Chapter: 24. Approaching Sounds
The intimate apparel store in the capital city has strict regulations.
This store is exclusively for women.
After all, its product range only includes women’s lingerie.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, even if couples are out shopping together, men must consciously wait outside the store and cannot step inside, not even for a moment.
At first, Princess Xue Fei thought this rule was a bit strange. After all, isn’t it just a fabric store? Why treat it like some heavily guarded secret?
But that thought vanished completely as soon as she casually followed Xiya into the store…
This place! Men must stop at the door!!
Not just them.
Even innocent Xue Fei stepped inside and instinctively covered her eyes with her little hands.
—But the gaps between her fingers were so wide that this action was no different from not covering her eyes at all.
What… what is all this?!
Looking around, soft triangular pieces of fabric were everywhere on the wooden shelves, gleaming under the warm light emitted by the illumination magic stones, shining like treasures on display!
Layer upon layer, as long as you weren’t closing your eyes, everything in sight was a splash of earthly luxury in red, orange, blue, and green.
Too extravagant… too extravagant…!
That wasn’t even the worst of it.
What was more terrifying
were the exaggerated and mysterious styles illuminated by the cold-toned magic stones.
The fabric material was alarmingly minimal…
Xue Fei thought, does wearing something like that make any difference from not wearing anything at all? What can it even cover?!
The proper young lady Xue Fei couldn’t stand this!
How strange… should I take another look…?
Pretending to shield her eyes, she inadvertently let out peculiar sounds of “uhm uhm.”
It was the first time Xiya saw Xue Fei so shy. While it was a bit refreshing, she still leaned close to Xue Fei’s ear to offer comfort.
“Well… now Xue Fei is a girl, so it’s perfectly normal to choose lingerie, right? Just be more open about it.”
“Oh my God… no, no, I can’t imagine a place worse than this… let’s get out of here…”
“Xue Fei… you can’t run away, okay?”
“How infuriating.”
After being caught by the collar, Xue Fei, like a little kitten, was brought back with no place to hide.
And she could hear the voices of the shopping women around her!
“Ah, look at that little sister… so cute!”
“Did she come out with her sister to buy lingerie? She seems so shy~”
“……”
With so many pieces of lingerie, why are you discussing poor me!
Fuming, Xue Fei made up her mind and abruptly removed her already meaningless hand from her face!
The world brightened.
The truly brave Xue Fei dared to directly gaze at the lavishness of the entire store.
Wow!!
“Xiya, Xiya!!”
“Yes?”
Xiya thought Xue Fei was just really not adapting to the atmosphere, so she stepped in front of her to block the view.
But when she stood in front of Xue Fei and looked up, she realized that Xue Fei was calling her because someone was approaching.
The newcomer was the young lady who had just been at the store entrance trying to attract customers.
The girl was wearing the most fashionable dark dress of the current kingdom and had a very professional smile.
Not only was she attracting customers, but she was also there to help customers choose lingerie.
“Excuse me, beautiful lady, what style of lingerie do you need? Our store has the most comprehensive selection in the capital!”
“This… I’ll just take a look myself.”
Xiya turned to ensure Xue Fei’s form remained as concealed as possible, noticing her strong aversion to the idea of selecting lingerie.
Xiya leaned in closer to Xue Fei and smiled earnestly.
“This won’t do, Xue Fei… having a well-fitting piece of lingerie is a necessary lesson for being a girl. You mustn’t have anything less than other girls.”
“Wow… should you even listen to what nonsense you’re saying…?!”
Ignoring Xue Fei’s honey-like protests, Xiya stood up and picked out a few pieces of lingerie from the shelf, mostly shaking her head, seemingly not satisfied.
Not long after, she turned to the responsible young lady and asked.
“Excuse me, can we try on the clothes here, of course, in a non-body-fitting way?”
“Ah… I’m sorry, even in a non-body-fitting way, trying them on isn’t allowed.”
The young girl smiled wryly, looking genuinely troubled.
“The lingerie in our store is considered a luxury even in the capital, and the prices are not low, so…”
“Oh, I see… then forget it.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
As the young lady walked away to attend to other customers, Xue Fei quickly leaned closer to Xiya.
“Hey? She said the prices aren’t low…? Isn’t it just lingerie? How can such a small piece of fabric be sold for a high price?”
“Not all lingerie can be treated the same,” Xiya replied while continuing to choose lingerie. “Most commoners use a single piece of random fabric as a substitute. What you see here, with intricate patterns and decorations, is meant for the daughters of nobles, which is why trying them on isn’t allowed.”
“Afraid someone will wear it and not buy it?”
“Haha… that does contribute to the concern, but mainly it’s about worrying it might get damaged.”
“I don’t have to worry about that! I don’t wear these kind!”
“Oh? Xue Fei, are you that confident? Can you still say that after seeing this?”
“What do you mean…?!”
Xiya had not found any suitable lingerie for Xue Fei.
But once her gaze suddenly locked onto a new style hanging in the far corner,
she lost interest in searching for anything else.
This is it! The lingerie style most suitable for Xue Fei!
Xue Fei hurried over to check, her big eyes reflecting shock.
A pure white base color, made of cotton.
What was most compelling was… in the center, it had a cute image of a snow-capped magic bear cub!
This… this…
“Isn’t this something only little kids wear?! Wait, I need to go reason with the store about this!”
“Xue Fei?!”
Xue Fei was prepared.
She dashed to the counter and laid out the drawing she had hidden in her pocket for a long time right in front of the cashier.
Standing at the counter, her height only allowed her head to peek over, which nearly melted the heart of the young girl behind the counter.
When Xiya arrived, she saw this bizarre scene…
Xue Fei pushed the drawing forward and flailed her arms like she was making some grand contribution to the world!
“This…! I drew it! Please, if you get the chance, make sure to deliver it to the textile shop! Don’t think I’m joking, this will benefit the public! See these loose four corners…! If it could truly exist in the future, if it could become successful, I’d like to call it—safety shorts! Just like that! If you take this seriously, I guarantee you will thrive in the future! Good luck, my friend!”
“Ah… little sister, you’re so cute. Is this a game?”
“You’re about to miss a prosperous opportunity, my friend!!”
“……”
Of course, Xiya quickly took charge and led Xue Fei away.
I say, Xue Fei…
Your desperate struggle to reclaim some kind of dignity is really impressive, okay?
………………………………
Despite all her dissatisfaction, in the end, Xiya and Xue Fei bought that childish white lingerie.
Did Xue Fei have other choices?
No.
If she had to choose from those other styles, she might as well just cut her old square pants into triangles; that would save her money.
The two walked out of the store and back onto the street, Xiya carefully using Storage Magic to securely store the lingerie they just bought.
Even though it was Xue Fei who got the new lingerie…
Xiya, as the one who funded it, seemed to be even happier!
Even the 【Siletra】 hanging at her waist appeared particularly lively, faintly radiating a golden glow.
Xiya twisted her slender fingers, planning a delightful arrangement for when they got home.
“For the top, Xue Fei can just wear a bodice… right? You can’t wear these from the store yet. As for that lingerie, you can try it at home! Even if you can’t try it on at the store, you can at home!”
“I’m not going to comment on the second part of what you said, but for the first part… didn’t you just say something rude, Xiya…?”
“Nope, I was saying Xue Fei still has a lot of potential for development.”
——“Emotional Intelligence.”
Sigh!
Just thinking about the luxurious lingerie that Xiya bought with nearly her entire wallet at checkout made Xue Fei’s heart ache.
Spending so much money on this thing… with that same amount, how many Ebis Mountain roasted chicken legs could I buy?!
Xiya, you really don’t know how to live frugally.
Xue Fei was reminiscing about those roasted chicken legs she might have had but were now destined to slip away.
—When suddenly she stopped in her tracks.
Xiya also mirrored the action, pausing in her steps.
Together, they looked toward the end of the street.
From around the wide street corner.
A noisy commotion could be heard… gradually getting closer.
