MV – Chapter 151: Dresses and the Minor Villain

Is a dress made by a tailoring shop? A clothing store? Lanpeach wondered. “It’s a world far removed from me, who always bought from discount shops”, he thought.

In his previous life, Lanpeach never strolled down streets in search of trendy items. The only things he ever noticed hanging from sale racks were their defensive stats and any special effects applied. Even without a “gamer brain” Lanpeach was still a sad man.

“How about this one, Lan? Is it too flashy?” (Chihiro)

Chihiro looked at Lanpeach, who was lost in thought while watching her pose in a striking red dress, and gulped, eagerly waiting for his response.

“It looks great, but isn’t the Tanabata Festival held outside? It’s summer, and it might be too hot. Plus, you could get yakisoba sauce on it.” (Lanpeach)

Being the type of guy who thinks festivals revolve around street stalls, his response was completely off the mark.

“Sir, this dress has a ‘heat resistance’ enchantment, so it’s cool enough for mid-summer. It’s perfect for the Tanabata Festival, and it will really stand out in the evening. Combined with the young lady’s beauty, she’ll surely be the center of attention at the party.”

The female clerk looked at Chihiro and showered her with genuine compliments. It wasn’t just flattery, Chihiro, with her long pink-blonde hair and the charm of someone on the cusp of adulthood, was a beautiful girl that made everyone turn their heads.

Lanpeach wanted to compliment her too, but he predicted that saying exactly what he thought would undoubtedly label him a pervert.

[Compliments only work if you’re handsome. Oh, that explains why villains only ever say nasty things. I should report this discovery to the academia!] (Libra)

Libra, who was invisible and sitting on his shoulder, teased him. She was apparently holding back from joining because it was a date with Chihiro. He wanted to ask her what she meant by “holding back”, though.

[That’s a new term -a revolutionary discovery. But we need to add a clause excluding minor villains.] (Lanpeach)

If a third party saw a minor villain-faced man complimenting a beautiful girl, they’d surely think he was up to no good.

“Heat resistance is great, but with your cute pink-blonde hair, there might be a color that suits you even better. Could you bring out another dress? Maybe something light blue and dreamy, that also feels cool?” (Lanpeach)

The man with no fashion sense, pretending to know what he was talking about, ordered a dress based purely on its appearance of coolness.

But the clerk, experienced in such matters, swiftly brought out more dresses. They hung more dresses on hangers one after another, turning Chihiro into a living dress-up doll.

Since there were no price tags, he felt a bit anxious about the cost, but…oh well.

━━━ As for where this is, It’s a boutique in the sector controlled by the Onodera family. In Japanese, it’s called a tailoring shop. But “boutique” somehow sounds more stylish.

Wealthy people usually summon tailors to their homes instead of shopping in stores. Lanpeach glanced around and saw a few well-dressed men and women. It was easy to guess that the price of their clothing was far beyond what commoners could afford.

Why were they in the Onodera family’s sector? Simple. High-end shops that sell this kind of clothing are located in Onodera territory.

The Onodera family specializes in production professions, so there are many production-related shops in the area. When it comes to professions that require artistic sense, no one can compete with them.

Although there are shops in Lanpeach’s domain as well, they’re just chain stores. None of the elite shops have opened there. They already have wealthy clients and won’t move so easily.

Where there are high-end shops, more shops aiming to be top-tier gather as well. Thanks to this positive cycle, it’s said that you can find anything from pencils to missiles in the Onodera sector.

“This kimono is made from the threads of a Freezing Spider. It’s a top-class item. The dye is excellent, and I believe the design suits you perfectly, Miss.”

Even though it’s a boutique, the shop was well-prepared, offering kimonos like a traditional clothing store.

“I think this kimono certainly suits me better than a dress, but what do you think, Lan?” (Chihiro)

“Yeah, the term Japanese beauty must have been made for you.” (Lanpeach)

[Slim people look more elegant in traditional clothes after all.] (Libra)

[If I say that, my reputation will plummet.] (Lanpeach)

Of course, it wouldn’t suit Libra. If she wore it, her chest would stand out, making her look like an alluring seductress. Not that he could ever say that to Chihiro.

“Thank you. So, should I go with this one?” (Chihiro)

Chihiro, her cheeks flushed with happiness, made Lanpeach feel embarrassed too. But his shy demeanor looked suspicious instead, so it went unnoticed. 

(Banzai for the Minor Villain skill. Can I cry now?) (Lanpeach) 

“I’ll bring the accessories ne—”

“Hold on, clerk. We will need more clothes and accessories later, so…” (Lanpeach)

With a grin, he said the words every guy dreams of saying.

“I’ll take every dress and every piece of jewelry you have here.” (Lanpeach)

With a sparkle in his teeth, Lanpeach bought everything in sight. You know, like in those manga where the rich guy flaunts his wealth in front of the heroine? He always wanted to try that.

Also, if Chihiro later thought the current dress didn’t suit her, there’d be plenty more to choose from!

Lanpeach figured that there must be such a calculative side to guys showing off their wealth in such scenes. Lanpeach had realized one more truth.

“Is that okay?! That’s going to be really expensive, Lan.” (Chihiro)

“Hmph, for a duke’s family, this expense is nothing.” (Lanpeach)

“A duke’s family?” (Chihiro)

Chihiro tilted her head at the stupid Lanpeach, who was imitating a typical male manga protagonist.

The clerk was already wrapping everything up with a delighted smile. Lanpeach thought this was probably enough to finish their preparations for the Tanabata Festival, but…

This was reality, not some manga or game world, something Lanpeach had momentarily forgotten.

“What?! The accessories are sold out?! How is that possible? And the dresses too? There’s plenty of them here! Someone bought them all? Who would do something so outrageous?!”

A young man’s angry voice echoed from inside the store.

Of course that’s bound to happen if you buy everything. Lanpeach began to reflect, realizing that buying out the store in real life is considered unreasonable.

“Hey, you! Buying everything is inconsiderate, don’t you think? Have some thought for the other customers!”

And then, the young man approached…with 3 pretty girls tagging along with him!

A date with 3 pretty girls?

◇◇

“You! Yes, you! Which family are you from? Buying everything out is just plain unreasonable, you know?”

Was he being polite or rude? Hard to tell. He somehow looked vaguely familiar…maybe?

(Well, he does have a point. I am clearly in the wrong. Buying everything out is kind of the worst.) (Lanpeach)

“I came here with my girlfriends to buy dresses for the Tanabata Festival. This kind of behavior is really inconvenient, you know!”

“Eeh, Toko, you’ve only been picking out dresses with skimpy, thin fabric for a while now.” 

“Exactly, and you were eyeing some with open necklines too.”

“You even tried sneaking your hand into the gap in the back, pulling a sneaky little shadow ero move, weren’t you?”

Those three girls were saying some pretty biting things for people supposedly in a relationship with him. Aren’t they treating him a bit coldly? Or maybe they’re just using him? Is he going to be okay?

“Well, t-that’s…you know, just normal. It’s the Tanabata Festival after all. Look, I even plan on booking a suite at a hotel.” (Toko)

(Now, that was a horrible line. I get saying that to one person, but all three?) (Lanpeach)

It seems he couldn’t endure the icy stares from the girls any longer, the young man pointed his finger at Lanpeach, brimming with self-righteousness. He seemed to think he was in the right. He sure has a sturdy mind.

“Just buy the dresses and accessories you need and leave the rest for others, alright?” (Toko)

Lanpeach apologized and was about to cancel his orders with the clerk when…

“Eeh, that’s no good, Toko. Do you even know who this man is? That would mean we will be stuck with buying the leftovers.”

“Isn’t that a bit dramatic? And who exactly is this guy supposed to be?” (Toko)

One of the girls interjected, her tone dripping with hostility, clearly not fond of Lanpeach at all.

“This man is rumored to be partnered with the Underground District to climb his way up: Shukou Arata. You can’t be lagging behind him as the future head of the Yoroizuka family, right?”

Future head of the Yoroizuka family? So this guy must be Toko Yoroizuka. 

The girl leaned in really close to Toko’s face as she explained.

“…Is that so? Really? Well, then! Just to be clear, is your name Shukou Arata?” (Toko)

“Uh… Yeah, I do go by that name sometimes. But my real name is Lanpeach Kouza. So, what exactly are you planning on doing if that’s the case?” (Lanpeach)

Toko’s attitude suddenly changed to one of aggression even though they were having a calm discussion.

“I am also someone who will represent the Yoroizuka family. I won’t settle for leftovers.” (Toko)

“Right… Is that so.” (Lanpeach)

There were tons of dresses and accessories left. Thinking it over, buying them all was unrealistic anyway. This was a good chance to cancel.

Lanpeach expected him to insist on going first, so he figured he would let him have the earlier pick if that’s what he wanted, but then…

“How about we settle this with a duel over who gets to shop here? No killing allowed; anything else goes.” (Toko)

Toko flashed a handsome smile as he brushed his hair back -though, unfortunately, his teeth didn’t quite sparkle.

“A duel? Here? I didn’t bring any gear, you know.” (Lanpeach)

“No problem. There’s a dojo nearby that I have ties with. It can handle a bit of sparring. Plus, with no gear, we’ll be able to gauge each other’s true strength, right?”

Looks like he is completely prepared. Huh? Isn’t it weird for him to have a dojo connection in the Onodera family’s territory?

But it really did seem like Toko had just come up with the idea of a duel. He didn’t seem like he was acting…

Lanpeach glanced at the three beautiful girls. All three were cheering him on enthusiastically…

(Well, I don’t know what he’s got planned, but I might as well go along.) (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach decided to accept the challenge since a duel sounded fun.

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