It was still midday, even after trying to keep Sanshita entertained.

The party wasn’t until evening, so I needed to use this time to buy some essentials.

It seemed Katya had nothing to do until the evening as well, so we decided to go out together.

For now, I had to prepare formal attire to wear to the party.

This time, Shannon and I would be attending the party as Katya’s escorts.

Incidentally, Ivy was permitted to attend in her capacity as my familiar.

Unfortunately, Sanshita didn’t get approval. Reality can be cruel sometimes...

In any case, I didn’t own anything even remotely appropriate for a formal event—a proper, sharply tailored outfit that followed party dress codes.

I’d never needed such attire before.

Parties were, after all, a distant world for a commoner like me.

Naturally, I had no idea what to buy.

This time, I planned to leave the entire task of choosing an outfit to Katya, who already had experience with social gatherings.

“I have some free time today, so I’ll tag along,” Shannon said.

As a first-class adventurer, Shannon had been invited to noble gatherings numerous times and already owned a set of formal attire. Her decision to join us was purely out of goodwill.

Yesterday, we’d acted separately, but today we’d spend time together.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen much of Shannon since we arrived in this town.

What had she been up to?

...Oh well, she must have had her own business to attend to.

At the very least, I’d buy Sanshita a souvenir he’d enjoy while picking up my outfit.

He’s been cooped up and uncomfortable for far too long—it’s only fair.

Katya led us to a clothing store that looked luxurious from the outside.

Inside, the staff greeted us, all dressed in meticulously tailored uniforms.

I guessed those uniforms were probably made here as well.

“Hm, it’s more refined than Akoup,” Katya said.

“This cut-and-sew top is lovely. Maybe I’ll buy it for myself?” Shannon mused.

“Mii-mii! Miii!” Ivy chirped excitedly.

Three women together create a racket, as they say.

Katya, Shannon, and even Ivy flitted from one section to another, exclaiming over the clothes on display.

If my memory served me right, we were here to pick out my outfit for the party...

Still, the staff didn’t bat an eye at Ivy’s presence, which spoke volumes about the store’s caliber.

I couldn’t help but wonder—what was Ivy, a turtle, even looking at? Did human-sized clothes intrigue her?

Feeling a bit at a loss, I wandered over to browse the ready-made suits.

Black, gray, navy—the colors were subdued.

There were open-necked shirts, high-collared options, and more.

There were so many choices that I couldn’t decide.

At least I knew enough to avoid the black suit with vertical stripes.

Hmm... maybe this navy one would work?

“Stick to gray or black,” Shannon advised, appearing beside me. “Anything else will stand out.”

“Is that so?”

“You don’t want to outshine the host. Unless you’re very familiar with the event, black is the safest bet for men.”

“Got it...”

In that case, black it is.

As her escort, it would be inappropriate for me to overshadow Katya or risk her losing face.

“How about this one?” Shannon suggested, pulling out a plain black suit.

The inside lining was red—a subtle, stylish touch, she explained.

I thought the color of the lining didn’t matter since it wouldn’t be visible, but Shannon wagged her finger with a “tsk, tsk.”

“It’s about having a little flair where it’s not immediately apparent.”

Apparently, that’s what fashion was all about.

It was a world I didn’t quite understand.

It seemed like the road to being fashionable was steep.

“I’ll go with this, then,” I said.

“Are you sure? There are plenty of other options,” Shannon replied.

“There are too many to choose from. If it’s okay as long as it’s black, I’ll take the one you recommended.”

“Aren’t you sweet,” she said, ruffling my chin.

The faint scent of her mature perfume made my head spin for a moment.

“Bruno! Shannon! Over here!” Katya called.

“Mii-mii!” Ivy chirped, beckoning as well.

Hearing their voices, I laughed.

It seemed the tendency for women’s shopping trips to drag on wasn’t exclusive to nobles or commoners—or even turtles.

We’d already accomplished the main objective of buying my outfit, but persuading them to leave now would be futile.

This could very well take until right before the party... I thought, sharing a knowing glance with Shannon before we set off to join the others.

Thus, I endured the exhausting task of accompanying the ladies on their lengthy shopping spree and eventually headed straight to the party.