Crossing the Blue Sky on a Broom
A broom cutting across the blue sky.
It was an incredibly romantic sight, but for me—the one actually riding the broom—it was pure torture.
The hard broomstick. The wind slapping my face.
These awful conditions helped me understand exactly why all the romance had died.
“Haha, isn’t this thrilling?”
The branch manager sat in front, taking the full force of the wind yet laughing as brightly as a child. It really explained why mages ranked first among the professions commoners feared most. These magic-crazed lunatics were the ones ruining the image for the rest of us. A decent mage like me felt unfairly maligned.
“Um, that’s the store.”
Still dazed from the acrobatic flight the branch manager had performed to entertain me, I looked at the spot he indicated. A building noticeably taller than the others stood there, its lavish decorations making it obvious that this shop catered to the upper class.
“Let’s head down.”
Once the branch manager grabbed the controls, the manic gleam left his eyes. As we neared our destination he returned to his senses. There are people whose personalities flip the moment they grip a steering wheel, and the branch manager clearly belonged to that group.
The broom touched down smoothly.
The instant I dismounted I dashed inside the building. I had already wasted too much time, so I planned to buy the clothes quickly and return at once.
This large clothing store occupied the same position a department store would on Earth. Browsing each floor at leisure might have been fun, but time was short, so I grabbed the nearest employee.
“Which floor has the women’s clothing?”
“Ah, the fourth floor.”
“Thank you.”
I hurried up the stairs. Even on a weekday afternoon the store was packed. The fourth floor—the women’s clothing section in particular—was filled with noble young ladies who all looked formidable. My breath caught before I even stepped inside.
“My lady, how about this lingerie?”
“Don’t you think it’s too small for this lady? This lady’s breasts have been growing most splendidly of late!”
“Ah… yes, of course…”
“Bring out clothes sexy enough to captivate His Highness the Prince at once! This lady is destined to become his principal wife in the future, desu wa~”
Dizzying conversations echoed from every corner of the shop. I pretended not to hear and quickly scanned the displays. A man wandering alone through the women’s section drew suspicious glances from several shoppers. On Earth men sometimes visited such stores to buy gifts, but in this world the culture was different; it was extremely rare for a man to present a woman with clothing. Jewelry like earrings was common enough, though.
Eager to escape the awkward stares, I quickened my pace. True to its wealthy clientele, every garment on display was extravagant. Yet the flashier the clothes, the more tastes tended to diverge. Since I had no idea what Marine liked, I wanted to choose something safe.
“Oh.”
While passing the gaudy outfits, one store caught my eye. Unlike most shops that mainly sold dresses, this one carried many experimental designs. Some were a bit too extreme, but several appealed to me. Almost in a trance, I stepped inside.
“Welcome!”
The female clerk who had been sitting at a table watching flies buzz around brightened and hurried over. I ignored everything else and picked up a few items from the rack.
“My, you have excellent taste! These are new designs we poured our hearts into creating this time!”
The clothes I held resembled the comfortable tracksuits I used to wear on Earth.
“These are for exercising, right?”
“Yes, exactly! Lately many noblewomen have taken up exercise for their health, so we developed these with great ambition!”
Given all the physical training in the knight faculty, these would make a perfect gift for Marine.
“Please wrap these up.”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
It felt strange to find the same clothes I had loved during my unemployed days on Earth even after coming to this new world.
Mille’s Clothing Store
I decided to remember the name.
‘If I think of it later, I should ask them to make some men’s clothes too.’
Women’s clothing was relatively worse, but the garments of this world were unbearably uncomfortable. I wanted to wear something comfortable myself.
Having achieved my goal, I returned at once to the hospital where Marine was waiting. When I checked the time, two hours had already passed since I had said I was going to buy clothes. Unable to lift my head, I entered the hospital building.
The interior that had been noisy when I left was now strangely quiet. I headed first to the reception desk. I don’t know what was so frightening, but the nurse there looked deathly pale.
“Excuse me.”
“Y-yes!”
“Could you tell me where Lady Marine is?”
The nurse’s expression brightened.
“Are you by any chance Master Hendel?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“We’ve been expecting you! Please follow me!”
The nurse practically jumped out of her chair and led the way.
“Shouldn’t you stay at the reception desk? There’s no one there right now…”
“It’s quite all right!”
If the nurse said it was fine, I had no further objections. I quietly followed her.
Director’s Office
“She’s waiting inside.”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all—and thank you!”
I didn’t understand what she was thanking me for, but she looked happy, so I said nothing and opened the door.
Creak.
As the door opened, Marine’s sharp gaze from the head seat turned toward me.
“Hend…el?”
The moment her piercing eyes confirmed my face, the sharpness melted away.
“Yeah, I’m back.”
Marine came running and threw herself into my arms.
“I really thought you had abandoned me, Hendel.”
“Sorry I took so long.”
I handed her the clothes I had been carrying.
“I don’t know much about women’s clothing, so if you don’t like them, feel free to wear them once and throw them away.”
Marine shook her head vigorously.
“How could I possibly throw away clothes you gave me? I’ll treasure them forever.”
She really had a way with words. The hospital director, who had yielded the head seat to Marine, looked utterly shocked. Well, it wasn’t every day you saw a duke’s daughter behaving so sweetly. It was surprising.
“Go try them on.”
“Okay!”
I stroked her hair once. The delighted Marine trotted off to the bathroom.
“Truly, I cannot thank you enough.”
“Pardon?”
The moment Marine entered the bathroom, the director bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. Receiving gratitude without knowing the reason left me bewildered. The director stared at me, fell silent for a moment, then nodded as if he had realized something.
“Hmm… you’re concealing it, then…”
I hadn’t said a word, yet the director seemed to have reached his own conclusion.
“Please explain it to me too.”
“Haha, it’s nothing important.”
He dodged my request. ‘Is he feeling pressured because the status difference is too great?’ Both the receptionist earlier and the director now seemed uncomfortable around Marine and me. After all, one was a young lady from one of the empire’s few ducal houses, and the other was the next head of a count family that had been rapidly accumulating wealth. It couldn’t be easy.
Understanding their discomfort, I didn’t press the director further and simply waited for Marine. Since this was probably her first time wearing this kind of clothing, it seemed to be taking a while.
Creak.
The bathroom door opened slowly, revealing Marine with an embarrassed smile.
“It’s… a bit embarrassing?”
She looked awkward wearing something so different from her usual attire. I gave the awkward-looking Marine a thumbs-up.
“You look absolutely beautiful.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s perfect.”
Marine beamed. I tapped the arm of the hospital director, who wasn’t reacting much. Taking the hint, he began clapping enthusiastically.
“It suits you wonderfully, Lady Marine!”
He was standing at full attention. While Marine had answered my compliment happily, she gave the director’s praise only a lukewarm response. That was the difference in our bonds.
Marine came running over and took my hand.
“Now that I’m dressed, let’s go.”
“Okay.”
“Have a safe journey!”
The hospital director smiled happily as we announced our departure. I nodded lightly in farewell and we left the hospital. With no particular destination in mind, we first headed toward the residence. Marine followed without a word. Fortunately I had memorized the location, so we found it without getting lost.
“Huh?”
For some reason the area in front of the residence was swarming with people, and the knights guarding the gate looked distressed.
“…”
Upon seeing the crowd, Marine froze in her tracks.
“What’s wrong?”
“Those are the maids from my dormitory…”
Only after Marine spoke did I remember that she lived in the dormitory. Dormitories generally had curfews, and Marine had spent the night at the hospital because of my collapse.
“…If I get kicked out, you’ll take me in, won’t you?”
Despite the clearly bad situation, Marine’s voice sounded strangely cheerful. I placed my hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll talk to them properly.”
As her guardian, I had no intention of letting Marine suffer the disgrace of being expelled from the dormitory. I protect my girl!
