Chapter 22: Buy One, Get One Free

Beauty and good looks are a blessing.

You can easily win someone’s favour because of it.

Sight is the most dominant of the human senses, and no one is free from its influence.

When someone has a pretty face, even their actions seem more charming.

When someone has a pretty face, you feel as if they emit a pleasant fragrance.

When someone has a pretty face, even their voice sounds better.

In other words, they get a form of enhancement.

Even if two people do the exact same thing, the reactions and evaluations will be worlds apart depending on their looks.

Humanity has always pursued beauty.

This is easily understood by looking at art or folklore passed down through the ages.

Take, for example, the story of a lawyer who failed to defend a beautiful prostitute, but when he tore her clothes to reveal her body, she was declared innocent.

Or the statue of Venus, which is still regarded as a perfect work of art.

On the other hand, there’s a record that Socrates, known as a great philosopher, was so ugly that people at the time mocked him, calling him a monster.

Perhaps his unattractive appearance contributed to the delay in the widespread recognition of his teachings.

If Socrates had been a handsome young philosopher, there might have been more sculptures and stories about him.

In short, unattractive people have no right to teach…

Not my opinion, of course, but a kind of assumption about how people back then, who ignored Socrates’ knowledge and teachings, felt.

Sad but unavoidable.

Pursuing beauty is almost an instinctual behaviour for humans.

Even in this era, where intellectuals abound and people generally follow moral norms, social hierarchies subtly emerge based on appearance, favouring those who are pretty or handsome.

Pretty and handsome people are loved.

This is an unchanging truth that has persisted through time.

I already knew this fact.

It was something I didn’t need to remind myself of.

After all, stories about such people felt completely unrelated to me—like tales from another world.

I would either move on with indifference or click my tongue in dismay at the irrational truths I faced, much like a monk confronted with an unfair reality.

Yes, that’s how it used to be.

That’s how it would have been back then…

Suddenly, I found myself delivering a long monologue about appearance.

The reason was simple: what used to feel like someone else’s story had now become my own.

It’s a long ramble, but to summarize:

Among the characters in games, Camilla consistently ranks among the most beautiful.

I have become such a Camilla.

Therefore, I am pretty.

“…What?”

“One plus one! Bring one more!”

A level of attention I had never experienced before,

the kind that was glaringly obvious.

It was morning.

So, it must have been around 10 a.m.

In fact, it was a bit embarrassing to call it morning since it was such a late hour.

“I, uh… I usually wake up at that time in the late morning and continue my activities.”

Today was not much different.

No, I thought it wouldn’t be.

“…I feel unwell.”

But today felt different; it was an unusually uncomfortable morning.

My stomach was mildly nauseated, and I had a faint headache, symptoms I had experienced several times before.

“Hangover…?”

Yes, this was a hangover.

It was an undeniable sensation of a hangover.

But really, how much did I drink to have a hangover?

I probably only had four cans of imported beer.

…Thinking back, that was quite a bit. Camilla’s stomach is definitely not small.

But that was just a large quantity; I didn’t actually consume a lot of alcohol.

Beer isn’t even really alcohol; it’s just a drink that makes you feel good.

It’s absurd to think that drinking a slightly alcoholic barley drink would lead to a hangover.

I wasn’t particularly good at drinking, but I could usually handle a bottle of soju without any problems the next morning, so I never expected this situation.

“Ugh…”

I staggered to get up from my seat.

I needed something warm to settle my stomach.

Like ramen, for instance.

It’s strange how I find myself craving noodles at times like this, even though I don’t usually eat them.

Honestly, I was more interested in the broth than the noodles.

Should I just boil the broth and skip the noodles entirely?

I was pondering this as I rummaged through the pantry.

“Nothing?”

However, my plans were quickly thwarted.

It seemed I had run out of ramen entirely.

Whenever you really need something, it’s never available.

At this point, I had only one choice.

“Ah…”

I was reluctant to go outside.

But my hungry stomach was clamoring for something to eat right away, and there was nothing suitable at home.

Delivery… would take too long, and I had already spent more than expected yesterday, so it was a financial burden as well.

I thought spending just enough for ramen would be reasonable both in terms of cost and for warming my stomach.

That meant I ultimately had to go out.

I aimed for the convenience store nearby, about a five-minute walk away.

As I stood up, the warm blanket beckoned me to stay a little longer, but I shook my head.

I had learned from experience that if I didn’t act immediately after making a decision, I would just end up procrastinating.

“What should I wear?”

This was practically my first outing since becoming this body, but I didn’t really care about my outfit.

I wasn’t going anywhere to meet anyone; who dresses up to go to the convenience store right in front of their house?

It was standard practice to just throw on something comfortable and slide into slippers.

The reason I was contemplating this was different.

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but the problem was with my changed physique.

In other words, the clothes I used to wear casually for outings… felt a bit snug.

It wasn’t that they didn’t fit;

even though I was on the smaller side, they were still men’s clothes, so they should fit.

Moreover, Camilla clearly had a slender, toned physique that was above average.

It was just that certain areas were a bit unrealistically developed, much like a game character.

What can I say? Those certain areas included her chest, hips, and thighs, which were part of her lower body.

Camilla’s striking beauty was partly attributed to this body shape, making it so that both men and women would view her ideally.

Because of this, I often found myself staring blankly at the mirror when I entered the bathroom.

It was one of the reasons my shower time had lengthened.

Anyway… for those reasons, I had no choice but to hold an impromptu fashion show in front of my closet, which contained very few clothes.

I felt that I had to buy some clothes.

I never realized it would be such a hassle not to have clothes that fit my body shape.

Since it was just a casual outing, I decided to throw on whatever fit and quickly head out today.

So the chosen look was:

“Hmm…”

A baggy hoodie with a hood and sweatpants.

Actually, this wasn’t too loose, but at least it didn’t feel like it was going to burst at the hips or chest.

In fact, the size fit just right, giving me a better overall look.

Of course, my preference leans toward wearing things a bit baggier, but for now, I would have to be satisfied with this.

I pulled the oversized hood over my head, dragged my slippers along, and stepped out onto the street.

Even in a fashion that was almost akin to being a slacker, my face still shone brightly as I walked further and further away.

“So, it’s a buy one, get one free…?”

I asked, still wearing the hood that was much larger than my head, to confirm that I understood correctly.

The man in front of me briefly froze with an awkward expression before it relaxed.

It was just a very brief moment.

It was a subtle shift in his facial muscles that I would have never noticed if I weren’t in Camilla’s body.

Having seen that movement, I quickly grasped what was happening.

“Oh, oh yes! That’s right! We’re having a buy one, get one free event right now! You can have another one for free!”

“But there’s no tag indicating it’s an event product…”

“That’s because it just started today. Yes. I’ve been too busy to put the tags up, hehe…”

That was what the man said.

The 800-won triangle kimbap I had picked up was part of the buy one, get one free event starting today, so I could grab another similar product next to it.

It made sense that if you bought one, you’d get another for free.

When I just heard that, it didn’t seem weird at all, but I had already seen something earlier.

Like his awkwardly stiffened face.

It was the same now.

His face was flushed, and his eyes darted from my face downwards and back again.

These were very obvious reactions.

I understood his feelings, but…

From my perspective, having noticed everything, it felt a bit inappropriate to just accept it like that.

I simply gave him a slightly awkward smile in response.

“Whoa…”

Seeing that, the man suddenly grabbed his chest and let out a groan.

I mean, is it really that much?

If he reacts that strongly, it makes me feel a bit embarrassed.

Anyway, regardless of him, it felt a bit off to accept this.

Some might say it’s just 800 won, but the angel inside me vehemently shook its head, saying that even that was unacceptable.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to decline, he interrupted me.

“This is—.”

“Oh, oh! I just remembered something urgent that came up! P-Please enjoy your meal!”

The man suddenly stood up from his seat, rattled off his words like a machine gun, and then left the convenience store without another word.

What in the world… what just happened…?

I murmured quietly to myself as if a storm had just passed through the convenience store.

“No, you should at least pay for it…”