Chapter 68: The Sword King's Dress-Up Time

"If you're going on a date, wear this. Toma, your fashion sense is honestly pretty terrible."

"Why? What's wrong with wearing all black? It's great. It suits me as a dark-element user."

"Toma-kun, I'm not exactly one to criticize people's clothes... but wearing nothing but black is a little too conspicuous, don't you think?"

The day after deciding to go out with Julia, I found myself surrounded by Hikari and Alicia as they picked out clothes for me. Apparently, owning nothing but black clothes was unacceptable, and before I knew it, I'd been turned into a dress-up doll.

"At least your build is average. We can just put you in mass-produced clothes."

"People with larger builds sometimes need custom orders, after all. Even I occasionally have trouble finding underwear that—"

"That's not something you should be talking about in front of a guy. Please have a little more awareness, Alicia... Though I guess it's fine since it's Toma listening."

"Hey, does that mean you don't see me as a man? Or is it because I'm such a weirdo that you don't think it matters?"

I couldn't help protesting Hikari's remark. I was a man, after all. There was always the possibility that some casual comment from them might excite me. It wasn't unreasonable to wish they'd be a little more careful so I wouldn't suddenly turn into a beast.

"Come on, you're the kind of weirdo who gets excited just watching birds perform mating rituals. Every time a pair gets together, you start yelling, 'Yes! The couple is official!' Then the birds fly away while you reach out dramatically and watch them leave."

"That's fine. Those two birds definitely went on to live incredibly happy lives after departing to the sound of my blessings."

"There's not a single part of that that's okay."

The two of them had flown off together. Obviously, they'd gone on a romantic rendezvous afterward. If that wasn't true, my heart would probably shatter and become unusable for a while. And surely everyone would find that inconvenient.

At least, I hoped they would.

"A-Anyway, we'll prepare your clothes ourselves, Toma-kun... If you wear your usual clothes, people will recognize you immediately."

"At this point, black casual clothes basically equal Toma in the royal capital. Even if you sneak off somewhere, everyone figures it out and teases you."

"And in this case especially, if the goal is to help Julia-san relax, it's better if people don't notice. This isn't the royal capital, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Alicia and Hikari continued criticizing my wardrobe. Worse, every argument they made was completely logical. We were supposed to be going out for Julia's sake; causing her additional stress along the way would defeat the whole purpose.

The city we were currently in was close to the Kingdom of Yaranli, but it wasn't particularly developed. The reason was simple: there weren't many merchants traveling between the two nations. The Kingdom of Yaranli imposed strict travel restrictions. According to everyone from there, entering or leaving the country required extensive authorization.

Considering the former Spear King, that wasn't surprising.

I'd only confronted him briefly, but it was obvious. He'd been worn down to the breaking point. His mind had already collapsed. Yet he remained obsessed with controlling everything and keeping it within his grasp. Even from our short conversation, that much had been clear.

Would someone like that ever willingly allow people to leave his country?

No.

No matter the reason, he never would have.

"But things are different now."

I murmured to myself as I thought about Julia, who had become the current Spear King through a twist of fate. She was capable, innovative, and far more forward-thinking than anyone would expect from such a closed-off nation.

This city would surely grow through trade with Yaranli. It might even become the kind of place that attracted young people from rural villages.

At the very least, change was inevitable.

Julia Deuce did not desire stagnation.

Even after our short acquaintance, that much was obvious.

For better or worse, this city would change. And if we, the kings responsible for that change, were the catalyst, then we should witness what existed before the transformation. We should see what stood here now so we could reflect on our actions and measure what we eventually achieved.

"That's quite the justification you came up with to drag her out. Aren't you getting better and better at talking your way through things?"

"Occupational hazard. Heh... It just means I'm growing as a king. Don't you think growth is wonderful?"

"Some things don't change no matter how much you grow. Normally that's supposed to be a good thing, but with you it turns into a fetish, so I'd actually prefer it if it changed."

"Hey, being a relationship fanatic isn't the only thing about me that hasn't changed. There are definitely other things too. Probably."

Since becoming the Sword King, both my body and mind had changed. Physically, I'd grown more muscular and better suited for combat. Mentally, most of my memories from my previous life had faded away, which should have changed me considerably.

Carol, who knew the details better than anyone, had once said:

"Memory is supposed to be one of the most important factors in shaping a person's identity... so how is it possible that you've changed absolutely nothing...?"

But surely I had changed.

Otherwise, I'd just be the exact same carefree, easygoing relationship fanatic regardless of whether I had memories or not.

"Hikari, I'm not some carefree, easygoing guy, right?"

"You should use that as your self-introduction."

I nearly cried.

I mean, I'd been vaguely aware of it myself, but hearing it from my childhood friend hit differently.

"T-Toma-kun is fine the way he is! You've helped me so much, Toma-kun!"

"A-Alicia..."

"Wake up, Toma. She didn't deny anything about your personality. Also, I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop getting excited whenever we run into animal couples while we're out together. I genuinely have no idea how I'm supposed to react."

"Guaaahhh!!"

"Aah! Toma-kun just collapsed onto the ground!?"

Her completely serious tone devastated me.

Droplets fell to the floor as I slumped over.

I knew.

I understood.

I knew it caused trouble for Hikari and Alicia.

But it was instinct at this point.

Even if I lost all my memories, I knew with absolute certainty I'd still be like this.

If I had to describe it, it was something engraved into my soul itself.

"Well, that's just who you are, Toma. And we've already decided we're sticking around anyway, so don't worry about it so much."

"H-Hikari... It's like I can see a halo behind you..."

As I sat there defeated, Hikari quietly reached out a hand.

Her silver hair seemed to glow.

Like a scene from some sacred myth.

Like an angel descending from heaven, she gently helped me back to my feet.

"Toma-kun, please realize something. Hikari-chan is the one who pushed you into this state in the first place. This is what they call a self-inflicted problem."

"Huh!? T-That was close... If Alicia hadn't said that, I would've been completely swept away..."

"Tch. I was planning to slowly reform you over time..."

That sounded frightening.

Maybe I'd been causing Hikari more mental stress than I realized.

At this point, I'd have to make her favorite sweets as an apology. Back when we lived in our hometown village, she always happily ate the homemade desserts I occasionally made.

She spoke harshly, but her love of sweets was incredibly girly.

And I loved that side of my childhood friend.

"What? Why are you suddenly smiling? Did I say something weird?"

"Yeah, you said something weird. But... I really like that part of you, Hikari."

"Ugh...!? Y-You...!"

Perfect.

Counterattack successful.

The thing that worked best against Hikari was straightforward sincerity.

Seeing her panic with a bright red face was unbelievably cute considering how she'd been acting moments ago.

Though honestly, I thought she was cute all the time.

"...Toma-kun, try on this outfit next!"

"Huh? Sure... Are you angry?"

"Not at all. Nope. It's not like I wanted you to compliment me too."

Alicia puffed out her cheeks and turned away, though she kept stealing glances in my direction.

I couldn't help laughing.

For the moment, she'd completely forgotten she was the Saintess.

And that made me happier than I could express.

The real Alicia wasn't exactly ordinary—she was far too cute for that—but her personality was surprisingly normal.

Especially recently, her emotions showed clearly on her face.

And that was wonderful.

If I was allowed to be arrogant enough to believe I had something to do with that change, then although it was embarrassing, I was glad.

"Thank you, Alicia. But... don't you think all the clothes you've been recommending are really white? And there's a lot of gold decoration too. Isn't this stuff expensive?"

"Oh, those decorations are imitations. Gold-plated accessories have become popular in Swordria recently. They're famous for being a stylish and affordable option."

"I see... Thinking that happened because I became the Sword King makes me a little happy. It makes all the effort feel worthwhile."

"Exactly. That's why I thought they'd suit a hardworking Toma-kun."

"...Liar. That's not the only reason."

Hikari, who had finally recovered from blushing herself unconscious, stood up and narrowed her eyes at Alicia.

The look in her eyes resembled a predator spotting prey—or a hunter taking aim with a bow.

"White is the main color of Alicia's Saintess outfit. And gold is literally the color of Alicia's hair."

"Nyaa!?"

"Oh right, that's true. But that means... wait, don't tell me..."

"That's right! What this girl really wanted was matching outfits with Toma! She wanted to dress him in her image colors and subtly claim him as hers! Clever and shameless!"

"Nyaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!?!?!?!"

Apparently Hikari had hit the bullseye.

Alicia curled up into a defensive position, clutching her head.

Her face was hidden, but her ears weren't.

And those ears were bright red.

It wasn't hard to imagine what expression she was making.

"I see... Matching outfits, huh... Why does that make me so happy?"

"Because you love that kind of thing. Whenever you spot something like that in the royal capital, you stare with those crazy eyes, force yourself to look away, then fail and take a second look."

"Not taking a second look at something that beautiful isn't an option, Hikari. I only want to celebrate their future and happiness. I simply can't forgive anything that gets in the way of that."

"You're the one staring so intensely that you're making the couple uncomfortable. You're literally the biggest obstacle in their way."

I sat down beside Alicia in the same position.

Unlike her bright-red face, mine had gone completely pale.

Had I really been bothering them?

Were all those couples uncomfortable because of me?

But then again, some of them had waved at me after noticing I was watching.

Maybe there was some urban legend spreading around.

Like: Couples seen by Toma are guaranteed happiness.

"If that's true, then we'd have a completely legal, mutually beneficial relationship where they enjoy being watched too...! I need to start spreading that rumor immediately!"

"How does someone go from sitting there pale-faced to jumping up full of energy ten seconds later...? I've known you for over ten years and I still don't understand you."

I deliberately ignored Hikari's exasperated comment.

Someone who constantly predicted my thoughts before I even spoke had no right to criticize me.

"But you really do stop me before I can say things all the time."

"Experience. That's all."

"...Liar. Hikari-chan is lying."

Alicia rose slowly to her feet, still bright red, and glared at Hikari.

Well, "glared" might be too strong a word.

It looked more like a puppy trying to be intimidating.

Maybe she simply wasn't used to being angry.

"The reason Hikari-chan can read Toma-kun's mind is because she's always thinking about Toma-kun! Eighty percent of what we talk about during tea parties is about Toma-kun, so I'm absolutely certain!"

"Ngh!?"

"No way. Surely she doesn't talk about me that much... Wait. Is that true, Hikari?"

"D-Don't!? That's not—wait! Stop! Don't look at me like thaaaat!!"

Now it was Hikari's turn to collapse while clutching her head.

She was so embarrassed that her usually tied-up hair had practically sprung upright like a tail.

Still, seeing Alicia finally get some payback on Hikari was refreshing.

It meant the two of them had grown much closer.

"We did it, Toma-kun! I beat Hikari-chan!"

In the end, seeing Alicia laugh so brightly and Hikari squirm in embarrassment made everything worth it.