The first shop Megiddo and I visited was a denim specialist, stocked with an extensive selection of jeans. I liked jeans; they were easy to pair with almost any top, making them a solid choice for a wardrobe.
"By the way, Kaito, where do you usually buy your clothes? That stuff I see you wearing at parties is incredible—high-quality work."
"I mostly get them from Alice," I replied. "But I do shop around at other places sometimes just to mix things up."
"So Shaltier's the one making them? That explains the quality. If you stick to one shop, your style tends to get stuck in a rut. It’s good to branch out and find something new every now and then... Oh, how about this area over here?"
Looking at Megiddo’s usual self, you wouldn’t expect him to care about fashion, but he sounded like he knew exactly what he was talking about. His current outfit was certainly stylish enough to back it up. While he had worn a dress at the shipboard party, he was currently sporting a coordinated look: slightly loose slacks paired with a three-quarter sleeve top. He looked quite sharp.
He’d mentioned that the only reason he’d taken on the form of a young girl for the party was because it was the best fit for the dress he’d bought, so he likely went shopping more often than I’d thought.
"A loose straight cut is probably your safest bet for comfort," he suggested.
"I see. Come to think of it, there are a lot of different styles for jeans, aren't there?"
"Straight, tapered, wide, skinny, flare... Yeah, there are plenty, but there's no need to memorize them all. If you like the design and they look good when you try them on, just buy 'em. Unless you're a real stickler for details, those categories don't matter much."
"I see... For now, since you went to the trouble of picking them out, I’ll give them a try."
"Right!"
I found I quite liked Megiddo’s uncomplicated outlook. Even though he was knowledgeable, he insisted that the best way to shop was to simply pick what caught your eye, which made the whole experience feel much more relaxed. The jeans he selected for me were a darker wash, cut with a relaxed fit that made them easy to wear. They were a bit long, though, so hemming would definitely be required.
"Oh, those look pretty good on you. Still, with our current heights, I have to look up at you. It’s a nice change of pace."
"Ah, you're right. Usually—and even in your Humanized Form—you're taller than me, so this is rare."
He was right. Whether he was in his true form—which stood over ten meters tall—or his usual humanized male form, Megiddo was always significantly taller than me. It was a rare sight to see him looking up at me.
As I was thinking that, Megiddo suddenly paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
"I see. If changing forms changes my physical build as well as my appearance... well, let's test it out. Hey, Kaito, crouch down for a second."
"Huh? Like this?"
"Yeah, just like—up!"
"Mmph!?"
As soon as I followed his instructions and knelt down, Megiddo leaned in and kissed me without a moment's hesitation. The total lack of context caused my brain to stall for several seconds, but he pulled away quickly, a playful grin on his face.
"Oh, yeah! The sensation really is different! This is great—I can enjoy different feelings just by swapping forms!"
"Wha—what—what was that for?! Why would you do that all of a sudden?!"
"Hmm? Oh, I just wondered if the sensation of a kiss would change in this form. It was just an experiment. A trial run... Oh, right. Didn't Kuromueina and Shaltier say something about 'taking things one step at a time'? Ah well, this was just for research, so it should be fine!"
Even when it came to romance, his "muscle-brain" tendencies were in full effect. His level of initiative was honestly terrifying. He spoke with such casual confidence that I wasn't even sure how to argue, but then... glowing letters began to materialize in the air between us.
It is most certainly not 'fine'... This is a message from Kuro-san. She says you are to report for a supplementary lesson once your outing with Kaito-san is finished.
It seemed Kuro and Alice had decided that Megiddo required some immediate re-education. I agreed wholeheartedly. I could only hope they’d be thorough.
"Wh-What?! Why...?"
"Well... you'd better just let Kuro and the others explain it to you," I said, unable to suppress a wry smile as Megiddo stared at the text in stunned disbelief. I kept the thought to myself, but since he was currently in the form of a young girl, his flustered reaction was actually quite cute.
Serious-senpai: "Honestly, this gorilla has way too much initiative when it comes to romance... The gap between 'having an idea' and 'executing it' is practically zero."