Weekend Shopping Chaos
The weekend had finally arrived. Most students at the academy spend their first weekend here heading out to explore the capital or do whatever they please. I guess it's because so many of them are visiting the city for the first time.
"Whoa, Theo! Buy that too, come on!"
"It's my first time coming to a mart like this in person, but they sell so much stuff."
"Estelle, don't go off by yourself—come with us…!"
I'd come out of the academy with the two of them and headed to a nearby large supermarket for some shopping. Sure, there are places to eat inside the academy grounds, but they're mostly restaurants and convenience stores rather than a full mart, so I'd brought these two—who'd never set foot in one—out for a look around.
"This has an insanely long shelf life. We could eat it even if war broke out."
"No, Iris, don't say scary stuff like that. War? What war? I like peace."
"Of course, peace is my favorite too."
Iris casually tossing around talk of war like it was nothing.
"Whoa! We can ride in this cart too? Look, babies are riding in them! Should I try?"
"No, Estelle, you're not a baby."
Estelle grunting and insisting on climbing into the cart.
Regret was flooding over me like a tidal wave for not practicing teleportation magic to go home instead of coming out with these two. Even if it was their first time out, did they have to act this childish?!
"Oh my, isn't that Her Highness the Imperial Princess and the Saintess over there?"
On top of that, both of them were stunningly beautiful, drawing eyes everywhere, and they weren't exactly subtle about who they were, so people were staring, which was getting exhausting.
"Maybe we should've disguised ourselves after all."
"I didn't think people would recognize us this easily."
Estelle and Iris still didn't seem to grasp just how eye-catching their looks were.
"That's why I said we should disguise ourselves. Aren't all these stares tiring for you two?"
"Hmm, I'm fine. Back in the Holy Empire, I was always meeting with the citizens."
Hmm, yeah, Estelle's a total big E, so that makes sense.
"…I'm getting a bit tired, actually."
But Iris was clearly more like me—a big I—so she was feeling the fatigue too.
"Theo and Iris don't seem to like hanging out with crowds much."
"No, it's not that—it's just the pressure from all those unspecified gazes, you know?"
I tried explaining, but Estelle, being a big E, probably wouldn't get it. Someone who thrives on random attention couldn't understand why we'd find it draining.
"Well, since you two say you're tired, how about we try disguising now?"
With that, Estelle used her mana to erase the star on her forehead and dye her hair black. Her long hair still stood out a bit, but tying it up and topping it with a hat would cover her beauty enough to blend in. Solid fix.
"Iris, tie your hair up and wear a hat too."
Anticipating something like this, I'd brought two hats—one for Estelle, and one handed to Iris.
"Ah, yeah! Put it on for me, Theo…!"
Instead of just taking it, Iris tied her hair back and cutely tilted her head for me to put it on. I couldn't help chuckling as I did. But seriously, pairing that gorgeous face with such adorable behavior? That's cheating. My heart kept skipping—thump, flutter, so cute!
"Good thing we wore normal clothes too!"
Normally they wore academy uniforms, but I'd insisted on plain clothes for outings since the uniforms stood out. Their outfits were flashy by default, so I lent them some of mine to tone it down, and now with my hats on top, they looked perfectly ordinary. My clothes… are pretty basic, huh.
"Anyway, let's keep—" Ow…!
Estelle, all excited again, wasn't watching where she was going and bumped into someone. I had a bad feeling about this, and sure enough…
"Ugh, what the hell!"
It had to be some random guys—total thug types. Classic event unfolding right in front of me: pretty girls out and about, attracting the usual scum.
"Ah, sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going…"
"Huh? Oh, it's a pretty big sis. No harm done~ Just hang out with us as an apology~"
"Ugh, what a textbook thug line."
Estelle started with an apology since it was her fault, but her face twisted at their sleazy comeback, blurting out her honest thoughts.
"So lame. Do thugs have some secret pact to all use the same cringy lines? Why do they all talk alike?"
She even asked it dead seriously, like it was a genuine curiosity. Classic Estelle—utterly unfazed.
Somehow, bumping into thugs with her didn't spark any worry or heroics from me. Bizarre.
"You gonna just stand there, Theo?"
"Nah, doesn't seem like I need to step in."
If Estelle were weak, I'd have jumped in to save her, no question. My swordsmanship or magic could flatten these punks in seconds. But Estelle? She's no damsel. She'd handle it herself before I even moved—a powerhouse who'd wipe the floor without breaking a sweat.
"Should we check out the rest of the aisles? Might be easier without Estelle drawing trouble."
"Yeah, good point. Hanging with her might mean more of this."
So we just told Estelle to handle it however and strolled away from the scene. Oh, and I reminded her not to kill anyone.
"Ugh, what a pain. Trying to separate me from Theo… no choice now."
Estelle smiled, but it was chillingly different from before. The thugs in front of her flinched instinctively.
"Wh-what…? Why am I…?"
These guys were huge, the type who didn't flinch even against tough opponents. They weren't unbeatable fighters, but their size let them bluff and bully most people into submission. Yet this tiny woman radiated an eerie aura that made their skin crawl.
"…Let's just grab her and drag her off, that girl."
They didn't know why, but hey—capture, have fun, done. As the brutes closed in on Estelle,
"Binding."
⟨ Restraint ⟩
"Gah…?!"
"What the—my body won't move…!"
"Argh, that girl's a mage…?!"
Beating a mage as ordinary thugs? Impossible.
"Haa, such a hassle. Shut that mouth too?"
With their mouths sealed, the thugs froze in place—unable to move or speak—finally realizing their mistake as cold sweat poured down.
"What to do? Leave 'em here for public scorn, or beat 'em to a pulp?"
Normally, Estelle would've stopped here, but she was pissed. She'd dragged Theo out for a date, and Iris tagging along already irked her. Now this—stuck with creeps while Iris got solo time with him? Unacceptable.
"Yeah, time to wreck 'em."
Of course, no direct attack spells in the middle of a crowded mart. That'd cause a scene, and Theo hated attention—even if he and Iris were long gone, she held back for his sake.
"Mental attack it is. A nightmare that'll scar you for life."
The thugs who'd pissed off an irritated Estelle were doomed to lifelong trauma as payback.
'Mercy…!'
They screamed it in their minds, but Estelle didn't stop.