Ch.102 Clothes are a Matter of Personal Taste, But Please be Mindful of TPO

Vester's POV

I spread out the map of the city of Canadil that I bought at the shop on the ground to check my location. I looked at the shop in front of me and turned my gaze to the sign that read the shop's name.

"It should be here, right?"

Still a bit doubtful, I compared the location and name of the shop on the map with the surrounding buildings to confirm again.

"It's strange that this isn't the wrong place..."

After checking the location and confirming that this is indeed the correct store, I look up.

Based on the map I bought and what Cern-san told me, I managed to find the inn called <Kumahachi Inn> and arrived in front of the place, but...

"Hmm... Still, how strange... Why are they operating as usual...?"

There's nothing strange about a normal inn operating normally.

So why am I having a problem with it, you ask?

What struck me as weird is that, despite their daughter, Cern-san, have been missing for over three months, there were no posters anywhere in town or outside the inn saying they were looking for their daughter. Furthermore, there was no sense of concern or worry about their daughter's absence.

Those two things bothered me, and I blurted out how strange it was.

Well, one can't live without money, so they probably can't close the shop for a long time, and if they do have to stay open, it's not good to show customers a depressed look, so I understand why they want to at least look cheerful.

At the end of the day, these are merely my personal impressions, based on my first time here and my first time seeing this place.

Perhaps while one person is running the inn, the others are helping with Cern-san's search. That's how they might be conducting their search.

She's been missing from this <Kumahachi Inn>, from this city of Canadil, for a little bit over 3 months by now.

It's not good for a third party like myself who knows nothing about their actions during that time to jump to conclusions based solely on speculation. Reflecting on this, I peek out from a low vantage point around the inn.

The hedge surrounding the place is used mostly to create an atmosphere that would suits this place.

Since I can easily see what's going on inside from the outside.

It's not that I can see it because I'm flying; rather, the hedge is simply too low to block the inn's large windows. Therefore, I can easily check and observe what's happening inside from the outside.

"...It's just like a regular inn. Well, that's to be expected since it's actually just an inn."

This inn called <Kumahachi Inn> is operating in a building that is neither large nor small.

The first floor appears to be a dining area, and I can see a few people eating there.

It's too late for breakfast, and a little too early for lunch. The fact that there are so many guests at this time suggests that this inn is quite popular.

"Oh, is it time for them to pay?"

A couple, seemingly in their 70s, got up from a table in the foreground. They have finished their meal and are heading to a waiter to pay.

They're elderly, so they might be a regular customer. They might know something about what happened while Cern-san was missing, and whether or not her family's taking any action now.

I approach them as they come out of the inn and try to subtly extract information from them.

I feel like a detective or police officer. Just as I was thinking that, I sensed a presence or gaze from my left.

I turned around quickly and saw a man in his twenties, dressed in clothes that a young girl would wear and wearing glasses, standing there.

"Welcome! Are you staying the night? Or just looking for a meal? Please come in if you'd like."

I was surprised because I hadn't heard any footsteps, when the man in front of me came over to greet me with a cheerful, innocent smile.

The voice was forced into a high pitch, and the smile was innocent, something you rarely see in adults. To be honest, it felt a little creepy.

"Uh... H-hello."

"Oh...? You've been in front of our inn for a while now , so I thought you wanted to come in but was hesitant... Was I mistaken? I'm sorry if I was wrong."

Even though he's slender, he's still a man. The white shirt he's wearing is too small; it's really tight and snug around his body, and it's too short, leaving his belly button exposed.

He appeared to be wearing an undershirt and underwear underneath, and although the widths were different, there were straps visible through the fabric.

"Ah... no, that's right. I was wondering whether I should go in or not."

"I thought so! What do you think? Why don't we decide whether to stay the night or not once we're inside? It's nice and cool inside."

He's wearing denim shorts underneath, but the buttons and fasteners are undone and wide open. His lower body looks like it's been forced into tight leggings, and I can faintly see the outline of women's underwear.

Everyone has different tastes in clothing. It's fine for someone to wear whatever they want as long as they like it, and it's not something others should comment on. It's not something I can interfere with.

But, but, let me just say one thing. I think there's such a thing as TPO (Time, Place, and Occasion), right?

So, um... I think you should button that up...?

If it doesn't want to close, then get a different size that does; if you don't have one, then wear something that fits properly.

For you, it might be your perfect coordination, but to others, it looks like you're a pervert. Is that really something you should be showing...?

I won't say it out loud since it could bring unnecessary trouble, so I'll just think it in my heart. I won't put it into words and express it directly.

Let these feelings reach you. I close me eyes as if sending a telepathic message.

"Cern-cha~n, can I place an order?"

Just as I was thinking that, I heard a voice that sounded like a customer's coming from inside the store.

A bald man with a flushed face opens the door and waves his hand, presumably having been drinking at this hour.

"Oka~y, I'm coming now."

The person standing right in front of me was the one who responded to the customer's voice. He smiled and waved back.

"Cern...?"

I tilted my head in confusion at the familiar name . I didn't understand why he was called Cern.

The man in front of me is a player, not an NPC. The words "SPIRITsnack" are floating above his head. His name is definitely not Cern. Could it be a nickname?

"So, what will you do, customer? Will you come in?"

"Excuse me for my rudeness, but I overheard it earlier. Did he just call you Cern-san?"

I asked the question, ignoring the other person's question, even though I knew it was rude. I just couldn't help but ask because I was so curious.

I mean, when he said "our inn," He was referring to <Kumahachi Inn>, and the guests at that inn called him Cern-chan.

"Yes. My name is Cern. I'm the daughter of the owner of this <Kumahachi Inn>."

The answer I received was a definitive statement.

It turns out that this inn is really <Kumahachi Inn>, and his name is Cern.

"...Huh?"

And at the same time, one question arose: What does "daughter" mean?

He just looked like a man, but is actually a woman... No, no matter how you look at it, it's a male avatar.

I have many questions: What does it mean that he's referred to as a daughter but his avatar isn't female? Does it mean that his body is male but he's being treated as a woman?

The fact that he openly refers to himself as the daughter of <Kumahachi Inn>'s owner suggests that he is treated as such by the people at this inn.

However, SPIRITsnack, who calls himself and is known as Cern, lives in the same place as the Cern-san I know, and they have the same name.

I'm not stupid enough to believe this is a coincidence.

Why does he refer to himself as Cern? Why is he called Cern?

There are two reasons I can think of for someone intentionally using a different name to be called by it.

The first thing is that he was taken in by the <Kumahachi Inn> people and accepted as their daughter, and is now living under the name Cern.

However, no such person or episode appeared in the stories I heard from the real Cern-san, so if he was accepted as a daughter, it must have been after her disappearance.

After their daughter disappeared, they took in a complete stranger as their daughter, and even used her name.

This is the behavior of a madman. It's obvious something's wrong without even needing to be told, so this can't be the reason.

The second possibility is that it's an impersonation.

It seems that someone is impersonating Cern-san with some ulterior motive, and is trying to achieve their end goal.

However, while his words, actions, and clothing are girlish and somewhat believable, everything else about him is different from the Cern-san I know. It's immediately obvious that he's different, so it seems impossible for him to be impersonating her.

However, among the supernatural powers such as magic and sorcery that exist here in this world, there are countless things I am unaware of. I didn't interact with them much during my previous life's gameplay, so there are even more things I don't know.

Perhaps there are spells or magic that can decieve others' perception.

If the second reason is correct, then what exactly is his objective...?

What purpose could he achieve by taking on the role of Cern-san in her place, who is currently missing? Is there something he wants to gain by becoming Cern-san?

I begin to speak as my mind is racing with this question: Was the outfit he's wearing something he bought himself, something he made himself, or had he stolen and worn Cern-san's clothes?

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〘Map Item: Map of Canadil, the capital of the Koakyuyo Empire〙

A map of the city of Canadil, known as the city of technology.

Most of the facilities and shops are depicted in it.

Whenever new buildings are constructed or demolished, cartographers create new maps. The map Vester uses is the most up-to-date at the time of purchase.

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