3
On a Sunday, I headed out for shopping with Yuzuriha-san.
It turns out that Suzuha had some urgent work to do at the Knight Academy and wouldn’t be back until tonight. So, without worrying about Suzuha finding out, I could take my time choosing a present.
“For gifts to girls, accessories are usually a safe choice,”
suggested Yuzuriha-san, leading us into one of the high-end districts in the royal capital,
commonly known as the aristocratic district.
Since I left the choice of the shop to Yuzuriha-san, I didn’t have much say in the matter.
“If you become a knight, you never know when you might lose your life. So, choosing something that can be worn anytime and won’t be let go of even on the battlefield would be appreciated.”
“But won’t accessories be a hindrance during combat?”
“Just choose something that won’t be a hindrance.”
“That makes sense.”
Guided by Yuzuriha-san, we entered an apparently ultra-luxurious accessory shop.
From the outside, it looked like a regular jewelry store, hiding its true nature.
“…It looks really expensive…”
“No worries. If you pick something, it won’t be that bad. If needed, I can lend you some money too, you know?”
“I think I’ll be okay with the extra income I got recently.”
Recently, I received a reward for exterminating Ogres in the Great Forest.
Despite being neither a noble nor a soldier, I received a bonus as a side effect of accompanying Suzuha and Yuzuriha-san.
Initially, when I heard about it, I reflexively declined. It seemed troublesome, and I had a vague premonition.
However, Yuzuriha-san gave me a mysterious lecture, saying, “If you decline it here, the situation will become even more complicated. So, accept it,” and in the end, I accepted it.
Now, I had the luxury to afford a slightly higher-priced gift.
Even though I, a commoner, entered the store, the staff smiled and greeted me.
It seems like they’ve arranged things in advance so that I’m not seen as a suspicious commoner.
“Well then, you should try choosing something on your own first.”
“Huh?”
“If I start giving suggestions from the beginning, it’ll end up looking like I chose Suzuha-kun’s gift. Once you narrow down a few options, let me know.”
Saying that, Yuzuriha-san, seeming quite familiar with the shop, went over to another showcase. It seemed she had something specific in mind.
But I was in a bit of trouble.
Each item was placed in the showcase like regular accessories, without any description or price tag. Moreover, I had no idea where to start…
“Excuse me, sir. What are you looking for today?”
Ah, right. I could ask the staff for advice.
I explained to the elderly gentleman who approached that I was looking for a birthday present for my sister, mentioning the budget. He nodded understandingly.
“In that case, how about a hair tie? We have various options, such as ones adorned with gemstones or those with delicate coral work.”
“Well, delicate and fragile things are a bit… My sister is a student at the Royal Strongest Knight Academy.”
“Is that so? ──Well then, how about something like this?”
With that, the shopkeeper brought out what seemed to be a simple rubber hair tie.
However, since rubber is a specialty product from the southern continent, it comes with a price that makes it a bit out of reach for commoners. For instance, women wearing rubber-banded underwear are considered to have a certain level of wealth.
Unfortunately, our family is just common folk, so all of Suzuha’s underwear are string panties.
“This may look like an ordinary hair tie, but it has a disposable defensive magic enchantment.”
“Huh?”
“When you receive a fatal blow, it acts as a one-time shield, sacrificing itself. After taking the damage, the rubber band breaks.”
“Amazing!”
” …is just a marketing slogan; in reality, it only slightly alleviates damage.”
” Is that so…”
” So, in reality, it’s just a comfort. However, it’s not something that would be troublesome to have, and usually, nobles take these enchanted items as a talisman when going into battle.”
” I see.”
” This hair tie here shouldn’t be a hindrance even on the battlefield.”
” That’s true.”
” By the way, about the price…”
The mentioned amount was a bit surprising when considering it as a common hair accessory, but when viewed as a disposable magical tool, it wasn’t that high.
Considering the reward money from the ogres’ forest, it was possible to buy two without much strain.
With that in mind, a sudden idea struck me.
” Do you have another one of these hair tie in stock?”
“Hohoho. I see, is your sister a twin-tails enthusiast? I, too, am quite fond of them.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“No need to hide it; it’s perfectly fine. Rest assured, I do have another hair tie exactly like this.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I’ve anticipated such a situation, and I’ve kept the last one hidden for a fellow enthusiast… However, for your sister’s twin-tails, I won’t hesitate to reveal it! I’ll even give you a small discount!”
“Listen to me!”
Nevertheless, a discount would be appreciated.
In the end, I bought two hair tie from the middle-aged twin-tails enthusiast shopkeeper.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
***
Finished shopping, I call out to Yuzuriha.
“Are you finished already? ”
“Yes, I found something nice.”
“Good… But I wanted to do the so-called shopping play with you, selecting a present together…”
“Yuzuriha?”
“N-nothing! It’s nothing! So, what did you buy?”
“I got two hair tie.”
I show her the purchased hair tie, and Yuzuriha nods approvingly.
“These should be wearable on the battlefield, and they even provide a bit of defense. But, I’ve never seen Suzuha-kun in twin-tails, …?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
I hand one of the hair tie to Yuzuriha.
“This is for you, Yuzuriha-san. A token of appreciation for always helping us.”
“W-what?!?”
“Thank you for always supporting Suzuha and me. I really appreciate it.”
“Wh-what!? I’m the one who’s always being helped by you! You’ve saved my life countless times, and I can never repay that debt!”
“What are you talking about? Helping each other on the battlefield is only natural.”
“A-and besides, this hair tie isn’t cheap for you either! You can’t just give me something so precious! I have a protective stone passed down through generations, so you should keep this──”
“Oh, I see. If it’s Yuzuriha-san, it’s only natural you’d have something more powerful and enchanted than this. Well then, let’s consider the thanks postponed for now…”
“I-I thought that, but I changed my mind.”
“Huh?”
Yuzuriha grabs the hair tie that I had momentarily withdrawn.
“Hey, you. Since we went this far, how about we exchange our talismans?”
“…Exchange?”
“You give me this hair tie, and I’ll give you my defense stone. True comrades on the battlefield often exchange items that symbolize their strength. So, why don’t we do the same?”
And the pendant that Yuzuriha pulls from her cleavage is…
An extremely dazzling, oversized emerald.
“This is my defense stone. Take it. And give me your hair tie!”
“Wait a minute! This exchange, the values are completely different, right!?”
“On the battlefield, for the two who acknowledged each other, the market prices of goods were just trivial matters… I-it’s not like I’m trying to forcefully push the family heirloom, a defense stone, onto you, taking advantage of this rare chance to receive a gift from you! D-don’t get me wrong!”
“There’s no way I’d misunderstand that!”
“O-or maybe you… think of me as a woman not worthy of exchanging a defense stone with?!”
“Why are you suddenly feeling down!? Oh well, here, take this!”
“T-thank you…!”
As I handed over the hair ornament, Yuzuriha-san accepted it with sparkling eyes.
I’m glad she seemed pleased.
In return, I was forcefully given a ridiculously large emerald, but I promised myself that I would find the right time to return it to the head of the Sakuragi Duke family.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
