Chapter 42: Hmph, Trying to Run Away!
What?
Now you’re going to force it?
Peiya immediately felt unhappy. Damn it, her fists were already clenching.
Elise gave a light cough. “If you feel uncomfortable, I can call a staff member to measure you instead.”
Huh?
Peiya turned her head and met Elise’s smiling eyes.
The fists she had just clenched loosened a little.
She was clearly hesitating.
“That’s… not what I meant…”
“Then what do you mean, Miss Peiya? Some things you have to say clearly, or I might misunderstand you, and that would trouble me too.”
Elise placed her left hand in front of her, her gentle voice making it hard to avoid the question.
“Well…”
Peiya put her hands behind her back, mumbling, too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Of course, she didn’t really want to change people, it’s just…
Just…
Peiya swallowed. From this angle, she could see Elise’s pale chin.
Her thoughts became messy again.
“Fine… then… can you be a bit gentler later?”
Peiya bit her lip. This small request seemed to be her last bit of stubborn resistance.
Elise stepped forward, taking the spot where Peiya had been standing. The distance between them grew smaller and smaller. When they passed each other, even the fine hairs on their arms brushed lightly together.
Elise’s gentle voice sounded again above Peiya’s head.
“I will. Just stand still first. It’s also my first time measuring someone’s body. If you move, the numbers might not be accurate.”
“O-okay…”
Peiya turned her head away. With her slender fingers, she gently touched the buttons, slowly undoing them. Her fingertips pressed against the folds of her clothes as she hesitated for a long time.
In the end, she steeled herself and pulled her clothes open, as if opening the door for Elise. Her mind went blank. She only felt a cool sensation on her stomach, like something lightly brushing against her skin.
When she looked down, she noticed the soft measuring tape slowly moving upward?
“H-hey! Aren’t you measuring my waist? Why is it going up? You tricked me?”
Elise picked up a reference book from the table. “No, didn’t you forget? Chest measurements need two sets of data, standing and…”
Peiya didn’t hear the rest, because just looking at the illustration made her too embarrassed to speak.
Y-you even have to bend forward and measure like that?
“Do we really have to go this far? Do I even need this measurement?”
Looking at herself, at most just a small curve, Peiya really didn’t think it was necessary to continue.
Elise nodded. “Formal dresses are different from regular clothes. Even small differences can affect how the dress looks overall. If we don’t measure properly, you might not even be able to squat down in it.”
“Is it really that serious? Don’t designers usually leave some extra space?”
Elise spread her hands. “That’s true for regular clothes. But since this is custom-made, it’s better to have accurate measurements to reduce mistakes as much as possible.”
Seeing how serious Elise was, Peiya could only nod in agreement.
Feeling shy, she copied the posture shown in the picture, bending her body forward.
The cool measuring tape took the chance while she relaxed, slipping around her arms and gently resting where shown in the diagram. She lifted her head and noticed the shape under Elise’s collar, almost impossible to hide.
At that moment, the measuring tape was suddenly pulled away. The unexpected cool feeling made Peiya lose her balance.
Luckily, Elise had sharp senses. Just by hearing the movement in the air, she reacted in advance and reached out, steadily catching the falling Peiya.
Her gaze stayed on the notebook the whole time, focused on the data.
“Be careful. If you hit your back, you might hurt the back of your head. At that point, even a god couldn’t save you.”
“My back?!”
Peiya looked down at the place where Elise was holding her firmly.
The gratitude she had just felt disappeared instantly!
Back…? You call this her back?!
“……”
(angry muttering)
“What’s wrong?”
At that moment, Elise had already finished writing down the data. When she turned around and looked at Peiya, she realized she was holding her up like a sack of rice.
And Peiya, hanging over her arm, looked completely lifeless, swaying like a corpse.
More importantly, Elise finally noticed that the place her arm was touching was definitely not Peiya’s back.
“Ah… sorry, I got it wrong. Actually, it’s… kind of cute, isn’t it?” Elise coughed lightly.
The atmosphere became strangely quiet.
Peiya slowly lifted her head, looking drained. “Ha… haha… thanks for still trying to comfort me.”
“Alright, all the measurements are done. Now it’s time to choose clothes. This is a catalog of styles the shop can customize. If you see something you like, just circle it.”
Elise put the measuring tape into her pocket and handed over the catalog.
Peiya, now a bit more energetic, took the book and opened it from the middle. Inside were many kinds of clothes, basically the same ones she had seen earlier in the shop.
Her eyes moved across the pages. At first, she felt a bit resistant.
How could she give in so easily?
But her resistance didn’t last long. The clothes were just too beautiful.
From an aesthetic point of view, they really deserved some ‘serious consideration.’
“I like this one.”
Peiya circled a white dress. Around the waist was a pink ribbon, acting like a small belt.
Compared to men’s belts, women’s belts are much thinner, since they are more for decoration than function. A big belt would clearly look unattractive.
Peiya looked further down. In the picture, there was also a strawberry-colored bow on the chest, making the skin look brighter.
Looking closely, the whole design actually resembled something, a strawberry cream cake.
“Do you like sweets that much? Even your clothes use macaron colors?”
“Is that a problem?” Peiya raised her head in confusion.
Because of their height difference, every time Peiya wanted to look at Elise, she had to lift her head slightly.
Of course, Peiya wasn’t that short, it wasn’t an extreme difference. With a small step or standing on her toes, she could almost match Elise’s height.
Elise was just a slightly taller girl. Their height difference wasn’t as big as it might seem.
“You don’t need to ask me about clothes. Just pick what you like. These are for you, after all. But if I had to choose, I think this would suit you.”
Elise pointed at a blue fishtail-style evening dress. The skirt didn’t drag on the ground but hung neatly around the calves, just above the floor.
The upper part had a classic shell-shaped, slightly folded strapless design that nicely covered the chest. Two thin straps crossed over, like they hung around the neck.
It looked like it might feel a bit tight when worn.
“Does this really look like something I can wear?”
“Why not? Style-wise, it actually fits you well. Your silver hair would look even more elegant with blue.”
“Really? I never noticed.”
“Of course. Here, give me your hand. I have a simple sample dress I just made. Try it on first and see how it looks.”
“W-what? You’re not trying to take off my clothes again, are you?”
But before Peiya could finish speaking, Elise grabbed her arm.
“Be good. I promise I’ll be gentle.”
Peiya bit her lip, wanting to say something, but just as the words reached her mouth, Elise covered it.
“Objection denied.”