As the Celestial Festival drew closer, a disaster struck.
“Uh… Uh… This is really… cool…”
Selian spoke hesitantly, lacking confidence.
“Well, yeah. It’s not too bad, actually,”
Yuli said while claiming it wasn’t bad, but for some reason, she turned her face away, hiding her expression.
“Huff… Alicia looks so good in it… Hehehe!”
Anne tried to hide her laughter but eventually burst out laughing outright.
“Nyaa…”
Even Meow, looking at it with cat-like eyes, turned away with its tail curled, clearly finding the scene quite pitiful.
In the midst of all this, Linne was floating in mid-air, clutching her stomach and rolling around.
How did it come to this?
It all started with just a small comment from Selian.
At that time, I hadn’t anticipated this would happen. If only I had rejected Selian’s and the others’ suggestion at that moment, could I have avoided this disaster?
I curse my own complacency.
“Because of your complacency, I am suffering now.”
If only time travel were possible, I would surely go back.
“Speaking of which, El? Do you have something to wear for the Celestial Festival?”
On a weekend morning, free of practice events and the first good rest in a while, as I was rolling around in bed, Selian spoke to me.
“Hmm? Won’t something casual work? We’re not short on clothes, after all.”
Originally, my meager wardrobe was filled during the summer break when I visited Yuli and Selian’s homes.
Having received so many types of clothes, regardless of the season, my worries about clothing subsided.
Selian herself was aware that she had given me clothes directly.
So why was Selian worrying about what I would wear for the Celestial Festival?
“The main character of this Celestial Festival is El, the hero. Not just the students, but everyone in the city will see El, so I don’t want to show an awkward appearance.”
“The main character of the Celestial Festival is the Goddess, not me…” I attempted to dissuade Selian from gilding my face.
But someone else cut in before I could finish.
“That’s right! Selian has a good point. Though it’s a shame to show it to others, if we must, it should indeed be the best presentation.”
“But, the Celestial Festival is for the Goddess…”
Before I could finish speaking again, there was one more who wanted to add “gold” to my face, making it harder for me to calm them down.
“What? What? What’s going on? Celestial Festival? El? Clothes? I’m in! Let’s go, let’s go!”
Anne, who usually woke up the latest, arrived still in her bathrobe with a towel draped over her head after a quick wash. She barged in loudly without even knowing what the conversation was about.
Before I knew it, she aligned herself with Selian and Yuli, assessing the situation in a flash.
“Ho ho! It smells interesting. If it’s fun, Linne must not be left out!”
And so, Linne joined in as well, merely because it seemed entertaining — indulging her own whims.
From the moment Selian brought it up, the situation had escalated to a point where it was difficult to refuse.
“Well, if there’s nothing else, let’s head out at lunchtime. We might as well go out to eat while we’re at it.”
Yes. Since they’re going out of their way for me, why would I turn them down?
Due to becoming the hero, my tuition worries were gone until the Demon King extermination. With that extra budget, why not indulge in an expensive outfit once?
And while I’m at it, as a token of gratitude for everyone’s help so far, inviting them for lunch wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
“Shall we get ready to go? It seems better to eat lunch first. What would everyone like?”
“I’ll have anything! Just no spicy stuff!”
Usually, “anything” is the hardest order to handle, but it’s different with Anne.
When Anne says “anywhere,” it truly means anywhere.
If she has no craving, Anne can eat almost anything without being picky.
But one could question why she doesn’t just wait for the menu. However, because it’s Anne, let’s let it slide.
“Hmm… I think the new noodle shop that opened around this time is quite good.”
“Right around this time? I think I’ve heard the school kids talking about it.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it too. I heard that despite being newly opened, there’s already a line outside the shop!”
If even a fast-turnover noodle shop has a queue, it must be quite famous.
“Let’s go there then. It’s a little early for lunch, but given the wait time, let’s go ahead and head out?”
Thanks to our habit of exploring great restaurants together, most good places in the city have been tried.
Since this was a new great shop in town, none of us had any reason to oppose, and the decision was made quickly.
*
“Wow. If we had arrived just a bit later, we would have joined that long queue too.”
Fortunately, when we arrived, the store was still preparing for business, so there was only a short line.
Even that short line dissolved quickly once they opened, and we managed to get seated without any wait.
“What a great store. We should’ve come here earlier.”
However, when we finished lunch and stepped out of the shop, we saw a long line trailing behind.
Even with their fast turnover rate, people at the end of the line would likely still need to wait another thirty minutes.
“Ugh, I’m stuffed.”
Anne, who ate two large bowls by herself, contentedly patted her belly.
How is it possible for someone so small to eat so much?
It was hard for me to comprehend with my now smaller appetite after becoming a woman.
“So, let’s head out and look for El’s outfit. While we’re at it, let’s take a stroll to help with digestion.”
By the way, our original purpose was not to explore new restaurants but to find El’s clothes, which I forgot about because the noodles were so delicious.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better for a hero to wear a full suit of armor?”
“Hmm… maybe, but the armor would cover El’s figure, which seems a bit of a waste?”
“But then again, thinking of many people seeing El’s figure makes it feel a bit…”
“Yeah, I understand that feeling. It is a bit concerning. El unknowingly seems to create rivals wherever she goes…”
“Exactly. Even classmates and those from other classes have started asking me about El. But I have turned them away.”
“Indeed, since El became the hero, more people are pestering her, regardless of gender. But in times like these, we must stay composed and focused!”
“That’s true, but El being El…”
“Yeah, yeah, even last time…”
Meanwhile, Selian and Yuli caught up in conversation about various topics, and yet my name kept popping up in their conversations.
“Alright, let’s go. You two, follow our lead.”
Eyeing Selian and Yuli’s scheming looks, Anne turned to me.
“Sure,”
Truly, we knew each other too well. As soon as Anne and I began walking, Selian and Yuli quickly followed.
Even while Anne led the way, the other two were chatting enthusiastically behind us.
“Alright! Isn’t this place perfect?”
The store we arrived at was rather unique.
It was more than just a clothing store as it also sold armors, and more than just an armor shop since it also sold clothes. The quality of both was rather high.
Typically, shops that sell a variety of things fail in one area. But this store was different, thanks to the characteristics of Pelches, the city where Griffin Academy is located.
Many students at Griffin Academy are from wealthy noble and upper-class families, interested in both fashion and arms like weapons and armor.
When the store first opened, many predicted it would go out of business due to its ambiguous position between clothing and armor. However, it successfully expanded by catering precisely to the needs of the academy students.
“Oh, I remember this place. I forgot about it because I was focusing on just one aspect.”
“Yeah. Then, we wouldn’t have to worry about choosing.”
“Hehe. What do you think of my pick? Pretty good, right?”
Selian and Yuli looked on as Anne stood with her arms crossed, her face slightly raised, proudly showing off her choice.
“Oh, as always, Anne. Thanks to you, we’ll save a lot of time.”
Her glowing face looked like she was expecting praise. Thus, I gave her a compliment.
“Uhehehe.”
True to form, upon receiving the praise, Anne’s smile instantly brightened. She’s such a straightforward girl.
“Hmm… then, should we take a look at some clothes first?”
Following Selian, we headed to the clothing section.
And from here, the disaster of the weekend began.
