Chapter 56

First, I'm sorry.

This time, it's cut off in the middle...

I've been a bit busy with real life, so I had to cut it off in the middle.

So, if you don't like it being cut off in the middle, it might be better to read it together at 8 o'clock tomorrow.

Thank you for the bookmark evaluations m(_ _)m

"…haa"

"Mi, Master, don't be so down."

I am here shopping with Torue.

Since the rumor about me being a 'pedophile pervert' started, I had been somewhat reclusive at home.

During that time, Torue and Aura worked hard to clear up the misunderstanding.

Today, I'm doing this as a thank you to Torue.

But once a rumor spreads, it doesn't just disappear easily.

Even now, as I walk with Torue, I can feel people glancing at us suspiciously.

"…haa…"

I sighed again, trying to expel some of my gloom.

"Master, I want to go there."

Torue pointed to a store where we had bought clothes before.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen her wear those clothes yet.

I wonder when she will wear them…

"Ah, then let's go there."

But since I came here today to thank Torue, I'll try my best to make her happy!

I resolved to do my best as I was led by Torue's hand.

"Um, Torue…?"

"…"

We entered the store, and Torue started looking at the various items, as if searching for something, but she didn't choose any clothes.

I called out to her, but she seemed so focused that she didn't even react to my voice.

Since it was taking a while, I reluctantly left Torue and decided to choose clothes for Aura and Lily.

Last time, because of this, I had to visit this store twice, so this time I decided to buy them first.

"Hmm, I don't know…"

Maybe because I'm a guy, or maybe just because I'm from the countryside and not familiar with fashion, I have no idea what to buy for Aura and the others.

"Excuse me, are there any popular clothes for girls these days?"

Since nothing was happening, I decided to ask the store clerk.

"Umm, popular…?"

The clerk looked slightly tense as she confirmed with me.

Her reaction is probably just because a man is trying to buy women's clothes, not because she thinks the 'pedophile pervert' rumor is true again.

Yeah, it must be that.

"I want to buy them as souvenirs…"

So, it's not like I'm trying to clear up any misunderstandings or anything.

"Well, in that case, these items have been popular recently."

She pointed to a section of the store and told me about the recent trends.

The prices were a bit high, but with the money I earn from the guild, it's manageable.

"Ah, thank you. I'll take a look."

When I thanked her, the clerk hurriedly left the area.

…She must be busy with work…

"Um, how about this one?"

I looked around the section the clerk recommended, but nothing really caught my eye.

Maybe my sense of fashion is off, I can't really understand why these are popular.

Before I knew it, quite a bit of time had passed, and it was almost lunchtime.

Torue was still looking around the store.

"…Hmm…?"

Suddenly, I noticed a rack of clothes in a less conspicuous area.

It felt a bit unnatural, so I approached it out of curiosity.

There, I found some clothes that, while not trendy, were somehow eye-catching.

"…I'll go with this one."

I picked out a particularly eye-catching piece.

…This one is for Aura.

"…This one for Lily, I guess."

The choices came together surprisingly quickly after that.

Finally, thinking I might as well get one for Torue too, I picked out one more.

After making my selections, I headed to the checkout, and on the way, Torue handed me something she had chosen.

"Um, what's this?"

What Torue handed me was a thin, slightly blackish, and somewhat like a woman's undergarment, but it seemed to be a set of top and bottom.

"That's a 'swimsuit,' a type of clothing worn in water. It works in both water and hot water, so we can take a bath together…"

"Wow, that's amazing."

If so, I can take a bath with Torue without any worries.

I took the swimsuit Torue gave me and the four outfits I bought as souvenirs to the checkout.

"…Y-You're buying these…?"

The clerk said something when we were checking out, but since I managed to buy some good things, I decided not to worry about it.

We left the store with the clothes in paper bags.