Do you like white stockings?

Rize Kamishiro had already changed into a pale purple dress. Its fine, silky fabric looked comfortable just from its appearance.

"What do you think?"

Rize Kamishiro showed Amahane Byakuya the dress she was wearing.

"It looks great. A purple dress really does suit you."

Amahane Byakuya gave his honest opinion.

"Then I'll buy this one."

Rize Kamishiro made her decision without hesitation.

"Though honestly, with your looks, you'd look good in anything."

Amahane Byakuya added.

It was true. A girl who was already beautiful would look good in anything, unless she deliberately made herself look ugly. That was another matter entirely.

"You're making me blush with all those compliments, darling."

Rize Kamishiro spoke with a demure expression.

Next, Rize Kamishiro tried on another dress, this time a white one.

She continued asking Amahane Byakuya for his opinion.

"That looks great too. Purple and white both really suit you, but other colors might look good too. Why not look around some more?"

Amahane Byakuya offered his opinion again.

"No need. These two are enough. As long as you think they look good, that's all that matters."

Rize Kamishiro smiled radiantly.

"All right, then we should probably head back."

Amahane Byakuya had overlooked something: Rize Kamishiro hadn't bought any underwear yet...

"What's the rush? I haven't bought any underwear yet. Sorry for the trouble, but I'll need your help picking that out too~"

Rize Kamishiro chuckled softly, then returned to the fitting room to change back into her own clothes.

Amahane Byakuya froze for a moment. Was Rize Kamishiro really not joking?

Helping her choose clothes was fine, but helping her pick out underwear too...

Amahane Byakuya thought Rize Kamishiro must have been joking. Yet when she emerged from the fitting room in her own clothes, she came straight over and pulled him toward the underwear section.

"Didn't you say purple suits me? What do you think of this?"

As she spoke, Rize Kamishiro picked out a purple set that looked very sexy.

"Wait, you really want me to help you pick out underwear?"

Amahane Byakuya couldn't help asking.

"Why not? You're my boyfriend. Isn't this perfectly normal?"

Rize Kamishiro asked in return.

"The thing is, we're not actually a real cou-"

Before Amahane Byakuya could finish, Rize Kamishiro suddenly pressed a finger to his lips.

"Don't be so shy. I'm not embarrassed."

"...Fine. If you don't mind, neither do I."

Amahane Byakuya said calmly, "But don't ask me to critique underwear."

"You don't have to critique it. Just tell me whether it suits me."

Rize Kamishiro spoke with a smile.

"If that's all you're asking, then this purple set definitely suits you."

Amahane Byakuya spoke with a perfectly straight face.

Rize Kamishiro wasn't embarrassed, so what did he have to be embarrassed about?

"Okay, then I'll take this set. Now I just need one more."

Then Rize Kamishiro picked out a red set in an even bolder style. "What do you think of this? Sexy, isn't it?"

"It is... but I think white might suit you better."

Amahane Byakuya said it almost instinctively.

"Oh~ really? Then I'll go with your suggestion."

But the perceptive Rize Kamishiro immediately caught on to something. "I think I get it. You personally prefer white, don't you?"

"That's true..."

Amahane Byakuya admitted it, unable to deny it.

"I see. Then you must really like things like white stockings."

Rize Kamishiro guessed.

Although she was a ghoul, she often read human fashion magazines, so naturally, she had seen white stockings before.

That was why she put some thought into her appearance. It wasn't just because she liked looking pretty; it also made it easier to prey on human men who desired her.

"They really do look good."

Once again, Amahane Byakuya couldn't deny it.

"Just as I thought. In that case, I'll have to buy a couple of pairs of white stockings too."

Rize Kamishiro spoke with a slightly teasing tone.

She usually wore stockings closer to a nude shade, but since Amahane Byakuya liked white stockings, she was willing to switch.

"You don't have to cater to my tastes. What matters is whether you like them yourself."

Amahane Byakuya spoke in complete earnest.

"I think white stockings look nice too."

Rize Kamishiro said.

"Then that's fine."

Amahane Byakuya gave a slight nod.

At that moment, Touka Kirishima and Yoriko Kosaka could see what was happening inside through the women's clothing store's glass wall.

They saw Rize Kamishiro change into new clothes to show Amahane Byakuya, and even pick out underwear with him.

Neither Touka Kirishima nor Yoriko Kosaka could remain calm, though their reasons were different.

Touka Kirishima was shocked to see Rize Kamishiro behaving this way with a human boy, while Yoriko Kosaka thought Amahane Byakuya and Rize Kamishiro looked exactly like a couple.

If the boy Touka liked really was already dating that girl, Yoriko Kosaka couldn't think of any way to help her.

"Touka, I'll keep supporting you unless there's truly nothing we can do."

Yoriko Kosaka spoke to Touka Kirishima in a solemn tone.

She did it because she didn't want Touka to lose heart.

"Thanks... wait! What exactly are you supporting me in?"

Only after saying "thanks" did Touka Kirishima realize something was wrong.

"Your love life, of course."

Yoriko Kosaka answered with a smile.

Touka Kirishima pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. She knew explaining herself would do no good and would only deepen the misunderstanding, so this time she said nothing.

Even so, the misunderstanding deepened anyway. Seeing that Touka wasn't denying it this time, Yoriko Kosaka became even more convinced that Touka liked that boy.

She felt that the first thing she needed to do was find out whether the boy Touka liked was already dating that girl.

That was something she could only clear up by asking him in person, so she planned to look for a suitable opportunity...

"By the way, Touka, how did you meet that boy? Or where did you meet him?"

Yoriko Kosaka asked Touka Kirishima.

Touka Kirishima failed to realize the gravity of the situation and answered without a second 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 Kosaka smiled without saying anything more.

But she already knew what she would do next~