Chapter 94: Clan Founding
Chapter 94: Clan Founding
“Let’s eat quickly. We’ll be busy all day today.”
Diana’s voice was tinged with an unusual excitement.
Why the hell? The thought of being busy excites you?
“But all we have to do is register the clan. Is the process that complicated?”
I had the impression it would be over as soon as we submitted the forms. Is that too modern of a way to think?
Besides, I didn’t expect it to be processed right away.
It wouldn’t be a government office if things were done quickly. You think it’s any different here?
“What are you talking about? We have a mountain of things to do. We have to negotiate with the Guild about information disclosure, for one.”
Ah, right. There was that, too.
That was bound to be a long conversation, wasn't it? The Guild would probably try to negotiate terms that were as favorable to them as possible.
To be honest, I had zero confidence in my ability to lead a negotiation. It’s not like I had any experience in that sort of thing.
For this, I’d have to trust in Diana’s years of experience.
“Then I’ll head back to the temple.”
After finishing her meal, Leia was the first to stand up.
Apparently, this was the first time Leia had been away from the temple for so long.
She must be eager to show her face there.
Normally, I would have to go with her, but with everything on the schedule today, it couldn’t be helped.
“Okay. Please give my best to the High Priestess… and let her know I might not be able to make it today.”
I had my promise to the High Priestess, and I needed to go to the temple for my mana pool anyway.
But since Diana said we’d be busy, I probably wouldn’t be able to go today.
It was truly a shame, but there was nothing to be done about it.
And here I was, actually feeling like studying for the first time in a while. What a pity.
“Hehe. Yes, don’t worry. I’ll see you later.”
Leia replied with a little giggle and rose from her seat.
As she disappeared through the door, she kept looking back, waving her hand gently. A warm smile spread across my face, and I waved back.
Agh. So healing.
“What are you doing? If you’re done eating, you should get ready too.”
Diana poked me in the side.
Ugh. Stop with the surprise attacks.
Even if your direct attacks do no damage, a sudden poke to the ribs still makes a guy flinch.
“Well then. We shall be on our way.”
Diana said with a bright smile, looking at Sara.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Sara replied with an equally bright smile.
…Aren’t your wires getting a little crossed here?
“Hm? This man has to come along to be registered as the clan leader, but there’s no need for you to tag along. Why don’t you just take it easy and enjoy the first day off you’ve had in a while?”
“No, it’s just boring sitting around doing nothing. I’m also curious about how you register a clan, so I’ll come with you.”
“B-But registering a clan will be even more boring.”
Diana sounded strangely desperate.
You’re doing great! I cheered for Diana in my head.
Even if I didn’t have the courage to confess to her again for various reasons, that didn’t mean I wasn’t conscious of Sara.
I was still worried about how she took my words yesterday.
I thought things might get a little better if I didn’t see her for a bit, but at this rate, I’d just keep worrying.
“Then I’ll just come back if it gets boring.”
But Sara easily shot her down.
“Ughhh.”
It seemed Diana had nothing more to say to that.
In the end, it was decided that Sara, Diana, and I would all go to register the clan together.
“Alright. First, let’s have a look.”
But the place Diana led us to was not a government office.
“Diana, this is…?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s a clothing store.”
Yeah, I have eyes. I can see that much.
What I’m asking is what the hell we’re doing here.
This place was on a completely different level from the clothing store we visited on our last day off. It was enormous.
It also looked quite luxurious; even to an ignoramus like me, the store looked expensive.
“Did I not tell you? Once we become a clan, we can formally assert our rights. Do you think the kingdom will register just anyone? They won’t even give you the time of day if you show up in those shabby cloth clothes you’re wearing. Let’s use this opportunity to get you a proper suit.”
For the record, my clothes were still the cheapest cloth garments you could buy on the street.
It was a manifestation of my confidence that, ultimately, the face completes the fashion! With my face, anything I wear becomes high fashion!
…Actually, I’m just too lazy to pick out clothes.
In contrast, Sara and Diana were dressed quite stylishly, a far cry from how they looked when I first met them.
I guess the female species loves to dress up, no matter the world.
But a suit…
When I think of suits in a fantasy world, I get a bad feeling.
Surely I’m not fated to wear the cliché spandex suit, am I?
“Alright, try this on next.”
Thankfully, my premonition was splendidly wrong.
The suits in this world looked like rather well-fitted tuxedos, even to my eyes.
Though, they did include some designs, like gold embroidery here and there, that would look pretty tacky from my original world’s perspective.
It felt like a cosplay outfit for a game character, but depending on how you looked at it, I suppose it could be accepted as part of the fashion.
Just the fact that it wasn’t the spandex suit I’d been dreading was a massive relief.
What a wonderful world. I knew it from the moment I saw their state-of-the-art plumbing.
“Hmm… Doesn’t that one look a little too flashy? Guwon, try this one on next.”
The problem wasn’t the design of the clothes, but the passion of Sara and Diana.
They kept handing me outfits that, to my eyes, were completely indistinguishable from one another.
Overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, I had no choice but to keep changing like a dress-up doll.
Honestly, my heart fluttered a little at first.
Having girls pick out clothes for me didn’t feel bad at all; in fact, it felt pretty good.
Especially Sara. After what happened yesterday, seeing her so passionately picking out clothes that would suit me made me think.
Could she actually have feelings for me?
Right? Otherwise, does it make sense for her to be this dedicated to picking out my clothes?
But as the number of outfits I tried on passed ten, then twenty, then thirty, that fluttering feeling in my heart gradually faded.
“Hey… can’t we just pick one already?”
“What nonsense is this! The word ‘whatever’ does not exist in my vocabulary!”
“That’s right. Since we’re picking one, we should pick a proper one.”
I tried to put up some feeble resistance along the way, but of course, it was utterly useless.
I knew it. This isn’t about their feelings for me. They’re just enjoying the act of shopping itself.
“But you said we’d be busy? Is it really okay to be spending our time like this?”
“It’s fine. I said we’d be busy because I calculated this time in from the start.”
She what now?! Does that mean I fell into her trap the moment I started eating breakfast?
Diana… you terrifying child…!
“If you have time to complain, you have time to change into this.”
“Hurry up. There are still many more clothes to try on.”
In the end, I had no choice but to change clothes like a machine until Sara and Diana were satisfied.
“This one definitely looks the best.”
“I agree. This style really suits you, Guwon. Should we go with this one?”
“Mm. Let’s. You there, what are you doing? Snap out of it.”
“Huh, what? Oh, are we done?”
Having been completely zoned out, those words brought me back to my senses.
It’s finally over! I’m free!
I shed tears of joy.
In my previous world, I once saw a meme about how men were bored to death whenever they went shopping with women. At the time, I thought:
At least you guys have a girl to go shopping with! You lucky bastards deserve to be run through with a spear!
But now, I deeply empathized with their feelings.
This was definitely tough. It was an incredibly hard-fought battle. But I have overcome!
“Shall we go, then?”
I tried to hurry and pay before the two of them could change their minds.
But a voice stopped me in my tracks.
“What are you talking about? We’ve only picked out one outfit for you. Now we have to pick out our clothes.”
What… did you say…?
That final blow was all it took. I gave up on thinking.
“Guwon, how about this one?”
“Haha. It’s pretty.”
“And this one?”
“Yep. That one’s pretty too.”
“You’ve been giving the same answer this whole time. We worked hard picking out your clothes, so you should at least look properly.”
“What Sara says is true. Aren’t you being a bit insincere? How about this one?”
“Yep. That one’s pre—.”
“You. Are you even listening to us?”
But Sara and Diana wouldn’t even let me zone out in peace, demanding a variety of opinions.
Dammit. What do you want me to do? If I knew enough about clothes to give a different critique for each outfit, do you think I’d be walking around in the cheapest cloth I could find?
“Just look at your faces. You look good in anything, so what do you want from me? If you have to blame someone, blame yourselves for being pretty enough to pull off anything.”
Besides, unlike Leia, you two are well aware that you’re beautiful.
Weren’t you the types who were conscious of the fact that you look good in whatever you wear?
Just pick something. You’ll look pretty no matter what.
“I-Is that so?”
But surprisingly, my words made both Sara and Diana blush.
Huh? Why are they acting like this? They’re usually so confident about their looks.
They weren’t the types to get embarrassed by a comment like that.
Could it be that they really do have feelings for…
“A-Ahem. You certainly don’t hold back, even in a place like this.”
At Diana’s words, I glanced around.
Most of the customers in the store were staring at us.
The gazes felt particularly sharp since most of the customers were women.
…What is this?
We’re getting a ton of attention. Was it because of what I just said?
Are they all looking to see just how pretty they are?
I guess no matter how confident you are in your looks, this would be a bit embarrassing.
“O-Okay. Then how about this? Pair up the clothes you like and compare them. Tournament style. Let’s pick the one that’s left at the very end.”
Cornered, I came up with a good idea.
Damn. If I’d thought of this sooner, I wouldn’t have had to suffer through all this.
“Okay. Let’s do that, then.”
“I suppose we have no choice.”
Huh? What’s with that reaction?
I thought it was a brilliant idea, but Sara and Diana’s responses were less than enthusiastic.
If we do as I say, we can get out of here quickly… W-Wait, no way!
Even in this situation, they still want to enjoy shopping?!
Can’t you two see those glares?
That lady over there is so jealous her stare alone could kill you.
And you still want to shop more?
Scary. Women are scary!
A shiver ran down my spine.
“Okay, I’ll show you two at a time, and you can pick the one you think is better, Guwon.”
“What? Wouldn’t it be better if you just decided? My fashion sense is terrible.”
“We can tell that from your usual attire.”
Is that so… I mean, it’s a fair judgment, but still.
Don’t you know? People can get hurt by the smallest things.
“It’s fine, since I’m the one who chose the candidates anyway. And we need a man’s opinion.”
“Mm. Then I shall do the same.”
In the end, I was the one who chose Sara’s and Diana’s outfits.
Sara ended up with a simple yet elegant dress that highlighted her usual cool image, while Diana chose a cute dress with lots of frills that made her adorable features shine even brighter.