It was by far the most lavish shop I had ever stepped into. The fact that the name had the word 'Boutique' incorporated into it made it transparently clear that I did not belong. However, I was not allowed a say in the matter.
Shoji thought it would be best if I went with someone that knew what they were doing, which is why he asked Hagakure to go with me after I finished work that Friday.
My fashion sense wasn't necessarily bad. I would say that it leaned more towards comfort over style on a day-to-day basis, but this was my first time attending a ball and I needed someone that had more experience with events like this one. This is why I entrusted Hagakure with the responsibility of helping me find something to wear and that meant I was to follow her every instruction—as she had so clearly stated.
Hagakure had also taken it upon herself to invite her friend, another one of Shoji's UA classmates—the Pro Hero, Pinky, or Mina Ashido. We had only met a few times in the past, mainly through my visits to Shoji's dorm, however, they were never interactions in which we got to speak for long. This didn't seem to matter to her though. She was welcoming and nice enough to make me feel like another one of her friends without any encouragement. And I had to admit, I needed all the help I could get if I was going to have any hope of finding an outfit.
The shop was small but sumptuously decorated. Keeping with a clean and simple theme of white—the addition of crystal chandeliers and ornaments gave it that expensive touch.
Hesitantly, I walked further in, stepping over the boundary of my comfort zone and reluctantly leaving it by the front door. I was sure the shop assistant knew it too. She had watched me with a confused eye the moment we came in, but that was quickly wiped away when she noticed the two girls accompanying me. Replacing it with the fakest smile that could be easily mistaken as being polite and eyes that practically turned into money signs the moment she realised that they were Pro Heroes—celebrities in the eyes of the public.
"Good afternoon ladies. Welcome to Ever After Boutique. May I be of any assistance today?" The shop assistant asked, her voice chime-like but undoubtedly insincere.
"Thank you but we've got this under control," Ashido smiled. The woman bowed her head but I could tell she was disappointed. "Come on, girlies. Gowns are this way."
I followed Hagakure and Ashido towards the far side of the store, where a long rack of gowns lined the wall. Dresses of all colours and styles hung on the stainless steel pole, too many for me to even know where to start. My attention was drawn away from the clothes when a hand touched my shoulder.
"Why don't you take a seat, we can pick out a few dresses and you can tell us which ones you like. How does that sound?" Hagakure kindly suggested.
"Okay," I smiled—relieved that I wasn't the one that had to hunt through the vast selection.
I took a seat in one of the cream leather armchairs that overlooked the gown section, giving me the perfect view of the two girls perusing through the wall of fabric. Ashido peered over her shoulder at me. "Stand up for me babe. Let me see what I'm working with."
"Oh, y-yeah of course," I said, quickly lifting myself back up from the chair and standing awkwardly as she scanned her gaze over me. The golden-brown pupils stood out amongst the black of her eyes, giving her this piercing stare that would put most people on edge, but she was almost always smiling so it was near enough impossible to be intimidated by her.
"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.
"I'm going with a little black number that my Eiji got me for our anniversary. It's his favourite," Ashido smiled, the slightest hint of a blush tinting her pink cheeks.
"I hope you're talking about your outfit for the ball and not something else," Hagakure groaned.
"Well of course I am," she paused, a mischievous grin spread across her face as she turned to me.
"The something else is for the after party."
"Mina!" Hagakure squealed out, sending all three of us into a raucous uproar of bubbling laughter.
The fun but tedious task continued, the two women would show me a dress and each one I would turn down. They were all undeniably gorgeous but none of them stood out to me. It was beginning to look hopeless. At the rate things were going I was going to turn up to the ball wearing a trash bag.
And then I saw it. The one. Hagakure had pulled it out just enough for me to glimpse it.
"Wait," I blurted, as I saw her go to hang it back onto the rack without giving it the consideration it deserved.
"You like that one?" She asked, bringing the garment back out and hanging it in front of the rest. The silk fabric cascaded down to the ground, graceful as if it was moving in slow motion.
"It's perfect," I muttered, moving quickly from the armchair to the dress. My fingers were stretched out ready to caress the sleek material. It was simple—thin straps, floor length, an A-line silhouette and a cowl neckline. But it was the colour that struck me—the sheeny fabric was in the most gorgeous sky blue.
"You know, it's pretty similar to the blue from Shoji's hero costume," Ashido pointed out.
"Huh, it kinda is," I hummed thoughtfully, transfixed on the dress to register exactly what she had said. Shoji's name, however, triggered previous thoughts.
"Do you think he'll like it?"
The girls hesitated, neither one speaking up to answer me. Their silence worried me, especially seeing how vocal they had both been for the entire time. "It's too simple isn't it?" I mumbled disappointment apparent in my voice and sudden dropped posture.
"Noo, of course not!" Hagakure contended. "Shoji will love it."
"You think so?" I turned my gaze to her, my smile already returning.
"I know so," she chuckled lightly. "Now, why don't you go try it on."
"Y-yeah, good idea," I beamed, skipping over to the changing rooms with the chosen dress in hand.
It all seemed so real now. My excitement for the following day was at an almost overwhelming crescendo. To spend the entire evening by his side was all I could think about, to test the waters of what our friendship could be. If I could just gain the courage and take that final leap.
In my mind, tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
* * *
Shoji POV
They had been locked away in that room for what felt like hours. Their laughter and muffled voices were all I could hear behind the door to her bedroom. Hagakure and Ashido had both insisted on coming over to my apartment to help Kamei get ready for the ball. It made me happy to see their friendships blossoming after their afternoon shopping, it was all I could ask for to see Kamei bonding with other people—especially people that were dear friends to me. But I had no idea that it would take them this long to get ready. The night would be over by the time they left the confinements of her room and with that my chance to deepen my understanding of these feelings that Hagakure had suspected.
I had gone to the bathroom too many times to remember now, adjusting and redoing my tie, checking my hair to ensure that I hadn't applied too much product to it, looking over my suit meticulously for any pieces of lint or stray hairs. All to keep my mind busy from overthinking.
So instead, I paced back and forth across the living room, threatening to trek a path into the floorboards. I couldn't keep my thoughts away from her for long though. I wanted to make this a night that she would remember. I wanted it to be perfect, as perfect as her.
"We're ready~" Ashido's voice sang out from the hallway.
Finally.
I turned, hopefully expecting to see Kamei standing there, but instead I was met with Hagakure and Ashido. Both giddy and excited like a couple of teens on prom night.
"No-No-No-No! Not yet! You gotta turn around," Ashido instructed.
"Really?" I laughed.
"Just play along, okay?"
"Okay," I sighed, quickly giving in and turning my back to the hallway once again, knowing that obliging would allow me to see the only person that mattered quicker.
Whispers and clicking of heels were all I could hear as I stared at the wall. The idea to sneak a peek with my quirk was more than tempting.
"You can look now," Hagakure announced, her voice full of thrilling anticipation.
All the stressing, the worrying, the agonising fretting, it was long forgotten the second I turned around and saw her, an angel personified.
The golden waves of hair were pulled up into a messy bun at the back of her head and away from her face—a style that she rarely ever went with, but I couldn't understand why. It accentuated the sweet curve of her naturally rosy cheeks that were now on full display, showing off the freckled skin I adored so much. And then there was the dress, the blue silk held her figure so exquisitely, that it felt like a sin to even look upon her. I had to quickly move my gaze away from the alluring sight of her thigh peeking out the split in her dress before it turned my heart into a thumping mess.
Honey yellow eyes, sparkling bashfully, watched me intently as I gazed over her speechlessly.
She's incredible. No, she's so much more than that, she's...
"Beautiful," I muttered without thinking.
A blush instantly coated the tops of her cheeks, even reaching the tips of her ears—her hair hiding nothing from me this time around. Kamei's hand reached up searching for a lock of hair to twirl, grazing it awkwardly against the side of her face when she realised there was nothing to hold onto.
"You look beautiful, Kamei," I repeated louder, making it known that what I said wasn't a blundering slip of the tongue. It was the truth.
Tonight, she would only hear the truth.
_________________________________________
A shorter chapter again,
I've been extremely unwell lately so writing has been difficult. I'm hoping things start to get better for me as I really do love writing this story. Even with less content I hope you enjoyed it.
Please don't forget to vote, it's always a joy for me to see—as well as your thoughts in the comment section.
Do make sure to follow me as well. I will always post announcements to keep you all informed with upcoming updates and future projects.
And lastly, if you would like to support me further I have a kofi account linked in my bio. Any donations are greatly appreciated.
Stay amazing xoxo