19 – Shopping for clothes

"Uwaa!! You look so good in this one, sis! Just like a princess!" (Sasha)

"If you praise me that much… I'll blush." (Stella)

"Sold! We're taking this!" (Sasha)

"No we're not."

"Eeh? Why?" (Sasha)

"First, it's an expensive piece. Secondly, with how long and frilly it is, you'll get tangled in it during combat. Might I remind you that I won't let you freeload around me? You're going to have to fight at some point. That dress is a big no."

Sasha puffed her cheeks in a disappointed manner. She then grabbed a few clothes and went into the changing room herself. I waited a few moments to see the result.

"Ta-da!! How about this?" (Sasha)

"You really think that's an improvement? You literally just put on a pair of shorts and a small shirt. It's no different than your rags. Too much skin exposure."

"Fufu! Did I make your heart skip a beat?" (Sasha)

"Take this seriously already."

"Mou, if you wanted functional clothes, why didn't you take us to an armor shop instead?" (Sasha)

"Try thinking for a second. You really think they'd make armor for children? You can't even register with the guild until you're 14 anyway. A general clothes store is our best bet."

After a few more minutes, Stella came out of the dressing room next. My jaw almost dropped.

"How about this, Edel-sama?"

"Did you really just grab whatever was closest to reach for?"

Fashion disaster! I will say generally I don't have a fashion sense and I wear whatever I want, but come on. A pink hat, a scarf, a sweater that goes all the way to her knees and the sleeves are too long and a skirt… I'd literally die of embarrassment if she walked on the streets like that.

"Darling, why aren't you buying clothes for me too?" (Yuki)

"Because you're a sword and you already have clothes when you manifest."

Yuki was a little grumpy. I might have to end up buying something for her too, even if just symbolically. The shopkeeper giggled and was quite entertained by our comical scenario which lasted for almost an hour. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and something caught my eyes.

A pair of matching outfits. The upper part was a white piece that highly resembles a japanese kimono. Similar to the type you would see used by shrine maidens. The lower part was a red skirt. I picked them and tossed them to the tiger girls along with some underwear, shoes and stockings.

"Try those on."

At first they titled their heads, but eventually they got changed.

"Wow! This fabric is so unusual. Although it looks thin it's quite soft and warm!" (Sasha)

"Mhm. Our tails are also able to slip through the gap near the skirt, so they're really comfortable."

Finally, we reached a conclusion.

"Hey, shopkeeper, I'll be buying those."

"Very well. The total is 100,000 wurna for both."

"Isn't that rather expensive?"

"Please understand, miss, that is a special fabric and style that can't be produced in this kingdom. They are imported clothes. Normally only nobles would be able to afford them to begin with. Perhaps, you can't afford them?"

I looked back at the girls. Small tears formed in their eyes because they loved these clothes and the thought of giving them up now made them sad. Yare yare. It's not like I can't afford them. Because of my adventuring, my total balance is 958,000 wurna.

*Sigh*

"Don't cry you two. I was the one who picked them out to begin with."

I pulled my adventurer card out and handed it to the shopkeeper.

"Deduct it from here."

"Oh! Most certainly, miss. Thank you for your business!"

It didn't take long until the shopkeeper returned with my card. I confirmed that he took the correct amount. It's always best to check, you really don't want to get scammed. The girl's faces went bright as the sunshine. Oh, in case you're wondering why Yuki hasn't said a single word, it’s because I managed to calm her down.

Why did I do that, you ask? Because she went crazy and wanted clothes too. I said "you already have clothes" and she acted strange, almost ready to tear her clothes to shreds. So once again, I had to put her in her place. I did end up buying a hair pin for her so she won't feel neglected, though.

"Anyway girls, we have one more stop. We'll visit a smithy. I need to buy you girls some weapons. Thankfully this place has a smith that's skilled enough for some preliminary gear."

"Okay!" (x2)

------

All that being said, mission accomplished. I managed to find weapons for the girls… and also had a hard time keeping their excitement under control. They literally wouldn't stop waving them around.

For Stella I bought a mini-katana. I say mini because it doesn't have the length of a normal katana, and at the same time it's not as short as a tanto. So it's somewhere in between. An irregular blade.

For Sasha I was surprised to find a pole, but not just any pole. On one end, the pole literally had a tiger paw attached to it with razor sharp claws. The paw reacts to the user's will. She immediately fell in love with it. Although it's not a conventional weapon, if she wants to use it, she should use it.

And there was one more thing. A matching pair of rings. [Militia Guard Ring]: this ring is embedded with the divine protection from a goddess, and protects the wearer from blades.

To put in simple words, it is a magic item that casts a barrier. Divine protection is just a fancy name as far as I can tell. If I’m not mistaken, the belief is that it’s similar to magic, it can be an offensive or defensive skill, and could be embedded in ornaments; of course, the strength varies from best to worst.

At a glance these rings might seem like a normal silver ring, but on the interior of the ring exists a magic circle written with ancient characters for activating the power of divine protection. Honestly I can’t read that gibberish.

“Hearing the name it might sound like a really great thing, but it's grade as a magic item is not that high, so don't expect much out of the defensive power” is the warning I issued to the girls. It’s just something to keep them safe until I manage to mold them.

It protects from blades, having said that, the Shield is automatically deployed to block against physical attacks, so it is quite a popular accessory.

There was one thing that was bothering me, though.

“You girls have been giggling ever since we left the shop? What’s so funny?”

“No, nothing. We just like our gifts!” (Stella)

“Yes. Especially the rings, fufu!” (Sasha)

These girls placed the rings on the middle finger. It ain't a wedding ring, for crying out loud. No. I shouldn’t worry too much. A wedding ring was a custom in my world, and it shouldn't be necessarily the same in this world too. The religion is totally different to begin with.

“Pick up the pace, then. We need to get to a stable and buy a horse of something and get out of this place.”

“Roger!!” (x2)

Ugh. Lucky for me Yuki is out cold. I have the feeling that she’d make a big ruckus right now if she was awake.