We teleported straight to the alley beside the DeGrave building Yua insisted she knew would be empty as Alphonse’s thugs typically did a good job keeping the riffraff away from the building as a whole. And it was empty, giving us free reign to run around to the front of the building only to find that it was already closed for the night. As Yua’s experiences in living there said it would be.

                DeGrave Imports was closed. That was it. I had my confirmation that we’d been stood up. Funnily enough, after all our prepping, I wasn’t too bothered by this fact. And neither was Yua. Where I thought she might be near tears again, she looked as though her resolve had been doubled. So, we ignored the drunken idiots’ taunts and jeers and returned to the alley again to teleport to a fairly secluded spot we spotted by the Threaded Spool on our way here.

                Amped by the fact that the deadline to us becoming fugitives was drawing ever nearer, we ran through the now mostly empty streets and found that the window out front of the tailor’s shop was thankfully still lit.

                “Sorry I waited to do this last,” I said, pulling open the door. “I should have made this our first stop so you didn’t have to run around in clothes that barely fit you.”

                “Please don’t worry about that,” she said, graciously letting me hold the door for once. “I’ve been used to these for a long time now.”

                We’d stocked up on enough food to last at least a month or two if rationed properly, so we needed clothes to last as long too. My magic could help with the upkeep of whatever we buy, so there were no issues there, even if Yua ended up picking out something cheap like she did with her boots.

                “Hello again,” Gideon greeted.

                We’d caught him looking dead tired and ready to throw in the towel for the night as he folded some clothes that some earlier customer left in complete disarray. The mess of shirts he worked on were strewn about on a display table that they clearly didn’t belong to, as there were nothing but hats beneath. And that wasn’t the only part of the shop that had seen trouble.

                About half of the shop looked like it had a localized tornado rampage through it and then right back out the main door, as several articles of clothing were strewn all about the place. A pair of pants were swinging from the chandelier still attempting to light the place. A half dozen or so blouses were balled up and tossed into a wastebasket hard enough to knock it over. A pair of boots were resting far apart from their twin, with one on the main counter we used to do business the days before and the other resting with its heel against a large mirror on the other side of the shop, as if some invisible foot had tried to shatter the glass only to give up half way through. When we closed the door, we even found a pair of men’s underwear hanging from the inside handle.

                Unfortunate for him as it was, I suppose we had to thank both his apparent need for tidiness and my luck for him choosing to stay open this late just to fix the mess, when he could have tackled it in the morning.

                “Apologies for the mess. A noblewoman and her daughter stopped by earlier and started tossing my clothes all over the place in a mad frenzy when they couldn’t find something that suited their oh-so-refined tastes. Said I wasted their time, even though I had no idea they were coming and had no time to prepare. That brat could have just ordered a dress made instead of destroying the place.”

                “It’s okay,” I said. “I don’t mind the mess.”

                If anything, it reminds me a bit of my old apartment.

                “But are you sure you should be bad mouthing the nobility? That sounds like it could be dangerous if word got back to them.”

                Gideon smirked, added the finishing touch of smoothing out a now neatly folded shirt after placing it in its rightful spot, then shook his head with a small, knowing smirk.

                “I never said who the noble was.”

                “Haha. Right.”

                “Anyways,” he said putting his hand on his lower back to stretch. “Are you here to sell more pelts?”

                “No, actually. Just here to buy this time.”

                Same as it did the blacksmith, the news that we were here to spend money instead of ask for it caused Gideon to liven up a bit. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the bags under his eyes disappeared, but he looked much more alert than he was seconds ago.

                “Oh, well, then please feel free to look around. I don’t plan on staying open much longer, but you’re welcome to take your time. If you have any questions, please feel free to call on me.”

                We thanked the man and perused the store we had all to ourselves, doing our best to stay out of his way as he cleaned up.

                 The collection of clothes was as shockingly impressive as before. Almost the entire floor was filled with tables, shelves and racks filled with clothes for men, women and children, all of which were clearly handmade. Now that we were actually here to look around, I had a chance to honestly admire Gideon’s craft as I picked up a random pair of pants to look them over. 

                I would have thought the stitchwork would have been left entirely invisible due to a lack of machinery to work it, but he hid it perfectly. The only bindings left in sight were those meant to be seen, such as the leather straps keeping Yua’s blouse from falling apart, as hers was clearly just a knockoff version of a type of blouse that had been thrown into the pile of folded pants. There were many more here and with several bright colors to decorate them.

                Setting the pants back down, realizing only after the fact that they were meant for women, I turned to Yua only to find her eyes darting back and forth all over what looked to be the children’s section of the shop.

                “Find anything you like, Yua?”

                Looking almost startled, Yua looked down at her clothes. She picked up the hem of her blouse and looked the whole thing over with a slightly worried twist to her brow. Touching a tentative hand to the fabric of a small dress that would probably look more like a short sundress on a fully grown woman such as her.

                She wasn’t trying to avoid looking for some clothes for herself because she’s still worried about spending money on herself, was she?

                While her shirt and leather pants weren’t all that dirty now and most definitely looked good on her, she couldn’t wear them every day. She would only end up getting sick if she did or they would eventually wear out and end up with a bunch of holes in them. And while the thought of that tantalized me just a little, and regardless of if my new spells potentially being able to fix said holes, I wasn’t going to actually let her run around like that.

                Even if it’s just a few things, we should have at least another set or two for each of us, so we had something to wear while the dirty clothes are being washed. Actually filling up our wardrobe could come later.

                “I’m serious about this,” I said. “Go ahead and pick out some things you like. I’m looking for myself too, so don’t feel the need to hold back.”

                “Th-Thanks, but, um… I don’t really have a good sense for human clothes. So, I don’t know what I should pick.”

                I paused and blinked at her. She blushed and clasped her hands together sheepishly in front of her hips, looking almost like she was repenting for forcing the decision onto me.

                Never before had I met a girl that didn’t like shopping for clothes, not that I knew many girls to begin with, but I guessed Yua’s situation might be different. Being forced to wear rags every day must really kill your sense of style. Not that style superseded functionality in our case, but what about before all that?

                If this was just more of the slave mindset that had been drilled into her head forcing her to bear the expectation that she’d never be offered anything better than what she was already wearing, then we needed to fix that. It’ll take time, but we can definitely bring out that side of her again. After all, if I could strive to work on myself, why can’t she?

                “Really? What did you used to wear, then?”

                “Just the clothes my parents gave me before I left the village. Then this.”

                She pointed again to the rags she wore and dashed my hopes. I’d thought reminding her of what she used to wear might spark some want in her, but all I got was a shrug.

                Maybe this lack in her was just because fighting was the only thing on her mind before she was enslaved. Knowing her, that’d make a little sense. It’d at least explain why she was looking in the children’s section.

                “Okay. How about I pick out some things for you?”

                “I will wear anything you choose for me,” she said and put up a smile that instantly did away with any and all of her worry.

                “Alright then. Let’s see what they have.”

                I borrowed one of the wicker baskets that had once been sitting next to the counter, but was now left upturned over a mannequin’s heads. Since I was the one doing all the choosing, Yua kindly and without a word snatched the basket out of my hands and held it under her right arm, against her hip. Like this, we walked the store together.

                Focusing on her first, since apparently neither of us had experience shopping for women, whenever I found something I thought would be comfortable to wear on the run or that might just look good on her, I held it up to her body to check. She smiled every time I did and didn’t say anything in protest regardless of what I tried for her. Guess she just isn’t picky about what she wears. The only problem was that I didn’t really know what I was meant to do past this.

                Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. I was only holding the clothes up to her because that’s what I sometimes saw other women doing on the rare occasions when I bothered to actually go to clothing stores back on Earth. For the most part, I either bought cookie-cutter type clothes that were all unimpressive and from brands I already trusted or just bought from online stores, taking the small gamble on whether or not they’d fit once they arrived in the mail. For this, though, I was at a loss.

                It’s not like any of these clothes had size tags on them. How was anybody supposed to know if these things actually fit before they buy them?

                “Hmm… What do you think about this skirt, Yua?”

                I held up a light brown cotton skirt so Yua could take a look at it. Her ear gave a single solitary flick as she eyed it carefully, only to wind up furrowing her brow in confusion. The skirt looked like it’d only be long enough to reach to just above her knees once she put it on, so it might be a bit out there for an experience fighter like her that was probably used to having more of her skin covered and protected. It did look like it’d be a lot more comfortable than wearing leather all the time, but maybe that wasn’t enough. Hoping her confusion didn’t stem from the skirt’s length, I looked to her for her opinion.

                “Do you think it would fit?”

                “Hmm? It looks like it might.”

                “Mmmm… Might fit unfortunately isn’t good enough. If we’re buying this, I want to make sure it fits. Or we’d just end up throwing it out.”

                We could have had it altered to fit her properly later, but if we were supposed to be on the run, I couldn’t imagine we’d have time for that.

                I checked the time again and sighed. Better just call in some help from someone that knows what they’re doing so I don’t waste everyone’s time.

                “Excuse me.”

                I called out to Gideon and he came rushing over, almost looking excited to get to abandon the folding he’d been doing for who knows how long. Seeing the return of his sleepiness, he might have been wanting us to hurry along so he could surrender to the mess and close up shop for the night. Only he was too polite to actually say so.

                “How may I help you, Sir.”

                He apparently remembered that Yua was my slave because of our multiple visits, as he deliberately chose to address only me, despite us being in the remnants of the women’s section.

                “Is there a changing room here?”

                “A changing room? What’s that?”

                Of course… Medieval times… There was probably no such modern convenience as a changing room. At least, he didn't seem to be joking with that confused look of his. Never thought I’d waste effort calling a changing room convenient, but now I wished we had one. For myself as well, as I had no idea how I was supposed to pick for myself now either past guessing.

                Hopefully this place didn’t work on the same logic as the bath at the inn, meaning it’d be considered normal that we’d be expected to strip our clothes in the middle of the shop in order to try on the new ones.

                Maybe he’s just misunderstanding me the way Beth did about the Homemaker Spells.

                “What I mean is, is there a space blocked off by a curtain or a separate room where she can try the clothes on before I buy them?” When I asked, I made sure to add in that I intended to buy, so he didn’t get mad at us for wasting his time asking what may be nonsensical questions to him. “I would very much prefer she could do it where others can’t see her.”

                Gideon frowned a bit, no doubt taking that as a slight barb at his character since he was the only other person here that could have look. But he took a moment to think over what I said before responding with his usual calm smile.

                “I’m sorry, Sir, but we don’t have a room like that. She could go in the back, but my family is currently back there.”

                “I see… Then how are we supposed to tell if the clothes fit before we buy them.”

                “Well, Sir, if that’s what you want, I could go get my measuring tape in the back and measure your slave for you.”

                “Ah, yes. Please do.”

                He gave a quick bow, likely asking for patience so he could make a sale instead of showing any sort of apology, and left us to go fetch one of the tools of the trade. I could only sigh. Though, it’s lucky they even have measuring tapes here. He probably didn’t have the retractable kind I was imagining, but he had to measure the fabrics before he cut the clothes, obviously. Not like he could just wing it without having customers come back complaining that the things they bought didn’t fit.      

                “Maybe you shouldn’t... You don’t have to buy them.”

                “I said it’s fine, Yua. I’m getting us both some clothes. Please, don’t worry about it.”

                Yua tried to stop me from worrying about her, but I shut her down with an easy smile. I couldn’t help myself on this one. I came from a world where the size of a piece of clothing was known before you even touched it, let alone tried it on, because everything was labeled properly. In comparison, this was just unacceptable. Needing to stop and take your measurements every time you came by seemed like an unnecessary hassle that could be easily fixed in a number of ways.

                Maybe I should give more details on how a changing room was supposed to work and recommend one be built in the corner of the store for the sake of the customer’s privacy? Something like that might revolutionize the store. He did impart upon me some unfortunate knowledge regarding slaves, but he’s been decent enough to us to warrant a helpful tip.

                As I was considering sharing an idea on how he could revamp his shop, Gideon came back holding a chalk board of all things and a long white strip of smoothed leather with numbers etched into them, but that was it. There were no lines marking the spaces between the numbers. I didn’t see how he could expect to draw any exact measurements with that, but whatever gets the job done.

                “Miss, could you raise your arms?”

                Gideon held up the tape in front of himself, almost making it snap audibly when he pulled it taught. His eyes leering, he aimed the tape towards the center of her chest, looking like he was about to tie her up with it before she could acknowledge what he was holding. Yua set the empty basket down on a nearby table and was about to do what the man asked for, but something felt off about the prospects of his aid now. I was vaguely familiar with how a tailor would measure a person’s body. At the same time, I had a pretty good idea of what he really wanted and, seeing how she responded to his request without so much as batting an eye, she hadn’t caught on.

                “Hold on, Yua,” I said, putting up my arm between them. Her ears flicked, still apparently unawares.

                “Sir, I need to wrap the tape around her to get her measurements. I’m sure you understand this.”

                Yea, I understand that you want to use your job as an excuse to grope Yua. She may be a beautiful girl, no doubt an object in his eyes after that perverted example he gave on how I could abuse my power over her, but I wasn’t about to allow him near her after that. I genuinely do not care if this is just how things are done here. It’s not happening.

                “Sorry, but could I take care of that? I don’t want anybody touching her.”

                Instead of looking insulted at my assumption, the man’s brows arched as though I had confused him. Yua, meanwhile, perked up. Her ears were suddenly and noticeably alert, as if she finally caught on to what was happening by the tone of my voice.

                “Sir, you can do math?”

                Math? Of course, I can. I aced a college-level calculus class in high school without even trying. All I’d be doing here is read numbers off of a tape. A grade schooler could do that.

                “Yes, I can. Does that surprise you?”

                “I, uh… My apologies, Sir. I did not mean to offend. It’s just that most people outside of the nobility can’t do basic math. I only can because I received special training as a merchant. But an Adventurer like yourself must need to know how to work a coin, right?”

                “It’s fine. I’m sure I don’t look like I’m very capable, but I am. So let me handle it.”

                I gestured with my hand and, with a reluctance so slight, it was very nearly imperceptible, he dropped the tape into my palm without further question. And to think I planned on buying from this man. I may be jumping to conclusions, the measuring he’d attempted to do was honest at least, but the way he looked at her made me uncomfortable enough for the both of us.

                Now just wanting to finish up and get out of here, I stepped between Yua and Gideon so he couldn’t watch.

                “Raise your arms like this, please,” I said and Yua tore her watchful eyes off the tailor and raised her arms up into a T-pose for easy measuring.

                Gulping, then instantly feeling myself a hypocrite for getting embarrassed over what I now needed and asked to do myself, I started with her stomach. I moved a step closer to her, reached around her back with the tape and brought it around, tightening it like a belt. The whole time, trying not to let my embarrassment show.

                The process was quick and easy. Thanks in no small part to Yua’s hand-me-down blouse not leaving so much as a single thread to cover her navel, it was easy to find the right spot to measure. Yua’s voice cracked as she drew in a sharp whiff of air when the cooled tape touched her skin directly. Trying my best not to react to the feeling myself, I lined up the end of the tape with the appropriate number directly over her belly button.

                She didn’t react to this any further, but keeping in mind how tight the clothes she was already wearing were, I opted to fudge the numbers a little so her next set wouldn’t be so tight.

                “Well, what is it?” Gideon asked, a slight tone of annoyance peppering his voice. If his expression was anything to go off, he was more insulted by my insinuations than having missed his chance to do just this. But I wasn’t about to back out and let him take over. Not with what comes next.

                “Fifty-six centimeters.”

                With a small huff, Gideon scratched down the number on the small chalk board he brought out. I continued.

                I loosened the tape’s hold on her, lowered it to her hipline and tightened it again. Wrapping around her like a snake might its prey, the leather strap slid right over her leather pants where there was supposed to be a button or a clasp holding them closed, but all I could see was the pure white of the softer fabric beneath.

                Shit. I’ve been making her walk around with her panties on half-display for days now, haven’t I? We should have come here way sooner. At least, this should have been our first stop today.

                Feeling my cheeks grow hotter, hot enough at the up-close sight of her to almost immediately dispel my regrets, I tightened the leather strap and let it dig into the nearly non-existent fat there on her body. She was a fighter, but the tape pressed into her as though her muscle didn’t exist. The flesh of her hips dimpled just enough to say the tape was a little too tight where I held it, so I loosened it until the tape laid flat against her. Hopefully she’ll be able to move better in something that actually fit.

                Yua, almost unsurprisingly, did not react to the eyeful she was giving me. If anything, she looked curious as she watched me work. It was like she’d never been measured before, which sounded like an impossibility in this time period. She’d said she’d gotten used to dressing like this, but maybe she’s too used to it.

                “Eighty-Six Centimeters.”

                With a brow raised now in obvious annoyance at how slow I was going, Gideon marked down the number. He no doubt could have done this faster if I’d let him, but at least Yua didn’t look uncomfortable as I worked.

                The next logical spot that needed to be measured was her bustline. Yua seemed to notice this as well, possibly because Gideon looked like he wanted to start there, but she calmly and with a small smile pushed her chest out, likely to give me the okay to continue. Thanks to myself for getting a little handsy earlier and the free pass she gave me to do so, I was already familiar with how large her breasts were, but I did not know their exact size. The thought of getting to know their exactness was just as tantalizing as it was embarrassing.

                I brought the tape up behind her back and began to pull it taught around her bustline, only to notice that the shape of her nipples became more and more visible through the thin fabric of her blouse the tighter the tape got. It was a sight I don’t think I would have needed to guess at their location, after the way she casually changed in front of me earlier this morning. And I don’t mean because my Memorization trait had burned that image into my head. Professionally speaking, I wasn’t entirely sure I was measuring the right spot, but it made the most sense to me. So, I let the tape bare down on the two, slightly stiff peaks.

                The tape bit into her soft, mostly unprotected breasts and squished them down in a line that reached all the way to her back. The backs of my fingers slid, grazing across the impressive softness she both let and forced me to feel just hours ago as I pulled the tape until the numbers lined up. Then I pulled just a little tighter.

                “…!”

                Yua let out the smallest of moans that anyone that wasn’t ultra-aware of the situation wouldn’t have noticed. Feeling hot, I loosened the tape just a bit until it wasn’t biting into her anymore. I was already a hypocrite, let’s not give Gideon a show.

                We came here primarily for her, but I think I let myself enjoy this a little too much.

                “E-Eighty-four centimeters.”

                Blushing, Yua lowered her arms once her three sizes had been measured and I sped through the measuring of her arms and legs to end our now mutual embarrassment. When I finished, I stood to find that Gideon was utterly unperturbed as he wrote down the last of the numbers I read off.

                I breathed a sigh of relief and shot Yua an “I’m sorry” look, not so much for getting carried away, as she made her feelings on the matter crystal clear, but because we were technically in public. Thankfully, all she did was smile back as the redness in her cheeks quickly faded.

                “Alright,” Gideon said. “She’s all set. Now, I could help you pick out some nice clothes for her. Or would you prefer that I go ahead and measure you first?”

                “I, uh, go ahead and measure me, then. Please.”

                Quick to hand him his tape back just to be rid of it and its temptations, I took up the same pose Yua had. He nodded briefly and set about his work.

                While I knew my sizes relative to the standards of my home country, it looked like they only used numbers here and those numbers I did not know. So, I thought it best to just have him measure me to get it over with quickly. I’d just have to use my improved memory to keep track of the numbers to avoid needing to do this again.

                Gideon blew through the process so fast and with so much ease, that I almost thought that it would have been faster and less embarrassing for Yua to just let him handle it. But I was still never going to let him touch her like that, not even in a professional manner.

                He quickly jotted down my numbers and when he finished, he turned the chalkboard to us to show us the results. I didn’t need to see the numbers again, but I looked it over carefully to keep up with the ruse.

                “Fantastic. Now if you’ll follow me, I will help you select out some clothes that will look great on you.”

                A slightly worn smile on his otherwise kind face, he gestured for us to follow and we did. Apart from me accidentally insulting yet another of the city’s merchants, for mostly good reason this time, he looked tired. He clearly just wanted to finish with us and close up shop and after checking the time, so did I. While my teleportation magic made the time mostly irrelevant, I wanted us to get out of here before Alphonse could round up his goons and lock us down.

                Unconcerned with the fates of his last customers for the night, Gideon stopped in the women’s section and, after looking at what clothes Yua had in her basket to check our preferences, he shook his head, pulled them out, folded them and set them back on the tables where they belonged. Apparently, they were all too small for her. He did, however, replace them with sets of a similar design that actually fit. He then spent a short while pointing out what was popular with the city’s women and what was marked down with a discount for a variety of reasons he meticulously listed, mainly being that he needed to make room for newer things.

                I picked out about five sets of clothes for Yua to wear during her day-to-day consisting of shirts, skirts, shorts and pants, all of which looked weirdly fashionable even by modern standards. Gideon really knows how to work a needle, I’ll give him that. I did try to get Yua a dress, but she turned the idea right down, saying it’d get in the way in a fight. I then tried to get her something comfy to wear while she slept, but since we were supposed to be on the run, she refused me again. This time because she wanted to always be ready for a fight. Before she could say whether or not she was going to sleep in the armor we got earlier, I threw a few over-sized shirts into the basket, just in case she changed her mind on the road.

                I also managed to snag myself the same number of outfits and I was quite happy to do so. Practicality aside, I was tired of walking around looking like I lived in some rural village in a part of the country nobody form the city would even know about.  

                “Will that be all, Sir?”

                “Hmm.”

                I quickly ran down a list of clothes we would need and found my face growing a hot again when I realized that I had completely forgotten one of the most important parts of an outfit.

                “Uh, sorry, not yet… Could you point me to where I can get some… underwear?”

                With a sympathetic smile that said he understood my embarrassment, he pointed to the far end of the room and went back to the front of the store to let us choose in peace. In thanks for his discretion and for the trouble I’ve caused, I decided that I would give the man a small tip once we finished.

                Feeling as thought were committing some sort of crime, I brought Yua over to the women’s underwear section and, much to my surprise, she was not embarrassed at all when I asked her to pick a few out.

                “Yua… You can pick out some panties for yourself, right?”

                If she had already forgotten her sizes, I could tell her, but that didn’t seem like it would be too much of a problem over here. Anything that wouldn’t fit would be much more obvious.

                However, as she stared down at the piles of neatly stacked and sometimes frilly underwear, she just scratched her head, her ears flicking with discontent.

                “I don’t know which to get.”

                “Um, well, which ones do you think look cute?”

                “Cute?... I don’t know. I don’t normally… Would it be too much to ask for you to pick again?”

                Was she really so adverse to picking out clothes that she’d leave a guy to pick out the only pairs of panties she’s going to wear for the foreseeable future? I should feel honored, but for some reason I feel like I am taking advantage of her.

                “Sure,” I said, gulping down my embarrassment as soon as it reappeared to feign confidence in the matter. “Then how about these? They look like they’d fit you perfectly.”

                I pointed to a white pair with several light-blue stripes that ran horizontally across the fabric and she picked them up to examine them closely. As much as she didn’t seem to care what she wore, she at least seemed to want to make sure what I picked out looked comfortable, even if they didn’t suit her tastes in the same way they did mine.

                “These look great. Thank you.”

                Holding the small triangle of fabric to her chest, she smiled at me all bright and cheery, like she thought my picking out her underwear was just as significant as giving her a gift on her birthday. But in all honesty, I just picked what I wanted to see her wear.

                Her ears twitched and my entire body flinched when I thought she caught on to my hidden preferences, but then I followed her gaze to what stole her attention. She picked up what looked to be just a couple swatches of black fabric connected by a thin string that clearly couldn’t cover much of anything. Yua looked at the thing as though it were an anomaly, but I recognized it immediately.

                It was an exceedingly revealing t-back thong. Another article of clothing that most definitely should not exist in this world.

                “Alex, do you know what this thing is? It’s clothes, right? But how would I wear it? There’s almost no cloth on it and it doesn’t look like it would provide much protection.”

                She held the tiny thong out in front of her hips to check, seemingly only vaguely aware that it was considered underwear due to where she found it. The thing looked like it would be perfect on her, but it was dangerous. Too dangerous. My sanity can only withstand a certain amount of pressure, you know?

                “Um… You don’t need to wear that one, Yua. It’s, uh… Probably above your level.”

                “Eh? My level?”

                If she didn’t know, she was way too innocent and naïve to risk letting her wear such a provocative pair of underwear. Because of this, I just couldn’t imagine her really wearing such a thing. Even if she didn’t know why.

                “L-Let’s just pick from these over here, then.”

                I pointed to a few other types of more casual underwear and she thankfully abandoned the thong without complaint. After giving her a few options, she examined each with her hands and after briefly testing their comfort level, we decided to just get all of them to complete the sets of clothes we were going to buy.

                Done with her outfit expedition and, headed back to the men’s section, I quickly and almost randomly picked out a few pairs of what could pass for boxers and stuffed them into the basket. I wasn’t so experienced enough in the world that I didn’t feel embarrassed trying to pick for myself while Yua watched from over my shoulder with an all-too-innocent expression about her, but I pulled through with a stiff upper lip.

                Mutually content with our order, we were about to make for Gideon to pay off the large bill we no doubt racked up, when I remembered that we still needed socks. I wasn’t going to go around wearing just boots if I didn’t have to and I didn’t want Yua to need to suffer as she has been all this time. Even if she didn’t complain, it had to be bothering her.

                Making up for the oversight in not letting her get some back when we got her boots, I quickly threw in several pairs for the both of us into the basket. Although, I did manage to sneak in a couple pairs of white knee-high socks that they just so happen to sell here. And by the way she smiled at me when I did this, I was sure she understood that this was just another of my preferences, but she didn’t seem to mind one bit.

                In the end, I was endlessly surprised by the amount of modern-ish clothing this shop had, even if it all bore more of a fantasy aesthetic. If we hadn’t just gone to a blacksmith to pick out a sword earlier, I would have assumed that we were still on Earth in a city that hadn’t completely been industrialized yet.

                We set the now overflowing basket onto Gideon’s counter and let him total up the price, but not before adding it all up in my head. He’s been mostly pleasant to us, but I wasn’t about to risk him overcharging on something just because he thought we wouldn’t notice. We had the coin to spare, that’s why we were here to begin with, but it was all we were going to have until I found work somewhere.

                I would have liked to say that that somewhere would have been an Adventurer’s Guild in another city, but that was never going to work once I gained the Thief tag after tonight. Their scrying orbs would sniff me out the second I tried to accept a quest.

                The price for everything we picked ended up being much more reasonable than I thought it’d be, but I was still surprised to find that it totaled to more than the cost of our armors did, but it was worth it to have one less thing to worry about.

                With a mostly clear conscious after selecting Yua’s wardrobe to almost entirely suit my own preferences, I set all the coin being asked of us on Gideon’s tray, adding on a few coppers for a tip as Yua stuffed everything into her backpack before we left the shop.

                “Is there anywhere you want to go next, Yua? It’s late, but there’s not much more time left before we’ll need to go, so this might be your last chance.”

                “Anywhere I want to go?”

                “Yea. I feel kinda bad spending so much of the money on myself today. I even did the same at the tailor just now.

                “You mean because the clothes you picked for me were things you wanted me to wear?”

                “Y-Yea, that’s… Wait, how did you know?”

                “Your heartbeat got faster every time you picked something out for me. Also, you had a funny smile on your face.”

                Yua giggled to herself, not bothering to hide it at all.

                Apparently, I’d been found out. I should have been embarrassed, and I mostly was, but the thought that she’d noticed and still let me continue picking for her made e want to return her smile back to her with blushing interest. 

                “Anyways, I want you to pick out something for yourself and only for yourself. Don’t worry about me at all.”

                “But the coin is yours. There’s no need for…”

                I held up a hand to stop her and laughed despite myself at her constant denial every time I try to do something for her.

                “It’s fine, Yua. I know slaves can’t technically own anything, but I don’t care. The coin we have is just as much yours as it is mine. You worked too hard to deny that, right? Just remember that you aren’t a slave anymore and, if that’s not enough, think of it as a reward for helping me in the dungeons and, well, with everything else.”

                Her ears perked up and her cheeks went a little pink. The vigorous swishing of her tail seemed to go unnoticed by her, despite it being literally attached to her backside.

                “I-Is it really okay for me to ask for anything?”

                “Of course. If there’s anything you want or need at any time, just let me know. If we can afford it, we can get it. If not, then I’ll fight through the dungeons with you to earn it.”

                “… You really are too kind to me”

                She smiled honestly for me, but her eyes grew clouded as her gaze dropped to her feet. I was sure that trying to be as nice to her as I possibly could despite her position in life must only be reminding her of that same position, even if I denied its existence. It wasn’t something that I could just change because I wanted to. And, though she smiled, she was still under threat of losing the master she’d come to see as a kind person that actually cared for her.

                Yua’s gotten too used to having nothing, but I want to give her everything and then some. Just as much as I want her to give me her everything in return.

                Noticing the lull in the conversation herself, and trying to keep her mood positive, Yua raised her head and brought back the her usual smile that made the moon hanging overhead grow duller in comparison.

                “Then, if it’s not too much… May I have some more cake?”

                “…”

                I nearly burst into laughter, in fact, had I not managed to look at the seriousness in her eyes, I probably would have done just that. Seeing the smirk on my face as I struggled to hold it back, she grew worried, like she thought she’d stepped out of line somewhere in her request. But she couldn’t have been further from the truth. If anything, I was expecting her to ask for something super expensive like jewelry or some magic item I’d never heard of, and I was more than prepared to buy it for her the second the words left those sweet lips of hers. It was the least I could do after spending almost 700 gold on myself in one day.

                But all she asked for was something to satiate her sweet tooth.

                “Alex? W-Would that be too much?”

                “Pfft. Too much? Not at all. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

                “Y-Yes?”

                “Then I will get you all the cake you can eat. How about some more cookies too? If the baker has any, of course.”

                Aside from the sugar shortage he mentioned, it was late. If the bakery was still open, buying what she wanted all depended on whether or not the baker made any such sweets today and if they’d been bought out. If not, I’d be forced to give her a raincheck on the sweets and just double down the next time we find some.

                “Alex?”

                Still looking worried, she clearly didn’t believe me.

                I know she’s spent years of her life possibly without ever eating anything that actually tasted good, but to constantly doubt me whenever I offered her some? Even after sharing my food, buying her a hot dinner and all the snacks from last night? For as much as she says she accepts me, she sure doesn’t believe me all that much. I suppose we’re a bit even on that front, but this most definitely needed to change if we’d be living together from now on.

                Let’s see. How should I explain this in a way she’d understand? Maybe… Maybe if I worded what I wanted to say in a way that followed the laws of this world, she’d find it easier to understand and we could move on.

                “I’m serious, Yua,” I said, pulling her into an alley to teleport again. “In fact, I technically own your everything? That includes your body, right?”

                “Y-Yes?”

                She blushed a bit more at that, but she still didn’t seem to understand where I was going with this.

                “Your stomach is a part of your body. So, if I own your body, I own your stomach. Meaning that your stomach is my stomach, right?”

                “Where are you going with this?”

                She switched to tilting her head in that same cute way she did whenever she didn’t understand something. Surely, I must have sounded like I was just spewing nonsense, but I think I had this all figured out.

                “What I mean to say is that, if you are hungry, then it is my responsibility to feed you because what I’m feeding is my stomach, get it? And I don’t eat gruel or other garbage, so now neither do you. I only eat tasty things. So, from now on, if you’re hungry or you see something that you want to try, just let me know and I’ll take care of you. There’s no reason to pretend you’re not hungry when you are and there is no reason to deny me when I want to give you something tasty. Okay?... I mean, unless you’re already full, of course. I don’t want to make you sick.”

                I laid it out as clear as I could for her. I thought I had gotten this point through to her this morning over breakfast, but I guess breaking through years of any one way of thinking would be difficult. I did feel a little bad over using the rules of her own slave contract against her like this, but it was definitely for her benefit. So, with this, I believe the problem should be solved. Or so I thought.

                She stared at me, disbelief and surprise written so plainly on her face that it looked like she’d be incapable of making any other expression for months. Thinking my rambling wasn’t clear enough, I opened my mouth to try again, only to have my words and my want to speak them overshadowed when her brilliant smile took center stage.

                Her peach-colored lips parted ever so slightly and I knew instinctually that she was asking for a kiss to prove beyond words that I meant what I said. So, I pulled her in and let our lips touch without any of my past hesitation and, when she wrapped her arms around my back to embrace me further, I decided then and there that I’d never hesitate with her again.

                I kissed her like it was the first time and the last time. I kissed her like I owned her. And I kissed her like she owned me. I made sure that every ounce of the feelings I harbored for her was plain and clear, so that she might never doubt it again and so that she was freed to feel like a normal girl again.

                She pulled back, her emerald eyes glittering in the night as she met my gaze.

                “Mas… Alex, thank you for everything.”

                “Hahaha. Don’t thank me yet. Wait until we get you some cake.”

                Yua giggled again and said, “Then, for now, let me do this,” as she laced her fingers between mine. The streets were mostly now, so we were free from needing to worry about how we were seen together.

                I smiled back and with my free hand, I threw open another teleportation portal to an alley near the bakery.

                There was no more point in waiting. The DeGrave building wasn’t going to magically open its doors for us this late at night. All there was left is to enjoy a snack before our departure.