I hope you all have been enjoying this story so far. I will admit that I'm fairly satisfied with how its turned out. I've gone back in and done some editing to the previous four chapters. Nothing major, just a few corrections here and there. I'd really appreciate some feedback from you guys on this, so feel free to comment away. Enjoy the rest of the story.

Chapter 5

The mall itself was massive. At about a kilometer long with three levels and hundreds of shops, restaurants and vendors, it was definitely something to behold. And it actually managed to intimidate Mei. Sure she had gone shopping at malls before, but never on this scale or for the reason she was here now. Mei looked out at the mall from the causeway on the second floor like a young Ashigaru standing in front of an army of enemy samurai for the first time. Aiko and Asami noticed this right away. "Hey, Mei? You all right?" Aiko asked as Mei suddenly jumped from her temporary trance.

"Huh? Oh, did you say something?" she asked. Yep, she was definitely overwhelmed by everything.

"This is your first time in a place like this, isn't it?" Aiko asked.

As if to add to the obviousness of the situation, Mei bowed her head and shook it slightly. The two girls chuckled. "There's nothing to be nervous about," Asami said. "This is going to be fun! So, what did you have in mind on getting Yamato for Christmas?"

Mei silently pouted and blushed. She hadn't really gotten that far in planning. She wanted to get Yamato something, but she still wasn't sure of what he would want. "I… haven't really decided yet," she admitted as she glanced down at the floor.

The two girls had figured that this would be the way it was going to turn out. Knowing the position Mei was coming from, it would be natural to not really know what to get her first boyfriend. That's why they had taken the liberty to prepare a few "helpful" suggestions.

"Well, fortunately you're in the company of the best Christmas shoppers for boyfriends!" Asami proudly over exaggerated. "We'll help you find that perfect gift that represents everything that's in your heart that you want to tell him. The perfect gift that will sweep your man off his feet, and then he'll sweep you off your feet saying 'Thank you for this. I love it. I love you. I-'"

"What Asami means," Aiko interrupted before Asami said too much and Mei became overwhelmed again, "is that we'll help you find the right gift for Yamato."

Mei, although still a bit nervous about all this, decided it was the best chance she had of finding a gift for Yamato. She had a few ideas, but had written most of them off thinking that they were stupid and he wouldn't like them. So, she let her friends lead her to a few of the stores they believed would be perfect to find gifts for him.

One of the first shops they went to, at Asami's behest, was a jewelry shop. It wasn't as fancy as most jewelry shops went, but they did have some nice selections. "Why not get a pair of rings or bracelets?" Asami suggested. "Something that symbolizes your love for each other and reminds the other that you'll always be there for them."

Mei understood the idea, but there were two things holding her back. "I don't think that will work. For one thing, these rings are rather expensive. And we already have the friendship bracelets, the Land keys and the pair rings."

Asami drooped as she mentally kicked herself for not remembering that detail. With Asami down for the count, Aiko took her chance to give some suggestions to Mei. The trio headed to a beauty supply store that had a large selection of perfumes, soaps, lotions and other products for both men and women.

"Guys like it when their girl puts on some new perfume or body lotion," Aiko explained. "And they even like it when their girl gets them some cologne so they can smell nice for you." They wandered around the store sampling different products and even headed to a second store that had a different variety. Mei liked the idea, and did eventually buy a fragrance kit, but it wasn't exactly something for Yamato.

"I'm just not sure," she eventually said. "I agree that some of these colognes do smell nice, but I don't want Yamato to think that I'm telling him he stinks. Plus, I kind of like the cologne he uses now."

Aiko understood what Mei was getting at and decided to find somewhere else to look as she tried to come up with another idea. As they headed out of the store, Mei's phone buzzed with an incoming text message.

We've finished our shopping and Nagi is ready to join you, the message from Yamato said.

Okay. We're on the second floor near the central elevators. Meet you there, Mei replied before telling the other girls what was going on.

On their way they happened to pass a lingerie store, to which Asami stopped and pondered. Before she could act on her idea, Aiko came behind her and pushed her away from the store. "No, no and no," she said as the redhead began to protest. "They aren't anywhere near being at that point in their relationship, you pervert."

"But I wasn't going to-, Aiko-chan, you can't just-," she tried to protest before finally admitting defeat with a groan. Mei chuckled at the two girls and glanced back at the store Asami had pointed out before catching up with them. The thought of a time when she could enjoy those types of things with Yamato did sound nice to her. But that time wasn't now because she knew she wasn't ready to go that far with him just yet.

Kai had been waiting by the fountain for 20 minutes. Where could she be, he wondered as he paced back and forth. His impatience and restlessness was really getting the better of him. He was just about to pull his phone out to ask Yamato what he should do when he spotted it. The signature curly, light brown hair of fashion model Megumi Kitagawa.

Kai smiled as the girl walked towards him with a not so pleasant look on her face. Given her expression, he could only guess what the delay could have been. Despite how she was feeling, Megumi attempted to at least be hospitable today. "Hello, Takemura. I hope you haven't been waiting too long," she said.

"Not extremely, but I was getting a little worried," he replied.

Megumi blushed and turned away quickly. "W-why would you be worried about me. We're just going shopping as friends. This isn't a date."

"I was worried because I care about all of my friends and their wellbeing. Not just certain ones," he replied.

Megumi blushed even more. "W-well, if you must know, it was because Momo-chan refused to come with me and she made me miss my train. There. Are you satisfied?"

Kai chuckled. It was as he predicted. Although her outfit made it seem like it was a little more than that. But he brushed it aside for the moment. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Anyways, let's get going."

The two of them walked through the mall together, browsing at the various shops and vendors. Kai wanted to use this as an opportunity to learn more about Megumi as a person. "So," he asked, "I'm curious to know what the fashion model Megumi Kitagawa does when she goes shopping."

Megumi was a little surprised that someone else, especially someone like Kai, would be interested in the things she would shop for. It actually made her feel a little proud inside. "Well, I sometimes get outfits from the studio as a thank you from the companies that manufacture the products I model. But I don't always like them and a few end up being sold online once they're released. But I'll show you some of the things I shop for."

The two went to a few clothing stores and browsed around. Megumi eventually picked out a few outfits to try on and decided to ask Kai for his opinion on them. As he inspected the different outfits she tried on, he couldn't help but be impressed with the eye for fashion that Megumi had. Even though she was a model, she had impeccable taste.

After a few outfits, Megumi decided to take a chance of her own. "I think I'd like to see you try some outfits on," she said.

The comment genuinely surprised Kai. "You want me to model for you?" he said partially joking.

"Of course. I don't want you to feel left out."

Kai was literally lost for words at this sudden change in Megumi. But he decided to humor her. And trying on some of the outfits would be fun. But there was one small problem. "Well, the thing is, I'm not really good at picking out clothes. Most of the time I just pick up whatever is available and abides by the dress code at school."

Megumi chuckled slightly, seeing how someone like Kai didn't understand how fashion worked. However, she decided to humor him and help him out. She even pointed out a few fashion guidelines that she had learned throughout her time modeling.

As she helped him pick out a few outfits to try on, Kai happened to glance at the price tag on a shirt that caught his attention. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he saw the price and he stood there stunned for a few seconds.

"What's wrong?" Megumi asked when she noticed him staring off into space.

"You pay ¥12,000 on one piece of clothing?!" he said surprised. Usually, he had never paid more than ¥1,500 for a t-shirt, or any clothing for that matter. After all, his family wasn't exactly rich and he was used to going cheap or second hand when he absolutely needed clothes.

"No, not all the time. But most big brand names like the ones I model for run that high on a regular basis."

Kai stood back as he looked at the shirt he had intended to try on, not sure if he wanted to anymore. As Megumi looked at him it suddenly dawned on her why he was acting strange. Looking back on what she normally saw him wear and what he was wearing now, she realized that he had probably never been shopping on the higher end like she had. Modeling was always a decent paying job for her, but she hadn't really thought about what people who weren't as fortunate were doing.

Looking at the shirt he had, she said, "I think it really suits you. It matches your hair style rather well."

"You think?" he replied, a little surprised.

"Mmhmm. In fact, I'd like you to try it on right now."

Now Kai was really surprised. "N-no, I don't think so. I-I can't even imagine myself wearing something like that. I couldn't afford something like that unless I saved up for several months."

"Oh come on. You'll look really cool in it," she said. "And don't worry about the price. I've tried on some designer clothes that go up to ¥50,000 and I definitely can't afford those."

Kai looked at Megumi and then back at the shirt. He wanted to try it but he wasn't really sure. Was he really worthy enough to try on something so expensive? I do want to get better acquainted with Megumi, he said to himself. And I would like to feel nice for once in my life. I'll try it.

After trying the shirt on, he felt a lot happier and Megumi seemed to like him in it. The word sexy even managed to cross Megumi's mind as he showed off the shirt. But Kai knew he wouldn't be able to get it and put it back along with the other clothes he tried on for her. But as they left the store, Megumi's thoughts were captivated by the situation she had just encountered.

After meeting up with Yamato to get Nagi, the four girls wandered through the mall. Aiko and Asami explained the situation they were having with Mei and finding a present for Yamato. "Since you're his little sister, you know a lot more about Yamato and what he likes," Aiko said. "Do you have any ideas to help her out?"

Nagi was more than happy to help out. "Uh huh. I'll show you a couple places."

With that, they traveled to several stores that Nagi said had things her brother liked. Amongst them was a store that was specifically for teen entertainment. They had the hottest music, movies, anime, manga, video games and more. Aiko and Asami took the time to browse a bit as they saw this store as a place to get some things for their own boyfriends as well.

Meanwhile, Nagi took Mei around the store showing her some of the things that Yamato liked. But even then Mei was a little unsure. "Are you sure he'll like this stuff? I'm not really into some of these things," she said as she looked at an anime that Nagi had pointed out. "Even if I got him one of these, I can't exactly say that I'd enjoy them myself. After all, we are supposed to enjoy things together."

Nagi understood what Mei was saying, but still responded with a "Yep. These are his favorites." She paused for a minute before asking, "What sort of things do you two have in common?"

"Huh?" Mei asked a little confused.

"If you want to be able to spend quality time with Big Brother, why not find something that both of you like? So what are some interests that the two of you have?"

"Well, we like walking home together, and we study together a lot. He had mentioned that we have a similar taste in clothes, but there's not much else I can think of."

"Well, maybe you could try to enjoy some of the things that he likes. After all, you two are a couple. Couples are supposed to enjoy the things that the other enjoys."

Mei paused and thought about what Nagi said. She wasn't wrong. One of the best ways for her to grow further and closer with Yamato was to involve herself in some of his favorite activities. It would show that she cared about him and his interests. She eventually picked one of the anime that Nagi said he'd been waiting for a while to be released. Even though it was about Mechas and Dragons, things that she didn't necessarily care for, she decided to get it for him. Maybe watching it with him would change her mind.

As she prepared to buy it, she happened to glance at the store across the concourse. In the window was something that caught her attention. Suddenly, her eyes brightened up. Without thinking she set the box down and started to walk across to the other store in a drone-like fashion. Nagi saw where Mei was going and quietly followed.

Aiko and Asami also saw Mei leave the store suddenly and started to follow her as well. "Mei-chan," Asami called out. "Where are you going?"

Mei didn't respond immediately. She just stared in the store window at what had caught her eye. "I know what I want to get Yamato."