kscans

Chapter 425 - Enthusiasm ≒ Price

"—Hah, yes!!! Nia-chan is a genius!!!!!"

And then there was this indigo-haired girl.

After a somewhat awkward exchange with my partner, around 7:00 PM in real time, I logged out to prepare dinner. After seeing Sora off, I headed to the atelier to take care of a promised errand… and well, one thing led to another, and here we are.

I was more or less prepared for this, but my mental state, already fragile from being dumped by my partner, was currently leaning towards paper-thin durability.

I was dressed in the 'outfit' that had turned out just as expected. Catching my weary reflection in the mirror, a strange, self-deprecating laugh bubbled up.

If I could, I'd love to be made a public spectacle right now, to be pointed at and laughed at by the entire world. That alone could be my salvation.

Yes, it is definitely not—

"Oh my god, it's so freaking cute! Why the long face? It's cute!!!"

Definitely not this kind of unconditional praise that I'm looking for.

[Sakura Hanaori]—the outfit Nia created exclusively for my Trance form. Like the jeweled cloth equipment Sora wears (the El-Clelia), it's a special piece of gear with a function that links to an accessory.

The one currently equipped is exactly the same, a barrier deployment function with a limited number of uses. As for recharging its magic, with my stats, there should be no problem at all.

The requirement of a perfect, just-timed guard for its use is a bit tricky, but it's an ability that has excellent synergy with a glass cannon build. Therefore, in terms of performance, I have not a single complaint.

My complaint… or rather, what I can't help but whine about, is purely its construction, its 100% design aesthetic—

"…What was the motif again?"

"Military uniform crossed with Japanese clothing!!"

"Just hearing that, you'd think it would look cool…"

"Why not? It has its 'cool' parts, doesn't it!"

Well, yeah, the ratio is about 3-to-7—and of course, the 'cute' component is the latter.

True to the military uniform motif, the stand-up collar jacket with its assertive large buttons has a crisp, formal feel… or so I thought, but the sleeves are a mysterious asymmetrical design. The right arm is a long sleeve, while the left is a short sleeve, and to top it off, both shoulders are wide open.

That much is still fine. But the lower half is out of bounds. I did say 'anything but a skirt is fine,' but I didn't mean literally anything is fine.

I really wish she had correctly read my inner thoughts and shown some consideration—I was not anticipating tight-fitting hot pants that leave my legs completely exposed. Can this even be called 'clothing' with this little fabric???

To top it off, it's a soul-crushing design where the special ability of the outfit won't activate unless I perfectly equip everything, including the mysteriously particular left-leg-only tights and right thigh belt.

There's some salvation in the one-sided cape (a pelerine) that covers my sleeveless left side, and the waistcloth made of the same material that offers a slight bit of cover… but overall, there's no denying that it's an extremely aggressive design, in terms of skin exposure.

The main body is a white base, with the upper and lower decorative cloths adorned with a gorgeous cherry blossom pattern on black fabric. Without a doubt, just walking around in this will draw an insane amount of attention.

What's truly beyond saving is the fact that my Trance form manages to pull off this borderline-outlandish outfit perfectly. Being 'good-looking' is just too unfair.

And then there's Nia's skill and sense in creating something that perfectly matches the model.

I've been presented with such a stunningly complete visual that I can't even complain, to the point where I want to scream my complaints at the top of my lungs.

Well, since the equipment I ordered from Kagura-san isn't ready yet, I guess it's not perfectly 'complete.' That man has a high sense of style too… which makes me even more scared for what's to come.

Aside from the elegant cherry blossom pattern and the waistcloth that, depending on how you look at it, could resemble a 'hakama,' the overall Japanese-style design is truly elegant and lovely. But setting that aside, the texture of the fabric is just not on a normal level, is it?

It's like, it exudes a sense of luxury, and despite the cosplay-like design, there's not a hint of cheapness…

………………You know, for this commission, I didn't go out to gather any materials.

"Uh… Nia-chan?"

"Hmm?"

Having spent a few months in this virtual world, I've developed a bit of an eye for things. It helps that I'm surrounded by people who use 'good stuff.'

Therefore, I can pretty much tell just by looking.

"You used some crazy materials for this, didn't you?"

—Just how valuable the materials used in that equipment are.

"…………………………Way, way, waaaaaay west of the safe area, there's a super, super, super rare enemy that hardly ever shows up, you know."

"Yeah."

"It's a snake-type enemy called [Halphas Pluto, Great Serpent of the Pure White Tree], and it camouflages itself as a really, really beautiful, large white cherry blossom tree. The number of recorded subjugations… or rather, encounters, is just one in the past."

"Doesn't this game have a lot of those???"

"So, the party that was lucky enough to encounter and defeat it got the spoils after a fierce battle. But since it was a huge enemy, the materials that dropped were also huge."

"Right, okay."

"So, at the time, a massive auction was held for that group of rare materials."

"Sounds fun."

"Oh, it was a blast. Anyway, the 'hide' that was being sold was just so beautiful—I fell in love at first sight and bought it."

…………………………

Hey, why did you tell that story with such nostalgia? I have to ask, so I'm asking, but I'm starting to feel a chill.

An auction for super-rare materials in an MMO… that's a huge red flag, isn't it?

"…………………………Tell me, how much?"

I don't know when this auction was held, but from the way she's talking, it sounds like it was 'a treasured material she'd been saving.'

If she were to use something like that, even Nia would surely 'resolve' herself not to compromise on the accompanying materials.

In other words, there's a high probability that this outfit I'm wearing contains not just the Halphas-whatever material, but other insane things as well.

Therefore, I wasn't asking for the price of the 'hide' alone, but the total value of the 'outfit.' Tapping my chest to indicate the clothes, I asked, "How much?"—at which point Nia, who had been bouncing around with high energy, suddenly changed her demeanor and averted her gaze, looking somewhat awkward.

I see. This is probably not going to be settled with a simple 'few hundred million.'

"Alright, I get it. I'm declaring this up front: I'm definitely paying this time. If you don't accept it, I'll dump my entire fortune right here and leave, so be prepared."

"Wha, all of… hey, by the way, how much is your entire fortune?"

"Who knows."

Since it's not something worth talking about in detail, Nia only knows that my finances are at a level where I can easily make payments in the hundreds of millions.

As for the full extent of my payment capacity, only Kagura-san, who handles the market sales of the 'horns,' and Sora, who shares my wallet, know the exact amount.

Frankly, even if a ridiculous number like 'ten billion' came out of her mouth, I could pay it in full without any issue.

So, the reason I'm trembling now isn't the amount itself, but—

"………………A-About this much, I think."

"…I see. Is that two, twenty, or two hundred?"

"The, the middle one…"

—It's probably, surely, most likely this girl's bad habit of trying to get out of being paid two billion, claiming that she 'did it for her own enjoyment' or some such thing.

As Nia held up a peace sign with a weak smile, her eyes still averted, I let out a loud, deliberately theatrical sigh so she could hear me clearly—

"Well… no matter how crazy you go, as long as you make me something 'good,' I won't complain. Here's your payment. Accept it, or this room will be flooded with a massive amount of Luna."

"Y-Yes. Thank you for your business…"

As I opened the trade window and sent the payment without waiting for an answer, I made a mental note to seal the 'leave it to you' command as much as possible from now on.

This unhealthy habit of lavishing gifts needs to be corrected.