I already knew what Joy wanted me to do.
Not only had she told me directly, but it was also one of the Joy-related events in the game.
We’d go out, pick clothes for each other, and spend the day wearing them together.
On the surface, this wish didn’t seem like much, but for Joy, it was a deeply cherished dream.
Joy might be a bit of an airhead, but she’s no fool.
She’s well aware of her position as the daughter of a duke.
She understands how her status affects how others see her and is conscious of how her every word may come across to other noble ladies.
Despite her villainous looks, she has the soul of a timid high school girl, someone who wouldn’t push her wishes on others if it meant making them uncomfortable.
Her dream, which she’d held onto ever since she read about it in a book, had to remain just that—a dream—for nearly ten years.
That is, until she met the player, or rather, me.
Knowing her background, I decided to make her wish come true.
What wouldn’t I do to bring a smile to the girl who, despite being surrounded by people, couldn’t help but feel alone?
“Alright, Lady Allen! Today, you must call me by my name!”
Seeing her approach me early in the morning with a playful smile only strengthened my resolve.
Watching Joy cover her smirk with her fan, I suddenly remembered why I’d chosen her as my favorite character.
“Is just calling you by name enough, Joy?”
“Oh? You’re satisfied with just that, Joy? Really?”
“Of course! What more could I want?”
“Then why...”
“It’s strange, though. Weren’t you full of desire just a little while ago? Is my memory wrong?”
“I was still half-asleep back then.”
“Joy-sis.”
“Joy-sis.”
“...Could you say that one more time?”
“Nope.”
“You said you didn’t need it before. Why are you changing your tune now? Huh? I’m really curious.”
“Well, that’s... um...”
After teasing Joy, who was hiding her flushed face behind her fan, I turned to Feibi.
“Hey, Feibi, just now...”
“Hey, useless saintess, just now, Joy got all flustered when I called her ‘Joy-sis.’ Isn’t she too pure for someone who looks like that?”
“Lady Allen must be so cute that Joy can’t help but wish for a little sister like you.”
“Is that so...?”
“Joy, Feibi thinks so. What about you? Did you want a cute little sister like me? Is that it?”
“...Please, stop.”
After joining Feibi and playfully teasing Joy about what had just happened, we made our way to the teleportation circle to head to the city.
“Oh, right. Lady Allen, could you bring Professor Carl with us? We need someone to carry our clothes.”
I couldn’t understand why Joy would suggest such a thing.
We’re far stronger than ordinary people, so why would we need someone to carry clothes?
And even if we bought an overwhelming amount of clothes, we could just store them in an inventory bag.
When I voiced my confusion, Joy and Feibi exchanged glances and then looked at me with indulgent smiles.
“You’ll understand when we get there, Lady Allen.”
The first shop we visited upon arriving in the city was a large clothing store Joy frequented.
“Oh my! Lady Partran! Welcome!”
The store owner’s enthusiastic greeting showed that Joy’s claim of being a regular wasn’t an exaggeration.
“It’s been a while, Saintess. And... Lady Allen?”
However, the moment her gaze fell on me, her bright expression turned icy.
...Just how much havoc did Lucy cause in the past to earn such blatant hostility?
Used to such hateful stares, I just shrugged, but the other two weren’t so accepting.
“Madam, I hope you’re not making that face because you find my friend bothersome?”
Joy’s expression turned cold.
It wasn’t her usual villainess face but rather a genuinely sharp glare, aimed at exerting pressure.
The store owner broke into a nervous sweat, shaking her head.
“No! Of course not! It’s just that, well, Lady Allen... in the past...”
“Madam.”
The store owner’s attempt to explain was interrupted by Feibi.
With her usual gentle gaze and a voice unexpectedly firm, she made the store owner stumble over her words.
“I may not know what Lady Allen was like in the past, but I assure you, the person before us now is not like that. I vouch for her.”
“I feel the same, Madam.”
With the opinions of both the duke’s daughter and the saintess from the Church of the Lord, the shopkeeper could only nod weakly, looking pale.
“Now, back to the main topic, Madam. We’d like to get a gift for Lady Allen. Do you have anything that would suit her?”
“O-Of course! Lady Partran! What clothes wouldn’t suit someone as cute and lovely as this young lady!”
With a near-scream, the shopkeeper hurriedly whisked Carl off to the back of the shop.
“How disappointing, to judge Lady Allen based on her past.”
“It is a pity. Regardless of one’s past sins, people can change.”
Uh...
I appreciate you both standing up for me, but...
In this situation, isn’t the store owner more of the victim here?
The looks of contempt you’re giving her are terrifying, so I won’t say anything, but this feels like an abuse of power.
If rumors start spreading about the saintess acting tyrannical, it’s not my fault.
When the shopkeeper finally returned with Carl, I let out a gasp before I could stop myself.
The clothes piled in Carl’s arms were so tall they nearly reached over his head.
Oh, so that’s why they needed someone to carry the clothes.
A strong attendant would indeed come in handy for this kind of situation.
“Madam, is this everything?”
“Oh, no! Not even close! This is just a fraction of what we have!”
...Huh?
There’s more than this?!
Even for three people, this much seems like overkill!
Despite her ditziness, the duke’s daughter lives up to her title.
She operates on a different scale.
“Glad to hear it. Then please send more attendants to assist us. For now, we’ll have Lady Allen try on these first.”
“Yes, Lady Partran.”
...Wait, what?
Did I just hear something strange?
They’re going to have me try on all of those clothes?
Not split between the three of us?
“Uh, Joy...”
“Joy, you’re not really going to make me try on all those clothes, are you? You must have misspoken.”
“What joke are you making, Lady Allen? You, who used to hoard clothes, can’t handle this... Oh, do you mean we won’t be trying anything on ourselves? Don’t worry; that’ll come later.”
No! That’s not what I meant!
Stop twisting my words, Joy!
Are you seriously going to make me try on all these clothes?!
Just getting changed will take all day!
“Joy, wait a moment.”
Yes, Feibi!
Say something as a saintess to cut down on this extravagant nonsense!
“Surely you’re not just planning to browse this store, right?”
“Of course not. Visiting multiple clothing stores to compare designs is ‘common sense,’ isn’t it?”
Watching the two chat and laugh, I realized that something was very wrong here.
What?! Aren’t we just supposed to try on a few outfits and pick one to buy?!
Was this what those vague game descriptions actually meant?!
I remember now. When this event began in the morning, it ended in the evening.
I had thought it was just a description of them spending the day together, but they really meant the entire day shopping.
I see... So this is what’s considered normal among nobles.
Dragged into a room by Joy and Feibi, I found myself face-to-face with dozens of female attendants and stared lifelessly at the chandelier on the ceiling.
...This is hell.
“Every outfit suits you so well. You truly are exceptional, Lady Allen.”
“I knew you were beautiful, Lady Allen, but this... I’m almost envious.”
One hour passed.
“Joy, what do we do? Lady Allen looks so good in all of them that it’s impossible to choose just one!”
“Don’t worry, Feibi. When that happens, you just buy them all!”
Three hours later.
“This store doesn’t quite meet my standards. Let’s just take these and move on.”
“Joy, there’s a shop we passed by earlier that caught my eye...”
“Ah, that one? Alright, let’s go there next.”
Five hours later.
“It was a satisfying day.”
“I’ll never forget today.”
It was only when the sun began to set that I was finally released from my role as a living dress-up doll.
How many outfits did I try on in just one day?
Even a fashion model with a slave contract wouldn’t endure a schedule this intense.
As I tried to replenish my sugar levels with snacks, dreading the exhaustion that awaited me back at the dormitory, a thought popped into my head.
“Joy, one thing...”
“Airheaded Joy, didn’t you forget something?”
“Me? I couldn’t have... Oh! Right! I forgot to ask you to pick out clothes for me!”
Joy, who had been so caught up in dressing me up that she’d completely forgotten, knit her brows, looking troubled, then suddenly straightened up.
Wait, don’t tell me you’re planning to hit another store now?
I’m genuinely exhausted!
Any more of this, and I might just collapse!
“Lady Allen, you agreed to grant me any request today, didn’t you?”
“...Didn’t you?”
“But why?”
“Promise me! You’ll pick out a dress for Feibi and me! And if you break this promise, you’ll have to join us for another shopping spree!”
...This cunning noblewoman.
To think she’d pull such a stunt with a blank contract.
You impudent girl! Do you not fear the revolution my mace will bring?
Once today is over, I’ll start an uprising!
“It’s an order! Nod your head!”
– Ding.
Fine!
I’ll promise!
You noble stooge!
And you call yourself the saintess?!
Just wait until the revolution comes!
...Ah. I guess my head would be the first to roll.
I’m a shameless noble, after all.
Reluctantly nodding under the threat of penalties, I glared at Joy as she beamed with satisfaction.
Ugh. So this is what it feels like to be powerless.
“Joy, where...”
“Joy, useless saintess, tell me where you’ll wear the clothes I picked out for you.”
I’ll keep my promise, of course.
It’s been a while since I last tried my hand at outfit selection, so I’m not sure how well I’ll do.
I recall that the best look for Joy would be something from the eastern region...
“I’ll wear it to the academy’s end-of-term party, naturally. And I’ll make sure everyone knows it was chosen by Lady Allen.”
Ah, that event? If that’s the case, it’ll be easy. Just go with something that stands out the most.
“Oh, and you also promised to wear the outfit I chose for you, didn’t you?”
Sure, that’s no big deal.
Though I got tired of all the changing, the designs themselves were all pretty decent.
...But, Joy, you bought so many outfits; which one am I supposed to wear?
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
Did you decide on one? I started zoning out halfway through, so I don’t remember.
“You forgot?! That’s so unfair! I put so much thought into it, knowing that the top student of the first year would be standing on stage!”
Wait...
...
What?!
Stage?
What do you mean by that, Joy?!
In our first year, the speech always went to Arthur...
Oh. Right. I beat him!