(Chapter 12) Shopping
Not to mention that idiotic pig and that perpetually slacking knight who always acts so mysteriously so didn't want to stay near them. Anna, having escaped the Knights' headquarters to go on patrol, did not have the uneventful patrol she had experienced in the simulator.
Shortly after leaving the headquarters, Louise appeared right in front of her.
"Anna Senpai, since you can’t accompany me shopping this weekend... how about going with me now instead?"
"Huh?"
This development never happened in the simulator! It had only been one night, why was Louise suddenly inviting her to go shopping? And even skipping work to do so?
"But right now, we are—"
"I know. But, Senpai... Even though we've known each other for so long, I’ve never really paid attention to the details of your life."
Louise stared directly into Anna’s eyes, locking their gaze.
"I always thought that since Senpai was a noble, you must live in a decent house. But when I visited in person yesterday, I realized... you actually live in such a small house… and your furniture is so worn out…"
"And despite always using that old, battered longsword, even while living in such poor conditions, you still spent money to buy a steel longsword..."
"That’s not what you think—"
Before Anna could finish explaining, Louise interrupted her harshly.
"I know! I may not be the most knowledgeable, but I do understand market prices! Anna Senpai says it’s fine, but you must be out of money, right? How are you going to survive the rest of the month?"
‘...So it was the steel longsword that caused this misunderstanding?!’
Anna never expected that simply exchanging a longsword would lead to this kind of development.
So this was why Louise suddenly decided to invite her today?
Even though she had never heard the term "butterfly effect," for the first time, Anna felt like she was experiencing it firsthand.
"Even if you have misunderstood something," Anna said with a troubled shake of her head, "skipping work without saying a word isn’t exactly—"
"That’s why, just as you left the garrison, I had my butler request leave on your behalf."
???
"You what?" Anna thought she had misheard.
"Since Senpai needs to investigate the knight order’s mole this weekend, I figured we could just move our shopping trip up instead."
How could this be?
At the very least, the last simulation confirmed that as long as she avoided shopping with Louise on the weekend, she wouldn't be kidnapped by those strange people and forced to work in a brothel. But if she went shopping today, who could guarantee that those people wouldn’t take her this time too!?
She still had no idea why they wanted to abduct her, who was behind it, or what their true objective was. If she went shopping now and reality ended up following the worst-case scenario—
No way! She couldn't let that happen!
However, looking at Louise’s expectant expression, and recalling the experiences she had endured in the simulator, Anna hesitated to refuse outright.
...For now, Louise was the bigger concern.
After weighing her options, Anna decided to accept Louise’s willful invitation.
"Alright, I’ll skip just this once, okay?" Anna cautiously watched Louise's reaction.
"Senpai, you agreed?" Louise's eyes lit up immediately, and her mood visibly improved.
"Well, I can't help it, since it’s you, Louise, making the request…"
At worst, she could just finish shopping today and then run another simulation to see if anything bad was going to happen.
"Let’s go, let’s go! And just so you know, Senpai, I’ve never really gone shopping in the commercial district either, so I don’t even know what to buy..."
"Don’t worry, Senpai. Just leave the shopping to me," Louise beamed. "In fact, I really want to buy some things for you."
"R-Really?"
Anna had a bad feeling about this. Would Louise end up buying her something super embarrassing?
...She wouldn’t, right?
"Senpai! What are you standing there dazing out for?" Louise naturally grabbed Anna’s hand and pulled her forward. "Come on, let’s go!"
"Don’t rush me..."
The commercial district wasn’t far from here. Although this was just a small town’s marketplace, the town itself was quite sizable. After all, if it was large enough to have a red-light district, then having a bustling shopping street was only natural.
As Anna looked at the rows of shops along the street, she couldn’t help but wonder, was there really enough demand in this town to support all these businesses?
More importantly, it seemed Louise had come prepared. The moment they arrived, she immediately pulled Anna toward a specific shop.
It wasn’t until they stepped inside that Anna took in the shop’s decor.
Judging by the merchandise and decorations, this was a clothing store that also did tailoring.
"Honored knights, how may I assist you?"
The moment they entered, a woman dressed in a simple linen dress greeted them nervously. She seemed so anxious that if Anna or Louise showed even the slightest displeasure, she might immediately drop to her knees and beg for forgiveness.
"There’s no need to be so nervous. I’m from the Latimir family. I placed an order last night for a custom gown..."
"Oh, so it was you, Miss..." The woman looked even more apprehensive. "P-Please wait a moment!"
After speaking, she hastily bowed again before rushing into the back of the store.
"Louise, the clothing you mentioned… it’s not—"
"It’s something I custom-ordered for you," Louise said with an especially “warm” smile.
"...Is that so?"
Looking at Louise’s expression, Anna suddenly felt a little panicked. She was so caught off guard that she even forgot to ask how Louise knew her measurements.
"Senpai, don’t worry," Louise reassured her, seemingly noticing her tension. "This shop’s tailoring services are top-notch, and even in the royal capital, they’re considered excellent. You have nothing to worry about."
"Is that so?"
‘That’s not what I’m worried about, okay?!’
Anna mentally grumbled but didn’t dare say it out loud.
"Miss Latimer, here is your custom order..."
At that moment, the woman returned with a beautifully wrapped gift box, nervously handing it over to Louise.
"You have a fitting room, right?" Although Louise was clearly confident in the shop’s craftsmanship, she also seemed unfamiliar with the store itself.
"O-Of course..."
"Well the
n, Senpai, why don’t you go try it on?"
Holding the box that had just been placed into her hands, Anna swallowed nervously.