Emily glanced up and replied flatly, "I prefer meeting somewhere with air conditioning."
Emily was different from Lily. She didn't go for the cute and bubbly look. Though she was shorter than me, she was slightly above average height for a girl.
Having been part of sports clubs since middle school, her skin wasn't pale, but it also wasn't particularly tanned, just naturally toned.
Her sharp eyes and slightly upturned gaze often gave people the impression that she was intimidating.
I'd brought it up to her once, but she said it was because she got nervous easily. Honestly, I didn't understand her reasoning at all.
Since it was still early, we decided to grab breakfast first it was Emily's suggestion.
I had already eaten before meeting up with her, but I didn't mention it. I figured there was no harm in keeping her company while she ate.
After all, this was her idea, and I didn't mind tagging along. So, I let her pick the place.
After a few stops on the metro and about ten minutes of walking under the bright morning sun, we arrived at her chosen spot, a quaint Western-style breakfast café.
The place was surprisingly empty when we stepped inside, giving it a calm, almost private atmosphere.
Emily looked comfortable today, dressed in a loose gray top and light blue shorts that showed off her long, slender legs.
Her casual style gave her an approachable charm, but her legs, smooth and toned, naturally drew attention from the occasional passerby.
As the guy accompanying her, I tried to focus on her face instead. I couldn't help but notice how her eyes lingered on the clothing stores we passed earlier, spending just a little too long looking at the displays.
When we sat down and started eating, I decided to bring it up casually.
"There are a lot of seasonal sales going on right now. After we pick up those reference books, do you want to check out some clothes?"
She took a small bite of her burger before replying, "I guess we could, but I don't really need anything."
Her answer caught me off guard. Did I misread her earlier glances?
I shrugged and went with the flow. "I thought girls always needed just one more outfit. My sister and mother are always talking about needing new clothes, skirts, dresses, you name it. Looks like I made a mistake using them as a standard."
Emily glanced at me, then shifted her gaze back to her plate, her fingers idly peeling at the wrapper around her burger.
"To be fair," she said, "you're not completely wrong. But… I'm pretty flat, so I don't have as many options. Most of the stuff doesn't suit me anyway. It's easier to skip shopping altogether."
"Flat?" The word slipped out before I could stop myself. It took a second before her meaning clicked.
Emily patted her chest lightly and let out a small sigh, confirming my realization.
Oh. She was talking about her bust.
I hadn't paid much attention to that before. She usually wore loose, casual clothes that didn't emphasize her figure, but now that I thought about it, her chest wasn't particularly prominent.
It explained why most people, myself included, tended to focus on her legs instead.
"Well," I said, scratching the back of my neck, "that's probably not something I'd normally notice as a guy."
I thought that would be the end of it. It seemed like a safe place to change the subject, and honestly, I didn't think she'd want to dwell on the topic either.
But then, I remembered the strange thought I had the night before.
What if I pushed the conversation further? Said something outlandish or offensive? Would it prove my theory wrong, that the things I said could influence reality?
We were close enough that even if she got upset, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Worst case, I'd just apologize later.
So, I decided to take the risk and asked, "Do girls' breasts stop growing after or in high school?"
Emily froze mid-bite, her expression instantly changing to one of disgust.
"What kind of question is that?" she snapped. "They probably keep growing, unlike height, which pretty much stops. Breasts should still grow."
Her glare made it clear I'd crossed a line. My little experiment had failed, asking questions wasn't enough to test my theory.
So, I escalated.
"Tell me, are you wearing a bra right now?"
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted it. I couldn't believe I'd just asked something so absurd. But if I didn't push this far, there wouldn't be any results.
Emily didn't even flinch.
"Of course I am." Her tone was calm, cool, even, but that was just how she usually spoke. No anger. No embarrassment.
I sat there, surprised by how casually she answered. It wasn't the reaction I expected.
By now, more customers had started trickling into the café, filling up the once-empty space. With people around, I figured it was best to end the experiment and leave things as they were.
Even so, I couldn't help but feel unsettled. The test had yielded clear answers, and that lingering doubt, the feeling that something was off, refused to go away.
After breakfast, we headed to the bookstore to pick out some reference books.
These days, a lot of people just buy books online, but when it comes to reference materials, it's better to see them in person.
Online previews are often too brief, and I've been burned before, buying something useless because I couldn't check it properly beforehand.
It took less than twenty minutes for us to find what we needed. I even grabbed a book for myself while we were there.
After leaving the bookstore, we made our way toward one of Emily's favorite clothing stores.
I'll admit, I don't know much about fashion. My taste is average at best, so when Emily started browsing the racks, I wisely kept my mouth shut.
The last thing I wanted was to influence her choices with my lack of expertise.