CH 18

Chapter 18: Armor Shop

While walking down the main street, Dorami talked as if she just remembered.

“By the way, where are we going?” (Dorami)

“Let’s go to a clothing store first.” (Jade)

Marin-chan is only 11 years old. Girls around her age would definitely be happy going to a place like this.

We entered a clothing store facing just opposite the main street.

There was a wide variety of clothes lined up inside the spacious store.

If there are this many, she’d definitely be able to find something that she likes.

“Such a big place…” (Marin)

“It’s the number one clothing store in the capital.” (Jade)

“Did you buy your clothes here as well?” (Marin)

“I did.” (Jade)

“Then, I want to wear clothes like yours too! Will this much be enough?” (Marin)

Marin-chan showed me her wallet.

There was roughly 10,000 Gol in there.

“Where’d the money come from?” (Jade)

“Onee-chan gave it to me.” (Marin)

I thought about paying for it, but since she showed me her money, she probably wanted to pay for it herself.

She really doesn’t need to mind it though.

“You’ll be able to buy it with that much but… I don’t think the size will match. Do you want to try dressing like Dorami instead?”

“I also like Dorami-chan’s outfit!” (Marin)

“In that case, Dorami will choose the clothes for you!” (Dorami)

“Yay! I’m counting on you~!” (Marin)

“Umu! My intuition says it’s going to be over there!” (Dorami)

Dorami ran off and Marin-chan chased after her.

I followed them to a children’s clothing corner.

“This looks like something I would wear!” (Dorami)

“A pure white one-piece, huh! It looks so refreshing!” (Marin)

“This one also feels like Dorami!” (Dorami)

“A pure white skirt! It looks cute!” (Marin)

“This also has a Dorami-esque feeling!” (Dorami)

“A pure white robe! It feels mysterious!” (Marin)

“It’s all just white.” (Jade)

“I just instinctively chose things. What should we get?” (Dorami)

“Everything looks so good so I’m a bit lost…” (Marin)

“Actually, Marin-chan, aren’t you already wearing white clothes?” (Jade)

“Now that you mention it…! I’m already dressed like Dorami-chan!” (Marin)

“Ah, it’s true…! We really get along~!” (Dorami)

“We’re friends, after all~!” (Marin)

They suddenly shook hands.

I don’t really get it, but it looks like their friendship has deepened.

That’s nice~ I also want to deepen my friendship with Garnet-san.

“What do we do? Do you guys want to go shopping for something else? Something like shoes, a pouch, or some accessories?”

“A pouch is good! You can fill it with a lot of beautiful pebbles~” (Dorami)

“Then, let’s go take a look at some pouches. Marin-chan, is that alright with you?” (Jade)

“Yes!” (Marin)

“I have a feeling that the pouch department is… over there!” (Dorami)

Dorami really managed to get to the pouch section.

Is this what you call wild intuition?

“A-amazing! There are so many pouches! With this much you can fit 1000… no, 2000 pebbles!” (Dorami)

“If you pick up that much, you won’t be able to walk because of the weight.” (Jade)

“And before that, I wouldn’t actually be able to pick up this many pouches.” (Dorami)

“If you understand that, why are you suddenly talking about pebbles…” (Jade)

“I was just so excited that I lost my composure. Which one should we choose, it’s so troubling~” (Dorami)

The two of them were getting along really well. They were holding hands while looking at the pouches.

After spending a bit of time, they finally picked something.

It was a round white pouch.

“Are you two going to buy the same one?” (Jade)

“It’s not the same. It’s different here and here.” (Dorami)

“Mine has a small flower pattern while Dorami-chan has a small star pattern!” (Marin)

“Oh, I see. It’s a very cute pouch.” (Jade)

“I’ll buy it right away!” (Marin)

“I’m going to buy it as well! …Ah! Dorami just realized that she doesn’t have any money…” (Dorami)

T/N: I just realized what I was doing wrong with Dorami’s third person, I kept on switching it to first person (Dorami, I) instead of (Dorami, she). WordPress is a pain to edit so I’ll just keep it for older chapters but I’ll change it on the newer ones.

Dorami looked at me wistfully.

“I’ll buy it for you, so be sure to take care of it.” (Jade)

“Yay! I’ll take care of it! Dorami will make this her treasure!” (Dorami)

Dorami let out a cheerful voice and wore it as soon as she finished paying for it.

She put in a pebble, pat the pouch, and then smiled happily.

“I’ll give you one too, Marin!” (Dorami)

“Are you sure?” (Marin)

“It’s proof of our friendship!” (Dorami)

“Yay! Thank you! I’ll give you this in return!” (Marin)

“You’re giving me a hairpin?! Thanks~! …How do I put this on?” (Dorami)

“I’ll put it on for you! —done! It looks good on you!” (Marin)

“It really does. You’ve become cuter.” (Jade)

“You’re praising me too much…!” (Dorami)

Dorami said so, embarrassed.

We left the store after checking their appearance with the pouch and hairpins at a nearby mirror.

“Well then, let’s go to the armor shop.” (Jade)

“We’re going to the armor shop?!” (Marin)

Just as I thought.

Garnet-san is worried about her, but Marin-chan has the right to decide on her own.

If it’s anything to console her, Garnet-san should feel better if Marin-chan wore better armor to protect herself.

“If you already have armor that you want to use, we’ll go out to eat… do you have some?” (Jade)

“Something like that. I brought something similar from home.” (Marin)

“Something similar?” (Jade)

“Frying pans, pot lids, and buckets.” (Marin)

A line-up that seems like it’d be problematic for a family if it disappeared…

“So, wanna go?” (Jade)

“I do!” (Marin)

“Alright! Since it’s decided, Dorami will look for some cool armor!” (Dorami)

“Yay! I’m leaving it to you~!” (Marin)

The two of them held hands and started running.

And then, they stopped and turned around.

“…Where is the armor shop?” (Dorami)

“Over here.” (Jade)

We walked west along the main street and arrived at a splendid store.

Marin-chan’s eyes lit up as soon as she entered the shop. She immediately ran over to the protective gear section.

“There are so many cool ones!” (Marin)

“This one is super cool!” (Dorami)

“It looks strong! I want to wear it!” (Marin)

After we got permission from the shop owner, Marin-chan put on the plate armor.

She was covered in silver armor from head to toe.

“You look very strong!” (Dorami)

“Do you feel any discomfort?” (Jade)

“Just a bit…! Also, I can’t see very well…!” (Marin)

She started walking around with a ‘gachagacha’ sound.

Her footsteps sounded heavy. Marin-chan is already out of breath after just a short walk.

Her defensive power is impeccable but… she wouldn’t be able to leave the capital without being completely exhausted.

“Looks like we should avoid full body armor. How about something else?” (Jade)

“I agree! Dorami-chan, what else do you think looks cool?” (Marin)

“My senses tell me there’s more cool armor over there!” (Dorami)

“Ah, wait for me!” (Marin)

Marin-chan quickly took off the plate armor and chased after Dorami.

After walking around for a while, Dorami pointed at one of the armor sets on the wall.

Unlike all the other armor sets, it makes you think “This is special!”. 

“This looks easy to carry!” (Marin)

“It’s a cool shield. Ah, looks like it can also hold a dagger inside.” (Jade)

“It’s perfect! I want it!” (Marin)

“Wait a bit… Yep, looks like you can carry it.” (Jade)

After getting permission from the shopkeeper using my eyes and handing Marin-chan the shield, she equipped it on her left arm.

She waved her arm up and down with a smile.

“It’s so light! Is this made of iron?” (Marin)

“It’s made of mithril, the world’s strongest and lightest metal.” (Jade)

“A mithril shield… it sounds super cool!” (Marin)

“It’s decided! Let’s go and pay for it right away~” (Dorami)

“But, how much is this? It says here that it’s sold at market value…” (Marin)

“I don’t know how much it’ll cost, but leave the negotiations to me. My face is well-known here so I might be able to get a discount.” (Jade)

“Okay! I’ll give you the money!” (Marin)

Marin-chan gave me the remaining 7,000 Gol of her pocket money.

She looked a bit worried.

“Is this enough? It’d be nice if there was some money leftover so we can buy lunch…” (Marin)

“I think it’ll be enough.” (Jade)

“I’m glad! I’m counting on you!” (Marin)

“Alright. You two can go ahead and think about what you want to eat for lunch.” (Jade)

After leaving the two of them there, I went over to the counter by myself.

The owner flashed me a bright smile.

“Hello, Jade-sama. Have you finished shopping?”

“Yes, I decided on this one.” (Jade)

“I’m glad to hear that but… I’m sorry, the price of mithril has actually gone up in recent years…”

“I know. This shield should be around 5 million Gol, right?” (Jade)

“That’s right.”

I gave the owner the 5 million Gol and then took out the 5,000 Gol from Marin-chan’s wallet.

I don’t mind paying for the entire thing, but I should probably refrain from doing that.

After all, you’d be more attached to the armor you bought yourself.

“I got it. Here’s the change.” (Jade)

“Thank you! …There’s 2,000 Gol left?” (Marin)

“The market price is cheap right now.” (Jade)

“So we came at just the right time!” (Marin)

“Hurry and wear it!” (Dorami)

“I will! …How does it look?” (Marin)

“Umu. Since Dorami chose it for you, it definitely suits you!” (Dorami)

“I’ll definitely become a splendid adventurer with this shield!” (Marin)

Just then, a small sound came from Marin-chan’s stomach who was a bit too enthusiastic.

And, as if to respond to it, Dorami’s stomach rumbled too.

The two of them laughed, wondering why their stomachs rumbled at the same time.

“Have you two decided on what you want to eat?” (Jade)

“It was a unanimous decision… meat on a bone!” (Dorami)

“I’ll eat a lot and become stronger!” (Marin)

“That’s why we’re going to go to Dorami’s recommended shop!” (Dorami)

Dorami held hands with Marin-chan and rushed out of the store.

I hope I can hold hands with Garnet-san like that one day.

I chased after them, all the while believing that a happy future was in store.

Evening.

After we went sightseeing around the capital, we headed home.

In just one day, we visited various places like a clothing store, an armor shop, a restaurant, a small theater, a magic stone shop, an apothecary, and a plaza with a fountain.

We walked quite a bit, so the two of them must be tired.

Or at least, that’s what I thought.

“Let’s test how good the shield is!” (Dorami)

“I agree! Try throwing a rock at me!” (Marin)

“Roger that! Is a stone about this size enough?” (Dorami)

“It’s perfect! Don’t throw it too hard at first!” (Marin)

“Got it! —There!” (Dorami)

“Yay! I did it! I was able to block it! This shield is so great!” (Marin)

As soon as we got home, the two of them began training outside.

Looks like they haven’t had enough fun yet.

It’s fine for them to play inside, but it’s a bit dangerous outside.

“It’s getting dark, so why don’t you two play again tomorrow?” (Jade)

“You’ll accompany me tomorrow too?!” (Marin)

“Yay! I want to go to the theater again tomorrow! And then let’s eat some sweets at the square!” (Dorami)

“B-but, is it really okay? Jade-kun still has quests he needs to do…” (Marin)

“You don’t have to worry about me but…” (Jade)

Ah, but Garnet-san would definitely mind it.

Hmm… I guess I should just make up a reason for me to stay at home.

“I’m going to clean the house tomorrow, so could you help me with that?” (Jade)

“Me?” (Marin)

“Yeah. Let’s clean in the morning then go out to play at noon. It would be nice if you could help, how about it?” (Jade)

“I’ll do it! I’ll make your house shine spotless!” (Marin)

“Dorami will help too! Let’s finish cleaning fast and then have lots of fun~!” (Dorami)

“Let’s!” (Marin)

Garnet-san returned while we were outside.

She returned a bit earlier than usual. Was she worried about Marin-chan and headed home earlier?

“Welcome home!” (Marin)

“I’m back. Did you have fun today?” (Garnet)

“I had a lot of fun! Jade-kun brought me to many places and I even bought a matching pouch with Dorami-chan!” (Marin)

“That’s a very cute pouch.” (Garnet)

After their pouches were praised, the two of them looked happy.

And then, Garnet-san looked at Marin-chan’s left arm.

“Did you buy that shield too?” (Garnet)

“Yes! We bought it from an armor shop, it’s a mithril shield!” (Marin)

“It looks expensive.” (Garnet)

“I bought it for 5,000 Gol!” (Marin)

“They said that the market price got lower!” (Dorami)

Garnet-san looked like she knew how much mithril really costs but didn’t say anything.

She probably didn’t want to dampen their moods.

If she knew how much it really costs, Marin-chan would definitely feel sorry.

“As thanks for taking care of my sister, I’ll treat you to dinner.” (Garnet)

“You’ll eat together with me?!” (Jade)

“Have you eaten already?” (Garnet)

“Not yet! I also want to eat with you! Ah, but I’ll be the one to pay for the meal.” (Jade)

“I’d feel bad for you.” (Garnet)

“It’s nothing. Besides, I’m going to ask Marin-chan for help tomorrow, so it’s like an advanced payment.” (Jade)

“Help with what?” (Garnet)

“About cleaning my house tomorrow. Though, that’s only if you don’t mind leaving her in my care again…” (Jade)

“I don’t mind. I have a lot of faith in you. Please take care of her tomorrow too.” (Garnet)

“No matter what happens, I will definitely protect her!” (Jade)

“Is cleaning that dangerous?” (Garnet)

“That was just something I said to hype myself up! Anyway, please leave Marin-chan to me!” (Jade)

“You can rely on Dorami as well!” (Dorami)

“If I’m together with Jade-kun and Dorami-chan, there’s no need to worry!” (Marin)

Dorami and Marin-chan looked happy that they could spend their time tomorrow together.

After we finished talking, we headed out to get some food.