"Mother-sama definitely didn't say it like that!"
Beatrice protested.
Haruto smirked.
"She always lies. Either way, that's definitely what she was thinking."
Beatrice huffed but didn't argue further.
Truthfully, she was very happy that Haruto had come to pick her up. Compared to Echidna, Beatrice actually preferred being with Haruto. After all, he was the most important person to a spirit—her contractor.
She had waited in the Forbidden Library for four hundred years.
Fortunately, Haruto had suddenly barged in and taken her away from that long solitude.
Even though the process wasn't exactly romantic, something that annoyed the tsundere Beatrice a little—
At least, the outcome was good.
Come to think of it, Echidna had once told Beatrice that when her contractor appeared, the Gospel would give her guidance.
But in truth, Beatrice's Gospel had always been blank.
Not because no suitable contractor had ever appeared.
But because—
That Gospel was never meant to reveal any words in the first place.
What Echidna had told her was nothing more than a lie.
Beatrice couldn't find a contractor through the Gospel; instead, only after she chose a contractor would words appear in the book.
This had fooled her for four hundred years.
Although Echidna's intention was to see Beatrice, who had always relied on her, make her own choices,
(She also had the ulterior motive of trying to glimpse future possibilities through Betty.)
The starting point might have been good, but please, don't even start.
It was a total pitfall!
Holding Beatrice in his arms, Haruto left the foundation's station.
It wasn't until they reached the bustling streets, where passersby cast frequent glances their way, that Betty Beatrice something was off.
She used her tiny fists to punch Haruto's chest and demanded to be put down.
Haruto complied, and Beatrice's face turned a little red.
In reality, the onlookers weren't focused on their closeness but rather on their striking appearance.
A handsome young man and an adorable little girl.
Especially since the little girl was dressed in an extravagant gown, making her stand out even more.
After setting Beatrice down, Haruto continued walking.
Beatrice glanced at the unfamiliar surroundings, feeling a little uneasy, and instinctively grabbed the hem of Haruto's coat.
Haruto chuckled softly.
Hearing his laughter, Beatrice felt a bit embarrassed by her unconscious action.
But in the end, she didn't let go.
"Where are we going now?"
As they walked, Beatrice asked curiously.
Most spirits spent the majority of their time residing within magic crystals.
After all, manifesting for long periods consumed a significant amount of mana, something most contractors couldn't sustain. Beatrice had previously stayed in the Forbidden Library, gathering mana from within.
But after forming a contract with Haruto, she could draw a vast amount of mana directly from the contract, eliminating the need for a dwelling. She was now free to move as she pleased.
While she had been fine inside the foundation's station, suddenly being out in the open world made her feel somewhat out of place.
Haruto replied,
"Let's get you some new clothes first."
Hearing this, Beatrice pouted in dissatisfaction.
"Do you have a problem with Betty's spirit dress?"
Her outfit was made from a special material, formed by her own spirit power. As a spirit, she didn't sweat, and her dress had a dust-repelling effect.
It would never get dirty.
Haruto shook his head.
"It's adorable, but you can't just wear the same thing all the time. Betty is so cute, it would be a waste not to try different outfits."
Beatrice huffed softly.
"Since you insist, Betty will reluctantly agree."
Haruto found it amusing.
As expected, golden-haired girls were always so tsundere. But he had experience handling the strongest golden-haired loser, so Beatrice was easy to deal with.
The two didn't take any transportation, opting instead to stroll around.
Haruto wanted Beatrice to get used to this modern world.
As they walked, they finally arrived at Chiba's bustling commercial district. The crowd grew denser, and the streets were lined with shops, bustling with people.
Beatrice instinctively moved closer to Haruto.
As a spirit, she had a natural wariness toward humans.
She didn't dislike them, but being in a crowded place made her uncomfortable.
Haruto simply took her small hand.
Feeling his fingers interlocking with hers, Beatrice wanted to say something, but Haruto spoke first.
"Betty wouldn't want to get separated in the crowd, right? You can't use spirit arts in a place like this. To make sure I don't lose you, we'll just hold hands for now. There's no other choice, right?"
(T/N: This feels like a 40 year old bbm janitor uncle coercing a middle schooler into doing something.)
Beatrice nodded.
"Mm, since there's no other choice, it's unavoidable!"
Haruto smirked.
Too easy to read.
They stopped in front of a women's clothing store.
Originally, Haruto had planned to take Beatrice to a children's clothing store.
But she strongly objected, claiming she was countless times older than Haruto and definitely not a child.
So, they ended up in a women's clothing store instead.
Fortunately, in Japan, many girls were petite, and most stores carried smaller sizes.
As they entered, Beatrice looked around curiously.
Meanwhile, Haruto quickly picked out two outfits for her.
One was a sporty, casual outfit, and the other was a cute sailor uniform with a pleated skirt.
"The fitting rooms are over there. Go try them on."
Haruto handed the clothes to Beatrice and nudged her toward the fitting room.
Beatrice was a little dazed.
She was still busy admiring the novelty of the clothing, yet Haruto had already made his choices.
Before she could react, she was pushed into the fitting room. Before long, Beatrice emerged, now dressed in casual attire.
She wore a rabbit-themed hoodie, with decorative bunny ears on the hood, and a pair of capri pants.
Her entire aura had changed.
From a noble young lady straight out of a storybook to a modern-day girl. Haruto nodded in satisfaction and immediately bought ten sets in this style.
"Next one, next one."
Handing her the sailor uniform, he once again pushed her into the fitting room.
At this moment, Beatrice hesitated inside the fitting room. The clothes in her hands looked weird, strange and embarrassing!
But since she was already inside...
And it was her contractor's request, Beatrice reluctantly started changing. Just then, the sound of women chatting and footsteps came from the store entrance.
Haruto felt a sense of familiarity and turned his head to look.
As a result, his gaze met with two others.
For a moment, all three of them were stunned.
The two women who had just arrived were people Haruto recognized.
They were Shizuka Hiratsuka and Haruno Yukinoshita.
Haruto was a bit surprised.
He knew that Haruno had been Shizuka's student before and that they had some interactions.
But he didn't realize their relationship was good enough for them to go shopping together.
Meanwhile, upon spotting Haruto, Haruno glanced at Shizuka beside her, then at the women's clothing store sign above.
The next second, Haruno flashed a devilish grin.
On the other hand, Shizuka was much more straightforward.
Seeing Haruto by chance, the long-haired, black-haired beauty immediately smiled with joy.
If it weren't for the fact that her former student was beside her, Shizuka would have already rushed over to cuddle with her boyfriend.
The two walked into the store and approached Haruto.
Haruto raised his hand in greeting.
"Shizuka, Haruno, what a coincidence."
Shizuka nodded, her smile full of happiness.
Meanwhile, Haruno smirked cunningly and said,
"Shizuka? That's an interesting way to address her, Haruto-kun. I remember you're a student at Sobu High, right?"
Haruto remained unfazed at her remark, but Shizuka seemed a little flustered. Luckily, Haruno didn't dwell on it and continued with a playful tone,
"I'm out shopping with Shizuka. She recently got into a relationship and suddenly started caring about fashion and clothing. As a good friend and an outstanding alumni, of course, I had to help her out. After all, it's not easy for Shizuka to fall in love."
The moment Haruno finished speaking, Shizuka's face turned bright red.
It was just as Haruno said.
Ever since she started dating Haruto, the usually carefree and laid-back Shizuka had begun paying more attention to her appearance, like a lovestruck girl.
Since Shizuka didn't have many female friends, the only one around her who was truly fashion-savvy was Haruno.
So, after much internal struggle, she invited Haruno out shopping.
However, having this fact bluntly stated in front of her boyfriend was enough to make Shizuka want to cry.
Meanwhile, Haruno watched Haruto's reaction carefully.
Seeing that he didn't seem the least bit surprised, she was now completely certain about their relationship. If looking at the sticker photos before gave her an 80% certainty that Shizuka's boyfriend was Haruto,
Then now, she was 100% sure.
With that thought, Haruno's devilish grin widened.
"Speaking of which, Haruto-kun, what exactly are you doing in a women's clothing store?"
Haruno asked with a playful smirk, her eyes gleaming with curiosity and mischief.