easier.
"They do look nice."
Byakuya admitted once again.
"In that case, I'll need to buy two pairs of white stockings too."
Rize said with a teasing lilt.
She normally wore flesh-toned stockings. If Byakuya liked white ones, she was willing to switch.
"You don't need to cater to my preferences. What matters is whether you like them."
Byakuya said seriously.
"I also think white stockings are pretty."
Rize said.
"Then there's no problem."
Byakuya nodded slightly.
...
Meanwhile, Touka and Yoriko could see into the store through its glass walls.
When they watched Rize model new clothes for Byakuya—and then browse lingerie together with him—
Both were stunned, though for very different reasons.
Touka was shocked that Rize would behave this way with a human boy. Yoriko was amazed because Byakuya and Rize looked exactly like a real couple.
If the guy Touka liked was already dating that woman, Yoriko couldn't think of any way to help.
"Touka-chan, I'll always support you—unless it's truly hopeless."
Yoriko said solemnly.
She didn't want Touka to lose heart.
"Thanks..." Touka caught herself. "Wait—support me in what?"
"Supporting your love life, of course."
Yoriko smiled.
Touka rubbed her forehead, knowing any explanation would only deepen the misunderstanding. She decided to say nothing this time.
But that only made things worse. Seeing that Touka wasn't even denying it anymore, Yoriko became even more convinced.
The first thing she needed to do was investigate whether Touka's crush was already dating that woman.
That kind of thing could only be clarified by asking directly. She'd need to find the right opportunity...
"By the way, Touka-chan, how do you know that guy? Or where did you meet him?"
Yoriko asked.
Not realizing the seriousness of what she was revealing, Touka answered without much thought: "I first saw him at the coffee shop where I work part-time. But I really don't know him well."
"Mm-hmm, got it."
Yoriko smiled and didn't press further.
But internally, she now knew exactly what to do next~