I was Reincarnated as the Scum Older Brother of the Protagonist in a Romance Battle Game, But I don't want to Die, so I'll do my Best - Episode 14

The large shopping mall in front of the station, Mion Mall, is a nationwide commercial facility that also existed in the world I used to live in.

Since the Mion Group was a sponsor of the major game developer behind it, this mall frequently appeared in games produced by that company.

In fact, in this game, Mion Mall is a location visited multiple times for events and missions, so being able to step inside it in reality is genuinely moving.

“Hm? Shouji, is this your first time coming to Mion?”

“Eh? Ah, y-yeah, that’s right. Surprising, huh? Ahaha…”

Apparently, I’d been looking around the mall like some wide-eyed country bumpkin… Well, the finer details of the mall’s interior weren’t really covered in the game, so it’s probably better to act like I don’t know the place.

“Mm, got it. Leave it to me.”

Mashiro, using her free hand (the one not holding mine), pointed ahead and energetically began guiding me through the mall.

“Here. We’ll buy your top and bottom.”

The store she led me to was a trendy outdoor specialty shop selling camping gear. Dragged inside by Mashiro, I saw not only tents and sleeping bags but also firepit tools, barbecue grills, and even portable toilets on display.

“Huh, they’ve got stuff like this too…”

“Clothes are over here.”

I was taken to the back corner of the store, where outdoor apparel was displayed.

“I always thought this kind of stuff was purely functional, but it’s actually pretty stylish.”

“This place focuses on casual wear too… Oh, this one looks good.”

Saying that, Mashiro picked up a pair of jeans and held them up toward me, comparing them multiple times. After narrowing it down to two colors, she handed both to me.

“Mm, Shouji, try these on.”

Following her instructions, I entered the fitting room and put on the first pair. I opened the curtain to show Mashiro.

She said nothing, resting her chin on her hand with a serious expression before giving a small nod. I closed the curtain again, changed into the second pair, and reopened it.

“Mmm, the brown one looks better than the navy. Let’s go with this one.”

After taking off the jeans and neatly folding them, I stepped out of the fitting room—only to find Mashiro missing. As I looked around the store, the curtain of the neighboring fitting room slid open.

“Shouji, how do I look?”

Peeking out from the curtain was Mashiro, wearing what appeared to be a matching pair of jeans.

“I can’t really tell from just the back…”

Hearing that, Mashiro made an “Ah, got it!” face and beckoned me over. Obliging, I walked toward her fitting room—

When suddenly, she yanked me inside!

“Wha—?! H-hey, Mashiro, what the—?! W-w-whaaa—?!”

Mashiro was wearing the jeans… but nothing else on top except her underwear!

“H-hey! What the hell are you—?!”

“Hm? You said you couldn’t tell from the front, so… C’mon, hurry up. How do I look?”

She was covering her chest with her hands, but Mashiro’s overwhelmingly large br3asts were impossible to hide completely.

“I-I get it! Y-you look great, okay?! Y-you look amazing!!”

I squeezed my eyes shut and scrambled out of the fitting room in a panic.

A short while later, Mashiro emerged, fully dressed.

“Shouji… Saying I look good with your eyes closed isn’t very convincing.”

She glared at me… but then sighed and immediately broke into a smile.

“Well, I was planning to match with you from the start anyway, so… this is fine.”

After that, we picked out inner shirts together and chose matching survival jackets.

“That should do it for clothes. Next… shoes and a backpack.”

“Shoes are important. Trekking shoes, right?”

“Mm, yeah.”

Mashiro led me to the trekking shoe section of a footwear store.

“Shouji, these Hawkins shoes have thick soles. They’re really good.”

The shoes she picked were from a well-known trekking shoe brand. No complaints there.

“Nice. Let’s go with these.”

“Mm. Let’s go pay.”

After buying the shoes, we headed toward the backpack specialty store on the top floor.

Grrrrrrrrr~

A cute, protesting sound came from beside me.

“…Shouji… I’m hungry.”

“Figured. Pffft.”

“Don’t laugh.”

“Heh heh… Sorry, sorry. That was just an adorable stomach growl.”

“…As punishment, you’re buying me a hamburger and melon soda.”

“OK, OK. That’s an easy request.”

With Mashiro in tow, we stopped by the mall’s food court and joined the long line.

“Busy here.”

“Mmmf… Ooooh, mmmf… Mmm—?!”

Next to me, Mashiro was stuffing her face with a handful of breath-freshening tablets I’d brought—chewing furiously, tears welling up from the overpowering mint.

Finally, it was our turn. I ordered a double cheeseburger combo with fries and coffee, while Mashiro got a big burger, salad, and melon soda.

Carrying our trays, we searched for an open seat.

“Over there’s free.”

An outdoor terrace table was available, so we sat across from each other.

……

Mashiro must’ve been really hungry, because she started eating my fries too, munching away.

“Hey, hey, I already said you could have some. No one’s taking them from you, so slow down.”

“…Mmmf… Shouji can have my salad.”

Saying that, she pushed the vegetable stick container toward me—now empty except for the celery.

“…You just hate celery, don’t you?”

As I enjoyed lunch with Mashiro, the inevitable cliché unfolded.

“Whoaaa, check out the cutie over here!!”

“Damn! She’s totally my type!”

A group of third-rate mob characters, walking past our table, stopped dead in their tracks—staring intently at Mashiro’s chest as she desperately stuffed fries into her mouth.

(Sigh… Of course it’d play out like this…)