Spring Awakenings

Your Affection

Friday, 4/24/12, Okina Shopping Center, Croco Fur, Early Evening

"Okay, whattaya think?"

Rise slowly walked in a circle, doing her best to show off every inch of the outfit she had just threw on. She was happy with the skirt, a denim number that clung to her thighs and left very little to the imagination, but was a little more concerned about the top. It was a cute purple tank top that showed off a bit of her belly, which is what she was aiming for, but something still felt off. Maybe some accessories were missing? She tousled her pigtails a little as she moved, messing up her hair so it looked a little more wild

Completing her circle, she turned and struck a sultry pose for her exhausted companion, eager to hear her opinion. Unfortunately, her judge for this contest looked bored out of her mind.

"Um...It looks fine, I guess. Very stylish...as were the many, many others you have selected today" Naoto yawned, having repeated similar sentiments for almost every outfit.

Rise blew a raspberry in annoyance. "Fine!? Not 'sexy' or 'hot'?" Rise cried out, flinging her hands in the air. "C'mon, be honest: there's too much boob, right?" she huffed, looking at the nearby mirror and jutting out her fairly well developed chest. Rise was proud of her figure and liked to flaunt it, but she didn't want to come off like a total tramp . And if she was, that was reserved for someone special anyways!

Naoto blushed and looked away, seemingly embarrassed by the notion. "I don't know, Rise-san! I don't have experience in this area! My clothes shopping is more...practical." Rise noticed Naoto steal a glance at her own chest, heavily covered by her tightly buttoned school jacket and shirt underneath. It was almost impossible to discern that Naoto was a growing young woman from her attire. Rise, however, knew better, and decided to have a bit of fun with Naoto.

"You have all the experience you need, Naoto! You can hide 'em all you want, but mark my words, you're gonna let those puppies loose one day!" She laughed, looking suggestively at Naoto's chest. The shy detective made an odd yelping noise and turned away, arms folded heavily over her chest.

"R-Rise-san! " she hissed, craning her neck to glare at the idol. Rise giggled with delight, heading back into the changing room to change back into her school outfit.

The two girls were in the back of Croco Fur, a high end boutique in Inaba's neighboring city, Okina. Okina was a far more modern city than Inaba, with a variety of entertainment venues that would suit the younger generations growing up in Inaba. Rise vastly preferred the shops there to the ones in Inaba, which were dated at best and just tacky at worst. Vintage was cool and all, but it just wasn't right for a pop idol to go against the grain, especially with her fashion.

Rise had been in a good mood ever since Wednesday, right after she and Naoto agreed to go to the shops. Already elated by the idea of shopping with Naoto, Yu had texted her as well and told her that he just bought his train ticket to Yasoinaba station; he was coming home for Golden Week! Rise had meant for the trip to be all about Naoto, but her excitement had taken over and she had thrown on outfit after outfit, desperate to look good for Yu's arrival.

Rise quite liked the skirt, so she decided to take it with her and leave the tank top on the neat hanging rack in the changing room. Stepping back out, she found the detective sitting upright on a fancy chair, staring at an array of leather jackets hanging from the other wall. From her body language, she could tell that the girl was very uncomfortable. In fact, she had been even more skittish and nervous than usual the entire day. Rise wondered what had her so on edge, especially since things between them had been going so well. Was she mad?

"Ooh, going leather? Look at you!" Rise chirped, trying to lighten the mood. Naoto just shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. I like heavier clothing, but leather may be too heavy, too difficult to move in," she explained, feeling the cuff of her school jacket, "I'm more interested in something like this." The school uniform wasn't bad, Rise thought, but it was weak material that was cheap to produce for hundreds of students. If there was one thing about Naoto's coat, it certainly didn't look cheap; Naoto looked every bit like a professional in that outfit, and Rise felt that look served her best.