I'm sober now.

...Oh, it's annoying how surprisingly addictive it is when you try it.

　Behind us, Irvine and Malt say with a complicated expression on their faces.

　At their waists is a piece of tsukudani given to them as a parting gift from the old man at the tsukudani shop. He was amused to see them screaming with locusts for the first time in a while.

　Of course, it goes without saying that the only thing in it was locusts.

　The other tsukudani we bought are not even a package, as we've told the ryokan to send them.

That's a good sign.

Ha-ha, so we're even now.

　Aleusha and Ilya were made to eat octopus on the boat. Gentle Ilya doesn't seem to have any particular intentions of protecting them either.

''You'll be fine once you get used to it, okay?

No, thank you!

　I don't know if Rumba is particularly unconcerned or not, but he was recommending the tsukudani of locusts he got as a snack to Ilya.

　I tried one just now, but I still can't get used to it.

　It's true that that slightly hard texture is fresh, but the look on my face makes me hesitate.

　Why is it that they are dyed a soy sauce color and are so dark and dark that you can't see them clearly, but when you try to eat them, you can see them clearly?

'Ah, it's a clothing store.'

　As I was walking around thinking about this, Ilya pointed to a building ahead of me.

　There is a two-story building there, with a sign hanging on it that says 'Japanese Clothing Store Fuji'.

'Good. Let's go look at the kagura clothes.''

　Aleusha and Illya run to the front of the clothing store, screaming with happiness.

　When you see them like that, you can see that no matter where you are in the world, girls love clothes the same way. The sight of a beautiful woman enjoying herself is really a sight for the eyes.

　The sight of yesterday's pillow tossing seems to wash away....no. It's not easy to forget. Especially the thing I saw when Günther fell on his back....

'What's the matter?　Mr. Alfried?

It's nothing.

　Despite Irvine's concern, I ran up to the clothing store on a short run to keep up with everyone.

　The room is decorated with brightly colored kagura clothes and cloths that decorate the room beautifully. Even when you are walking outside, you can't help but stop when you see them. They are not very strong, but there is a sense of neatness and serene beauty exuded from the kagura clothes.

　This kind of store that has the atmosphere of a tranquil old store is a bit difficult to enter, but thanks to the fact that Aleusha and Ilya are already in there, the men could enter without hesitation.

　Once inside the clothing store, the smell of tatami mats and incense-like scents waft through the air.

　There was a little bit of tension when entering, a little bit of calm and breathing slowly. The scent of the room is similar to that of an inn, and it's not that intimidating.

'It's kind of upscale.'

Yeah. I feel out of place.

　Irvine, Malt looked a little uncomfortable, probably because he had never been in a restaurant with this kind of atmosphere at all. 'You don't look like the same guys who were screaming about booze and pillow throwing in a fancy inn yesterday.

'Just think of it as an inn.

I see.

　I said dumbly, and it took the slack out of Irvine and Malt. That said, we can't have a party or throw pillows here, right?

　Ilya and Aleusha are already listening to their employees and looking at their kagura clothes happily.

''Welcome. Would you like a kagura outfit?''

　Just as we were about to look at the clothes at random, we were approached by a woman.

　She was dressed in a pale shade of cherry blossom.

　I wondered why a clerk in a clothing store would talk to you at the right moment when you were thinking of doing whatever you wanted to do. Well, it's okay that it's not a bother this time.

'Yes, I'd like to see some men's kagura clothes.

Okay. Now, come on in the back.

　I reply, and the woman bows with a neat motion and urges me to the back. Apparently, most of the shop's entrances are women's kagura clothes.

　As I was led to the back room, I arrived at a room with the same structure as before.

　There, instead of brightly colored kagura clothes, there were relatively calm men's kagura clothes on display.

　After entering the room, we climbed up onto the tatami mats to look at the kagura suits.

　If you look closely, you can see that some of them are very elaborate, with embroidery in bright and flashy colors and gold for men.

　Even the sleeves and collar area were embroidered and lined, showing the attention to detail that had been paid to the details.

'Oh!　This looks like the moveable clothes I saw earlier.

　While I was looking at the kagura clothes in the store, Lumumba picked up what looked like a jimbei.

It's a jimbei. It's an everyday outfit that has recently become popular in Kagura.

I see, it's called a jimbei. It's easy to wear and looks cool.

It's the kind of thing you'd normally wear.

　The shopkeeper responds to Rumba's words with a wry smile.

　That's the kind of criteria men use to choose clothes. As long as it's practical, I'll happily wear it.

　Brother Silvio and Father Nord should have dressed more roughly, too.

　This is not an act of jealousy or backwardness towards two people who dress well, you know?　It's my kind consideration that since we're at the mansion, we should dress comfortably.

"Would you like to try it on if you'd like?

Oh, please!

I need a kid's jinbei, too.

I'm sorry, sir.

　That's why me and Roomba decided to change into jimba together.



　◆


'.........Amazing, sir. Even though she's just a young child, she looks great in her jimbei, doesn't she? .........What a sense of dignity, it's hard to believe he's a child.

　The woman who made me wear a jinbei said this to me, looking surprised.

　The reflection in the mirror is me in an austere dark blue jinbei.

'....that's right, thanks.

　........I don't know why. I'm supposed to be praised, but I'm not happy at all.

　Normally a young child would look cute in a jimbei, but that's not the case with me. He has brown hair and sleepy eyes, and he wears his clothes like an adult, probably because he is tired from his previous life.

　I'm not sure that a child at the age of seven would look good in a jimbei, but....

　With some mixed feelings, I returned to the tatami room, but no one was there.

　Irvine and Malt, who were there earlier, must have gone in to try on Kagura clothes too.

　Thinking so, I was looking at the Kagura clothes for a while to pass the time when I heard Roomba's voice from the back room.

'Oh!　Did Al wear a jinbei too?

Yeah, the Roomba--

　I was about to turn around and ask the Roomba if he was properly dressed, when my voice stopped.

　This was because the rumba that came out of the back room looked like the kind of master that would run the backstreets for all intents and purposes.

　His hair was rough like a lion's, his face was chiseled and strong, and an eye patch draped over his right eye.

　Rumba, whose muscles rose more than a hundred and eighty centimeters high, wore a black and gray jimbei in a different direction than normal.

　I had thought that a jimbei or a rumba would look good in it, but it was more than I had imagined.

''........Roomba, no matter how you look at it, you just look like someone who works behind the scenes.

　The employee who would have helped me change the Roomba nodded in agreement with my words.

'Really?　Well, if it looks good on you, why not?

Well, yeah.

　In fact, Roomba would have no problem with anyone getting involved. The people who really work behind the scenes might be in a big hurry to see the Roomba, though.

　It's going to give them the misconception that some guy from a foreign country has entered the back streets.

　While I was looking at the Roomba and thinking about this, the Roomba was staring at me in my jimba suit.

"Well it's Al who looks too good for you, isn't it?　When a child wears a jimbei, it's supposed to be more... adorable, right?　You're nothing like those Kagranian kids in town.

I get the vibe of a man enjoying his retired life.

　Even the employees will say lines like that.

'Well, if it suits you, then why not?'

　With an indescribable expression on my face, I utter the same lines as Roomba.

'Right!　If it suits you, good for you!

　I wanted to be a man who looked good in cattily dressed clothes like my brother Silvio anyway.

　A snug kimono doesn't look good on me, you know?　I tried to match it lightly earlier, but it didn't look horribly appropriate.

　I felt like the employee's gentle concern for me, laughing with an ambiguous expression on her face, was the opposite of what I felt.

''Hahan?　This looks better on me, doesn't it?　I've got a more chic vibe than you, huh?

'Say stupid, I'd look better than you. Well, if you ask me which one of us looks more like a thug, I'm not going to give it to you.

'What?　Then let's let Mr. Lumumba and Master Alfried be the judge!

I love it.

　An argument between Irvine and Malt can be heard from the back room. Apparently they're torn over who looks better.

　After seeing Roomba, though, it seems that neither of them will be as impressive as the other.

''Mr. Roomba, Master Alfried!　Which one looks better on you!

Oh?

　Roomba looks back at them as they come out of the back with vigor.

''Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!''

　It was a powerful thing in itself, and Irvine and Malt made a pitiful noise.

'Hey, what. Mr. Lumumba? I was wondering where you were from behind the scenes.

Too powerful....

　I know the feeling. I'd avoid running into the head of an encounter, too.

"By the way, who do you think is wearing the kagura suit, me or Malt?

Of course I did, didn't I?　Mr. Roomba?

No, it's me, right?　Mr. Alfried?

　He asks me as Malt and Irvine pose to look a little cooler.

　Irvine, with his black hair and stubble, is wearing an austere purple kimono instead of wearing a jimbei like we are.

　He's a very reluctant guy to choose purple all of a sudden. It's a good match for the purple kagura outfit, coupled with his aging face, but it's doubtful if he's wearing it well.

　On the other hand, Malt was wearing a rather bright blue kimono, perhaps to match the shade of his blonde hair. Unlike Irvine, this one could be said to be wearing a normal kagura outfit, but the flirtatious atmosphere emanating from Molto apparently ruined it.

''..........''

　Me and Roomba gazing at the two of them.

　It's not that they look good, or that they're dressed well, but they're both.......

He looks like a thug for all intents and purposes.

What?