Chapter 387: Leo Karumi [21]

Standing in front of the mall entrance in a simple sleeveless shirt and pants, Leo waited for Lea to arrive. They’d agreed to meet here at 17:30.

The first day of the festival had already ended at 16:00. Leo had visited a few classes with Lea, and not long after that—once Nathan was done being mad at them and finished his shift—the three of them left together.

Each class had a budget, and since it was an elite school, most of what the classes had prepared was actually good.

It was 17:08 now. Leo had arrived early, but that was only because the festival committee members—including him—were done after a joint meeting with the student council and the festival committee. He couldn’t come with Lea, though. She still had student council matters to wrap up.

He looked up at the blue sky as the sun shone down. Even though Christmas was next week, it wasn’t cold or snowy. It was the opposite—warm and sunny.

’Is this really alright...?

’ Leo wondered.

Because he’d decided to pay a bit more attention to the end-of-year festival, he’d cut some time from his piano lessons and other activities and chose to sleep more. But was that actually the smart thing to do? Should he have just cut back on sleep instead?

Then again, he wouldn’t have had much energy for the festival. No matter what people called him, he was still human. He could get tired—and he was young enough that sleep still mattered. If his mother ever found out he’d been cutting sleep, she’d be furious... and somehow still expect him to keep up with everything.

"Leo!"

At the shout, Leo looked up from his phone and saw Lea running toward him. She stopped in front of him, panting, hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Ahh—I-I knew you’d be here way earlier. I tried to finish my work fast, though...!"

Leo tilted his head, looking down at her.

"It’s not like I had anything else left to do. I just changed my clothes and came here."

"Still..." she said between breaths.

"I didn’t want to make you wait... in this heat."

"Yeah, but—"

"I was in such a hurry I didn’t even realize what I put on," Lea groaned. "This is way too hot for this weather! Isn’t it supposed to be winter?!"

Leo glanced at her outfit. She wore a summer hat—which was fine—but the real problem was the white vest and turtleneck underneath. It suited her long skirt, but it looked miserable in this temperature.

"...You should go home and change," Leo said. "I can wait. I cleared my schedule today anyway."

"You did?" She looked up, surprised, then shook her head. "It’s fine! We’ll just buy suitable clothes for me!"

"Huh?"

*****

"Ah, this is so exciting!" Lea’s face practically glowed as she walked ahead of him, full of energy. "I always wanted to go on a date with a friend, like in books and movies!"

At some point, the plan to just get costumes had turned into this... weird "date with a friend" thing. Leo had wanted to refuse, but Lea kept begging—and with that innocent, eager look on her face, he couldn’t bring himself to be the one to crush it. So he’d reluctantly agreed.

"...Don’t you already have a lot of friends?" Leo asked. "Are you saying you’ve never gone shopping with any of them? And don’t call this a date."

Lea slowed down and matched his pace, walking beside him. They were already inside the mall, heading toward the store they wanted to visit. As they walked, Lea kept turning her head toward every shop they passed, inspecting them with open curiosity. At least the mall was cool, so she wasn’t overheating like she was outside—but buying new clothes still needed to be the first stop, like she’d said.

To answer him, she looked up, shook her head, then scratched her cheek and looked away with an awkward, embarrassed smile.

"I... actually never did go out with them. Before middle school, I barely left my room—let alone my house. So when my illness finally went into remission, and I could go outside again, middle school felt like a new world. Everything felt new and... kind of foreign, even though I’d watched videos online."

She hesitated, then kept going, more quietly.

"I struggled a lot to be social. I was afraid of doing something wrong, or saying something wrong, or not knowing something I should’ve known. But I practiced. I tried really hard." She gave a small awkward laugh. "Still... there were some things I was too scared to do."

She glanced aside, avoiding his eyes.

"So whenever someone invited me out, I declined. First year... and honestly, up until last year too. Now no one invites me anymore because they assume I’ll just say no. And, well... I’m kind of afraid to ask them out even now. I don’t want them to think I’m some sheltered princess who doesn’t know anything. I don’t know if I’d be able to hold back my curiosity and end up doing something stupid."

She hurried to add,

"I mean, I’ve been places by myself. And with my mom and dad. Just..."

Then her voice dropped, almost hard to hear.

"Just not with a friend, you know?"

Leo studied her for a moment.

’But she was fine when we went shopping for Lia’s birthday present... at least she looked fine.’

When Lea finally met his eyes, Leo couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at his mouth.

"So it’s fine if you act foolish in front of me?"

Immediately, she looked at him like he’d said something unfair.

"You’re different! And you’re the only one who knows my secret!"

"Sure, sure."

"You... ugh." She narrowed her eyes.

"You’re trying to make me angry, aren’t you?"

"Am I?"

Leo looked at her like he genuinely didn’t understand, which only made her cheeks puff slightly.

"...You’re enjoying this," she muttered.

"You like making me frustrated."

"Am I?"

"You...!"

*****

After finding the clothing store Lea wanted to visit, the two of them stepped inside.

Almost instantly, Leo felt uncomfortable. It was a women’s clothing store, and being surrounded by groups of girls made him feel painfully out of place.

"...Are you sure it’s alright for me to be here?" he asked quietly.

Lea looked at him, tilting her head in confusion.

"Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?"

It was clear she genuinely didn’t understand why he was asking. Leo caught a few glimpses of other boys in the store too—probably dragged along by their girlfriends—which made him feel a little less exposed.

’But we’re friends. Not even a couple...’

That thought somehow made it worse.

"Let’s go!" Lea said, completely unaware, and marched ahead with full energy.

Leo followed a step behind, glancing around as he spoke again.

"Are you sure you can afford the clothes in this store? They all look pretty expensive..."

Lea smiled as she inspected a few pieces.

"They are expensive. Women’s clothes are generally more expensive than men’s, and this store is pricier than average."

"If it’s too much, I can give you some money."

Lea spun around, eyes wide in shock.

"Wha—! I didn’t bring you here to be my wallet!"

"I... I see."

She huffed and looked away, continuing through the racks.

"Even though you’re objectively a genius, you can be really insensitive about certain things, Leo."

"Is that so?"

She nodded, arms already full of clothes as she kept hunting for more.

"My parents aren’t

rich-rich

, but we’re still comfortable. Probably somewhere between middle class and upper-middle class. I can easily afford this—especially since I barely go shopping anyway." She glanced at him.

"And even if you and your family have money, you shouldn’t throw it around so easily."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Leo said with a flat expression.

’At least she didn’t want to be friends with me because of my family’s money...’

Crossing that off in his head brought him a quiet sense of relief.

After she picked out a bunch of different outfits, she turned to him, bright-eyed.

"I want your opinion after I change into these, okay?"

"Sure," Leo nodded.

They headed for the fitting rooms. Once Lea slipped inside and pulled the curtain shut, Leo spotted a bench nearby and sat down to wait.

The moment he did, he heard her mumble from behind the curtain.

"I’ll start with this one..."

A soft rustling followed. The store music drowned most of it out, but Leo’s senses were annoyingly sharp. Feeling a bit too aware of everything, he distracted himself by taking out his phone.

Then Lea’s voice came again.

"Leo... you’re like

suuuper

rich, right?"

He looked up toward the closed curtain.

"Why ask a question you already know the answer to?"

A quiet laugh came from behind it.

"Okay, but like—are you rich in a movie way? You know, the kind of elite with old inheritance money that never runs out? Or is it just because your parents are successful?" She added quickly,

"Ah—but if you don’t want to answer, it’s fine!"

"So you want to know how cliché my life is," Leo said, like he’d figured it out.

"..."

No response.

Leo smiled.

"To answer your question, it’s both."

"Both?"

"Yeah." Leo nodded without realizing.

"My parents make a lot from their work, but apparently my grandparents on my dad’s side were extremely wealthy. They passed away before my parents got married, and my dad inherited their money—same as his three brothers."

Leo had never met anyone from his father’s side. He only knew those three brothers lived in different countries across the world... and for some reason, his father had insisted Leo learn the language of each country they lived in. Supposedly so Leo would have an "advantage," though Leo suspected it was mostly so his father could brag.

"Woah..." Lea said from behind the curtain.

"So did your dad and his brothers fight over the money?"

Leo couldn’t help but chuckle.

"You’ve watched too many movies. I don’t know much about my dad’s side, but from what I’ve heard, they split everything equally."

"O-oh... is that so..."

Leo caught the faint disappointment in her voice, and his smile widened.

’She wanted a battle royale for the inheritance.’

After living off books and social media through hospital visits and pain, her expectations were a little too dramatic. Leo didn’t mind.

"Well, not that it matters," he added.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Even though he has it, my dad refuses to touch the inheritance. Not even a cent."

Lea went quiet for a moment. Leo heard rustling again, and just as he was about to look back at his phone, she spoke.

"Maybe it feels better to use money you earned yourself?"

"Why would that be?"

"I don’t know. I’ve read that spending money you worked for feels more rewarding than spending someone else’s. Like a student working part-time and using their own money instead of their parents’."

"Maybe," Leo said. "But I think that’s only possible because we can live comfortably without it. If we were poor, I doubt my dad would be so stubborn about refusing it."

"True," Lea said, then brightened. "But the good news is, if he doesn’t spend a single cent, you’ll get it all eventually! You’re basically set for life!"

"...I guess so."

A second later, the curtain slid aside.

Lea stepped out.

"Tada!"

The first outfit was a summery, pure white dress, and she’d paired it with the hat she’d been wearing earlier. Together, they looked surprisingly perfect.

"So," she asked, putting on a show as she twirled, "what do you think, Leo?"

’She wants a compliment,’

Leo realized.

When she stopped spinning, she looked up at him, waiting.

"It suits you," Leo said evenly.

"You look cute in it."

"Really?"

Her smile grew. A blush crept onto her cheek, and her eyes flicked around like she didn’t know what to do with them.

’Is she weak to compliments?’

Leo decided to test it.

"Yeah," he said, calm as ever. "You look incredible. The white dress suits you—especially with your fair skin. You’re already beautiful, but somehow it makes you look even more so."

"H-huh?" Lea stammered, freezing.

"Wait—what? No, I—umm... I-I guess... yes?"

’As I thought.’

Leo cringed internally at himself for saying it, but it was hard not to be amused. Lea looked like her brain had short-circuited—standing there, face turning tomato-red, completely unsure whether to speak, move, or evaporate on the spot.

"Th-thank you," Lea said, managing to compose herself a little—though the color in her face didn’t fade.

"Hm? Oh, look how cute she is over there."

The sudden voice made Leo glance to the side. Two middle-aged women stood nearby, whispering openly.

"Is that her boyfriend?"

"Probab—"

Leo narrowed his eyes at them.

They noticed. Both women froze for half a second, then hurried away as if they’d been caught stealing.

’...Great. Now I’m uncomfortable again.’

"I-I’m going to try the next outfit!" Lea said, the words slightly muffled.

By the time Leo turned back, the curtain was already closed.

Now it was definitely awkward—and it was his fault. He’d dug this pit himself out of curiosity.

Still, it was a women’s clothing store. And those two weren’t the only ones watching. People came and went, and the warm, knowing stares started to get to him. His face felt hot.

A sudden

thud

snapped him out of it.

Leo looked at the curtain, alarm rising in his chest.

"Is everything alright?"

"Y-yes!" Lea called back quickly.

"I just slipped—don’t worry about it!"

"...Alright."

Still suspicious, Leo stared at the curtain for another second before forcing himself to look down at his phone again.

Not long after—without any conversation this time—the curtain slid open.

Lea stepped out in a new outfit: jeans and a white T-shirt with Chinese characters printed across it.

It was a boyish look, but it still suited her.

"So," she asked, her expression brimming with confidence, "how do I look now?"

Leo didn’t want to ruin her mood. He answered honestly.

"You look really stylish. It suits you—you still look beautiful, but in a cooler way. And... the jeans emphasize your figure more than skirts do."

"Is... is that right?" Lea blinked, then nodded as if filing the information away.

"Well, thank you. I’ll keep that in mind."

This time she didn’t let herself get flustered, though a light blush still rose to her cheeks. She looked genuinely pleased.

Leo, oddly, felt a flicker of disappointment at how composed she’d become.

"On to the next!" Lea declared, energetic again, and disappeared behind the curtain.

It didn’t take long for what was supposed to be a quick stop—just to buy something more weather-appropriate—to turn into a full-blown fashion show. Each time Lea came out in a new outfit, she posed like she was on a runway. And each time, Leo dug up another compliment.

At some point, it became a challenge—less about her clothes and more about how far he could push her reactions without making her short-circuit again.

Even Leo couldn’t deny he was enjoying himself. He found himself actually curious about what she’d step out in next, which was strange. He’d never liked shopping. He’d never liked spending long stretches of time with other people doing something dull.

Yet here he was.

Behind the curtain, Lea hummed cheerfully as she changed.

"Leo?"

But then a familiar voice—one Leo recognized instantly—cut through the store.

His body went still for only a second.

"Alright! What about this one, Leo!"

"...."

"Leo?"

Lea frowned. Leo wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was staring at someone else, and he’d even stood up.

Confused, Lea followed his gaze.

A woman stood there, staring between Lea and Leo with her mouth slightly open in shock.

Lea, wearing a square-neck top and jeans this time, walked over to Leo and lightly bumped his shoulder.

"Leo, who is she?" she whispered, half-annoyed.

"And why is she staring at us like we’re aliens?"

Leo snapped out of it. He coughed once, as if trying to reset himself.

"...She’s my aunt," he said, then corrected himself with a grimace.

"Or, well... actually, she’s Nathan’s mother."