The legendary “Boy meets girl”—but I never thought I’d be the one playing the girl.
Squire’s heart was a jumble of emotions. As a man, she’d always thought something like this wouldn’t affect her much. But when she felt those eyes roaming over her, she couldn’t control her racing heartbeat. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, especially obvious in the dimly lit shop.
Yet the white-haired boy didn’t show any reaction at all. He’d indeed looked Squire up and down from head to toe, but aside from apologizing, he didn’t seem surprised or embarrassed in the slightest.
Doesn’t he think there’s anything wrong with this!?
At the very least, shouldn’t he be a bit shy or nervous?
Or does he think I’m some kind of object? A decoration in the shop?
“Didn’t expect something like this to happen, hehe, this is what youth is all about!”
Conno, the manager of the Forest of Enchantment, laughed in his low, magnetic voice. But Squire couldn’t bring herself to laugh, since she’d been the one who got looked at from head to toe…
She was still in her underwear, but that was all.
“I’m sorry, little miss, I really didn’t mean it. It’s just that all four walls of the changing room are curtains… I got confused about which way was the exit.” The white-haired boy apologized.
“The exit is right across from the mirror! How could you get that wrong?!”
Squire snapped back angrily, then turned to look at Conno, the shop manager.
“By the way, isn’t this changing room design a bit weird? Couldn’t you at least put up some partitions? Hasn’t anything like this happened before?”
“Oh, some of the clothes in this shop are hard for one person to put on, so sometimes you need another person’s help. That’s why the curtain in the middle can be opened up to make a bigger changing room.”
“Just for convenience? You should at least consider how your customers feel!”
Squire slapped the table in frustration, but Conno, as the owner, just smiled and said:
“It’s true, it’s not ideal. Although we don’t turn anyone away, this shop usually only has female customers… I’ll add some removable partitions in the future.”
“…So this really is a women’s clothing store, right?”
Squire complained helplessly, but the white-haired boy suddenly spoke up: “Sorry, I have something important to do, so I’ll be going now. As an apology… the clothes you’re wearing, please put them on my tab.”
He said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world, then quickly straightened his trench coat and hurried out the door. By the time Squire realized and tried to catch up, he was already gone.
“That guy really just does whatever he wants, huh?”
Now only Squire and the strange shop owner were left in the shop.
“In the end, I don’t even know his name… You know it, right, manager?”
“No, I only have the contact info his agent gave me. I can’t tell you his real identity either. According to the contract, it’s confidential. If I leak it, I might have to pay a lot of money, so please understand.”
“Is he a famous idol? Could he be a hero?”
Conno neither nodded nor shook his head, clearly unwilling to say anything.
Squire pointed at the outfit she was wearing.
“Just asking, but how much does this outfit cost?”
“Priceless,” Conno replied immediately.
“Huh?”
Like an artist showing off his work, Conno spread his hands and gave a proud smile.
“As you can see, none of the clothes in this shop have price tags. The fee depends on whether the person wanting to buy them suits the clothes… My business philosophy is that the clothes choose the person. If the right person wears them, the clothes are happy, so I’ll charge less. On the other hand, if someone who doesn’t suit the clothes wants to buy them, I’ll charge a high price.”
Wouldn’t those people just refuse to buy, then?
“What’s your standard for ‘suitable’?”
Conno folded his arms and said proudly, “Of course, it’s up to my sense of aesthetics. No one knows better than me who my clothes are made for.”
Hey, someone without much experience might fall for Conno’s words, but Squire could see through his tricks right away…
To think he could make arbitrary pricing sound so reasonable—this shop owner really is shameless.
She asked perfunctorily, “Oh, so how much do you plan to charge me?”
Conno stroked his double chin and, after thinking for a moment, answered:
“Hmm, then I’ll just charge a symbolic twenty thousand…”
“That’s way too expensive!”
As soon as Squire heard the price, she was ready to take off the clothes and bolt.
What a joke—she didn’t even make that much in a month as a weirdo.
Conno finally laughed and changed his tune: “Just kidding. This outfit is free for you. After all, as the shop owner, I bear some responsibility for what happened today.”
That caught Squire by surprise, but she immediately asked:
“…Wait, you’re not planning to charge that guy a sky-high price, are you?”
“No, I’m something of a celebrity myself. How could I do such a thing… Oh, I see, you suspect I don’t put price tags so I can overcharge? I’ve heard kids are maturing early these days, but I didn’t expect you to think of that.”
Squire still couldn’t believe such a good thing could happen in Central City—it’s no utopia.
“Eh, so you’re not running this shop to make money?”
“I have my own company, brand, and production line. The only reason I run this shop is to find a suitable owner for the clothes I sew by hand…”
Conno put his hands on his hips, stuck out his butt, and struck a pose, winking at Squire.
“And you’re just right, little sweetie.”
“…Then I won’t hold back?”
After all that, Squire no longer felt guilty.
“Remember to come again next time. Of course, you’ll have to pay then~”
Waved off by Conno, Squire left the Forest of Enchantment wearing the outfit she’d gotten for free.
As soon as she stepped out the door, she couldn’t help but rub the goosebumps on her arms.
“I’d better not come to this shop again next time.”
Nyx asked:
[Why? Is the free outfit not to your liking?]
“That shop owner gives me a weird vibe. It’s not like he means any harm, but he’s such a burly guy, yet his words and actions are so flamboyantly seductive…”
To this, Nyx gave an explanation.
[That’s called ‘Magic Girl Aftereffect.’]
“…What now?”
[When a man becomes a Magic Girl, both mind and body are affected. Even after reverting, he’ll unconsciously display feminine traits.]
“So will I end up like that too…”
[You will.] Nyx answered instantly.
“Then change me back already.”
[Error－Please try again later.]
“Hey!”
Squire started to panic.
The impact of the combat form on her mind had happened several times already—she wasn’t oblivious. If this kept up, how much of her original self would she be able to keep?
“Forget it. I’ll go browse some other shops. Still need to buy shampoo.”
Since there was no solution, she’d just have to take things one step at a time.
[Reminder: The event at Memorial Park is about to start.]
[Considering the popularity of the Sigma Series Heroes, it’s best to line up early.]
“Ah! Is it that late already?”
Time had passed faster than she expected. Only now did Squire remember her main reason for coming to Memorial Park today, but it was so easy to get lost in the Underground Commercial District…
“Nyx, navigate for me.”
In the end, at times like this, she still had to rely on Nyx.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.