Chapter 54: Delicious candy

As we left the bustling main street, the atmosphere changed. Shops still lined the streets, but they were smaller and more…ordinary.

There were fewer nobles like me here, mostly commoners like Linne. And a lot of girls my age, most of the academy students, it seemed.

Linne suddenly stopped. Had we arrived?
I followed her gaze, surprised by what I saw.

“We’re here. This is where I get my uniforms.”

“Here? Are you sure?”

I couldn’t believe it. A shop like this in the capital’s central district? It didn’t look like a place that sold uniforms.

“It looks a bit…run-down, but it’s fine inside.”

“A bit run-down? This…?”

The shop looked like it was about to collapse, one window creaking ominously with every gust of wind. The dilapidated building seemed deserted.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go in first.”

Linne reached for the door handle. What if a monster jumped out? I nervously gripped my parasol.

Creak—
Crash!— The door fell off its hinges with a loud bang. I wasn’t surprised. I would have been more surprised if it opened normally.

A figure emerged from the cloud of dust.

“Oh my, the door! What happened?!”

The shopkeeper, presumably. A woman’s voice, cheerful and welcoming.

The dust settled, revealing a young woman, no older than Linne, perhaps even younger. Maybe she was just a shop assistant. Her eyes widened as she saw us.

“Oh, Le—”

Thump—
Linne quickly covered the woman’s mouth and dragged her back inside.

I was surprised, but I understood. They knew each other. This wasn’t Linne’s first time here. She seemed to know a lot of people, surprisingly social for a…delinquent.

“…Ugh.”

A pang of…something tightened my chest. I’d felt this before…

…when Sister brought home a stray puppy. I liked dogs, but I couldn’t stand that one.

I folded my parasol and gripped it tightly. I didn’t have to be patient this time. I was annoyed, and violence seemed like a perfectly reasonable solution. I followed Linne and the woman inside.

I heard Linne’s voice,

“I’m Linea. Li-ne-a. Got it?”

“Yes, yes, Linea.”

Linne repeated her name, and the woman winked, a playful exchange of…something shiny between them.

“Ahem!”

“Oh my, what a cute customer! You were with…Linea earlier, weren’t you?”

The woman approached me with a friendly smile, as if nothing had happened. Linne glared at her. She glanced at Linne, then quickly spoke, as if defending me,

“This little girl was lost and crying, and—”

“Seriously?!”

I swung my parasol, trying to shut her up. The woman looked at us thoughtfully, then gave Linne an exasperated look.

“Such a young girl…typical Linea.”

“I’m not a little girl!”

“Wh…what’s wrong with me?”

Linne and I both exclaimed indignantly. I doubted we’d ever get along with this woman.

****

Munch, munch.—

I rolled the candy around in my mouth, enjoying the sweet grape flavor.

“Hee hee, is it good?”

“Yep!”

I smiled at the woman who’d given me the candy. People who gave me treats were good people.

The shop assistant, or so I thought, turned out to be the owner. She’d recently inherited the shop from her parents but hadn’t renovated it yet. The interior was a bit rundown, but structurally sound.

She sat beside me at the counter, poking my cheek playfully. She must be lonely, running the shop by herself. I remembered her name now…

“Hey, Cecil, don’t you have this in a larger size?”

Cecil’s smile faltered as she looked at Linne, who’d just emerged from the dressing room.

Linne’s shirt was mostly unbuttoned, an indecent display even with her underwear visible. It was…mortifying. Cecil quickly covered my eyes.

“…Why not just rip it off?”

“Are you crazy…?”

“No! Don’t!”

I blurted out before Linne could respond, surprising both of them. I quickly covered my mouth, but it was too late.

“I…I just…thought it might…hurt…”

“Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Cecil smiled gently and patted my head, seemingly believing my flimsy excuse. My acting skills were truly remarkable, even frightening at times.

I hated being patted on the head, though.

“Oh, you like that? How cute.”

“N…no, I don’t…!”

“Don’t be shy. Just relax and enjoy it.”

“Hee…”

Her gentle touch made me shiver. I was getting used to this. Cecil, oblivious to my inner turmoil, continued petting me.

Linne approached.

“Me…me too.”

“Don’t touch me.”

I stopped her the moment her hand reached my hair. My tone, even to my own ears, was ice-cold.

Linne flinched and backed away, hurt.

“…Sorry.”

I felt a twinge of guilt, seeing her dejected expression, but I couldn’t let her touch me. It was too dangerous.

I knew instinctively, the moment her hand brushed against my hair.

“Hee hee, Ellie likes me better! Right, Ellie?”

“Ugh…Cecil, stop it.”

I weakly pushed her hand away.

What was going on between them? Linne glared at Cecil, who just stuck her tongue out, enjoying the rivalry. I avoided their gazes, feeling awkward.

“Just…look at my clothes.”

Linne’s voice was strained, her words forced through gritted teeth, her body trembling with barely suppressed anger.

“Hee…”

As Cecil’s gaze lingered on Linne’s jiggling breasts, she covered my eyes again.

“Mmm…”

“Fine, I’ll take a look. Go wait over there. This isn’t appropriate for…children.”

“…Okay.”

Linne walked away.
Cecil removed her hand from my eyes.

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

“I want to come too.”

I gave her my best puppy-dog eyes, all thoughts of seduction momentarily forgotten.

Cecil considered my request, then offered me a closed fist. She opened her hand, revealing a piece of candy.

“Can you be a good girl and wait here if I give you this?”

“Yes!”

Wait… that wasn’t what I meant. I’d made a mistake, but it was too late. She thought she could bribe me with candy?

“Hee hee, you like it that much?”

“Yep!”

…It was delicious, though. Oh well.

I sat quietly, enjoying my candy, while they disappeared into the back room.

“Hey, put that out! You can’t smoke magic herbs in here.”

“Just leave me alone. It’s my shop.”

Were they really just…looking at clothes? Their words were…misleading. I listened intently, but I couldn’t hear anything.

Then, after a long silence, Linne’s voice, unusually subdued, broke the quiet.

“…Do you still think about her?”

“Hee hee, I’ve never forgotten her, not for a single moment.”

Their conversation sounded…romantic. I couldn’t keep up with the sudden shift in topic. Were all girls’ conversations like this?

“Seeing Ellie today reminded me of her.”

Ellie? Me?
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of my name. Was I her…ideal type?

“She would have been just like Ellie, if she’d lived.”

But the next words weren’t so pleasant.