Although there was a minor (?) irregularity early in the morning, we decided to head out again—with the renewed caution to be careful about coffee, of course.
However, instead of going straight to the Dungeon Management Bureau, we stopped by a department store first.
"I'll wait here, so go ahead and buy some underwear and stuff for now."
Thinking about it calmly, having only one set of clothes is way too inconvenient.
So, we decided to start with underwear—the thing that would be the biggest problem if you only had one set.
Our budget was 50,000 yen.
It might seem a bit extravagant, but considering we were starting from scratch, it might even be too little.
Honestly, I have no idea about the market for women's clothing.
Personally, since I'm pretty lazy, I usually spend around 20,000 yen per season on clothes—sometimes even nothing at all if I just reuse last year's outfits.
While lost in these thoughts, I stood like a guardian statue in front of a lingerie shop inside the department store. Realizing that was drawing attention, I moved to a nearby seating area and waited.
As I idly scrolled through my phone, researching the average prices of women's clothing—
"Why aren't you waiting in front of the store?"
Snow stood before me, holding a paper bag and puffing out her cheeks.
"A guy loitering in front of a women's underwear shop would stand out in a bad way, right?"
"Ah… Yeah, that's true. You really do seem like a virgin, Yuuma."
"I-I-I'm not a virgin!"
I am, though.
"How do I look?"
For some reason, Snow seemed to be in a good mood.
Her words weren't exactly cheerful, but there was a faint air of excitement around her. Maybe, like most women, she just enjoys shopping.
When we moved on to the next apparel store, I was about to wait somewhere else again—
"You're coming with me to pick stuff out."
—only to be hit with this unreasonable demand.
"Just so you know, despite appearances, I'm clueless about women's fashion."
"'Despite appearances'? It's obvious at a glance… But you're still more reliable than my tastes, right? You're from this world, after all."
That argument was so broad that there was no way I could win.
Reluctantly, I followed her into the store—only for a female clerk in the back to lock onto me like a heat-seeking missile.
Before I could even think of fleeing, she closed in at lightning speed.
"Welcome! What kind of items are you looking for today?!"
Her sparkling eyes were fixed on Snow, and her gaze practically screamed, "Ultra-rare gem. Must not let escape."
Snow glanced at me.
She had completely thrown me under the bus.
"Uh… something simple, not too flashy. A calm, understated style."
"For someone as lovely as you, excessive decorations would only be a distraction! Come, come, this way! I have so many wonderful recommendations for you!!"
With a response that was hard to tell if it was understanding or not, Snow was whisked away to the back in the blink of an eye.
Her pleading eyes followed me the whole time, but… forgive me, Snow.
I can't help you.
My social skills aren't up to the task.
Besides, I read online that it's better to just trust the clerks in these situations.
I looked it up while checking prices earlier, so it must be true.
G○○gle-sensei doesn't lie.
Since there were men's clothes too, I casually browsed around—
"Ah, hey there! Boyfriend~, come take a look at your girlfriend's outfit!"
Hearing the call, I turned to see the clerk who had abducted Snow earlier waving at me.
We weren't actually dating, but correcting her seemed pointless, so I followed her to the fitting room.
With a *swish*, the curtain opened—revealing Snow in an outfit so stylish it was worlds apart from her previous dress.
"Whoa…"
I'm not familiar with the names of women's clothing, but she wore a loose, white top and a long, pristine skirt that hid her legs while still radiating elegance.
It wasn't flashy, but in a different way, it was incredibly eye-catching.
And Snow?
She didn't seem displeased at all.
In fact, she looked quite satisfied.
For a moment, I almost thought an angel had descended.
That's how well it suited her.
"Hehe, great reaction, boyfriend~! Now, let's try the next one!"
The curtain closed, she changed inside, then opened it again.
This repeated about five times before the clerk sidled up to me, rubbing her hands together.
…I had a bad feeling about that hand-rubbing.
"So, which one will it be, boyfriend~?"
There were long skirts, short ones, pants styles—some short, some long—and of course, all the tops were tasteful too.
If asked which one I preferred, I honestly wouldn't know how to answer.
"I don't mind any of them. I'll leave it to your taste, Yuuma."
Snow looked at me with expectant eyes.
Leaning in close, I whispered to the clerk:
"...How much would it be for all of them?"
"Around this much."
Had she already predicted I'd say that?
She showed me the number on the calculator she'd been holding.
Ugh… it easily surpassed 50,000 yen.
...The ATM was on the floor below, right?
"I'll go withdraw some cash."
*High-five!*
For some reason, the clerk and I ended up slapping hands.
"Thank you for your patronage~!"
---
"I feel kinda bad. I didn't expect you to buy everything."
"Nah… I did it because I wanted to. It's fine."
Snow's words sounded apologetic, but her face was beaming.
Honestly, seeing that smile alone made the 80,000 yen total worth it.
Though I'd definitely need to pick up more part-time jobs now.
I hadn't been working much lately due to job hunting.
Right now, Snow was wearing the first outfit she'd tried on—the loose white top and long white skirt.
And unsurprisingly, it was drawing a lot of attention.
Not just inside the crowded department store, but even outside—passersby kept turning their heads.
I considered going back home to drop off the bags before heading out again, but since the Dungeon Management Bureau was closer, we decided to go straight there.
As a result, I was now carrying two large paper bags, one in each hand.
I wondered what kind of pair we looked like to people.
A queen and her attendant, maybe?
After walking for a while, we turned a corner—and a massive building came into view.
"That's the Dungeon Management Bureau."
"Huh… Which floor is it on?"
"All of them."
"All?"
"The entire building is the Dungeon Management Bureau."
"Wow… They must be rolling in money."
She had said she knew this world's common sense, but it seemed she only knew the basics.
She looked genuinely surprised.
Meanwhile, I'd been here so many times that I felt nothing.
After all, I'd deliberately chosen to live alone near the Dungeon Management Bureau.
But as the automatic doors at the entrance slid open, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
"Come to think of it, should we have made an appointment?"
If we just waltzed in and said, "We cleared a dungeon!"—we'd probably get zero credibility.
"Don't worry. I've got a plan. I'll handle this smoothly."
Snow declared it with complete confidence.
How reassuring.
She strode ahead of me toward the reception desk, then—pulling out a massive magic stone from who-knows-where—announced:
"We've cleared a dungeon. Bring out your top brass."
…What part of this is 'smooth'?!
This is just brute force with zero subtlety!