yukata

Finding a yukata that fits is the deepest circle of hell for Naoto Shirogane. She does not know where to look, nor did she ever imagined she would. Ever.

With Kanji, she thought she could skirt these things, thought she could happily wear pants and his hand-me-downs all her life. But when he asked her over Topsicles last week to consider wearing one for dinner with his family—"I want my mom to see how beautiful you are, Naoto; we just need to make sure she can recognize it"—she couldn't say no. Which is why she's here now, extremely red and agitated, with an attendant struggling to fit a measuring tape around her breasts.

The fitting room attendant then has the nerve to ask which design Naoto prefers, and she snaps that it can be orange for all she cares; she just wants it to fit.

The attendant manages to find a rather large amount of indigo blue with sakura flowers and she takes it, because she doubts the rest of the fabric in the store pulled together can cover her.

The yukata is airy enough, but the obi is so damned tight that she would cry were she any weaker. When the attendant offers her a fan with a halfhearted smile and a compliment, Naoto sighs and supposes she may as well get used to playing this sort of game.

But when she stops by the Tatsumis with a throbbing headache and all her yen gone, everything is completely worth it when Kanji sees her and freezes for a good two seconds. Everything in the house is still, until he covers his nose and hurtles to the bathroom.

Maybe, Naoto thinks with a little smile, she could get used to this whole yukata thing.

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