Chapter 120

Inside, while I was panicking, Gazelle swiftly took off the white pearl earring that had been on my ear, replacing it with another one—possibly one he had with him before we came here—showing Felix and me a different earring he was now holding.

What Gazelle brought was a pearl contrasting the one Felix had put on me, darker in hue. But it wasn’t just black. When light hit it, it shimmered with deep blues reminiscent of the deepest parts of the sea or emerald greens like a peacock’s feathers.

“Oh, this is perfect. This one really suits Takumi’s eyes,” Gazelle said, nodding with satisfaction. The eyes of the shopkeeper who saw the pearl sparkle brightly.

“Hmm, you both have a good eye! The blond-haired gentleman there has quite a high-quality white pearl from the Golera market, naturally. While the red-haired one brought here is an extremely rare black pearl found only in certain parts of the Golera Sea! Now, which pearl will the young man choose?” The shopkeeper asked back with an amused grin, observing the situation with interest.

Wait, what? Do I have to choose between the earrings Gazelle and Felix brought? What should I do? When Felix was trying them on, I was planning to decline, saying it’s too much for me! But now, after trying on both pairs, it feels like a burden to tell this enthusiastic shopkeeper that I won’t buy anything! I glanced at Gazelle and Felix for help. Felix looked a bit anxious but somehow hopeful, while Gazelle, with unwavering confidence, stared at me as if saying, “You’ll choose the one I brought, right?” …

“Can I… buy both?”

What else could I say?

After that, we left the friendly shopkeeper’s store and continued to enjoy shopping on the main street. Perhaps because two expensive pearl earrings were sold, the shopkeeper happily told us about recommended shops, entertainment spots on the main street, and restaurants in the city that offer delicious fish dishes at affordable prices.

“If you ever run into trouble, just mention my name! That way, you won’t get ripped off. But all the places I recommended are honest, so you should be fine as long as you behave,” she said with a chuckle.

Those are quite reassuring words.

And so, we toured the stores along Golera’s main street. In the heart of Golera lies the Capirio Square, a vast square from which you can reach the Lord’s Mansion, the fishing port, the town hall, the church, and other major places in the city. Our accommodation is also located radiating from this Capirio Square, along the main street.

Lined with souvenir shops, general stores, clothing stores, and grocery stores on both sides, this main street was always bustling with merchants and tourists from other realms and countries.

Recommended by the lady who has been running her store on this street for over thirty years, we headed to a cloth store. Golera’s harbor gathered various goods from other countries. Therefore, this store handled precious fabrics and clothing not found in Ritzheim.

There were sheer fabrics emitting fluorescent colors like opals, fur so white and soft it seemed unreal, and fabrics embroidered with intricate patterns using various threads, among many other things.

I bought silk from this store. It was said to have been imported from a country in the far east across the sea, and it felt incredibly smooth and silky to the touch, almost clinging to the skin.

I bought it as a token of appreciation for the Countess Alpharetta, who lent me her clothes this time. With this luxury silk, I’m sure it won’t be lacking as a token of gratitude.

Just to be sure, I checked with Gazelle and Felix, and both of them said it would be fine.

Felix mentioned, “As a token of appreciation, my mother has already dressed Takumi up like a doll, so we’re more than grateful. If anything… it’s more like my mother is causing Takumi inconvenience…”

But even after subtracting that, I’ve been taken care of by the Alpharetta family.

After all, they’re Felix’s family!

Regardless of the clothing, I had planned to buy souvenirs from the start. Also, this store was selling handkerchiefs, scarves, and pouches made from the imported fabric, so I bought several of those as well.

These are souvenirs for everyone in the Black Wing Knights, Commander Leon of the White-winged Knights who has been taking care of us, the members Rei, the Commander Ortolan of the Yellow-winged Knights, and the servants working in Ritzheim’s mansion.

Given the number of people, it ended up being quite a lot.

Next to that store was a specialty shop for shell crafts.

Felix did his shopping there. It seems Felix also bought souvenirs for his parents and two brothers.

I also did some shopping at this store.

I purchased decorative buttons and combs made of nacre from this store. I bought a nacre comb for the grandmother and granddaughter clerks at the perfume shop “Ingrid Perfume” in the capital and souvenir buttons for Mars, who was adopted into “Ingrid Perfume” last year, and for Iris, a member of the Black-winged Knights.

The nacre crafts at this store were truly amazing with their rainbow-like sheen, so I also bought a decorative button for myself. I don’t plan to use it, but when I return to the capital, I’ll treasure it as a souvenir of the journey.

After leaving the shellcraft store, it was just about lunchtime, so we visited a restaurant that served fresh seafood recommended by the lady.

Their specialty was a dish called “Aegejo,” which was made by simmering shrimp and scallops taken in the morning in olive oil and garlic.

Gazelle seemed to particularly enjoy the combination of this Aegejo and white wine, as she drank three glasses even though it was daytime.

After finishing our meal, we talked to the restaurant owner and then went to a liquor store. There, Gazelle and Felix bought wine and fruit liquor as souvenirs for the members of the Black Wing Knights, the mansion’s servants, and their acquaintances.

If it’s a souvenir for all the members, it will be over a hundred bottles. However, because we made a large purchase, the shopkeeper offered us some services, taking care of delivery to the inn and loading onto the carriage.

Also, aside from souvenirs for everyone, Gazelle and Felix bought several bottles of wine for themselves to drink.

Both of them have quite a tolerance for alcohol. I’ve never seen either of them drunk. By the way, I don’t drink alcohol.

For some reason, Gazelle always tells me, “You absolutely must not drink alcohol! Absolutely!”… I wonder why?

“Are you tired, Takumi?”

As we left the liquor store, Gazelle took my hand and looked at me with a concerned expression.

Maybe I looked a bit spaced out. I shook my head vigorously in response.

“No, I’m fine. Just lost in thought.”

“Do you have something on your mind?”

Felix crouched down to meet my gaze, patting my forehead and cheeks.

It seems both Gazelle and Felix are worried about me.

“No… it’s just, as we shop, I can’t help but feel sentimental. I realized I’ve made quite a few acquaintances in Ritzheim.”

Never thought I’d end up buying so many souvenirs on the go for someone. Back in my world, I was a loner, but look at me now, growing up big time, huh? So, here I am, reflecting deeply on my own growth.

“Oh… come to think of it, I haven’t heard much about Takumi’s friends or comrades from his original world.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. We occasionally hear about his family, but…”

Huh? Are they both digging into that?

“W-Well, you know, I had some classmates, but… didn’t really have many close relationships.”

Calling it “not many” is putting it mildly! In reality, it’s zero. But I’m sure Gazelle and Felix can sense that from my tone…

“And?”

Wait, we’re continuing this conversation!? Felix, buddy, let’s just drop it, okay!?

“Well, you see… it’s not like I didn’t try. But whenever I got close to someone, they’d suddenly distance themselves from me.”

“Suddenly?”

Yeah. That’s right. My brother… when I consulted him, he said, ‘If someone suddenly distances themselves from you, there must be a reason on your end.’ So, I guess I must have done something without realizing it.

Around the time I entered elementary school, maybe? From then on, for some reason, my relationships just didn’t work out. Even when I asked why they were distancing themselves, all I got was, ‘Takumi’s brother is quite… intense, isn’t he?… Uh, sorry. Can we pretend I didn’t say anything?’ I never got a specific reason. But come to think of it, since coming to this world, those kinds of incidents have strangely decreased. Well, the people I’ve met in this world, both in the Black-winged Knights and elsewhere, are all open-minded and friendly folks! Even if I mess up, they probably just overlook it with their broad minds. So, even someone like me is now good at socializing… but wait!? That’s not good, is it!? That means everyone’s just putting up with my rude behavior, right!? Oh no!

“…Commander Gazelle. I’ve heard the rumors, but Takumi’s brother is really… quite something.”

“No matter how you look at it, he’s a serious bro-con… Well, I guess I can understand a big brother being overprotective of a little brother like Takumi… but rather than overprotective, he gives off a vibe of being pretty controlling.”

“If he ever comes from their world to reclaim Takumi here, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.”

“If that happens, he might become a more troublesome opponent than the Demon King-sama…”

While I’m inwardly panicking, Gazelle and Felix are whispering to each other! Why are they suddenly having a secret conversation!? I want in on it too! And for some reason, both of them are looking at me with pity…!? Could it be, they’re sympathizing with me for being a loner in my original world…? Th-That’s why I didn’t want to tell them this story! Being pitied really gets to me! If that’s the case, I’d rather they just say, “Oh, you didn’t have any friends or lovers in your original world? That’s sad…” directly to me…! …No, that wouldn’t work. That would just leave a deep scar on my heart… Well, whatever! Even if I was a complete failure at socializing in my original world, there’s still room for improvement in this world! In this world, I’ll continue to express my gratitude to those around me and strive not to make the same mistakes. Yeah!

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Thus, after gathering souvenirs for everyone in the capital and for ourselves, we returned to the inn. By the way, after leaving the liquor store, we managed to get rice at the imported food store the innkeeper directed us to. After hopping around souvenir shops and enjoying a delicious dinner at the inn, I took a bath, collapsed into bed, and slept soundly without dreaming. And then, on the third morning since arriving in Golera City… As we were enjoying coffee and tea after breakfast in the dining hall, the innkeeper came to us looking troubled.

“…Rido hasn’t returned…?”

“That’s correct. We haven’t been able to confirm it yet, but… after the three of you went out yesterday, he didn’t come down to the dining hall. So we visited his room several times, but there was no response…”

Gazelle, Felix, and I exchanged glances. It’s true, the three of us didn’t see Rido yesterday. In the morning, there was no answer even when we knocked on his door or called out through it. But since it was still early, we assumed he was still sleeping and refrained from forcing him out. And even after the three of us returned from exploring the city, we didn’t meet Rido. We knocked on his door, but there was no response, and we couldn’t sense anyone inside the room. So we interpreted it as Rido having gone out while we were out and not yet returned to the inn…

I tilted my head and looked at Felix.

“Rido said he was going to appeal to the lord of his hometown. Has he already gone to meet the lord? And hasn’t returned…?”

“That’s a possibility… but given his personality, it’s hard to imagine him leaving the inn without saying anything to us. Although we haven’t spent a long time together with Rido-san… even so, we’ve seen enough of his honesty.”

“Yeah, exactly. And even if he went to petition about his hometown, he should have returned to this inn at least once. Besides, it’s hard to believe that Rido, who has no connections, would have an audience with the lord of Golera City on his second day here.”

Felix looked skeptical, and Gazelle’s expression grew serious with furrowed brows. Gazelle put his hand on his chin and pondered for a moment before lifting his head and staring straight at the innkeeper standing beside him.

“Are Rido’s belongings still in the room?”

“No, um… we haven’t opened the room yet, so we don’t know. However, we originally received payment for the room from Gazelle-sama, so if you wish to inspect the room, we can open it for you.”

“Then, may we have the room opened?”

“Of course, please wait a moment.”

As the innkeeper nodded, the three of us got up from our seats and headed to Rido’s room on the second floor of the inn. There were eight rooms on the second floor in total, and Rido’s room was the second one from the right after going up the stairs.

“Then, I’ll open it.”

The innkeeper inserted the key into the door. But—before turning the key, the door made a creaking sound and moved. The innkeeper, Gazelle, and Felix all stared wide-eyed at the door.