It's been about a week since I met Aisha. We hadn't done much besides talking or walking together around school, so one might think I didn't know her that well, but in reality, I've learned a few things.
"Aisha, want to do this project together?"
"I'd have to check, six other people asked me the same thing."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, they said they preferred working alone, so they wanted someone without opinions."
"...You're coming with me."
She's highly sought after for group projects. Because she's such a unique person, even the new students get an idea of what she's like, which has made her the go-to person to fill a spot. I'm not too fond of that, so I always try to be the first one to ask her to work with me.
"Aisha, let's go get lunch."
"I brought lunch for both of us today."
"Really?"
"Yeah, my dad used his free time to make it so we could share. He also made some cupcakes."
"Nice."
"By the way, the cupcakes were supposed to be a surprise , just so you know."
"..."
While she's good at keeping other people's secrets, she's terrible at keeping her own. She tends to blurt them out without meaning to. Part of me likes that she doesn't hide anything from me, but on the other hand, I worry she'll accidentally reveal her email password one day.
"Aisha, let's go get some ice cream."
"Got it. The ice cream shop two blocks away?"
"That one's kinda pricey…"
"It's the closest. I can spend up to fifty dollars."
"Huh?"
She's very good at saving money. She told me she has a part-time job, and since she doesn't have any hobbies, she either saves or invests the money with her dad's help (also, for some reason, she always talks about money in dollars). Even though it's tempting, I always try to be the one to pay — mostly because I'm scared she'll start making huge purchases out of ignorance.
"What do you think of that ice cream?"
"It tastes good…"
"You sure? You left the almonds."
"Really?"
While she doesn't have favorite flavors, there are a few foods she clearly dislikes. I've seen he unconsciously set aside almonds, tomatoes, and shrimp. She'll eat anything else without thinking. I've even seen her eat a bit of burnt meat. I'm curious how hard it is for her to hide things she doesn't like, but I haven't tested it yet.
Even though I like what I've learned so far, I feel like I should know more, and school isn't exactly the best place to learn new things.
"And that's why we're here!"
"Did you have to cut the explanation halfway...?"
Since it was Saturday, I invited Aisha to spend the day walking around the city. At first, she was a bit reluctant because she had planned to work, but apparently her dad insisted she accept my invitation, so she had no choice.
We weren't at school, so obviously I wasn't in my uniform. I wore jeans, a plain white t-shirt with long sleeves, and a purse I'd borrowed from my aunt. Aisha, on the other hand, was wearing blue overalls with a black shirt and a floral preschool backpack.
"What's that about?"
"I don't have much clothing. I remembered my dad gave me these overalls, so I wore them with an old shirt that still fit…"
"You know that's not what I meant…"
"Hmm? Oh, I don't have another bag besides my school one, so I brought the backpack I used when I was six."
"Somehow, you're still the one drawing the most attention…"
Ignoring... that, I had a few ideas of where to go, so I started walking with Aisha trailing behind me.
"Where are we going…?"
"Well, first of all, we're going to a clothing store."
"Are you running out of clothes?"
"I think the reason is pretty obvious."
We walked for about eight minutes before I realized I didn't actually know the city that well. I had explored way less than I thought.
"Umm…"
"Need help?"
"Nope, I invited you, so I'll guide us."
"Okay…"
My lack of knowledge about the city was finally catching up to me, but I couldn't let it ruin our day. I started thinking of a way to find at least one simple store. Luckily, I knew a place where we could find multiple stores without getting lost.
"Is there a mall nearby?"
"Yeah."
"Knew it. Just wanted to confirm."
A mall was perfect. So many stores all in one place! You can't get lost in there. With a little help from Aisha pulling me in the right direction when I messed up, we made it without issue.
"Easy-peasy!"
"I'll pretend you're right…"
"Thanks…"
"I haven't been here in a while."
"You've been here before?"
"A couple of times. Though I was just a tagalong, so I didn't try to remember anything."
"At least say you were bored..."
Since I couldn't decide on a store, I headed to the nearest clothing one, since that had been our first idea. It was a large store full of all kinds of clothes — the perfect place to get something for Aisha.
"Alright, let's see what would look good on you?"
"Hmm?"
"...Let's start light."
I quickly gathered a bit of everything until my arms were full. Seeing this, Aisha helped carry it all to the fitting rooms.
"Found some interesting stuff."
"This is starting light?"
Despite her comment, Aisha took the top item from the mountain of clothes — a brown coat with little teddy bears instead of pockets.
"Are those supposed to be pockets…?"
"Better than pockets!"
"I think there's less space than in a normal coat…"
Since it didn't require a changing room, Aisha just put it on over her overalls. It looked good on her, and judging by how she tilted her head onto her shoulder, it was also pretty comfy.
"Well?"
"Not bad… Though it's kind of warm…"
"Yeah, that's the kind of thing you'd wear in winter."
The next outfit required the fitting room, so I waited a couple of minutes until Aisha came out wearing loose pants and a sleeveless athletic shirt. That would've been the standout thing… if not for her arms, which weren't super muscular but were clearly well-trained.
"Wow."
"Does it look weird?"
"I really need to ask you about your workout routine someday."
I waited again to see what was next. This time, she wore a pink skirt that didn't reach her knees and a simple white top that matched well. Even so, I couldn't help but look at her oddly.
"Hmm…"
"Something wrong?"
"I feel like something's off…"
Even after trying six more outfits, I felt the same. She didn't look bad, actually, she was really pretty, and it was fun seeing her wear what I picked. But something about the clothes just felt off.
"It's kind of hard to imagine you in cute outfits…"
"Sorry to disappoint."
"Don't apologize, just… do you have any idea what might suit you?"
"Hmm… actually, yes. Give me a minute."
"Get dressed before leaving the fitting room!"
Avoiding disaster, Aisha left for exactly a minute. From what I saw, she'd gone to the men's section. When she returned, I didn't ask anything and just waited. When she came out, she wasn't wearing the usual girly outfits. Instead, she had on a sleek black suit with a white shirt and a black tie.
"..."
"Lusia?"
"Ah, sorry… I was processing what I was seeing."
I didn't get it, but the suit looked too good on her! Even though she wasn't very tall, her expression, hairstyle, and everything else made her look amazing. Objectively speaking, she was beautiful.
"So… where did the idea come from?"
"It's what my dad usually wears. I figured, since we share genes, it might suit me too."
"I think I understand the logic."
"If it looks good, I might buy it."
"How much is it?"
"Two hundred dollars."
"...Did you do the dollar conversion in your head?"
"I think I can afford it…"
"Let's check out some other options first! At least we've got a better idea now."
Not wanting her to spend that much so easily, I handed her some clothes from the men's section. Everything looked good on her, but the elegant look was by far the best. So in the end, we found another suit for just fifty dollars (as if that were cheap)… Now that I think about it, maybe we should've bought more casual clothes too.
Anyway, after buying the suit, I was getting hungry, so I prepared for the next phase of our outing: food.
"(I need to find a place with lots of options, that way I might find something Aisha likes. It shouldn't be hard, we're in a mall.)"
"Where are we going now?"
"To get some food."
"Good idea, it's almost lunchtime."
"I think the food court's on the third floor."
"I'm following you."
At first, I thought we'd take the escalator, but the regular stairs were closer, so we used those. Getting to the second floor was easy, I even felt like it was easier to move. The trouble started on the stairs to the third floor.
"Maybe you like burgers… or fries. If you're feeling rebellious, we could even have ice cream for lunch. It's on me, so pick anything—"
" "
"You're awfully quiet…"
When I turned around, the worst had happened, Aisha wasn't behind me. Since climbing had started to feel easier after reaching the second floor, I went back down and began searching. If it had been anyone else, I would've stayed calm, but I couldn't leave someone like Aisha alone! She'd probably buy eighty hair clips just because a vendor offered them!
"Right, the phone."
Hoping to find her, I pulled out my phone and called her, but there was no answer. Whatever she was doing, she couldn't pick up.
"I should've put a harness on her… or a leash…"
I searched the entire place in a panic but couldn't find her anywhere. The stress of losing someone like her made me start scratching my hand, but the pain was the least of my worries.
"If I shout her name, I'll attract too much attention…"
Even though I didn't want to look weird yelling her name, I started to consider it — but thankfully, I didn't have to.
"..."
"!"
I froze when I saw Aisha's unmistakable preschool backpack inside a store. Without thinking, I walked up and grabbed her from behind like a cat.
"There you are!"
"..."
"How could you just wander off like that?! At least let me know!"
"..."
"I know you probably would've preferred to work today, but if you hate shopping this much, just tell me."
"...It smells good."
"Huh?"
Confused, I looked around. Now that I noticed, we were in a cosmetics store, and in front of Aisha were some nail polishes.
"Were you drawn by the smell of the polish?"
"I don't know what this smell is… but it feels nice."
"You've never smelled nail polish before?"
"Not a freshly opened one."
"...Looks like they have a few fans running. No wonder you caught the scent. Still, what a sensitive nose."
"..."
"...Want some?"
"Are you sure?"
"It's not expensive. I can buy you a few colors."
"I don't have a favorite color… and I don't even know how to paint my nails."
"I'll help. I know how to do it well. Don't worry about picking a color, I'll get you a few."
"It's not a bother?"
"Not at all. I like seeing you interested in something."
We ended up leaving the store with about six different colors. Even though Aisha's expression hadn't changed, something in her eyes as she looked at the bag made me think she was happy… whatever her idea of "happy" is.
"..."
"Want to open them?"
"I'd rather wait until we use them. I don't want them to dry out…"
"I don't think they will, but okay."
Finding something Aisha was genuinely interested in, even if just a little, left me feeling really satisfied. But it also left me with a question.
"Aisha."
"Yes?"
"I just wanted to ask, why did you wander off?"
"Because of the smell."
"I know that, but… you're usually so obedient. It felt odd that you left without telling me."
"Really? Well… I didn't think about it. I guess I just felt it."
"Felt what?"
"I smelled the polish and thought you wouldn't mind if I left for a bit."
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
I didn't fully understand what she was thinking, but one thing was clear, Aisha trusted me. The way she showed it was odd, but she did trust me.
"Alright, let's go eat."
"As you wish. What are we doing after that?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
We'd run into a few hiccups, but I was having a great time. And Aisha looked a little satisfied, too. I was curious to see what else we'd discover, so we kept walking.