“Okay, let me set the record straight here. It’s not that I don’t want days off... but they have to at least be relaxing, right? Can you relax knowing you left someone like Master Sain to fend for himself?”
“Ahh... Good point.”
“Right? I could go off and do my own thing, but it’d just stress me out in the end.”
“I feel your pain.”
Sain didn’t exactly understand what they were talking about, but he picked up on the tone and scowled at them.
“Hey, you know what...” Alicia said as she gave Melia an enthusiastic grin. “Since we’re here, why don’t we have you try on some other clothes?”
Melia was taken aback by the suggestion.
“But... both you and Miss Marni are wearing your uniforms. It’d be weird if I’m the only one who changed into something else... I’d stand out.”
“You already stand out enough in your maid uniform. Besides, nothing you wear will ever stand out as much as him,” Alicia said, gesturing at Sain with her chin. “He’s practically in cosplay all day.”
Sain was about to point out that his black coat wasn’t cosplay but rather an important and carefully crafted piece of equipment to suppress his power of the holy knight, only to swallow his words when he realized his argument was flawed. The coat’s function was legitimate, but its needlessly dark and restricting design was not part of that function; it was tailor-made, and he’d requested those aesthetics himself.
“But... as Master Sain’s attendant, it’s better for me to keep wearing this—”
“Let’s ask him then.” Alicia turned to Sain. “Does Melia have your permission to wear something else?”
He didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Of course. I also wish for Maid to express herself as she desires.”
With permission granted by her master, Melia lost the one excuse she could fall back on. She looked down at her feet in a rare display of uncertainty. Eventually, she asked hesitantly, “Do you want to see, um... what I look like in other clothes, Master Sain?”
She fidgeted, not meeting his gaze. Her behavior puzzled him, but he nodded nonetheless.
“Yeah, I think I’d appreciate seeing you in something else from time to time.”
“...All right. I’ll go change then.”
She turned and headed into the small boutique.
“What about you, Marni?” asked Alicia. “I haven’t seen you in casual clothing much, either.”
“...I’ll pass. I have to keep my head covered, anyway.”
“True. Maybe next time then.”
As a dark elf, Marni needed to be extra cautious about her appearance. She wasn’t comfortable with drawing attention to herself, so it was better for her to wear something low key during the battle expo.
“Okay, let’s go pick out some clothes for Melia!”
Brimming with enthusiasm, Alicia pulled Marni along into the boutique as well.
“Come on, Sain! You’re part of this too!”
“U-Uh, sure.”
He hesitated for a second when he realized it was a women’s boutique, but an impatient gesture from Alicia convinced him to steel himself and step in. As soon as they walked in, she set upon the clothing racks savagely, snatching everything she felt would suit Melia. Marni wasn’t as openly enthusiastic, but her softening countenance and long gazes at the display mannequins suggested she wasn’t entirely disinterested, either. It occurred to Sain that this was probably going to take a while.
“I think these’ll look great on you. They give off a tidy image. Oh, but then you’d look more or less the same as when you’re in your maid uniform. Maybe we should get a bit more aggressive...” said Alicia as she deliberated their options.
“Um... I’d prefer clothing that doesn’t show as much skin...”
“It’s okay, just try them on first. We can figure out the details later.”
She dismissed Melia’s concern with a wave of her hand and continued to pull more clothes off the racks. Sain nodded to himself, appreciating the way Alicia sifted through the dazzling array of garments like a seasoned professional. She was, he realized, arguably the most in tune with the prevailing trends of girls their age. Melia had been serving him as a maid since childhood and had very little time to indulge in what were commonly accepted as feminine pastimes. Marni was borderline antisocial, leaving her fairly obtuse with regard to fashion and fads. Out of the three girls, Alicia was the only one qualified for the job, and she did it with gusto, hurriedly ushering Melia to the changing room and handing her a couple of sets of clothing. Melia stepped in, and for the span of a minute, the rustling of clothes could be heard from behind the curtain. She then reappeared.
“Um... So, I changed, and...”
The Melia who stepped back out from behind the curtain was clothed in a soft blue shirt, the color of a summer lake, complemented by a white frilly skirt that reached almost down to her knees. Unlike her maid uniform, both pieces were made of a thin, pliant material that accentuated her form. The soft fabric danced to her every movement, giving off an air of fleeting beauty. She’d also removed her hairband, and the simpler design of the clothes offered little for the attention of onlookers. As a result, their eyes naturally gravitated to the wearer herself, further highlighting her natural beauty.
“Omigosh! You look so good in that!”
“Yeah... It softened your image.”
Melia struggled to respond, alternately puckering her lips and pressing them together but failing to produce any words. She seemed flustered but not entirely averse to the attention.