𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐀, d.osamu | ✓

𝟬𝟭𝟮

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( 012. DRESS...CHECK, SHOES...CHECK )

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✧･ﾟ:┊MAYA HAD A DRESS FITTING AFTER HER CLASSES. 

Her initial plan was to meet Dazai but her oldest sister had texted her and she didn't want to disappoint no matter how much she was unwilling.

The store was opened up for the sole purpose of selling dresses for weddings and the like. The dresses looked rather expensive and Maya could tell some of them were itchy just by looking at them. There were dresses with laces, faux pearls, nets, some puffy ones and some had decorations Maya didn't even know the names of.

"This one's too tight," she whined in her sisters' heads, slipping off the dress they had chosen for her.

"Okay, try this one," said Anzu, giving Maya a dress and then pushing her back in the small cubicle of the dressing room.

Maya scrunched her nose upon looking at herself in the mirror after wearing the dress. It showed too much skin and was incredibly itchy. And from then on, she rejected every dress either for its size or looks or even if its embroidery was nothing great. Two hours later, Maya weakly took the last dress from her sister, complaining about how she was hungry and wanted to go home and just watch TV.

"This is the last one," said Akira, pushing the dress into her hands; though it didn't sound like she had an intention of stopping soon. Maya sulkily took the dress from her and put it on at an agonizingly slow pace, unintentionally annoying her sisters. Anzu impatiently knocked on her door, "C'mon, Maya, let's see that dress,"

"Yeah, yeah," said Maya, opening the door. At this point, she wasn't even looking in the mirror to see how she looked in the dress.

Akira raised her brow and ceased tapping her foot against the floor. "Turn," she said and Maya complied, twirling, the gown lifting off the ground just a bit.

"I like this one," said Anzu and her older sister could only agree. Her sisters pushed Maya in front of a mirror, forcing her to see and give them her consent to buy the dress they were sure she would like.

The dress fitted her perfectly; it wasn't too showy nor was it too subtle. It didn't itch and was comfortable and Maya was a bit displeased that it actually looked good on her. She didn't want to buy a dress, nor was she planning even attend the festival. She didn't want to admit it, but she really liked this dress.

"I think it's safe to say Maya-chan likes this dress," muttered Akira, smiling at her little sister as she turned away from the mirror and without making eye contact, said, "I... I like this one,"

Akira and Anzu were content when Maya was out of the shop, walking with the bag with the dress in hand. They almost felt bad for her upon seeing her face when they told her they still had to shop for shoes and other small trinkets. It was a popular fact that Maya wasn't very fond of shopping for anything; be it shoes, clothes. She only bought clothing when the situation she was in deemed it to be necessary. For her sisters and mother, shopping was a necessity— like buying grocceries. Also, Maya never understood how the three of them managed to stand in heels.

That was what she was struggling to do: walk in heels.

Her sisters had chosen black, four-inch heels for her and she could barely last a second without gripping onto her oldest sister's arm. Maya told them how much she wanted to throw those heels across the room and her sisters got those shoes away from her before she could do just that. Next came the coffee-colored platform heels— there were so many straps to that that if one were to join all of them together it would be easy to bungee jump with it— and Maya got her toes tangled between the straps. Her sisters got irritated by the heels' lack of cooperation and asked her to let it go, which, she was absolutely happy to do.

Eventually, Maya chose a pair of three-inch dull rose colored heels, which she found comfortable to walk in after walking around the store for a few minutes. Once again, she wasn't satisified with the fact that she was satisfied with those heels.

"Dress," muttered Akira, crossing the word off the list she had made, "check. Shoes, check."

"Do you think we should dye Maya-chan's hair?" mused Anzu, earning a slap on her upper arm from the said girl.

"No, I don't wanna dye my hair. There just fine,"

"Well, it depends." cut in Akira. "Do you think your date will like it?"

Maya stayed silent, looking at that neon poster about a band coming into town to hide the rosy color blossoming under the skin of her cheeks. It took her sisters a minute to understand fully why she wasn't answering.

"Wait, you don't have a date yet?!" shrieked Anzu, the hand Maya had slapped on her mouth preventing her from saying anything else.

"Well, who're you going to ask?" questioned Akira.

"Is it that man?" she asked again when Maya didn't answer and instead decided to hide her growing blush.

"It is that man," confirmed Anzu, monotone.

"Then go ask him," said Akira, placing her hand on Maya's shoulder. "If you like him, go ask him."

She didn't exactly like-like him— they more than friends, but less than lovers— more like an in between thing. But Maya didn't mind, really. She had, after enough brainstorming on the topic, come to a conclusion that it was infatuation and nothing but. It would probably end early, but maybe it would all be worth it. Because when Dazai was involved, nothing would be not worth while. And even though she didn't know much about him, being with him only opened up invisible crevices that if were wedged through you would find the real him. That part of him was probably burried under rubble long ago, but the simple thrill of pursuing him with the full knowledge that she will not succeed kept her going; it kept her walking towards the inescapable black hole.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she fished it out and stared at the screen blankly before breaking into a run, not wasting mere seconds in saying goodby to her sisters and providing them with an excuse.

[ Nakajima Atsushi-kun ]
5:43 P.M.

Something's happened to Dazai-san.
Come to the hospital.

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Ooh, what happened to Dazai???