After finishing the payment and stepping outside the store, I opened the envelope marked with a "6" as the instructions dictated.
"Buy clothes for each other! Furthermore, you must wear the clothes you chose for the remainder of this date! ※Open Envelope Number 7 once you have finished buying the clothes and have stepped outside the store."
So, shopping followed the meal. Based on how this was phrased, I would choose Fia-sensei's outfit, and she would choose mine. Then, we were expected to head to the next destination while wearing our new purchases.
The envelope also contained a map of clothing stores in the North District. Several shops were marked; it seemed we could choose any of them.
"So, Fia-sensei, which shop should we head to first?"
"Before that, Miyama-kun, I'd like you to look at this card... This is a first."
"Eh? ...Ah, you're right."
As Fia-sensei held out her message card, I saw that the content was largely identical to mine, except for the final instruction regarding the next envelope.
"※Open Fia's Envelope Number 7 at the timing specified in Kaito's Envelope Number 7."
That was certainly a peculiar way to put it. This meant the timing for opening Fia-sensei’s next envelope would be different from my own. I see, so there were patterns like this too. Our tasks might start to diverge or stagger from here on out... This was becoming a bit more complex.
"...Tre-san actually puts quite a bit of thought into this, doesn't she? Offsetting our timings like this and all..."
"Big Sis Tre is actually quite intelligent... She just never considers the consequences of her actions."
"I see... Well, shall we get going?"
"Yes. I’m looking forward to it! I wonder what kind of outfit Miyama-kun will pick for me~"
"P-Please, don't set the bar too high."
I wasn't particularly confident in my own fashion sense, especially when it came to picking out clothes for a woman. Still, I wanted to find something that would look good on her.
The shop we chose focused primarily on casual wear. It wasn't an ultra-high-end boutique, but it was a reasonably popular brand. Once inside, we began our search. I was tasked with finding something for Fia-sensei. Now, what to choose...
My first thought was that she would definitely look best in a long skirt. Perhaps it was because I was so used to seeing her in her monastic robes, but a more revealing look didn't quite fit her image. A subdued color palette seemed appropriate, but since Fia-sensei's hair was already dark, I figured the outfit needed a bit of brightness.
I settled on a brownish-orange long skirt. For the top, I went with white—a black knit shirt paired with a fuzzy, white outer garment.
After making our selections, we met up to try them on. The outfit Fia-sensei had picked for me consisted of navy jeans, a black shirt, and a hoodie—white, accented with splashes of orange and pink.
It was an interesting choice; it certainly wasn't a color scheme I would have picked for myself. I usually stuck to plain white shirts, so this felt fresh. Looking in the mirror, it actually looked quite good. Fia-sensei really did have an excellent eye for this.
A moment later, Fia-sensei finished changing as well, and we stepped out to show each other the results.
"What do you think?"
"It suits you perfectly. You look like a refined, mature woman... It’s wonderful."
"Fufu, thank you. You look quite handsome yourself, Miyama-kun. White really does suit you."
"Thanks... though it seems we both accidentally went with white tops."
"True. And the overall vibe matches, which is nice. I’m completely satisfied, but what about you, Miyama-kun?"
"Yeah, I really like these clothes. No complaints here."
Without intending to, we had ended up with a bit of a "couples' look," but wearing something different from my usual attire felt invigorating. To be honest, Fia-sensei looked incredible. The sophisticated, elegant look suited her perfectly. It was a stark reminder of just how breathtakingly beautiful she actually was.
We purchased the clothes and informed the staff that we would wear them out. Our old outfits were tucked away into our respective Magic Boxes.
Feeling like we had made a fresh start with our new looks, we stepped back out onto the street and opened Envelope Number 7.
"Kaito must act as the escort and take Fia to a location suitable for a date! ※Once you arrive at the destination, Fia will open Fia's Envelope Number 7. Kaito must follow the instructions in Fia's Envelope Number 7 and then open Envelope Number 8."
...This was easily the most difficult instruction yet. They were leaving the choice entirely up to me?!
Serious-senpai: "—!? This feeling... the plot is moving!?"
???: "What's with that sudden intuition?"
Serious-senpai: "I sense a Sugar Presence."
???: "...Business as usual, then."