Chapter 57: Shopping
Zac and Marty stepped out of the narrow alley and onto a spotless street.
"What in the luxurious blue hell did we walk into?" Zac wondered with an ’O’ face.
Towering buildings lined both sides, their glass walls shining under the sun. Massive billboards hung overhead, advertising products Zac had never even heard of. People dressed in luxurious clothes walked past them, carrying themselves with the confidence of those who had never worried about money a day in their lives.
"Man..." Marty looked around. "These people look...rich I suppose."
"Yeah." Zac silently agreed before asking, "System, where are we right now?"
[-10 Info Points.]
[You are currently in the Inner District of the Central City.]
He turned toward Marty and said, "We’re in the Inner District."
"Oh." Marty nodded. "That explains why everyone looks loaded."
"Wait." He turned toward Zac with a suspicious look. "Didn’t you just ask where we are? How do you suddenly know now?"
"Ahh...maybe a hunch."
"A hunch?"
"Yep."
Marty stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "Fine. So what do we do now?"
"Find the academy and get ourselves registered."
"Sounds like a plan. But before that, we seriously need to change our clothes."
"What?" Zac frowned. "What’s wrong with the current one?"
"Seriously?"
[Seriously?]
Marty and the System sounded completely united. "Dude, I think in exchange for your looks, God took away your sense of fashion."
"So funny."
[Honestly, that might be true.]
"So you are saying I’m dumb when it comes to factions?"
[No, you are dumb in many things, but that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is, clothes make half the man.]
"Seriously, look at these people. They’re walking around like they’re heading to some royal ball while we’re dressed like a couple of naked monkeys."
"We still have clothes on. How are we to be naked?"
[That’s right. How can a monkey be dressed and naked at the same time?]
"It’s called a metaphor."
"Oh."
"Our outfits cost less than fifty kyros, they’re dirty, and they smell like we’ve been living in a sewer, thanks to your overbearing aunt throwing us into that nasty alley."
"Well..." Zac scratched his cheek. "We’re heading to the academy anyway. Maybe they’ll give us uniforms or spare clothes or something."
"Dude, if you don’t have money, just say it. I’m your friend. I’ll buy clothes for both of us."
[He has more than enough money to buy several stores on this street. Just too stingy to spend it.]
"Shut up; no one asked you."
"Marty I understand, but we’re already late; we can’t waste more time shopping."
"Mooom." A small child holding an ice cream suddenly pointed at them. "Why are they dressed like that?"
The woman holding the child’s hand glanced at Zac and Marty, and her expression immediately changed.
"Honey, don’t stare." She quickly pulled the child closer. "I think they’re beggars. Stay away from them. You never know what kind of diseases they might have."
The woman hurried away, practically dragging the confused child with her.
Zac slowly turned toward Marty, and he was already looking at him with a smug expression that practically screamed, See? I told you.
"I think we really need to change our clothes."
"Ha! Finally,"
***
After searching for nearly half an hour, both of them finally found a luxurious-looking clothing store and stepped inside.
The moment they entered, someone sprinted toward them.
The person was dressed in an extravagant designer outfit that looked more expensive than Marty’s entire life savings. Their makeup was flawless, lipstick perfectly applied, and their long painted nails sparkled under the lights.
(They/Them: Refer to the same person)
"Hi, honey!" they said, immediately locking onto Zac. "Are you here looking for a new outfit? Or did you see me from outside and come in here to get my number?"
"Yes, sir... no, ma’am... uh..."
The person gave a provocative smile and said, "Don’t worry, sweetheart. People get confused about my pronouns all the time."
Before Zac could react, a long fingernail was already tracing little circles across his cheek.
"And if a boy as beautiful as you wanted me, I would be up for whatever you wanted me," they said while drawing invisible rangolis on his face."
[Damn boy! Be ready for a sword fight.]
"Shut the hell up."
"I don’t think we’re here for that, Mam, and I’m straight," Zac said, taking a step back.
The person dramatically placed a hand on their chest. "Well, that’s disappointing."
Then they turned toward Marty. "My name is Siona."
"That’s a good name." Siona’s smile twitched. "Well, thank you."
"We’re here to buy some new clothes," Marty quickly added.
"Oh, don’t worry, darling. I could tell that just from the state of your outfits."
Siona looked both of them up and down. "You’re obviously new here, aren’t you?"
"Yeah," Marty answered.
Siona ignored him and looked directly at Zac. "Are you recruited by one of the top five academies, handsome?"
"Yes, we are," Marty answered again.
"Hmm." Siona nodded and looked disappointedly towards Zac. "Are you a no-talker guy?"
"No! I do talk," Zac answered her with a straight face.
"Really?" Siona raised an eyebrow. "Because all I’ve been hearing this whole time is background noise."
Marty stared at her. "I’m a background noise now?"
"I just think it’s best if I keep quiet right now," Zac said.
"How wise of you." Siona clapped their hands together. "Come. Let me take your measurements."
"You’re not touching me," Zac answered instantly without a thought. "Me too," Marty also added.
"Fine. I already have your measurements anyway."
Seeing their confusion, Siona rolled their eyes. "My awakened class is called Stylish Tailor. I can measure a person’s body just by looking at them."
Siona slowly leaned near Zac’s ear and whispered. "I have to say, sweetheart... you’re packing quite a monster down there."
Zac’s face instantly turned red.
[Lord have mercy on this poor kid and help him avoid getting pegged.]
"Can we get back to selecting clothes?" Zac asked through gritted teeth.
"Of course, anything for you, darling."
They led the two deeper into the store and stopped in front of a massive fabric section filled with countless materials and colors.
"So," Siona said dramatically, spreading both arms. "Tell me what you need."
Marty immediately started explaining what kind of clothes he wanted. Siona listened for a moment before turning toward Zac. "And you, handsome?"
Zac thought for a few seconds and answered. "I don’t like flashy things."
Siona stared at him. "You want to be a dark horse."
"Something like that."
"Sweetheart, that’s going to be very difficult with a face like yours."
"I know; that’s why I want at least my clothes to attract less attention."
"Fair enough. What about your fighting style?"
"I’m a swordsman, and I can use elemental abilities too."
Siona slowly nodded. "Now I can see why one of the Top Five Academies recruited you."
"What color do you prefer? Since you don’t want anything flashy, black, gray, brown, dark green... all of those would work."
"I don’t care. As long as it doesn’t stand out, do whatever you want."
The system immediately laughed.
[You do know that you can’t control ’unmatched charisma,’ right.]
(A/N: unmatched charisma is one of his traits, check it in the auxiliary Chapter system panel.)
Ignoring the voice in his head, Zac maintained a straight face.
"If you say so, leave everything to me, sweetheart." With that, Siona disappeared into the room, leaving Zac and Marty alone in the waiting area.
Marty looked at the closed door. "That person is... something."
"Yeah, kinda... unique."
Another half hour passed before Siona finally walked out of the workshop. "Finished."
Marty immediately stood up. "Already?"
As always, Siona completely ignored him.
Instead, they walked straight to Zac and handed him a neatly folded outfit. Another bundle was casually tossed toward Marty without so much as a glance.
"She’s really treating me like a side character," Marty thought.
[Because you are.]
"Here you go, handsome. Go try it on. The fitting rooms are over there."
The two headed toward the fitting rooms, but just before entering, Zac stopped and looked back at Siona. "There aren’t any cameras inside, right?"
"There aren’t," Siona replied. Then a mischievous smile appeared on their face. "But if you really want to, I could accompany you."
"No."
SLAM!
A few minutes later, both Zac and Marty stepped out.
Marty’s outfit was simple but elegant. A brown merchant-style coat layered over a cream-colored shirt, paired with dark trousers and a few tasteful accessories.
Then Zac walked out. The outfit Siona had made for him was surprisingly simple.
A fitted black long coat with subtle silver embroidery along the cuffs and collar. Underneath was a dark charcoal shirt tucked into black trousers.
The outfit highlighted all of his physical features, which made him look like an heir of a powerful family rather than an academy student.
"My, my. You look absolutely hot, throbbing."
Zac immediately regretted walking out of the fitting room.
"If a princess saw you right now, she’d probably abduct you and make you her personal gigolo."
[Ahahaa...hahaa. Sorry, I can’t top that one.]
"So, how much?"
Siona instantly switched to business mode. "Hmm, let’s see...Ten thousand for you and eight thousand five hundred for him."
Marty nearly choked. "You’re charging ten thousand Kyros for a single outfit?"
"It’s not just the outfit." Siona placed a hand over their chest. "It’s also the service I provide. But are you sure you only want one set?"
"For now, yeah."
"Fine." Siona reached into a drawer and handed Zac a sleek black card. "Here’s my card. My website is on it as well."
"You have a website?"
"Of course I have a website. What kind of outdated tailor do you think I am?"
Siona flipped their hair dramatically. "You can order online, request custom designs, special specifications, modifications, and all of it."
Then they leaned closer toward Zac. "Though I’d much rather have you visit in person."
"Yeah, I’ll think about it."
After paying for the outfits, Zac and Marty quickly left the store while Siona was giving them flying kisses.
The moment they stepped outside, Marty let out a long breath. "So did you figure out whether she is a man or a woman?"
"I would rather not."
