NOVEL WEB Ch. 203
Chapter 203
Standing before him was his former classmate, Erika Jermie.
Erika wore a purple dress and, unusually, had even put on accessories like earrings and a necklace.
Back when they lived together at the shrine, she often dressed casually, and even during their student days, he had only ever seen her in uniform—so this outfit felt incredibly fresh.
"Erika... what's with that outfit?"
"I-It's fine, isn't it!? Is it so wrong for me to dress up!?"
"No, it's not wrong, but..."
It's not wrong... but he couldn't help wanting to ask why.
A classmate showing up unannounced in a dress he'd never seen before—he felt he should at least be allowed to question it.
Perhaps Erika herself felt awkward in the unfamiliar outfit, as she fidgeted in her dress.
"S-So, um..."
"Hm?"
"I mean, like... don't you have something to say?"
Erika blushed deeply, fidgeting nervously as she asked.
Clael looked slightly puzzled... but quickly caught on and opened his mouth.
"Ah, it suits you. You look really pretty."
"Hagubadara..."
"Hm?"
"N-Nothing at all!"
It was definitely not "nothing."
She had just made a sound that a proper lady shouldn't be making.
"I-I made a reservation at the restaurant... so, um, l-let's go already...?"
"A reservation, huh... Ah, I see what's going on."
Hearing her stammered words, Clael felt oddly convinced.
(So it's a place with a dress code, and that's why she dressed up. She probably came unannounced because the person she originally planned to go with suddenly couldn't make it.)
That's why she came to invite a friend she'd recently reconnected with.
If that's the case, it all makes sense.
"Well, I hadn't eaten yet either. I don't mind going out for dinner."
"I-I see... that's a relief."
"I'll go change, so wait a bit."
Clael returned to his room to change clothes.
Judging by Erika's outfit, the place they were going to must be fairly upscale.
To avoid being turned away or embarrassed, he decided to dress appropriately.
"In that case... I guess it's tuxedo time?"
Clael changed into formal partywear that he rarely ever wore.
Clael was, after all, a member of the Byrne Marquis family. He owned clothes for formal occasions.
He pulled out an outfit he'd only worn once or twice from the back of the wardrobe.
"Kuma kuma."
"Kuma?"
Seeing Clael in clothes he would never normally wear, the plushie bears he lived with curiously approached.
"Ah, I'm heading out now. I'm counting on you to watch the place."
"Kuma?"
"A friend invited me to dinner. It seems like a decent place, so I'm dressing properly. Even a horse looks good in a saddle, right?"
Clael spread his arms to show off his outfit, chuckling at the idea of explaining himself to plushie bears.
"Kuma?"
"Yeah, a friend from school... You know, that adventurer girl named Erika who once stayed at the shrine."
"Kuma!?"
The plushie bear flailed its stubby arms in a flustered panic.
Is it really something to be that surprised about...? Going out to dinner with a friend is a normal thing.
"I might be back late, so feel free to go to bed without me."
"Kuma kuma kuma kuma!"
"Hey now, don't cling to me. You'll get fuzz all over my tuxedo."
He peeled off the plushie bear that had jumped on him and tossed it onto the bed.
"If you want to play, we'll do it later... Anyway, she's waiting downstairs, so I'm off."
"Kuma!"
Leaving behind the bear that let out a wild roar, Clael stepped out of the room.
He went down the staircase, met up with Erika who was waiting at the entrance, and headed out into the night city.