[TSSIM] Chapter 458: Leave It to Me, Honey~

With Homura leading the way, the girls weren't in a rush to buy swimsuits anymore. Instead, they pulled him along to explore other shops in the mall.

They asked for his opinion on everything, from clothes and skirts to socks and shoes. It didn't feel like they were picking things for themselves, rather, it felt like they were trying to figure out what he liked.

However, after wandering around, they realized he had no special preferences. As long as the clothes looked good on them, he always wore a satisfied and happy expression.

Such a fact only made them even more overjoyed.

Girls love to impress the ones they like, after all.

As a result, they dove deeper into their shopping spree.

Meanwhile, some boyfriends in the couples around them couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

Strangely, as they watched Homura and the girls, they felt a little pain in their waists.

Apparently, their girlfriends were pinching them with angry expressions.

Fortunately, with this level of attention on Homura, no one actually recognized him.

Why?

First, everyone was used to seeing Homura out with Muse, so they didn't think much of it.

Second, Haru was currently being held in Rizu's arms, not Homura's.

Since Haru was a popular mascot and well-known for being with Homura, there was a good chance someone would recognize them if she was together with him.

Of course, the main reason was that Homura's sun hat currently covered his face, so others could see only part of it. Without more distinguishing features, it wasn't surprising that nobody figured it out.

After exploring other shops for a while, Homura and the girls finally headed toward the swimsuit shop.

Once inside, the sheer number and variety of swimsuits left them momentarily unsure of what to choose.

Luckily, this confusion didn't last long as the girls began to closely examine the options.

Homura, holding Haru, lingered around the perimeter of the shop and casually picked out a pair of swim trunks from the men's section that looked decent enough, not bothering to scrutinize the selection since they were all pretty similar.

As Homura went to pay, the cashier couldn't help but stare intently at Haru.

It was understandable.

Who could resist such a cute little cat?

Homura had initially thought about paying for all the girls as well, but after careful consideration, he decided against it.

How should he put it?

He just felt that the swimsuits were different from the hats.

First off, swimsuits weren't the kind of thing you would want someone else to buy for you. Plus, the hats were a spontaneous gift from him, while the swimsuits were something the girls had already planned to buy themselves.

With their personalities, there was no way they would let him handle the checkout unless their relationship with him progressed a bit—or maybe more than a bit.

If they became closer and considered each other equals, it wouldn’t matter who paid.

"Homura-kun, can you come in for a second?"

Suddenly, Fumino called out in a slightly shy tone.

Homura nodded to the cashier and walked over to Fumino slowly.

"Have you picked something out?" Homura asked with raised eyebrows.

Fumino shook her head, fidgeting with her fingers, her gaze darting around.

'Okay, I get it.' Homura nodded inwardly.

Placing Haru on his head, Homura began to look for a swimsuit that would suit Fumino. He wandered around the cute swimsuit section for a bit, relying on his instincts, and picked out one for her.

"How about this one?"

Fumino wasn't the least bit surprised that Homura understood what she meant, so with a blush, she took the swimsuit he handed her.

"...I'll go try it on."

Whoosh!

Fumino instantly disappeared, diving straight into the fitting room.

Seeing this, Homura chuckled while shaking his head.

However, just as he was about to hold Haru in his arms again, he felt someone tugging at his shirt.

"Rizu? What's up?" Homura asked with slight surprise.

"Can you help me pick something too...?" Rizu asked softly, keeping her head down and avoiding his gaze.

"Sure thing." Homura smiled gently and patted her head.

After a while, he picked out a swimsuit that was both cute and a bit sexy, then handed it to Rizu.

Pssst—

Rizu, her face flushed and steaming, stiffly accepted the swimsuit being offered to her.

"I really think this swimsuit would look great on you, Rizu." Homura remarked with a smile. "But if you don't like it, I can help you find another one."

"N-No, it's fine... I want this one!"

Whoosh!

Rizu instantly disappeared, diving into another fitting room.

Surprisingly, Rizu and Fumino were quite in sync in this regard.

In the next moment, however, Homura felt the hem of his clothes being tugged again.

'Is it Uruka or Mafuyu this time?' Homura thought to himself. 'Miyako probably wouldn't come over to ask me to help, right? Anyway, you never know...'

"Darling…"

'?!'

Homura's eyes widened slightly, his body twitching.

'Well, no need to guess now... but Uruka, are you really not going to stop daydreaming?'

After thinking this, Homura immediately turned around and saw a slightly dazed Uruka.

"…" Homura was speechless for a moment before rolling his eyes. 'Did she just blurt that 'darling' without thinking again?'

"Um... Um..."

Uruka, feeling a bit flustered, had her heart racing.

Seeing Homura's surprised but smiling face, she bit her lip before mustering the courage to speak up.

"Help me pick one!"

"Leave it to me, honey~" Homura immediately agreed while patting his chest and began picking a woman's swimsuit for the third time.

Meanwhile, Uruka, after hearing his way of calling her, stood frozen in place.

After a few breaths, she raised her hand and pressed it against her chest, apparently to calm her fast-beating heart.

Her face right now was so red it looked like it was going to bleed!

After a while, she took a few deep breaths and let out a sigh.

"My heart almost jumped out…" Uruka murmured to herself.

Meanwhile, as Miyako passed by Uruka, her expression was strange.

"I thought you were the shyest, Uruka... but I didn't expect you to be so bold…" Miyako remarked.

Upon hearing this, Uruka immediately shrank into a ball, completely embarrassed.

Seeing this, Miyako's expression grew even stranger.

"A mix of shyness and boldness?"

"I can't hear you... I can't hear you... I can't hear you..." Uruka covered her ears as if trying to hypnotize herself.

Miyako: "..."

It felt a bit amusing, but she had no intention of teasing Uruka further. Grabbing her chosen swimsuit, she headed into the third fitting room.

Just then, Homura returned, holding his selected swimsuit.

Seeing Uruka squatting into a ball while covering her ears, Homura almost burst out laughing.

Homura waved the swimsuit in front of Uruka, who finally lowered her hands after a moment of confusion.

"Give it a try. I think this really suits you, honey."

Upon hearing Homura call her 'honey' again, Uruka froze in place, looking dazed.

"Daydreaming again?" Homura sighed helplessly. "I thought you could handle it now since you can call me 'darling' while conscious, but it looks like it's still a bit too much, huh? Okay, let's go."

Gently pushing Uruka's back, they approached the fitting rooms. Noticing that fitting rooms one, two, three, and five were occupied, Homura pushed her into the fourth.

"Okay, no more zoning out."

After lightly patting Uruka's head, Homura stepped out to pull the curtain closed.

"Ugh... I can't really handle this kind of pressure..." Uruka murmured, her face flushed. "It's just a nickname... Why does it feel so different the moment I hear or say it?"

Looking at the swimsuit in her hands, she nodded and quietly changed. 

At the same moment, a head popped out of fitting room five, blushing and waving at Homura.