Shopping date.
After breakfast, Dirk and I went out to the town hand in hand. Chocolate is a specialty of Shushu-san’s territory. There are also silky textiles made from the threads of a monster called Kaikokko, as well as ikayaki and okonomiyaki invented by Kanata-san.
As I thought, exotic scenery is fun, and the vaguely Asian townscape of Wolfanea was fun to look at… There were clearly foreign objects in the scenery, though. There were some houses here and there among the Japanese style buildings… apparently, they were houses that the Salvation Saintess, Koto Neechan, loved. Tatami mats and a chabudai… Citizens of Wolfanea, who are rather unkempt, surprisingly usually take off their shoes at the entrance. When I asked why, I was told it was because it’s easier to clean that way…………… I was convinced.
In Wolfanea, where both the children and adults are often times covered in mud, if the inside and outside of the house were not kept clear, the person who does the housework may die of exhaustion.
“Oh, what’s that?”
It was a lovely stall decorated with many ribbons.
“What do you think? How about buying a matching one with your lovely girlfriend? Red ribbons are in fashion right now! Tie them on each other’s pinky finger to tie your fates together! Mutual colors to tie on your wrist as a proof of love is also my recommendation! How about it? Would you like to buy one?”
A boy… a squirrel? spoke at a fast pace. I picked one up to try it out. It felt like silk to the touch, but it seemed to have properties that allowed magic power to pass through. I think I’ll buy one…
“Ours is the best quality around! We have even presented it at the royal palace!”
“Heeh.”
Certainly, it was a top-notch piece of cloth. There were even gradations and patterns. Many of them required a great deal of skill.
“Proof of love…”
Dirk was happy to be seen as my boyfriend. His tail was also in a good mood. The act of tying ribbons of each other’s color around the wrist is apparently the equivalent of putting a ring on the finger ring in Japan. And it turned out that the red ribbon of fate was based on an appropriate explanation by Kanata-san.
“… Dirk, since we have the opportunity, why don’t we buy one?”
“!! Yeah! Which one is the closest to your color?”
When I tried to choose a ribbon, an uncle who obviously looked like a thug came over.
“If you are looking for Kaikokko ribbons, those over there are better. They are now the sole purveyor for the royal palace.”
The boy looked very vexed.
“Dirk, let’s have a look.”
I went to check it out because I didn’t want the boy to be harassed, but… honestly, it was not my cup of tea. It was painful to my eyes. Gaudy and vulgar. The weaving was a little rougher than the store I had just visited.
“How do you like it?”
We were both dressed well today, so I wonder if he thought we were suckers. The owner of the store, a fat froggy beast, rubbed his hands together as he spoke to me.
“It’s not to my taste, I’m afraid.”
“………… This and the others would suit you well, Ojousama?”
“Not to my taste, I’m afraid.”
I’m a woman who can say no. He showed me a flashy Kaikokko woven dress. It had a leopard print with “Set meal with grilled meat” written on it in Japanese. It wouldn’t look good on me at all! I don’t want to look good in it! I don’t want to look like that! It was a subtle Osaka Auntie style! …Ha! Kanata-san!? Is the culprit you, Kanata-san!?
“Oi.”
When I was somewhat confused, a very threatening voice spoke up.
“How could such vulgar clothes suit my fiancée?”
Dirk-sama was furious!! He was staring at him so hard! He’s usually mild-mannered, but when he gets angry, he’s scary! He’s super scary! But for him to get angry for my sake makes him so cool, my heart started throbbing! Is this the suspension bridge effect? (No, it’s not.)
“Ha… no……”
It seems that the poor probably shopkeeper couldn’t stand Dirk’s blood thirst.
“I’m sho showwieeee!”
He bit hit tongue magnificently and ran away.
“I like the one-piece dress you chose for me, so I don’t want any new clothes today. That dress is too vulgar anyway.”
“Yeah.”
I hugged Dirk and he gently stroked my hair.
“Let’s go back to the stall we were at earlier and buy some proof of love.”
To be honest, the ribbons and other accessories in this store were too gaudy for my taste.
“That is truly troubling, dear customer.”
When we were about to leave the store, we were approached by a muscular gorilla beast. Is this pressure salesmanship? We don’t look very strong, do we?
“What is?”
“You’ve got a problem with my product! How do we settle that? Aah!?”
A normal Christian nobleman would be frightened by this… though it won’t work on us who are used to the intimidating old man with the scary face of an adventurer.
“It’s nothing personal, it’s just not my cup of tea.”
“Hah?”
Maybe he didn’t expect my reaction. But I can’t help it, I’m not afraid.
“Yeah. I think people who like this type of style will like it. It’s just not our thing.”
“S, stop shitting me!”
“… Are you trying to pressure us into buying? A store that is a purveyor to Wolfanea’s royal palace? Besides, it’s only vulgar by Christia’s standards. A clothes store’s salesman should be a little more thoughtful to their customer’s needs. Do you think this kind of clothes would suit me?”
I spread the dress before me. The old man with the scary face looked away. You are so honest, old man! But thank you for responding that it doesn’t look good on me! If you had told me it would look good on me, I would have gone ballistic!