From The Heart

First Impression

The girls, Layla and Alice, were brimming with excitement as they dragged Hiyori to the bustling mall. Hiyori had reluctantly agreed to let her friends help her pick out a new outfit for her upcoming date on Saturday. With a sense of urgency, Layla and Alice had already picked out various styles of clothing and dresses, each convinced that their choice was the perfect fit for a romantic outing.

Layla eagerly approached Hiyori, holding up a stylish dress. "This one?"

Alice, standing nearby, immediately chimed in with her opinion. "No, not that one."

Layla quickly grabbed another outfit from the pile. "This?"

This time, it was a lovely white dress that Layla presented to Hiyori. Upon seeing it, Hiyori's eyes lit up. "Oh! I like this one!"

However, Alice couldn't resist making a cheeky comment. She smirked and said, "White is fitting for Hiyori's purity, but..."

Before Alice could finish her sentence, Hiyori's face turned beet red with embarrassment, and she interrupted with a loud, indignant exclamation. "AH?! >:O"

Alice continued her search through the piles of clothes in the clothing rack, her determination unwavering. She explained her rationale to Hiyori, her voice filled with mischief. "She wants Saito to reject her so, we gotta get something less modest but also an impression that he'll never forget."

Hiyori, taken aback by Alice's boldness, questioned her motives. "W-what? Why?"

Alice paused for a moment, her gaze fixed on Hiyori. "It's insane that the first date you ever have with anyone is with Saito, hoping he'll reject you because you've fallen for his brother..."

Hiyori, feeling uncomfortable, pleaded with Alice, "Uh... please don't mention that again..."

In the depths of her thoughts, Hiyori reflected on the situation. I don't even think that's the issue here... Yes, I wanted Saito to reject me so that Shinji could see that I'm not using him to replace Saito, but I just figured because after all this time... Saito never...

Layla's face lit up with excitement as she presented a strapless, slightly above-the-knee pink dress with thin chiffon sleeves. "I got it!" she exclaimed, displaying the dress for Hiyori's approval.

She continued her explanation, "It's above the knees to show him what he's missing, and the best part..." Alice took the dress and held it up as if Hiyori were wearing it, emphasizing, "It accentuates the best part of Hiyori's body!"

Hiyori blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed by their teasing. "....>.>"

Layla teased further, "Oh, our Hiyori is growing up!"

Hiyori pushed the dress away in annoyance. "Enough with the boob jokes! Honestly! I have other qualities too!"

But the teasing continued as Layla and Alice pretended to whisper to each other. Hiyori, still flustered, protested, "I do, okay! >:("

However, upon another look at the pink dress, Hiyori's frustration began to wane, and a small smile graced her lips. "But... not to say that I don't agree with you on the dress... It is really pretty. Like spring," she admitted, her voice softening as she gazed at the garment.

Layla cheered, "Then we have a winner!"

As Layla and Hiyori discussed accessories for the outfit, Alice couldn't help but wonder about Hiyori's true intentions. I can't help but think there's something more to this than this rejection date... Hiyori, what are you planning?

Later that day, as Hiyori, Layla, and Alice returned to Hiyori's house, they were met with an unexpected sight. Hiyori opened the front door to find her younger brother, Daisuke, waiting for her with a visibly angry expression. Daisuke, who was two years younger than Hiyori, had recently undergone a growth spurt, making him a couple of inches taller than his older sister and her friends.