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The following morning. After finishing breakfast, Ciel enthusiastically left the manor. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Ciel like this and while I do find it delightful, I feel somewhat nervous knowing that I’m the reason for the enthusiasm.

「Which shop should we go to? I suppose the ones for clothes? I want to dress Ain in the most fitting clothes!」

With her eyes sparkling as she walked, I pondered for a bit before giving Ciel a serious answer.

『Since we’ll be shopping, let’s buy something that we can always use. Clothes would cease to fit once you grow out of them, after all.』
『That’d be great too! In that case, let’s also look at accessories! I’ll find the perfect accessories for you, Ain!』

This is that, right? Ciel seems to be already dead set on the matter with clothes. Ciel really enjoyed herself that day, so I have already anticipated this. Still, I’d be happier if she can aim that passion towards herself a bit more. Ciel is the one who should be dressed up, in my opinion.

With pure white hair and smooth white skin unaffected by the heat of the sun. Beautiful eyes with a blue like that of the fair sky’s. Unlike me with my black eyes and hair, she gives off a transient yet firm presence. Dressing Ciel up would absolutely be better for the world.

Also, I just can’t get used to having money be used for me.

『If possible, let’s buy some that would suit you as well, Ciel.』
『Oh? Why is that? Today’s shopping is for Ain’s stuff, you know? I’ll buy something that won’t lose to the Hunter Card, okay?』

If it’s something from Ciel, then don’t really care what it is. Still, if I say that out loud, it’ll just spoil Ciel’s currently cheery mood, so I’ll keep it to myself. Besides, compared to a card, times like these where we can freely go out are a thousand times better, and are irreplaceable.

Ciel’s victory is already rigged in this competition but still, I really want to buy something that suits her.

『If we buy something that also suits you, we can share it and wouldn’t that make it feel just a bit more special than the Hunter Card?』
『……!? That’s true! That’d be wonderful too! Really wonderful! Let’s also buy something we can both use! Let’s find one!』

I knew it, I knew it all too well. That it’s difficult to stop Ciel once she reaches this point. I know that the more I say something, the more things we’ll end up buying.

Still, Ciel seems to be having fun, so I guess it’s all good. Fortunately, we have plenty of money, as well as things that should be worth money lying idly in our magic bag. Yeah, we should do something about the wyverns soon.

And so, the cheerful Ciel, who’s practically skipping her way about, stopped in front of an accessory shop. Not too gaudy, yet not too plain. I guess refined is the best descriptor. And perhaps it’s because this is a secure area where the wealthy and influential gather, there isn’t much crowding of people either.

Though, maybe I just have the impression that people of those sorts don’t gather inside one shop enough to crowd it. The shop is unassuming in appearance, but they seem to be selling items of good quality that’s on the expensive side.

Well, in short, it’s not a bad choice of a shop for Ciel. The interior is also neat, it’s a pleasant place to be in. I have no idea how much of this is reflected in Ciel’s eyes, though.

The shop employee seems to be a good person too, only warmly watching over Ciel from a distance and not approaching us too closely. How do I say it? Do they think Ciel is a noble’s child on an errand or out to buy a present? That’s not too far from the truth, honestly.

Ciel was undoubtedly born from nobility, and she’s currently Fiiyanamia’s daughter. Additionally, yeah, the clothes Ciel is wearing, which are from Fiiyanamia’s residence, could be another factor. I guess in these sorts of shops, they employ people who can assess the value of these clothes.

『Which would be good? All of them should look good on Ain, in my opinion.』

Inside the shop, with its numerous lineup of accessories, Ciel glares at the merchandise. Although I said glare, it’s by no means terrifying. She isn’t angry after all, she’s just choosing seriously.

While I probably could share my opinions, I deliberately keep it to myself. After all, I want something that Ciel specifically chose for me.

Nonetheless, there are a lot of accessories. In my previous world, I wasn’t really the type to be particularly concerned about fashion. I just lived life unassumingly, so I’ve never bought accessories before. The only accessories I can think of are, at most, necklaces, rings, and piercings, I think?

Other than that, I guess wristwatches? I’ve bought a wristwatch in the past, but it’s more for the functionality.

Because of that, I actually don’t feel so comfortable wearing necklaces or rings.

That aside, when it comes to female accessories, there are brooches, hair ornaments, and also those charms that can be attached to your bag, so it’s pretty fun to look around. Many of the accessories are metallic and decorated with jewels, but there are some that are made of more natural materials as well.

There’s a necklace crafted from the vines of a plant, a ring carved from wood, and even an extravagant-looking circlet of leaves. From the fact that these occupy a whole area in the shop, these probably sell well. Maybe they’re for elves? Since I can imagine them being bad with metals.

For crafting with plants, is sorcery used or is there a specific Job for it? Whichever it is, they look like accessories that can only be made possible in a fantasy-like world.

『Have you found what you’d like to buy?』
『Can I go with “everything”?』
『There’s the issue of money but, if possible, I’d be happy if you only choose one thing for me first, Ciel. If you give me so many things at once, I feel like how special they are would be divided among them.』
『Is that how it is?』
『The more things there are, the longer it would also take for me to to wear all of them. Ciel, I want the first thing you choose to be something I’d always have on me.』

If I had a body, that is. Even so, I want to wear it while I’m borrowing Ciel’s body. Preciously safeguarding gifts is fine too, but things like these are best to be used. I’m on the “let me keep it away in absolute safety” side but, on the other hand, I understand that using the gift would make the giver happy.

『Understood!』
『Then, let’s see. If possible, I want you to choose something you would like me to wear.』

I shared a request, just to make sure. I’m happy that she’s choosing with me in mind but if I had to say, I want to fit Ciel’s preferences instead. I want to be the me that Ciel would like.

Ciel was in deep thought again, so I began exploring the shop once more. I can’t stray too far from Ciel, but I can move some distance away to an extent. Since Ciel is choosing an accessory for me, I plan on choosing one for her as well. Leaving whether we’ll actually buy something or not, it’ll be a good way to kill time, and I can wait while looking forward to what Ciel will choose for me.

Even so, wouldn’t Ciel look good no matter which one of these she wears? Wouldn’t it be better off to just buy everything? Though I think so, I advised Ciel against this, so I gave up on that.

Honestly, I want Ciel to try these on first, but then she’ll know what I’m planning, so nope. So I just made do with my imagination, but that red-jeweled necklace over there, that blue gem earring, that green hair ornament, and even that silver bracelet, I can’t imagine any of these not suiting Ciel.

Be that as it may, wearing all of those at once would be so cluttered, wouldn’t it? Moderation is key in everything. So, I have to choose just one. Ciel is a Dance Princess. So, something that looks good while she’s dancing would be great.

In that case, it isn’t exactly an accessory, but how about a stole? The fluttering of cloth would absolutely accentuate her dances well. On the opposite end, a ring might not stand out enough.

Then how about accessorizing Ciel’s beautiful long hair? I think even just a hint of color mixed with her pure white hair is enough of a highlight. But, right, Ciel already has a hair pin constantly on her, so I’ll have to think of something that’d go well with it.

Let’s stop there. I shouldn’t do something that’s way above my ability. In that case…

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, a single necklace caught my eye. From its thin chain… is that a black pearl? Some sort of black jewel decorated it. There are other different accessories but, for some reason, this got my interest. Its simplicity should fit Ciel perfectly too.

『These will be good!』

I heard Ciel’s voice, so I paused the thought for a moment.

『Have you decided yet?』 Calling to her, Ciel then delightedly showed me a ring and a hair ornament. The ring had a brilliant gem with the same sky blue of Ciel’s eyes and the hair ornament was a shell with a pure white pearl with it.

A white hair ornament wouldn’t be conspicuous on Ciel, so it’s obviously just for me. Come to think of it, we do keep the spirit’s rest stop on even when my hair is black, so I wonder how it looks then? Since it seems considerably adaptable, I’ll try having it match with this hair ornament Ciel chose.

All this aside.

『So it isn’t just one thing.』
『I wanted Ain to wear my colors, you see… would that be bad?』

Answering Ciel’s slightly uneasy voice, I replied, 『Not at all.』

Did it sound a bit too mean? I didn’t intend it to be that way, though.

『Those are what you chose for me, so I’m happy with both of them. After all, it isn’t like I don’t understand how you feel, either.』
『I see! Then I’m glad to hear that!』

About wanting me to wear her colors, I’m sure that I also thought the same thing. That must have been the subconscious thought that attracted me to that black pearl necklace as well. And as I was conflicted on whether I should tell her or not, 『Ain, is there something wrong?』 Ciel spoke to me.

『Ciel, while you were choosing accessories, I was also looking an accessory that would look good on you.』
『Really!? Where is it? Which is it!』

Ciel’s eyes sparkled as her gaze scoured the shop interior. She’s quite curious about which accessory but there’s no need for her to be so restless, as I immediately pointed to the black pearl necklace. Yup. It really helps having a humanoid form in these sorts of situations even without tangibility.

『A necklace with a black stone. Fufu, that’s Ain’s color, isn’t it?』
『It wasn’t really a conscious choice on my part, but perhaps we just think in similar ways.』
『Then let’s buy them all. And then I’ll wear this necklace. It’s what Ain chose for me, after all.』

With a broad smile, Ciel picked up the necklace. How do I say this? While I did choose it, and we practically have shared assets when it comes to money, like… this situation where Ciel is buying it in my stead feels awkward. Though, if we reversed roles, Ciel would probably think the same way, so I guess it’s fine.

No matter how uninterested Ciel is in speaking to people, it’s quite easy to buy in this sort of shop. You just need to show what you want to buy and simply pay for it, so it’s not really complicated. And Ciel knows how to calculate too. Or rather, I occasionally teach her how. The way Ciel’s brain just easily absorbs everything makes me shudder though.

After exiting the shop, Ciel put on the necklace.

『How is it? How do I look!』
『It looks great on you.』
『Ain chose it, after all. There’s no way that it wouldn’t look good on me! And besides, it’s Ain’s color, after all!』

I anticipated this sequence. Still, I don’t have any intention of avoiding it, so I silently accept Ciel’s praise. Nevertheless, in my mind, I believe that the beauty of the wearer is more significant than the choice of gift or its giver.

Heya~! Shopping, gift buying, oh how surprisingly wonderful and heartwarming it is! Today’s menu, the chef is serving a healthy amount of AinCiel fluff, and there’s nothing more I could ask from it!

In this chapter, we have an excited and cheery Ciel, which is always a pleasant read. However, financially speaking, it “shopping for Ain” and “excited Ciel” is not the most reassuring thing to hear, in my opinion, lol. Moreover, even Ain thought of just buying everything. Good thing they barely use money outside of necessary expenses. Anyhow, back to the topic. Lovely chapter. As usual, whenever there are opportunity for Ciel to make decisions for herself, even in just the little things, it’s really nice to see. I’ve always repeated this, and I think we all agree on this, but Ain is overprotective to a fault for understandable reasons. It’s only because she has good sense to let Ciel do what she likes when there’s no imminent complications that she doesn’t end up a redeemable Disney (or just plain fairy tale) Villain/step-sister/mother type of character, as they do have the makings of an obsessive witch and her step daughter type of story. I’m off topic, but anyhow.

It’s cute how both of them had the same mindset “Ain/Ciel looks good in every of these, let’s just buy it all” and “I want her to wear my colour”, though it was not so conscious of a decision for Ain. Also, just the part where Ain convinced Ciel to just keep it to one thing, that was funny to me for some reason. It’s exactly how parents try to convince their child to choose only one toy, only for the child to come back with two and the parents just softly accepts it. But it makes sense since Ciel “has” sky blue and white, which I think is a hard combination to find. And both of them going “You’re beautiful” “No, you’re beautiful” reminds me of both the spiderman and the Keanu Reeves memes.

Also, I like the tiny world building aspect of the plant and wood accessories. While using plant fibers and wood itself isn’t that “fantasy”-ish, it’s funny to think that those really ornate elvish plant-vine/flower hair accessories can just be bought at a specialty shop. Maybe even right next to the dwarven specialty beard bands and combs. And maybe it’s not just elvish, since they do seem to have a good enough market to warrant a whole space in the shop. But yeah. Another one is how Ciel, even in the raws, *specifically* identified the pearl as a “stone”, since she likely never saw pearls (or maybe she doesn’t even know what a pearl is yet) up until now. Both because they live inland and because this is their first time actually having the leeway (and interest) to look at jewelries and other luxuries.

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay clean, stay safe, and have a nice day~!