*
Walking straight out of Grand Hertz Academy, a clothing store comes into view.
“Welcome! This is the [Atelier of the Spiders].”
A store run by a lady in a golden dress with her hair styled up like a tarantula shining in gold.
“Wow, Kain… Are all these dresses?”
“I didn’t expect there to be this much variety.”
This place is meant to allow external appearance changes.
“I’m the owner here, Lacne. Please feel free to browse.”
An NPC that exists in every town. This one’s golden, huh.
“Let’s pick one each.”
Due to her similar appearance, the characters were often referred to as the spider sisters by players.
The one I used to frequent was a black widow spider.
“Oh my, I see you are students from the academy.”
Lacne, with multiple arms, smiled brightly at us.
Click clack, click clack. The sound of high heels approached slowly, the spider lady coming closer.
“If only you didn’t have a helmet… that would be a bit better.”
“It’s unfortunate that it’s unremovable equipment.”
I had come to set the characters’ outfits similarly in the game. Couple outfits are nice, right?
“..Licht.”
“Pina, what’s up?”
That’s when it happened. Tug, Pina pulled at my sleeve.
I felt a tiny and cute magnetic force, like opposites attracting.
“You just thought something weird looking at that lady, didn’t you…?”
Gulp, how did she know? Pina glared at me with fierce eyes as she spoke.
“No, I didn’t.”
The lie slipped out of my mouth. I had thought about matching an outfit like the color of Pina’s hair.
“..Lie.”
The pressure soon shifted from my sleeve to my arm. She had me in a tight grip, interrogating me.
I felt the blood draining from my arm.
“I was just thinking of our Pina…”
“..That’s true.”
Only then did Pina loosen her hold. I didn’t lie. I don’t know how she always catches on like a ghost during these times.
“Pina, what kind of dress are you going to wear?”
Now that I think about it, I wonder what kind of dress she’ll go for. I hope it’s not black, preferably.
“I’m still deciding.”
A short answer. Is it still undecided? With her status as a princess, it could be a cautious choice.
“Ariel, isn’t this a bit too fancy?”
“Why? I wanted to try it on at least once!”
Ariel, wearing a softly shimmering red dress.
The elf, having discarded her mage robes, looked enchanting enough to attract attention.
‘..That’s not it.’
But my thoughts were different.
Dressing similarly in each other’s colors is a sign of becoming a couple in this game.
It would be good to match Kainel’s hair and eye color.
“Ariel, how about this? I think this would suit you better.”
I pulled out a golden dress hanging nearby, presenting it.
It wasn’t completely golden but a color close to someone’s hair.
“Yeah, you wear red a lot already, right? I think this looks prettier, Ariel.”
“..Really?”
Kainel smiled gently at his girlfriend standing next to him.
“Wait a moment! Kain!”
Nice move, Kainel.
Thanks to the blonde-haired hero’s support, Ariel snatched the dress from my hands.
“….”
Watching this, Pina bit her lower lip. She looked somewhat dissatisfied.
“Licht.”
“..What is it, Pina?”
Pina stepped in front of me, blocking my view, and suddenly pulled me toward her.
“Give me dress recommendations too.”
I was originally going to, but there was no need for you to grab my tie, Pina.
*
Recently, Pina Grancia had been increasingly on my mind.
‘..I’m uneasy.’
When Licht gets involved with another girl, it feels like my heart is freezing up.
A sharp sensation as if an ice needle were piercing me.
Just entering this clothing store felt like that.
“If it’s a white dress, I recommend one with frills. Black Knight.”
The shop owner smiled at Licht, dressed in a pure white academy uniform.
“Ah, thank you.”
As he placed a hand on the mask, all sorts of thoughts scattered in my mind.
Don’t touch him. Please don’t show your face to other girls except for me.
“How about this, Pina..?”
“..No.”
So I purposely held onto her sleeve to stop her. I wasn’t wearing a helmet right now.
Pina was deliberately sulking at Licht not for no reason.
Unpleasant thoughts kept surfacing.
Imagining Licht abandoning her and laughing and having fun with another girl tortured her.
“Licht, how about this?”
“Black isn’t really…”
Seeing Pina in a backless black dress, Licht shook his head.
“..Just be honest.”
“The hair color doesn’t match, Pina.”
I definitely saw her neck go red just looking at herself. Her words and actions were conflicting.
‘Why does it have to be white…’
Pina recalled a scene from a romance novel she often read.
The sub-female protagonist in a black dress taking the place of the engaged female lead.
Is there possibly an engagement hidden from Licht?
If that were the case, the tragic heroine in Pina’s read wore a pure white dress.
‘Why am I feeling this way…?’
A small doubt arose, delivering a pain more painful and chilly than a wound from a sword, spreading from her ribs.
While practicing swordsmanship, I had experienced harder things than this. Why did it feel like this?
“Pina, just wear this once.”
“….”
The dress Licht held out was a cute one with frills. I would usually have joyfully accepted it.
“Seriously, I think it would suit you incredibly well as a student!”
That lady behind Licht saying that annoyed me. I had gotten angry seeing him suggest outfits to Ariel just moments ago.
“Pina, won’t you take my request then?”
Noticing Pina’s sulking, he softly stroked her hair.
“I don’t want to…”
He had lifted his mask, only showing his face to Pina.
“I really want to see you wearing a white dress…”
Swish, the way he teased her wolf ears made me mad. How does he know so much about her?
‘..Playboy.’
It felt like he was well aware of the Inrang Tribe’s likes and dislikes.
“Alright then, Licht..”
Eventually, Pina surrendered. She entered the changing room again, wearing the pure white dress.
The dress Licht chose had cute decorations, looking like he cared about her.
“..How do I look?”
From her head to her toes, Pina Grancia was dressed in pure white like the first snow falling from the sky.
“Licht..?”
Aside from the mana rose decoration given by Licht, she was thoroughly pristine.
Tap, Licht froze upon seeing her.
“..Is something strange?”
“Ah. That, um…”
The man’s face, unresponsive to her calls, slowly turned as red as boiling water.
“It looks.. really beautiful.. so much.”
The only sentence that managed to escape his lips was crushed by his bitten tongue. It sounded so awkward if heard by anyone.
“Pff, what’s your reaction? Is it strange?”
“No, really… it’s beautiful.”
Pina found Licht’s unfamiliar reaction odd. Why was he like this when she wore just a white dress?
A slight welling of tears. They say you get punished for laughing while crying.
“Pina, you’ve put it on!”
Just as Pina was about to doubt these small matters, Ariel called out to her.
“Ariel, be careful not to trip.”
“Hehe, you look really pretty, Pina!”
The elf mage wearing a dress in the same color as the hero’s hair stood beside her.
There was no doubt they seemed to be attending the social club as partners.
‘I’d prefer to wear black too…’
Clench, Pina expressed her discontent by making a fist.
This invitation to the social club was fueled by her possessiveness as well.
But it was also Pina’s consideration to not let small things like a burn scar trouble her.
A few days later, she’d be with the prince. Who would dare insult and mock him?
“Licht, could you put this on for me?”
Perking up, Pina whispered to Licht as if she just got a good idea.
“Pina, this is a choker..?”
A black choker, something she had bought during their trip to the Inrang Tribe, was thrust before Licht’s eyes.
“If the black dress won’t work, then let’s use this instead.”
“How about something like a ring instead, Pina?”
Watching Pina shake her head vigorously, Licht suggested other accessories.
“I don’t want to, please… Licht.”
However, Pina didn’t back down. She firmly handed over the choker with both hands.
Licht couldn’t refuse as it ended up in his grasp.
“..Alright. Please turn around.”
Pina tied her hair up with both hands. Her slim neck became prominently visible.
Thump, thump, her heartbeat began to sound louder than ever.
Click, the sound of metal echoed in the store.
“It’s done, Pina.”
The feeling of the slightly constricting sensation around her neck. Pina began to run her fingers over the choker slowly.
The color the same as Licht’s hair. Just the fact that it was a necklace filled by someone precious made her happy.
“..Hehe.”
While the hero couple in the distance matched their accessories, Pina felt a sense of relief.
She already had an amethyst ring. What else was she trying to choose? Licht had been the one to buy that too, just for her.
‘Right now, I have this too.’
Similar to when she hugged Licht, a comfortable feeling began to spread throughout her body.
The reflection of Pina in the mirror smiled differently than before.
