Lupin The Third: Valley of the Crystal Wolves

Chapter 14

The next morning Ruby emerged freshly showered and in a new set of clothes given to her by Lina; an off-the-shoulders chunky knit sweater and leggings with boots. She was pleased to have a fresh set of clothes after two weeks in the wilderness. But when Ruby reached the top of the stairs that morning, with the knowledge that Goemon intended to be off bright and early, the last thing she expected to come across was Goemon dressed in a manner that seemed so very... not like Goemon.

There she came upon him, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a black hoodie with 'Switzerland Football' emblazoned upon it, and those very same boots that Dr. Fischer had given him last night. And yet, in his hand he still held Zantetsuken.

Ruby felt her jaw starting to drop, but quickly closed it as she could see that Goemon looked incredibly self-conscious and terribly uncomfortable. Still, Ruby gulped audibly as she came down the stairs. She stopped in front of Goemon and gazed up at him. God, he looked like a college athlete. A very sexy college athlete. But the 'poor bastard' – Jigen's voice in her head, not her own – just looked ashamed.

To lighten the mood and show Goemon that she thought he looked pretty good without saying so directly, Ruby glanced at Lina who was in the kitchen, packing them a lunch to take with them on their journey.

"Hey, Lina... Where's Goemon? And do you think he'd mind terribly if I got this guy's number? He's really hot."

Goemon blinked in surprise and only ended up flushing all the more. "You mean... you actually like these clothes on me?"

Ruby chewed her lip, and Goemon knew when she did that it was usually due to one of three things; consternation, shyness, or she was trying to keep from smiling too much. And this definitely didn't seem like consternation.

"W-Well," she stammered, blushing and averting her gaze as she scratched at the back of her head, mussing up her short hair, which was especially fluffy after her shower. "Like, think of it this way. My 'type' never exclusively included 'samurai' until recently because, ya know, samurai aren't really supposed to exist in the modern world. N-Not that your kimono and exposed chest look isn't hot or anything," she quickly amended, flapping her arms as though to wave away any misunderstandings. "But, um, like, it's fun to switch things up once in a while, right? You look almost... younger, maybe? Like a handsome college athlete."

Goemon blinked, as though processing everything that Ruby said to him. The only times Goemon wore anything that wasn't traditional garments was when Lupin wrangled him into some scheme where he had to wear a disguise. And in the back of his mind, Goemon knew all along that they'd have to wear some kind of disguises if they went to Aderlass' place. But since losing Lupin and Jigen, that fact had been far from his mind. But to wear non-traditional clothes so... casually? Was that even acceptable for a man such as he?

After making her admission, Ruby was breathing rather heavily and her face was turning increasingly pink. Quickly, she turned away as though to hide her embarrassment. "L-Lina knows what I mean, I'm sure."

Lina smiled from the kitchen. "Yes, I think I do. Sometimes it's just fun to change one's wardrobe from time to time. Don't you like it when Ruby wears different clothes, Goemon? Think of all the cute things she could wear."

Goemon turned his gaze to Ruby and studied at her for a long moment. A few things crossed his mind. Some were quite lovely. A few were somewhat shameful. Goemon swallowed hard. "I... I understand." He drew a deep breath. "What you're wearing right now... is quite... uh... it's very cute. I like it."

God, why the hell did he have to be so damn nervous when it came to this sort of thing? He wished he could just compliment her without stammering over his words. But for all of the embarrassment he suffered, it was worth it all to see Ruby blush over his compliment. And oh, how she blushed! But then something else came to his mind, and he averted his gaze, looking somewhat ashamed.