As it turned out, Claudia was so gung ho about the idea of shopping that it didn’t stay a mere suggestion for long. The very next day, we went out on the town. We had to wait a day out of consideration for Claudia’s condition, but it turned out to be the right move, because her complexion today was much better than yesterday. She’d probably drunk an especially powerful stamina potion before heading to bed last night.
Just at a glance, it looked like her soul had recovered a little as well. It was still wispier than the average soul but more robust than yesterday for sure. That was probably mostly thanks to the Jirai Ao Ochs, but I also wanted to believe that her improved mental state from making friends with Suzume had something to do with it. It made me almost think that them being together for another month might cure her completely. Of course, as long as Claudia was cursed, it wouldn’t be that simple... Or wait a minute. If the purpose of the curse was to dissolve her engagement to the crown prince and that goal was now complete, maybe they didn’t hold any ill will toward her anymore?
While thinking such things, I was standing outside the store Claudia had dragged Suzume and Seele into. The owner hadn’t kicked me out or anything; I simply couldn’t keep up with Claudia’s—or rather, all three of the girls’—enthusiasm. Seele had been awkward and nervous around Claudia at first, but it looked like she’d gotten over it at some point. Perhaps talk of fashion and accessories was a universal communication tool for girls that transcended race or class. That said...from here, it just looked to me like they were making Suzume their own personal dress-up doll, but I decided not to worry about the details.
Still, Seele’s slave collar really stands out in a store like this, huh? I’d been thinking about it for a while, but maybe it was about time to release her and Lunamaria from my servitude, even if it was against their will. It was getting to the point where it could seriously turn into a problem. Neither of the Dragonaut sisters had said anything to me about it, but they surely had their own opinions. And thinking about how I’d be continuing to correspond with Priestess Sela in the future, the sooner I released them, the better.
Thinking about the priestess made me wonder how Iria was getting along now that she’d sworn on her god to obey me. Then, Astrid came out of the store and walked over.
“Oh, there you are. I didn’t know you’d left. I apologize on my sister’s behalf for her...overeagerness.”
“No, I don’t mind at all. They all look like they’re enjoying themselves, and if they’d just been with me, heading to a store like this probably never would have crossed their minds. I’m grateful to Claudia for giving them this opportunity.”
As I spoke, I looked at the storefront. There was a big sign advertising that it was the preferred clothing store of the nobility, so Seele and Suzume would indeed have refused to go in there on their own. Not that commoners would go to stores to have new clothes tailored in the first place. Much like adventurers, they usually either wore old garments or bought them secondhand. In fact, Suzume’s black dress, which Seele had found, was also secondhand. Still, that didn’t necessarily mean “bad,” and as far as secondhand attire went, the black dress might as well have been new.
At any rate, since the store catered to nobility, its wares were no doubt accordingly expensive. Just imagining what the bill would look like when they were done sent a shiver up my spine like I’d suddenly seen a ghost. But then Astrid casually said something I never would have expected.
“Mr. Sora, would you like a new outfit as well, perhaps? As a small token of my gratitude, I’d be happy to purchase anything you take a liking to.”
“Huh? M-Me?” I was so surprised that my voice came out in a croak. I cleared my throat before continuing. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’m an adventurer, first off, so such apparel would just be wasted on me.”
“I understand that there’s no point wearing nice clothes when you’re out adventuring, of course. But when I look at you, I see more than an average adventurer. And I feel like whatever you’re destined for in the future, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to own some formal attire.”
She narrowed her eyes as though sizing me up, just as she’d done in Ishka’s stable. It wasn’t necessarily a prying look like she was trying to find out my secrets, but it made me a little anxious all the same. “Besides, I thought this back when I witnessed your actions at the royal palace as well, but I do sense an air of propriety in the way you carry yourself. I’m not asking you to wear formal attire all the time, of course, but I do believe that wearing nicer clothing every now and then will change the way people look at you. And you already take such good care of your hair and body that it’d be a shame to not have some good clothes to match.”
“R-Really?” I didn’t pay much attention to my hair or hygiene; I just liked taking baths a lot. But apparently Astrid approved of my cleanliness all the same.
“Yes, really. While you may seem slender at a glance, your muscles are healthy and well toned, almost like a tiger’s. The most powerful warriors in ancient times were said to have similar builds. Personally, I find them quite attractive. It’s my opinion that a thin jacket might serve to emphasize those muscles and draw more people’s attention.”
“O-Oh, you don’t say? Th-Thanks.”
With a completely serious face, Astrid complimented me over and over again. If it had just been flattery to butter me up, I might have been able to brush it off, but Astrid didn’t have a reason to do that. In other words, these were her honest feelings. I could feel my face growing hot. I was actually blushing.
As though she could read my thoughts, she reached out and touched my left hand. Perhaps she didn’t grab it because she thought it might be rude to grab the hand of another warrior, even though it wasn’t my dominant hand. And after being showered with such compliments and shown such polite consideration...
“Now then, shall we head inside?”
“Uh...sure.”
I had no choice but to nod and follow her.