Chapter 56: Dress-up Doll
Being dragged around by these two, I realized we’d ended up pretty far from the academy.
Of course, it’s not like we’d left the city surrounding the academy, but this was a lot farther than when we went to the pet shop last time.
If that trip felt like walking to the local convenience store, this one felt like going to one of those big warehouse-style stores in the middle of nowhere.
We’d already been walking for about 30 minutes.
My legs didn’t hurt or anything, but since we’d gone this far, I started to feel an odd sense of unease. I wondered if they would start to move, too.
When I got permission from Father to attend the academy, he gave me a condition — whenever I went outside the academy grounds, I had to be accompanied by an escort.
Of course, realistically, it wasn’t practical to have escorts following me around every single time I left the academy. It would be tiring for them, and I didn’t like how it would look, either.
It would seem like I was too dependent on my parents.
So we reached a compromise. Unless I was leaving for an official academy-related reason, I could go short distances without an escort.
Thanks to that, my escorts hadn’t been inconvenienced so far…
But this time, I wasn’t so sure.
“…How much farther do we have to go?”
I wasn’t opposed to seeing the Captain of the Guards, but I didn’t want to meet him like this.
He’d definitely ask, “Why are you out here?” If I had to explain that my friends were dragging me around to buy me clothes because they pitied me, I think I’d die of embarrassment.
“Just a bit further… Yes, about 3 more minutes. See that big building up ahead? That’s it.”
“Hmm, I see it.”
Following her gaze, I noticed a large building, so tall it almost matched the height of the giant tree back at the academy.
It looked oddly familiar. It took me a moment to realize why. It looked exactly like a department store from my past life.
Not like a grand, fantasy-style building, but a modern department store.
Honestly, the idea of a department store existing in this world felt more surreal than a magic clock tower with a magically expanded interior.
Of course, I hadn’t seen the inside yet, but from the outside, it was a department store. No doubt about it.
It seemed Dogeon was feeling the same way.
He was staring at the department store-like building with a puzzled look on his face.
It made sense. Until now, every building we’d seen, big or small, had that unique “fantasy” style. But this building looked like it had been plucked straight out of modern times.
…Well, with friends here, I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.
“…Sigh, I really didn’t want to come here and line her pockets, but… I guess I have no choice.”
“Huh? Her? Don’t tell me… that building is owned by Stefania?”
Dogeon’s mind seemed to snap back to reality as he caught on to Anya’s grumbling.
“Yes, that’s right. Squeezing a bunch of stores into a cramped space like a chicken coop and flooding the market with mass-produced products… That kind of idea could only come from the Elfelton family.”
“…I see.”
Judging from her sharp words, it was clear Anya didn’t have a high opinion of Stefania or her family.
“Anya, then why are you planning to attend her party?”
“Well… I’m not sure if I should admit this, but… ugh… It’s for the tea… she serves…”
…Tea.
It was rare, but Dogeon and I had the same thought at that moment.
She’s going to a party… just to drink tea.
“…Please, don’t look at me like that. Yes, she’s a shamelessly greedy woman, but… she makes good tea…”
Her voice trailed off, and it was clear she was being sincere.
Well, I guess I can understand. I once made a habit of sneaking off to a café during the quiet hours just to get a taste of a particular side dish.
It’s probably the same thing for her.
“Right. Even in the mud, you can still find treasure. I get how you feel, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Come on, let’s go.”
“…Thank you for understanding, Hoyeon.”
How does it feel to be comforted by the friend who just got mocked for having no clothes? I bet Anya didn’t expect to be consoled by me of all people.
Not that I’ve forgiven her.
She still owes me an apology for the whole “lack of clothes” thing.
With a little more energy in her steps, she led us into the building. As expected, it was, indeed, a department store.
There were crowds of people, shops everywhere, and not a single window in sight.
At least there wasn’t any of that random love-song background music playing, so it wasn’t too bad.
“…No matter how I look at it…”
Hearing Dogeon muttering to himself, I could tell he was just as stunned by the sheer “department-store-ness” of it all.
“Well, let’s get started by looking at some dresses.”
After saying that, Anya stepped onto an escalator… and I felt an indescribable emotion.
The way she got on so naturally… It reminded me of going to the department store with my mom as a kid.
Don’t think too hard about it. The escalator is probably some kind of magic device. I gave up on questioning it and followed behind her.
“Alright, Hoyeon. Let me ask you again. You really have no specific style or look in mind, right?”
Anya wanted to be absolutely sure.
Of course, I had no idea. I didn’t even know what “style” was supposed to mean. As far as I was concerned, clothes just had to be sturdy and comfortable.
That’s exactly what the only set of casual clothes I brought from home was like.
No tears, no stains, no lingering smells, and it didn’t restrict my movement. It was the pinnacle of comfortable clothing.
…But I guess wearing something like that to a party wouldn’t be acceptable.
“I’ll say it one more time. I have no such thing.”
I clearly conveyed my feelings and waited for Anya’s response.
“…Alright then, let’s try them all on!”
Huh? How did we end up there?
***
“Huh… Is the size measurement device broken? I’m so sorry, customer! Please wait a moment!”
Anya’s grand ambition to dress Hoyeon up in all sorts of dresses faced a major hurdle right from the start.
The problem was the body measurement device had broken down.
The device was supposed to scan the body using mana waves to measure sizes instantly, no need for a measuring tape. But for some reason, it wasn’t working on Hoyeon.
It was as if it couldn’t detect anything there — like nothing was standing in front of it — or it spat out completely nonsensical measurements.
“…That’s strange. This thing never breaks… I’m really sorry, customer. It looks like we’ll have to measure you manually with tape. Is that alright with you?”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
Anya immediately agreed before I could say a word. I glanced at her, a little stunned, but the store employee was already approaching me with a measuring tape.
Like a frightened cat frozen in place, Hoyeon quietly surrendered herself to the store clerk’s touch. Meanwhile, Dogeon leaned over and spoke to Anastasia.
“…Anya, you’re not seriously planning to have her try on all of them, right?”
“Dogeon, what kind of silly question is that? Of course we have to try all of them on. How else are we supposed to pick the best one?”
Dogeon let out a deep sigh from within and glanced over at Hoyeon.
She looked like she didn’t know what to do with herself, but she still moved around as needed so the clerk could get her measurements properly.
Dogeon silently offered a moment of prayer for Hoyeon, who was about to be treated like a dress-up doll.
Of course, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy the sight. To him, Hoyeon was just as attractive as Anastasia, except for being a little shorter.
But since he also knew how long it takes for women to pick out clothes, he couldn’t help but sigh again.
“…Alright, we’re all done. Wow, amazing! With a figure like this, you’ll look stunning in any of our outfits!”
Half of it was just flattery, but the clerk genuinely believed it. In their eyes, Hoyeon could pull off any style of dress.
“Uh… r-right… thanks for the compliment…?”
“Now then… let’s see… Which outfit would you like to try on first?”
Without hesitation, the clerk handed the catalog to Anastasia.
Hoyeon found it odd. Why is Anya choosing the dress when I’m the one wearing it? But since Anastasia was staring at the catalog with such a serious expression, Hoyeon couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
Anastasia’s eyes darted between the catalog and Hoyeon before she eventually made her decision, tapping on one of the pages with her finger.
“For starters… let’s go with this one.”
The outfit she picked was a halter-neck dress.
It was primarily black, with lace material around the chest, an open-back design, and just enough exposure around the chest to reveal a glimpse of cleavage. For Hoyeon, it was an outfit that packed way too much punch.
But it perfectly fits Anastasia’s philosophy of “start strong from the very beginning.”
“…Wh-what did you just decide on…? Huh…?”
Feeling a rising sense of dread, Hoyeon looked at Anastasia with pleading eyes, but Anastasia only responded with a mysterious smile.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
“Yeah, just relax. It’ll be fine.”
There’s nothing you can do anyway. Those words lingered at the edge of Dogeon’s lips, but he kept them to himself.
He decided it was best to just watch the show. He was genuinely curious to see how Hoyeon would look in that outfit.
When the store clerk entered Hoyeon’s measurements into the system, a magical sewing machine powered by mana started whirring to life.
It moved quickly and precisely, stitching the fabric together. As the shape of the dress gradually became recognizable, Hoyeon’s face went pale.
“…Anya, what in the world is that…? Is that… supposed to be clothes? That’s a dress?”
“Right this way, miss.”
“Wait, wait, something’s not right. That can’t be a dress—!”
Hoyeon’s desperate cries echoed as she was dragged into the fitting room.