Kaim the Dress-up Doll

"I'm surprised to hear you say something like that."

"Really...?"

"If you'd thought that way before, you wouldn't have said it aloud, would you? Being able to say it matters."

Rather than hiding it, put it into the right words. That was what Caitlin valued about controlling emotions. Not merely saying it aloud, but saying it to someone reliable. That mattered.

People could become less talkative around those close to them. Not everyone was like that, but a fair number were. Kaim and Caitlin fit that description perfectly. That was why Caitlin appreciated Kaim being able to say something like that.

"Maybe. Of course, I can't say for sure, but I never know when someone might disappear."

"Good. You understand perfectly well that time is limited."

"Yes."

The three headed straight for the department store.

Besides clothing, the department store offered all kinds of shoes, accessories, and books, as well as restaurants.

"So? Where do you want to go first?"

"I want to buy some clothes for you and Miss Cynthia. I'd like some new outfits for summer and autumn."

"Hehe, I'm looking forward to shopping with you, Caitlin."

"So am I."

"Kaim, make sure you keep up."

"Haha, understood."

With a strained expression, Kaim happily followed the two women.

As soon as they reached the first shop, the two began shopping.

"I wonder what sort of clothes would suit you, Caitlin."

"This top looks nice."

Caitlin picked out a pale beige top. Its relaxed feel suited her well.

"Yes, it really fits your image, Caitlin."

Cynthia picked up a white bottom, looked over the two pieces, and held them against Caitlin.

"Oh, that's nice. If we're going with this color, wouldn't this long skirt work too?"

"That would be lovely. I like long skirts."

"Ah, this color is lovely too."

"Would it suit me?"

"I'm sure it would. You're adorable, Caitlin, so anything you wear looks picture-perfect."

"I'm not so sure..."

"And a little fringe like this is nice too. You have such a soft, fluffy image, Caitlin, so I think a cooler look like this would be nice once in a while."

"Is this the sort of thing you like, Miss Cynthia?"

"Maybe. I like clothes like that and wear them often."

Cynthia happily continued choosing clothes. She brought them over to coordinate with Caitlin, took them back, and tried different combinations over and over. Caitlin showed no sign of displeasure. Perhaps she was enjoying letting Cynthia have her way.

Meanwhile, Kaim felt out of place in the women's clothing store. But if he started fiddling with his phone here, Caitlin would surely do something, so he quietly watched the two of them.

"Why don't you try this combination?"

"Yes, certainly."

"Go try it on."

Clothes in hand, Caitlin entered the fitting room.

While they waited for Caitlin to change, Cynthia turned her gaze toward Kaim. As always, he stood there expressionlessly.

"Bored?"

Seeing that he had nothing to do, Cynthia addressed Kaim.

"What do you mean?"

"Shopping with women. You said you'd go with someone other than me."

"I know shopping for women takes a long time, especially when it's clothes. I expected this, and it isn't that hard."

"Isn't it a little uncomfortable?"

"I don't think many men can enjoy themselves in a women's clothing store."

Even as an attendant, he still felt out of place.

For one thing, this was a place that sold nothing for men. For Kaim, who didn't wear anything beyond basic clothes, that was understandable.

"I wouldn't say I dislike it, but it's uncomfortable."

"True. But shopping matters to women. Just as people train their bodies, women make themselves look beautiful. Women always want to be seen as beautiful."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"...I see."

Kaim could understand and agree with what Cynthia said. Even if he didn't feel that way himself, he could understand it.

"Then do you feel that way too, Cynthia?"

"Of course."

"I see."

"You're always beautiful, though," almost slipped out, but he swallowed the words, deciding it wasn't something he should say with Caitlin there.

"I want to look beautiful all the time. That's how I feel."

"I wouldn't think so from how you are at home."

"You're bringing that up?"

"Mom."

Kaim smiled faintly at the sulking Cynthia. It was a relaxed expression that only Cynthia could draw out of him. Seeing it, Cynthia no longer felt like drinking.

Then the fitting room curtain opened.

"What do you think?"

Caitlin wore a white top and black bottoms, paired with a beige long skirt.

It stayed true to Caitlin's white-based image, yet had a casual air unlike her usual ladylike style.

"Oh, that's nice. You look more like an ordinary girl than a young lady."

"Really? I don't wear clothes like this very often, so it feels refreshing."

"It suits you very well."

"Then I'll buy this outfit."

They didn't seem to be designer items, but when she calmly said she'd buy the whole outfit without even checking the price tags, Kaim smiled wryly to himself. Her sense of money was different from most people's.

"Now for the next outfit."

With that, Caitlin tried on the outfits Cynthia had put together, one after another.

She tried all sorts of clothes, from soft, airy outfits that suited her image to the sleek black clothes Cynthia wore.

"I've never worn clothes like these before."

In black skinny pants and a black cropped shirt beneath a distressed leather jacket, Caitlin looked a little awkward.

"It suits you, it really does. I rarely see you like this, so it's refreshing. You're tall too, Caitlin, so I think these clothes really suit you."

"But... I've never worn anything like this."

"Never having worn it doesn't mean you can't start."

You certainly look like you're having fun, Cynthia.

Cynthia looked delighted as she dressed Caitlin, her little-sister figure, in all sorts of outfits like a dress-up doll.

Caitlin also seemed to enjoy shopping with Cynthia as an ordinary girl, rather than as the daughter of a distinguished family or a member of a region's Elite Four.

If I get to see them like this, I don't mind either.

Murmuring that inwardly, Kaim watched the two happily shopping for clothes, his expression softening slightly.

"Oh, boy."

Several hours later, Kaim took back his earlier words.

"Oh, are you really tired? Is your mouth the only thing you train?"

"Take a look at me before you say that."

"If you go shopping with a woman, shouldn't you be prepared to carry her bags?"

"There are limits! Limits!"

With a mass of shopping bags hanging from both hands, Kaim was furious.

Caitlin had bought not only clothes but also shoes and miscellaneous goods, and naturally, Kaim was carrying all of them.

"It's been so long. This is such fun."

"I'd like to buy some things we don't need along the way."

"What do you mean?"

"Hey, what now?"

Cynthia smiled wryly as Caitlin coolly ignored Kaim's scornful gaze.

"All right. Calm down, Kaim."

"Cynthia..."

"You too, Caitlin."

"Huh? Big brother?"

At Cynthia's words, Caitlin flushed and rushed toward her.

"Wha-! I-I didn't say that!"

"Hehe, that's what happens when you play with someone else's boyfriend for too long, you know?"

Winking, Cynthia placed her index finger against Caitlin's lips.

Caitlin blushed faintly and groaned, but Kaim didn't seem to understand what she was saying, so she looked away and pouted.

"Who's this big brother?"

"You don't need to know. Especially not you, Kaim."

"Now I'm really curious."

"Let's go. There are coin lockers on the way to our next destination. We can leave the bags there."

Smiling, Cynthia followed Caitlin and leaned lightly toward her ear, while Kaim, though somewhat dissatisfied, followed the two for the time being.

Caitlin, do you have an older brother?

Kaim was unexpectedly slow on the uptake.

Then they arrived at a men's clothing store.

"Let's get started!"

"Yes."

Watching Cynthia and Caitlin enjoying themselves, Kaim's eyes had already gone dead.

"Hehe, this was our agreement, right?"

"This is a big occasion. Let's have fun!"

"I'll do what I can."

Whether he liked it or not, Kaim resigned himself to the fact that this would be exhausting.

"But it wouldn't be right for us to do whatever we want. Kaim wouldn't get to choose his own clothes."

"True. At the very least, we need to hear what you want."

"Yes. So, do you have any requests?"

To be honest, Kaim chose clothes mainly for function rather than appearance. Materials that allowed easy movement and dried quickly mattered most, so looks were secondary.

"...Requests?"

"There must be something, right? You're the one who'll wear them."

"For now, nothing flashy."

"Nothing flashy. You probably prefer things that look simpler."

"Yeah."

"As for colors, I like warm ones, but I also like subdued colors."

"How about these gray skinny pants? They're light gray, so they're not flashy, but they still stand out."

"Oh, that's nice. With this color, I wonder whether this shirt and jacket would work together."

"I think that looks good."

"Then yes, this is it. Try it on."

With a bright smile, an outfit was thrust upon Kaim, and he accepted it with dead eyes.

He had no intention of resisting for now, so he obediently changed into the clothes he had been handed in the fitting room. When he pulled back the curtain, they were already waiting with new clothes.

"Ah, nice. It has a clean look, and it's well made too."

"Much better already."

"Were my old clothes that bad?"

"They weren't bad. Just subdued."

"They had a clean feel. The designs were simple too, so it wasn't a question of good or bad, but they were plain."

Kaim was a little shocked when the two called him plain.

"But you know, Kaim, you'd look even cooler in nice clothes."

"...Really?"

Even ordinary, steady effort could hone one's skills. For Kaim, who had learned that through battle, nothing could have been more convincing.

"Look in the mirror. You're not the same person you were before."

He looked in the mirror.

Wearing a long navy cardigan with three-quarter sleeves, a white short-sleeved shirt, and gray skinny pants, Kaim looked much more confident than before.

Not only was Kaim himself trained, but his outfit and aura were mature, giving off a tense sensation. The light in his eyes was still faint, but compared to the Kaim of his university days, he had grown much tougher.

It wasn't just the clothes you wore. I could tell from myself in the mirror that I was growing properly.

"Bronze?"

"Even if I'm mediocre, if I dress properly, I'll be a little better."

"You're not honest."

"Definitely."

"I can't hear you."

"I'm telling you so you can hear my voice. I wish I could be a little more obedient."

Kaim shrugged.

"The important thing is not only to keep trying, but to examine yourself, both inside and out."

"Like"

"Then, let's try this too!"

Abandoning her serious expression, Cynthia shoved several pieces of clothing from her hands in front of Kaim. Caitlin also shrewdly added clothes from behind Cynthia.

"Eh? Just these?"

"Of course."

"That's not the problem."

Kaim's ordeal continued.

When Kaim was finished being used as a dress-up doll, he was completely exhausted, having ended up buying around three outfits.

At this moment, he was sitting on a bench in front of the Gear Station, staring blankly at the sky. Cynthia spoke to such a Kaim while sipping her tea.

"Good work."

"Of course."

"But thanks to this, you found clothes that suit you. You now know how to choose clothes, don't you?"

"That's right."

In fact, Kaim's understanding of and attitude toward fashion changed after this. But to be honest, I couldn't accept that the price for this was being made into a toy by Cynthia and Caitlin.

"Thanks to you and Miss Cynthia, I found nice clothes, and while I'm grateful, I don't know if this is a reason for you to scold me?"

"You should know your limits."

"Sorry, I hate losing."

"What are you competing with?"

Kaim stared in surprise at the clothes he was wearing.

She wore a navy-blue collared shirt with a black turtleneck undershirt and light-gray tights on her lower body. I couldn't help thinking it looked a little like the clothes of the young person I met yesterday, but in fact, the clothes suited me well and I liked them, so I didn't say they were bad.

"Still, it really suits you. Compared to the clothes I've worn up until now, it's very fashionable."

"I see, the muscles of the brain are useful when it comes to wearing clothes too."

"Relief."

It used to be silly, but from now on, it wouldn't be like that anymore. Cynthia thought it might be a good idea to look at Kaim's clothes during their date, as she wouldn't be buying any more clothes for herself.

Then I saw Iris and Shikimi walking toward me. After confirming the identities of the three, Alice waved and ran over.

"Thanks for waiting!"

"You're on time. How was it? The amusement park."

"It was so fun! Shimi-kun was a little scared of the roller coaster."

"Because going that fast in such a dark place, anyone would be scared."

"Ahaha! It was interesting though."

"How was it? Was the shopping experience okay?"

"Yeah. I bought some clothes for Kaim."

"Ooh! Really? Your clothes have improved!"

The praised Kaim had an ugly expression. Considering that I was treated like a dress-up doll during that time, to be honest I was quite unhappy.

"Great! You've become a better person!"

"What kind of degree is that?"

"Indeed, that's what it says!"

Looking at Kaim's wondrous champuru, Kaim tilted his head inward.

"Then what are you going to do next? It's a great time right now, why don't we go out for lunch?"

Looking at the clock, it was almost noon. Having eaten early in the morning, Cynthia felt she was starting to get hungry too.

"Sans!"

"I agree..."

"I think this is good."

Cynthia's idea seemed spot-on, and the three readily accepted her lunch invitation. Only Kaim did not answer, just sitting quietly.

"Then, let's go. The shops will be crowded soon. Listen, Kaim, don't be unfaithful forever."

The three laughed as they chased after the in-good-spirits Cynthia, dragging Kaim along with them.

"What should we do in the afternoon?"

Iris said while stuffing her mouth full of bento.

Since Alice had thoroughly enjoyed the new attractions at the amusement park, which was her purpose, she had no use for the amusement park for the time being. I had been training before the League started, so I would enjoy this time as much as possible. However, Iris didn't want to enjoy it alone, so in the afternoon she was willing to accommodate someone's purpose.

"Otaku-my purpose has been achieved for now, so I'll accompany you wherever you go."

"Then can I go where I want to go? There are cafes and bookstores there, and I want to go."

"Oh, so there is such a place. Shall we go? What about Alice?"

"Then I'll go there too!"

"How about the two of you?"

Cynthia and Kaim, who were eating their lunch set, had a conversation.

Cynthia's purpose today was to accommodate Kaim, so Cynthia herself had already achieved her purpose. Kaim originally didn't have any purpose since he was just an attendant. To be honest, knowing Kaim, I felt like Kaim wanted to go to the shops he wanted to go to.

But Cynthia also wanted to buy something for herself. Of course, who she went with didn't matter, and even going alone would be no problem, but if she was going to go, she wanted to go with Kaim.