After signing my pact with Le Fay, I went to my room to change into better clothes and then went downstairs to wait by the front door.
Those thigh-high boots by the entrance… Were they Rossweisse’s? I just couldn’t picture her in them, so at first I thought they must have belonged to Rias or Akeno.
It wasn’t long before I sensed a presence coming down the stairs. Sure enough, when I turned around—
There was Rossweisse, sporting a trench coat and a short-flared skirt!
…This wasn’t the typical sports tracksuit–wearing Rossweisse I was used to at home! No, she was dressed like a normal teenage girl!
Her long silver hair was neatly styled, and her lips had a glossy sheen like she had put on some lip balm.
Yes, the rustic country girl I knew was nowhere to be found! In fact, seeing her look like any other girl my age…I could feel my heart getting all fluttery!
“…Um… Uh…”
I was at a loss for words. Maybe she noticed, too, as her cheeks turned suddenly red.
“…Please don’t start acting strangely. It will make things difficult for me, too. I can dress nicely when I feel like it, you know?” she said, her expression tinged with regret.
Ah! How rude of me! Maybe it was just because I was so used to her usual style, but I was totally blown away by this modern feminine look of hers! It was like a revolution had taken place inside of me!
“Sorry. U-um… Should we get going?” I suggested when I noticed a figure out of the corner of my eye.
When I glanced around—Rias and Akeno stepped out from the end of the hallway. Rias looked much the same as usual, but Akeno wore a slightly morose expression.
“Make sure you’re back by sundown,” Rias said. “We have to attend a meeting in the underworld.”
““Of course,”” Rossweisse and I answered as one.
Rias let out a muted chuckle. “I’ll make sure to tell Xenovia and the others to stay out of your way.”
Ah, so they were hoping to follow us… In fact, they had all tailed us back on my date with Akeno. Rias had been in on it as well…
Perhaps she realized where my thoughts had taken me, as she let out a sigh. “I won’t follow you. No matter what happens. I trust the man I’ve chosen. I won’t waver, whatever happens between you two. I’ll admit, I was a little surprised when you asked Issei to be your boyfriend, Rossweisse. But I have to place my faith in you, Issei,” she said with the softest of smiles.
…What a wonderful woman. She believed in me and her Familia with all her heart.
“But make sure you take Akeno and me on a date soon, all right?” she added with a wink.
“Of course!” I answered.
“I’m going on a date with Issei!” Akeno beamed, returning to her usual cheer.
If they would take me, I would happily go out with them…! Though honestly, with my schedule as busy as it was, there was no telling when we would be able to do it…
In any event, Rossweisse and I left the house together.
✦ ✦ ✦
I thought we would just be hanging out around town, but apparently Rossweisse wanted to see the sights in Tokyo, so we were on the move!
From the nearest station, it was an hour’s trip being jostled on the train before we arrived at Shinjuku.
From there, we switched trains and headed for our destination.
“…She looks like a foreign model…”
“She’s a total knockout…”
Rossweisse was the subject of many a curious stare inside the train carriage. And why wouldn’t she be? With looks like hers, it was only natural she stole the spotlight. In a way, it was like she was too beautiful, as no one dared approach her.
She looked somewhat uncomfortable with all the attention. “Maybe I wouldn’t stand out so much if I wore a tracksuit…?” she mumbled.
“Don’t say that. You would stand out whatever you wore. You’re cute,” I told her honestly.
“…”
After a moment, her cheeks turned bright red!
Hey, hey, hey! The normal Rossweisse would have let out a cool exhale and said something like, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
It wasn’t fair! Just like with Akeno, her reactions were unbelievably cute now that we were alone! I was having trouble continuing the conversation!
After about fifteen minutes of being jostled around in silence, we finally pulled into the station a short distance from the city center.
I followed Rossweisse into the station building, where she led me to a whole floor dedicated to a hundred-yen store.
The second we stepped inside, she had a smile of pure delight, her glowing face trembling with excitement.
“…Th-this is it! I’ve dreamed about this place! A hundred-yen store entirely for women…! Bella, it’s called! It means beautiful in Italian! They stock all these stylish products—high-function, practical items! You’d never guess they only cost a hundred yen each…! Ah, look at that plate! It’s so chic! And that pencil holder! It has such a sleek, no-nonsense design! And look at that container! The storage capacity…!”
…Whoa… She all but ran off to inspect the merchandise. Her face was lit up as I had never seen before. It was only at times like this that I remembered she was a just a girl, only a few years older than I was.
…Well, her tastes were a bit quirky… I certainly hadn’t expected to be touring hundred-yen stores in Tokyo today. Given the way she had dressed, I thought we would be going to fancy stores in a high-market area or something…
“Look at this, Issei! This one! That one! They’re all just a hundred yen! There isn’t a single item here that costs two or three hundred yen!”
She was certainly excited. Some things never changed.
This did, however, feel like the real her.