A Cozy Outing (2)
"Welcome," the shopkeeper greeted us as we stepped inside a modest tailor shop. It looked a bit worn-down, but since Trie had recommended it, I decided not to question her choice.
"Oh my. Students from the Imperial Academy? In that case, I'll give you a thirty percent discount."
"Thank you."
"What are you looking for today?"
"A belt. And I'd like to commission a scabbard."
"A scabbard..."
The middle-aged woman's expression shifted dramatically. She beckoned us with a wave and led us deeper inside. We followed her down a staircase, lantern in hand.
"Whoa..."
A gasp of wonder escaped Emilia's lips. The basement was even larger than the tailor shop above. Leather garments, knee guards... every kind of protective gear imaginable, all made of leather, filled the space. It seemed this was her true line of work.
"We only handle leather scabbards. Is that alright?"
"As long as it won't get pierced by the blade's tip."
"Hehe. That wouldn't be a scabbard at all. Do you have the actual weapon with you?"
"No, I don't have the physical blade, but..."
I had once compared the sword Trie gave me with Bappe's size. When I held them side by side, they matched almost perfectly with no margin for error. So crafting it to fit Bappe should work.
I slowly circulated my internal circuit to generate Mana Energy. A bright flash erupted from my right palm with a resonant hum. I gripped the pillar of light tightly, and soon a blue, shimmering blade of pure light appeared in my hand.
"If you make it the same size as this, it should fit perfectly."
"Ah... I see. Let me take the measurements. Could you lower it a bit?"
"Sure. But be careful. It might hurt if you touch it."
"Understood..."
I laid Bappe flat on the table. The shopkeeper's hands trembled slightly as she unfurled her measuring tape and took the dimensions. Once she was done, I retrieved Bappe. That's when my eyes fell on the table.
"Huh?"
"Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing."
The edge of the table was scorched and slightly gouged out. It must have brushed against it... I turned around and signaled Emilia to keep quiet.
"What color would you like?"
"Black, please."
"Alright. While I make the scabbard, why don't you choose a belt from the ones hanging on that wall over there?"
"Will do."
The shopkeeper disappeared into her workshop, leaving Emilia and me alone. Emilia immediately approached with a mischievous glint in her eyes and leaned close to my ear.
"That table looked pretty expensive..."
"..."
"You're not going to tell her?"
"I'd rather you didn't."
"Then what do I get in return?"
"..."
Now she was demanding hush money. She'd really become shameless. Maybe she'd figured out that I knew her true identity. How could a person change so drastically overnight?
"Well? What do you want?"
"That thing you pulled out of your hand earlier. I didn't get a chance to ask before, but what exactly is it?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself. One day it just started coming out of my hand."
"..."
Emilia stared intently at my face, but her expression turned doubtful. She clearly couldn't tell if I was lying or telling the truth. Which made sense. I'd mixed a bit of truth in with the lie. A hundred percent falsehood would never work on Emilia.
"Hmm... I see. Are you destined to become some kind of hero or something, Oppa?"
"Hardly."
I shook my head immediately. I'd only managed to drag this extra's body this far by cramming it full of every possible ability and fortuitous encounter. I was certain that Schlus Heinkel's original body had almost no talent to speak of. Except for a slight aptitude for swordsmanship.
"Hehe. Then I suppose it's time to demand my hush money properly."
"Wasn't that last question supposed to count?"
"I never said I'd accept that question as payment. I simply asked, and you answered. That's all."
"..."
It was a cunning smile. I nearly gave her a playful flick on the forehead.
"Fine. I'll ask clearly this time. What do you want?"
"I'll choose."
"What?"
"I'll pick out your belt for you. That'll be enough."
With that, Emilia hummed a cheerful tune as she headed to the display rack to examine the belts. It was a bit unexpected. I'd thought she might try to squeeze some kind of wish out of me. Of course, how much value a wish granted in exchange for overlooking a scorched table had was another matter entirely.
"Hmm..."
Watching Emilia happily touch and compare the belts made me smile. We looked just like a young couple on a date. After a long while of calling me over, holding belts up to my waist, and checking how they looked, she finally picked one. It was a pitch-black belt, dark as midnight.
"I thought black would match the scabbard best. What do you think?"
"It doesn't have any patterns."
"Yeah. Do you dislike it?"
"...No."
It was an utterly plain, simple belt. Its lack of flashiness was exactly to my taste. There couldn't be anything I'd like more. Since we'd spent quite a lot of time together, it seemed she'd completely figured out my preferences.
"I love it."
"Really?"
"Really."
"It sounds like a lie. You should look happier."
"I'm plenty happy."
"Hmm..."
Without thinking, I reached out and stroked Emilia's hair. The playful girl from moments ago suddenly became demure, clutching the hem of her skirt with both hands and tilting her head quietly. I continued stroking her for a while until her side hair fell forward. Worried it might poke her eye, I moved to brush it back behind her ear—
"Mmm..."
Emilia's hand caught my wrist and gently guided it downward. Before I knew it, I was caressing her cheek. That soft, plush cheek. Emilia closed her eyes like a cat receiving its owner's touch, holding my hand and rubbing her face against it. I simply continued stroking her face as if enchanted.
"Chuu."
The moment my thumb touched her lips, I snapped back to my senses. A light kissing sound rang out. I should have pulled my hand away then. I really should have, but my hand remained trapped in Emilia's grasp, unable to move. Though honestly, that was just an excuse. If I'd truly wanted to, I could have shaken her off with sheer force.
When I came to my senses, my thumb had already slipped between Emilia's lips. She looked up at me with those sparkling, beautiful eyes while gently biting my thumb. It was the kind of gaze that stirred every masculine impulse in a man.
"All done. Have you chosen a belt?"
"Ah, yes. We have."
The workshop door burst open at that moment, forcing me to quickly withdraw my hand. When I glanced at Emilia, she'd already returned to her usual serious expression. What the hell was that just now... The girl really seemed to have leveled up her acting skills lately. Damn it. I still couldn't get that face out of my head.
"I made the scabbard to match that flash of light you showed me earlier. If you find that the sword doesn't fit properly or it rattles around, please bring it back. I'll fix it for you."
"Understood."
I attached the scabbard to the belt and checked myself in the mirror. It didn't look half bad. Though carrying a sword with my school uniform might make me look like some battle maniac... Not that I was saying Trie looked like one, of course.
"Are you left-handed?"
"Pardon? No."
"Then why..."
"I'm planning to practice drawing with my left hand as well."
"...?"
The shopkeeper looked puzzled seeing the scabbard positioned on my right side. The reason was simple: I could only wield Bappe with my right hand. Most of my battles would be fought with Bappe, while the sword Trie gave me would likely serve as a display piece or for intimidation. So I figured that in a pinch, I could draw with my left hand and dual-wield. Naturally, that meant I needed to get comfortable swinging a blade with my left hand too. I'd work on that gradually.
"...?"
While running my hand over the scabbard, I detected traces of magic.
"Do you use magic in your work?"
"Yes, that's correct. Without magic, I couldn't work at this speed. Ho ho."
"Impressive precision and speed. Did you graduate from the Imperial Academy by any chance?"
"No."
Given her considerable skill and the fact that she'd opened a shop near the Imperial Academy, I'd wondered. But my guess was wrong. A complete miss.
"Though I did work there briefly."
"I see."
So it wasn't a total miss after all. My interest was suddenly piqued. Maybe I could get some information about the academy. As the original author, even I was constantly learning new things these days. There was no room for arrogance. The chance that an ordinary extra knew facts I didn't was more than possible.
"Do you have any tips that might help with school life?"
"The top entrance student is asking me that?"
"The more information, the better."
"Hmm... There's one tip I can give you. You know the mountain behind the school? When a professor is nearby, look at that mountain, narrow your eyes, and say meaningfully, 'It seems it's about time for it to awaken...' "
"Excuse me...?"
"Then the professor will think you're no ordinary student and want to drag you off to graduate school."
"..."
What she said with a smile was actually quite chilling. So this woman wasn't just a regular worker—she'd been a professor. That much was clear from how she knew about the Untier sealed in the back mountain. Still, it would be a long time before that thing made its appearance. I'd set the Untier aside for now.
"That's quite a difficult joke to understand."
"Is it? Ah, the students these days wouldn't know..."
I pretended not to understand and brushed it off. Behind me, Emilia tilted her head in confusion. Since she genuinely knew nothing about it, her reaction was only natural.
After finishing our shopping, we left the store. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary tailor shop. The fact that they sold leather protective gear in the basement was something most people would never guess. To think there was such an interesting shop in the capital. As the original author, this setting made my heart race with excitement.
"Shall we head back now?"
"The moment we step outside, you switch back to formal speech like a ghost?"
"Would you prefer I speak casually? Would that be better?"
"No. I'd get scolded for failing to properly educate my attendant."
"That's not my problem."
"Use formal speech outside before I fix that habit myself."
"Fix it yourself? How exactly? How are you going to educate this ill-mannered attendant?"
"..."
Emilia kept pressing close to my side, asking provocatively. This girl really... Her personality had changed strangely. Or perhaps this was her original personality. I wondered what had made her so free-spirited. I even suspected that Jin might have hit her head too hard and scrambled her brain a bit.
"If you keep not listening, I'll have to educate you like this."
"Ah... Eh...?"
I placed my hand on Emilia's cheek, then naturally slid it back to cup the nape of her neck. Preventing her from moving her head. Thanks to her hair being twisted up into a bun, the stiff feeling of her nape felt pleasant. As I brought my face closer, Emilia took a small step back before seemingly accepting her fate and closing her eyes tightly. But why was she pouting her lips like that?
Bam!
I delivered a solid headbutt. Emilia crumpled to the ground, tears welling up as she clutched her forehead. Her gaze as she looked up at me was filled with resentment.
"Are you still going to disobey? You'd better answer properly."
"Tsk... I'll listen. Oppa."
"'Oppa' is also not allowed. Not outside."
"...Mister Heinkel."
"That's right."
Finally, she'd been properly corrected. I chuckled and started walking. Emilia, who had been pretending to be hurt, quickly scampered over to walk right beside me.
"Let's stop by somewhere for a bit."
"Where? My arms are already sore from carrying this shopping basket."
She used formal speech perfectly, but her complaints remained unchanged. I briefly considered giving her another headbutt, but the streets were getting more crowded, so I decided against it.
"To buy you some clothes."
"Pardon?"
"You only have your maid uniform and one set of casual clothes. You need a dress suitable for more formal occasions... and a few more casual outfits wouldn't hurt. I'll get you some shoes to match as well. Oh, and comfortable sleepwear would be nice too."
"Are you serious...?"
"Have you ever seen me lie?"
"No... I'm just surprised a cheapskate like you would do this."
"I want my attendant to look prettier when we're out."
"Ah, um... I see..."
It occurred to me that Emilia's recent open displays of dissatisfaction might be a form of protest. She was basically saying I was overworking her for a mere 200,000 won salary. Even if I couldn't raise her pay, providing generous employee benefits should at least prevent a strike. Besides, if an attendant only ever wore a maid uniform or the same casual clothes, it might cast doubt on her employer's qualifications. The latter reason was the bigger factor, but it seemed to have worked. The mood of Emilia, who now walked glued to my side, appeared to have improved considerably.