No Hunting Today
No hunting today.
Instead, my job was to serve as the princess's guide through Antico.
Adelaide spoke up.
"I'll follow you wherever you go. Where are we headed?"
I already had a first stop in mind. Changing Adelaide's outfit was the top priority.
She was wearing her usual navy blue uniform, and setting aside the dangling epaulettes and decorations, not a single person in Antico walked around dressed like that. It was basically announcing to the whole neighborhood, I'm a rich person from the capital~
"Let's go buy clothes."
"Clothes, is it? Excellent."
I took Adelaide straight to the commercial district. She was utterly fascinated by the rope bridges spanning between the giant trees.
"To live in harmony with nature like this… What a beautiful city this is."
Adelaide skipped across the bridge the way a child hops only on the white stripes of a crosswalk. Watching her, she looked remarkably innocent.
It would have been nice if she could simply enjoy herself in peace — but people's eyes were already gathering on us. With looks as striking as Adelaide's, it was inevitable.
Before the attention could thicken any further, I steered her into a clothing shop I visited often. It was the same place where Noah and I had once bought clothes together.
"Oh? A clothing shop, is it?"
Dragged along by me, Adelaide surveyed the garments with curious eyes.
"Ah, a customer. Welcome."
The shopkeeper spotted us and rose from her seat. The store was still run by the same young woman. A pendant that looked to be made from a monster's claw, set with a gem, stood out at her throat. With winter approaching, she had traded her usual fluttering clothes for something a little thicker.
Meeting my eyes, she greeted me with a genuinely pleased expression.
"It's been a while."
"Yeah, it has."
The shopkeeper glanced at Adelaide, then brought her hands together in front of her face with a look of surprise.
"My, my — a distinguished guest. Is she with you, by any chance?"
"Yeah. We're here to buy clothes for her."
"Ah, then leave it to me."
She's looking at her like a walking coin purse, not a customer.
The shopkeeper sidled up to Adelaide with practiced ease. Adelaide, who had been absorbed in browsing the clothes, only acknowledged her once she drew near.
"Ah. So you're the proprietor of this shop."
"Yes, miss! A pleasure. If I may be so bold — might I ask where you've come from?"
Faced with the shopkeeper's almost aggressively delighted expression, Adelaide faltered for a moment. Fake eccentricity, it seemed, was no match for the real thing.
She recovered her composure quickly enough and answered.
"…Hmm. I come from the royal capital."
"From the capital!"
The shopkeeper didn't recognize that Adelaide was a princess. Antico was an outer region, after all — most people here had never seen the princess's face. Everyone was too busy just living to keep up with royal portraits.
That was exactly why I wanted to change her clothes. Adelaide was drawing far too many stares. A different outfit would at least tone it down a little.
The shopkeeper rubbed her hands together like a fly.
"What sort of clothes are you looking for?"
"…Indeed. What sort of clothes am I looking for?"
Adelaide turned the question on me.
"Something that stands out less than what you're wearing now."
"Ah, in that case, shall I also provide a bag for your current clothes?"
"That would be splendid."
The shopkeeper pulled a bag from a drawer, unfolded it, and handed it to Adelaide. Adelaide accepted it blankly and blinked.
"So I put the clothes in here?"
"Yes. You have such a wonderful figure — even something like a men's tunic would look lovely on you. Like this customer here."
The shopkeeper pointed at me.
I far preferred pants to flowing dresses or skirts. I'd spent years wearing nothing but pants, and putting on a skirt at this point just didn't feel right.
Adelaide looked me over once and nodded.
"Then I shall try some on."
"Clothes have no gender, after all. Here, here…"
Without hesitation, the shopkeeper selected a full set — top and bottom — and handed it to Adelaide.
"There's fur lining on the inside, so it'll be perfect for weather like this. Try it on and I'll check the fit."
"Mm, very well."
Adelaide took the clothes and disappeared into the fitting room. When she emerged a short while later, both the shopkeeper and I were startled.
Adelaide gripped the front of the tunic and tugged it down, her face contorted in mild distress.
"This is a bit… problematic."
"…Oh my. Miss, you have such a lovely figure."
The tunic ballooned upward over her chest. It was embarrassing just to look at. Pull it forward and her lower back showed; mind the back and her navel was on the verge of exposure.
That never happens to me.
I glanced down at my own chest. It rose softly enough, but nowhere near that full.
I'm a guy. This kind of thing doesn't matter to me.
And yet a strange bitterness lingered in my chest. Like I'd lost some unspoken contest of pride.
I turned to the shopkeeper.
"…Give her a bigger size."
Walking around like that would only attract stares for an entirely different reason. The shopkeeper nodded in agreement.
"Ah, yes. Of course."
I asked her for a tunic a size larger for Adelaide.
"This is better."
In the larger size, Adelaide's stomach and waist were finally covered. She twisted this way and that, inspecting herself, then flapped an arm as the sleeve slid down past her hand.
"But the sleeves are far too long. And it feels as though wind is coming up from below…"
Why am I already tired?
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them.
"Alright. Hold still."
First I folded the drooping sleeves up to her wrists. The loose tunic let air pour in from below, so I tucked it into her pants to seal the gap — then carefully pulled a little fabric free again so it wouldn't look overstuffed.
Only then was Adelaide's casual outfit complete.
"Hmm…"
Adelaide looked down at herself. A sudden question crossed my mind.
Can Adelaide even see her own feet?
For the record, I could see mine just fine.
Better not say anything.
I kept the thought to myself and looked at her.
"Do you like it?"
"It's comfortable and pleasant. No ornaments, so it isn't heavy either."
Adelaide picked up the bag holding her uniform. Even so, I couldn't let a princess carry a bag.
"Give it here. It's heavy."
"It isn't particularly heavy."
"Just hand it over."
"Very well."
Adelaide didn't refuse a second time.
That was when the shopkeeper stepped in from the side, smiling.
"How about some other clothes as well?"
She's trying to sell to a princess.
I shook my head and blocked her.
"…We're fine. Just ring these up."
It was Adelaide who stopped me.
"No. We shall buy more. Though — I'm in no position to carry them around at the moment. Might I collect them when I return to the capital?"
The shopkeeper's mouth stretched into a wide grin.
"Ah! Of course—! Then what else were you thinking of purchasing?"
"Hmm… well."
Adelaide glanced at me.
"Do you usually wear clothes like that?"
"…More or less."
On hot summer days or when I was out hunting, I often wore sleeveless tops. Lately the weather had turned chilly enough that sleeveless alone was too cold, so I'd mostly switched to tunics.
Adelaide considered my answer briefly. The deliberation didn't last long.
"Then I shall take about five sets similar to what I'm wearing now."
"Thank you so much!"
The shopkeeper's expression transformed into that of someone about to ascend to heaven. The naked delight on her face was almost unbearable to look at.
Why is Adelaide buying five nearly identical outfits?
The royal palace had to be full of far prettier clothes.
"Wouldn't one set be enough?"
"Consider it an expression of my gratitude toward this shop. They did provide me with fine clothes, did they not?"
A princess's way of thinking, it seemed, occupied an entirely different realm from mine. Buying several items as a show of respect for the other party — something like that?
Adelaide chuckled softly and smoothed her new clothes.
"And I rather like clothes like these myself."
Given that she normally wore a men's-style military uniform rather than dresses, Adelaide didn't seem particularly fond of the flowing, ornament-laden variety. In that case, buying clothes like these made sense. She could take them home as a souvenir of Antico, or wear them comfortably whenever she wanted a break from formality.
The shopkeeper presented five top-and-bottom sets of her own selection. Adelaide nodded readily without even trying them on. The shopkeeper had surely picked the right sizes. I didn't concern myself much either.
Smiling brightly, the shopkeeper packed each set into a fresh bag.
"How will you be paying?"
"Hmm, yes. Payment. You there — hand me that bag for a moment."
I passed Adelaide the bag. She pulled out her uniform and rummaged through the pockets. Her cheerful expression as she handled the uniform suddenly froze solid.
"…One moment."
She checked the pockets again, broke into a cold sweat, and her face went the color of dirt. Then she looked at me with the most pitiful eyes imaginable.
"A-Alice, my hunter. We have a problem."
"What is it?"
"I appear not to have brought any money when I left the castle."
I stared at Adelaide in silence. Somehow, I'd seen this coming.
Adelaide averted her eyes and rolled them about. Really, she ought to have been more worried about the shopkeeper — whose gaze had turned truly ominous.
But it was fine. I was always prepared.
I stepped forward with confidence.
"Don't worry. I'll buy them."
"Th-thank you. I shall repay you twofold later."
"And don't even think about gifting me clothes in return."
"Mph…"
Struck squarely on the mark, Adelaide could only blink, unable to say a word.