Kibishi's POV

  Caring Center

  Once we finished our meals, we all ended up forming a line toward a few closet-like structures to change from our rags into decent clothing.

  But never mind that right now.

  While everyone else had been excited to have normal clothes instead of the old rags the Forbidden gave us, I couldn't help but continue to watch the exit intensely. I could feel my body trying to escape, even though I forced it to stay put in line.

  No matter how hard I tried to distract myself, nothing seemed to work. Ever since I had seen that golden hair, my mind had been dying to meet that person again—almost as if I were drawn to it. I could still visualize the silky hair getting blown by the powerful, cold AC. It was almost as strong as my will to protect Tao, if not a bit less. I doubted I would've been so fixated on that golden hair if Tao had been in real danger.

  Argh, this was no good!

  I needed to forget about it. I spped my cheeks gently, shook my head, and sighed deeply. With a hint of red on both sides of my face, I somehow managed to pull myself together... mostly.

  I saw Riley and David enter the closets.

  As I pondered, I noticed Akuma chatting with an old man in a fancy purple suit, a bck vest, and bck pants. The man had smooth gray hair and gnced at me before giving me a sinister smile.

  I shook my head and watched again as the old man and Akuma continued their conversation.

  "Was that smirk for me?" I whispered, then looked back at the line. Riley emerged wearing a bck shirt with overalls and sports shoes, along with a silver bracelet and a pin neckce that suited her perfectly. She twirled around before rushing toward me, beaming. "Look, look! I finally got clothes!"

  "That's great! It looks good on you!"

  "Hehe! Why, thank you!" Riley spun one st time and gnced at the closet. "Still, I can't believe how many clothes were in there. And it was so spacious!"

  "Really? Seemed pretty small to me."

  "Yeah, I thought so too until I looked inside. It was THIS big, Kibishi! THIS BIG!" She spread her arms like wings, and I chuckled, my nerves easing at her familiar cheerfulness.

  Ah. Now I understood why she chose that outfit. Simple, but perfect for her.

  "Oooh! What are you going to wear, Kibishi?!"

  "Hmm... not sure. I vaguely remembered what I wore before getting captured, so I'll base my outfit on that."

  "Like what, exactly?"

  "Hey, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!" I joked, grinning.

  We both giggled as the line moved forward. Moments ter, Tao stepped out of the closet.

  When she approached, I could clearly see her outfit: a pink hairband, a white turtleneck, a short pink jacket, a knee-length skirt, white socks, and brown boots. A flower decorated her right breast pocket, and on her left wrist, she wore charms—cats, dogs, and even something resembling me. And finally, she wore her bracelet.

  Wow.

  I kept staring at her wrist—no, at her—completely speechless.

  "..."

  Tao stopped in front of us, blushing nervously while holding her right arm.

  "U-um, what do you guys think?"

  "It looks so cute on you, Tao! OOH! I bet all the boys would LOVE to go out with you in that outfit!"

  Riley grabbed Tao's hands, swinging them excitedly. Meanwhile, I stood there, still gaping like an idiot.

  Tao noticed and let go of Riley's hands, stepping closer with a warm smile. "Well, how do I look, Kishi?"

  "..."

  Hello?! She's talking to you, Kibishi! Get a grip!

  I shook my head, trying to regain my composure.

  But no matter how much I tried, every time I looked at Tao, my heart raced. My body burned as if on fire. From her soft orange hair to the way her clothes hugged her frame, she radiated elegance. Without a doubt, Tao was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

  And that hairpin—it suited her perfectly! I needed to say something!

  "U-um... are you okay, Kishi? You've been silent for a while..." Tao looked ashamed, as if thinking, Maybe this outfit doesn't suit me.

  "Hey! That's not very nice! Compliment her already!" Riley mouthed at me.

  Right! Time to be mature!

  I took a deep breath, locked eyes with Tao, and said:

  "You look... GrEaTTT today, TaO!"

  My voice cracked.

  "..." Riley stared at me in shock.

  "...U-um..." Tao sweated, visibly uncomfortable.

  "..." I stood there, drowning in regret. What the hell was that?!

  "Pffttt!!!!" A familiar voice ughed behind us.

  We turned to see David in a white shirt, blue jeans, a hooded jacket, and rings on his fingers.

  "AHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA!" He doubled over, clutching his stomach. "'I-ah-uh! You look GrEaT tOdAy TaO! Please ignore my voice crack as I stand there like an idiot while sniffing your perfect orange silky hair that reminds me of an orange tree back home! Oh man, seeing you like that is a turn-on! Mm! Ah yeah! Here comes the boner!' Pfft! Haha!" He slung an arm around my neck. "Haah. But dude. Seriously. If you wanted to impress her, next time, try not to crack like that. You sound like an idiot."

  "Shut up!" I shoved him off with all my strength, and he stumbled back pyfully before grinning.

  "Seriously, though, you two look great. Unlike our friend in rags over here!"

  "Hehe! Thank you, David! That was very sweet of you!" Riley pat his shoulder since she was shorter.

  "Indeed! I appreciate the compliment, David! It makes me smile!" Tao beamed at him... Hmm.

  "..."

  "Uh oh. Looks who's mad!" David teased, smug.

  "You know, David, I realized something." I said calmly.

  "What's that?"

  "I was an idiot..." My voice dropped low.

  "W-what?"

  "An idiot for not beating the crap out of you when I had the chance! COME HERE!"

  Step! Step! Step!

  "Whoa!"

  Step! Step! Step!

  I chased David with everything I had. He dodged, flipping over tables and parkouring without spilling a thing.

  Why was he so athletic?!

  Eventually, soldiers intervened, scolding us for disrupting the peace. They let me into the next closet after someone exited.

  You're lucky, David. You get to live another day... for now.

  Five Minutes Later...

  Inside the closet, I adjusted my new clothes.

  After searching, I found something that fit my style: a bck hooded jacket with purple sleeves, a white turtleneck, dark blue jeans, and pin bck-and-white sneakers. My neckce hung around my neck.

  I gnced at the mirror one st time, realizing this was real.

  Wow. It's been so long since I wore something like this.

  Satisfied, I stepped out, holding my jacket loosely. My friends looked impressed.

  "Ooh! Look at you, Kibishi! You wouldn't think you came from a prison cell!" Riley teased, hands on her hips.

  "Yup! Our boy here is looking fresh!" David added.

  "C-come on, you guys are exaggerating!" I chuckled nervously.

  "What do you think, Tao?" Riley asked.

  We all turned to Tao, who fidgeted, her face burning red as she csped her hands.

  "Well, Tao? What do you think of me?"

  "H-huh?!" She jolted. "W-what do I think of you?! U-um, uh... l-let's see now..."

  "Is that... a hard question?" I asked, sweating.

  "N-no no! I uh...! W-well, you see...!" Her eyes swirled, her face crimson. "What I think is, uh...!"

  "T-take it easy, Tao! Don't fry your brain!" David patted her shoulder.

  "R-right! A-ahem...!" She straightened, meeting my gaze—before immediately looking away, shy. "You look... handsome in those... c-clothes...."

  "...Eh?" I froze.

  Heat flooded my body, and I scratched my cheek. "T-thank you. You look beautiful too, Tao...."

  "R-really?"

  I nodded.

  "I-I see. That makes me happy... I thought about you while picking these clothes, Kishi."

  "I-is that so...?"

  She nodded.

  We both stared at the ground, burning up. Riley and David chuckled at us.

  Man, this was embarrassing!

  But at least we had proper clothes now. All that remained was waiting for further instructions.

  How long would that take? No idea. But we had time, so we continued chatting.

  And so, the four of us did—until the next step arrived.