Komi Komi Literature Club!

Chapter 17: The Cute Clothes

Her favorite white summer dress with blue jeans and sneakers. Komi moved from side to side, examining herself in the mirror. She double-checked to make sure her outfit was well-put together...then she triple-checked.

Satisfied with her appearance, she nodded to herself and then stepped out of her bedroom door. As she passed by the living room, her mother called her.

"Shouko! Are you going to meet your literature friends at the mall now?" She asked.

"Mhmm." Komi nodded.

"Oh, how fun! Don't forget to take your purse! And carry some money on you, okay? And it might rain today, so you should bring an umbrella just in case. And now that I think about it-" Komi's mother started to overwhelm her daughter with suggestions, gathering some of things she would need and giving them to her all at once.

Now armed and ready for her trip to the mall, Komi made the walk to her local mall in the city. As she got close, she took a moment to glance up at the sky; she saw that the clouds were starting to roll in. Perhaps it might rain later after all.

Komi suddenly paused, feeling uncomfortable as she sensed eyes on her. She looked around at the people around her. With a sudden jolt, people continued on their way normally. Komi nervously hurried into the shopping mall.

She took a moment to catch her breath before looking around. She had been to this mall before, but she wasn't entirely sure where the food court was – that's where she had agreed to meet up with Natsuki and Sayori.

She stopped by the nearest directory, tracing her finger across the map until she found the right place. She nodded in confirmation and went on her way. Once she had reached the food court, she took another look around...

But she couldn't find Sayori and Natsuki anywhere. She began to shake nervously again, feeling lost as her eyes frantically scanned through the crowds. It was a busy weekend day, however, so it would be all too easy to gloss over two particular faces amongst the sea of people.

"Komi! You're here already!" Sayori called to her, jogging in her direction while smiling and waving. She had on an oversized purple hoodie that had one white sleeve and one gray sleeve, along with black leggings and sneakers.

"Hello, Sayori. I like your outfit." Komi greeted her, holding up her notebook after writing it down.

"Aww thanks! I wanted to try something different today, so I stole this hoodie from a friend," She said with a giggle, twirling back and forth. "I looove your outfit. The dress is super cute! And it looks great with jeans actually! I never would've thought about that!" She complimented her.

Komi's cheeks went red, and she began to feel flustered and heated because she didn't know how to respond. A simple 'thank you' didn't seem like enough, and yet she couldn't come up with anything else – nothing that would match the energy of Sayori's compliment.

She fidgeted awkwardly in place for a few brief moments before she was saved by Natsuki arriving and joining them.

"Hey! Man, you two are all punctual today, huh? Even you, Sayori!" Natsuki teased her with a light laugh.

Natsuki had on a black sleeveless top with white lettering on it, along with a red and black plaid skirt and white sneakers. Her hair was tied up with her usual red ribbons, which matched the skirt. Komi's eyes widened upon seeing her.

"I'm engaging in better habits!" Sayori said proudly in response to Natsuki's comment.

"Heheh, well better late than never. I'm glad at least the three of us could...whoa, Komi? Wh-What're you looking at me like that for?" Natsuki asked in concern after noticing that Komi was staring at her with big eyes, leaning closer while breathing heavily in and out of her nose.