“If you say so,” said Max, shrugging.

Sakura looked to the shop owner and materialized some coins from her pouch. “We’ll take it!”

They went dress shopping next. Max had to sit near the changing room and help Sakura pick the perfect dress for the winter ball.

She eventually settled on a skinny red dress with thin straps on the shoulders. The dress accentuated her slender body well.

“You like?” said Sakura, twirling.

Max blushed. She looked really good, but he wasn’t sure what to say as she was twice his age and his climber mentor. Telling her she looked hot was probably not the right thing to say, he figured.

“You look...appropriately dressed for your age.”

POW!

Sakura kicked Max off of his stool so he collapsed onto the ground.

“That was the absolute worst thing you could say,” she barked at him. “Has no one ever told you to never comment on a lady’s age?”

“I thought—”

“For that matter,” said Sakura, fuming. “Never comment on her weight either. For the most part, just keep your mouth shut!”

She then caught herself in the mirror and twirled around a few times admiring herself in the dress.

“I look hot,” she said. Then turned back to Max: “Why didn’t you just say so?”

Sakura paid for her things and then they made one last stop by the shopping mall’s bookstore where she picked up a pile of books with shirtless men and sunsets on the cover.

With that, they were prepared for the night’s winter ball.

65

The winter ball was held in a banquet hall on the top floor of one of the tower-zone’s most illustrious skyscrapers.

The room was filled with a variety of different-ranked climbers and people Max had never seen before. A group of climbers hung out around the climber president as he made an effort to greet everyone. All the student climbers who had passed the midterms were in attendance. There was a band playing cheesy music at the front. Glowing lights and paper streamers adorned the room.

Max had been drinking the fruit punch by himself, trying not to look too awkward when a voice came up behind him.

“Hello!”

He turned around and it was Casey. Max almost did a double take. She looked stunning.

She was wearing a dark emerald dress that brought out her beautiful green eyes and she had her hair done up to show off her neck and back.

A small black purse hung at her side where Toto poked his head out. The gerbil even looked dressed up. His fur had clearly been brushed and Casey had given him a tiny gerbil-sized bow-tie to wear.

“Hello to you too,” said Casey, blushing awkwardly at Max’s lack of response.

“Oh...uhh...sorry...yeah...hello!”

Before Max could say anything else and embarrass himself further, an outside embarrassing force came to do the job.