A Date with Iris (Part 2)
The place Iris and I arrived at was a massive luxury department store. It wasn't open to the general public—you couldn't even step inside without a chauffeur. That kind of exclusive establishment.
"Whoa..." But the interior? Aside from the even more extravagant materials that screamed money, it wasn't all that different from a regular department store. The same corners selling snacks, daily necessities, and fresh ingredients. The same lineup of high-end brand stores. The basic layout felt identical.
The place buzzed with quite a crowd. To think there were this many rich people in the world... 'But then why the hell am I—!!' I suddenly felt the urge for revolution. Sickle and hammer in hand.
'Fifty thousand for a single cup of coffee?!' Maybe great wealth really did demand great spending. The price tag on the café we passed while following Iris showed a number that made no sense whatsoever. This was upper-class life. You had to endure the obvious rip-off just to avoid being looked down on by others.
"This way." While I was walking and gawking at the surroundings, Iris grabbed my hand and pulled me into one of the stores.
Thud!! "Wear this first."
Iris suddenly slapped something over my face without warning. When I snapped out of it, I realized it was a hijab. The store we'd just entered specialized in selling these things….
…These racist bastards—!!
No wonder the stares coming from every direction felt like 'An orc? In a place like this?' Was the orc race so despised that simply showing up in a store like this was difficult? The elves were especially bad. They'd been gawking at me even while we rode the escalator.
Iris must have noticed those looks and dragged me into the hijab store. Goddammit! The freedom for orcs to show their faces—!! We aren't criminals!!
I grumbled inside but still obediently accepted the hijab. I had no choice. This wasn't a democracy. It was a status-based world ruled by an emperor and nobles. If I didn't want to die, I had to play along.
"Let's go." "Thank you. Please come again."
Ignoring the clerk's bright smile at having made a sale, Iris grabbed my hand again and started dragging me all over the department store.
"Ahem… Duchess? Don't they have a VIP room or something?"
"…"
Iris's crimson eyes bored into me like she was piercing straight through my soul. Only then did I realize my mistake. Normally, staff would rush over the moment a VIP arrived to provide guidance. But no one had approached us when the Duchess and I first entered. My comment might have sounded like I was dismissing her. Not just her—the entire Ancard Duchy—!!
"Hmm~? The VIP room wouldn't be uncomfortable, would it?"
"Huh? No. I was just curious once."
As if my worry had been pointless, Iris simply snorted. She said it like we could go anytime we wanted. For some reason, she seemed genuinely happy to have the chance to show me exactly how powerful the Ancard Duchy really was.
'She lives modestly when she's alone but enjoys showing off to others?' There were people like that. The type who ate nothing but instant noodles by themselves but took others to expensive restaurants to flaunt how well they lived. In my previous life, that professor had treated me a lot. I remembered it especially well because she was a kind female professor who had always been friendly to me.
Anyway, Iris clapped her hands twice, making a show of it.
"Gasp! Your Grace! Is something wrong?"
"The highest-class room. Right now."
"Understood! Will there be anything else you require?"
Immediately, as if he'd been waiting, a staff member in a black suit came running and bowed deeply.
"Heh…"
Iris lifted one corner of her mouth as if asking what I thought of the display. Honestly, seeing this kind of treatment in person for the first time made me feel in my bones just how powerful she was.
'It was soft…' No! Not Iris's skin! Damn it! This fucking orc instinct!!
"Rascal. Do you like shrimp?"
"Huh? Y-yes! I do!"
While I was busy fighting my inner demons, Iris asked if I liked shrimp. Shrimp? I couldn't afford it, so I'd never eaten any. If I could, I'd be grateful.
"Send shrimp and drinks to the room… What would you like to drink?"
"Zero Cola."
"You heard him. Bring it up."
"Understood. I'll prepare everything as quickly as possible!"
The staff member whose name tag read Manager guided us while making a call, then bowed and asked for our understanding.
"They said they'll begin cooking immediately and send the food up. Would you like the drinks first?"
"…"
Iris stared at me. Like she was telling me to decide.
"Ah, yes. That would be great."
"Ah… Oh! Customer, you may speak comfortably."
When I answered, the manager waved his hands in a fluster. He kept glancing at Iris… Either this woman had thrown her weight around plenty of times before, or the Ancard Duchy's status was simply that overwhelming.
Highest level of treatment reserved exclusively for the empire's most honored guests.
The room the manager led us to wasn't a regular VIP room—it was a VVIP room. The place where you could receive the absolute highest level of service…!
"Your Grace, and Sir Rascal, thank you for visiting. I will be assisting you from now on."
A beastkin employee with cat ears on her head greeted us smoothly and guided both Iris and me to the sofa with practiced skill. Because it was a VVIP room, a small aquarium sat inside. The tropical fish that looked difficult to care for kept our eyes entertained. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling sparkled, making the scattered jewels decorating the space look even more beautiful.
"Here is the cola you requested."
The moment we sat down, the beastkin lady placed glasses of cola with ice cubes floating in elegant crystal before us. Her figure was slim enough to catch men's eyes, but compared to Iris, both her hips and chest were lacking. It wasn't enough to get me going.
"Would you like to see our available products?"
"Yes. Bring them."
"Shall I bring paper or a tablet?"
"…"
Iris stared at me again. Damn it, why did she keep leaving the decisions to me? Also, I didn't even understand why they offered a choice between paper and tablet.
"Ahem… I'm not very familiar with this, so…"
"Ah! My apologies. We only show VVIP customers our upcoming new releases and limited-edition items from various brands in advance. Most people use tablets these days, but some customers still prefer paper."
As expected from someone who worked in the VVIP room. Her explanation was clean and professional.
"Tablet, please."
"Understood."
Soon, a single tablet arrived.
"…Wait, just one—"
Oops! I accidentally muttered it out loud. The VVIP was Iris, not me.
"Ahem! Ahem!!"
Iris cleared her throat as if my slip had made her uncomfortable.
"I'm very sorry, customer. Other VVIP guests visited today as well, so only one tablet remains. I would greatly appreciate your generous understanding."
The beastkin lady bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, apologizing sincerely.
"Hehe… Heh! Then it can't be helped…. Ahem! Ahem! Make sure to prepare more in the future."
"Thank you! Your Grace!"
Iris must have liked the genuine apology. She gave a satisfied smile and handed the woman a check. The crisp check clearly displayed the amount of one million.
'What the fuck?' Some people worked their asses off all day to earn a million, yet someone else got a million just for apologizing nicely. Why didn't she ever show that generous side to me?
"Here… Look around if anything catches your eye."
Completely unaware that I was angry, Iris scooted close to my side with the tablet. Squish!! Just like when she'd poured wine in the car, she pressed those massive breasts against my elbow while her small, delicate fingers tapped the screen. The rage that had been boiling inside me instantly melted into calm.
"Snort! Snort!"
"Hehe…!"
Iris smiled along with my rough breathing. Was shopping that much fun for her?
'What… the hell? Fifty million?' In the middle of it all, I was shocked to see some perverted-looking outfit priced at fifty million. It looked like cosplay gear… The name was… 'Cute Cat Cosplay for Your Orc Boyfriend.'
"Orc boyfriend?"
Well… people's tastes varied. I tried to brush it off as mere curiosity.
"Wait… I'll be right back."
The problem was that Iris stood up from her seat, looking furious that such a perverted item had appeared.
"?!%*@#!!"
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!!"
I could hear Iris pouring every kind of verbal abuse at the staff member who had stepped out the back door to give us privacy. Poor lady, getting stuck with a difficult customer… By the way, where was the bathroom….
While Iris vented her anger, I decided to slip away to the restroom. After wandering the hallway a few times, taking the elevator, and returning from the bathroom, I realized a major problem.
"I can't get back in?"
The VVIP room must have had ironclad security. I pressed the elevator button to return, but it wouldn't work. There was a card reader below the buttons, which meant I needed an access pass. In other words, I couldn't go back to the VVIP room right now.
"Oh…! Over there!"
While I was wondering what to do, a particular store caught my eye. It was the one selling the suits the police officers had been wearing earlier. Captivated by how incredibly cool they looked, I walked over. It seemed like a good place to kill time browsing. If you got lost, it was better to stay in one spot than wander around.
"Whoa…!!"
Power suits that made me exclaim involuntarily, along with the body suits you wore underneath. I wondered if they glowed when connected to mana. The body suits looked rather plain, but that actually stimulated the imagination. The suit the police officer wore had glowed along its lines—did that mean these body suits could shine with that same awesome light—!!
If I wore one…
-300 million-
That was never happening. After seeing the price, I gave up immediately.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Ha. Which family are you from?"
"Family? I don't have one of those…"
While I was wandering around the store, someone spoke to me. A man with a nasty-looking face. Just looking at him, I could tell getting involved would be bad news.
"A guy with no family wandering around a store alone? Are you a hunter?"
"No."
"A commoner orc with neither family nor hunter status… Get out of my sight right now."
"…"
Crazy bastard. I didn't know why he was picking a fight all of a sudden, but I decided to leave as he said. Nothing good would come from tangling with a lunatic like him.
"Kekeke."
The guy laughed as I left the store without saying a word. It left a terrible taste in my mouth, but what could I do? As a powerless, powerless orc, avoiding trouble was the best option.
Thud—!
"Ah! Hot!!"
As I tried to leave the store to avoid the madman, I bumped into him. At the same time, the coffee he was holding spilled all over my clothes.
"Ha… Orc bastard. Where the hell were your eyes?"
Who the hell jumps out in front of someone trying to leave? Unable to hold back my rage, I clenched both fists. I'd endured once, but I wasn't going to take this level of insult.
"You son of a bitch. You wanna get hit? Huh? Pissing you off? Too bad. I could kill a bastard like you without anyone ever knowing."
"Then try it, you bastard!!"
Whoosh—!! My fist flew toward his head.
Grab—!
"You swung first, remember?"
But the guy caught my punch far too easily and squeezed.
Crack—!!
"Aaaargh…!!"
It hurt. The pain was intense. But the humiliation hurt even more. I swung my other fist too.
"Uwoooooor—!!!"
Pouring every ounce of my rage into it—!!
"What do these pathetic idiots even like… Let me show you what a real man looks like."
But my anger was pointless. He caught my other fist just as easily.
Boom—!!
At that moment, the store entrance exploded open and Iris appeared, wreathed in flames.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Aaaaaargh—!!"
She melted the madman's face on the spot.
Click! Click! Clank!!
Half a beat later, accompanied by the sound of mechanical gears engaging, police officers in various power suits appeared.