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Shoko and Kyoka were currently out, an impromptu errand run for Shoko as Kyoka needed new clothes, clean clothes, at that.
The young, preteen girl was still a little unaccustomed to being treated like someone her age, and not as an emotionless doll, only being seen as a means to kill.
Kyoka needed new clothes, she couldn’t just run around in that red kimono everyday, it could easily get torn, damaged, and stained.
It wasn’t practical either, not practical to run around Yokohama doing detective work, the white tabi socks and the sandals had to go too.
The two of them were now passing by numerous clothing stores inside the third floor of Queen’s Square Yokohama, one of Yokohama’s many shopping malls.
As the two of them walked together, Kyoka suddenly spoke up, turning her head away from the numerous clothing stores to face Shoko.
“Thank you… Ieiri-san, I wouldn’t want my kimono to get damaged…”
Kyoka told Shoko, a genuine gratitude in the young girl's voice, who had now tilted her head slightly upwards so as to be able to look Shoko in the eye.
Shoko just smiled at Kyoka's warm words, moving her hand slightly so as to rest on the small of the younger girl’s shoulder.
“It’s okay Kyoka-chan, this is for your own good.”
Shoko tells Kyoka, her own voice warm with a certain gentleness to it too.
While speaking to one another, the two of them end up going into one of the many clothing stores, Kyoka becoming almost immediately enchanted with the pretty, frilly dresses and skirts.
Letting Kyoka snoop around a little, Shoko turns her attention to the shoe section.
Why is that?
She needs new shoes, and the white heels that Naomi had gotten her as a gag gift weren’t going to cut it, as she did not plan to run around in heels anytime soon.
A pair of nondescript, black shoes caught her eye, black-on-black, no white sole either, seemingly slip on too, they seem comfortable enough… It works.
Moving nearer, Shoko bends down a little as to grab the pair of black shoes, standing up straight as to look at them at eye level.
“Kyoka-chan, I’ll be in the dressing rooms, alright?” Shoko tells the preteen girl, her voice a bit lower than a yell as she addresses Kyoka.
“Okay, Ieiri-san!” Kyoka says to Shoko in response, her own tone matching Shoko’s.
At that moment, Shoko proceeds to move, walking away towards the dressing rooms with the pair of shoes in one hand.
Once inside of the dressing room, Shoko turns the curtain, closing it so as to maintain her privacy.
Taking off her shoes, Shoko tried the ones she had picked out, they didn’t cling to her feet uncomfortably, that was good, the sleek polished black gleamed a little as Shoko looked at the shoes in the dressing room mirror.
Satisfied with her decision, Shoko takes off the new shoes, putting on her regular ones once again, she stands up, pushing the curtain back, stepping back out, walking back to the section where Kyoka was still at.
“Seems you found something you like, huh?” Shoko says to Kyoka with a chuckle, scanning over the clothing items currently in Kyoka’s arms.
Amidst the items that Kyoka had picked out, Shoko could pinpoint a long sleeved, red cardigan, a small white blouse, and a long, black skirt, on Kyoka’s other hand, Shoko can pinpoint a pair of women’s Mary Jane buckle shoes, too.
“Mhm.” Kyoka hums positively, her eyes almost shining with emotion, clearly happy with what she had picked out while Shoko was gone.
Shoko chuckled at Kyoka’s response, using her free hand, the one that wasn’t holding the pair of shoes she planned to buy, gesturing towards one of the registers of the shop.
“Come on, Kyoka-chan, I’ll pay for everything.” Shoko tells the young girl, a slight, subtle fondness in her tone as she addressed the preteen girl.
Kyoka follows along, walking beside Shoko to one of the various registers at the clothing shop, standing a little behind her as Shoko proceeds to pay for everything.
As Shoko put away the credit card, there was a slightly confused glint in Kyoka’s eyes now, as the name on the credit card was in fact, not Shoko’s name.
Once she’s grabbed her own bag, handing the other to Kyoka, is when Shoko notices Kyoka’s confused expression, making her chuckle a little.
“It’s Chuuya’s, and, for some reason, he gave it to me…? Babbling while drunk on how he’s got too many cards… and how he’d rather me having one than someone else, it was pretty amusing.” Shoko explains to Kyoka, watching as a flash of recognition and understanding appeared on her gaze.
“Ah, that makes sense.” Kyoka tells Shoko in response, her voice understanding and warm.
The two of them start walking away from the clothing store, going back down to the first floor, and walking outside to be met with the bustle of Yokohama once again, still bustling and busy, but still less crowded compared to Tokyo.