I waited for a short while before Alice finally emerged from a rift in space. When I gave her a quick word of thanks, she simply waved and vanished.
Olivia appeared shortly after her.
She wore a white lace top with three-quarter sleeves and a black flare skirt. If I recalled correctly, the style was called "midi length," reaching just slightly below the knees. Her long silver hair had been styled into a half-up look, with the top gathered and the rest flowing down. The entire ensemble felt elegantly mystical—a perfect match for her.
While she looked wonderful and incredibly lovely, Olivia herself was quite pale. The emotions flowing through my Sympathy Magic were a tangled mess. Covering her body with her hands as if to hide herself, she approached me with a hesitant, gingerly gait.
"U-Um... I understand that complaining about garments bestowed upon me by you, Kaito-sama, is a grave act of irreverence. However, knowing full well my own rudeness... might I be permitted to speak?"
"Eh? Ah, yes."
What was wrong? Did she not like the clothes? I thought they suited her beautifully, but personal taste was a subjective thing. Depending on her answer, I might have to ask Alice to prepare something else.
"I-Is this outfit not... far too shameless?!"
"...Excuse me?"
Olivia's shout was perhaps the loudest thing she’d said all day. While the emotions radiating from her were thick with confusion and embarrassment, I found myself equally bewildered by her claim.
"In this state, am I not practically an indecent woman? T-To walk outside looking like this... the shame is simply too much to bear."
"Um... sorry. Could you be specific? What exactly about this makes you feel like an indecent woman?"
To me, her outfit looked perfectly normal—refined, even. The top wasn't see-through, the skirt wasn't short, and her chest wasn't being emphasized at all.
As I tilted my head in confusion, wondering what part of her was supposedly "shameless," Olivia's face turned a deep shade of crimson.
"T-T-To expose so much skin... is this not effectively being half-naked?"
"No, no, no... wait. Skin exposure?"
She was wearing a three-quarter sleeve top and a midi-length skirt. The only parts of her showing were her hands and maybe the bottom third of her legs.
"Actually, I'd say the amount of skin showing is on the lower end..."
"L-Lower? Do people truly walk the world baring so much of themselves? How could this be... It seems my common sense is entirely useless out there."
"Ah, well, yeah... I suppose so."
Come to think of it, the priest robes she had been wearing until a moment ago covered her from her wrists to her ankles. She’d had a nun-like veil on her head and white gloves on her hands; her face had been the only part of her left exposed. From her perspective, the level of exposure had indeed increased exponentially.
"Well, for what it's worth, I think this look really fits your atmosphere. It suits you. But if you're really uncomfortable, should I have her bring something else?"
"That is..."
Upon hearing my suggestion, Olivia fell into deep, serious thought.
I had initially pegged her as someone with almost no emotional range, but it seemed that impression was wrong. Olivia was simply innocent—pure and sheltered to a fault.
She had likely remained stoic until now because she was simply performing her regular duties, greeting me with a dry, businesslike attitude befitting her role. But now that she was stepping outside her function as Pope, everything was fresh to her, and her emotions were surging accordingly.
In fact, compared to when we first met, the feelings I picked up via Sympathy Magic were growing remarkably rich. I suspected that once she gained a bit more experience with the world, she would turn out to be quite an expressive woman.
"...No, this will be fine. It would be a lie to say I am not flustered, but if the goal is to experience new things, then I believe this is an important hurdle to clear."
"Understood. If it gets to be too much, tell me right away, okay? We can always stop and change later. Well then, shall we get going? If there isn't anywhere in particular you want to visit, I thought we'd just head to the Central Square and start walking."
"I leave everything in your hands, Kaito-sama."
Her tone became stiff again once she regained her composure, but her cheeks were still faintly flushed. She felt much more approachable now than she had at the start.
Since we had the chance, I really wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself.