Chapter 14
The weekend. A day of blissful rest.
Normally, it would be a day to lounge around in my dorm or train at the training grounds.
But on a day like that…
“We're here!”
“Ooh~!”
“Ugh…”
We were at the Lua shopping district near the academy. It was a place that sold uniforms and stuff.
Oh. For the record, of course our academy sells stylish uniforms, too. They give you one set for free, but after that, you have to come here to buy more.
“…So why are we here?”
“? Obviously, to have fun!”
That's right. Arin had dragged me here!
Somehow, she'd found her way to my room and said,
“We have to go out and have fun on the weekend!”
Then she dragged me along.
“Huh? Where are you guys going?”
Even Ian, who happened to be passing by, joined us.
And that's how I ended up getting dragged to the Lua shopping district.
My precious weekend…
“Come on, El! Don't look so glum. Let's have some fun!”
As she said that, Arin linked her arm through mine.
-Boing
A big marshmallow wrapped around my arm. So soft…
“Yeah. We're here already, so we might as well enjoy ourselves.”
Ian said that as he took my other hand.
His hand was firm and reassuring, and warm, too… Wait, what am I saying?
I hurriedly tried to pull my hand away, but Ian only gripped it tighter and led me farther into the shopping district.
Naturally, Arin and I were dragged along with him.
Would pulling away by force ruin the mood?
…
…I should've just pulled away and run.
“For El, something with a demure look would…”
“No! Something bolder would suit her much better…”
Arin and Ian were arguing beside me.
They'd argued a lot since they first met, so it wasn't a particularly unfamiliar sight. The problem was something else.
“Um… why are the two of you arguing over my clothes?”
“Because it's important!”
“It's a serious matter!”
Ah… right. I see.
They answered at the same time, then went right back to arguing.
“That's right. Since we're talking about it, El, try this on. It'll look good on you.”
The outfit Ian was holding was demure, with a subtle modern feel. The buttons embroidered with magic-warding patterns glimmered faintly. It was pretty, but…
“You want me to try it on?”
He wanted me to try it on all of a sudden?
“Yeah.”
Beside Ian, who was smiling from ear to ear, Arin shouted loudly.
“Hey! Who said you could decide what she should wear?”
That's right, Arin! Stop him!
“El! Try this on first!”
…Stop him?
What Arin held out was a draped top that left her shoulders completely bare. The back was practically open all the way down to the waist, too.
“El, look. I'm telling you, it'll look really good on you.”
You want me to… wear this?
“…This?”
“Yes!”
“This pervy… I mean, revealing outfit?”
“Yes!”
Arin's bright smile made it seem as though wearing it was the most natural thing in the world.
I almost wondered if I was the one who had it wrong.
“Hey. Isn't that a bit too risqué?”
“Come on. Something like this would look much prettier! With El's face and figure, she could easily pull it off!”
Their argument grew more heated, until finally…
“El! Which one do you like?”
“El! Which one do you like?”
Sigh… I knew this would happen.
First of all, Arin's draped top was out.
“I don't like this one.”
“That's so mean?!”
It was way too revealing. No matter what, I was too proud to wear something like that…!
The outfit Ian had shown me, on the other hand, wasn't bad.
It had a surprisingly modern look for a medieval setting, and the modest coverage made it seem demure.
The skirt came down only to my knees, showing off my thighs, and the long socks created a perfect gap of bare skin.
If I had a girlfriend, I'd definitely want to see her wear something like this. Not that I'd ever had a girlfriend.
…The problem was that I was the one who had to wear it.
“…Do I really have to try it on?”
“Of course!”
Even Arin was looking at me as if she expected me to try on at least one outfit, so it was hard to refuse.
If it had been something weird, I could've refused as boldly as Arin had, but they'd clearly put a lot of thought into choosing these…
“I'll try this one on, at least.”
I sighed and went into the changing room.
…They seemed more serious about clothes than I was.
…
As soon as El went into the changing room, Arin looked at me with an irritated glare.
“Grr…! Don't you want to see El's shoulders or thighs? Are you even a man?”
“Now, now. I definitely want to see them, but I should still make sure she wears something appropriate. El seems like the type to say so if she doesn't like something. If I'd tried to make her wear that, she wouldn't have tried anything on. You still don't know what she's like.”
“Grrr!”
She suddenly seemed to be planning to use the fact that she was El's friend to keep El away from me. Hmph. No chance.
I was busy teasing her because she was so easy to rile up when the changing-room door opened and El came out.
“How is it… does it look good on me?”
“W-wow.”
Had the goddess of beauty descended upon us?
The pale-blue blouse and white skirt suited her perfectly, and the way the socks pressed into her nicely rounded thighs made the gap of bare skin look like it deserved to be called an absolute territory.
The finishing touch was her embarrassed expression.
Her slightly unusual blue eyes trembled with uncertainty, and she was just so cute.
I can say without a doubt that El looked more beautiful right then than anyone I'd ever seen in my life.
Arin stared at El with her mouth hanging open, just as dazed as I was.
“…Does it look bad?”
““Not at all!””
“U-uh?”
El looked surprised when Arin and I shouted at the same time, but that couldn't stop us.
“You're incredibly. Incredibly cute.”
“That's right! You look like the goddess of beauty has descended upon us!”
“…Hehe.”
Even so, El didn't look displeased.
She looked so beautiful like that, too… I might actually go crazy.
My face must have been red enough to look ridiculous.
“Hmm?”
El looked at my face and smiled, as if she'd caught on to something.
“…!”
I had a bad feeling and tried to back away, but…
“Did you fall in love at first sight or something? Your face is bright red.”
El had already come right up to me, holding my hand and smiling.
Up close, she was even more devastating than before.
She was smiling playfully, as if she'd never been embarrassed at all. I instinctively started backing away, but then…
-Crash!
“Ugh?!”
“Kyaa?!”
I fell backward.
The problem was that El was still holding my hand, so she fell with me…
“El, are you okay…?!”
My hand moved on its own to make sure El wouldn't get hurt…
“Huh…?”
And I ended up falling with El in my arms.
“Ah! What are you two doing so naturally?!”
…Honestly, it felt soft and squishy, which was nice.
…
The outfit Ian had given me was even more embarrassing than I'd expected.
The short-sleeved blouse was fine. The problem was the skirt.
It came down to my knees, so I thought it would be okay. I was wrong.
If the wind blows, my underwear might show!
Of course, it wasn't as if I'd never worn a skirt before.
I might've almost forgotten, but I'm the daughter of the Northern Grand Duke of House Whitewolf, after all.
As a noble young lady, I'd worn dresses a few times.
I had worn them, but…
‘At least those covered my ankles!’
This one left my legs completely exposed below the knees, and it felt like my panties would show if the wind blew!
And that wasn't all…
‘Whoa. This absolute territory is so sexy.’
My body had become perfectly optimized for swinging a sword after I became a Swordmaster, but it was plumper than I'd expected. My thighs and stomach were soft enough to feel a little squishy.
But when I put on the socks, they pressed into my thighs and created an absolute territory. That was sexy, too.
It was a slightly pervy thought, but it made me want to lick it.
A lap pillow would be nice, too.
Ian, you bastard. Making me wear such a sexy outfit…!
When I looked in the mirror in the changing room, I saw a demure but somehow sexy-looking girl standing there.
With my hair and eye color changed as part of my disguise, I really did look like a different person.
‘…It suits me way too well.’
Thinking that, I opened the changing-room door. Ian and Arin, who'd been arguing again, both looked at me.
“How is it… does it look good on me?”
“W-wow.”
Then silence.
They stared at me with dazed expressions…
D-don't tell me it doesn't suit me as well as I thought!
I thought it looked really pretty… Though I'd known since my previous life that I had a terrible eye for beauty.
Still, that reaction… It was a little disappointing.
“…Does it look bad?”
““Not at all!””
“U-uh?”
I asked with a touch of disappointment, and the two of them answered without the slightest delay.
What? They didn't think it looked bad?
“You're incredibly. Incredibly cute.”
Eh.
“That's right! You look like the goddess of beauty has descended upon us!”
“U-uh?”
The compliments came out of nowhere.
“You're incredibly. Incredibly cute.”
“That's right! You look like the goddess of beauty has descended upon us!”
“…Hehe.”
The compliments kept coming, and I couldn't help smiling.
I mean… they were saying I looked pretty, right?
The two of them were showering me with compliments, and I could tell they meant it. They weren't just empty words…
Heheh.
As I smiled happily at all the praise, I noticed Ian's face turning red.
“Hmm?”
He looked embarrassed, from the looks of it.
He'd started out complimenting me, but now he'd realized what he'd said and gotten embarrassed, huh?
“Did you fall in love at first sight or something? Your face is bright red.”
I took his hand and said it boldly on purpose. His face turned even redder.
Right. Ian was a guy, after all. And to say it myself, if he was being teased by a beauty like me, he was probably already thinking about what to name our grandchildren.
-Crash!
“Ugh?!”
“Kyaa?!”
The problem was that Ian stepped backward and accidentally fell,
and since I happened to be holding his hand, I got pulled down with him,
and for some reason, Ian ended up hugging me…
““…””
I ended up sprawled on top of Ian.
“Ah! What are you two doing so naturally?!”
I didn't expect things to turn out like this either.