[AFTER] Chapter 234 – No choice but to yield~!

Time Stamp: Present Day

Yuta Takebayashi had endured numerous stressful situations throughout his life. High school entrance exams, socializing with a group of completely unknown people, playing video games professionally on a stage; there was no shortage of problems that Yuta had encountered.

However, the current situation was something far more difficult than anything he had encountered so far.

"Are we almost there yet?"

"Almost, so please be patient~"

Yuta was currently in a car on the way to the mall with Marie and her mother, Akari. Takei couldn't make it today since he had work, while Akira was once again hanging out with his friends.

"Yuta, are you feeling okay?" Marie looked at him with concern. "Your face is a bit pale."

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Might just be the weather," Yuta feigned ignorance as he looked out the window at the changing scenery.

One day after school, Yuta got caught by Marie on his way home and was forced to go with her and her mom to the mall. Although he declined the invitation a few times, Marie's sulking mood and puppy eyes had destroyed his sanity and will.

"Um, is it okay for me to be here?" Yuta asked the two of them. "I'm not exactly a stranger, but I'm not exactly a close friend either."

"Th-That's not true!" Marie surprisingly shouted at him. "You're a close friend to me! Is... is that not the case for you?"

When faced once again by her sad expression, Yuta couldn't help but give in to the cute girl in front of him.

"It's... the same for me."

Even though he was embarrassed to admit it, Yuta enjoyed spending time with Marie. They hadn't known each other for all that long, but their chemistry was not something to laugh at.

"I'm glad you feel the same," Marie smiled the biggest smile he had seen today. "Hehehe, we're best friends now~"

While Marie was giggling in her own world, Yuta noticed Akari staring at him from the front seat.

"Ah, young love~ You two are just like Takei and I when we were younger. Speaking of young love, one time..."

For the rest of the ride, Akari told silly stories and tales of the shenanigans that her and Takei would do when they were younger.

Once they arrived at the mall, the three of them got out of the car and headed inside. Yuta didn't know exactly why he was dragged here because he came here without asking any questions.

"So, where are we going?" Yuta asked.

Marie replied with a smirk. "Clothes shopping, of course."

"I can't wait to dress up my son~" Akari looked at a certain clothing store in the distance with a sparkle in her eyes. "Takei's been too busy and Akira doesn't like shopping for clothes, so you're going to be our guinea pig today!"

Although Yuta wanted to correct Akari about calling him her son, there were more pressing matters at hand. Judging by how the situation was developing, Yuta was going to become a dress-up guinea pig for the two excited girls.

*Ping*

Yuta's phone went off with a new notification. Checking the notification, he realized it was a text from someone who had experienced this situation already.

Takei: Good luck. They won't let you go until they're satisfied. Thanks for taking one for the team, I owe you one!

"What the heck have I been dragged into?!"

Yuta had exchanged contact info with both of Marie's parents, but he didn't expect them to text so casually.

""C'mon, let's go!""

Both girls dragged Yuta along into the clothing shop for men without paying any mind to his distressed expression.

I'm going to be stuck here for the next few hours, aren't I?

As soon as they entered the shop, Marie grabbed Yuta's arm and dragged him to a certain area in the store. Akari had a different idea, so she went to a different part of the store.

"Wait for me, I'm going to make you the most handsomest boy ever!"

"Handsomest isn't a word, but sure."

Yuta sat down on a nearby bench as he watched Marie dart around the area looking for an outfit that would match him well. Unsurprisingly, she skillfully went through the piles of clothes with extreme quickness and efficiency.

He noticed that she was only picking out the medium sizes for clothing which was normal for a teen boy, but Yuta wondered how she knew the size for his pants as well.

I don't think I ever told her any of my sizes...

Choosing to purposely ignore the previous thought, Yuta calmly waited until Marie finally returned with a set of clothes for him.

"Please put them on and show me~"

With a smile that had an abnormal amount of intensity behind it, Marie handed over the clothes to him and sat down expectantly waiting for his return.

Yuta internally chuckled at how excited Marie was to see him. Noting her puppy-like side in his mind, Yuta entered the dressing room and returned once he put on everything.

"Wow..." Marie gasped.

When Marie picked out his outfit, she remembered her favorite Korean manhwa protagonist and decided to dress Yuta up as him.

"Is this considered cosplay?" Yuta recognized the character's outfit since he had also read the same manhwa. The current him was wearing black pants along with a black shirt as the base of the outfit, while also wearing a long light-brown overcoat that was long enough to reach his feet.

"So cool... I really did make you into the most handsomest boy on the planet!"

"Once again, handsomest is not a word."

Before he even had any time to breathe, Akari came back from what she was doing and secretly handed him some clothes while making sure Marie didn't see it.

"What clothes did you get him?" Marie asked.

Akari giggled and put a finger in front of her mouth. "Secret~"

"Muu..." Marie sulked in response.

About a minute later, the curtain to the dressing room opened and Yuta exited the room.

"Wawawawawawhat?!" Marie gasped.

The only thing Yuta had on was swimming trunks. No shirt, just swimming trunks. Due to that, some of his front side was exposed for the world to see.

Marie's face immediately flushed with a pinkish red color as she realized that Yuta was half-naked. On the other hand, Akari was trying to stifle her laughter to no avail. She looked like a child that had just gotten away with a mischievous prank.

Taking another glance at Marie, Yuta realized her eyes were spinning as she mumbled jargon that couldn't be considered a language.

It looks like Marie.exe has stopped working...

—

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!

Serious-san: Poor Yuta is at the mercy of these two girls

Sugar-chan: You're next~

Serious-san: No! This can't be!