Chapter 267: Chapter 267: A Honeytrap in a Cream-Colored Dress

Carmen clapped her hands. "Excellent! Now that Satori has given his expert opinions, let’s make some decisions! Emi, red dress. Final answer. Soomin, pink. Skylar, black. Natalia, you’re wearing the black cocktail dress whether you like it or not."

"I already decided on the black one," Natalia said.

"Great! Then we’re in agreement!" Carmen’s grin was victorious. "Hikari, put down the expensive combat dress. Akari, you’re obviously getting the cream one because you’ve been wearing it for twenty minutes. Isabelle, the green. It’s regal and you know it."

Isabelle inclined her head. "The green is acceptable."

"Perfect!" Carmen turned to Juan. "And you! Stop hiding in the corner! Did you and Satori get proper outfits?"

Juan looked up from his datapad with the expression of a man who’d been hoping everyone would forget he existed. "...Yes?"

"Show me!"

Juan reluctantly held up his shopping bag from Kingsley’s. Carmen peered inside. Her expression shifted from skeptical to pleasantly surprised.

"Oh. That’s actually good. Well done, boys. You didn’t embarrass me." She looked at her watch. "Alright! Reservation is at eight! It’s now six forty-five! Everyone who needs to change, changing rooms are that way! Move it!"

The girls scattered. Disappeared into various changing rooms with their chosen dresses. I heard rustling fabric. Muffled conversations. Soomin’s nervous voice asking Emi if the dress looked okay. Emi’s enthusiastic reassurance.

Juan appeared at my side. "I hate everything about this situation."

"You’re doing great, buddy."

"I’m tolerating existence. That’s different from doing great."

"Potato, potato."

"That phrase doesn’t work when you say it out loud."

"Disagree."

He sighed. Pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why are we here? What cosmic force decided that I needed to spend my evening watching women debate fabric choices?"

"Carmen."

"Carmen isn’t a cosmic force. She’s a natural disaster."

"Fair point."

Natalia emerged first. The black dress fit her perfectly. Hugged her curves in a way that was elegant rather than provocative. The hem hit just above her knees. The neckline was low enough to be interesting without being scandalous. Her purple eyes stood out against the dark fabric.

She looked good. Really good.

"Well?" she said, stopping in front of me. "Does it pass your expert inspection?"

I met her eyes. "Yeah. You look great."

Her expression softened slightly. "Thank you." She glanced at where Akari was still in her changing room. "And thank you for earlier. Defusing that situation."

"No problem."

"She was deliberately trying to provoke me."

"I noticed."

"It’s annoying."

"That’s kind of her thing."

Natalia’s lips pressed into a thin line. "I don’t like her."

"Shocking revelation."

"I’m serious. She’s manipulative. Everything she does is calculated to get a reaction."

I shrugged. "So? You’re manipulative too. Everyone is. She’s just more obvious about it."

Natalia opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "That’s not the same thing."

"Isn’t it?"

"No. I manipulate situations for practical reasons. She does it for entertainment."

"And you’ve never enjoyed outsmarting someone?"

She was quiet for a moment. "That’s different."

"If you say so."

Emi emerged next. The red dress looked even better on her than I’d imagined. The cutouts showed skin in strategic places. Her curves were on full display. The color made her blue hair pop. She looked confident. Sexy. A far cry from her usual cute-and-innocent vibe.

"How do I look?" she asked nervously. Her hands fidgeted with the hem.

"Like you’re about to break some hearts," I said.

Her face turned scarlet. "S-Satori!"

"What? I’m being honest."

"You can’t just say things like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because!" She covered her face with her hands. "You’re so embarrassing!"

Skylar emerged next. The black dress fit her like a second skin. The slit up her leg showed off her toned thigh. The neckline was low enough to draw attention without being over the top. Her pink and indigo hair was down. Framed her face in a way that made her look softer than usual.

"Not a word," she warned as she approached.

"Wasn’t going to say anything."

"Good."

"You look nice though."

"I said not a word."

"That was two words. Technical difference."

She elbowed me in the ribs. Not hard. Just enough to make her point.

Soomin peeked out from her changing room. She looked like she was about to face a firing squad. Emi immediately went to her side. Grabbed her hand. Gently pulled her out.

The pale pink dress was perfect for her. Modest. Elegant. The color complemented her hair and eyes beautifully. She looked like a fairy tale princess. Delicate but not fragile.

"You look lovely," I said.

Soomin made a noise that might have been "thank you" and tried to hide behind Emi.

Isabelle emerged looking regal as ever. The forest-green dress accentuated her height and bearing. She looked like royalty. The kind of person you’d instinctively want to bow to.

Hikari bounced out in her orange dress. She’d somehow convinced Carmen to let her get something similar to the combat dress. This one was cheaper. Less armored. But still distinctly Hikari.

And then Akari emerged.

The cream dress somehow looked even better now that she’d styled her hair up. Loose strands framed her face. Her makeup was subtle but effective. She looked like a model. Or a honeytrap. Possibly both.

She caught me looking and smiled. That predatory smile that said she knew exactly what effect she had.

"Well?" she said, doing a slow turn. "Final verdict?"

"You already know what you look like," I said. "Why do you need my opinion?"

"Because it’s fun to make you uncomfortable."

"I’m not uncomfortable."

"Liar." She moved closer. Invaded my personal space again. "You’re trying so hard to be professional. It’s adorable."

"I’m always professional."

"Sure you are." She leaned in. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "That’s why your eyes keep flickering down. Very professional."

My jaw tightened. "You done?"

"For now." She stepped back. Still smiling. "But we should talk sometime. About strategy. Team dynamics. All those boring professional things you care about."

"Right."

"I’m serious. You’re more interesting than I thought. And I like interesting things."