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“…It’s really here.”

“Uh, good morning.”

Serena was standing in front of the dormitory as if she had been waiting for me to come out by 9 o’clock.

“Do we really need to stick together just to go shopping for clothes?”

“More people is always better, right? It’ll definitely be fun!”

“We’re just going to buy clothes, you know? I’m the expert in this kind of thing.”

She’s looking a lot more confident than usual… What’s the fuss about buying clothes?

“Let’s just buy what we need and go back! I’m tired of this.”

As I said that and took the lead down the path, I could hear the two behind me whispering.

“Does she really only have one type of clothing?”

“I told you, it’s just a bunch of men’s robes!”

When I asked her, she claimed she was actually a guy and said she was comfortable wearing them.

“Oh my gosh… does that even make sense? Even boys these days don’t do that!”

“Right? It’s no wonder that the senior mage even sent me money to help buy her some clothes!”

“…I guess there’s no perfect person in this world…”

“Hey! I can hear you!”

At least they could’ve whispered so I wouldn’t look weird for no reason.

Isn’t it normal to have a few outfits that you like?

Speaking of which, I think my old buddy from my past life told me to get some new clothes too…

Hmm… I really don’t know. I just wanna buy one outfit and be done with it.

“Let’s hurry and get it over with!”

“Ah, wait a minute! I have to stop by somewhere first.”

“Stop by?”

I thought we were going straight to the department store.

“I have one more person to bring along with us today!”

“What?! Another one?”

And so we arrived at the front gate of the men’s dormitory.

“Sigh… Good morning.”

“What? You’re the person who’s coming with us?”

“Huh? What? Where are we going today? I just came out because Shia told me to be ready by 9 this morning.”

I shot a glare at Shia, but she innocently asked Nova.

“We’re going to buy clothes for Stella today. You’re coming, right?”

“Wait a second! You can’t just decide that for me!”

“I’ll go!”

“Nova?”

“Sure, let’s go!”

“Ugh… seriously!”

*

“Wow~! It’s so spacious here!”

“Right? It’s really beautiful.”

For sure… It’s amazing. This is the biggest department store in Melian.

What would you call this world? It feels like it’s in a transitional period from medieval to industrial.

Maybe somewhere around the 17th century? Though I’m not sure if department stores existed back then…

But this world’s department store is almost identical to the ones from my past life.

“Oh look, a café.”

I’m hungry, so I should at least grab a cake from there. Just as I thought about heading over, my arms were suddenly restrained, preventing me from moving.

“Stella, we can go there later.”

“Yeah, we need to shop for clothes first.”

“Ugh, why! Just one cake before we go! At least a takeout!”

“…You really are consistent.”

Despite my desperate cries, they treated me like a child, dragging me along.

It’s just cruel since I haven’t even had breakfast yet.

The clothing store we were brought to was lined with various outfits.

This is exactly what I should’ve done first…

‘Wearing women’s clothes is so embarrassing…’

Up until now, I had been wearing a robe that covered me entirely, so I never felt embarrassed because I wasn’t showing myself off.

Clad only in underwear inside was comfortable but now, the clothes in front of me were designed to be seen by others.

Naturally, I felt embarrassed.

“What do you think of this?”

“Since Stella is on the shorter side, it’s important to enhance the chest area. And since you’re a bit thin for your size, I think something a little puffy would be good.”

“…Was that last comment even necessary?”

“Wow… Serena, you really know what you’re talking about.”

“Hehe, this is my specialty.”

“If you want to enhance the volume, a white blouse with lace details paired with a brighter top against a black skirt would be perfect!”

“Hmm! This one looks good!”

Why are they so excited? I’m the one buying clothes.

Actually, it’s my outfit, so why are they deciding everything for me?

I don’t really know much about clothes, so all I can do is sit quietly, but at least I should be the one choosing what I wear…

I began scanning the area and picked out something dark and plain that wouldn’t reveal much.

“I like this one.”

It’s men’s clothing, so there’s no exposure, and it looks kinda cool. At least it’s better than wearing something flashy that would catch the eyes of nearby boys.

Just as I was about to sneak into a fitting room to try it on…

“Ah! Stella!”

I was caught immediately by Serena.

But I can’t hear them! Ignoring them, I tried to enter…

“Stella~! Where are you going~!”

“Agh! Let go of me!”

“Wow… you’re really fast.”

Did she use some kind of spatial teleportation spell? Serena rushed over at lightning speed and grabbed the back of my neck.

Then she took the outfit I was holding, saying it didn’t suit me.

“Hey, I was going to wear that!”

I reached out for it, but what she handed me was the bright, frilly white dress from earlier.

“Today is the day we’re dressing up, right? That outfit doesn’t match you at all.”

“…That kind of thing doesn’t suit me…”

How could such a feminine dress fit me? No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t match.

Should I just push her away and run?

In that moment, I felt that impulse.

With a sigh, Serena pointed outside to Nova.

“What… how do you plan to charm him like that?”

“What?!”

“Shia told me you like him!”

“I-I don’t like him!”

“Then you hate him?”

“That’s…!”

If I had to choose, I don’t hate him…

At my reaction, Serena let out a teasing ‘hmm’ and grinned.

“Nova will definitely like it if he sees you in such a pretty dress.”

“…”

“Honestly, do you think you can attract him with what you’re wearing now?”

“…Ugh…”

“In relationships, how you present yourself is an important factor too.”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course! Stella, you’re already pretty naturally, so just a little effort will easily capture his heart!”

If I dress up, how would Nova think of me? Would he like it…?

If he looked at me like that… I don’t know, it feels oddly unsettling…

Ugh, why is my heart racing? As I placed my hand on my chest, I could feel my heartbeat quickening through my nerves.

It’s just a thought… why am I feeling like this? It’s seriously driving me crazy.

“Hmm, then… I guess I’ll at least try wearing something.”

“Good idea!”

With a dangerously happy smile, Serena handed me the dress.

“I’m going to make you the cutest version of yourself!”

With that, Serena had a smile that looked dangerous as she kept looking at me.

“Your eyes! They’re scary! What are you planning to do to me… eek!”

.

.

.

.

.

Now, it’s time for the transformation, as Shia pushed me outside.

Shia and Serena confidently declared that they would take care of Stella’s wardrobe, but I wonder if it’ll really be okay?

Feeling curious, I tried to step back into the store, but stopped myself.

If I’m going to see her, it’s better to wait until she’s fully dressed, right?

Though that probably wouldn’t happen, if I caught a glimpse of her changing… I’d probably get killed by Stella.

What would Stella look like…?

It’s just putting on a new outfit, but she’s someone who despises dressing up.

In the game, aside from the academy uniform, she always wore that rag-like thing.

I’ve never seen her wear anything else. What a strange event this is, and I’m thankful to the both of them.

As I sat outside, lost in those thoughts, Shia called me.

But something seemed off about Shia.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, um? No… You should see it for yourself.”

After saying that, Shia blushed slightly and went back inside.

Why is she reacting that way? I felt confused, but the idea that whatever Stella was doing might be changed enough to provoke such a response made me feel excited.

I swallowed my saliva and made my way to the room Stella was in.

And then,

“Hehe, what do you think?”

With that, Serena gestured to Stella standing next to her.

But in that moment, my focus was solely on one person.

The stunning white shirt adorned with bright lace details matched perfectly with a corset, creating a silhouette that embraced her modest yet undeniable chest.

The contrasting black waist skirt sculpted her waist and curves, like a divine creation.

Above it, a girl with deep purple hair shone like ripe fruit, looking stunningly beautiful.

Even her usually unkempt hair was tidily arranged, and though I might not know much about makeup, I could tell she had done the essentials today, making her appear exceptionally cute and pretty.

Clearly embarrassed by showing off her look, she fidgeted, twisting and turning as if she could hardly contain herself.

I was taken aback.

The only explanation for my reaction was madness.

“…D-Don’t stare so much…”

Feeling my gaze on her, Stella flinched and quickly looked away.

In the game, I had never seen her like this, nor during the time we spent together.

She was beautiful.

So beautiful that it took my breath away.

“What do you think of my fashion skill?”

Serena asked with a smirk.

“Uh… y-yeah, it’s pretty.”

I responded with a blank expression of agreement.

“R-Really?!”

“Yeah, really!”

“Okay! Now that I’ve dressed you up, go on and have fun together! We’ll handle things here!”

“Wait, Huh?”

Stella, who was shoved toward me, had a puzzled expression.

‘Whoa…’

I couldn’t stop my heart from racing.

Though she usually looked cute, today it was especially difficult to resist.

 

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