A Lovely Day

It was just supposed to be a fun little shopping trip, organized by Kotori, but it left Hanayo feeling terribly anxious. It was a new shop that had popped up downtown, adorable dresses catching their attention and making it their destination of choice. But a new store meant new sizes and that was something Hanayo had always been self-conscious of. One store might label her a five, while she only fit into a nine at another, so she usually preferred to shop alone. But Rin wasn't letting her out of this one, personally coming to pick her up to meet Kotori there. It wasn't a long walk but it felt like hours to Hanayo, feeling Rin's hand in her own as per usual.

"Nya, Kayo-chin? What's wrong?" She asked, leaning over to look at Hanayo while still walking.

"O-oh?! Nothing, Rin, i'm okay!" Hanayo smiled, hoping it was enough to fool her best friend. Rin didn't call her out but made a face, making it obvious that she didn't believe Hanayo one bit. It was a tense walk to the shop, Kotori waiting outside and waving when she saw them.

"Hi! Ready to go in?" Hanayo nodded and tried to pretend she wasn't one bit nervous as the bells chimed to signal their arrival.

"Hello, ladies! Anything I can help you find today?" The shopkeeper asked, smiling at them.

"No thanks, nya! We're just going to look around!" Rin replied, taking both girls by the hand to look at the dresses. She had grown used to wearing them lately, finding a brightly patterned one and rushing off to try it.

"Hanayo, look at this one! Isn't it pretty?" Hanayo's eyes went wide, it really was a beautiful outfit. It was a mint green dress that would go down to her knees, a layer of lace around the entire thing.

"I-it is..." She started to look at the tag, feeling her heart drop to her stomach. The sizes weren't anything she had seen before, the one in her hands labeled as a medium. She was used to numbers, this was even worse. And as if the new sizing wasn't enough, the dress Hanayo held was almost assuredly too small. So she put it back, grabbing a larger one quickly and putting it over her arm to try later. Kotori, ever the fashion lover, called Hanayo over to another rack, handing her a few more to try on.

"Hehe, sorry, i just keep getting inspired by these!" Hanayo nodded and thanked her, wandering into the shirts and going through them. She knew this trip was mostly for her after she had mentioned the store to the other girls. But she was still nervous, Kotori was so thin! And Rin had always been tiny, never worrying about her size no matter what she ate. But Hanayo... Hanayo had always had to fight it and her love of rice made it even harder. Everyone always called her cute or beautiful but it was hard to believe any of that when she looked in the mirror. A shirt caught her eye, a soft pink top with little rice balls scattered across the fabric. Hanayo grinned, holding it up to herself only to grimace. It was a crop top, short enough to show off an inch or two of stomach. Before she could put it back, Rin was by her side, having appeared practically out of thin air.

"Oh, so cute! Its perfect for Kayo-chin, go try it, nya!" She pulled Hanayo to the changing booths, nearly stripping her before Hanayo got her wits about her. It wasn't as if Rin hadn't seen her naked before, they'd been so close for so long that it was nothing new. But Hanayo was feeling much to self-conscious to let Rin see her like that today, gently nudging the redhead out and pulling her shirt over her head. Hanayo tried her best not to look in the mirror as she wiggled out of her skirt and put on one of the dresses from before, finding it clung far too much to her stomach, although it didn't feel that tight.

"Let us see, let us see!" Rin cried, Kotori's giggle echoing in the quiet shop.

"Hanayo, can we see?" Hanayo squeaked, poking her head out from the curtain.