Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: The Foreign Princess is Very Interested in Clothes (1)
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There are times when people fall into a sense of futility, wondering what on earth they're even doing.
Whether they're a passionate person who always lives sincerely and fervently in the moment.
Or a person who just goes with the flow, living naturally.
Everyone is bound to experience such a feeling at least once; it's unavoidable.
After all, humans aren't robots that operate on simple input and output; they're living beings whose responses vary from moment to moment.
I suppose being swept up in this kind of sensation is a perfectly natural thing.
So, why am I suddenly having these thoughts?
The reason was simple. It was because I was floundering in this very sense of futility.
‘Just how many times have I changed clothes? This isn't a fashion show. I wish this would end soon…’
The source of my futility was none other than my current situation.
Because I was trapped in an endless cycle… of putting on clothes, taking them off, putting them on again, and taking them off again.
Changing clothes isn't a hassle, so what's so hard about it, you ask?
Well, that was true. When I had changed about five times, it just felt like a simple, repetitive task.
But after changing into similar-looking outfits thirty, forty times, it was a different story.
To me, they just looked like similar clothes, so why on earth did I have to keep changing?
My brain was so tired of the boredom that I was on the verge of feeling a deep dizziness.
But I couldn't stop, even if I wanted to.
That was because of the girl right next to me, her eyes sparkling with delight.
“Oh my, Yuria, you're so pretty! You look just like a princess!”
“…”
She was a beautiful girl with a noble air, about the same height as me.
Her luscious blonde hair, seemingly under meticulous care, shimmered as it swayed.
With every movement, a fresh freesia scent wafted, accompanied by an extraordinary elegance.
A beautiful girl for whom the expression 'a young lady from a noble house' couldn't be more fitting!
I nodded weakly at the excited girl's words, my cheeks flushed red.
Of course, it wasn't a reaction of joy at her words.
It was merely an indifferent gesture, filled with a prayer for this moment to pass quickly.
“Hey, don't look so down. Take a look in the mirror! I bet you'll love it!”
“…Mmph.”
She pressed firmly on my back, as if to say I'd regret it if I didn't look in the mirror.
Her innocent attitude held no malice, so I wasn't upset… but I couldn't help feeling tired.
I listlessly moved my gaze and looked at the full-length mirror, which was taller than me.
In it was reflected a beautiful, expressionless girl in a dress, her entire body adorned with jewels.
Well, it was a sight of myself so familiar that I could picture it in my mind even with my eyes closed.
‘Haa, when is this ever going to end…’
Why am I putting on this tiring fashion show with a strange young lady?
To understand the reason, I had to go back in time a bit.
It happened several hours ago, while I was tending the counter at Greg's general store.
*
Tick, tock.
The second hand of the old-fashioned antique clock on the wall made its presence faintly known with its sound.
I suddenly wondered if kids these days even know how to read it.
But its analog form set a natural atmosphere in a space filled with old things.
A few days after the attempted terrorist attack at Tempest Stadium, which had nearly caused serious casualties.
Having returned to my daily routine, I was at work at the general store, sprawled limply over the counter.
In a daze, feeling as if I would sink into the deep sea if I emptied my mind.
I rested my head on my pillowy white arms and thought quietly.
‘…What a strange feeling. Something incredibly dangerous happened, yet no one knows about it. It feels like it was all a dream.’
They say a great war will break out within a few months, but is it really okay for things to be this peaceful?
I sighed in frustration, idly twirling the ends of my long hair with my fingertips.
Of course, I can secretly infiltrate the Fixer Association's database through Echo.
In truth, I knew that beneath the surface, the Fixers and the Metahuman Liberation Army were fighting fiercely.
The reason the Association doesn't bring the war with the Metahuman Liberation Army to the surface is that there's nothing to be gained by doing so.
‘If I had to classify them, the Metahuman Liberation Army is a kind of terrorist group. They're even a secret society whose base of operations is unknown. Since they can't be wiped out in one go right now, rashly publicizing the war against them would only cause panic among the citizens… that must be their reasoning.’
Of course, having read the original story, I have a vague idea of where the Metahuman Liberation Army's base is.
The place I know of is protected by sophisticated defensive magic and a toxic environment.
And if they realize they've been discovered, who knows where they'll flee to. So there was the problem of not being able to reveal it carelessly.
In the first place, since I can't speak, there's no way my meaning would be properly conveyed.
Still, I desperately want to resolve this somehow before innocent people become victims….
But I'm not in a position to command the Fixers as I please. The situation was incredibly complicated.
Ugh, to not know what to do in a situation where I have to do *something*!
The stuffiness was like my breakfast wasn't digesting properly, making me want to let out a shriek.
Perhaps it was because I let out a sound like a squashed frog while slumped over the counter.
Greg, who was nearby delicately wiping dust off the merchandise, suddenly spoke to me.
“Yuria, you don't seem well this morning. Is something troubling you?”
“…Mmm-mm.”
No, it's not something I can just confide in someone else….
I slowly straightened up and shook my head lightly, as if to say it was nothing.
Lately, my perspective has changed, and I've been trying not to find it so difficult to ask for help.
But even so, this wasn't a problem that could be solved or would ease my mind just by telling someone.
So, as I kept my lips sealed and stared quietly at the desk.
Greg, who had approached without me noticing, placed a hand on my head and let out a soft chuckle.
“Hmm, I see. If there's anything I can do to help, you can tell me anytime. I owe you a debt of gratitude, after all… and I promise I will always be your ally.”
“…”
“And lately, I'm very happy that you seem to have opened up to me. Thank you for seeming to trust me.”
…What's with this, it's so sudden. Don't you know there's a right atmosphere for saying things like this?
It's something you say on a celebratory day, like a birthday or when someone gets a job.
Why are you being like this in the middle of a perfectly normal day? Are you trying to embarrass me to death?!
I could feel my face growing hot without even touching it, so I lowered my head.
And I started poking the desk restlessly with my index finger, as if trying to drill a hole in it.
Raven, Alice, Greg… I'm surrounded by good people.
I always knew it, but hearing something so unabashedly heartfelt made my whole body squirm.
But perhaps I'd momentarily forgotten that Greg and I weren't the only ones in the store.
Karen, who had emerged from her workshop, spoke in a somewhat sly voice.
“Hee hee, you two look so nice, like a father and daughter.”
“…I'm a bachelor, though.”
“It's just an expression. Miss Yuria, your ears are incredibly red. They look like strawberries.”
“Myaak!”
Who gave you permission to look at my ears!
Startled, I covered my ears with both hands and hissed at Karen.
Why doesn't this stupid fox mask have an option to cover the ears?
Clamping my hands over my ears, I slumped forward onto the desk and stomped my feet, trying to endure the humiliation.
“Ahem.”
“Hee hee hee.”
“…”
These people have really taken a liking to embarrassing me lately.
Thanks to Raven, I resolved to open up to the people around me, so I don't plan on ignoring them.
But at this rate, my list of embarrassing moments will just keep growing.
I have to think of a way to strike back, or else…!
As I lay slumped over the counter in a defensive posture, silently enduring Karen's attacks.
Suddenly, the store's door opened, and someone strode inside.
“Hm, Alice? What brings you here?”
“*Pant, pant*… Hello! Mr. Greg, Ms. Karen! Excuse me for barging in!”
“No, you don't need to think of it as barging in.”
“Oh my, it's nice to see you.”
“…Alice!”
The one who had burst through the door was none other than the pink-haired beauty, Alice.
As usual, her daringly modified kimono, which offered a clear view of her inner thighs, was striking.
It was a sexy outfit that truly suited Alice, whose leg muscles were beautiful in their own right.
A useless thought suddenly crossed my mind… what would happen if I wore that?
‘…I couldn't do it. I'd be too embarrassed, it looks like my underwear would show. Besides, I'm not that interested in clothes anyway.’
I don't have much of a fashion sense, nor do I have a particular style I want to maintain.
If anything, I'm glad I have clothes like uniforms that I can wear all the time.
Unless someone gifts them to me, aren't clothes just things you put on your body?
I looked down at my still-clean and tidy maid outfit and secretly nodded to myself.
However, there was one thing I hadn't expected….
It was that Alice, upon entering the store, turned to Greg and asked this:
“Um, Mr. Greg… could I possibly borrow Yuria for a little while?”
“Hm, Yuria? Hmm, pardon me, but may I ask what for?”
“Well… the client said they needed a pretty girl who would look good in any outfit…!”
“Aha, that's… Miss Yuria, perfectly.”
“Huh.”
“If that's the case, it can't be helped.”
“N-Nyak?!”
Because I'm a girl who would look good in any outfit… they're taking me?
But what followed that mysterious request was Karen's assenting reply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
No matter how you look at it, this is weird!
As I stared back and forth between the two in bewildered confusion, Greg's subsequent reply left me completely stunned.
Because it was, no matter how I heard it, a clear statement of permission.
So, when I looked up at Greg with the desolate expression of a betrayed cat,
he looked down at me with a face full of amusement and said,
“Yuria, go ahead. I'll count today as a workday and bill Raven for it.”
“R-Really?! Thank you!”
“Hwuh? Hwehh?”
“Well then, we're in a hurry… Yuria, let's go!”
“Eeeek!”
As Alice grabbed my arm and dragged me helplessly away, I had a quiet thought.
It seemed today wasn't going to be a quiet one.