Chapter 9

She stared at the countless shopping bags that lay across the floor, not sure what to say.

"Surprise! I got you new clothes."

"Whoa... Uhm. You didn't have to."

"Of course, I did. I couldn't let you wear my shirts and shorts forever."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure they weren't cheap at all."

"Don't worry about it. I just got you a few basic things like jeans, shirts, dresses and hoodies. There are pyjamas too. I wasn't sure about underwear, so you'll have to come with me to sort that out and shoes too since I only got one pair because I wasn't sure about the size. Sure, I had to blow a good portion of my savings, but I honestly didn't mind, and you don't have to pay me back. C'mon try them on."

"I can't accept this."

"Yes, you can. Think of this as a thank-you gift."

"Thank you for what?"

"For basically taking care of me. You always make me breakfast, lunch and dinner, wash my clothes and iron my uniform and many other things." He ruffled her hair.

"Now you're making me sound like a housewife or a maid."

"I didn't mean to offend you. If it makes you feel better, we can split the chores from now on."

"Sure, I don't see why not."

"And think of this as a gift from one friend to another. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

"But..."

"Please. For me." He gave her puppy dog eyes.

"Ok. I can't say no to that face."

"I knew you cou..."

She hugged him. "Thank you" She mumbled into his chest, and he gave her another of his gentle head pats.

"Now, go ahead and try them on."

"Why haven't you tried them on yet?"

"I don't know, probably because you're still in the room." She glared at him.

"Was I supposed to leave?" He asked innocently.

"That's what a normal person would have done, perv."

"Fine. I'll leave." He said, disappointed.

"You still aren't going to try them?"

"Not while you're standing there, refusing to let me close the door."

"Ok fine, I'll close the door then. But it is ok if I open it every few minutes, right?"

"No, and why would that be ok?"

"Because I wanna make sure nobody breaks in through the window and tries to kill you or something."

"Ok. One, we're like, what, seven stories high, so chances are slim. Two, even if someone did you wouldn't have to worry because I'm a wolf and I'd rip them apart before you even open that door. Three, stop being such a pervert."

"Ok, I'll close the door and I won't open it."

When he finally left, she unpacked everything and put them away while deciding on what to wear. Because there was no underwear, she ruled out the dresses. Also, because she didn't like dresses all that much. But she thought that she'd at least wear one occasionally because he'd gone through all the trouble of buying them. She decided on a pair of shorts and a shirt since the weather was warm.

When she went out, she found Takumi waiting for her.

"Isn't that better?" He asked.

"Yeah. Again, thank you."

"The pleasure was mine."

"How did you get the sizes right? They're a little big but close enough to my actual sizes."

"That was easy. I have a photographic memory, so all those times I spent staring at you a lot came in handy. I got a rough idea of what sizes might fit you. Plus, I did see you naked. It was only once, but it helped a lot. Not to mention, I kinda took your measurements while you were sleeping."

"What?"

"I'm kidding. I got help from the shop assistant. I used a lot of hand gestures to give her your rough measurements."

"Oh, for a second there, you were starting to sound like a creep."

"I'd never go that far. Should we go sort out the shoes and underwear?"

"Yeah. And if it's not too much to ask, maybe a few hair ties too."

"No problem. But your hair looks nice the way it is."

"Trust me, you won't be saying that when the humidity levels get high. And it gets a little irritating when it gets in my face."

"Have you ever tried cutting it shorter?"

"Many times, but it grows back after about two weeks each time. It's not worth the hassle."

"Oh."