Chapter 7: Excursions (2)

I dressed her in the hood and black duster coat again, and pulled up the hood.

Outside, the rain had just stopped, but it still felt chilly as the sunlight hadn’t fully broken through.

Just as I was about to put on my own coat over my clothes and leave.

“Um… I was hoping you could help me a little, if that’s alright?”

Seeing her ear fluttering, pressed down by the hood, I closed my eyes for a moment.

‘Calm down, just help her. Just pull her ear out a little.’

I gently lifted the gap in the hood with one hand, and with the other, carefully pulled the tip of her soft, warm ear out through the hole.

This time, I didn’t unnecessarily fiddle with her ear, nor did I look directly at her face, finishing quickly.

Considering her strange reaction last time, and that if I touched her properly, it would become truly dangerous.

‘Besides, don’t I have a lot to do today?’

Without a word, I left the inn and stood with her in front of the open plaza, beginning to look around.

“So, where do you plan to go first?”

“First, we need to buy Ms. Elli’s casual clothes, pajamas, and clothes for dungeon exploration, and then we need to get weapons.

Shall we go buy clothes first?”

“Ah, yes. Then, that way.”

The street, where the rain had just stopped, had puddles here and there, and a pleasant splashing sound could be heard with every step.

But the fact that I wasn’t making those footsteps alone was even more surprising.

Because she was right beside me, introducing each shop, her ears twitching above her hood.

To me, who had never had such an experience before, she was showing me a new life.

Street restaurants and vegetable shops, bakeries and butcher shops, confectioneries, and restaurants she often visited.

As she talked about them, she occasionally smiled.

For example, sometimes she received an armful of mini carrots, a good snack, from the vegetable shop, or that the confectionery was run by a kind couple who gave delicious cookies and a bottle of milk together.

After talking and walking together for a long time, we finally arrived at a clothing store.

Surprisingly, the interior had clothes of various colors hung up, and aside from seeing mostly wooden walls and stone tiles, I even felt that it wasn’t much different from a modern clothing store.

Truly. If it weren’t for the types of clothes.

Instead of jeans or jackets, white T-shirts or long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts… the clothes were mostly made of coarse-textured fabric that fluttered, secured with strings or simple buttons.

And although it seemed men’s and women’s clothing were separated at first glance, she didn’t even glance at the dresses with elaborate decorations and headed to the opposite side.

The clothes she picked out were mostly white long-sleeved tops and black pants, or several black tops, which she held against her body.

Then, she picked out suitable ones and brought them to me.

“Um, could I ask for several more pieces of clothing in the same size as these?”

I immediately asked the shop owner, who had been attentively watching her choose clothes, to bring out several pieces.

She seemed to think about something for a moment, then opened a door and went inside.

‘Assuming she would pick out suitable ones herself—’

I stood beside her, watching as Ms. Elli busily moved around the shop, choosing other clothes.

She picked out a few plain gray dresses that fluttered loosely, held them against her body, nodded, then folded them neatly and extended them to me with both hands.

“These are casual clothes, but please include these too.”

“Will I need spares of these as well?”

“No, I don’t think casual clothes get very dirty, so this much should be enough. Buying any more would be a strain on expenses. Next, um… me.”

She hesitated for a moment, then left me there and went further into the back of the shop.

As I was about to follow her, I felt a tap, tap on my back and turned around to see the owner holding several pieces of clothing.

“How many pieces would you like?”

“I think these clothes are for dungeon exploration, but how many would be needed?”

“It usually depends on how many times a week you go in, but since you asked for several pieces, it seems you go in three or four times a week.

So, would this amount be alright?”

“Give me that much.”

Leaving the owner, who was picking out two pieces each of white and black and folding them neatly, I found her already behind me, holding up several pieces of clothing.

As if deep in thought, she held up various pieces against her body, one after another, then handed me the clothes.

“Would you like to try on the clothes in the fitting room?”

“What should I try on?”

“These white and black long-sleeved shirts here… and um… pants are made loose, so they don’t matter. Still, would you like to try them on?”

“No need for pants. Let me just hold them against me for a moment—yes. I think the pants will be fine. I’ll just try on the tops and come out quickly.”

As I took off my coat and hung it on the hanger, she gently closed the fitting room curtain.

‘She was meticulous.’

So, when I took off my top, my quite defined muscles were prominently visible.

Along with faint scars.

Surprisingly, the wounds I thought would leave large marks didn’t leave such severe traces.

‘But my muscles, they’re amazing.

I have abs, and my chest muscles aren’t overly bulky but just right… like a body you’d see in a foreign movie.’

So, when I put on the clothes she gave me, the muscle lines on my arms were subtly revealed, while the torso felt slightly loose.

But what was also surprising was that when I lightly stretched the fabric, which looked rough, it stretched comfortably.

Admiring the clothes made of very comfortable material, I moved my body around.

‘Indeed, they were comfortable.’

“Wow, these clothes are really comfortable…”

As I came out of the fitting room, swinging my arms while wearing the clothes, I saw her talking to the shop owner.

Seeing her smile occasionally, it seemed they were acquaintances.

Leaving her, who was neatly folding the clothes and putting them into a large straw bag, Ms. Elli looked at me wearing the clothes, her eyes wide, examining me all over.

She lightly extended her hand, then drew it back, parting her lips to ask for permission.

“Um, would it be alright if I check if the clothes fit well?”

“Oh, yes.”

‘I should have asked what exactly she intended to do when I said that.’

Before I could stop her, her hands began to touch every part of my body.

She touched my arms, then slightly pulled up my sleeve to slip her slender hand between the fabric, or stroked the front and back of my torso with her palm.

I felt my face flush intensely from the warmth of her touch, but seeing her seriously checking the fit with a stern expression, I simply cleared my throat and let her have her way.

After exploring my upper body for a long time, she finally nodded and recommended that I buy two sets each of the white and black, just like hers.

So, when I bought them, two bags were already on the counter.

‘Is it just my imagination that this will cost a lot of money?’

But she didn’t stop there; she held out several pieces of fabric to me.

“What… is this?”

Unable to answer immediately, and instead of her, who was fluttering her ears, the owner, who had approached, smiled at me and said.

“They’re ladies’ undergarments, sir.”

I looked at the pieces of cloth again.

‘No, this is underwear?’

‘To call it underwear… the shape was different.

The area was wide, but it didn’t have the appearance I expected.

That is, it wasn’t flashy, perhaps.’

She looked at my expression and chuckled slightly, then picked up two pieces from Ms. Elli’s hand and unfolded them.

“Now… you see, this wide piece of fabric that looks like a single band, you wear it like this, over the top, and secure it well to cover the chest area, and this triangular piece of clothing—”

Ah, that definitely looked like panties.

Having clearly understood, I folded them—

“F-five, no, um, ugh…”

Leaving her, who was flushing and slowly lowering her head, I asked the shop owner how many pieces were needed.

“Hmm… since hygiene is especially important when going into a dungeon, it’s recommended to buy enough spares to change into when you come back from the dungeon… seven pieces in advance.

Seven pieces for 70 Dikats, so it’s not that expensive.”

“I-I’ve never bought that many…”

She continued to hesitate, showing me a troubled face, but I had already decided to trust the shop owner’s words.

‘Isn’t it always better and more comfortable to have more underwear anyway?’

“You’ll need them from now on. I’d like seven pieces, please.”

“Shall I give the gentleman seven pieces too?”

“Please do.”

Although I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous at the sight of the basket filled to the brim, it was interesting that the calculation was completed with just a few silver coins.

“There are a lot of places that make and sell clothes, you see.

Leather comes out a lot from the dungeon, and fabric and dyeing materials are also found in great quantities in the lower levels.

The more you buy, the more discounts the shop owner gives, so I recommend using this shop often.”

As I left the shop carrying the bags, I suddenly noticed she was carrying both bags and tried to gently take one from her hand, but… ‘it seems it wasn’t allowed after all.’

“There’s quite a lot to carry today.

Please leave it to me, and I’ll ask you to carry a few things later.”

“You’re not saying you won’t carry them?”

“Even if I suggested it, it’s obvious you’d try to carry them somehow anyway.”

Her face was full of composure as she smiled sweetly.

I stared blankly at her beautiful appearance for a moment, then replied with a smile myself.

I was relieved that we both seemed much more relaxed than during our incredibly tense first meeting.

If we could slowly become close like this, she would surely become a good companion.