Despite the slight trouble—or rather, Megiddo-san's problematic behavior—I decided to buy the jeans I’d tried on. The hemming was going to take some time, so we planned to browse a few more shops and come back for them later.
Honestly, if I just bought them as-is and asked Alice, the hemming would be done in the blink of an eye... but there was no real reason to rush.
"Mmm... Romance is a difficult thing, isn't it?"
"I agree, but I have a feeling your idea of 'difficult' is a little different from everyone else's, Megiddo-san..."
Megiddo-san, whose re-education was now a guaranteed event, tilted his head with a deeply troubled expression. Still, the fact that he was actually trying to figure out where he’d gone wrong suggested that Kuro and Alice’s guidance was actually starting to pay off.
"Well, putting that aside, I suppose we should look for a top next."
"Right. To match those jeans, you'll want something in a bright color."
"White seems like a safe bet."
"White is reliable, certainly, but I think orange would work well too. If you ask me, a little accent or a pattern would provide a nice touch. We could go for a flashy jacket, but that’s not really your style, is it? In that case, the shirt is where you should focus."
"I see. You’re right—if the whole outfit is plain, it definitely needs an accent."
Since I was wearing Chrome's Necklace, I needed to find a design that complemented it. Doing this alone would have been a nightmare, but with Megiddo-san being so helpful, the process was actually quite pleasant.
"...No, no, why are you trying to buy cheap stuff after coming all this way? If you've traveled this far to shop, you might as well buy the good stuff!"
"I-I know that, but... when I see the price tags, I can't help but hesitate. Ugh, clothes are just so expensive!"
"I understand exactly how you feel."
"Wait, why are you buying more clothes than Kaori anyway!? You're usually in your maid uniform—when are you even going to wear those...?"
The timing was truly uncanny. As Megiddo-san and I walked along, the door of a shop up ahead opened, and three familiar faces emerged, deep in conversation.
It was Akane-san, Kaori-san, and Frau-san. I was genuinely shocked. I hadn't expected to run into them here of all places, far from any of the Friendly Cities.
"Kaori-san, Akane-san, Frau-san... what a coincidence."
"Eh? Kaito-kun!? You're in this city too? Wow, what are the odds?"
When I called out to them, the three of them looked over with startled expressions and hurried over. After exchanging quick greetings, I learned that they, like me, had come to this city specifically for clothes.
Apparently, Akane-san had overheard Kaori-san mentioning she needed some new outfits and had thoughtfully brought her here. It was quite the coincidence.
"I never imagined we'd bump into each other like this... Hm? By the way, Kaito, who’s your friend?"
"She's beautiful... I don't recognize her, but if she's with you, Kaito-kun, she must be someone incredible."
"Hmm... Oh! We met during the festival in Alcreasia, didn't we? Kaori and Akane, was it? I haven't seen that maid before, though..."
""Eh?""
"Ah, this is Megiddo-san."
""...!!""
For a second, I wondered if they’d missed him during the Shipboard Party, but then I remembered Megiddo-san’s personality. He wasn't the type to go around making polite rounds; he’d probably spent the whole time drinking where the War King's Subordinates were gathered. It made sense that Kaori-san and Akane-san wouldn't recognize him in this form.
"Hm? Oh, right. You haven't seen me like this, have you? Well, it's not like it makes much of a difference, so don't sweat it."
"...Um, Megiddo-san has several humanized forms, and this is just one of them."
"I-I see... No, wait, that's not the point! P-Please forgive my late greeting! It has been a long time, War King-sama!"
"It is an honor to meet you again. This maid behind me is my guard, Frau."
"Yeah, yeah, don't be so stiff. I'm in a great mood today, and you’re Kaito’s friends, right? I’ll let pretty much anything slide, so just talk normally. Actually, that formal act is just annoying, so cut it out."
Megiddo-san was trying to tell them they could speak casually, but his voice carried such a natural, intimidating weight that to anyone unaccustomed to it, he just sounded grumpy.
"Kaori-san, Akane-san, Frau-san—it might feel a bit scary until you're used to it, but he's really telling the truth. In fact, Megiddo-san is in a fantastic mood right now, so please, don't worry."
"R-Really...? He’s... he’s not mad? We’re not... going to be killed?"
"No, you’ll see once you spend a little more time with him, but he really is in high spirits..."
As I tried to reassure the visibly trembling trio, Kaori-san whispered her question back to me, still shaking. Well, I could certainly understand the reaction.
On the bright side, even though it took him a second to pull them up, Megiddo-san had actually remembered Kaori-san and Akane-san’s names. If anything, it seemed he actually liked the two of them quite a bit.
Serious-senpai: "I can more or less guess, but he probably sounds like he’s speaking in a gravelly growl by default... Still, just like Kaito said, there’s no doubt he’s in a great mood."