32 32. 10:00 a.m. at a clothing store




How about something like this?
Well, I think the teacher's mood is more relaxed than cheerful.
"Oh, sir?
Oh, no, ......a, something more subdued would suit Alta-kun's mood!

 I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will work for you.
 At the first clothing store I came to, I ended up choosing my own clothes.
 I didn't have any particular clothes that I liked, but Iris and the shopkeeper were talking and looking for clothes that would suit me.
 Aria, on the other hand, picked out some clothes for me.

"Sir, what about this?
"Miss Aria, that's a girl's dress.

 It was a full-on dress.
 There was no way I was going to wear it, but Aria looked at me with a puzzled look on her face.

I thought it looked good on you.
Haha ...... I hope you can find a man's dress if you can.
I'm a girl. ......
No, that's true, but...

 I'm a girl, so I can only understand women's clothes.
 Aria's clothes don't seem to indicate that she knows much about women's clothes, and she doesn't seem to be interested in them in the first place.
 And if we're talking about whether or not she looks good in it, she might look good in it, but I don't want to think about that too much.

"Sir, how about this next one?

 This time, Iris brought the clothes she and the shopkeeper had chosen.
 It was a decent-looking shirt, as expected from the two of them having chosen it together.
 She also picked out a pair of pants to match it.

Okay, let's go with that.
You're not looking too hard, are you, doctor?
No, not at all. You didn't look too hard, did you? - No, I didn't. Iris picked them out for me. I've seen it and I'm quite happy with it.
"......, is that so? It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

 I'm not sure what to make of it.
 I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

(Or is it ......?)

 Thinking back, I remember that she was very nervous in the sword class after she first promised to train Iris.
 At first, Iris gave me the impression that she was serious, but looking back, I think I can see more of her girlish side.
 Perhaps she was born with such a temperament.
 However, as her classmates also call her "Master Iris," she must have that image in many people's minds.
 In fact, the fact that people call her the "Sword Saint Princess", the strongest in the kingdom, is probably the best example.
 It all started with her victory in a swordsmanship tournament -- if Iris had been just a commoner, she might have been a swordsman with a promising future.
 But she was in the position of a daughter of a knight commander of the four great noble families.
 You can find a lot more than just a knight, you can find a nobleman who expects you to become a king.
 In this sense, today may be an opportunity for Iris to stretch her wings. ......

(Maybe it would have been better if this wasn't the day of the mission, though.

 With that in mind, all I can do now is to protect Iris.
The only thing I can do now is to protect Iris. After defeating the Swordsmen, I need to catch the people who are targeting Iris--that's what I need to do to protect Iris.

(I'll leave that to the Commander. ......)
"Sir?

 Aria was standing beside me, tugging at my sleeve.

"Miss Aria? What's wrong?
I'm sure you'll be pleased with Iris's choice of clothing, but why not mine?
...... No, that's not the premise.

 This time, for some reason, I brought a special kind of clothing, a robe with a hood and cat ears.
 I'm not sure I'd wear it for anything, but I wouldn't wear it for everyday wear.
 I feel that Aria's senses are even more out of sync than Iris's.
 Aria also said that she was under the care of the Rheinfels.
 In that sense, she is also living a life of a nobleman, I suppose.
 ...... As you can see, I don't get that vibe from her.

You and Iris are close, aren't you, Aria?
Yes, we are. I care about Iris a lot.

 I care about Iris." Aria answers clearly and without concealment.
 Aria also knows that the person who is targeting Iris is very powerful. She knew it was dangerous, but she came with me and Iris.
 That's how much she cares about Iris.

"Do you care about Iris?
"I do, yes. As a knight, I'm going to protect Iris.
No, not really.
As a mentor at .......
No, not really.

 ...... Both have been denied.
 It's not as a knight and it's not as a teacher.
 I'm not sure what to make of that.

"I'm protecting you because you're Iris. That's probably where you differ from your teacher.
...... I see, that's what you mean.

 I understood what Aria was trying to say.
 In the first place, you and I have fundamentally different ideas.
 It is true that I am in a position to protect Iris as a knight. Nothing more, nothing less.



If you want to protect Iris, do it.
Protect Iris because she's your daughter?
Yes. She wants to protect me, her teacher, and everything in between. That's why I'm worried about her. That's why I felt I had to protect her. But you've already fought to protect Iris twice, right? Then you can do the same for me. You're stronger than Iris, and you're stronger than me.

 Aria said, and then left.
 I've never seen Aria speak so clearly. She usually doesn't seem to talk much, but I guess she can talk when it's for Iris.
 The reason Aria took the trouble to tell me this was probably because she was thinking of Iris in her own way. She seems to be acting as usual, but secretly she might be worried about Iris a lot.

(If you're going to protect Iris, you'd better brace yourself, I guess. It's true that the destination is just a point I've decided. The enemy could come at any time.

 I'm not unguarded either.
 I'm confident that I can protect Iris alone if necessary.
 That is to say, I do not include Aria in my protection.
 Aria's words included the meaning of the words, "Be sure to protect Iris.
 She is a student, but she is thinking about Iris that much.

(......) Maybe I should learn a little from her. ( I should learn a little something from you, because just being strong doesn't mean anything.
"Hey, where's Aria?
She went to return the clothes you picked out.

 Iris comes back after paying the bill.
 I take the paper bag in my hand.

Thank you for the clothes. How much was it?
"Oh, it's okay.
No, you can't. I'm your teacher, I can't take advantage of my students.

 I'm a big saver when it comes to money, but I do have a certain amount of pride.
 ...... Well, it can be tempting to say that you can help me with various tasks.
 I'll give you the money first and then we'll talk.

Where should we go next?
If you haven't eaten breakfast, go to a restaurant and aim for your destination. How about ......?
"Yes. I haven't eaten, so if you haven't eaten either, that's fine. I think it would be a good time.
Well, I'll go tell Aria.
Yeah, I'll go with you. I'll go with you. Let's stay here as long as we can.
It's true that we're in the middle of a mission.

 As if remembering, Iris said.
 He seemed to be having a good time when he was picking out his clothes.
 I was confident that I could protect Iris, not only in the store but also at a certain distance, and I believe that Iris is capable of protecting herself.
 But if I'm going to protect Iris, at least I have to be close by--this is how I would respond to Aria's words.

(It's a student's request, so I'm going to listen to it. ...... It may or may not sound like a teacher. ......)
"Oh, and sir. Can I have a few minutes of your time after breakfast?
"Of course you can, sir.
Thank you very much.

 It seems that Iris has something to say to me.
 If she doesn't want to talk about it here, then she doesn't want others to hear it.
 So we finished our shopping at the clothing store and headed for breakfast.
 We seemed to be looking around and before we knew it, we were heading straight for our destination.