「Here you go. Be careful, alright?」
「Okay! Thank you!」
I handed a small girl from a family group a stick of cotton candy. Her face lit up with joy as she took it and ran off.
「Still… sales aren’t nearly as good as I expected.」
「Yeah… I wonder why?」
Even though it was already the second day of the festival, the number of customers was sparse.
It was still morning, sure, but even so, it was far from being busy.
On the bright side, I actually had time to watch the performances happening on stage from here.
「Well, things will probably pick up after lunch. That’s how it went yesterday, too.」
Just as Aina said, after Renge and I returned yesterday, things got a little livelier.
It seemed the kids from the orphanage who came after Eliodart’s commotion spread the word about us, because a lot of other children showed up.
That, in turn, drew in families and couples who stopped by to buy snacks while watching the stage shows.
They looked pretty surprised when they asked, “Only 600 Nohl?!” so the price must’ve been pretty reasonable.
Teresa did say it would get busier, though I’d expected a bit more than this…
「Alright, let’s rotate breaks before lunchtime. We can grab food in advance too, just in case.」
It was a little early to be hungry, but we could always store what we bought in my magic space and eat it hot later.
Avoiding the rush and taking breaks ahead of time was standard practice, so now was the perfect window.
「Yeah, that sounds like a good ideassu.」
「So, who’s joining me for the break today?」
「Yes! Me!」「Hmm. Shiro.」
Wendy raised her hand sharply, followed immediately by Shiro, who mimicked the same motion.
So, today’s break was with Wendy and Shiro.
Judging by how Sorte mentioned yesterday that she and someone else were fourth and fifth in line, I’d sort of expected this.
「But…」
It wasn’t that I minded spending the break, and walking around the festival, with both of them.
In fact, I was honestly happy about it.
「…Why are you two wearing yukata?」
From the moment I’d woken up, eaten breakfast, prepped the stall, and started selling, that question had been quietly eating at me. I’d finally decided to bring it up.
「Because we heard that wearing a yukata is proper festival attire!」
Wendy puffed out her chest proudly with a smug little grin, while Shiro nodded repeatedly beside her.
However, the yukata they were wearing weren’t the ones we’d bought from Yuuki-san before.
I didn’t recognize these at all.
Wendy’s yukata was a deep indigo decorated with large morning glories, while Shiro’s was white with a pattern that looked like soap bubbles.
In other words, they were exactly the kind of yukata you’d see at a festival in my old world.
But for some reason, Shiro’s yukata was noticeably short.
If she leaned forward even a little, her underwear might be visible from behind, it was that short.
「…Misa said that wearing this outfit at a festival would be a guaranteed knockout.」
So, it really was a design from my old world. I figured a drifter must have been involved.
If the source had been Hayato or Mika-chan, they wouldn’t have made Shiro’s hem that short.
As for Makoto… he’d probably prioritize exposure over modesty.
Considering both mischief and a sense of style, Misa-chan being the culprit made perfect sense.
「Um… does it not suit me?」
「No, it looks perfect on you!」
It had a different feel from the yukata she’d worn at the hot spring town, but with her hair tied up and her chest shape visible, since she wasn’t wearing a cloth wrap underneath, it was, well, quite the sight for me personally.
「Lord, what about Shiro?」
「Of course. Shiro, you look really cute too.」
「Yay!」
Shiro raised both hands in joy.
Because her yukata was short and didn’t have a tail hole, her tail poked out from underneath. It probably made moving around easier, but… if she moved too much, the hem might ride up.
Shiro, don’t raise your tail like you usually do, okay?
「Wait, I was wondering since this morning, so that outfit is from your world, my lord!?」
「Hmph… once again, they got ahead of me… I should have asked Mika-dono about it too…」
「That’s.not.fair.ssu! I wanna wear one and get complimented too!」
「Ara, I have everyone’s outfits as well, you know?」
「Wendy, you’re the best! Not keeping them all for yourself really shows how big-hearted you are!」
「You’re so quick to flatter… but the truth is, I thought everyone wearing them would make Master happier.」
「As expected of you, Wendy…! Let’s change into ours during our break.」
Oh? So everyone’s going to wear yukata too.
Maybe I should wear one myself and make our stall look like something straight out of my old world.
As I was thinking that, I felt a gentle tug on my sleeve.
When I turned, Mizera was holding it and quietly whispered to me.
「Hey, this Misa-san…」
「Ah, she’s a drifter like me. I met her back in the hot spring town before you joined us.」
「I see…」
After saying that, I suddenly realized something.
Mizera wasn’t around when I first met Misa-chan.
Which means… there might not be a yukata for her!
Wouldn’t that make her feel left out!?
If I pull an all-nighter… could I finish one in time?
「Ah, there’s one for Mizera too」
「「Eh?」」
「Um… it’s not much, but I made it myself…」
What Wendy pulled out was a pale pink yukata with a floral pattern.
The fabric might have been different from the others, but it was still a fine yukata, no doubt about it.
Even the obi was perfectly made, showing just how serious Wendy had been.
「W-Wendy-sama’s handmade…!? I, um… it feels too grand for me, and I don’t want to stand out…」
「But if everyone else wears one, you’ll be the only one in regular clothes, won’t you? Wouldn’t that make you stand out even more?」
That was true.
Right now, only Wendy and Shiro were wearing yukata, and since everyone else was in Western clothes, the two of them looked a bit out of place.
But once Aina and the others changed during the break, it would just look like everyone was wearing matching outfits within the group.
If Mizera stayed in her usual clothes then, she’d end up drawing attention for the opposite reason.
「Besides, I think it would really suit you, Mizera」
「Hmm. It’ll look good」
「Totally suits youssu!」
「That’s right. And if we all wear them, it won’t be embarrassing at all」
Yukata tend to look better on people with fewer curves.
Originally, Japanese women didn’t have large chests, so yukata were naturally designed with that in mind.
Still, a completely straight silhouette can look a bit plain, so in that sense, Mizera’s smaller chest might actually make her the one who suits it best.
Her pure white, translucent skin and her slender neck would surely look beautiful in a yukata… I definitely wanted to see it.
「Yeah. I think it’ll look great on you, Mizera」
「M-Milord…」
Maybe she felt embarrassed from being praised too much, because Mizera looked up at me as if seeking help,
and I betrayed her with a smile.
Then,
「…I understand」
She said, as if giving in.
But I didn’t miss the faint, happy look on her face.
And so, during the break, everyone got changed.
I made a makeshift blind curtain out of a large piece of cloth so I could change in the back.
「Wow…」「Oh…」「Ooh…」
Sorte, Aina, and Renge all let out small sounds of admiration.
「What is it…」
Somehow, I felt a little embarrassed.
Since it was a special occasion, I decided to wear a yukata too.
For the record, it was a simple gray men’s yukata I’d bought from Yuuki-san.
「I don’t know why, but it feels surprisingly natural」
「Yeah yeah, master really suits itssu」
「You look dependable for once」
「Milord… you look handsome…」
Being praised wasn’t bad. Actually, it felt pretty good.
But, Sorte? Does that mean I don’t ‘usually’ look dependable?
…Yeah, probably not.
「Ufufufu. Master, you look wonderful!」
「Hm. Lord look cool. It suits you」
「When the three of us stand together, it really feels different… I like it」
That was true.
Looking at us now, it must really seem like a festival scene.
Still, wearing Japanese yukata at an otherworldly festival… I wasn’t sure how that looked.
Maybe we stood out too much?
But judging by the crowd, there were people wearing much flashier outfits, probably from other nations, so maybe it was fine.
「Well then, shall we get going?」
Wendy hugged my arm tightly.
Maybe because she hadn’t used any padding this time, my arm was wrapped almost 270° in soft, blissful warmth.
「Oh…」
Though yukata looked cool, they were actually a bit hot.
I could clearly feel Wendy’s body heat, and a small sound slipped out before I could stop it.
「Muu. Telling her she looked chubby backfired…」
Shiro quietly took my other hand.
It seemed she wanted to hold it in a lovers’ grip, but our hand sizes didn’t match, so she sighed and settled for holding it normally.
「Ah, so that’s why you didn’t use padding today…」
「Well, it’s because Shiro said it made me look fat! Misa-san did say flattening the shape looks more elegant, but still…」
Honestly, I thought it was perfectly fine.
Her generous, lovely chest rested neatly above the obi, boldly asserting itself, and I found that wonderful.
Maybe it wasn’t the traditional way, but it showed off her natural charm beautifully.
「Muu… lord’s all lovey-dovey. As I thought, breasts are the enemy…」
「Hey now… it’s a festival, don’t pout like that. So, where do you want to go first?」
「Food. I want okonomiyaki」
「Alright, alright. Let’s go eat some while showing off our outfits a bit」
Yukata and okonomiyaki, huh…
I never thought I’d get to experience the epitome of a youthful summer date, the kind I missed back in my old world, here in isekai.
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