Although the underwear store located in the shopping mall didn't restrict men from entering, most men would usually wait outside for their partners. However, Ren wasn't the type of guy to feel awkward in such a situation.
As he and Masha stepped into the store, a quiet atmosphere greeted them. There were no other customers except for a young saleswoman sitting on a chair near the cash register, bored and playing with her phone.
When she noticed customers entering, the saleswoman quickly stuffed her phone into her pocket and stood up.
"Welcome, how can I help you?"
Ren glanced at Masha briefly before responding casually, "No, thank you. We can look around on our own."
"Alright. If you have any questions, feel free to ask." After giving a formal response, the saleswoman sat back down and resumed playing with her phone. She was quite lazy during work hours. It seemed she was still young and new to the job.
A true veteran wouldn't be so careless.
As they looked around, Masha pulled Ren deeper into the rows of racks filled with various types of women's underwear.
In front of them, rows of underwear were neatly arranged. There were simple cotton bras in pastel colors, perfect for everyday comfort. A little further in, the racks began to display more luxurious collections—push-up bras with elegant lace, strapless bras for open dresses, and sports bras designed for comfortable support during activities.
However, the further they went, the bolder the underwear choices became. There were transparent satin underwear pieces that barely hid anything, complete with embroidered details in certain areas. Some bras were made of thin straps with small lace, looking more like accessories than actual clothing. The panties grew more provocative—G-strings with crisscross patterns at the back, crotchless panties that were open in sensitive areas, and sheer bodysuits that revealed more than they concealed.
Masha picked up a bra with delicate lace details, examined it for a moment, then turned to Ren. "Ren-kun, do you think a front-clasp or back-clasp bra is better?"
Ren, who was observing a sheer black lingerie set nearby, showed no signs of being flustered. He barely needed to think before answering, offering an analysis as if he were an expert in women's underwear.
"It depends on the shape of the woman's breasts. Front-clasp bras have the effect of gathering and accentuating the chest. The clasp is in the center, usually just one, making it very convenient to put on and take off. The only issue is that they don't provide as much support. Therefore, front-clasp bras aren't suitable for girls with larger breasts—they're more prone to losing their shape and functionality."
Hearing his explanation, Masha looked at him with a mix of admiration and confusion, wondering how the guy who had gotten her pregnant could possess such useless knowledge.
"I don't know whether to be impressed or weirded out. Where did you learn all this, Ren-kun?"
"Experience."
Masha glanced at him briefly, then decided not to dig deeper. Some things were better left as mysteries.
"In that case, I'll choose a bra with a back clasp. Do you prefer something more plain or something sexier?"
Ren thought for a moment before answering, "I prefer something pure yet sexy... the kind that's both pure and sexy at the same time..."
"There's no such thing as underwear like that."
"Exactly… it depends on what you feel most comfortable wearing. After all, the most important thing about underwear is that you feel comfortable wearing it. Everything else is just a bonus."
"That kind of answer really has no reference value at all..." Masha muttered softly.
Without further delay, she picked out a few underwear sets that fit her size and headed toward the fitting room.
Meanwhile, Ren stayed behind, browsing the underwear around him. If he had come alone, his actions would have immediately been labeled as perverted. However, since he was accompanying Masha, the saleswoman didn't pay much attention to his behavior.
Not long after.
"Ren-kun... the clasp on my underwear seems to be stuck. Can you come in and help me?"
Masha poked her head out from behind the fitting room curtain, her expression slightly embarrassed, but her eyes clearly showed she was hoping Ren would help her.
Ren raised an eyebrow, but before he could react—
"No, both of you! Men aren't allowed near the fitting rooms in our store!"
The saleswoman who had been engrossed in her phone immediately stood up and approached them, clearly on guard for situations like this. In a professional yet subtly warning tone, she added, "Because there have been some couples in the fitting rooms recently... Ehm, so let me help instead."
Masha glanced at the saleswoman, and for a moment, a flicker of disappointment crossed her face. However, she didn't object.
"Alright, then please help me." She said with a smile before pulling her head back into the fitting room.
Less than a minute later, the saleswoman emerged from the fitting room. She shot Ren a sharp look, as if giving him a silent warning.
The look clearly said: "Don't even think about trying anything inappropriate here."
Ren held back a laugh. It seemed this store had a bad history with customers misusing the fitting rooms.
Sure enough, the saleswoman sighed softly before muttering, "Two days ago, a couple was caught doing something indecent inside."
Ren deliberately put on an exaggerated expression of surprise. "Oh? And they got caught red-handed?"
"Yes." The saleswoman replied curtly.
Shaking his head, Ren heard the sound of the curtain opening.
Masha stepped out of the fitting room fully dressed, carrying a few pieces of underwear she had chosen to purchase.
"Ren-kun, do you have any recommendations?"
"Are you sure, Masha? My choices might be a bit too wild."
Masha smiled slightly, looking at him with confident eyes.
"I don't mind. After all, you've already made me do embarrassing things before. If this can satisfy Ren-kun, I'll gladly wear it."
Hearing her response, Ren picked out a rather bold black underwear set. It was an open-cup bra with a hole in the center of the chest, paired with matching panties that also had a hole in the middle. He handed it to Masha.
"If you wear this, you won't even need to bother pulling down your panties every time we have sex."
"This underwear is more embarrassing than being naked..."
Although Masha complained, she didn't reject Ren's recommendation. She picked out one in her size and added it to her shopping pile.
Not content with just buying one or two pieces, Masha also picked out a few more that she found cute before heading back to the fitting room to try them on.
Meanwhile, Ren, who was waiting outside the fitting room, suddenly faced a minor issue.
"Rokuhara, even though the school is full of rumors about you, I still think you're not a bad student..."
A familiar voice made Ren turn around. Standing in front of him was Hiratsuka Shizuka, his Japanese teacher. Her expression was deeply troubled, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Running into a student at a women's underwear store was clearly not something she had expected while shopping today.
"Tell me the truth. What kind of trouble are you trying to cause by sneaking into a underwear store? Depending on the severity of the situation, I'll punish you accordingly."
Unlike the formal attire she usually wore at school, this time Hiratsuka was dressed in a plain white long skirt with a black lace-trimmed ribbon at the waist. Her long black hair cascaded down to her hips, and the gently swaying skirt accentuated her well-proportioned legs. Dressed more elegantly like this, she looked far more feminine than usual.
However, despite her changed appearance, her personality remained the same. Hiratsuka raised her fist slightly, as if ready to punch him at any moment. This wasn't just intimidation—if she felt Ren was causing trouble, she would genuinely hit him!
'Who would've thought I'd experience the cliché of running into an acquaintance at a women's underwear store? Wow, has the world acknowledged me as one of its protagonists? I sure hope so.' Ren could only laugh inwardly.