Lu finished the installation of the teleportation gates. However, the look on her face wasn't one of achievement.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"If there was no need to stay overnight in the towns and villages along the way, I could have connected the Royal Capital to Shashato City with far fewer gates. It would have been so much easier."
I see. Lu's short-distance teleportation gates covered less distance than standard ones, but apparently, she only needed about seven to bridge the gap between the two cities. However, it was easy to predict that the towns and villages bypassed by such a route would have raised a fuss. That was why the Demon King had devised the compulsory overnight stay policy in the first place.
Things rarely go as planned in this world. Still, the gates were installed and operational. All that remained was preparing for the public opening. The Demon King, Beezel, and Randan were the ones who would have to struggle through that. It had nothing to do with me. There was nothing I could do anyway.
"What a relief," I thought.
"Demon King. Beezel. Randan. Let go of my clothes."
I wasn't about to lend out the Civil Official Girls during the busy spring season.
Yuri, who had been scrambling across the countryside as the Demon Kingdom Administrator to coordinate with local municipalities before the gate opening, returned to Village Five. She then came to the Village of the Great Tree looking completely dejected. It was understandable. She had spent all that effort laying the groundwork for the overnight stays and helping develop local specialties, only to have the rug pulled out from under her in spectacular fashion.
I understood why she was depressed about her hard work going to waste, but I thought she should probably stop fluffing Sougetsu. The Older Sister Cats perched on the tiger's back were glaring at her.
"Look, the Sake Slime brought some sake. Let's drink over there. Seles is making various sweets, too. Why don't you have some?"
"Hmm? Oh, these clothes?"
I was wearing my parade costume. I was currently in the middle of a fitting. Zabuton frequently came by to make adjustments. I personally felt the size was perfect as it was, but whenever she tweaked it, the comfort actually did improve. I suppose it hadn't been a perfect fit after all. Because of that, I patiently endured the constant corrections. It was best to leave these things to a professional.
As we talked, Zabuton arrived with a new bolt of fabric. She plucked away the material around the shoulder blades of my current costume and began sewing in the new cloth. It was truly a divine display of skill.
"I want clothes made by Zabuton-san, too," Yuri said.
It was rare for her to act so spoiled. However, Zabuton was busy. I started to tell her not to ask for the impossible, but Zabuton showed a spark of enthusiasm and signaled that she was on the job.
Was it really okay?
Ah, I see. She wasn't making them from scratch; she was saying it wouldn't be much trouble to modify Yuri's existing wardrobe into something new. Was that acceptable? Yuri didn't seem to have a problem with it and headed back to her room to select some outfits. I hoped it would cheer her up a bit.
I sat down to drink with the Sake Slime... no, I shouldn't get these clothes dirty. I decided to abstain. The Sake Slime could have my share.
Sougetsu, finally freed from Yuri, went out for a walk with the Older Sister Cats still on his back.
Wait... Yuri hasn't come back yet? A significant amount of time had passed. In the interim, my costume had been adjusted three more times. I wondered what was wrong. It didn't seem like she had taken the clothes directly to Zabuton either; Zabuton said she hadn't seen her.
Even so, I had to be careful about checking on her room. Yuri was unmarried. No matter how close we were, I had to respect her privacy. So, I gathered a nearby High Ogre Maid and Zabuton, and we headed to Yuri's room together.
...
Yuri was inside. She had changed into baggy, athletic wear and was single-mindedly focused on muscle training. Her expression was dead serious. The sight reminded me of a boxer trying to cut weight before a match... ah.
The clothes laid out in the room—she couldn't fit into them.
Growth spurt? Or... No, half-hearted consolation would be dangerous here. Glancing at the expensive outfits scattered across the floor, we quietly backed away from her room.
"Standard clothes are free-sized, but tailor-made outfits are adjusted to exact measurements, so..." the High Ogre Maid whispered.
I looked down at the clothes I was wearing.
...I should make sure I don't gain weight either.
"And Zabuton. I'm sorry to add to your workload, but please visit Yuri at an appropriate time and adjust her sizes. Extreme dieting is dangerous."
"Eh? The Zabuton's Children can do it? They can secretly adjust all her clothes?"
Hmm. I appreciated the offer, but maybe not all of them. Adjusting a few should be enough. Yes, I wouldn't pamper her too much. If it was Yuri, she would overcome this.
Malbit was lounging lazily in the guest room. It felt like she had done nothing but lounge all winter. And yet, her figure hadn't changed at all. Was she putting in effort where people couldn't see?
"For the Angel Race, nutrition is diverted to the wings," Ruincia said as she entered the room. She then demanded that Malbit show her wings.
Malbit stubbornly refused.
Yuri: The Demon King's daughter. Malbit: The leader of the Angel Race. Ruincia: Assistant Chief of the Angel Race. Tia's mother.