Chapter 15: After all, you should see the items in person before buying them.

There is a term called the Dunning-Kruger effect.

It is one of the cognitive biases, where the less you know about a specific field, the more you tend to overestimate your ability in that area, and conversely, the more you know, the more you tend to underestimate yourself.

The reason I’m talking about this unnecessary topic is that I am currently experiencing it.

A while ago, I spent hours browsing through online shopping malls and fashion sites with my mother and younger sister.

Thanks to that, I thought that although I wasn’t an expert, I knew enough about women’s clothing.

I was arrogant.

What is that piece of fabric even used for, and what is the purpose of the excessive padding on the shoulders?

I don’t know.

I don’t know anything.

“Look at this.”

“……”

My mother and sister kept trying on various clothes on me, admiring, being moved, and getting happy, over and over again.

It was a delightful exchange of positive emotions over just changing clothes, but unfortunately, the direction of that exchange was very one-sided.

“Your daughter is so beautiful. She looks just like a doll.”

“Hoho, I hear that often.”

I’m hearing this for the first time today.

Leaving behind the strange rumors that even the person involved doesn’t know about, I truly felt like a doll.

Whether it was because of the sales associate’s lip service or because she genuinely felt that way, my mother’s hand didn’t stop.

“Try this on too.”

“This one too.”

“How about this dress? With this length, you should be able to wear it, right?”

It wasn’t just my mother who was relentlessly handing me various clothes.

“Sis! Try this one, try this one too!”

While my mother primarily suggested very feminine clothing like dresses, my sister mainly recommended casual outfits suitable for my age.

“How about tying your hair up?”

“Wow… should I dye my hair too?”

At first, my sister fumbled about what to call me, but once we got started with dressing up, it didn’t take long before the word “sis” naturally slipped from her lips.

I always thought this day would come, but I never imagined it would come in this form.

“How come nothing looks bad on you?”

When my mother admired, my sister responded.

“Exactly. I’m starting to get jealous.”

“Look at her! You’re beautiful too. Whose daughter are you?”

“Right?”

They were having such a good time.

“Oh, those clothes over there are pretty.”

“Should we go there?”

“Yeah!”

Of course, my opinion was never asked from the start.

This too shall pass.

Thinking this way, I ended up going through all the clothing stores in the department store, and before I knew it, both my mother and sister had shopping bags full in each of their hands.

“Here.”

“Yeah?”

“Take it. It’s your clothes.”

“Uh… oh, okay.”

It wasn’t exactly a wrong statement, so I readily accepted the shopping bags.

Perhaps because it was my first time carrying anything, the shopping bags felt awkward in my hands.

Noticing something unusual in my expression, my mother’s face slightly stiffened.

“Is it heavy?”

“No… it’s fine.”

The reason I felt odd.

Until now, someone else, whether it was my mother or someone else, had always done everything for me.

I’ve never even opened a car door by myself, let alone carried anything.

Until now, I never thought of this as strange.

I had lived a rigid life where I couldn’t even move freely, and for me, help from others was never even a choice.

Perhaps, my mother is doing this, making me experience such simple things, to help me understand what ordinary life is like.

Since I’ve never experienced a normal life, maybe she wants to make up for what I’ve missed.

Like everyone else does.

Like normal people.

It’s only now that I’m starting to learn about the everyday things others usually experience.

Afterward, following my mother and sister, we stopped by the shoe store and the accessory store, and only then did this long shopping trip finally start to come to an end.

“I think we’ve bought enough, right? Both your clothes and mine.”

“Shall we head home now?”

Are we finally going home?

I’ve been wandering around the department store for about three hours now.

No matter how much energy one has, after walking around with shopping bags like this for so long, it was about time to feel exhausted.

‘At least they didn’t mention going back to the car to shop again.’

Just as I was preparing to leave with joy, my mother asked.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else you want to buy?”

“Yeah, nothing.”

“Why don’t you take a quick look?”

“There’s no need for that.”

The things I wanted to buy had already been purchased long ago through online shopping malls.

I didn’t want to waste time coming to the department store for no reason.

“Really?”

“Ah, well, I don’t need anything—”

Just as I was about to refuse again, I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Whether it was coincidence or fate, I happened to spot a store that immediately caught my eye.

[Electronics]

Of course, I wasn’t interested in televisions, washing machines, or refrigerators.

But deeper inside.

[Computers and peripherals]

In that place, there were computer and peripheral devices everywhere, from main components like graphics cards and motherboards to input devices like keyboards and mice.

I instinctively felt it.

This is it.

This is where I will lay down my roots.

“Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to take a quick look over there.”

“Really? Where?”

My mother, who had only seen me show interest in going home until now, finally showed interest when I said I wanted something.

Of course, that didn’t last long.

“Over there.”

“… An electronics store?”

My mother looked somewhat puzzled.

After all, the reason we came to the department store in the first place was to buy clothes and various accessories, including those in the shopping bags.

So, it was only natural that she would look at me that way when I suddenly said I wanted to go to the electronics section.

“I’m just going to look for a moment.”

“Well, if you’re going, let’s go together. Yuri!”

At my mother’s call, my sister, who had been struggling with the shopping bags, came over.

“What? Weren’t we going home?”

“Yuri wants to look at something.”

“Really?”

By now, the term “sister” had stuck, and I wanted to say something about it, but I stopped myself.

I had a feeling that if I showed any concern, that nickname would never go away.

“Welcome.”

As we entered the electronics store, a sales assistant greeted us.

“Is there something you’re looking for in particular?”

“No, not really. Just looking around slowly.”

“Okay, understood.”

Among the things, what caught my attention the most were the keyboards and mice.

While the computer specs were the basic standard, which I always kept up to date, keyboards and mice were purely a matter of personal preference and taste.

“Wow…

The keyboards and mice were organized by brand, and there was a separate area where you could briefly try out the different types.

• RealFuzz R7LL.
• Keycaren K2 wireless keyboard, brown switch.
• Apco optical switch keyboard A880.
• Logitech L PRO X gaming mechanical keyboard.

In fact, I wasn’t really picky about equipment before.

This wasn’t so much a display of confidence but more because I could perform well with almost any equipment.

But that’s not the case anymore.

After becoming a woman, I gained a level of physical freedom that is incomparable to before.

This means there are significant differences, including in reaction times, compared to the past.

Because of this, I now carefully read reviews online and have actually purchased several pieces of equipment.

But that was still based on other people’s reviews, and I didn’t really know if the keyboard and mouse I used were truly right for me.

“How interesting.”

When I tried them out myself, each keyboard and mouse felt completely different.

I would even like to have several types on hand to switch between depending on my condition.

“Hmm.”

After carefully examining the various equipment, I added a few keyboards and mice to my shopping cart.

Finally, I began to understand why my mother and sister had been so enthusiastic about shopping.

Shopping is actually this fun.

It’s true. As they say, you should see the products with your own eyes before buying them.”

“Mom.”

“…What?”

My mother shook her head in disbelief and then lightly smiled as she looked at my sister.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Our sister, she’s the same as always.”

“Yeah, I never expected she’d pick that here at the department store.”

Although there were some minor glances, it was an incredibly satisfying shopping experience.