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“Definitely buy the black one. This one just looks washed out.”
After she turns in front of the mirror and critically looks at the reflection, she answers with a dissatisfied sigh.
“You’re right, this just doesn’t look right. Ugh,” Nobara agrees in an annoyed tone before closing the curtain of the changing room again.
You go back to busying yourself with your phone while you stretch the fingers on the hand that’s not holding your phone.
Carrying shopping bags has taken its toll on your hand and there are red marks from the straps of the bags digging into your skin.
“Is your hand okay?” you hear your girlfriend ask.
With that, your head snaps up, looking up at her from where you’re sitting. There’s a serious look on her face as she takes your hand in her own, scrutinizing it carefully.
Before you can answer, she’s already bending down and taking half of your shopping bags and straightening up again.
Extending her free hand towards you, she encourages you, “Come on, let’s pay for this and finally buy some presents for those annoying guys.”
A giggle escapes you while you grab the rest of your shopping bags, before taking her hand, “Sure. Let’s go!”
The way she naturally intertwines her fingers with yours causes your heart to stutter and your face to heat up. The warmth of her hand holding on to your own is comfortable, familiar, and yet, it’s exciting.
Nobara pulls you along through the different shops inside of the shopping mall, drawing your attention to little gifts she likes.
She has a knack for picking out the weirdest gadgets, making you burst out in laughter in the middle of the store, which earns you a few disapproving glances.
While your friends and your teacher at Jujutsu High were pretty weird themselves, you want to give them normal presents, that they’ll find useful.
Yet, when you see Nobara giggle to herself and how her eyes light up when she compares the stuffed animal with white fluffy hair to your teacher – “The hair! Look, baby, it’s the same! See how it sticks up?” – you can’t help but entertain her a little bit longer.
When the both of you have finally decided on the perfect gifts for the guys, you’re quick to buy them, get them wrapped, and leave the store.
Walking out of the store and into the busy masses inside of the shopping mall, you yawn and stretch. Nobara smiles at you, before teasingly reprimanding you, “I told you to go to sleep early last night, but you just had to play that video game with Yuji.”
A groan leaves your lips at the reminder, starting to slowly stroll around the shopping mall with her again.
Reluctantly you mumble an answer, “Well… he obviously didn’t know what he was doing and someone had to show him. I couldn’t just sit by and watch him loose.”
Chuckling at your uncreative excuse, your girlfriend chuckles. Suddenly she stops in her tracks, grabbing a hold of your wrist and effectively causing you to stop and turn to look at her.
Initially, you’re worried, until you see her looking through the window of a jewelry store.
There’s a sense of wonder tied into her expression and as she turns to face you, you catch a glimpse of a blush on her cheek. Pointing at one of the displays on the other side of the window, she directs your attention to the jewelry that’s showcased there.
Scooting closer, you take a look at the simple, but beautiful silver rings that are displayed.
Her thumb rubs over the skin of your wrist before you hear her ask, “Do you want to get matching rings?”
When you turn towards her again, she looks a bit bashful, but the way she looks at you is full of love and sincerity. It’s just like her to ask like this.
You playfully hum, as if you’re thinking about it really hard and she whines, pulling at your wrist albeit not with much force, “Come onnnn – It’d be so cute! These are so fashionable too, they’d look great!”
Finally relenting with a smile, after letting her squirm for a few moments, you follow her into the store. Unabashedly, she pulls you closer so you can take a closer look at the couple rings with her, not caring about the glances the workers shoot the both of you.
When you finally settle on a design and pick out the sizes, she goes ahead and pays for the rings, pulling you out of the store before you can complain in front of the workers.
She takes your hand and walks outside the shopping mall with you, shuddering as the cold air outside hits her body.
Turning towards you, she immediately covers your mouth with her hand, shaking her head before you can protest.
“I wanted to buy these as a Christmas present, so please let me do this much,” she explains, removing her hand and opening the little box the rings were put into.
She unceremoniously slips her own onto her finger and gently takes your hand next, slipping the ring onto your ring finger.
The both of you stand like this, on the sidelines of the bustling masses of the city, your hand in hers and warmth spreading across your face.
A fond smile stretches across your lips and a smile matching yours spreads across Nobara’s face.
She pulls you closer, pressing a kiss against the back of your hand, before pressing her lips against yours in a quick kiss.
Pressing her forehead against yours, her warm breath mingles with yours and you squeeze her hand that is holding onto yours, the cool metal of the rings brushing against each other.
Even in the cold outside of the shopping mall, you feel unbelievably warm inside. Slowly touching your lips against hers once more, you bask in the hitch of her breath before she relaxes against you.
As you separate from her, you stay close to her, whispering a quiet, “Thank you, my love.”
With a final look into your eyes, a determined look flashes across her face. She squeezes your hand affectionately, before pulling you along.
While you walk through the city, that’s illuminated by colorful Christmas decorations, she promises in a tender, yet confident tone,
“One day I will get you a proper one. It will be most beautiful ring you’ll ever see. I promise.”