The Beginning of Deviation (4)

Department store. You might wonder what a department store is doing in a fantasy world, but surprisingly, it exists firmly in this world setting.

Of course, the department stores here are a bit different from modern ones. First, the size of the stores. The department stores here are at most 4 floors tall, and there’s only one store per floor. In other words, the second floor only has the store for the second floor, and the third floor only has the store for the third floor.

And while there was somewhat of a trend like this in modern times too, the department stores here were deliberately made for wealthy families and nobles. Every item brought in is nothing but luxury goods, and just carrying them is enough to be recognized by everyone in the upper class.

To summarize, while the scale might be smaller than modern department stores, the content has been upgraded in the department stores here. From what I’ve gathered, they seem to have done something by gathering expensive stores in one place, but I’m not sure about the details.

“Welcome, Lady Walpurgis, Lady Scrania, Lady Philadel.”

As soon as we enter, the staff waiting at the entrance greets us politely. We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet, but they recognize us immediately, showing that they’re thorough in gathering information.

“If you need anything, please speak to a nearby staff member. Enjoy your shopping.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

After a brief greeting, as we entered, a scene beyond imagination welcomed me. I heard that the first floor of the department store isn’t used as a shop, but mainly as a lobby for information, incident handling, and inquiries.

But the way they’ve decorated this lobby is no joke. Paintings by famous artists, elaborate magical tools made for decoration, guards standing like robots in uniforms. Is this what upper class is like? No matter how I look at it, I can’t get used to this sight.

“A department store… I was just thinking I needed to buy some clothes, this is perfect.”

“Hmm, then maybe I’ll get some cosmetics while we’re at it…”

Arpi and Elizabeth seemed familiar with department stores, immediately calculating what to buy. Huh? Am I the weird one? Am I the only one who’s here for the first time?

I had seen descriptions of department stores in novels and knew they were real places after coming here. But I had never actually been to one.

It’s natural. When I was in the duchy, I didn’t go out unnecessarily, and for things like clothes and cosmetics, I just used whatever Meurie prepared for me. After coming to the academy? No need to mention it. Was there any reason to go? I had enough clothes brought from home, and I didn’t really want to wear accessories. Cosmetics? Applying the minimum is enough. I had that much leeway.

As such, department stores were an unknown realm that I had only heard of. Of course, I had done some research as I had confidently included it in today’s schedule, but I had never actually been to one.

But Elizabeth and Arpi seem more familiar with it than I expected. To the extent that unlike me, who’s wondering where to start, they immediately start checking the items prepared for each floor and planning their route.

“Is this the Lady’s first time at a department store?”

I wish you wouldn’t ask that with a smile. It hurts because it feels like an outsider entering the realm of insiders.

“…Yes, I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t go out much due to magic research.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

Huh? This is strange. Normally, when you say something like that, you should get a mocking feeling, but why do I get a different feeling?

This is dangerous. I’m not sure what’s dangerous, but something is definitely dangerous. I don’t particularly have abilities like intuition, but I can tell that something feels off right now.

“Then shall we take the Lady around today?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Huh? Something’s strange. Neither of them is particularly holding me back, but I feel an inexplicable pressure. The two who instantly took their places beside me looked full of enthusiasm.

“Come to think of it, you don’t usually dress up much, Lady.”

“That’s right. The original was so pretty that it didn’t stand out much, but it might not be bad to dress up properly this time.”

“Dress, up?”

I’m not so oblivious that I can’t grasp the situation here. Stop it! Are you planning to use me as a dress-up doll here?! This is a cliché! It’s a cliché that’s been used so much you could make bone broth out of it!

“Um, I’m fine, really.”

“No, you don’t need to worry. If we can help someone of your stature, Lady, it’s a pleasure for us.”

“That’s right. You really don’t need to worry.”

No, it’s not that I don’t want to trouble you or anything, I just don’t feel like it! But it’s a bit awkward to say that outright here. If they ask why, I’ll be at a loss for words. I can’t reveal that I used to be a man, can I?

In the end, I had no choice but to go upstairs under the non-pressure pressure from the two, without a chance to say anything. No, this… is this right?

“How about this? For the Lady’s image, such a neat outfit…”

“Sometimes it might not be bad to give a bold image.”

“We’ll make sure the Crown Prince won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

Where am I, who is this. What am I seeing now, and what am I hearing? I don’t know anything. I am empty. I am an enoki mushroom. I am an enoki mushroom…

“How about trying it on?”

“Pardon?”

Wait a minute, there’s even a fitting room? No, isn’t this going a bit too far? I could accept the existence of department stores to some extent, but if there are fitting rooms too, that’s a different story. This seems like something that was just made up as they went along or a plot hole!

“You can try it on here.”

Fitting room…? Is that it? It seems quite different from the fitting rooms I knew. The ones I knew were so small that there was almost no space when one person entered, but this is about the size of a room. Is this… the department store here?

“Is it okay?”

“There’s no problem. Even if there’s an issue with the clothes, there’s a restoration magic circle prepared, so you can rest assured.”

Come to think of it, that makes sense. There’s no logical point to refute. If there’s a restoration magic circle, even if the clothes get slightly damaged while trying them on, they can be fixed immediately. Of course, they might charge for the use of the magic circle, but it’s much better than having to pay for the clothes.

Huh? Looking at it this way, it seems better than modern times? It doesn’t seem strange at all to have fitting rooms, does it?

“Then try it on!”

In the end, without a chance to say anything, I was pushed into the fitting room by Arpi.

“…What am I doing here.”

My reflection in the mirror inside showed an expression as if my soul had left my body. Actually, my current mood isn’t much different from that expression.

“At least it’s a decent outfit.”

It’s fortunate that it’s not one of those outfits that came up earlier that I could never wear in my right mind. If they told me to try on such clothes now, I’m confident I could run away right then. While it’s difficult to teleport long distances, I can certainly move short distances.

But the clothes I received now are a blouse and skirt that can be worn normally as casual clothes. It’s the same black and white combination as what I usually wear, but the decorations and patterns are different.

Sigh, what’s the point of thinking about it anymore. Let’s change…

Rustle!

“Who is it?”

I stopped my hand that was about to take off my clothes and became wary of the presence I felt outside the door.

“I apologize for being late. I’ve come to assist the Lady with changing.”

“What?”

Changing assistance? Why is that necessary? No, wait a minute. Come to think of it, this is also natural in a way. Everyone who comes here is a noble of some renown. Would they dress themselves? For the most part, they would all have their attendants dress them.

No wonder the fitting room seemed a bit spacious. It was designed with changing assistance in mind.

‘If I had my way, I’d like to send them away…’

What’s the need to use a person just to change one outfit? For me, clothes are something I normally change by myself.

But if I refuse here, it will draw strange looks again. A duke’s daughter refusing changing assistance? Maybe she has something she can’t show others? Is there some problem?

I’ll be subjected to all kinds of malicious speculations like this. This is not good. I should be the one doing the slandering, not the one being slandered.

‘I did everything by myself in the dormitory…!’

There’s no choice. I have to accept it with resignation. If I delay answering, that could create a strange image in itself, so I answered quickly.

“…Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Here, I’ll have to endure!