Chapter 94: The Ultimate Fashion Disaster

I returned to the dressing room, but I wasn’t sure if staying here instead of running away was the right choice.

Wouldn’t it have been better if I had just followed Mariel and left the store?

As I examined each of the items in our hands, the source of my growing unease became clearer.

Should I try to escape now?

But Celian’s hand, firmly gripping mine, didn’t even allow me the chance to attempt an escape.

“Alright, hurry up and try them on.”

Yuri was the first to enter the dressing room, holding an armful of outfits we had all picked out. Celian pulled me inside as well.

I didn’t know if it was intentional or just a coincidence, but Celian was standing with her back against the door, blocking any chance of escape.

In the end, I was trapped inside the dressing room and, once again, stripped down to my underwear by Celian and Yuri.

Thankfully, the s*ave mark was hidden beneath the slightly raised waistband of my panties.

Still, I was anxious—what if it showed through the thin fabric? What if it became exposed while changing?

“Hmm… isn’t this underwear a little too plain?”

“It’s cute, but El only has simple underwear like this, so it’s a bit…”

“Yeah, all of El’s underwear was like that.”

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice the secret hidden beneath my panties. Even though they were staring directly at my underwear, they had no particular reaction.

Rather than reacting, they were openly discussing my underwear as if it were just another part of my outfit.

To be fair, my underwear was quite plain, without any patterns or embellishments, just as Yuri and Celian had said.

I had mostly overcome my discomfort with wearing women’s clothing.

Looking at myself in the mirror from an outsider’s perspective, I no longer felt like I was dressing myself—I was just putting clothes on a body.

Still, even for me, walking into a lingerie store and casually picking out women’s underwear was an incredibly high hurdle.

That was why I had just chosen the most basic and modest ones displayed in the store.

But… do women usually pick out each other’s underwear like this?

Thinking about it from a man’s perspective, if a guy stood around in just his underwear in front of his male friends, it would be disgusting.

If they even commented on the underwear, a fist would probably come flying immediately.

Moments like this really reminded me of the differences between men and women.

I should keep this in mind and be careful not to make any mistakes later.

Wait… but how did they even know that all my underwear was plain?

Because of the s*ave mark, I had tried my best to avoid being seen in just my underwear in front of my friends.

“Well, since they don’t sell underwear here, we can pick some out next time.”

“For now, let’s try these on first.”

…I should make sure to avoid passing by a lingerie store with them in the future.

“Alright, let’s start with this one.”

Yuri picked one of the outfits and handed it to me.

Wanting to cover myself as quickly as possible, I slipped into the clothes in a hurry.

Once I put on the skirt, at least I didn’t have to worry about the s*ave mark being exposed anymore.

It was a black formal skirt, the kind often worn by office workers.

Good, a normal and perfectly fitting outfit.

“Next is this one.”

Celian handed me another outfit.

This time, it was a tank top that completely exposed my midriff.

…The thought that I was already doomed flashed through my mind.

“Alright, lift your foot. I’ll put these on for you!”

Following Yuri’s instructions, I lifted my feet one by one as she helped me put on the next piece.

It was a set of greaves and sabatons, shoes that were integrated with armor.

…Stockings would have made more sense with a formal skirt, but instead, they stuck pieces of metal onto my legs?

“Snrk…”

“Yuri? You just laughed, didn’t you?”

“Ah, no? El, you must have misheard.”

Fine, I’d let it slide. There were still two more outfits to go.

“Next up is this one.”

Celian reached out toward my face, and my vision suddenly darkened.

Right. It was sunglasses.

Not a casual pair for the beach in midsummer, but heavy, oversized sunglasses.

…In late autumn.

“This… this is the last one.”

This time, instead of dressing me herself, Celian averted her gaze and held out the final piece.

I didn’t know who picked it, but it was certainly an impressive design.

I placed the well-crafted helmet on my head.

A helmet over sunglasses, sunglasses over a tank top, a tank top over a formal skirt, and below that, greaves.

Clank, clank.

The armored shoes clattered noisily as I stepped out of the dressing room.

—”Khehehek!”

The moment I appeared, Lena burst into laughter, falling over in hysterics.

For some reason, Yuri and Celian, who had followed me out, took a step back, looking hesitant.

They all kept their distance, each offering their opinion.

“Uh… um… you look… really cool…?”

Celian stammered uncertainly, her voice lacking confidence.

“Y-Yeah. It’s not as bad as I thought?”

Yuri turned her head away, trying to hide her expression while saying it wasn’t bad.

“Khhp… Matching with Elysia… Pffthehe!”

Anne struggled to hold it in but ultimately burst out laughing.

“LFOF…”

Even the cat curled its tail and turned away as if the sight was unbearable.

“Khhihihik! I’m dying! Hihk, uhuhuk!”

Even though she was a ghost, Linne clutched her stomach, crying with laughter, saying she was about to die.

“Alright, shall we go pay for these together? I’m going to show off the whole way back to the academy.”

As I took a step toward my friends, they subtly took a step back.

No matter how many steps I took forward, the distance didn’t close at all. We just kept circling around the chair in the middle.

“What’s wrong? I carefully picked out each and every piece because they’re pretty and stylish. Aren’t we going to pay?”

As I said earlier, the helmet had a sleek design, and the sunglasses were perfect for summer vacation.

The tank top seemed good for workouts, and the formal skirt would be useful for occasions requiring a proper dress code.

As for the greaves… I don’t use them often since I prioritize mobility, but they could be useful as armor.

Meanwhile, the floral scrunchie tying my hair caught my eye.

Yeah. Each and every one of these was a decent piece of clothing, accessory, or armor.

When looked at separately, that is.

I was a fool for not predicting this situation when we all split up into different corners.

In the end, I had to spend another several dozen minutes putting together a normal outfit.

I avoided anything too heavy and opted for a shirt and long pants that prioritized mobility.

Over that, I wore leather gauntlets, a breastplate, and greaves for added practicality.

Rather than looking like a hero, I now had the appearance of an adventurer, but the flashy Holy Sword would make up for any shortcomings.

“I’m sorry, El. I really didn’t mean for this to happen…”

I only picked those out because I thought they’d suit El… but somehow, it turned into a situation where we ended up dressing her in them first.

“S…

You’re not mad, right? Hm? Hm?”

“Nya…”

I kept my mouth shut and continued walking in silence, and everyone cautiously tried to read my mood, speaking hesitantly.

“Pffft. If only I had a recording crystal, I should’ve captured that moment…”

Linne, as always, remained unfazed, making me consider giving her a gift.

Where did I put that top-grade holy water again?

“Nyaa…”

The cat, watching my expression, cautiously climbed onto my shoulder and let out a small, sorrowful cry.

Even though we were connected mentally, it seemed unable to read my thoughts when I was pretending not to be upset just to mess with my friends.

Of course, they were the ones who started the prank, but seeing the cat acting like this in front of me made me feel a little guilty.

“I’m not mad. Thanks to you guys, I ended up buying a great outfit.”

In the end, I surrendered to the cat’s affectionate gestures.

“Really? Hm? Hm?”

As soon as I said I wasn’t mad, Anne clung to my side, looking up at me for confirmation.

The cat, seemingly uncomfortable with Anne’s proximity, swiftly leaped to my other shoulder.

“I’m serious. So let’s hurry back and have dinner. It’s almost six.”

“Hehehe…”

I roughly ruffled Anne’s hair to reassure her. Instead of letting go, she clung even more and started grinning like usual.

The cat, realizing I was being honest, rubbed its head against my cheek again, showing affection.

Occasionally, its rough tongue licked the back of my neck, making me flinch from the ticklish sensation, but I had no intention of stopping it when it looked so pleased, eyes curved into a smile.

“Still, next time, let’s properly pick out some clothes. Each piece looked great on its own, after all.”

“Yeah. I want to see El in formal attire, too!”

“Then let’s all go shopping again after the Celestial Festival.”

Next time, instead of just letting my friends pick my clothes, I should choose outfits for them as well.

Of course, to do that, I’ll have to work on improving my fashion sense.

• By the way, I picked out the sunglasses just for fun!

… That aside, where did I really put that top-grade holy water?