Chapter 7: Shopping with Euclase
A few days had passed since Euclase found out Ruri was human.
“Let’s go, Ruri!” Euclase suddenly appeared behind Ruri as she walked through the hallway and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.
“Unyaa!” The sudden yoink made her yelp in cat speak instead of telepathy.
“What are you doing, Euclase-san? ‘Let’s go’ to where?!”
“You’ll know once we get there,” Euclase said in an extremely positive tone. They apparently were keeping the destination a secret.
“U-Um...” This heavy-handed behavior was typical for Euclase, but Ruri was still confused as to why they were forcing her along with them.
“Ruri, wait for me!” Rin yelled, following right behind Euclase.
The trio eventually ended up at the town surrounding the castle. Euclase took them to a back alley and then removed Ruri’s bracelet.
Ruri, now back to human form, immediately protested. “What are you doing? Please, give that back!”
“Fine, here you are,” Euclase said, returning the bracelet with less fuss than expected.
Ruri didn’t have the foggiest clue what Euclase was up to. Why did they make this sudden trip down to the city?
Rin fluttered up and perched on Ruri’s shoulder.
“What did we come to the city for?”
“Tee hee hee. Why, to do some shopping, of course!” Euclase said excitedly.
“To... excuse me?” Ruri uttered, dumbfounded. “So why did you drag me with you...?”
“Because you’ve been living with Ms. Chelsie this entire time, haven’t you? Your clothes emphasize comfort over style, and it’s been bugging me ever since I saw them. Since you’re living in the royal capital, you need a more fashionable wardrobe. Indulge your feminine side.”
“Uh, right...”
“I’ll pick you out something nice, so come on! Let’s go!” Euclase said, grabbing Ruri by the arm and quickly trotting off.
“Ah, wait, Euclase-san?!”
Euclase may have looked feminine, but they were a dragonkin through and through. They were physically strong, dragging Ruri along before she even had a chance to resist.
Euclase brought her to a clothing store that seemed to be a favorite of theirs. It also looked rather fancy and was located in a high-class area. The sharply dressed man who stood in front of the shop conducted himself eloquently, most likely the product of a proper upbringing.
Once the shop worker caught sight of Euclase, their lips curled into a gentle smile. “Oh, isn’t this a treat? So good to see you back at our humble establishment. Oh my, and with adorable accompaniment, no less.”
“Yes, I’ve come to look for some clothes for her.”
“You’ve come to the right place. Please, take your time and peruse our selection.”
Euclase stepped inside the shop without a moment’s hesitation. Ruri, on the other hand, felt intimidated by the shop’s extravagance and wavered in the doorway.
“Ruri, hurry inside.”
“Wait a second, Euclase-san. I can’t just do that. This place seems super duper expensive, and I don’t have that sort of money.”
Everything about the shop looked too rich for Ruri’s blood; she wasn’t going to be able to do any shopping here. She had the money she’d received from selling the spear when she first came to the royal capital, but she wanted to save that for emergencies as much as possible. And her pay from the diner didn’t seem like it would be enough—not by a long shot. She’d rather shop somewhere that seemed more affordable.
“It’s fine. I’m the one who brought you here, so I’ll foot the bill.”
“Oh, I couldn’t. I’d feel bad.”
“If I say it’s fine, then it’s fine. Who do you think I am? I’m the chancellor of this fine nation, I’ll have you know. I make more than enough to buy some posh apparel, so quit your nitpicking and come here!”
Ruri’s resistance fell on deaf ears. Euclase grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the establishment. If you ever wanted a good example of a pushy person, you could look no further than Euclase. Figuring that any further resistance would be futile, Ruri gave in.
“Now, do you have any preference?”
“Well, I’ve never put much thought into it...” Ruri said, pondering as she scanned the shop. There was a wide and varied selection, but everything seemed too expensive to even approach. She decided it would be better to let Euclase handle things here. “I don’t know the trends of this world either, so would you mind choosing for me, Euclase-san?”
“Oh? Then, this, this, that, and that one, too...” Euclase grabbed one article of clothing after another.
Ruri was stunned. “Euclase-san, one outfit! Just one outfit will do!”
“I like this one.” Rin also seemed to be in high spirits, picking out clothes herself.
“Oh my, that is nice. I said you don’t have to hold back. Come now, time to try them on,” Euclase said, pushing Ruri into the changing room.
Left with no choice, Ruri put on the clothes Euclase and Rin picked out and modeled them.
“You look great.”
“Mm-hmm, a perfect fit.”
In the end, Euclase and Rin picked out a few casual dresses for everyday use as well as a gown—one which Ruri tried to argue against, questioning where she would even wear it to, but ultimately caved into accepting it.
Knowing she would feel bad if she let Euclase pay for her, she was going to use the money she got from selling the spear, but by the time Ruri had changed back into her clothes, Euclase had already finished paying for everything.
“Euclase-san, I really think I should pay.”
“I told you it’s fine, didn’t I? Any more back talk and you’ll upset me.”
Seeing how Euclase was likely to get genuinely angry, Ruri backed down. She bowed respectfully and said, “Okay. I really do appreciate it.”
Euclase nodded in response with a satisfied look, saying, “Alright, then, let’s hit the next stop.”
“Huh? There’s more?”
“Why, of course. We’ve only picked out clothes. We still have shoes and jewelry to buy.”
Ruri’s face tightened. She thought they’d already done a significant amount of shopping, but they were off to buy even more?
Their next visit was to a shoe store—but it was no ordinary shoe store. It was yet another high-class shop where everything was made-to-order. That meant measuring her foot size and selecting the material, color, and even height, among other things.
Euclase took the initiative and picked out things that would go with the clothes they’d just bought, so Ruri only sat and watched. From how boldly and quickly Euclase was choosing, it seemed they were used to this sort of shopping. It gave Ruri a newfound respect for them.
With designs finalized, the completed shoes would be delivered to Euclase at a later day. They left the shop—with Euclase covering the bill, of course.
Their next stop was the jewelry shop to look at jewelry to match the new gown. However, Ruri had a distinct feeling that every single piece of jewelry boasted a high price tag. It was a feeling that certainly wasn’t a figment of Ruri’s imagination. That being said, browsing was free of charge. Ruri was a girl just like any other; she positively loved the glittering pieces. She decided that she’d be satisfied with just looking.
On the contrary, Euclase was more than ready to spend, so she assumed they were going to try to pay once again. She would feel awkward allowing them to make any more pricey purchases, but Euclase had proven their determination. That being the case, she felt that picking the cheapest piece would be the best option.
With that in mind, Ruri began to walk around the shop, looking at the prices, until her eyes were drawn to a single hair clip. It was made out of a pink pearl-like stone and was the cheapest out of the entire selection.
“How about this one, Euclase-san?”
“Hm? Let’s see what you have here... Oh my, isn’t this cute? I like it because, if I had to choose, I would think you’re more suited toward cuter things than mature. But I don’t think this alone is enough...” Euclase summoned the nearby shop worker and asked, “Do you have a necklace with the same stone as this one?”
The shop worker briefly walked away. Once they came back, they presented a simple necklace with the same stone.
“Excellent, we’ll take it.”
Having bought all they came for, Ruri, Euclase, and Rin all went to a cafe. Ruri was exhausted from their shopping spree, but Euclase was as cheery as could be.
“Tee hee hee, shopping is the best stress reliever. We should do this again, Ruri.”
“Fine, but next time, I’ll pay for myself.”
“My, you’re short on desire. You should be jumping for joy; I’m telling you it’s all on me.”
“Yes, but that still doesn’t keep me from feeling bad for letting you,” Ruri said, cracking open the menu and looking inside.
Euclase had recommended this cafe, and apparently it was popular among women in the royal capital because it was filled with female patrons. They were known for their cakes, so Ruri picked the black tea and a slice of cake before passing the menu to Rin. Once Rin and Euclase made their decisions, they called over the server and made their orders.
“I’ve been so busy lately with the war with Nadasha that I haven’t had any free time to go shopping. I finally managed to get a break today, but I won’t be able to do so again for quite some time.”
“Are you sure about using your precious day off on me?”
“Didn’t I already tell you, this is a stress reliever for me. I was the one who dragged you along, so you needn’t concern yourself.”
Nevertheless, Ruri felt like she was getting too much out of this. But she figured that saying that aloud would only make Euclase upset, so she decided to genuinely thank them instead.
“Thank you very much, Euclase-san. You’re such a big help since I’m not familiar with the trends and whatnot here.”
“That’s more like it. I much rather prefer seeing you thankful rather than apologetic,” Euclase said with a satisfied smile on their face.
When their orders arrived at their table, Ruri took a relaxing sip of her iced tea. She silently observed as a glass of juice was set in front of Rin, and she wondered how she would go about drinking it. That was when Rin’s head split open to reveal a wriggling set of tentacle-like appendages. Without pause, she plunged them into the cup and began drinking with them like a straw. Ruri nearly let out a shriek, but instead she took a deep gulp to quell her surprise. In the back of her mind, she remembered how cliones ate. She took a peek over at Euclase to see them with an equally tense expression on their face.
Pretending that she never saw the gruesome sight, Ruri proceeded to take a bite of her cake. As one would expect from a famous cafe, it was mouth-wateringly delicious. Enjoying her delectable dessert, Ruri looked over to Euclase.
“Hey, Euclase-san. So, um, about the situation in Nadasha?”
“Yes?”
“It’s about the people who were summoned alongside me...”
Euclase’s expression took a serious turn. “If I recall, that girl they call the ‘Priestess Princess’ is a friend of yours, correct?”
“Well, ‘friend’ is a stretch, but we’ve known each other since childhood. That’s why I’m concerned about what will happen after the war...”
“Yes, that matter has yet to be set in stone. After all, His Majesty has the final say. But considering they were summoned here against their will and clearly manipulated to do their bidding, I’m sure they won’t receive as severe of a punishment as the King and Head Priest.”
“Oh, I see. They won’t?” That helped slightly relieve one of her worries, but she still had another. “Asahi thinks I’m being brainwashed by the Nation of the Dragon King.” This bit of news was something she’d learned through a spirit. She had been worried about what happened to Asahi after Nadasha declared war in spite of Ruri’s warnings, so she had sent them to investigate.
Euclase’s face took a very sour turn. “Yes, I’d say that is quite the problem.”
“That’s why I think that once we apprehend Asahi, she’ll tell the others my name or they will find out there was someone else summoned to this world. And when that happens, I think Jade-sama might figure out my identity. But what is your take?”
“Hmm, well, I think you’ll probably be alright. No one would connect the dots between a cat and human anyway. But if they find out there’s someone missing, then His Majesty just might conduct a search for them.”
“He just might, yes.”
Knowing Asahi, she would likely raise a big stink, asking where “Ruri” was. Since the whole brainwashing angle was unfounded, the Nation of the Dragon King would refute it as being false. But then they would know Ruri had gone to see Asahi before war was declared.
That meant they would probably send men out to investigate if there was a chance someone unaccounted for was out there alive—all the while not knowing that the person in question was right under their nose. Feigning ignorance while knowing the truth would do a number on Ruri’s conscience.
“If that’s the case, why not just talk now? If you’re worried about speaking to Claus, then just speak to His Majesty instead. I’m sure you’ll be fine once you cuddle up to him.”
“Actually, I’m afraid of how Jade-sama will react once he finds out that I’m not the cat he loves so much,” explained Ruri. She was worried that Jade would be so shocked and sad it would turn to rage.
“You’ll be fine. In fact, his court might be absolutely thrilled.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you don’t know, then don’t worry. For now, at least,” Euclase commented in a suggestive manner, causing Ruri to rack her head over the implications of their statement.
After enjoying their cake and some lighthearted banter, Ruri decided to get the same cake for takeout to treat Lydia. She reverted back to her cat form and went back to the castle.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Meanwhile, Kotaro was still in a town within the Nation of the Spirit King.
“Well, O Great Sacred Beast, care for our merchandise?”
“I’m not a sacred beast, I’m a spirit.”
“I do not discriminate either way. Well, how about it?”
“Mm... I’ll take it.”
“I’ll wrap that up for you!”
Since he had come all the way to the Nation of the Spirit King, Kotaro decided to drop into town to look for a present for Ruri. However, when a sacred beast, a holy symbol in their nation, appeared out of nowhere, the townspeople were taken aback. It caused a bit of commotion. Once he informed them he was actually a spirit housed in a sacred beast’s body and they learned why a sacred beast would be in town, the commotion died down.
Be that as it may, all the townspeople had come to the consensus that he was an object of worship regardless, so they offered him local merchandise as gifts—“tribute,” in their eyes. Kotaro was currently singling out something that Ruri would like out of all the things offered. It seemed it’d be a little longer before Kotaro was back with Ruri.
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