Firefly || Mezo Shoji

24. Angels in Blue

"Turn for me," she requested with the twirl of her finger and so I did—blushing as she whistled lewdly. "You're hot."

I laughed ineptly, perching back onto the edge of the armchair. "T-thanks, but I'm really not."

"Don't be so modest. You're tall, slim, beautiful—own that shit!" Ashido insisted with another flash of her dazzling smile.

"She's not wrong," Hagakure hummed, her attention still directed towards searching for a dress.

"Thank you," I muttered shyly. Glancing between the both of them, baffled that they of all people would think someone like I had a figure that they deemed to be 'hot'. In my opinion, I had as much shape as a lamppost. Hagakure's jeans and top hung onto her invisible body, showing off the natural curve of her hourglass figure. And Ashido, well, you only needed to look at her once to know that she worked out—every muscle was tightly toned.

"I'm thinking we go with something low-cut," Ashido said, pulling out a scarlet red dress with a neckline that plunged deeper than the Mariana Trench. "What do you think of this one?"

"It's nice, but..." I faltered, the uncertainty showing on my face.

"Too racy?"

"Seems like an accident waiting to happen," I admitted, laughing uneasily.

"You're right. It would be like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey with Mineta prowling about."

"Let's not put her under that little creep's radar," Hagakure chimed in. "What about this one?" She held up a powder pink skater dress, with flutter sleeves and a high neckline. "It's pretty, don't you think?"

"For church on Sunday," Ashido snickered.

"I wasn't asking you," Hagakure retorted,

"Kamei?"

"It's cute, but not exactly the look I had in mind," I explained, feeling bad after hearing how keen she was on it. Ashido grinned at Hagakure smugly, earning herself a playful nudge from the invisible girl.

"We're here to find something sexy for our sweet little Kamei, especially if she plans on catching someone's eye tomorrow night," Ashido winked.

"Oh, I don't think that...I-I mean that's not my intention! I just want to look good, you know? To fit in," I gibbered, pulling at the hem of my sweater as I embarrassingly attempted to talk my way out of that one. But I was certain that it only made me seem more obvious.

The sound of a throat being cleared had me look up. Ashido stared at the shimmering space that was her friend's unseeable face, smirking like a boisterous child that's being told off—unfazed by the woman's silent scolding.

Do they...? They can't know. No, that's impossible. I've not told anyone about my feelings for Sho. So what am I missing?

"Okay, okay! Less cutesy and more sultry. What about this then?" Hagakure diverted the conversation back to the task at hand, pulling off a beige floor-length gown from the rack. The fabric was tight and figure-hugging. It would definitely earn some attention, but the colour was beyond bland. I showed my disinterest with a shake of my head.

"What are you both wearing tomorrow?" I asked, trying to take some of the limelight away from me, even just for a few moments.

"I did a photoshoot for some European designer last week and they let me keep a few of the dresses, so I'll just wear one of those," Hagakure stated nonchalantly, shrugging it off like it wasn't a big deal.