Chapter 57: A Little Surprise
Chapter 57: A Little Surprise
"So, I win?"
"Tch, I lost."
Mira was delighted. Jenny’s reluctant but resigned expression was just too amusing.
"Next, it's time for the punishment."
"Punishment? You didn’t mention anything like that before!"
Mira replied with a matter-of-fact tone: "If it’s a competition, there must be a punishment for the loser. Now, don’t move."
"…" Jenny watched as Mira’s hand reached toward her face, closing her eyes in anticipation of the inevitable.
Her fearful expression was almost endearing, and the audience couldn’t look away.
Mira curled her finger and tapped Jenny’s forehead with a resounding bonk!
Jenny’s forehead turned red, and she clutched the spot where she had been tapped. "Ouch!"
Mira mimicked Rod’s earlier tone: "Alright, the loser leaves the stage!"
"Damn it, I’ll win next time!" Jenny stormed off, fuming. How dare Mira tap her forehead in front of everyone, treating her like a child?
Jenny vowed to challenge Mira again and set a more humiliating bet to make her pay.
"Sorry, I got carried away and took so long," Mira said to Rod.
"It’s fine. We’re here to have fun, and this was quite entertaining."
Rod felt he got his money’s worth just from watching Mira’s fashion show.
(Jenny: I wasn’t part of that, right?)
Mira glanced at the crowded shop and suggested, "Let’s try another store?"
Rod nodded. "Good idea."
The few outfits and accessories Mira and Jenny had tried on had become instant hits, with young men and women scrambling to buy them.
The shop owner and staff struggled to maintain order, but by the time they wanted to thank Mira and Jenny, the two were already gone.
...
"What about this one?" With no distractions, Mira could finally focus on choosing clothes.
The purpose of this outing was to buy clothes for Elfman.
"Suit? I don’t think it suits Elfman."
Rod tried to imagine Elfman in a suit, but the next image in his mind was of Elfman flexing his muscles and tearing the suit to shreds.
"But I want to see how it looks," Mira said, thinking for a moment. "How about you try it on, Rod?"
"Me? I’m a lot smaller than Elfman."
"So what? We can just buy a bigger size," Mira replied. "Please?"
"Alright," Rod took the clothes and headed to the changing room.
"Hold on." Mira stopped him again and picked out a bunch of accessories. "Also, try on the shirt, tie, pin, and handkerchief."
"…Sure." Rod carried the pile of clothes into the changing room and stuck his head out a few seconds later. "Mira, don’t you have a transformation spell? You could just transform into Elfman like you did earlier."
"That’s true…" Mira thought for a moment. "But I used the transformation spell too many times already, and it’s quite draining."
"Is that so?" Rod was skeptical. Was transformation really that draining?
Mira clasped her hands together. "Yes, please help me."
"Alright." Rod closed the curtain again.
When he emerged, he was dressed in a suit, looking sharp and professional.
Mira’s eyes lit up. Rod in formal wear was a completely different sight from his usual self.
However, there were a few details that needed attention.
Rod held the tie, looking a bit embarrassed. "I don’t know how to tie this."
He had chosen a social etiquette elective this semester, which covered some basics about suits, but he hadn’t gotten to that part yet.
Mira smiled. "Let me help you."
She approached and flipped up the collar of Rod's shirt, gently tiptoeing to wrap the tie around his neck. The close proximity made Rod's heart race, the scent of her hair lingering in his nostrils.
Before he could see how she did it, she gave the tie a gentle tug, pulling the knot to the collar and securing it in place. Rod used the motion of adjusting his collar to mask his embarrassment.
Mira then gently tugged at his suit jacket, tucking the end of the tie inside. She didn't stop there; she removed the pin from his chest and re-fastened it on the lapel of his jacket. She folded the handkerchief neatly and tucked it into his breast pocket, pulling it out slightly.
After finishing, Mira smoothed out the wrinkles in Rod's clothes, stepped back two paces, and examined him with her hands behind her back.
This... this felt like a wife helping her husband get ready to go out. It was almost too much to handle.
Rod asked somewhat awkwardly, "How do I look?"
"Very handsome. You look much more mature, and this color doesn't make you look old at all. You look like a true professional."
Mira added, "It definitely doesn't suit Elfman... Are you feeling hot in this?"
"…A bit," Rod replied, tilting his head and tugging at his collar. "Let's look at some other options."
"Sure, I'll keep bothering you~"
Rod continued to serve as a mannequin, even though changing outfits was a hassle, he found it enjoyable.
After a while, Mira finally chose two outfits, selecting the sizes to fit Elfman and asking the store attendant to pack them up.
Checking the time, they realized it was almost time to prepare for the evening event, so they left and returned to the hotel.
Just as they were leaving, Rod noticed that Mira was carrying three bags.
"Ah, you noticed?"
Mira turned slightly, her face showing a mix of surprise and a hint of disappointment at being caught. She leaned forward and handed one of the bags to Rod. "It's for you."
Reaching out to help with the bags turned into receiving a gift, a feeling that was hard to describe.
Mira continued, "It's the suit you tried on earlier. I thought it looked great on you, so I bought it as a thank you for helping me try on clothes."
"This is too expensive... but, thank you." Rod decided to accept the gift.
Although it felt a bit like a poor boy accompanying a wealthy girl on a shopping trip and being given a luxury item on a whim, he could always return the favor later.
According to the guild master, he was now capable of handling some well-paying missions.
He needed to take on a real job upon returning.
It would be safer to find a strong teammate. Given their past encounter, maybe he could ask Erza for some support.
As he thought, the two of them arrived back at the hotel.
The lobby was bustling with people, many of whom stopped to greet Mira. They seemed to be journalists and editors from the magazine, already preparing for the event.
They went upstairs, returned to their room to rest, and got ready to head to the ballroom where the celebration was taking place.
At Mira's request, Rod changed into the new suit and left his dangerous backpack in the room. However, he still carried a thinner magic book for safety.
Before leaving, Rod moved the furniture around to create enough space and summoned a river crab to watch over his backpack. Fortunately, the room was large enough to accommodate the crab.
(End of Chapter)
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