"Here we are, senpai!" Minako squealed, barely able to contain her excitement.
Mitsuru opened her eyes and was utterly baffled by what she saw. The outfits lining the walls of the shop were a variety of different styles. However, these were not the normal outfits Mitsuru was expecting, instead there were outlandish items including various outfits too complicated for use in everyday life, shirts, masks, and spandex leotards emblazoned with symbols Mitsuru did not comprehend, and something quite provocative along that back wall that she was unable to tell whether it was supposed to be just scanty clothing, some new type of swimsuit, or seductive lingerie. "Arisato, what is this place?" Mitsuru asked, overwhelmed by her surroundings.
"Surprise!" Minako beamed. "It's costume party time!"
"Costume... party?" Mitsuru responded, puzzled. "Please, explain yourself. I am afraid I do not follow."
"Well, as you know, summer is almost over," Minako began. "And everyone's feeling really bummed out that classes are gonna get serious again, and with having to fight Shadows on top of that, they're all completely stressed out. So, instead of just sitting around, I thought we should send this month out in style and throw ourselves a party we would never forget."
"I see..." Mitsuru replied. Truth be told, she was starting to feel the pressure of the impending workload she had to take care of as well. "But what is the purpose of these costumes?"
"It's part of the fun. You know... like playing dress-up back when you were a little kid?"
"I... can't say I ever have," Mitsuru said, glancing aside. "I always felt perfectly comfortable in my normal attire. I wouldn't even know where to begin."
"Oh, it's your first time then?" Minako gasped.
Mitsuru nodded, feeling somewhat awkward.
"Well then, don't worry about a thing," Minako said reassuringly as she directed Mitsuru to a fitting room. "I'll pick out something that I'm sure you'll love."
"Are you sure you don't need my assistance?" Mitsuru asked.
"Oh, don't worry. I know your sizes from the earlier shopping. Everything will fit just fine."
Left alone in the small chamber, Mitsuru began to strip down to her undergarments as she waited for Minako to return. She still had her doubts about this idea, especially as it was clear that this was Minako's goal from the outset, but decided to at least humor her and try on what she brought. Besides, she enjoyed everything else so far.
"I'm back," Minako called, knocking on the door. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Mitsuru replied. "Let us begin."
"Okay, first is this lovely number," Minako said, handing Mitsuru an outfit under the door.
Mitsuru took the hanger and saw that it held a red dress with a thick white fur trim along the hem and neck lines, accompanied with a similarly colored cap and gloves.
"Um, Arisato? Christmas isn't for another 5 to 6 months," Mitsuru stated dryly.
"But it matches your hair perfectly!" Minako piped up eagerly. "And there's plenty of people that celebrate Christmas in July, at least according to the advertisement."
"But, the temporal inaccuracies-" Mitsuru started.
"Oh, come on... could you please just wear it?" Minako whined.
At Minako's insistence, Mitsuru found herself putting on the dress. It was a snug fit, so much that she had to remove her bra to get it to fit right. Even then, a lot of skin was showing, with the bust line resting just above her breasts and the skirt covering only slightly below her waist along her thighs. She was a bit uncomfortable at the degree of exposure, but she had to admit that the red did indeed match her hair. And she had always enjoyed Christmas as well, feeling some of the holiday spirit as she gazed at her reflection.
Opening the door, Mitsuru then presented herself to Minako.
"Whew!" Minako whistled. "Looks like someone's ready to get down and party like they mean it."
"Well, it is a bit daring," said Mitsuru. "But I suppose a bit of daring is perfect for the night you have planned for us, is that right?"
"You bet," she grinned. "But if you think that's great, just wait until you see what I have next," Minako giggled, presenting item #2.
Mitsuru's jaw dropped to the floor. She recognized this second outfit to be that filthy attire from the back walls. In her hands, she could now see that it was nothing more than a black and gold metal-plated bikini connected with some kind of latex straps. "What the hell is this!?" she gasped.
"That's a little piece called "High-Cut Armor," Minako replied, her smile ever-bright and cheerful. "It's the perfect mix of beauty and functionality, with actual metal making for surprisingly effective protection during battle!"
"Battle?" Mitsuru questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, um, a-according to the advertisement, of course..." Minako said, flustered.
"Arisato," Mitsuru began. "The holiday dress is one thing, but this? I have standards to maintain! How will the others respond if they see me like this?"
"But it'll be just between us friends and besides, it covers a bit more than a swimsuit," Minako pleaded. "Just try it on at least, for me? If you absolutely hate it, there's always other options..."
Mitsuru looked at Minako's begging face and sighed. "Very well, then," she took the outfit and closed the door.
Mitsuru removed the dress and set about putting on the glorified underwear. With disgust, she found that she could not pull it on over her own panties, forcing her to go commando just to fit it onto her body. The coverage the outfit provided was minimal, unable to fully cover her cleavage above and buttcheeks below, though, just like a swimsuit, it was enough to cover everything important.
To Mitsuru's surprise the outfit came with its own set of gloves, boots, choker and headband. Even with the extra equipment added on her person, it all felt very light and didn't restrict her movements in the slightest. Minako may have been right in her assertion, she almost felt as though she could do battle in this. However, she did take note that covering her limbs only seemed to increase attention towards her exposed midriff, shoulders, hips, and thighs. That discovery made her want to get rid of it right then and there, but she had to be fair to Minako and give her a chance to see the results.
"Alright, you may come in," Mitsuru called out, unlocking the door.
"Wowza!" Minako gasped as she laid her eyes on the scantily-clad redhead, completely awestruck. "I knew you could pull off sexy, but seeing it in action..." she drew off.
"Have you had enough?" Mitsuru grumbled, face fully red.
"Ah! Sorry!" Minako squaked. "I mean, it's not that you're mostly naked," she stopped, seeing Mitsuru's glare. "Well, it kinda is, but it's more the presence you're giving off as a result. This ensemble just screams 'overwhelming sexy power!'"
Upon hearing this, Mitsuru gave herself another look in the mirror. She didn't know much about sexy, but she admitted that she was starting to feel a need to crush something under the metal boot she now wore. A definite display of power; perhaps Minako was onto something after all...
"Anyways, I just have one more for you to try on," Minako rushed back out to grab the last costume. "I know how you felt about the last two, so I got you something a bit more conservative this time. Hope you like it!"
Taking the outfit from the excited girl, Mitsuru moved her out of the room and shut the door once more and eagerly removed the scandalous outfit. Examining the final choice, Mitsuru could tell that Minako wasn't kidding about conservative; this was downright homely. With a thick blouse, knee-length skirt, stockings, apron, and headdress, Mitsuru recognized it to be a Maid Uniform. She put it on without difficulties and examined herself in the mirror, unsure of what to make of her appearance. This was the most decent outfit of the three, yet something felt off. Perhaps she just needed a second opinion, like she did with the "armor."
She opened the door and showed herself to Minako one more time. "Aww!" Minako squealed as soon as she saw Mitsuru. "You look absolutely adorable, Mitsuru-senpai!"
"Adorable?" Mitsuru repeated. "That's a new reaction."
"I guess that's just how I feel when I see you wearing this costume," Minako shrugged. "You just look so cute and sheltered and give you a hug!"
"Similar to a pet?" Mitsuru ventured. "This is the outfit of a servant, after all."
Minako wasn't able to come up with a real response to that, so Mitsuru went back and changed into her normal clothes. Upon returning, Minako spoke up again, "You looked wonderful in all of these costumes! So, which one are you going to pick?"
"Yes, well..." Mitsuru began. "These are three drastically different outfits, Arisato. Shouldn't I worry more about which would match everyone else's costumes to make a more consistent theme for tonight's party?"
"Oh, don't worry about that, I've been helping everyone get costumes all week for this. Trust me, with all the costumes everyone chose, you could pick any of these three and not feel out of place," Minako said, grinning again, but with a hint of... mischieviousness? Mitsuru thought she spied on the girl's expression. "Just go with the one you feel most comfortable with, Mitsuru-senpai."
Mitsuru beheld the three outfits she had worn. Remembering the subtle differences she felt while wearing them and Minako's reactions to these outfits, it was clear that her choice of attire had a chance of affecting how the party would go for her. After much thought, Mitsuru eventually decided to go with-
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