There was a friend who started dating a girl known for being quite pretty since our school days, and shortly after graduating, he ended up getting married.

He was always bragging about his wife in our group chat, to the point where the rest of us teased him, saying he was completely whipped while feeling a mix of envy and amusement.

One day, another friend asked him, “How come you only talk about the good sides of marriage? Hearing that all the time makes us, who have never dated, feel even worse. Why don’t you share some of the tough times you’ve had in your married life?”

After a moment of hesitation, our friend finally replied.

He said that every time he went shopping with his wife at the department store, it felt like he was losing his mind.

He claimed it wasn’t even that exhausting compared to working overtime for several days at his job.

Honestly, when I heard that, we all laughed, thinking, “Come on, you’re out on a date with your gorgeous wife at the department store, how could that possibly be tough?”

“Scarlett! This dress is beautiful! Let’s try this one on next!”

“…Sure.”

Having had a similar experience now, I thought I could understand why he said that.

Sorry, buddy. Shopping is really tough…

“See! I knew it would look great on you! I’ll remember this and let’s go to the next store!”

“Uhm… are there still more places to see? It feels like we’ve been walking around for about two hours…”

“You’ve barely seen a third of the stores! Days like today are so rare; we need to keep browsing until late!”

The enthusiasm in Sylvia’s response made my head spin.

We’ve barely seen a third? Gyaaaah! Ughhh!

Why on earth is the mall this huge? screams of despair.

I can’t… I can’t take it anymore…

After hours of following Sylvia around and trying on way too many outfits, it felt like I’d become one of those dressing dolls that little girls used to carry around.

Please, stop with these flowy dresses…

My masculinity is experiencing a meltdown…

If I could just watch Sylvia shop, I could enjoy it as eye candy. But since we were only shopping for my clothes, I was losing my mind with none of the fun whatsoever.

“…Uh, Sylvia. You came out shopping, aren’t you going to pick out any clothes for yourself?”

Unable to keep it in any longer, I timidly asked Sylvia, and she smiled while responding.

“Hehe, don’t worry. I’m thinking of getting matching outfits with you later on. So today, I’ll be picking out clothes that suit you, Scarlett.”

In short, I was doomed to this for the entire day.

Her words hit me like a bolt out of the blue.

This is madness. At this rate, I’m going to wither away!

My inner self shouted a desperate warning to please just ask Sylvia if we could wrap things up for today and come back another time. But just then, Sylvia, filled with joy, continued speaking with a wide smile.

“I’m having so much fun today. I’ve always wanted to go shopping like this with someone since I was little. Today, I finally fulfilled that dream. Thank you so much for accompanying me, Scarlett.”

Ah… Oh no…

Seeing Sylvia’s bright smile as she said she was enjoying herself put my inner voice, which had been screaming about the insanity of it all, at a loss for words and quietly changed its tune.

Hey, she looks so happy—there’s no way I want to ruin that. Let’s just endure a bit longer…

With those words, I held back tears as I nodded inside and replied to Sylvia.

“I… I’m also happy to be out with you, Sylvia…”

“Really? I’m so glad to hear that. I had feared you were the only one enjoying this because your expression looked a bit off… So let’s hurry to the next store! Please change quickly!”

Sylvia exclaimed with an upbeat voice.

After all, I had promised to accompany her for shopping.

This was also my own karma.

Resigned, I followed her request and quickly changed.

And then, a few more hours passed.

Due to everything that had happened in between, I was feeling all kinds of worn out.

I had always thought that as long as clothes were cheap and durable, that was enough, so I was used to wearing the clothes that market ladies sold for a bargain.

When I asked if it wasn’t excessively pricey to see clothes with price tags that far exceeded my monthly living expenses, I couldn’t help but feel like my heart was about to burst while watching Sylvia say she could buy out the whole store if she wanted…

Of course, what truly tested my limits was the ordeal in the women’s lingerie department…

From the moment I stepped into the lingerie store, I felt like I was about to die from embarrassment. Then, a pretty lady approached me and asked for my bra size.

But how could I possibly know that?

I had only worn whatever was in my closet up until now.

And I deeply regretted not knowing my own underwear size.

If I had known, I wouldn’t have had to experience that lady measuring my chest so gallingly…

Yes, with her hands actually going under my top to do it.

That was truly… truly a shock of monumental proportions for me.

I had always thought you measured sizes with a measuring tape…

Who would have guessed that such a pretty lady could figure out your bra size just by feeling it…

In any case, after hearing that my size was surprisingly large and experiencing the limits of shame, I had reached a point where I truly didn’t know what was going on anymore.

Waaah, I just want to go home and rest…

Feeling completely drained, I was trailing behind Sylvia like a wilted flower when she asked me in a worried tone.

“Um, Scarlett? If you’re feeling tired, do you want to take a little break? You seem really worn out…”

“…Yeah, I’ll take a short break…”

“Then, go ahead and sit there. I’ll go check out other stores by myself for a bit.”

Following Sylvia’s suggestion, I trudged over to a nearby bench and flopped down.

I felt like I might get sick just from looking at clothes, but how could Sylvia not be tired at all?

As I was pondering this, I suddenly felt someone tugging me into a hug.

I didn’t even have the strength to react; I just lazily turned my head to see a girl with pink twin-tails smiling brightly at me.

It was Florene Dolos, one of the heroine candidates from Class 1-B.

What was she doing here?

As I stared at her blankly, someone grabbed Florene by the scruff of her neck and pulled her away from me.

“…Florene, you can’t just cling to people like that, you know?”

It was Marin Eloise, the class leader of Class 1-B, who said that in a tired voice while separating Florene from me.

She then sat down next to me, placed Florene on her lap, and greeted me with a weary smile.

“…You’re Scarlett Evande from Class 1-A, right? It’s been a while.”

“…Yeah, it has been. So, what are you two doing here?”

As I asked, Florene, who was sitting on Marin’s lap, answered loudly.

“Marin’s aunt asked her to take me shopping!”

“Sigh, Florene. I told you that just dressing neatly is enough…”

“That’s not enough! Marin is so pretty; it’d be a waste if she didn’t dress up!”

Florene’s point made sense, especially since Marin was also one of the heroine candidates from the original story and possessed outstanding looks. Even dressed simply, her ocean-colored hair and sky-blue eyes made passing men turn to look at her.

Of course, Marin seemed to feel strongly that just dressing neatly was fine, and her impatience to return home was palpable.

Feeling an unexpected sense of camaraderie, I quietly murmured to her.

“…Clothes, as long as they’re cheap and durable, that’s sufficient.”

“…You too?”

When I nodded in response to Marin’s question, which sounded like it was drawn out of her, I felt her gaze turn towards me, now filled with sympathy.

This truly was a moment of shared misery.

While we both exuded an aura of reluctance towards shopping, Florene, evidently displeased with our sentiments, squirmed on Marin’s lap and shouted.

“Marin! We need to go see more clothes! Auntie said to pick beautiful outfits for you to wear on your date!”

“We’ve already tried on so much. I’m tired and need to rest…”

“Ugh, Marin, you’re all put together, yet you don’t pay any attention to this kind of thing! Okay! I’ll pick out the clothes, so you just rest here!”

With that, Florene hopped off Marin’s lap and dashed off somewhere.

In the original story, Marin usually looked after the trouble Florene caused, but seeing this new side of her was quite refreshing.

By the way, a date, huh?

Intrigued, I glanced over at Marin, and when our eyes met, she let out a sigh.

“Sigh, curious about the date, huh?”

“…A little, yes.”

“Well, I wouldn’t tell just anyone, but I think I ought to share it with you.”

With that, Marin began explaining, taking a deep, exaggerated breath.

“Given who my parents are, you probably have an idea, right? They’re both famous heroes.”

Her last name was Eloise.

Just like Leon Lionel, the father of Leonor, Marin’s parents, Natalia Eloise and Lucas Eloise, were among the top five most renowned heroes still alive today.

To add a side note, they were also known for getting married quickly due to a pregnancy during their school days.

When I nodded, Marin exhaled again and continued.

“While my father is usually fine, my mother is particularly peculiar. Maybe because she got married so early due to an unexpected pregnancy, she always tells me that the earlier you get married, the better. She keeps prying about when I’ll start dating. Isn’t it funny? What do heroes know about love? They don’t even have enough time to train!”

Listening to her rather intrusive family background, I wondered if it was acceptable to be hearing all this, but as I nodded along, it seemed Marin was eager to share even more.

“Anyway, this time my mother found what she claims is the ‘perfect match’ and suddenly insisted I go on a date. It’s not like I ever said I wanted that! But you know what’s even more absurd?”

When I shook my head, she exclaimed.

“The guy I’m being set up with is Yoon Si-woo, who just became a hero! The one from Class 1-A! I’m sure he asked just to maintain his reputation and probably only agreed to meet me once. If I had known earlier, I would have begged him not to! But the date was already set, so I had no choice. It’s ridiculous, right? He’d never have any interest in me… it’s just so embarrassing…”

Oh, a date with Yoon Si-woo…

Considering Marin was also a heroine candidate, there was a good chance it could work out, but I couldn’t fathom why she seemed so unconfident.

Thinking that, I said to her.

“Why are you lacking confidence? Yoon Si-woo is a guy too, and with your looks, you’d definitely catch his attention.”

Marin looked at me as if I were strange and replied.

“…Are you being serious? He’s the type who’s quite open about having someone he really likes.”

I was taken aback and shouted.

“Yoon Si-woo has someone he likes?!”

Someone he likes?

Who could it be? Sylvia? Marin? Florene? Leonor? Or could it possibly be that teacher Eve I was hesitant to consider?

Or maybe someone he met outside the academy?

As I racked my brain, listing the names of the heroine candidates, Marin looked at me and asked.

“…I’m just checking, but you really don’t know?”

Geez, I have no clue at all.

Nodding as I felt utterly lost, she murmured as if she were seeing something incredible.

“Wow… I can’t believe someone like that actually exists…”

As I tilted my head in confusion at her strange comment, Marin paused for a moment, then nodded and said.

“I won’t pry into other people’s love lives, but… well, in any case, I understand.”

I nodded in agreement with what she said.

I wasn’t sure about the details, but it meant Marin would be going on a date with Yoon Si-woo, right?

I clenched my fists as a sign of support and said.

“Good luck with your date!”

“Yes, yes, thanks. Just don’t worry; I’ll take care of the date myself.”

While I was chatting with Marin, I noticed Sylvia coming out of a store in the distance.

And she waved at me as she called out.

“Scarlett! If you’re done resting, let’s get moving again!”

Ah… Oh no…

In the midst of my conversation with Marin, I had temporarily forgotten why I was here in the first place…

I got to my feet and walked toward Sylvia, feeling like a lamb led to the slaughter.

And so, I continued shopping like a headless chicken alongside Sylvia.