The interior was as spacious as one would expect of a high-end establishment. Unlike the clothing boutiques I had frequented in the Kingdom of Sinfonia, this seemed to be a specialty shop for women’s fashion. The store was filled almost exclusively with female staff and customers; the few men I saw were likely there as escorts for their partners, just like myself.
From what I could see, a clerk was assigned to guide each pair of customers, a hallmark of a store catering to the nobility. A woman in a sharp, suit-like uniform approached Marie-san and me and gave a polite bow.
"Welcome to our boutique."
"I’d like to buy some clothes for her..."
"Understood. May I ask what your budget is?"
"Well... let me see..."
Ah, I see. So that was the procedure. I tell them roughly how much I’m willing to spend, and the clerk guides us to a section within that price range and assists us in making a selection.
The question was, how much should it be? I had already told Marie-san that I was somewhat accustomed to this, and since I had practically forced the gift on her, it would be awkward to ask her for a price range now. Besides, if I did ask, I was sure she would be far too modest and request something at the lowest possible price.
More importantly, looking at her out of the corner of my eye, she seemed completely paralyzed by the "high-end store aura." I doubted she could even give me a coherent answer, so it was up to me to make a sensible decision.
As for the market price of noble attire, fortunately, I had some past experience to draw upon.
I had gone shopping with Lilia-san before the Six Kings Festival. The outfit she purchased then wasn't quite as extravagant as a formal gown or a party dress, but it possessed a clear sense of luxury. I figured it was probably similar to what Marie-san needed now.
I had paid for one of those outfits as a gift for Lilia-san, so I remembered the price well.
...However, I wasn't an idiot. Lilia-san was the Head of a Ducal House, while Marie-san was only a Baron’s daughter. If I used the price of Lilia-san’s clothes as a direct reference, I would likely end up getting Marie-san something so expensive it would blow her common sense away.
There was another crucial factor to consider. By chance, Sieg-san had also been at the store that day, and since I had bought her an outfit as well, I knew her price range too.
Sieg-san was a commoner, even if she earned significantly more than the average person. Clothing for a noble like Marie-san should rightfully be priced higher than what I had bought for Sieg-san.
Therefore, the appropriate range for Marie-san should be more than what I spent on Sieg-san, but less than what I spent on Lilia-san.
...Well, if I had to find a flaw in my logic, it was the gap between the two. The dress for Lilia-san had been 90,000R—roughly 9-million Yen—while Sieg-san’s had been 15,000R—about 1.5-million Yen. That was a massive spread, making it difficult to find the right middle ground.
A simple approach would have been to split the difference at 50,000R, but past experience told me that such patterns usually ended in failure. I decided it would be better to boldly lean toward Sieg-san’s end of the scale.
I would start there and observe the reactions of both the clerk and Marie-san. If it seemed wrong, I could always use my Sympathy Magic to sense their feelings and adjust the amount accordingly.
"Excluding accessories... just for the clothes, let's say about 3 Gold Coins."
"!?!?"
"Understood. Please follow me."
I proposed a budget of 3 Gold Coins—30,000R—which was nearly half of my original 50,000R estimate. The clerk simply bowed without a change in expression. Marie-san looked shocked for a split second, but her face quickly returned to normal. Sensing her emotions via Sympathy Magic, it seemed she was calming down, so I assumed it was probably fine.
Judging by her initial reaction, maybe 2 Gold Coins would have been more accurate... but this should suffice. At the very least, I didn't sense any of that "I know this is wrong but I'm too polite to say anything" type of restraint from her. While it was likely a bit higher than she expected, it seemed like a price she could rationalize.
"...I misheard... surely... I misheard '3 Silver Coins'..."
I was so convinced that I had proposed the perfect price that the words Marie-san was whispering to herself—as if trying to stay grounded—never reached my ears.
Serious-senpai: "Well now, this is a rare sight. Kaito isn't just acting on impulse; he’s actually thinking things through and picking a price based on a logical foundation... and yet, everything about this screams disaster. What exactly went wrong here, Commentator ???-san?"
???: "His reference points were all wrong. What Kaito should have used as a baseline was the cost of the clothes he bought with his juniors for Seigi-san’s wedding. That would have been appropriate. Instead, he looked at Lilia-san. At the time, she was preparing for the very first Six Kings Festival, where she was an invited guest of all five Kings and was scheduled to attend the final party. As a Duke, she had to dress to represent her status under the eyes of the entire world, meaning those clothes were significantly more expensive than a standard party dress."
Serious-senpai: "I see, I see..."
???: "Furthermore, while his idea of using Sieg-san’s clothes as a reference was better, he’s completely forgotten a vital detail. Back then, Sieg-san saw the price tag and told him it was 'too expensive and impossible' for her to buy herself. Even that price was far beyond her common sense."
Serious-senpai: "...So, it's bad?"
???: "For comparison, Baron Rich gave Marie-san '5 Silver Coins' and told her she could spend it all if she wanted to."
Serious-senpai: "Oh boy..."