TN: Thank Nepper for this chapter.

Sylvia found a shop in a very secluded and deep part of the back alley. I didn’t know exactly what she was trying to buy, but because it was her, I just went along with it.

Surely, she wouldn’t be buying anything strange.

Kindly put, it was an antique shop; less kindly, it was a shop piled with miscellaneous items.

Unfortunately, there was no status window to explain the use of the items, so I could only stare blankly at Sylvia’s choices.

Sylvia carefully selected items as if she knew what they were, and then, as if she had found what she wanted, she quickly paid for them with a bright smile.

“I’m glad it was still here…”

“Seems like quite a few people look for these things.”

“Of course, it’s something you can’t easily find anywhere else!”

Looking at the item Sylvia preciously held close to her chest, I could only nod at her words with an awkward smile.

No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t tell if it was a good item.

Rather, I was more surprised that these antiques were in high demand.

“Is that all you need to buy?”

“No, I need to buy other things too, but they’re not here.”

“I see.”

Well, if she was only going to buy this one thing, she wouldn’t have needed to bring me along.

Nodding casually at Sylvia’s words and following behind her, I could feel Sylvia watching me.

“You’re not tired or annoyed, are you…?”

“Of course not. I came out to help you, didn’t I?”

Women’s shopping can be tiring just by tagging along. Still, there was no way my trained body would complain about this level of exertion.

When I came out, I knew I was going shopping, and I was somewhat prepared, so I had no intention of whining already.

At my nonchalant answer, Sylvia smiled brightly as if relieved and took a lighter step.

Her lack of distance and cheerful demeanor today was a bit strange, but I silently followed her, thinking it might be because it had been a while since she’d been out.

“I’ll buy you a drink to make up for it!”

We looked around as we emerged from the alley onto the main street.

Sylvia spoke as she headed towards one of the many street vendors lining the street.

If I refused this too, it might hurt Sylvia’s pride, and the price wasn’t that expensive, so I nodded with a smile.

“I won’t refuse.”

“What would you like to drink?”

“Hmm, orange.”

Among the street vendors on the main street was one quite famous, a shop selling juice made from fresh fruit.

It was a shop that used magic to juice fruit. The fruit was quite fresh and cheap, so it was frequented by students and residents alike.

In the original story, Sylvia and the male leads often visited this shop. Of course, the male leads didn’t particularly like it, but there was a description that they went frequently because Sylvia liked it.

“One orange and one grape, please.”

Sylvia greeted the shop owner familiarly and placed her order.

I don’t know exactly where they sourced these fruits, but the original story said it was possible because of magic.

I didn’t know the detailed background either, so it was better for my well-being to just go along with it.

The shop owner nodded at Sylvia’s order and started making the juice with practiced movements.

Smiling brightly as she watched the juice being made, Sylvia turned her gaze towards me.

“It looks delicious. The juice here is really tasty.”

“Really? I’ve never had it before. Can I look forward to it?”

“Of course! I, Sylvia, guarantee it on my name…!”

Well, if the original protagonist Sylvia guarantees it on her name, it must be delicious.

I nodded at her cheeky words with a smile.

“Alright, miss.”

The juice was completed as Sylvia burst into laughter at my glib response. Of course, it didn’t take long since all they had to do was juice the fruit.

“20 copper.”

“Here you go.”

Surprisingly, despite being made from fresh fruit, it was incredibly cheap. I was surprised once at the unexpectedly low price and once again at the taste of the juice.

“…It’s delicious.”

While Sylvia was receiving the change, I took a sip of the orange juice and couldn’t help but mutter that.

It wasn’t like the 1% orange juice I used to drink in the previous world, but the fact that it tasted like real fruit because real fruit was used wasn’t a bad feeling at all.

“Right? It’s delicious, isn’t it?!”

I burst into laughter at Sylvia’s pure joy at my compliment, even though she didn’t make it herself, and Sylvia smiled broadly as she drank her own beverage.

“I want to try the orange too!”

“Here.”

When Sylvia said she wanted to drink orange juice after drinking hers, I handed her the cup, and she took a sip without hesitation.

You might think it’s an indirect kiss, but there were no straws in this world, and it was just a matter of avoiding the part where the mouth touched, so there was nothing to worry about.

Rather, thinking of it as an indirect kiss might be a bit too childish.

After finishing our juice on the spot, we started heading to our next destination with lighter steps.

“Alright, let’s go!”

***

As I had felt when shopping with Helena, women’s shopping is not something to be taken lightly.

No matter how much I had prepared myself, I would eventually become mentally, if not physically, fatigued.

As we went around shopping here and there with Sylvia, before I knew it, my hands were full of packages.

Sylvia seemed worried that I might be tired, but this much was nothing.

“…That’s the end!”

As Sylvia came out of the last shop we visited, smiling brightly, I smiled back and nodded.

“It would certainly have been difficult to come alone with this much.”

“I was worried about carrying it all back.”

As I spoke looking down at my two hands, Sylvia laughed and nodded.

“But if I don’t buy everything when I come out once, I’d have to come out multiple times, you know?”

You could say what’s wrong with coming and going multiple times, but for Sylvia, even coming out once is probably a burden.

As I had felt when I came out with Helena, it was more tiring for a pretty woman to come out to a crowded place than for a handsome man.

It’s like people’s gazes gather regardless of age or gender. Felix was quite handsome too, but I had never felt such gazes.

“…It must be tough.”

“Let’s call it the price of being born beautiful, shall we?”

When Sylvia spoke playfully, sticking her tongue out slightly, I gave her a ‘what’s with you’ look, making her laugh again.

I don’t know if it’s because of the issue with Helena or if there was some other problem, but Sylvia, who was always gloomy, was laughing well today, which made me feel a bit more at ease.

Of course, a corner of my heart was heavy because of Helena, but I thought it wasn’t polite to show that when I was with Sylvia.

“It must be nice to be born beautiful, miss.”

“Hmm… it’s not that great.”

Sylvia awkwardly responded to my playful words, shaking her head with a slightly reddened face.

Even though she often hears that she’s pretty, she gets especially embarrassed when she hears it from people she’s close to. That’s just like Sylvia.

“Shall we head back now?”

We hadn’t been out for that long, but perhaps because we had spent the time efficiently, the sun was already setting.

Considering that it was a season where the sun stayed up for quite a while, there probably wasn’t much time left before the dormitory curfew.

Nodding at my words, Sylvia stretched her arms high above her head and said brightly.

“Mmm…! It’s a shame!”

“We can come out again next time.”

When I spoke softly, as I always did to comfort Helena when she was reluctant to leave, Sylvia nodded with a smile in her eyes.

“Of course!”

In fact, if things were a bit better with Helena, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to come out together, the three of us.

Helena and Sylvia got along well, and I thought it would be fun to tag along, feeling a bit like a porter.

Of course, before that.

‘I’d have to sort things out with Helena first.’

In my thoughts, I didn’t want to distance myself from Helena unnecessarily. Helena was a good friend and a good person.

But from Helena’s perspective, she might not want to do that. I was at a loss as to how to resolve our relationship.

As I stared blankly at the setting sun, lost in thought, I soon shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts and returned to the dormitory with Sylvia.

Sylvia looked at me with a bright smile and waved her hand as she entered the dormitory. I watched her retreating figure for a moment, which looked a bit precarious due to all the packages, and then turned to head to my dormitory.

Because my mind was entirely focused elsewhere, I failed to notice someone watching us.

Translator’s Corner

Sorry it’s late.

-Ruminas