“...You know, I’ve been thinking about getting some jewelry.”
The other girls glanced at Toru as she spoke. The invisible girl was idly staring off into space (not that anyone could tell that part) and speaking half to the others, half out loud to herself.
“Really? That’s a change for you,” Mina remarked curiously. “How come?”
“...I mean, clothes make the woman, right?” Toru motioned in a way that made it clear she was gesturing to herself. “That’s especially true for me. No one can really get an idea of what I look like generally, so what I wear is basically all anyone’s got for an impression.”
“True enough,” Tsuyu said with a nod, the girl as implacable as always. “Why jewelry specifically, though?”
“...I kinda want to be able to catch someone’s eye, you know?” Toru said with a sigh, flumping backwards on the common room couch. “Like, I don’t necessarily want to get a date, but…you know, if Yao-momo walked down the street in revealing clothes, you know she’d get heads turning.”
“H-Hagakure!” Momo spluttered. Mina, sitting next to her, laughed. “True enough! And you - oh.” She frowned. “Ah, I get it.”
“Yeah, even if I wear revealing clothes, no one’s going to really think much of it. I mean, they can’t see my skin anyway,” Toru said with a shrug. “I suppose I could wear, like, a lewd T-shirt or something? But that just makes me look like an otaku with no life.”
“...And that’s why the jewelry?” Kyoka asked, furrowing her brow. “I…don’t really get it.”
“Well, people tend to look at jewelry,” Toru explained. “I figure it might catch someone’s attention. So yeah. Thinking about it.”
“...Not sure I can really help much with that,” Ochako chuckled awkwardly. “I…don’t really have the money to spend on that sort of thing, so I don’t know much about jewelry.”
“Well, if we’re talking money…” Mina said mischeviously, before turning her gaze. Everyone followed her, staring at Momo, who flushed. “...Well, my mother does have quite a collection of jewelry. I could bring some over, see if anything catches your eye?”
The offer was hesitant, but if Toru’s face had been visible, others would have described her as ‘lighting up’. “That’d be great! You’re the best, Yao-momo!”
Momo’s flush grew deeper, but she also sat up straighter, looking more confident. “Right! I’ll get some for you to look at as soon as possible!”
---
…’some’, as it turned out, was basically a whole jewelry store’s worth.
“...This was…maybe a little overkill, Yao-momo?” Toru said awkwardly. Next to her, Ochako, who had been curious to see what she brought, fell down in a dead faint.
Momo turned red. “I - I’m sorry! I just wanted to make sure you had the best possible selection to examine!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Toru couldn’t help but giggle. “Now, let me take a look…”
Ooh, the necklaces looked nice. …even if she felt like she was asking to be accosted and robbed with some of the jewels that were on them. The rings were less noticeable…but also, yes, they were less noticeable. A bracelet, maybe? Or…
Her eyes moved to the earrings. Momo noticed. “Oh! These are some of the best in Mother’s collection,” she said excitedly. “If you want, I can help you -”
“Hm, nah…” Toru said, shaking her head as she kept scanning the collection. “Earrings aren’t really my thing, I don’t think? It’d be a pain to take them in and out when I have to get into costume -”
She stopped. One set had caught her eye. She picked them up gingerly. “Huh. What’s the story behind these ones?”
“Those? Why -” Momo began excitedly, before pausing. “...actually, I’m not sure. I don’t remember if Mother ever told me the story behind those earrings. They’ve been in our collection for a long time, though…I think.”
“...I kinda like them,” Toru said. She wasn’t sure why - something about them just felt right. “Maybe I should get some earrings after all…just to try them out.”
“You can take those, if you want!” Toru’s head snapped up. “Wait, really? Aren’t these expensive?”
“Mother won’t miss a single set of earrings,” Momo giggled. “Besides, you said it yourself - you won’t be wearing them in-costume, so they shouldn’t get damaged!”
Toru felt warm inside. “Well, if you’re offering, Yao-momo…then I’d be rude not to accept!”
Sat Sep 23 07:36:37 2023
1 comment Last updated: Sat Sep 23 11:43:01 2023