The Alchemist-nim’s Choice

The next day, the three of us went out. As you know, it was to buy a bed.

However, Master-nim pulled my hand towards the Clothing Store rather than the Furniture Store.

“…This isn’t the Furniture Store.”

“I have eyes too.”

“You know that’s not what I meant, don’t you?”

“How long are you going to keep wearing only Rags?”

At Master-nim’s remark, I looked down at my body.

I saw the easily stained White Lab Coat. Inside it… I saw the plain Dress that brought back memories of that day. Although it was a bit cheap, I didn’t think it was so bad as to be called Rags.

“Isn’t this good enough?”

Master-nim pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a deep sigh that seemed to make the ground sink. It didn’t suit her to say, ‘Young one, if you sigh like that, your luck will run away,’ because her pointed ears were perked up.

“I’m not talking about now, but the clothes you wear at home.”

“Ah… those? They’re not Rags, they’re just what I used to wear, but I’ve been busy, so….”

“How exasperating….”

“Is there a problem? I find them perfectly comfortable. You didn’t say anything when you arrived, so why suddenly now?”

Master-nim averted her gaze with an expressionless face.

“I just didn’t have the presence of mind to point it out until now….”

“Well, if you’re buying.”

“Why have you gotten even worse….”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t say anything. Let’s just buy a few casual clothes.”

I nodded, and saw that Cecil was already engrossed in looking at clothes. I chuckled softly and started picking out clothes myself.

Honestly, wearing a loose shirt and a lab coat was so comfortable that I hadn’t thought about buying casual clothes… but since Master-nim was buying, there was no harm in it.

It was a little sad that I had to choose clothes that were tiny compared to before.

…If Master-nim helps, I’ll be able to go back to normal soon, right?

Just then, Cecil approached with the sound of her pushing off the ground. In her hand… was a piece of cloth that seemed to be a Negligee.

Cecil opened her mouth with a face full of pure joy.

“This would look great on Shaa-nim!”

“Hmm….”

So it wasn’t for you to wear, but for me.

But I shook my head firmly.

“Cecil, I’m sorry, but you should put that back.”

“What!?”

My mouth twitched at her shocked face, but I held it in.

“That… while it could be considered casual wear for home, it’s inappropriate for wearing in the Workshop. You could only wear it as sleepwear… so it’s not very cost-effective.”

“Is that so…?”

“…Yes.”

Actually, I could wear it if I wanted to… but I felt a strong aversion to it compared to the Dress I was currently wearing.

If the Dress had a casual feel and no frills, what Cecil was holding was literally light and airy, with frills on the chest area… and most crucially, it was slightly see-through.

No matter what, that’s not─

“Let’s buy that too.”

“Huh?”

“Ariel-nim! Is that really alright?!”

“Anyway, A… since I’m buying it, not Shaa, there’s no need to care about her feelings.”

Cecil seemed happy, beaming with a wide smile. Watching Cecil, who was trying to suppress her urge to bounce around, I approached Master-nim and whispered softly.

“I don’t intend to wear it.”

Master-nim replied as if it were nothing.

“Well, what does it matter? She’s so happy.”

“…You weren’t someone who cared about such things, were you?”

“Hmph. Perhaps this disciple of mine was so ill-mannered that there was no opportunity to show it.”

“….”

“And even if you don’t wear it, wouldn’t the child… I mean, Cecil wear it?”

“…Oh.”

Imagining Cecil wearing the light and airy Negligee, it seemed to suit her quite well.

The translucent Negligee, which went well with her lustrous silver hair, and the adorable frills on her chest, matched Cecil’s personality perfectly. Since she was created, her well-proportioned body was clearly….

As I scanned her from top to bottom, a stiff rod suddenly appeared.

I shook my head vigorously.

“Why are you doing that?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“How uninteresting.”

After buying clothes without Master-nim noticing her stuffing underwear into her bag, we headed to the Furniture Store. It was a combination that drew attention, but seeing Master-nim’s ears and face, no one dared to approach us rashly.

Indeed, from afar, she wasn’t a naive elf who seemed easy to talk to─

“It seems you’re thinking strange thoughts again.”

She knew somehow and gave me a knuckle rap on the head. Cecil, with wide eyes, also started stroking my head. What kind of ‘hitting me then comforting me’ act was this?

“…Stop.”

“Isn’t it your own doing?”

“What did I do?”

“Weren’t you showing affection?”

Cecil tilted her head and asked.

“…You’re right.”

I ignored Master-nim’s soft chuckle.

Instead, I changed our destination to a place larger than the Furniture Store we originally intended to go to. In fact, it was less a Furniture Store and more like a modern Department Store. It was located Downtown, a place I usually wouldn’t dare to visit.

Beside me, Master-nim looked at me with a puzzled gaze.

“Disciple.”

“What is it, Master-nim?”

“This place seems different from what you described. Am I mistaken?”

“…It seems my explanation was insufficient. This is the right place.”

“…Hmph. Never mind. Let’s just go in.”

Perhaps finding it bothersome to argue, she shook her head and walked inside. I chuckled inwardly and followed her in with Cecil.

As for the Frame, with Master-nim present, there was no problem choosing good wood, but the issue was the Mattress that would go on top. The method was simply to fill it with something, but what was important was what went inside.

Common ones were filled with things like Duck Feathers. Going a bit further, there were Mattresses filled with Harpy Feathers or similar materials.

These were surprisingly expensive. They claimed to only select naturally shed feathers… but only they would know the truth.

For higher-end lineups, there were Griffon Feathers and such… which were so expensive that the price was whatever they named. Only Nobles overflowing with money could even dream of such things.

I had a conscience, so I didn’t even look at them. What caught my eye was something else entirely.

It was a Mattress filled with… Slime.

“You have good taste… um… young lady!”

The employee assigned to explain hesitated with an uncertain expression before finally speaking. I just accepted it.

“…This isn’t made from living Slime, is it?”

“Our store does not handle such dangerous items.”

“I thought so, too, right?”

Perhaps because I had heard stories of people dying from Masturbation with living Slime somewhere, I felt compelled to ask.

“How is it made?”

“…The details are confidential, but we guarantee safety.”

I feigned sparkling eyes and asked, but it was no use. As expected, they wouldn’t easily reveal it.

“Can I touch it?”

“Of course. That’s what it’s here for.”

I swallowed hard and inserted my finger.

My hand sank in with a squishy feel, and a moderate pressure pushed it back. It felt surprisingly good.

“…Would it be alright if I lay down on it?”

“Oh… um, if you’re alright with it, customer.”

She seemed a bit flustered, as if she hadn’t thought of someone wanting to lie down, but she gave permission. At her words, I looked around and indeed, only the Slime Mattress was set up for such a trial.

I thought, ‘What do I care?’ and lay down.

The Mattress squished and conformed to the shape of my body. It was… better than I expected. I had never used a Water Bed, but I imagined a Water Bed would feel something like this.

“Isn’t it good?”

The employee showed a business smile and clasped her hands together. I reluctantly nodded. When I turned my head, Cecil was looking at me with sparkling eyes.

“Is it alright if one more person gets on?”

“Oh… of course. It’s sturdy.”

Hearing that, I motioned for Cecil to get on, and she scurried over and lay down beside me.

“Shaa-nim! This is amazing!”

“I know, I like it too.”

“It would be great to fall asleep together here!”

“…Hmm.”

I was buying it precisely so we wouldn’t sleep together… I felt a bit awkward. I scratched my head and got off the Mattress, and the employee spoke to me.

“How was it?”

“It’s good.”

Saying so, I looked at Master-nim, and she nodded. Although she didn’t say anything, her face showed she wanted to lie down on it herself.

“I’ll take one of these. I already picked out the Frame, is that okay?”

“It doesn’t matter. Its shock absorption is excellent, so whatever is underneath is fine. It’ll be perfectly fine even if you move vigorously on top!”

The employee, whose mouth had opened, began to list various advantages.

“Ah… yes.”

“Even if foreign substances get on it, they’ll be absorbed naturally over time. Of course, in this case, separate aftercare will be required later, but….”

Why did she say the part about needing aftercare so quietly?

“…Is that expensive?”

“If you purchase it now, we’ll provide one free aftercare service.”

Somehow… I had a bad feeling. Well, couldn’t I figure out how to do it before then? It wouldn’t be more expensive than this, so I’d know after observing a few times.

Just like when choosing the Frame, I wrote down the address on the contract, and Master-nim paid the remaining balance. My rising lips couldn’t be controlled.

“…Are you that happy?”

“…It would be a lie to say no. Aren’t you itching to try it too, Master-nim?”

“….”

Her clearing her throat and turning her head made me laugh.

After finishing all our errands, we bought dinner and returned home. The three of us ate dinner.

After giving Master-nim some alcohol and sending her up, I called Cecil to the Workshop.

…It was time to collect the semen.

As much as possible.