Looking at the red dress his sister wore, Christian couldn't help but notice the different feelings it invoked. As aside from when she was with him, where her intelligence seemed to lower at times, Annabelle always appeared calm, mature, confident, and undeniably beautiful.
But the tame beauty she usually exuded was now gone, replaced by a sense of wildness, passion, flirtation, and sensuality. Especially with the smile she gave and the small black mole under her left eye, she looked truly seductive.
In the end, the evaluation he gave her in his mind was that it was undoubtedly a beautiful dress, just in a different way than usual. As especially for someone like his sister, who had a very nice figure and could look stunning in anything she wore, this dress appeared even more beautiful on her.
So, while it was undoubtedly a beautiful dress, Christian still deliberated whether he should go against his conscience and say that it was actually bad.
In the end, with a troubled feeling and taking the middle ground, he finally said.
"Oh, if you think so, then I'll buy it."
Hearing what his sister said right after he finished, along with how she put the blame on him, Christian instantly wanted to take back his words and say something else. But without giving him a chance, Annabelle immediately closed the door of the dressing room.
This left Christian frozen in place.
Now walking together with his sister after they left the store, without buying the dress in the end, and with her revealing that it was just to tease him.
Christian felt mentally and physically tired, and as he glanced at the time, he realized it was already evening. So, looking at his sister beside him, he prepared to plead with her that it was enough for today.
But Annabelle, sensing that it might be enough for today, spoke up first.
"Okay, that's enough for buying clothes."
Looking at his sister, Christian felt as if some light was emanating from her, making her glow as if she were something holy. He felt a sense of relief, but when he focused again on what she had said and noticed how she used the word "clothes" instead of something else, he turned his head toward her once more, a bad feeling stirring inside him.
It was actually, really as Christian had thought; despite buying clothes, Annabelle still had the idea of picking up some accessories, especially a classic wristwatch for her brother.
After purchasing all these items, it wouldn't feel complete without at least getting him a watch, after all.
So they went to another store and luckily found what they were looking for from the first one. However, after Christian finished choosing what he wanted with his sister's help and was ready to pay, he was shocked and dismayed to discover that he didn't have any money left in his bank account, something he hadn't noticed when it happened.
So, with an incredulous and bewildered feeling at how this had happened despite all the money he thought he had, and feeling ashamed of the situation, he turned to his sister beside him. He had always refused to let her pay, more than once when she offered, and now, facing this predicament, he felt that nothing could be more humiliating for him.
Annabelle, looking at her brother's embarrassed and awkward expression as he glanced at her, felt a pang of guilt, as she recognized that she was at fault here. If she hadn't insisted on buying so many expensive things for either of them, this wouldn't have happened after all.
But as she started buying things, she got carried away in the end. So, without waiting for him to say anything, she took out her bank card and paid, hoping to ease her feelings of guilt.
Coming out of the store, Christian had a vacant look on his face as he remembered having more than eighty thousand in his bank account. Even if they had spent nearly fifty thousand on the car, there should have been thirty thousand remaining. Had they actually spent all of it now?
While Christian was still struggling to come to terms with the reality, Annabelle, who had initially thought they'd do a bit more shopping, finally decided to change her mind and be content with what they had already bought. Glancing at her brother and sensing his current mood, she wanted to brighten the atmosphere and lift his spirits. So, she said.
"We should go eat something, then return home."
Christian, still finding the situation hard to believe, suddenly heard his sister's voice. So, without arguing, he simply nodded in response, and this time, he ate a lot of food. Afterward, they finally returned home with a new car and numerous bags filled with everything they had bought.
Now lying on his bed after chatting with his sister for a while, Christian stared at the ceiling before glancing at his phone screen, which displayed his nearly empty bank account. He had finally arrived at the bitter truth: money was easy to spend. All you had to do was leave the house, and it disappeared faster than anything else.
He realized now that he had been like a frog in a well, unaware of the vast world outside.
Aside from the money issue, which he could resolve easily, after all, he still had plenty in his trading account and could transfer more to his bank account after the weekend, there was something else that stood out to him today. Something more important than the empty balance or the spending spree.
He had always known that he wasn't particularly sociable and lacked confidence in his social skills. But today, he realized it wasn't as bad as he had thought, which gave him some relief.
The issue wasn't that he was incapable of interacting with others; rather, he simply wasn't used to dealing with abnormal women, especially those who were assertive or displayed peculiar behaviors when approaching him.
Today, he had interacted with both male and female staff, but if asked who made him the most uncomfortable, he would immediately respond that it was the hairstylist who cut his hair, followed closely by his sister.
The first one, because of her intense gaze and the strange atmosphere she gave off, which he wasn't used to. And then his sister, who seemed to be changing, or rather, becoming less inhibited than before, which was also giving him a hard time.
He recalled receiving a few flirtatious glances from some of the women on staff, but surprisingly, he wasn't flustered at all. Instead, he even managed to smile back confidently.
So, if he considered the hairstylist to be a unique case, then what about his sister? What was the solution to that? Just earlier, he had said he wouldn't care about whatever she wore or did.
But it seemed like his sister had some kind of radar; as soon as he lowered his guard, she became even more clingy. So, what should he do?
Should he talk to her about stopping her antics (like her hugs), or should he just go along with her all the way?
Christian had somewhat of complex emotions regarding this subject, as while he didn't want to admit it, he actually liked those hugs; however, he also disliked his passive situation.
After thinking a little more, and realizing he still hadn't found a solution, he decided that he should at least improve the situation, remedy it a bit.
And the best approach, he thought of, was to thicken his skin and improvise as needed.
With a bitter and complex feeling, the day came to an end, and he finally fell asleep.
Four days passed, and Christian found himself busier than ever. The time he had hoped to use for rest, followed by attempting to see Eva, ended up slipping away without even a chance to try, leaving him feeling even more strained.
The day after going shopping and buying a car, Christian made his mind to get a driver's license. He felt optimistic, thinking the material he needed to study wouldn't be extensive, and with his current comprehension skills, it would be quite easy.
And he actually wasn't wrong; it was indeed easy for him to study and remember the material for the written exam. However, the problem arose afterward. While the studying was straightforward, it still required some time, and he also needed to learn how to drive.
Learning to drive was also easy for him, given his current attributes. However, unlike the written exam, which he had crammed the information of in less than two days, building experience behind the wheel would take more time.
He also couldn't use public roads for practice since it was the weekend, and he needed to obtain a learner's permit first. While getting it added another layer of hassle to the process, it was still not the end; he had more steps to complete before after all.
These included the medical exam, the written exam, and various procedural tasks he had completed yesterday, all of which consumed a significant amount of his time, ultimately resulting in him obtaining the learner's permit.