I bathed and then headed to a high-end clothing store to buy an outfit I could wear for my dinner date with Luna.
It didn't feel right to show up to a date with a woman in my usual clothes, and I figured I'd need something proper for formal or special occasions going forward. So I decided this was a good chance to buy a decent suit.
"Feels like when I had a suit tailored after graduating high school. Did I pay 3 million won for that back then?"
As soon as I walked into the store, a female employee saw me and froze in shock. She quickly regained her composure and bowed politely.
"Uh, welcome, sir. How may I help you?"
"I'm looking for a suit for a special occasion. I have an appointment tonight, so I'd like to see ready-made pieces I can wear right away. Can you show me some?"
"Of course. Please wait a moment."
I sat on a luxurious chair in the shop and waited. Then, from the next room, I suddenly heard the female staff whispering.
"Hey, hey! The future hero is in our store!"
"They're calling him 'Silver Flash' these days, right?"
"I saw his face... I almost fainted... He's so handsome!"
"Should we ask him out to dinner?"
"Give it up. With your face?"
"You bitch!!!"
Hey, hey, I can hear you... And 'Silver Flash'? What's that about?
It happened at the guild last time too. Maybe I made my appearance too good-looking.
And it seemed I'd picked up some chuuni nickname thanks to my recent exploits. "Silver Flash"... It reminded me of that character from One Punch Man and made me laugh.
Had I really become a fantasy world hero now?
After a short wait, the staff came out with several outfits.
"These suits are currently trending among nobles. They feature stylish ruff collars."
I looked at the suits. Every one of them had those old Western-style white lace ruffs around the neck, like a frilled lizard's neck. They looked ridiculousālike they'd plopped a cake around the neck.
"Um... this is what's trending these days?"
"Yes, ruff collars are seen as a symbol of high wealth and authority, so nobles seek them out often."
Imagining myself wearing one just made me laugh. If Kazuma and Aqua saw me in that, they'd tease me for years.
"Do you have any suits with a calmer design? Something less flashy?"
"In that case, we can show you suits that use cravats instead of ruff collars for style."
I had no idea what that meant. I just nodded.
"Yes, sounds good."
I waited a bit longer, and this time the staff brought out suits similar in design to what the Demon King executive Vanir wears.
Oh~ This time they're normal.
One of the suits they brought caught my eye. It was a charcoal-navy color, almost black, with tasteful silver embroidery that wasn't overwhelming.
"I'll take this one."
"Understood. We'll need to take your measurements for tailoring, so please come this way."
I followed the staff's guidance and got measured.
After about 30 minutes of adjustments, I changed into the altered suit. One of the female staff saw me and fainted, which caused a delay, but I was able to buy the suit and shoes I liked without issue.
I didn't want to show up empty-handed, so I stopped by a flower shop to buy flowers. The florist saw me and blushed, stammering all over the place.
Just wearing a suit made the reactions from women even stronger than before. Was it the synergy of looks and clothing?
Anyway, I bought a bouquet of roses nicely wrapped and headed to the guild.
The moment I walked into the guild, it went completely silent.
"Isn't that the Silver Flash? I thought royalty was visiting."
"Seriously, I'd believe it if you said he was a prince from some country."
"When a truly handsome guy dresses up, it's like he's glowing."
"Huh? What's with the flowers? Is he going to confess to someone?"
Every eye in the guild was on me, whispering.
Wow, this is a bit overwhelming...
I walked quickly to the reception desk where Luna was.
"Hello, Luna? Huh? Luna?"
Luna's face was as red as a beet. She was frozen, just staring at me without saying anything.
"Y-Yes? Oh! Yes, Taejin!"
She finally answered when I kept calling her.
"Did I come too early?"
"N-No, not at all! I'm getting ready to leave. Please wait just a moment."
Luna talked briefly with her fellow receptionists and then went inside the reception area.
I sat in the guild and waited for a full hour. Women must take a long time to get ready for days like this.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long. The other female staff were helping me get ready, and they were so thorough I didn't expect it to take this long."
Luna came out wearing light makeup and a silver dress that showed off her figure.
Luna was always beautiful, but with makeup on, her beauty shone even more.
"Ah, it's fine."
"I've never worn an outfit like this before, so I'm not used to it."
Luna blushed, looking embarrassed.
"This is a gift. I saw a flower shop on the way and bought them."
When I handed her the bouquet I'd prepared, Luna's already-red face turned even redder, like it might explode.
"Th-Thank you."
"Shall we go?"
"Y-Yes~"
I extended my elbow so she could naturally take my arm. Luna gently held onto my elbow and stood beside me.
As we walked toward the exit to leave the guild, I heard the male adventurers sighing in lament.
"Ah... Not Luna!"
"Give up, the rival's too strong."
"Damn it! You don't touch Luna! She's the light of the guild."
We left behind the resentful gazes of the male adventurers and got into a carriage the guild had thoughtfully prepared, riding comfortably to the restaurant.
"The guild arranged a carriage they reserve for nobles or important figures for us."
"Yeah. I'm grateful to the guild staff for preparing it."
Talking about this and that, we arrived at a restaurant that looked expensive at a glance. It was so upscale I started worrying about Luna's wallet as a guild receptionist.
"I hope you're not overdoing it because of me..."
Seeing the expensive-looking restaurant, the thought slipped out. I worried Luna might take it the wrong way.
Did I mess up? What if she thinks I'm saying 'Can you even afford a place like this on your tiny salary?'
"I haven't had time to spend money lately with all the overtime, and this isn't just to repay you, Taejin. It's also a reward to myself for working hard, so please don't worry too much."
Luna flexed a nonexistent bicep, showing off like she was saying 'Just trust big sis and follow me,' and confidently walked into the restaurant. I guess I was worried for nothing.
When we entered the restaurant, a neatly dressed staff member guided us to our reserved table.
Just like in the guild, every gaze in the restaurant focused on us. It was an upscale place, so no one made a scene, but everyone was whispering among themselves.
"I feel like I'm getting stares like this because Taejin is so handsome and cool. At the guild, I only get lecherous looks."
"Haha, you flatter me. Luna, you're quite the beauty yourself."
At that moment, the staff brought our food.
"Here is your butter-roasted lobster, smoked wild Paori, and asparagus vegetable salad. We wish you a happy dinner."
So this is Paori.
In KonoSuba, Paori looks somewhat like the PokƩmon Farfetch'd, but to avoid copyright issues, it's a monster that looks like a wild mallard holding a green onion.
It gives good experience and tastes great, so people raise them like chickens on farms, but wild Paori give more experience than farmed ones.
In the original, Megumin strangled a cute Paori twice to learn Explosion magic, and Yunyun was deeply shocked watching it.
"Huh? You're not eating?"
"This is my first time seeing Paori."
"Ah, Paori are rare monsters, so they're hard to see in the wild. I've heard they're raised as alchemy ingredients in the Crimson Demon Village."
"I heard they're cute. I'd like to see one."
"Some say that cuteness is why they survive so long. People find it hard to kill them."
"I see."
Luna had worked as a guild receptionist for a long time, so she knew a lot about monsters.
I took a bite of the Paori. It tasted like concentrated, rich duckāreally delicious. Seeing the cabbage incident last time, it seemed like high-experience ingredients in the KonoSuba world just tasted better.
"Is working at the guild difficult?"
"I wish there was less overtime. When I work overtime too long, I get so tired it's hard to do laundry or clean, so my place starts to smell... Oh, I'm so comfortable with you, Taejin, I'm talking about this during dinner... I'm sorry."
"No, I actually find this kind of talk fun. It feels like we're getting closer."
"Really?"
At my words, Luna's face turned red.
We finished our meal, talking enjoyably about guild episodes and my adventures.
After eating, we took the carriage back to Luna's house. I gave the coachman a generous tip for his hard work.
"The food was delicious today, and I really enjoyed talking with you, Luna."
Luna paused for a moment, then blushed and said,
"...Um, if it's okay, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"
No way! Is this the 'want to have some ramen?' line!?
Hearing Luna's words, my heart started pounding.
"Yes, I'd love a cup."
I followed Luna's guidance inside.
While Luna was making tea, I looked around her house. It was a two-story house with a fireplace.
"It's cleaner than I expected? You said earlier you were too busy to clean..."
"Ah, because of the Demon King executive, the guild's been slow lately, so no overtime. I did a big cleaning yesterday. Did the laundry that piled up, too."
"So the Demon King executive helps sometimes. I even got to come to Luna's house like this."
"Hehe, I guess so."
After that, neither of us said anything and just sipped our tea. I was so nervous I could only hear my heart pounding in my ears.
When I looked at Luna, she was blushing and looking at me. If I held back here, I wouldn't be a man. I decided to act on instinct.