Did she already know what I would ask her for?

Ch 258: Haa… It looks like my prank backfired on me

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While Emir was having one of the darkest and most decisive days of his life, Alessia and Delia were enjoying a carefree and luminous girls' outing.

The two women had left their home in the capital early in the morning and were now slowly wandering around the city's mercantile area, looking for things they might need for the clinic.

*Alessia POV*

'It's been quite some time since Delia last spoke. What is she thinking so hard about? Hmm, whatever. If it's something important, she'll tell me eventually.'

' - I've never had any money of my own before.... but... is Emir expecting me to return the money I didn't use...? Hmm... I don't know if this is for me.... Religious people aren't supposed to have anything of their own.... I'm sure this should look bad to me, but.... right now I can't waste the opportunity that having money to spend gives me.... What could I buy for Emir? According to Blue Wind, I don't owe Emir anything, but that's not true.... I owe him so much that I don't think I'll ever be able to pay him back in my life.'

As we walk through the shopping area, I see that Delia is so lost in thought that, if I don't help her now, she will surely end up crashing head-on into some trading post.

Snorting in exasperation, I take Delia by the hand to force her to walk beside me, so I can keep her from tripping over something.

'I don't like babysitting, but I guess I'm the only one here to help her... She better be grateful'

The fox girl looks at me with a warm smile as she intertwines her fingers with mine, but she doesn't say anything.

' - This is one of the most important things I owe him. If it wasn't for him, Alessia would probably be living a much worse life now because of her slave status. And considering that she's a slave because of me.... Haa... I never imagined that the people who decided to help me on my pilgrimage would suffer in such a way because of me.'

A tinge of sadness suddenly appears in Delia's eyes, as her ears tilt down.

But she still says nothing.

'Agh...

If she keeps this up much longer, I'm going to end up hugging her to comfort her....

Why the hell isn't she saying anything?....

What is she giving so much thought to?....

If she had her spear with her, I would think she's talking to her 'wonderful' talking weapon.....

but I know she can't talk to it while the weapon is inside her storage ring.'

Before leaving home, Delia kept her stupid legendary spear in her storage ring so as not to attract the attention of passersby.

' - No. I owe Emir a lot of things. A lot. And that's why I want to buy him a gift now that I can.'

"Erm... Alessia, I want to talk to you about something," Delia says with a shy attitude.

'Finally!!!'

"What's wrong?" I say, sighing.

"Hmm... You might not like the idea, but I don't have anyone else to talk about thi-" she starts to say, but I interrupt her.

"Don't worry. Tell me whatever you want." I say impatiently.

It seems that even when she has finally made up her mind to talk, she won't say anything directly.

"Erm... I... I don't know if-" Delia says hesitantly.

'This girl's getting on my nerves....

Why is it that she can't talk to me directly and without so much beating around the bush, like she does when Master is present?'

When Master is present, Delia talks to me as if we were lifelong friends.

But as soon as she and I are alone, her attitude is terribly submissive and quiet.

There have only been a few times when she has spoken to me normally while we are alone.

And those times were just because Delia wanted to convince me or talk to me about something related to our relationship with Master.

'Is she afraid of me?'

I find that idea very unpleasant.

"Don't give it so much thought! Are you going to tell me what's going on, or am I going to have to force you? Now I'm getting curious," I say with a carefree tone while smiling, to try to encourage her to talk.

"N-no, that won't be necessary.... I'll talk. So...." she starts to say haltingly and, after sighing, continues.

"... The thing is, I want to give Emir a gift, so I was wondering-"

"What?" I say sharply, and I can't help but let a slight hostility creep into my voice.

'I have to calm down. She's not saying anything wrong. She has every right in the world to give Master something as a gift, but.... I never gave him anything! Does that make her a better partner for Master than me? Agh... I have to control my jealousy... Delia is not to blame for anything'

"I know this probably isn't good, after all the thing with Melisa..." says Delia dazedly at my reaction, as she has her gaze fixed on the floor.

"... But I want to reward him for all the good he has done and is still doing for me. The punishment for not telling us about Melisa is one thing, and this is something entirely different. However, I don't know what I could give him or where I could buy it. So I thought maybe you could help me pick out something he might like. You know him better than anyone else in the world, so I figure there's no one better than you to help me with this..."

'First she says almost nothing for hours, and now, out of nowhere, she starts talking at full speed. The way this girl thinks is so confusing.... But she's terribly adorable, talking like this.'

"... Could you please help me? I don't know my way around the capital, but...I would understand perfectly if you didn't want to help me. I don't want to force you or anything like that."

"I'll help you. I think it's a good idea. What's more, I like the idea, I'll also take the opportunity to buy something for him..." I say, trying to sound friendly and warm, to make up for my reaction a moment ago.

But Delia is still looking at me shyly, so I smile to try to get her to relax once and for all.

"Hahaha... Don't worry. I know exactly what you could give him."

...

"Are you sure Emir is going to like this stuff?" she asks, looking suspiciously at the semi-transparent set of black lace underwear she's trying on.

We are in a luxurious clothing store in the capital's noble sector.

According to the sales clerk, the quality of the clothing offered at this store is the highest, and I suppose its price must be just as high.

"I am sure of it. What's more, I'm completely convinced that Master will be very happy to see you in those... fabrics," I say, holding back a smile.

'This is funny... It's true that the underwear I've suggested to Delia is a bit too audacious....

But the puritanical fox girl's reactions to the options I've offered her are as good as I imagined....

I will tease her a bit more before I offer her garments more....

Normal'

"Hmm... Okay... " Delia says, staring into a mirror at the suggestive clothing she's wearing.

I don't know what kind of fabric it is, but it's so thin that it just slightly blurs the details of the skin it's covering.

It's clearly not the kind of clothing that would be suitable for everyday wear.

The bra hides almost nothing of Delia's anatomy, as the semi-transparent fabric has heart-shaped holes in the nipple area.

But the garment enhances her breasts, making them appear much larger than they actually are.

"... If this will make Emir happy,"

Then suddenly all the shyness disappears from the young Saint's attitude, and she starts posing in front of the mirror with a cheerful smile on her face.

Seeing the poses that the girl performs in front of the mirror, anyone would think that her class is a very different one.

Her three tails, which used to point to the ground, now fan out behind her, giving her image several points of sensuality.

The girl looks like a professional in the art of seduction, as she leans slightly with a curious look towards the mirror to better appreciate the top of the outfit she is wearing.

'What? It can't be... Is she really planning to buy that? But... Those clothes don't hide anything! I... I mean... It's as if she wasn't wearing anything at all! Has she no shame? Ugh... I don't like this... Now, I'll have to purchase something on par with her, to ensure I don't fall behind... Haa... It looks like my prank backfired on me'

...

It's been a few minutes since we left the clothing store, and now we are both dressed to match.

Delia is wearing a long, deep yellow flared one-piece dress with small red flower details.

The garment accentuates her air of innocence and makes her look like the epitome of purity.

At least to anyone who doesn't know what she looks like when she is with someone else in bed.

I, for my part, am wearing tight dark red jeans and a lovely loose-fitting, low-cut blouse in a soft shade of yellow.

The colors of the garments harmonize perfectly with our hair, blonde in my case and orange in Delia's.

At the clothing store, in addition to purchasing our 'gifts' for Master, I seized the opportunity to purchase several different clothes for Delia, all in vibrant and unique styles.

I couldn't stand it when she told me that she only had two changes of clothes, and that they were both exactly the same.

At first, Delia didn't seem very comfortable with the idea, but then I reminded her that this could also be considered part of our gift for Master.

As soon as I said the magic words, the girl began to look with renewed interest at the clothes in the shop.

It had seemed strange to me to see her always wearing the same priestess garments with long sleeves and a knee-length skirt.

Even when we went to the labyrinth.

But I thought it was because she liked them so much.

Not because she didn't have other options.

Every young girl has to have a suitable assortment of clothes.

I didn't have a lot of clothes in my storage ring, but at least I had enough to put on a different change of clothes every day of the week.

Delia's calmness in telling me that she had never had the chance to choose her own clothes left me so cold that it didn't even cross my mind to use that opportunity to try to tease her, as I did when we were choosing underwear.

Therefore, we each purchased numerous expensive and beautiful clothes for ourselves.

For all kinds of occasions...