Chapter 44 – My Sister Wears String Panties
On Sunday, Yuzuriha-san and I headed out shopping.
Suzuha had to suddenly stay overnight at the Strongest Royal Female Knight Academy, so she won’t be back until this evening. So I could take my time to choose a present without worrying about Suzuha finding out.
“When it comes to gifts for girls, accessories are probably the standard.”
Following Yuzuriha-san’s lead, we stepped into one of the most upscale districts of the capital city.
It is what is known as an aristocratic district.
…Well, since I left the choice of the shop to Yuzuriha-san, there’s nothing to be done about it now.
“When you become a knight, you never know when you might lose your life. So it would be nice to give them something they can wear at all times and never have to let go of even on the battlefield.”
“But wouldn’t accessories be a distraction in battle?”
“Just choose something that doesn’t get in the way.”
“That’s true.”
Yuzuriha-san showed me to a very high-end accessory shop.
It’s a secret that from the outside, it only looked like a jewelry store.
“…It looks very expensive.”
“It’s not that expensive. If you want, I can lend you some money for it?”
“Well, I actually had some unexpected income, so I think it’ll be okay.”
In fact, I recently received a bounty for annihilating the ogres in the Ogres’ Great Forest.
I was not a nobleman or a soldier, I was just a bonus for Suzuha and Yuzuriha-san, and they gave me a reward.
When I first heard about it, I reflexively refused.
However, Yuzuriha-san gave me a mysterious sermon saying, “If you decline, it will make things even more complicated. So you have to accept it” and so on, and I ended up accepting it.
So I can at least afford to buy a slightly more expensive present.
Even though I, who am clearly a commoner, entered the shop, the shopkeeper smiled and gave me a bow.
The fact that I wasn’t treated as a suspicious person means that Yuzuriha-san had made arrangements beforehand.
“Then, you should try choosing by yourself first.”
“Eh?”
“If I’m standing next to you the whole time, it’ll seem like I picked out Suzuha-kun’s present. So, narrow down some items and then call me over.”
With those words, Yuzuriha-san went confidently towards one of the showcases on the other side. It seems she already had something in mind.
But I’m in trouble.
Each item is an accessory in a showcase with no description or price tag. In the first place, I have no idea what I should be looking fo—
“Sir, what are you looking for today?”
Oh, yeah. I can talk to the shopkeeper.
When I told the elderly gentleman-like salesperson who approached me that I was looking for a present for my little sister within a certain budget, he nodded in understanding.
“How about a hairpin or something similar? We have various options available such as those decorated with gems or crafted from coral.”
“Um, preferably not delicate and fragile things. My sister is a student at the Strongest Royal Female Knight Academy.”
“I see—Then how about something like this?”
The shopkeeper then brought out a seemingly nondescript rubber hair clip.
However, since rubber is a specialty of the southern continent, it is not affordable for the average person.
That is why it is a kind of status of the wealthy that a woman of a blooming age wears rubber panties.
Unfortunately, our family is not wealthy, so all Suzuha’s panties are just regular ones with strings.
“At first glance, this is just a hair clip, but it has a disposable protective magic attached to it.”
“E-Eh?”
“It can substitute for you once when you take fatal damage. Then, after the damage is fully taken, the rubber breaks.”
“It’s amazing!”
“…Though that is only a sales pitch, in reality, it only slightly mitigates the damage.”
“I see…”
“So it’s actually just a comfort. However, it’s not something you can’t afford to have, and when aristocrats go into battle, they usually take a charm with them that has this magic attached to it.”
“I see, that makes sense.”
“I thought this hair clip would not get in the way on the battlefield.”
“I agree.”
“By the way, the price is—”
The price I was told was eye-watering for a commoner’s hair accessory, but not that expensive considering it was a disposable magical tool.
My bounty from the Ogres’ Great Forest is enough to buy two without going overboard.
I thought about it that much and suddenly thought about something.
“Do you have another one of this hair clip in stock?”
“Hohoho, so your sister is a twintail? I’m a big fan of them, too.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“You don’t have to hide it. Don’t worry, we have another hair clip exactly like this one.”
“I told you that’s not it.”
“Just in case something like this happened, I hid the last item for a comrade… However, if it’s for your sister’s twin tails, I won’t hesitate to bring it out! I can even give you a small discount!”
“Please listen to me!”
However, I would be grateful for a discount.
In the end, I bought two hair clips from an elderly shopkeeper who was a twin-tailed maniac.
