What Are Clothes? (3)
Snap.
"Ow?!"
"Don't say stuff like that so casually."
I lightly flicked Unia's forehead.
"Ah, no. Why? I was just saying I'd verify that I bought it and wore it properly...!"
"There's always a reason behind it, so don't toss out words like that lightly. Anyway, Miss Unia, your real goal is all those other casual outfits, right?"
I ran my finger along the front pages of the fashion magazine.
"You wanna try on all sorts of different clothes. Am I right?"
"Uh, um...."
This wasn't about throwing up a shield to hide Unia's true feelings or anything.
"You probably never got to wear stuff like this growing up where you did."
"That's true, but."
"Off-the-rack clothes wouldn't fit anyway, and you'd have to stick to baggy ones all the time."
"...Yeah, pretty much."
Unia let out a deep sigh and flopped onto my bed.
"I wore hoodies pretty much every day, or else dresses that were basically robes."
"Kinda weird just calling them dresses, right? They were straight-up wizard robes."
"Yeah. Things like shirts... the size changes too fast."
Unia glanced downward just a bit.
I didn't need to look down to know why she had to swap clothes out so often, so I didn't take the bait and follow her gaze.
"Growth spurt."
Like guys in middle school or high school—or even elementary—who suddenly shoot up and their clothes don't fit anymore, forcing them to toss the old stuff.
If it was a quick burst that stopped after a while, no big deal. But growing a full size every year? That's a real hassle.
Money aside, if you're not storing the old clothes, you're just throwing them out.
And above all else.
"Miss Unia. Esdinas Academy's got off-the-rack stuff that fits your size... or they can make custom pieces, yeah?"
"Yes."
Her rural hometown didn't have anyone else with mana pouches like hers, so robes were her only option.
"I figured the largest size might work. Mm, this place is full of people way more talented than me, after all."
"Even folks with your level of talent are rare as hell, but the fact they make clothes for them? That's the key point."
In game terms, Esdinas Academy was one of the few places stocked with gear for level 100+.
"Alright. I'll reluctantly play the pervert for you, Miss Unia."
"Ah, no... that's not what I meant."
"Really?"
"...Sorry."
Unia clasped her hands together and bowed her head.
"But it's unavoidable. Um, it's kinda weird to say this...!!"
Looking genuinely apologetic, Unia still flipped the magazine open with a rustle.
"I'd love something simple and modest, but at this size, the options are so limited...!"
"Sad dilemma."
Clothes—ready-to-wear stuff especially—are made for average builds.
If you're too tall or one part's way too big, you need custom tailoring.
This world, and even the academy, does make stuff for those types.
Problem is, those outfits are a far cry from the 'modest' vibe Unia has in mind.
Even plain white ones come with lace somewhere, or super-thin side straps, or designs that make anyone go, Oof.
That's the norm.
"Um."
Unia ducked her head again, glancing around cautiously.
"Was that too much?"
"What? Turning me into the creep gifting women's undies to feed your tastes?"
"That's not—!"
Unia flushed red and snapped for a second, but soon sank back into gloom.
"Just... wanting to go shopping in the middle of the old school building mess... it feels so childish, like some airheaded ditz."
"Some people might see it that way."
If the situation wasn't under control, sure. But if this were an apocalypse story? 'Heroine or not, I'd slap her upside the head and yell if she was in her right mind.'
Saying you wanna grab a bunch of outfits from a clothing store in a zombie-infested world? You'd get kicked from the group on the spot.
But this was the academy, Unia was a student, and the angel apocalypse had only popped up once so far.
"If angels were swarming by the hundreds, maybe. But trying to lock everything down in peacetime? Nah, that's not right."
At least for now, student freedom trumped preventing world-ending bullshit.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Miss Unia. If anyone's at fault, it's the boomer instructors trying to control every student just 'cause they're students."
"Is that... how it is?"
"Damn right."
Some instructors were probably just anxious about safety and saying no for good reason.
From an adult's POV, they might not be wrong at all.
Sorry, but I'm Team Heroine.
I was the guy scheming to claim the heroines so the protagonist couldn't—not some instructor trying to shepherd them safely to graduation.
Quite the opposite: I wanted the instructors' restrictions to backfire, pushing the heroines toward 'deviant' behavior that toed the line of academy rules.
"Miss Unia."
I grabbed the magazine and sat beside her.
"Pick what you want. I'll rip these pages out and tell them to match the list exactly."
"Eh? You're really gonna...?"
"Of course. Think about it."
Rustle.
"If a model student like you orders this stuff, the old lady instructors'll seethe with jealousy and call you a total slut."
Especially with that super lacy number on the model.
"But if I say I want it as a gift, or 'you'd look cute in it,' how do you think they'd react?"
"......Weird taste?"
"Golden sun power."
What harm in the golden sun prepping cosplay outfits? They could think I was just being myself... while suspecting I had pervy motives for her. Perfect.
"Image is a scary thing. First impressions especially."
"Yeah...."
"And that mindset? Probably not just us."
"Huh?"
"You're the one who spoke up first, but those two over there? Same deal."
I nodded toward the next room.
"Normally you'd be embarrassed to pick your own, but as a gift? Makes it okay-ish."
Rydmila's room.
Another girl sat facing her in what should have been Rydmila's solo space—
"Not a girl."
A female student.
"So I wanna graduate from girly dresses or gothic lolita stuff. Got it?"
"I understand your situation."
Rydmila had been jotting down supply requests when her uninvited midnight guest, Evangeline, showed up and laid out her 'request' that wasn't quite a request.
"So you're asking me to make it possible for you to play doll dress-up with classmate Evangeline?"
"Exactly. I'll go, 'What doll play with me?!' We'll bicker, I'll eventually give in, and accept the clothes."
Evangeline grinned and pointed at Rydmila's wardrobe.
"You must have outfits you wanna wear too, Rydmila."
"Battle gear is sufficient for me."
"Ehh, can't say that. Even as Gale, there are times and places for proper attire."
"Is that so?"
"Totally. What'll you do at a ball? Wear a dress?"
"A dress...."
"Don't you dare say you'll borrow something."
Evangeline's eyes flashed as she glared, and Rydmila swallowed hard.
"That serious...?"
"Yes. High society is another battlefield. Botch your dress coordi, and you're gossip fodder."
"Battlefield...."
Did that word strike a chord? Rydmila nodded.
"Understood. To fulfill my duties anywhere, I need fitting attire."
"Right? Just look at your wardrobe...."
Rustle.
"Battle tights, battle coat, academy-issued uniform... nothing else? Come on."
"......."
"So let's team up. We gift each other the outfits we wanna see 'em in. Sound good?"
"...Understood. However."
Rydmila tilted her head.
"I could pair with Miss Unia, so why not ask Phoenix?"
"No way!"
Evangeline shrieked.
"If I ask that guy, he'll make me wear all sorts of pervy outfits!!"
"...Even he'd have some sense of decency."
"That guy?! He'd bring band-aids and say wear 'em...!"
"?"
Rydmila now tilted her head the other way.
"Wear band-aids?"
"......."
"What do you mean? How do you wear medical supplies...? Oh, like layering them as some fashion item? Bandages might be better."
"Hah."
Evangeline rolled up her sleeves.
"Looks like I can't just leave you be."
"......."
"Thinking you can fight on the women's battlefield trusting just your body? Heading into battle without proper gear? You, Gale?"
"I can't let that slide."
Rydmila stepped forward.
"If we're gearing up, it'll be top-tier. Budget sufficient?"
"Budget?"
Evangeline flicked her skirt.
"I'm the princess of the New Empire."
"By the way, Phoenix. Your wardrobe's basically empty?"
Unia opened it.
"Felt it on the way up, but seriously, not many clothes?"
She gave a meaningful little smile.
"There's a trick to it."
"A trick?"
"Yeah."
I spread my arms wide with confidence, then snapped my fingers.
"Miss Unia."
Like, watch closely.
"You know how to weave clothes out of mana?"
"......Pardon?"
"Miss Unia."
I tugged at the shirt I was wearing.
"Does this look like clothes to you?"