Chapter 74

Since there was nothing particular to see, when Yuki stepped out of the store section, he leaned against the railing of the atrium and waited, gazing blankly at the building's hall.

At that moment, he suddenly felt as if someone was watching him and turned around, but there was no familiar face among the passersby.

Perhaps it was just his imagination... he thought, and waited for a few minutes.

Then, a message from Devil came to his phone: "Come forth, my obedient servant! Only for my servant!" So, he returned to the front of the fitting room and called out.

"Ta-da!"

With a flourish, Eri opened the curtain, revealing herself in a light pink skirt and white blouse, typical of spring attire.

Before he could comment on how dirty the Devil's uniform, which had been carelessly thrown into the basket, looked, Eri stared at him, making some eye signals as if to say, "Praise me quickly."

"Wow, amazing."

"Your praising skills are terrible. But it's within my expectations. Okay, here's the line: 'Yui is cute!'"

"Yui is cute...?"

"Say it with more enthusiasm, not as a question."

"Yui is cute...!?"

"It sounds like a suspense movie."

Eri insisted, "Try to project from your diaphragm," and demanded a redo.

Not wanting to be looked at with a blank stare for saying such nonsense, Yuki tried to change the subject.

"Dark colors are nice, but I think bright colors really suit you, Eri."

"Hmm, really? If you say so, I guess I'll buy it..."

Though he didn't understand the specifics, he praised her as requested.

Eri then turned to the mirror in the fitting room, checking her posture and adjusting the hem of her skirt, examining the fabric. However, when she saw the price tag, she seemed to be deep in thought.

"Hmm... But if I buy it now, it will just be another thing to carry. Besides, it's spring, so it should go on sale soon."

"Really?"

"I might be getting scammed by Yuki-kun."

She was surprisingly calm.

He thought that since she was Devil, a bit more enthusiasm was needed, but perhaps that was just his opinion.

Just as he was thinking this, Eri suddenly pointed at Yuki's face.

"Here's the second line: 'Yui is head Yui!'"

"Yui is head Yui...?? What is that...?"

"You look so serious. It's like you're facing a difficult question."

Indeed, it was a difficult question.

Is it some kind of code...? Yuki's mind raced to interpret it.

Just as he was about to give up, a sudden realization hit him, and he took a step closer, reaching out to touch Eri's head.

When his fingertips touched her hair, Eri's face changed, and she took a step back.

"What, what are you doing all of a sudden!"

"I thought maybe your head was itchy."

"I said head Yui, not head itchy."

She snapped at him with great intensity, but wasn't "head itchy" the correct answer?

"Oh, I get it. Yui is itchy like a zombie?"

"Who's a zombie?"

In the end, the truth remained a mystery, and the purchase of the clothes was postponed.

Yuki, who had already left the store, waited for Eri to change back and then joined her.

"Well, what's next..."

Eri walked down the department store aisle, looking around.

She didn't seem to have a specific destination in mind, and there was a sense of running out of ideas.

However, after just a few minutes, she spotted a giant teddy bear on display at a stationery store and wandered over.

"Aww, so cute..."

While Eri was drawn into the stationery store, Yuki walked straight ahead, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Eri, who had quickly returned, tugged on his sleeve.

Her tone was accusatory, but Yuki looked back at her.

"Hey, where are you going? That's my line."

"No, you should follow from behind with a warm, supportive smile. Why do you keep trying to go off on your own?"

Her requests were very specific.

If he wanted to go somewhere, he should say so clearly.

However, since today he was supposed to be obedient, he didn't argue further and followed Eri into the store.

The store was cluttered with various goods, toys, and candies, all displayed with flashy POPs.

This was Yuki's first time visiting the place.

Eri walked through the narrow aisles with a confident stride.

On the way, she passed a row of stuffed animals that looked like penguins or birds, tapping each one lightly on the head as she went by.

She seemed unusually cheerful, almost to the point of appearing a bit off.

"Head Yui means that, right?"

"Hmm? It's too late to praise me now."

To her, it seemed to be a compliment. As always, she was deep and mysterious.

While making various comments about strange foreign dolls and suspicious anime merchandise, Eri wandered around the store as she pleased.

Eventually, she came to a corner where a few books were displayed and stopped at a prominent book about blood types.

"By the way, what blood type are you, Yuki-kun?"

"Universal type."

"I mean your blood type."

"B type."

"B? Hmm, hmm..."

"What are you smirking about?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Eri smiled and gave him a sidelong glance. What was so funny?

Just as Yuki was about to give him a head pat,

"Hey, hey, what do you think my blood type is?"

"Beats me."

"Think about it a bit. Play along."

Her mood suddenly turned sour.

Reluctantly, he pretended to think.

"Hmm... AB?"

"Wrong."

"B?"

"Wrong."

"A?"

"Don't get all of them wrong."

After saying that, Eri sighed dramatically.

"Yuki-kun, you really don't have a good eye for people."

"No, it's just a blood type..."

"Maybe you should read a bit about this. Like how to handle O-type girls."

"Huh."

"What are you snickering about?"

Eri picked up the book on blood types and flipped through it, showing Yuki.

"What does it say about O type...? They're often late. They're careless. Their rooms are messy... Wow, that's so accurate."

"That's not accurate. Have you even seen my room?"

"Shut up. Be quiet."

"That's just an insult. And it's not even written that way."

No, just say the good things.

Because of the complaints, she looked at the part about the strengths of O type.

"Um, they have a good sense of cooperation and can adapt to others... But blood types are unreliable. And O type is just what Eri claims."

"You finally started to doubt people, didn't you?"

"Actually, you're probably AB, right?"

"Why do you keep guessing AB?"

"Because Rina is AB."

"Hmm, Rina is AB... So, you're treating me like a little sister again? I don't think I'm that similar to her."

"Hmm... Well, maybe we just fit somehow."

Upon hearing this, Eri's face froze for a moment.

Then, her blinking increased, and her gaze became unfocused, making her behavior suspicious.

"Y-Yeah... Maybe I do have some AB-like qualities. Like Assault Buster?"

"Actually, I don't think blood types matter at all."

"Huh? What was that part about? It's a waste of time."

Eri closed the book with a flourish, put it back, and urged, "Come on, let's go to the next place!"

The button to evolve "head Yui" to "head itchy" is below.