“No, but… isn’t your face out there, too?” I protested.
The people of Amidonia should know Juna’s face from the music program. Even if she wasn’t as recognizable as the dark elf Aisha, Juna wasn’t hiding her face at all right now. Wasn’t someone going to notice her?
When I asked her that, Juna giggled. “It should be fine. I was wearing makeup then. I should have given off a very different impression.”
Now that she mentioned it… Juna was only wearing the bare essentials of makeup today. Whenever she stood on stage or before the jewel as a lorelei, she must use charming makeup that would be recognizable from a distance. The Juna I saw now had a natural beauty, but just taking off her makeup made her look younger than usual. Right now, she actually looked her age.
“That’s right,” Juna said, as if reading my mind. “…The reason I look like a mature adult is because of that makeup, got it?”
“No, I’m pretty sure the way you act is part of it, too…” I said. “So it did bother you?”
“I am a girl, after all,” she said. “Does it bother you linking arms with me, sire?”
Juna wore an expression that seemed somewhat uncertain. That face… She just wasn’t playing fair.
“It’s not that it bothers me,” I said. “Bring it on.”
“Hee hee,” she giggled. “Thank you.”
“Whew… You sure are amazing, Juna,” Tomoe said. “I wish I could be like you.”
“…Don’t you think you’re fine just the way you are, Tomoe?” Juna said pointedly to the girl who was looking up at her with great respect. Tomoe was cute, and she might develop into a beauty like Juna as she grew up. Once she grew up and learned how to play games with men, it could be the birth of an incredible little tease.
While I was thinking about that, I ended up walking with Tomoe’s hand in mine, and Juna wrapped around my other arm. Nobody realized our true identities, but the jealous looks from passing men and the whispering of housewives trying to guess at the relationship between the three of us started to make my stomach hurt.
In order to distract myself from it, I tried talking to Juna. “Well… Where to? Unlike in Parnam, Van doesn’t have much in it, so there aren’t many places I want to go patrol.”
“When you’re out on the town on your day off, I don’t know that you should be thinking of it as patrolling.” Juna laughed wryly at my workaholic thought process.
Sorry for being so work-obsessed, I thought.
Then, Juna took a peek over at Tomoe before whispering in my ear, “How about giving Tomoe some new clothes as a present? Since she’s your honorary little sister, you can call it a gift between family.”
“Ohh, there’s an idea.”
Now that she mentioned it, ever since I’d accepted Tomoe as my little sister (though, technically, she was Liscia’s adopted little sister and my future sister-in-law), I had been busy with administrative work and hadn’t been able to act like a proper big brother. Tomoe had been working hard on negotiating with the rhinosauruses and shoujou, so it might be nice to spoil her rotten today.
“Juna, do you know a good place for that?” I asked.
“I’ve done my research,” she said. “Leave it to me.” She placed her hand on her chest, bowing slightly.
Juna recommended a clothing store on a street corner.
The little sign out front had words meaning “The Silver Deer” written on it in a stylish font. From what was on display in the show window, it looked like it dealt not just in clothing, but in shoes and apparel, too. It was hard to judge with my untrained eyes, but the products on display all appeared to be of high quality. It was very much a high-class shop. The sort of place a guy like me, who had always bought his clothes on sale from the major retailers, would never come to.
Incidentally, ever since coming to this country, I had worn whatever I could provide myself or we already had on hand. Lately, the work I’d done creating and maintaining the Little Musashibo dolls had improved my sewing skills, so I was making everything but my underwear myself. I technically had what would be considered a highly-paid position, so I could afford to make custom orders, but I had no interest in indulging myself with luxuries now. The shirt and pants I had on under this traveling cape, as well as the hooded robe that Tomoe was wearing — both of them had been made by me.
“You can even make stuff like this. You’re amazing, big brother,” Tomoe said.
When Tomoe showered me with that look of respect, I could feel my head swelling with pride. “I can’t buy the clothes I was used to wearing in my own world here, after all. Though I’m doing it half as a hobby,” I said to hide my embarrassment, then looked to The Silver Deer. “Still, this is a surprise. A stylish store like this in Amidonia, of all places.”
“I hear it originally dealt in men’s clothing and apparel,” said Juna. “After that broadcast, when women started dressing up, they began stocking clothing and accessories for women as well.”
It seemed their selection changed in response to customer demand.
“Still, it’s quite a selection, don’t you think?” I asked. “Where do you suppose they order it all from?”
“There are trade guilds,” said Juna. “While they may not be able to do much about food, which is in short supply, the guild can arrange for them to buy any other kind of goods. For the merchants, Elfrieden and Amidonia are both sources of goods and also valued customers.”
“How crafty…”
Of course, it was those crafty merchants who maintained the balance of supply and demand… but that was neither here nor there, and I figured we shouldn’t loiter out front forever.
“Well, how about we head inside?” I asked.
When I went inside, gesturing for the two of them to follow, a man with ash gray hair who was dressed like a bartender was arranging products on the shelves. He seemed like the sort of middle-aged gentleman that the aroma of black tea would suit well. When he noticed us, he stood with his feet together, brought a hand to his breast, and then bowed. “Welcome. Are you travelers, perhaps?”
“Ah… Erm…” I stuttered a bit. While revealing my true identity was out of the question, how was I to explain the combination of a man in a conical straw hat, a beautiful female adventurer, and a wolf girl in a white hood? While I was wracking my brains to come up with something, Juna stepped forward.
“Yes. These two personages come from a kingdom in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. They are Kazuya, the heir to a crêpe fabric merchant in the Echigo Kingdom, and his younger sister Tomoe. I am their humble servant, Silvia. Master Kazuya will one day inherit the family business, and so we are traveling across many countries to broaden his horizons.”
She was very eloquent.
Nice work, Juna, I thought. And, wait, I’m impressed you actually remembered my nonsense backstory about being the heir to a crêpe fabric merchant in the Echigo Kingdom. Even I had completely forgotten that backstory. Also, who is Silvia supposed to be?
The middle-aged man didn’t show any particular interest. “I see,” he said with a gentle nod. “I apologize for taking so long to introduce myself. I am Sebastian, the proprietor of this establishment.”
With that name, are you sure you aren’t the butler, rather than the proprietor? I thought for a moment, but I reminded myself that not all Sebastians have to be butlers.
Smiling, Sebastian asked, “And what may I help you with today?”
“Well… do you have anything that would look good on my little sister here?” I asked,