Muten Natsu replayed what had just happened in his mind.
A moment ago, Orihime Inoue had been holding something.
Then she took his hand.
After that, she let go of his hand and greeted the shop assistant.
And the item that had been in her hand ended up in his.
Pure cotton fabric, decorated with a cute bow. The texture—
No.
Muten Natsu froze on the spot.
What was he supposed to do now?
Holding it felt wrong. Throwing it away felt wrong. Giving it back to Orihime Inoue felt awkward. Hiding it felt even worse.
"Huh?" While Rukia Kuchiki was talking with the shop assistant, Orihime Inoue finally noticed something was off. She patted herself in confusion, then looked around, and her gaze settled on Muten Natsu's hand.
"Uh…" Muten Natsu handed it to her. "Did you drop this just now?"
"Ah! I was looking for this!" Orihime Inoue took it and unfolded it carefully. "I spent so long choosing this one. Thank goodness I didn't lose it~"
Muten Natsu quietly looked away.
Orihime Inoue's reaction made him realize where the real problem lay.
It was precisely because he had been deliberately avoiding it that his mind kept fixating on it.
But in the end, it was just a piece of cloth.
Even if the design was cute and the fabric felt nice, at its core, it was still just a piece of cloth.
Once he figured that out, Muten Natsu finally lost the earlier sense of awkwardness.
The store also had other close-fitting garments. Rukia Kuchiki picked a loose white short-sleeved nightgown with sky-blue stripes, its simple, fresh design reminiscent of a clear sky.
When it came to choosing everyday clothes, Muten Natsu felt much more relaxed. He just needed to sit on a chair with Ririn and wait.
"This dress is so cute!" Orihime Inoue said, looking at a pale yellow collared dress. "Rukia, why don't you try this one? It feels like it would suit you really well."
"Really?" Staring at the little rabbit on the chest of the dress, Rukia Kuchiki was clearly tempted.
"Try it on~"
"Alright." Rukia Kuchiki then helped Orihime Inoue pick out a pink dress. "You should try this one too. It feels like it matches you perfectly."
"Okay~"
The two of them took the clothes into the fitting room. Muten Natsu waited outside, debating whether to drag over another chair to lie down, but feeling too lazy to stand up. Caught between the two choices, he fell into thought.
Orihime Inoue's voice came from inside the fitting room.
"Miss Shop Assistant?"
Muten Natsu glanced around. "The shop assistant isn't here."
Earlier, while Orihime Inoue and Rukia Kuchiki were chatting happily, the shop assistant had gone to attend to other customers.
"Then, Muten, come help me."
Muten Natsu: "Hm?"
Orihime Inoue added helplessly, "I'm afraid to move right now. I think I'm stuck…"
"I… you…" Muten Natsu looked toward the other fitting room. "Rukia, are you done? Can you help out?"
"I was just about to look for you," Rukia Kuchiki said, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Go help her first, then come help me."
Muten Natsu: "..."
"Muten~" Orihime Inoue called weakly.
An idea struck Muten Natsu. He took Ririn with him and stepped into the fitting room where Orihime Inoue was, casually closing the door behind them. "What's wrong?"
Orihime Inoue pressed a hand to her chest. Her bright eyes were glistening, her burnt orange-colored hair slightly disheveled. A faint blush colored her flustered face, not from shyness, but from nervousness. Her small hands moved uncertainly.
"It feels a bit tight, so I wanted to take it off, but I'm afraid the dress might tear…"
The pink, round-neck dress traced the soft curves of her figure. The flowing hem and cinched waist left plenty of room, but the chest area was clearly under too much strain.
The fabric itself was elastic, but it already seemed stretched to its limit.
Wearing it was fine, but if Orihime Inoue tried to take it off, even a little force from her arms would probably spell the end of this new dress.
Not wanting to ruin it, Orihime Inoue asked softly, "Muten, what should I do?"
It actually wasn't that hard to solve. Muten Natsu only needed to lend a hand.
But at the same time, it was extremely hard.
If he really helped her, the shock he would suffer would be several times, dozens of times, or even hundreds of times greater than before.
"It's fine." Muten Natsu set Ririn aside and closed his eyes. "I'll help. Ririn, you give the directions."
That way, he could help Orihime Inoue solve the problem in front of her while avoiding seeing anything he shouldn't.
"A little lower. Forward. Grab."
Under Ririn's guidance, Muten Natsu successfully caught the hem of Orihime Inoue's dress with both hands, and he could hear her slightly rapid heartbeat.
"Up. A little higher," Ririn continued dutifully. "Keep going."
The shop assistant happened to be passing by. Hearing the voices inside, she stopped abruptly. "Huh?"
"Harder, a bit more force! Good! Slow down, it's coming off, almost there… there!"
"Huh?!" The shop assistant's face flushed red as if she had a fever. She nervously glanced around to make sure no one else was paying attention, then hurriedly lowered her voice to stop them. "C-customers! Please don't do this in the fitting room! You really can't!"
The fitting room fell silent.
After a long while, Muten Natsu unlocked the door and stepped out.
Behind him was Orihime Inoue, her hair in disarray, her face flushed all the way down to her neck.
She had changed back into her original clothes, hugging Ririn tightly, unable to face the shop assistant's gaze.
"Good, you're out," the shop assistant said with a sigh of relief. "Please don't—hey, why are you going back in?!"
She had barely finished speaking when she saw Muten Natsu turn around and walk into the fitting room next door.
Through the crack in the door, the shop assistant could clearly see that there was another girl inside wearing a dress. "C-customer!"
She rushed forward to stop him, but Muten Natsu had already locked the door from the inside.
"C-customer! Please don't do this in the fitting room! You really can't!" The shop assistant froze mid-sentence. Hadn't she just said that?
Why was there a second time?!
Such stamina?
The shop assistant looked over at Orihime Inoue, then back at the tightly shut fitting room door.
With different people, too?
Was business really that busy?
Rukia Kuchiki glared at Muten Natsu. "The shop assistant is back! What are you doing coming in here?!"
Muten Natsu went stiff. "…Right."
Although he didn't show it on the surface, Muten Natsu was completely flustered inside. With his eyes closed, his other senses had grown far more acute: Orihime Inoue's breathing, her heartbeat, her warmth…
Hearing the shop assistant's voice only amplified that panic, until his thoughts began to spiral into complete chaos.