Chapter 24: Let’s See Yours
After buying the book, Evelia walked out of the bookstore, holding the thick guidebook with its mostly intact cover in her arms.
The shopkeeper, of course, knew exactly what kind of content was in that book. It was only vaguely related to something like "becoming a beautiful girl," but since the customer had paid, he didn’t say anything. He simply gave Evelia a polite, service-style smile as she left, and once the air in the shop felt a bit more relaxed, he let out a quiet sigh.
As for Evelia, she was quite familiar with the layout of the royal city. After walking just a short distance, she arrived at a decent women’s clothing store nearby. Although it wasn’t super luxurious, it still offered far more variety than regular street-level shops.
Carrying the rather bulky lingerie guidebook, Evelia stepped inside. Soon, a sweet-looking young girl walked up to her. The girl had fluffy cream-colored short hair, like a soft pastry, and a pale pink hairclip that looked like a little candy on a cake.
Just looking at her, Evelia immediately understood what people meant by a “sweet-style girl.”
“Welcome, pretty lady! What kind of clothes are you looking for?”
The shop assistant gave Evelia a little bow. Her bouncy short hair wiggled with the motion, reminding Evelia of spun sugar candy.
“Can I buy the clothes you’re wearing?” Evelia asked, pointing at the girl's pink and white Lolita-style short dress.
“Oh no, this is our staff uniform. It’s not for sale,” the girl said with a playful smile. “But… do you like this kind of style?”
Evelia nodded without hesitation.
“Hmm… let me guess, are you thinking about changing your style?” the girl asked. “You’re dressed in a more androgynous look right now, very bold! Except for riding outfits, most girls don’t dress so cool.”
She led Evelia to a guest sofa and brought out a plate of snacks. As she studied Evelia’s outfit, she had the same thought as the bookstore owner earlier. With how striking Evelia looked, it felt like a shame to hide all that with something cute and sweet.
“Are you thinking about wearing pink because of your pink hair?”
“No,” Evelia replied and handed the book over. “I just want to become a sweet and cute girl.”
Her voice didn’t waver at all. When she said the words “sweet and cute,” it was so emotionless that the shop assistant felt as if she had slammed straight into a cold, hard wall.
“Oh my…”
The girl, being someone who worked in fashion, recognized the book the moment she saw the cover. She politely flipped through a few pages and then set it down neatly on the glass table.
“So you’re here to pick out lingerie?”
“Not just lingerie, but the book is a good reference.”
“I see. So, what kind of style do you like?”
“Something cute.”
“Cute, huh…” The assistant flipped through a sample catalog and opened a page showing a set of underwear with cute cat designs. She placed it in front of Evelia. “How about this one?”
“……”
Normally expressionless, Evelia visibly frowned this time.
She had to wear this kind of thing?
Clothes with… cats on them?
“Ah… seems like it’s not quite your style. Then how about… this one?”
This time it was a strawberry-themed set. Though the cut was for adults, to Evelia, it still looked like something a child would wear for fun.
“Hmm… okay… let me try another one. How about this one?”
The next set of underwear was fluffy. Honestly, it looked more like sleepwear than lingerie. What Evelia liked most about it was that the bottom piece was a pair of loose, puffy shorts instead of the usual skimpy design. She really missed wearing shorts like that.
After that came styles with cherries, little bunnies, and teddy bears. All of them looked like something made for little kids. It became clear that even though Evelia said she wanted to be a cute and sweet girl, deep down, she was instinctively resisting that kind of look.
“Alright… let me ask you something first, why are you buying lingerie?”
“Why?” Evelia blinked.
“Yes! I mean, what’s your reason for wanting this kind of underwear?”
“Is there even a reason for that?”
“Of course!” the shop assistant said, holding up a finger excitedly like she was about to give a lecture. “Buying lingerie is just like buying normal clothes. It could be because of the season, or maybe you want a new style, or just want something comfy. Some people follow trends. So, which is it for you?”
“I want to change my style.”
“A style change, huh…” The assistant seemed to catch on and gave her a slightly complicated smile. “Changing outerwear styles is one thing, but changing your underwear style… Is it for someone you love?”
“No,” Evelia replied quickly and clearly. “It’s because I want to become someone he loves.”
“…?”
The assistant kept her polite smile, but a question mark almost visibly popped above her head. It was like Evelia had said something she couldn’t quite understand.
“But… doesn’t that mean you love him?”
“No.”
“...Huh? But you want to be someone that man loves, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then doesn’t that make him the person you love…?”
“No.”
“…?”
Evelia’s answers left the assistant completely confused about what kind of relationship she had with this mysterious man. After thinking hard for a while, she suddenly clapped her forehead in realization.
“You… you’re trying to… um… seduce a man that you don’t love, and who also doesn’t love you…?”
“Mm. Yes.”
“…Oh my god.”
Evelia’s answer clearly shook the shop assistant, who had very traditional values.
“Then why not just use that…?”
That didn’t stop her from whispering a rather bold suggestion.
Even though they were the only two people in the store, she still leaned in and whispered carefully.
“It’s too early for that.”
“Huh? Too… too early? Oh… I see…”
The assistant felt like she had just wandered into a situation way out of her depth. Her face turned red as she closed the sample catalog in her hands and quietly brought out a different one.
“Here… take a look at this.”
It felt like she was handing over some kind of forbidden item. She passed Evelia an ordinary-looking catalog, but as Evelia flipped through it, she realized that the styles inside were way bolder than the lingerie book she had bought.
There were cow-print outfits, collars with chains, and even one piece that was just a cloth with a hole, meant to hang around the neck. Not to mention, some were completely see-through.
Still, a few of the pieces were somewhat cute, kind of like sweet-style sexy lingerie.
“These…?”
But no matter how she looked at it, Evelia couldn’t really think of these things as “clothes.” The important parts that were supposed to be covered… weren’t. Even a bandage covered more than some of these pieces did.
“Y-you should pick from these… They might actually help you.”
The assistant was still blushing, but her expression had turned serious, like they were in the middle of some secret black-market deal.