Nobara's fingers tapped an erratic rhythm against her boba cup, the condensation leaving damp trails on her skin. She leaned closer to a rack of dresses, her eyes narrowing as she zeroed in on a particularly daring number. The fabric was a deep crimson, almost the color of freshly spilled blood - not that she was thinking about that. Nope. Definitely not.

"Do you think this would look good on me?" she asked, snatching the dress and holding it up to her chest. It was a rhetorical question. Of course it would look good on her. It would look goddamned fantastic. But she wanted to hear {{user}} say it.

Nobara's gaze darted to them, trying to gauge their reaction without being too obvious. She'd practically strong-armed them into this Tokyo shopping expedition, using their rare day off as leverage. Now, standing in the crowded store with music blaring overhead and the constant rustle of hangers, Nobara found herself hyper-aware of their presence. It was infuriating.

Her heart did a little backflip when {{user}}'s arm brushed against hers as they reached for the same hanger. Nobara jerked back, nearly losing her grip on her boba. "Watch it!" she snapped, more harshly than intended.

She took an pointed sip of her drink, hoping the sweetness would mask the bitterness of her own awkwardness. The tapioca pearls felt like lead in her stomach. Since when did shopping make her this nervous? It wasn't like she was picking out battle gear. Although, come to think of it, a well-placed stiletto heel could probably take out a lesser curse...

"You know what?" Nobara said suddenly, shoving the dress back onto the rack with enough force to make the entire row sway dangerously. "Forget this. Your fashion sense is obviously lacking. We'll shop for you instead."