Bonus Short Story

Prank

In the Arcana Kingdom, Sunae and Tahlan were treated as foreign dignitaries. However, here in the Magyan Kingdom, Happine was the one who was considered an envoy from a foreign land. The land in question was so far away that not only was there no official interaction between it and Magyan, but so distant that the people of Magyan had never even heard of the place. Unlike modern Japan, it wasn’t possible for the people of Magyan to know about all of the countries in the world and all of their different cultures over the centuries. To the Magyans, Happine may as well have been a visiting alien. Her facial features, skin, eyes, and hair, along with her clothing, were all fresh to the people of the kingdom. Naturally, she was the center of attention.

“The equipment of the Arcanian soldiers all looked very heavy and uncomfortable, but the ladies were all dressed in very glamorous clothes.”

“Evidently, in the Arcana Kingdom, high-born women are expected to be like flowers. That’s why they dress that way.”

“That sort of clothing doesn’t look very practical as daily wear, but it seems like it’d be nice for a date. I’d imagine the men would enjoy seeing it...”

“What’s more interesting is the fabric. I’ve heard there are rolls of that fabric among the gifts brought by the delegation but...maybe they’re out of reach for us.”

“I’ve considered sending a merchant to go buy some. I mean, it’d be one thing if it took a whole sea journey, but evidently you can get there on land, and it’s not even a distance that requires years of travel...”

“There’re supposed to be formal relations between the countries soon, right? Then you better be careful; there might be punishments if you get ahead of yourself and do something without approval.”

“True, then... Maybe we can get to know the dignitaries...”

The Arcanians began hearing people discuss such topics all through in the palace they were staying in. Had they simply seen the Arcanian clothing in a random shop, it would probably have been dismissed as a mere curiosity. However, because that clothing had been worn by dignitaries who had brought a great deal of treasure with them on their visit, it appeared to signify both status and fashion in the eyes of those who saw it. Happine, wearing clothing that wasn’t simply unusual, but impossible to acquire for those who sought it, was the target of envious and longing gazes from the people in the palace.

“Happine, it seems they’re paying attention to your clothes. Though...just your clothes, it seems.”

“Oh, shut up. You don’t need to point out that last part.”

No one seems to be paying attention to my clothes...I guess it’s because it’s not noble clothing, but...

The three girls—Sunae, Happine, and Zuger—had grown used to people staring at them. After all, they had received a similar kind of attention in the countries they had stopped in on their way to Magyan. If anything, the fact that they’d been staying a while in Magyan meant that they weren’t attracting quite as much attention as they had on their brief stops along the way. Besides, Happine was a daughter of House Batterabbe, and thus she was used to drawing attention with the clothing she was wearing, even in Arcana. It wasn’t particularly unusual for her to have the same stares directed at her in a foreign country. If anything, Happine found her curiosity drawn to the outfits that the people looking at her were wearing.

“Say, Sunae...got a moment?”

“Mm? What is it?”

“I’d like to try on the same clothes you’re wearing. Would that be all right?” Happine said with a deathly serious tone and expression. Sunae and Zuger were briefly caught by surprise at the sheer intensity of her curiosity, but they both felt a bit underwhelmed at the actual content of her anticlimactic request.

At the same time, Zuger grasped something that Happine had thought she’d kept hidden from her interest. She’s probably always been interested in Princess Sunae’s clothing. But she didn’t want to have to ask Sunae about them, and the difference in their physiques made it hard to ask to borrow a set...

What had started as playful curiosity in wanting to try out a foreign outfit had been elevated by Happine’s outsized pride into a request that required her to behave as though she were asking for a great favor from Sunae. There was something adorable about that. Of course, it wasn’t the sort of cuteness that would draw chuckles, but Zuger still found it endearing.

“I don’t mind at all. But you’re being a bit too serious, aren’t you?”

“Who cares? What’s wrong with taking things seriously?”

“Now you’re just trying to justify yourself... Fine, I’ll have them readied for you.”

In contrast to Happine’s intensity, Sunae responded with a faint note of dismissiveness. While she understood Happine’s curiosity, the sheer seriousness behind her request was faintly exasperating. Still, it wasn’t a difficult request to fulfill while they were in Magyan. There was no need for Sunae to be cruel to Happine, and so she nodded the affirmative.

“Really? Thank you!” Happine said with a happy smile. She looked like a child who had just been bought a particularly nice present.

Zuger was smiling as she watched Happine. Sunae soon turned her eyes to Zuger as well.

“Do you not want to try them on yourself?”

“Huh? Me?”

Zuger hadn’t expected that Sunae would make the offer and stared blankly back at her. At that moment, Zuger imagined wearing the same clothing as the Magyan princess.

“N-No, I couldn’t! I wouldn’t be able to wear something like that!”

Zuger’s response almost sounded like she was insulting the clothing of a foreign culture by describing the outfit as “something like that.” However, based on the fact that Zuger’s face was beet red, Sunae knew that she was simply embarrassed at the thought of wearing such a revealing outfit. Zuger always wore thicker clothing that didn’t show much skin, so she was probably too shy to wear clothes like Sunae’s, which showed off the contours of the wearer’s body clearly. Happine and Sunae knew Zuger’s personality well enough to understand all of this, and they exchanged a glance. There was no real reason to make Zuger wear a Magyan outfit, but...

“I see, you’re saying my kingdom’s clothing is embarrassing. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“Huhhh? N-No, I don’t mean that at all!”

“Are you suggesting I have bad taste?”

“N-No, I don’t mean that either!”

However much they might bicker on occasion, both Happine and Sunae were fond of Zuger. They wouldn’t normally go out of their way to make her uncomfortable.

“Then there should be no problem. Isn’t that right, Happine?”

“True, true, Sunae. She’d just be wearing the same clothes as me, after all.”

But that aside, they still wanted to see her in Magyan clothing. Women were complicated creatures, after all.

“All right, I’ll wear them, then.”

With the two of them against her, there was no way Zuger would be able to put up any resistance. Further, if she was honest with herself...

“But, ah...I can at least pick the color, right?”

The fact of the matter was, she wanted to try them on as well.

It went without saying, but the clothes Sunae wore were expensive and rare even in the Magyan Kingdom. Even if they weren’t wearing formal attire, royals weren’t going to be dressed in clothes that they had picked off a rack. For most people, it would have been practically impossible to wear an outfit identical to hers, no matter how curious they were about trying it on. But Sunae was a princess of the Magyan Kingdom, and she had a fair amount of authority within the palace, so she was able to take Zuger and Happine to the clothier’s chambers and have them pick out clothes that fit them.

“W-Wow, this is amazing, isn’t it, Lady Happine...?”

The room was filled with clothing of the highest-quality material and crafted with the utmost care and skill. It was, in essence, a treasure chamber. In fact, there were soldiers posted to guard the room, and the clothier was accompanied by several dozen subordinates. Zuger, who had little experience in such glamorous places, was extremely nervous.

“Yes, quite. I didn’t expect it to be on this scale.”

Happine voiced her agreement, but there was a huge difference in their attitudes. While Zuger had been born into a family of hex artists, Happine was the daughter of one of the Four Great Houses. The rooms in her home didn’t quite match this one in scale, however there were similar chambers and clothiers employed by House Batterabbe.

“Noble families who fall on hard times tend to let rooms like this go, but...”

“Hmph. Magyan may value strength, but it’s not as though we don’t value formality. There’s no way we’d cut corners for something as important as clothing.”

Listening to the pair, who came from the upper-most echelons of high society, Zuger couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority next to them. While she had been born to a family with a special bloodline and a certain amount of status, those two were far more important than she had ever been.

Maybe I shouldn’t be here...No, that’s not true.

Zuger reflected on her own position due to that sense of inferiority, but that reflection reminded her that she had been more useful than she had generally given herself credit for. She didn’t need anyone to reassure her in order to regain a sense of her own value. It was understandable that she still felt a bit overawed next to the princess and the noblewoman, but she was still an important part of their little family unit. She was someone whom Saiga and the others needed...and she also loved being by their sides.

“Then...can I see what sort of clothes there are?”

“Oh, dear, Zuger got out ahead of me!”

“Despite all her reluctance... You’ve grown stronger, Zuger.”

Zuger smiled at the teasing. The other two joined her as they began to pick out their own clothes. After a while, Happine and Zuger had finished putting on Magyan-style outfits and were looking at one another’s reflections in a mirror.

“Zuger, you look wonderful! Hold yourself out with more confidence!”

“I-It’s still a little embarrassing!”

Happiness and shyness mixed as they enjoyed the clothes of a foreign culture. Both of them couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement at being dressed differently than usual. Sunae found herself pleased at watching them as well. There was no way that the princess could be displeased when her friends, her new family members, were enjoying her homeland’s culture.

“Both of you look good, though not quite as good as I do. Now, let’s show Saiga.”

“Yes! I’m sure he’ll be surprised!”

“Huh? We’re going to show Lord Saiga too?!”

Both Happine and Sunae seemed entirely at ease with showing off for the most important man in their lives. However, the more she thought about it and understood that this was the natural flow of events, Zuger still found herself extremely embarrassed at the prospect of having Saiga see her this way.

“If you don’t want to do it, Zuger, I’ll go by myself.”

“I imagine Saiga will be very disappointed not to see you in that dress, Zuger. He’s been working so hard; surely he could use the encouragement?”

“Well...”

Zuger hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself to be a little more assertive.

“Do you think Lord Saiga would be happy...to see me wearing these clothes?”

“We’re going to check! Of course, I already know what’ll happen!”

“Since we’re all wearing the same clothes, it might show the difference in the base material underneath.”

“T-Then I might be the best-looking! A-As much as I would hate to overshadow you two!”

The three girls laughed happily.

“Yes, then let’s have Saiga pick who looks the best!”

“That’s true... He’s going to marry three women. He’ll have to show how he can deal with a challenge like this!”

“Yes!”

They had gone from trying to cheer Saiga up to putting him on the spot and handing him a problem. However, it’s not as though any of the three actually wanted him to rank them.

No, they just wanted to play a little prank on the man who they all loved.