"I... I didn't realize..." she started, then trailed off.
"That you look amazing?" Akari finished for her, returning with another garment draped over her arm. "Because you do. But I think this next piece will really seal the deal."
She held up a one-piece dress. "Try this. I have a feeling about it."
Yuki took the dress, still glancing at herself in the jeans one more time before disappearing back into the changing room.
As the door closed, Akari turned to Max. "Your mother is genuinely beautiful. Like, she could model for our store catalog. That bone structure, that figure—it's rare to see someone carry themselves so naturally."
Max smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that. It's just... that she lost that fire, you know?"
Akari's expression softened. "Then let's reignite it. That's what today is about, right? Reminding her who she is."
"Exactly."
The changing room door opened and Max looked up.
The dress was deep green, falling gracefully to her ankles. Thin straps supported it over her shoulders and the neckline dipped just enough to show the barest hint of cleavage.
Yuki stepped out slowly, one hand unconsciously touching the strap on her shoulder. "This feels... different."
"Different good or different bad?" Akari asked, though her smile suggested she already knew the answer.
"Different... good," Yuki said.
Max stood up, circling slightly to see the full effect. The dress transformed her completely—not into someone younger, but into someone who owned her age. The green color brought warmth to her presence, and the cut emphasized her figure without being excessive.
Yuki turned to look at herself in the mirror, and for the first time, she didn't immediately look away or deflect.
"I forgot," she said quietly, touching the fabric. "I forgot I could look like... this."
Akari stepped forward, adjusting one of the straps slightly.
Over the next half an hour, Akari brought out piece after piece, each one carefully selected.
First came a long coat. When Yuki put it on over the green dress, she looked like she belonged on the streets of Paris or Milan. The coat transformed her silhouette, making her appear taller, more commanding.
Next was a burgundy knee-length dress. It hugged her curves more directly than the green one, cinching at the waist and emphasizing her hips. When Yuki emerged, she actually smiled without deflecting.
"This one I like," she admitted, turning to see herself from different angles. "It feels... powerful, somehow."
Yuki's confidence grew visibly with each outfit. She stopped hesitating before stepping out of the changing room. She started offering her own opinions—"I think the black one washed me out" or "Could we try this in a different color?"
Then came the gowns.
After trying on a few more pieces, Akari disappeared into the back and returned with one final garment.
"Okay, last one," she announced, holding up a dress that was partially hidden in a garment bag. "This is our showstopper piece. It's bold, it's gorgeous, and I think you can pull it off."
Yuki took the bag, unzipping it slightly to peek inside. Her eyebrows rose. "This is... very different from everything else."
"That's the point," Akari said with a knowing smile. "Go big or go home."
Yuki disappeared into the changing room. A moment passed, then two.
"Akari?" Yuki's voice came from behind the curtain. "I need some help with this one."
"Of course, ma'am," Akari said professionally, moving toward the changing room.
She pulled the curtain aside to step in—
And for just a brief moment, the angle was wrong, the timing was off, and Max's eyes were still facing that direction.
Yuki stood there, halfway through changing.
The green dress lay pooled at her feet. She wore only her undergarments—a simple bra and matching panties, nothing fancy. But it didn't make them any less revealing of the body beneath.
Her figure, fully visible now without the disguise of clothing, was striking in its maturity. Her breasts were maturely big, straining slightly against the cups of her bra. Her waist, though narrow in comparison to her hips, had a slight curve to her stomach that spoke of a body that had carried a child.
But it was her hips and thighs that were most prominent from this angle.
Her backside, barely covered by the simple panties, was round and full—even more pronounced without the denim containing it.
She held the new dress against her chest with one hand, completely unaware that for this frozen moment, she was visible.
The entire glimpse lasted maybe two seconds.
Max's brain registered everything in that brief flash—the curves, the bare skin, the intimate reality of his mother as a woman with a body, not just as "mom"—and then his eyes snapped away.
He stared down at his phone, his face suddenly hot, his heart doing something weird in his chest.
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. That didn't happen. Look at your phone. Look at anything else.
The curtain closed with a soft swish.
He heard muffled conversation inside—Akari's guidance, his mother's uncertain responses about how the dress should sit, where the zipper started, how to adjust the straps.
"Okay, arms up," Akari was saying. "Let me get this over your head first... there we go. Now hold still while I zip the back."
"Is it supposed to be this fitted?" Yuki asked, her voice uncertain.
"Yes, that's the design. It's meant to follow your shape. Trust me, it looks incredible."
More rustling. The sound of fabric being smoothed, adjusted.
"Oh, I don't know about this one, Akari. It's very... revealing."