“Hmm… this one’s nice, and this one too. Oh, wait, that one might work as well!”
Inside a clothing store in the market district of Volantis City.
She figured she had nothing better to do if she went back now.
So, immediately after dispelling her transformation, Leya had made her way here.
A certain someone had declared she simply couldn’t stand the tattered clothes she was wearing for another second!
“Ah… this is so stressful! Ugh, why didn’t I ever realize picking out clothes was such exhausting work?”
[That’s because the previous host was ugly, so no matter how nicely they dressed, no one would look at them on the street anyway!]
“…”
‘That… almost makes sense,’ she thought. ‘Wait, no it doesn’t!’
“System, how many times do you want to die? How dare you slander me, your master? Pfft! Aren’t you supposed to be able to read my memories? Why don’t you take a look at my face and see how many girls my age confessed to me at the orphanage before you open your mouth!”
[Er… I did read them. And it was only after reading them that I began to question your sexual orientation, Host! I mean, as you said, so many girls confessed to you, so why did you spend all your time, from childhood to adulthood, playing with just one boy?]
“…”
[But it is strange, that boy actually…]
“Stop… Don’t talk about him… Not ever. Yes! Don’t you ever mention him in front of me again!”
[But…]
“No buts!”
Leya’s shout was almost frantic. This was likely the first and last time the System would ever see her lose her composure so completely.
“Meow? Um… Miss?”
“…”
When she came back to her senses, she found a… cat… a cat-cat-cat-cat-eared girl in a black and white uniform!!!
“You… you you…”
“Meow meow meow?”
‘Wait, wait, calm down… Just calm down!’
“Are… are you beastkin?”
Composing herself, Leya tried her best to make her voice sound normal and steady.
“Meow? Beastkin? How strange. Can’t you tell just by looking? Masaki is a genuine half-beastkin, meow.”
The two cat ears on her head twitched with curiosity. The half-beastkin girl named Masaki tilted her head, her tone practically declaring, ‘I’m a half-beastkin and proud of it.’
Leya felt an overwhelming wave of cuteness wash over her. It was as if just looking at this cat-eared girl was enough to purify her entire body and soul.
“But… but how can there be a half-beastkin in a human city…”
“Wrong, wrong, wrong! I don’t know where you heard that, Miss, but many of our half-beastkin clans are friendly with humans, meow!”
“…”
So that was how it was. She was learning something new!
Leya had assumed that humans in this world mostly subscribed to a pure and isolationist doctrine of human supremacy. Seeing Masaki today, she finally understood just how wrong she had been.
“Ah, enough about that, meow. By the way, human miss, you’ve been looking for a while now. Are you going to buy anything, meow?”
“…”
‘Uh… Miss Masaki, I don’t know if the shop owner ever told you… but you seriously lack a basic customer service attitude!’
“They’re all so pretty, meow! And with Masaki’s keen half-beastkin eye, I can tell at a glance that these clothes would really suit you, human miss, meow!”
“…”
‘Okay… I take it back. It seems she does have some business sense after all. But if she thinks that’s enough to win me over, she’s being a little too…’
“Like this one! A dress with a perfect blue and white combination. Don’t you think it’s very similar to what you’re wearing now, meow?”
Now that she mentioned it… it did look a little similar…
“And besides being similar, it also has many wonderful little details, meow! For example, right here at the waist, it has the unique, officially licensed mark of our cat clan!”
‘Ooh—it really does have a cat’s paw print!’
“Alright, I’ll take it!”
“Ooh—you’re a human miss who’s just as lovely and cute as you look! Buying it in one go like that, meow!”
‘Mhm, mhm, that’s right! Cats these days really know how to talk… although I’m pretty sure my looks have nothing to do with buying clothes, thank you very much!?’
“Then, then… oh kind and beautiful human miss, you must take a look at this one! Let me tell you, this black and white dress is…”
‘Huh? Wasn’t it ‘lovely and cute’ a second ago? How did it become ‘kind and beautiful’ so fast? Oh, well… whatever…’
“Okay, I’ll take this one too!”
“And this one, oh generous and wise human miss…”
“Fine, I’ll buy it!”
“And also, bountiful and benevolent human miss…”
“Okay, I’ll buy it!”
“Merciful and modest…”
“Buy!”
“Noble and…”
“Buy!”
****
Time flew by in a flash.
She was now walking back to the Thunder Tavern.
“Ah… I feel like I got so many great deals on beautiful clothes!”
“…”
“Twenty-seven pieces… If the cat-eared girl hadn’t offered free delivery and promised they’d arrive tomorrow, I’d probably be exhausted from carrying them all! Heh, when you think about it that way, I really came out on top!”
“…”
“I even bought a few things for Erica. She should be happy, right?… Oh, right, System. I paid the thirty percent deposit just now, didn’t I? How much money do I have left? I was planning to treat myself to a good meal when I get back!”
“…”
“Hey? I’m asking you a question. Why aren’t you saying anything?”
[It’s gone…]
“Hm? Gone? What’s gone?” Leya asked back, a picture of pure innocence.
[Ugh… You idiot Host! The money! Your money, all of your gold coins! You were tricked out of all of it by that cat-eared girl!]
“…”
She stopped in her tracks, standing frozen for a moment.
“EHHHHH?!” she shrieked.
“How… how could that be? My transaction with the cat-eared girl was a completely normal business deal! How could I have been tricked out of my money?”
[Ugh… You’re hopeless, Host. Sigh… but instead of worrying about that, you should probably be more concerned about what you’re going to use to pay for the clothes when they arrive tomorrow.]
“…”
“Ah! Miss Leya, you’re finally back!”
Just as a strange silence fell between Leya and the System, a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears, calling her name…
“You… I remember you… you’re… E… Eli…”
“It’s Elina, Miss Leya!”
Like a spring breeze, bathed in the golden afternoon sunlight, Elina’s smile at that moment…
…was truly beautiful.