Is This... Me? (1)
Through the haze of my dazed consciousness, a woman's voice laced with pretense drifted in. "Oh my~ Customer, this and that suit you so perfectly~! Why not try them all on? This store is a special place prepared just for you! Hehe~"
It was a sly, irritating whisper dripping with feigned laughter. Instead of responding, I simply rolled my empty gaze around the surroundings. Beyond the store, countless people hurried past—some chatting with companions, others walking while glued to their phones. Further out, I could see the shops across the way and the clothing stores crammed tightly beside them. It was the lively scene of a bustling shopping mall, nothing outwardly strange about it.
Yet the problem was that this scenery was one I'd seen recently—very recently, in fact. It was the exact shopping mall I'd visited right after escaping the gate's vicinity, the place where I'd spent hours in exhausting torment. Even though the shopping had been half-forced by her, the memory remained vivid because I rarely visited such spots otherwise. And this place matched that mall perfectly, down to the last detail. Even if it was nothing more than an illusion.
Thinking back, this store was the same. While shopping, we'd wandered through many shops, but one in particular had stuck in my mind. It was the place where she'd drooled over the abundance of matching clothes, and the clerk had fawned over her nonstop. That must be why it had left such a strong impression, allowing it to be recreated so flawlessly here.
I stared at the catalog laid out before me and let out a heavy sigh. This was the location Ulthar had manifested to help me pick an outfit. When I'd demanded to know why he'd chosen a place that triggered my trauma, his only reply was that it was the most plausible spot from my memories. But judging by his tone and behavior, it was clearly intentional. Not only had he taken on the appearance of that clerk from back then, but now he was clinging to my side and acting coy—I could more or less guess his game.
The woman wearing the clerk's face from my memories looked down at me with a sinister smile. The only difference was her golden eyes, still glowing faintly even now.
"No need to feel pressured~ Try on as many as you like! This store exists solely for magical girls~"
"What kind of bullshit is that... This was obviously just a normal casual-wear store..."
Already feeling unsettled, I found his constant prodding—buzzing around me like a fly—unbearable. Unable to hold back, I snapped my head toward him with a glare, only to trail off at the unbelievable sight that filled my vision.
The various outfits that had been on display moments ago had vanished without a trace. In their place, the store was now packed with all sorts of distinctive magical girl costumes. As my trembling eyes scanned them, I realized they were exactly the outfits from the catalog he'd handed me earlier. With such eye-catching garments suddenly flooding the entire store, the scene was... well, it didn't need explaining. Even a real-life magical girl cosplay shop would have to bow its head in defeat before this place. The entire store had transformed into something straight out of a frilly, cutesy dream.
Meanwhile, the people passing by outside showed zero interest in the changed store, which only drove home the fact that this space wasn't reality. I stood there with my mouth agape, caught between disbelief and absurdity. In contrast, Ulthar slowly surveyed his handiwork before curling his lips into a satisfied grin.
Even if this was all a dream, to pull something like this without any hesitation... Of course, the people walking past the store were all illusions born from my memories. Still, imagining how I must look to them from outside made heat rise to my cheeks in shame. In that sense, I almost envied how utterly shameless he was.
Desperately steadying my chaotic thoughts, I lowered my gaze back to the catalog he'd given me. A mysterious booklet he'd supposedly made by hand to help with my choice. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary high-end clothing catalog. For a brief moment, I'd even wondered if it might be normal after all. But the instant I flipped to the first page, that thought was shattered in seconds.
What greeted me from the very first page were outfits so over-the-top they were stressful just to look at. I'd never realized there were this many variations of magical girl costumes. It was a dizzying parade of colors. Yet they all shared one thing in common: every single one had a striking, unique personality that demanded attention. No wonder I'd recoiled the moment I turned the page. Plenty of them looked questionable enough to make me doubt whether they were even meant to be worn.
Adding to that, he'd clearly put real effort into it—beneath each outfit was a lengthy explanation of its concept. And those descriptions were... well, they weren't exactly normal either. Flipping through the headache-inducing catalog, I'd lost count of how many times I'd been hit with a wave of secondhand embarrassment.
What tormented me even more amid the mental fog were the sly whispers coming from all around.
"Hmm~ Customer, how about No.43? It's the ultimate pretty-girl concept with tons of soft frills! Look at these adorable decorations~ With the pink color added, it'll maximize your cuteness!"
"Rejected."
"Then how about this one?! No.37, a sharp and wild all-purpose combat uniform! It's specialized purely for fighting, so there aren't any annoying decorations. Instead, it has quite a bit of exposure around the midriff, arms, and legs—but that's how magical girl outfits work! The more skin you show, the higher the defense! I highly recommend it if you want to emphasize mature charm!"
"...Rejected."
"The true essence of magical girl outfits is the school uniform! No.78—it's cute when it needs to be cute, pure when it needs to be pure! It has everything balanced perfectly. This one's an upgraded version tailored to the latest school uniform trends! If you want something relatively safe, this is—"
"......Rejected!"
Though he'd volunteered to help with the outfit selection, the reality was the complete opposite. Every outfit he picked had some glaring issue that couldn't be ignored. If it had only happened once or twice, maybe, but seeing it happen repeatedly made it obvious he was just choosing based on his own tastes.
"Hwaaang!! You don't like this one or that one either—then what style do you even want?! You're supposed to decide these things the moment the feeling hits~"
As my stubborn refusals continued, Ulthar scrunched up his face and started bouncing around in frustration. If that's the case, at least recommend something normal... The words rose to the tip of my tongue, but before I could say them, I noticed something odd. Every time I turned a page in the catalog, an unmistakable impatience flashed across his face. Given everything he'd shown so far, that reaction was highly unexpected. It was far from his usual laid-back attitude. There was no doubt about it—he was desperate for me to pick an outfit as quickly as possible. Clearly... there was something he wasn't telling me.
Narrowing my eyes, I slowly retraced my thoughts from the beginning to figure out what I was missing. Then my eyes flew wide open. At the same time, I flipped the catalog all the way to the very last pages in one go. Ulthar, who'd been watching me with an anxious look, couldn't hide his surprise at my sudden action. Ignoring him, I carefully scanned the latter half of the catalog before glaring at him, my suspicion now hardened into certainty.
"Hmm~? Something feels off. No matter how I look at it, the order of the outfits in this catalog isn't natural... It's almost like someone's personal tastes are heavily reflected in it."
[...! W-What do you mean? It's just a coincidence, a coincidence! Ahahaha...!]
At my icy accusation, Ulthar rolled his golden eyes and forced out an awkward laugh. Watching the untrustworthy clerk, I looked back down at the problematic catalog. So that was why there were so many strange outfits—they'd all been crammed into the front section. Meanwhile, the plain or unremarkable ones were mostly pushed to the back. Anyone could see the order had been deliberately manipulated. No wonder he'd been rushing me to choose quickly.
Even with the truth laid bare, he still avoided my gaze and pretended nothing was wrong. But the moment his trick was exposed, the initiative had already shifted to me. Enjoying the way his eyes twitched under my stare, I began examining the catalog starting from the very last page. This time, far more ordinary outfits caught my eye—ones that weren't too flashy yet were easy to move in. They were the exact opposite of the style he'd been pushing so far.
Of course, no matter how plain they looked, they were still magical girl outfits at their core, so they were on a completely different level from normal clothes. Still, they were much tamer compared to the one I'd worn in the garden or the ones at the front of the catalog. Unlike before, I now studied the outfits with a serious expression. A moment later, I finally made my decision, pulled the photo of the chosen outfit from its plastic sleeve, and placed it on the table.
Ulthar, who'd been cautiously watching me from a short distance away, rushed over the instant he saw my action. With quick hands, he snatched up the photo and examined it closely. His face gradually stiffened. Observing that reaction, I felt my judgment confirmed.
[Aaaah... Are you really going with this one? I mean, every outfit has its own charm, but this one won't bring out your cute appearance to its fullest!!]
"Thanks for the confirmation. I'm definitely going with this. The best way to deal with a manipulator and a fraud is to do the exact opposite of what he recommends. Mm-hmm."
[Tch!... Well, it's still something you chose yourself, so... Let's just try it on first.]
Clicking his tongue in displeasure, Ulthar snapped his fingers. In that instant, a mannequin appeared beside him—one modeled after a girl's figure. The moment I saw it, I knew it was an exact replica of my current body size. Shortly after, the outfit I'd selected materialized naturally onto the mannequin. I stared at the sight with indifferent eyes. It looked no different from the photo.
But then something happened. The clerk slyly pushed the mannequin toward me. When I tilted my head in confusion at the incomprehensible gesture, he spoke in a shrinking voice.
[Um... It's still your first time trying it on, so... how about changing in the fitting room over there by your—]
"Stop! Stop! I get it!! I was wrong, so please, anything but that!!!"
Faced with his absurd request, I kept a blank expression as flames ignited in both my hands. He knew better than anyone what that meant. Apparently unwilling to let his precious outfits go up in flames, he immediately backed down this time. Watching Ulthar flail his hands and desperately plead, I let out a small sigh and extinguished the flames. The moment he confirmed the fire was gone, he collapsed on the spot like a tragic heroine from a drama, looking up at me with watery eyes for good measure.
[Hwaaang... How could you even think of doing something so cruel?! This is a crime! You'll definitely be punished by heaven!]
"Ha! Then isn't it a crime to turn someone's body into this mess in the first place? Cut the nonsense and get moving."
I gave him a twisted smile at his shameless attitude. Who was the one who'd turned my dream into this disaster in the first place? And now a body-modifying criminal who turned a normal person into a slime girl was lecturing about crime—it was absurd. Still, he must have had some shred of conscience left, because after my cold retort, he shrank back, cleared his throat awkwardly, and snapped his fingers again.
Whoosh! As if responding to the gesture, the outfit on the mannequin vanished in an instant. Finding where it had gone was easy—it was now draped over my body. Feeling the unfamiliar texture of the changed clothes, I approached a nearby mirror and stared straight at my reflection.
The girl standing there looked quite different from before. A cute black hat sat tilted on her head. A black ribbon like a choker was tied around her neck. Below that was a flowing black blouse that a medieval noble girl might wear. A black skirt of moderate length with frills at the hem rested around her waist, and black stockings covered her long, pale legs from the thighs down. Finally, a pair of dainty black shoes with a slight heel completed the look.
Overall, it closely resembled the so-called "gothic lolita" style often seen in manga and anime. But unlike most outfits in that category, this one had a simple design with minimal flashy decorations. I felt a small sense of relief that it didn't look as bad as I'd feared.
However, the changes weren't limited to the clothes. My originally black eyes—typical of Koreans and East Asians—had turned a golden hue, like moonlight on a midnight lake. Conversely, the hair that had turned gray after transforming into this form had returned to a deep black. It also seemed like the length, which had reached my nape, had grown a little longer. Along with the outfit, the changes to my eyes and hair—major factors in determining one's impression—gave the girl in the mirror a completely different atmosphere from before. While her facial features remained almost identical, the shift in impression was so stark that even someone who knew her original face would struggle to recognize her without close inspection.
A mysterious, noble young lady living alone in a gloomy mansion with an eerie atmosphere. The description had come to me on a whim, but it wasn't a bad fit. In any case, based on appearance alone, she didn't look like an ordinary person at all. Facing the dreamy girl in the mirror, I reached out one hand. The girl in the reflection did the same. Two girls facing each other across the mirror, their hands meeting. The girl looking back at me wore the same dazed expression I did—a gaze filled with pure surprise at the current situation.
But for some reason... I couldn't shake the feeling that the girl in the mirror was giving me a sinister smile.