漫画大王

Chapter 186 [Illustration]

Even if he could teleport with his clothing and weapons, his skills were so poor that it would end with him barely being able to twist a child’s wrist at best.

Aside from Connor Lint and Evia, the other four superhumans attended the practical classes: Charlotte, Heinrich, Riana, and myself.

Charlotte, as usual, was whisked away somewhere as soon as the class began, preferring to be alone. During our deserted island mission, she had managed to take down an orc all by herself, which meant that her combat capabilities were certainly exceptional.

Heinrich, on the other hand, struggled in the practical classes due to the activation delay of his abilities and was constantly dodging and rolling around, nearly exhausting himself in the process.

He ran about the training ground, wheezing and out of breath.

Boom! Boom!

He managed to fend off the goblins by surrounding himself with flames, but he couldn’t hit any of them.

As for Riana...

Flash! Bang!

She stood still and shot electric bolts at the incoming goblins, and the goblins disintegrated into smoke upon being hit. The time when the range of her abilities was only five meters felt like a distant memory; now both her range and power had increased tremendously.

Riana hadn’t been able to inflict significant damage on the orc using her abilities during our time on the deserted island. Now, though, an orc wouldn’t even be able to approach her without getting roasted instantly. Her ability felt overpowered, no matter how I looked at it. Lightning... Lightning truly was invincible...

I kept things simple.

Wham!

I kicked the head of a charging goblin, and the goblin that had been summoned turned into smoke and disappeared.

“... I’m not sure if Reinhart’s ability has gotten stronger, or if he himself has just gotten stronger.”

My instructor couldn’t tell if my immense physical strength was a result of an enhancement of my superpower, or an increase in my inherent physical strength.

***

After Wednesday’s classes, Riana de Granz and I headed back to the dormitory together. Since everyone was planning to set out from the dormitory to go shopping, there was no reason to go separately.

Ellen had apparently awakened her Mana Reinforcement abilities too early, so she was receiving individual instruction and would be taking numerous classes related to Mana Reinforcement. I wasn’t sure if the yoga master teacher was instructing her or if it was someone else.

We returned to the dormitory, and after a short wait, Harriet and Adelia also returned. Both went to their rooms, changed into casual clothes, and then came out again.

“Did you put on makeup?” I asked Harriet.

She nodded in response. “Yeah. Why?”

There was a slight change in the color of Harriet’s lips. I couldn’t tell exactly what makeup she had applied, but there was something subtly different about her appearance.

“I’ve heard that the best sort of makeup is the sort that makes it look like you’re not wearing any,” I commented.

Harriet glared at me. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you trying to make fun of me for not knowing how to apply makeup properly?”

“... No, I was actually saying that you did well...”

‘Why does she always think I’m attacking her?’

My words made Harriet’s face turn red.

“Well... whatever. It’s not like I wanted to hear that from you.”

‘No, don’t start it again. If you act like this, I’ll be unable to control what I say again!’

“Hey, I was just saying. It’s not like I was trying to make you feel happy or anything,” I said.

“I’m not happy!”

“You look happy to me. You seem positively thrilled to be complimented!”

“I’m not thrilled at all! Not even a bit!”

“Geez, why is it such a big deal to compliment you on how good your makeup looks? What’s your problem, huh?”

“Aargh! You’re so annoying!”

Harriet eventually seemed to realize that conversing with me was a losing battle and gravitated towards Riana.

“You should know by now that having a conversation with him that lasts more than five sentences will inevitably piss you off, right?” Riana said.

“Ugh!”

Riana patted Harriet’s shoulder to comfort her and to show that trying to deal with me wasn’t worth the trouble.

Anyway, after waiting a bit longer, Ellen, the last one in our group, finally returned to the dormitory.

***

Riana mentioned that she rarely went out to buy clothes. Most of the time, she ordered custom-made clothes by contacting a boutique, who would then send her a bunch of clothes for her to choose from.

That was how rich people did things, apparently.

Another rich person, Harriet, professed not to be very interested in clothes. If she needed formal wear, she’d get it tailored to her measurements whenever she needed it. Despite not looking like it, Harriet was actually quite a bookworm. She was diligently focused on her studies, much like a model student.

Although she wasn’t as extreme as Ellen, Harriet was also the kind of person who poured all her attention into her major, so she didn’t seem to have that many sets of casual clothes either.

Adelia was similar—a nerd who lived off the allowance provided by the Temple, without much interest in spending it on anything extravagant.

Anyway, other than Riana de Granz, who had dragged us all out here, we rarely bought clothes. We simply weren’t that interested in it.

“It’s been a really long time since I last went shopping,” Riana said as we arrived at a street lined with upscale clothing stores.

While there were plenty of clothing shops within the Temple, Riana seemed to want a full-fledged shopping experience.

“Ellen, if you shop without paying attention, a thousand gold coins will disappear in an instant.”

‘What on earth are you planning to buy that will make that happen?’

It wasn’t my money, but I was already feeling anxious about wasting it.

***

This time, it wasn’t Riana’s treat. We were shopping and buying clothes with our own money.

Since Ellen had no clue about fashion, Riana stuck by her and recommended various items. We wandered through countless stores, trying on and purchasing various outfits. I bought a few sets of casual clothes myself, since having more outfits wouldn’t hurt.

“You should try them on before you buy.”

“They’ll probably fit,” I said.

“Are you two twins or something? Were you separated at birth and only realized it now? How do you both say the same things?” Riana exclaimed. She was in shock as she watched Ellen and me buy clothes without trying them on.

It seemed she had developed a theory that Ellen and I were long-lost twins.

Harriet and Adelia were also buying clothes.

...”

Harriet tried on various outfits and shoes, including a white dress and pink shoes, and checked herself out in the mirror. As she was looking at herself, our eyes met.

“... Don’t say anything.”

She seemed embarrassed, her face flushing red. But why? She looked good in them. Did she really think I would seize this moment to tease her?

“...”

Since she told me not to say anything, I kept my mouth shut.

“... Are you really not going to say anything just because I told you not to?!”

“... What?! What do you want from me, damn it!”

“If you’re not going to say anything, then why do you keep staring at me?”

She seemed upset that I was just staring without saying anything.

“Does it harm you if I look? I was just looking because I think it suits you! You look cute! Geez!”

“Wh-What! Why are you praising me like you’re angry?!” she yelled, her lips quivering.

Although my tone had been harsh, I had meant it as a compliment.

Eventually, she shivered and fled into the fitting room.

Suddenly, Riana called me over.

“Hey. Hey! Come over here.”

“Why?”

“Just shut up and take a look.”

Riana dragged me over to where Ellen was standing.

“... It feels so empty.”

She seemed uncomfortable, fidgeting with the hem of her dress.

Ellen was wearing a black off-shoulder dress with frills, paired with black leather shoes. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the dark clothing, accentuating her figure.

While Harriet looked cute, it was difficult for me to keep my eyes on Ellen because of how stunning she appeared.

“You look so good in this. Why do you always wear tracksuits?” Riana muttered as she stared dazedly at Ellen, feeling incredulous that such beauty had been hidden away for so long.

“Because this is uncomfortable.”

Ellen, however, seemed quite uncomfortable in the revealing outfit. She caught my eye, and unlike Harriet, who had told me not to say anything, Ellen remained silent as she looked at me.

‘Should I say something?’

Riana continued to speak without waiting for me to say anything. “Wow, look at how slim your waist is. Where does all that strength come from?”

Riana seemed dumbfounded as she touched Ellen’s slender waistline. She was astonished by Ellen’s delicate waist, especially since Ellen had the best physical stats in Class A of the Royal Class.

“I mean, how can she have such a waist when she eats so much?”

It seemed Riana was beginning to question the very laws of physics.

‘... That’s my fault. I’m sorry.’

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Ellen asked abruptly, noticing that I was avoiding eye contact and keeping silent.

“... Huh?”

What? Was she asking me to say something about how she looked?

I was slightly stunned, and before I could gather my thoughts, Riana smirked.

“Ah, I see what it is,” Riana said as she looked at me, with one hand around Ellen’s waist. “You’re used to seeing her sweaty and swinging a sword around, but now that she’s dressed properly... It feels different, doesn’t it?”

“Wh-What the hell are you talking about?! Shut up!”

What nonsense was she spouting now?

“Why did you suddenly become a mute then? Say something! ‘It looks good on you,’ or ‘You look pretty.’ Don’t you have anything to say? Why can’t you say such simple things?”

“Shut up! It’s not like that.”

‘It really isn’t! It’s a more complicated and subtle feeling that I can’t quite explain!’

“It looks good on you. Yeah,” I finally said.

“... Really?”

‘As if anything wouldn’t suit you.’

Ellen ended up buying the dress.

***

We all returned to the Temple, our arms loaded with newly-purchased clothes. Everyone changed into their new outfits as soon as we got back, and each of our wardrobes was noticeably fuller.

“Hey, try this on.”

“... No, it’s a hassle.”

“Come on, just try it on?”

“... Fine.”

Instead of going back to her room, Riana had barged into Ellen’s room and made her try on all the clothes they had bought.

Riana de Granz discovered something new that day: dressing someone else was surprisingly fun, especially when the person looked good in everything.

Seeing such a perfect model in front of her made her greedy. To think this girl had been wasting her potential by wearing only her uniform and tracksuits all the time! Riana firmly believed it was a waste of talent.

Despite Ellen showing signs of annoyance, she couldn’t push Riana away because of how excited she was. Riana made Ellen try on boots, skirts, dresses, various accessories—pretty much everything.

“Oh, we should go shopping for dresses next time. You would look absolutely stunning.”

“Dresses?”

Riana really wanted to see Ellen in a proper dress, not just casual clothes.

Riana was convinced that everyone would see this fitness addict in a new light.

“Yeah. Reinhart was completely dazed just seeing you in that one dress today. If he sees you in a proper dress, he’d be totally blown away.”

Riana found Reinhart’s reaction amusing. It was oddly satisfying to see him unable to make proper eye contact with Ellen, which was so unlike his usual self.

“... Why?”

Unexpectedly, Ellen tilted her head at Riana’s comment. She seemed puzzled about what her wearing a dress had to do with Reinhart.

Riana stared intently at Ellen.

‘Was I wrong in my assumption?’ she thought.

“Don’t you like Reinhart?”

Ellen tilted her head again.

“...?”

“So, do you dislike him?”

“No. I don’t dislike him.”

Ellen paused for a moment to think.

“I think I like him... but I’m not really sure what that means,” she said.

“Oh... I think I get it.”

She simply thought of him as a very close friend. Riana, while she hadn’t observed Ellen for that long, had realized that despite her exceptional abilities, Ellen was somewhat awkward and inexperienced in certain areas.

Ellen liked Reinhart, but she was unsure if her feelings were those of romantic interest.

Ellen had probably never experienced having feelings for someone before. She liked Reinhart, but she didn’t fully understand her own emotions.

Riana smirked. “Hmm... Do you ever feel nervous or does your heart race when you’re with him?”

“Not at all.”

Ellen had felt nervous before—like the first time she and Reinhart had had to kill someone in the Dark Land, or when they fought off hordes of zombies. But she knew that wasn’t what Riana meant.

She had never felt nervous because of Reinhart.

“What about when your fingers accidentally touch or your bodies brush against each other? Do you ever feel your heart race or get nervous then?”

“No.”

Sword training was a daily routine for them, so such moments were common. In fact, it was usually Reinhart who got more nervous. He’d shake a lot—but just from exhaustion and fatigue. By the end of their training, he’d often be trembling, even.

The intrigue in Riana’s expression slowly began to fade.

“You don’t get tense or act differently around him, right?”

“... No.”

“And if you see him getting close to other people, you don’t feel jealous or angry?”

“Not at all.”

Ellen had never felt such emotions. She felt comfortable being around Reinhart, and there was no reason for her to feel nervous.

Riana let out a sigh, clearly disappointed.

“I thought something might have developed between you two after your journey through the Dark Land together, but it seems there’s nothing at all. You guys are really just friends, huh? Well, at least that’s the case for you.”

Riana confirmed that Ellen really saw Reinhart as just a friend and then plopped down on Ellen’s bed, looking deflated.

“Is that what happens when you like someone?” Ellen asked.

Feeling unnecessarily anxious, growing angry when they seemed to get closer to someone else, doing things you didn’t normally do... Ellen wondered aloud if what Riana had said about liking someone was true. Riana thought about it for a moment, then suddenly looked confused.

“... You know what, I don’t know.”

“...?”

“Come to think of it, I’ve never liked anyone either. Most of what I’d said comes from romance novels.”

Riana de Granz suddenly realized she’d been talking about what happened when someone liked someone else without having actually experienced it herself. That realization left her speechless and a little dazed.

“...”

“...”

Two people, neither of whom had the practical experience or a full understanding of what it was to like someone, had just been speculating about it.

Ellen started to think about Reinhart again.

—It looks good on you. Yeah.

When Reinhart had said those words, while she had been wearing clothes she had never worn before, Ellen had felt a strange, almost ticklish feeling in her chest. It was an odd sensation, something she had never felt before.

Could that be considered evidence of something deeper?

‘Probably not,’ Ellen thought.