Ch.28 Girls' Shopping Trips are Too Long

"Haru-chan! You need to dress up more for the streams!"

Ruru-san shouts cheerfully again today.

"No, it's not like I'm showing my appearance or anything."

I muttered listlessly.

"But if you do a collab with me, your hands and feet will be visible! That's why you should wear something cute!!"

"Haa..."

So with that, I was lazing around on the bed and before I knew it, I'm inside the mall.

Girls really love shopping, huh.

The only place I can have fun is a bookstore.

Ah, but Home Center filled with outdoor equipment, stationery, etc. Is also fun.

Well, I guess it's fine, doing this feels refreshing in its own way.

I'm still hiding my face well today, the only time I've shown my face around is when I was a man.

What if I dont?

I'm a little girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a skirt, you know?

Of course people would stare.

In fact, I think this shiny blonde hair is rare even in the west, so people there would probably stare too.

"How about this one?"

"For Haru-san, the other one would be better..."

But... For some reason, these girls seem strangely reserved after my last stream.

How should I put it... It's like they're trying to please me?

It's not like they stopped bothering me, but it's like they're less aggressive about it.

That's about it.

So there's this pause, or rather a buffer, before they choose my clothes.

Even if I end up changing my clothes anyway, changing them dozens of times in the process is a completely different matter.

That's why it seems fine for me to just lounge around somewhere convenient while I wait.

Is this easier than carrying mom's shopping bags?

... Right, the next time I went back to my parents' house, I'd be just Mom's dress-up doll... Yup, I should just give up now...

"Haru-san, where are we going next?"

"Bookstore"

"After shopping there..."

"Going home?"

"How about we look around a bit more..."

"No, it's too much hassle."

Ruru-san and Emi-san were dressed like the ultimate incognito, wearing sunglasses or glasses and hats, and they kept their distance from me except when they were talking to me.

I guess it's just in case a savvy viewer passing by discovers the two of them.

Today I'm also wearing a shirt and pants, with a matching ponytail like Kujima-san's.

Apparently it's designed to make people think at first glance, "Maybe it's a boy?"

I don't know how effective it is, but it's a lot better than leaving my hair as it is and wearing a skirt.

If I activate the concealment skill then people won't recognise me anyway... but oh well, they've gone to the trouble of doing it for me.

Kujima-san, who was actually a spy, or rather an agent of the Public Security, wore neat casual clothes and her usual ponytail.

I feel at ease when I'm with this girl.

We only communicate here and there, and it's just small talk.

"Ah, Haru-san. FuーRuru-san said they finished picking out your clothes."

"Okay, I'll be there for a bit."

She now acts as my secretary, protecting me and liaising between the two of us.

This girl also has a lot of subtle attributes.

It's like a committee chairman, a health committee member, and a secretary.

You're so talented.

◇

"... Haru-chan, you're usually reading e-books, right? Buying actual books..."

"Because you guys brought me out here."

"H-Haru-san, please... You already agreed to this..."

"Oh, right, we're outside, I get it. I just like physical books, they're easy to read afterall."

Right, it would be bad if a security guard asked them if I was " Being brought here"...especially Emi-san, who's a pervert.

We're all girls here, so I don't think it's likely that something like that would happen, but they'd think that something shady is going on.

Well, it can't be helped, as a man I'll just try to be understanding.

So, here I am, empty-handed.

Bodyguards with plain clothes were walking around us... and acting as if they were just shopoing around with us.

I was told that, "You can use them for anything, even to carry Haru-chan's luggage!", so I don't hesitate to let them carry the things I buy, so it's very easy.

I bought about 20 books.

Even with a man's strength, it's a quantity that would tire them out if they held it for too long.

If I get the OK, I'd like to take these guys to a Home Center too.

"If I'm carrying them myself, I'll be completely exhausted by the time I get home, so this is a big help."

"Eh, well, everyone said that this much is no problem..."

Well, it'd be nothing if I strengthen my muscles with magic, but I'll still appreciate everyone's kindness.

In the first place, that magic power has been completely drained, which is why I'm being looked after like this.

What if I still have my magic power?

ーIn the first place, if I didn't help Ruru-san and accidentally left my pass key as I'm almost fainted, I wouldn't be chased, compensated, and taken into custody. I'd also still enjoy my carefree dungeon life by myself as before.

Ah, I wish it was that way... Well, the lively atmosphere right now isn't so bad though.

So I went to the bookstore and started collecting new books, which made the three girls seem a bit put off.

It was a different kind of reserve from when they picking my clothes.

It just feels that way.

Sure, I'm buying mistly thick technical books, but you guys also went to several clothing stores and spent about three hours there, right...?

Compared to that, mine is so much better, right...?

Eh, it's different...?

Well, I guess it's rare for this generation to buy a lot of physical books anymore.

And so I'm taking a small damage caused by the generation gap and my actual age.

"But, I see. Haru-chan was originally a maー Awawa, A-anyway, because you're like that, carrying this much must be so hard."

"Yes. Being short in particular is a fatal flaw."

"We are women from the moment we are born. We are used to being short and weak... but ever since I started training to be able to dive into dungeons, it has actually become easier for us."

"That's right."

"So that's why your strength... No, nevermind..."

I see, Emi-san's incredible strength was the reason the door to the house was torn off.

I don't know how to deal with this perverred muscle brain anymore.

"!!!!"

"After we get back."

"Got it!"

"Emi-chan..."

"Please stop committing crimes..."

At one point, Ruru-san, who loves Emi-san, seriously asked, "Can we get Emi-chan to separate from Haru-chan before she strays from her path as a human being?"

Yeah... it's worrying... She was a caring Onee-san before, but one day, she saw a little girl and changed completely.

At this point, she's changed so drastically that it feels like she's brainwashed.

The truth, it seems that without me realizing it - this body's special ability is brainwashing or charming people, so I feel a little guilty.

But this is probably, no, almost certainly what this girl really thinks... And it's scary.

She was so true for her desires for little girls that even a man like me was turned off...

I haven't forgotten, you know?

When Kujima-san wrapped her up in a tatami, she squirmed and shuddered and made strange noises.

Ah, but it was fun to see her reaction when I poked her with my foot.

I want to do it again.

Well, since I'm a man, I have some understanding of sexual preferences, so I got a promise from Emi-san that "If she attacks me, I'll punch her with all my might."

To be honest, just being attacked by a girl is like a reward to me.

Because I'm a man.

That's true for every man, right?

But regardless, I don't want to distort Emi-san's life.

As for the possibility that I'd already twisted it... well, it was better than her doing it to a little girl other than me, wasn't it...?

For me, if I were to be stripped, touched, or even worse, it would be a reward rather than a trauma.

My heart is that of a man, so I'm sure everyone has had the experience of wanting to be with a big, beautiful woman.

Well, I wouldn't say that honestly.

Even I don't like being put off like this.

If you're going to put someone off, then do it yourself, Emi-san.

"...But Haru-san, you don't seem to be that resistant to anything related to women."

"Hm? Yes, physically I'm a girl――or rather, I'm not yet a girl."

My new clothes were also being carried by the guards in many paper bags, which of course included panties, camisoles, one-piece ー no, dresses, skirts, and frilly things.

It contains accessories... and so on.

Stuff that girls find cute.

I don't really mind though. That's why I left it all to them.

I only assert my rights over things I don't like.

"I think it's just because I'm not interested in clothes. For me, even a shirt is enoughー"

"That won't do."

"That's not okay!"

"By all means! ... Umm ... Don't ..."

Emi-san, whose only good point was that she was honest, was extremely depressed.

...Maybe I'll wear just a shirt as casual clothes when I'm just with Emi-san.

Emi-san would be happy to be a lolicon, and I would be happy to be able to dress comfortably.

If by some chance I were to be attacked, that would also... Ah, maybe not because Emi-san's life would be ruined.

Still, it's a bit disappointing.

◇

"If it's a collab, matching clothes is a must! And the hairstyles too!"

"Eh, but we're going to stream inside the dungeon, right? If we meet people passing by and they see my clothes, won't they realize who I am?"

"...Ah."

Inside the dungeon, you generally won't come across any other people or groups.

It depends on the size of the dungeon, but each floor is pretty large after all.

Moreover, the corridors are all maze-like, and there are not many large rooms where everyone can gather.

The timing of entering varies, and everyone has a different pace when it comes to clearing the levels... If I had to say, the only safe area that everyone goes through is the stairs connecting the floors, so maybe it's only when you're taking a break there?　

But unless it's a really small or popular dungeon, you probably won't meet many people there.

Also, since everyone is streaming at the same time these days, it would cause trouble if people were inside the frame of each other's streams, so when you get close to each other, the wristbands will reveal each other's location and there is an automatic request function that asks, "Is it okay if your face is shown in the frame?"

If I send a message like I usually do, saying "Absolutely NO!", we can pass each other unseen, which is a very convenient world we live in.

I've never really thought about it because it was set as NO from the start, and I have the skill to hide so I'd never be found out anyway.

However, Ruru-san and the others are too popular.

During the stream, they usually say things like, "I'm clearing this many levels of which dungeon," so it seems like there are several groups of parties following along watching them.

Well, apparently when there are too many of them they chase them away, but that means for me who to hides my face, it doesn't work well.

"... Collab... Uuu, my first collab..."

"It's fine for me. I can use concealment skills so that people won't remember my face. But they'll find out, right? A little girl like me. During a live stream. It'll cause a fuss, I'm sure."

If I were to completely hide myself using the Concealment Skill ー well, even if I was on camera, I probably wouldn't be on people's radar, and I'd essentially disappear... then there'd be no point in collaborating.

"I don't really care if my face is revealed or not..."

"As Public Security, from our perspective, the level of difficulty of guarding you would change drastically, so if possible..."

"That's what I mean."

"I'm sorry... I also gave permission for the collab without knowing that. Ruru looked happy, so I didn't bother to check..."

"I don't mind, Emi-san. But now, what are we going to do?"

Apparently she wanted to wear the same thing as me - there was Ruru-san, holding the frilly, newly bought clothes in her arms in despair, and Emi-san, with a really sad expression on her face.

...But now that i think about it, Ruru-san... you're a vanguard, so if you fight in a skirt, won't your panties be visible...?

It would be difficult to fight to begin with.

She didn't mention it when she bought them.

Eh?

I mean, you'll have to change clothes more often.

I have the intelligence of an average adult male and am a bit smart.

"About that... Chiho?"

"Yes, Emi-san. On the day, we will use our personnel to physically block out prying eyes."

"Oh, is it okay to do that?"

"Yes, my boss said this was a special exception for Haru-san and Ruru-san."

"If it's a major agency... especially if it's a party for female streamers, it's something that everyone does to some degree."

Streaming while blocking some parts of the dungeon.

It's not wrong, but it's bad manners, and if you got called out on, it could lead to an uproar, so it's a double-edged sword.

It depends on the severity, but there seems to be a risk of being harassed by persistent people.

Manners are such a hassle.

I'm not good at that kind of thing.

That's why being alone is the best.

I wonder if anyone can understand this feeling?

"Next is... I guess there's that. Just for this time, it looks like we’ll be able to agree on a policy of keeping the dungeon and floor we’ll be diving a secret. For security as well.”

"...I'm feel bad to everyone else, but I guess it can't be helped..."

"Its to avoid any trouble."

I want to say, "Why don't we just not do collab in the first place?", but these kids are from a generation that grew up watching streams and clippings from the time they were old enough to understand, so I'm sure they're excited about these streams.

Dungeons have been around since back then, so the feeling is probably different.

In that sense, I wouldn't have the same feeling if I were a generation older.

Well, people have always told me, "Soya-kun is... Weird!", so maybe I wouldn't have been called weird if we were the same age.

"But this time... we're also investigating the curse."

"Yeah... I wonder what would happen if we were together."

"...the dungeon... won't it collapse from the first floor right to the bottom?"

"It won't! ... Probably..."

I wonder if it's gonna happen.

…………………………………….

... I'm starting to get worried, so I think I should get my emergency device ready once again... It's Ruru-san, afterall...

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