Volume 5 Chapter 2 The Thank You From That Time
To accompany Cosmos on her shopping trip, I ran to the central square of the East District, our meeting spot.
With only a few minutes left until the agreed time, I managed to arrive at the meeting place about 5 minutes early thanks to the support magic [Accel] that sped up my pace.
In the central square, I found a black-haired girl already leaning against a stone pillar, waiting.
"Oh, you're early, Cosmos. Did I make you wait?"
"I just got here too. I wasn't so excited that I arrived here several minutes early or anything."
"Oh, I see."
I wasn't really suspecting her or anything.
Anyway, I was glad I made it on time.
Since this shopping trip was a way to thank Cosmos, I couldn't be late by any means.
And at that moment, I realized something odd about Cosmos.
Following this feeling, I stared at her outfit, and Cosmos, sensing my gaze, started to fidget.
"What? If you have something to say, just say it!"
"Umm..."
I immediately realized the source of my unease and blurted out the answer.
"Cosmos is...white."
"White? What do you mean by that? Couldn't you come up with a better comment?"
"Well, you usually dress all in black."
Cosmos is known for her black robe and black pointed hat.
But today, she had taken off her hat, held a pure white handbag instead of her staff, and wore a pure white dress instead of her usual black robe.
Since her outfit was the opposite of her usual style, I couldn't help but blurt out 'white' as a strange observation.
Cosmos, her cheeks slightly flushed, coughed and muttered something softly.
"...Well, at least you noticed the change in my outfit."
Then she moved away from the stone pillar and urged me to start walking.
"Let's go then. There are quite a few shops I want to visit, so we'll have to walk at a brisk pace."
"What are we buying today? I haven't heard anything about it yet. I can't carry anything too heavy, you know."
"Don't worry, I didn't ask you to come along just to carry stuff."
Cosmos continued while lightly stroking the hem of her white dress with one hand.
"I've been really busy lately, so I haven't been able to buy much new clothes. That's why I'm going to visit some clothing stores today."
"A clothing store? Is that what you wanted me to come along for? Does it even make sense for me to go with you?"
"Well, I thought it might be nice to consider a guy's opinion when choosing clothes, you know, just as a lady's courtesy."
Ah, I see.
So, I just need to judge the clothes as a guy, huh?
So that's what she meant by wanting me to come shopping with her.
But it sounds kind of difficult.
Perhaps my feelings were showing on my face, as Cosmos said something in advance.
"It's not like I'm asking anything difficult, so just answer casually, and that's all I need. Come on, let's hurry up and go!"
"Oh, wait a second, Cosmos."
I hurriedly chased after Cosmos, who had started walking ahead of me.
* * *
After walking for a while, we arrived at a street lined with commercial facilities.
The East District has a variety of shops, and you can pretty much find anything you need here.
From groceries and miscellaneous goods to clothes and furniture, I've gotten a lot of the essentials for daily life from here as well.
On the other hand, the West District is home to many industrial facilities and adventurer-related establishments, with lots of craftsmen and adventurers around.
Cosmos, who usually goes to the West District, seemed to be experiencing a fresh reaction as she checked out the commercial facilities in the East District for the first time in a while.
"There are a lot of new shops opening up while I haven't seen you in a while...! Look, Roezé, if you walk slowly, I'll leave it here"
"Hey, you walk too fast...!"
Cosmos' pace quickens, perhaps due to the excitement of seeing more and more unfamiliar shops.
I try to follow her, but this street, packed with commercial establishments, is one of the busiest in the town of Hyamars.
Because of this, I am often held back by a wall of people, and Cosmos's back moves away before my eyes.
Cosmos is small and slender, so she seems to be good at weaving her way through crowds.
Since I would probably get scolded if I said anything, I quietly followed Cosmos, who was happily walking down the street.
Eventually, we arrived at the first clothing store we were aiming for.
"First, this is the place. I usually buy my clothes here, so it's my go-to shop."
"Oh, they have quite a selection of children's sizes, huh?"
"...I can still cast [Meteor] even without a staff, you know?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant! I wasn't trying to make fun of you. The sizes of the clothes in the store are pretty important, right?"
Some stores only have sizes for big guys.
Especially since Cosmos is a bit more delicate and smaller than most people, it must be a struggle to find the right size.
As I thought about how I definitely chose my words poorly but had no bad intentions, Cosmos shrugged her shoulders as if to say "good grief."
"It's true that they have a variety of sizes. Plus, I come here often because I really like the designs of the clothes."
"O-oh, I see."
"Anyway, I'm going to take a quick look and then we'll head to the next store."
Saying that, Cosmos immediately picked up some clothes that caught her eye and started trying them on in front of the mirror.
After carefully examining a few items, she picked out a light blue dress and showed it to me.
"What do you think of this one?"
"Well, I wouldn't know what to say..."
I imagined Cosmos wearing the dress and conveyed my honest impression to her.
"Doesn't it look like the skirt part might get caught on the trees, making it difficult to move? Even though you fight with magic, monsters might suddenly close the distance between you and them. You need to be able to move quickly in an emergency..."
"Who would make something this cute into a battle outfit? It's completely for private use!"
Oh, so she doesn't wear it in battle.
If that's the case, then my advice seems even more meaningless.
I'm not really one to care much about fashion.
Actually, since she asked me for my opinion, I mistakenly thought she was choosing clothes with combat in mind.
"It's not about defense or mobility, it's simply about...I just want you to see if it suits me."
"Hmm, if that's the case...I think it probably suits you"
Answering with uncertainty.
Then, Cosmos blinked her eyes and turned around, flapping her legs about.
Afterward, she turned back towards me, and it seemed like her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she said with a composed expression.
"...Keep it up and give me your honest opinions. Come on, let's head to the next store."
"Y-yeah, if this kind of opinion is okay, I can give you as many as you want."
I couldn't help but wonder if this was really sufficient as a thank you, but I accompanied Cosmos on her shopping.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)