Ascendance of a Bookworm - Chapter 149

Chapter 149: Shopping for the winter (123.2)

“Gil, put this aqua-blue coat back and try on this auburn coat and these brown trousers. They look warmer, don’t they?”

“I see. I’ll try them on.”

Gil turned and walked away. Lutz sank his shoulders in frustration and watched the clothes I pulled out one after another. The camel coat looked very thin at first sight, but it should be warm with a fine fur lining.

“Lutz, you want to wear these dark brown trousers, don’t you? Match them with this camel… this tan or this green coat. See which you prefer, but these two coats are of different fabric, and you must take into account the circumstances in which we live.”

“Then this is the only one I can choose!”

Lutz grabbed the camel coat and glared at me. The fabric of the green coat was too superior to be worn around our house.

“Well, but aqua blue wouldn’t be right for the season, would it?”

Lutz gave a grunt of disapproval, then said no more, but put on the camel coat in silence. Although the coat was a bit oversized, he would wear a thick shirt in the winter, and if he wanted to be able to wear it next year, a bigger size would be nice. The fur lining seemed to warm him, and at last he smiled.

As Lutz was contentedly dressed in his camel coat, Turi came over with a dress in each hand.

“Which do you think is better, Maine?”

She was holding a dress in dark green with delicate floral embroidery and a dress in navy blue with a simple design. Personally, I’d love to see Turi dressed as a maid in a navy-blue dress and a white apron.

“Why did you choose these two?”

“I chose this one because it’s beautiful. Look, the colour and embroidery are great, and I think it goes well with my hair. The other one is because the fabric is nice and warm.”

In her usual pragmatism, she would definitely go for the navy-blue one, but she seemed to prefer the dark-green one.

“The overly beautiful dress might be too dramatic, but in winter you wear a coat over it. Since it will be covered up, I think you can choose whichever one you like. I think warmth is more important than beauty, but you want the beautiful one, right?”

“Hmmm… it’s so confusing.”

If she wanted to improve her taste as a tailor, I thought it was ok to buy something she liked. However, her mind was always limited by her common sense, and it was hard for her to choose beauty over utility.

“Master Maine, I want this dress!”

Just as Turi was hesitating, Delia sprinted over with a lovely pink dress and a warm coat. This smart girl was really good at seizing opportunities to exploit me! However, I could see that she was very happy, so I couldn’t say no. I would give up the struggle today and pay for everyone.

“Well, you’ve decided on these two, haven’t you?

“Thank you very much, Master Maine! Ho-ho!”

Delia hummed and looked at her pink dress, beaming with joy. Seeing her so happy, although the price was a little high, I also felt the money was not spent in vain. I didn’t understand the feelings of those who spend a lot of money on gifts for lovely girls, but now I did.

Turi seemed to have made up her mind to see Delia so happy with her lovely dress. She held out her dark-green dress to me.

“Maine, I want this beautiful one!”

“Ok, but the coats here are so eye-catching in our quarter and workplace, so you have to give them up. Instead, you can buy a shawl or scarf here. By the way, don’t forget to choose two for Mom and Dad.”

“No problem! Thank you, Maine!”

Watching Turi happily run away, I walked over to Rosina, who was alone picking out the clothes. She seemed to have chosen her own clothes. She held a carmine dress in her hand and stared at an unadorned navy-blue dress. It looked so plain that Even Wilma, who had said that she wanted some drawing tools rather than clothes, would have liked to wear it.

“Rosina, speaking of Wilma’s clothes…”

“She said she didn’t need new clothes, because she couldn’t leave the temple. But now that she was able to make her appearance at the workshop from time to time, I thought she would be pleased if I bought her a simple dress to wear when she went to the workshop… Well, Wilma really hates dressing herself.”

It was a shame that she was so pretty but didn’t like to dress up. But this was her personal choice, and I couldn’t force her to change.

“Master Maine, you need not be discouraged. For her, going to the workshop with the children was a big step forward. ”

Rosina smiled softly. I walked with her to the counter and found Fran standing motionless in the men’s section. Perhaps because of the customer base, the shop had the most men’s clothes. Surrounded by so many clothes, Fran looked desperate.

“Fran, have you chosen yet?”

“… Master Maine.”

Fran turned around with a rare look of helplessness. He’s kind of cute for being so overwhelmed.

“Your temperament is of the steady type, and if you like something simple, this one or that one will complement your temperament. If you want to look more tasteful, go for this one or this one.”

“Master Maine… please decide for me.”

Seeing Fran’s dismay, Rosina took a step forward, her chestnut hair floating gently with her movements.

“Fran, you have to overcome something you’re not good at.”

“Rosina, you look happy with the reversal of your usual position with Fran.”

“Because I can finally help him.”

“Then I’ll leave the matter in your hands. I have no other opinion.”

Seeing Rosina in such high spirits, I ignored Fran, who had tried to reach me for help, and walked back to Benno. Clothes that had been chosen by others were neatly put on the counter, but no one was there except Benno.

“Where are the others, Mr. Benno?”

“I was afraid they would make too much noise, so I told them to pick out your clothes. You’ll need at least two or three for casual wear, and one for visiting and one for going out. I think they’ll have a close match this time, so just relax.”

Benno said that Lutz and Turi, who had tied last time, had gone in search of clothes in sparks, and that Delia and Gil had joined the fight because they were my attendants.

“Oooh… the clothes here are so expensive. In the end, I spent the most money.”

“Of course, after all, you have to dress like an aristocrat. As a commoner, you have already incurred the repugnance of the other priests and priestesses by wearing blue robe, and now you must not stir up others by wandering about the temple dressed as a pauper.”

Benno was absolutely right, so I hung my head. As I was counting my money desperately at the counter, Turi and Lutz rushed over with the clothes they had chosen for me.

“How about this one, Maine?”

They were both carrying thick shirts, long skirts and vests. Last time I told them there are more styles than dresses, so this time they had chosen to go beyond dresses. Delia and Gil followed them, also carrying some clothes.

“This is lovely, Master Maine.”

This time I was shown two dresses. There were not many clothes for my size here, which means I now had all the clothes I could wear in this shop in front of me.

As they watched, I pondered which clothes to choose. Perhaps having finally chosen the right clothes, Fran and Rosina returned to the counter. Hearing that I was finally starting to pick out clothes, they also leaned over to examine the pile of clothes on the counter and tried to give me advice.

“If you are going to walk about the temple, these clothes will make you look more respectable.”

“There is also a blessing ceremony in the spring, and you will leave the city with the Head Priest, so this is the right dress for your status. Then this one and that one should be your choice.”

Fran and Rosina started picking out the clothes I needed to live at the temple without me doing it myself. Although the attendants were very reliable, my purse was about to suffer a catastrophe.

“No!” I uttered a silent cry in my heart. Benno crooked his finger, called Lutz to him, and whispered something. Lutz’s eyes lit up and he clapped his hands.

“Maine, I will buy your clothes!”

“Lutz?! Mr. Benno, what did you instill in him?!”

I glared at Benno, who merely grunted and looked at Lutz with interest.

“Every time you invent something new, you give me half the profit, and you helped me make up with my family before, so it’s kind of a thank you gift. Friends can’t borrow money from each other, but they can give each other gifts, right?”

Lutz puffed out his chest complacently, but I thought it was too much for gift-giving. And having men outside the family buy clothes for me was something even Urano didn’t have. I was so upset that I didn’t know what to do, but Benno was laughing and helping Lutz along.

“Maine, how can you refuse a gift from a man in front of so many people? It will not only make you look unromantic, but also make a man lose face.”

Although Benno’s tone was full of humor, it would have been embarrassing for Lutz if I had refused. I didn’t know how to turn him down tactfully. I looked around for help, but Delia scolded me with arms akimbo:

“What are you hesitating about? You just have to accept them with a smile. A man’s gift is the best way to show a woman’s value.”

“Delia, please don’t talk.”

If that’s what she said, I was like a bad woman asking men to pay tribute to her. This made it more difficult for me to receive the clothes from Lutz. While I was in distress, Lutz held up his guild card and tapped me on the shoulder.

“I have paid for it. Give it up, Maine.”

… Lutz, how can you be so smart! Please give me some of your IQ!

“Well done.” Benno smiled and rubbed Lutz’s hair. I thought Lutz was definitely influenced by him. Even with Rosina’s aristocratic upbringing, I still hadn’t learned anything about tact, and I felt really disheartened about myself. But it was no use thinking about it. All I could do was pay for Turi and the attendants’ clothes.

The attendants went into the dressing room in order, put on their new clothes, and put the old ones into baskets. My clothes were to be brought back to the temple, so the attendants had folded them for me. While the others were concentrating on the clothes in front of them, I quickly approached Lutz and said:

“Lutz, thank you… you’ve really done me a big favor.”

“Never mind. It was my master who reminded me.”

Not just paper, but picture books, hangers, writing boards and so on. You split the profits on everything, but you didn’t split the initial investment with Maine — Lutz said Benno reminded him.

“Although my master said I should wait until you found out or really ran out of money, you must be broken by now, so you wouldn’t mind, would you?”

… Whoops! I didn’t notice it at all.

So I accepted Lutz’s offer and spent it on cloth for my underclothes, replacement sheets and a winter carpet. Then we finished our winter shopping by buying the orphans’ winter clothes and miscellaneous supplies.