Saito silently took Louise's hand. And began to walk.
Louise tried to say something to Saito. However, being all flustered, she could not find the words. Saito walked rapidly, pushing through the crowd.
“Are you angry?” Louise asked in a small voice.
“Not really,” Saito answered snappishly.
The clasp of his hand made Louise flurried for a moment. Does Saito feel the same? However, because Saito walked straight ahead, she couldn’t see his facial expression.
Louise followed while being dragged.
It was chilly just as much as a pleasant feeling that Louise could not understand or explain.
Louise, while walking and holding hands with Saito, cheered up. The town was filled with colorful festivals, joyful shows, food carts and stalls where unusual goods were sold were stretched all the way down the street.
Being a local lord’s daughter, Louise never walked in such a lively town this way. More so, she never walked in a town holding hands with someone of the opposite sex. Those two things combined, made Louise’s head light and dizzy.
“So very noisy,” Saito said.
“True,” Louise muttered happily.
“Feels like my world’s festivals.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The showy street stalls line up just like this… gold fish catching, yo-yo fishing, okonomiyaki shops, and food carts queuing in line…”
While saying so, Saito’s eyes turned distant. Louise tightened her grasp on Saito’s hand. Somehow, the thought about Saito suddenly leaving to some place made her feel bad.
Sometime… the day when Saito leaves, will surely come.
However, when walking together this way, the one that I want you to see is me, Louise thought. Just for now. And nothing else matters.
And at the same time she was angry at herself for thinking that way.
Because of love? That’s not it. It was her pride that was the problem.
After convincing herself of that, Louise looked around blankly.
And then, shouting “Waa”, stopped still.
“What is it?”
Saito turned around. Louise was looking at a jewelry shop. There, on a cloth, various rings and necklaces were displayed.
“Do you want to take a look?” Saito asked, and Louise, with a blush on her cheeks, nodded.
Seeing two people approaching, a merchant with a turban on the head rubbed his hands together.
“My! Please come in! I see you are a noble miss. We have rare goods to offer. This is made from ‘Wrought gold’ and it is not a sham.”
The presented jewels were suited for nobles to wear; beautifully ornamented to satisfy the most various tastes.
Louise took a pendant. It was a pure-white pendant, carved in a shape of a shell. There were a lot of big jewels placed around. However, upon closer look, the jewels were nothing but cheap crystals.
Still, Louise liked this shiny pendant. Within the atmosphere of noisy festival, filled with quality goods, such a showy one attracts attention.
“Do you want it?”
Louise shook her head embarrassed.
“Don’t have the money.”
“Well then, I will cheapen it. It will be only four écus.”
The merchant sweetly smiled.
“Too expensive!”
Louise shouted.
“You don’t have that much?”
Saito asked amazed, Louise puffed her lips nonchalantly.
“I would if I hadn’t bought that impertinent sword the other day. I spent all my month’s pocket money on that.”
Saito reluctantly fumbled in his pocket. He tightly gripped the golden coins that he got from Henrietta a little while ago. Holding the golden coins that were approximately of the size of one yen coin on his palm, Saito asked.
“How much is this worth?”
The merchant was surprised that it was Saito who was carrying money.
“T-this is! Hii, fuu, hmm…This is splendid.”
Taking up four gold coins on which an old king’s portrait was carved, the merchant passed the pendant to Louise.
Louise was taken aback with surprise, her cheeks unintentionally loosened up a bit. The first thing that Saito did with the money given by Henrietta was shopping for me. She was very happy. After it was in her hand for a while, she cheerfully put it on her neck. “It suits you well”, said the merchant gracefully.
I want Saito to have a look, she thought while pulling his sleeve. However Saito, whose attention was on the stall near the sides, didn’t move. What on earth is he staring at?
Saito was gazing at the loot, taken from the Albion army, displayed on the ground.
Things that soldiers captured were taken to merchants.
They were articles taken from the enemy… swords, armor, clothes and clocks. Saito took one of the clothes.
I want him to look at me, Louise pouted lips sulkily. However, Saito’s full attention was on the clothing. It was not unreasonable to want new clothes after all.
“What, you want clothes? But it is not a good idea to wear second-handed middle aged clothes that the enemy used to wear, there are much better ones.”
However, Saito didn't answer. He reached out for one piece of clothing, his hands shaking.
“Dear customer, you have an excellent eye. This is a seaman uniform from Albion. Though it is cheaply made, it is also convenient. Turning a collar this way up, protects neck from the wind.”
Seaman uniform? Indeed!
B-but in Saito’s world it was called a sailor uniform…
Saito’s head started working at full power.
Though the size was too big, it could still be modified for Siesta to wear…
He imagined Siesta wearing this.
It looked good.
The enjoyment increased. No, that’s not it. Not personal enjoyment. Gratitude. It was gratitude for the muffler! He still felt slightly guilty though.
That’s right, Saito cooled down. Money, he should absolutely use it for this.
“How much?” Saito asked in a voice overcome with emotion.
“Three for one écus would be fine.”
Louise was amazed. Paying such money for second-handed clothing was too much.
However, Saito paid the asked price.
Louise, who returned back to her room, was lying on the bed, listing the Founder's Prayer Book while humming. It seemed like she was in a good mood. Saito tried to slip out of the room quietly, he wanted to go to Siesta to deliver the goods he bought today, but the door was locked by Louise who waved her wand and put the 'Lock' spell on it.
“Are you going somewhere in the middle of the night?”
“Eh? No…”
Surely he could not say that he was going to Siesta’s place to deliver the sailor uniform that he bought today.
“J-just wanted to take some night’s air! Wah! Wahhahha!”
Louise scowled at Saito. Then, determined, she walked up to Saito and started eagerly taking his parka off.
“Wh-what are you?!”
“Taking it off.”
“Take it off? The Wild Creature's restraining device is in the way!”
When Saito shouted so, Louise removed the lock of the restraining device, looking down for a moment. Because he bought a pendant in town today, he thought she had forgiven him. Yet she could not forgive him taking a bath together with a girl so easily.
Louise unfastened the restraining device and took off Saito’s parka. Her face was always angry. She chewed her lower lip hard.
Then Louise went back to bed, hugging the taken off parka tightly and said “Face that way”.