Lina and I stepped out of the noisy guild and wandered along the streets, getting a feel for this town.
We arrived at the snack street. Though it wasn't very big, it offered a variety of foods—grilled skewers, fried snacks, fruits, and drinks. People came and went, creating a lively atmosphere. At night, it would probably turn into a full-fledged night market.
Lina's eyes lit up as she stared at the unfamiliar foods, so we decided to buy some to try.
"Karen, everything here tastes amazing!"
"I think so too," I replied. The flavors were a bit different from what I remembered in my previous life, but they were still delicious.
After trying so many snacks, our stomachs were nearly full, enough to replace lunch. For dessert, we wanted some fruit, so we approached a stall displaying a variety of unfamiliar fruits.
After asking the vendor, we learned about them: Starlight Berry, Silvermoon Banana, Ice Melon, and River Apple.
Starlight Berry looked like tiny star-shaped blueberries and would grant night vision for 10 minutes when eaten.
Ice Melon were sweet melons that emitted a cold aura, cooling the body for 15 minutes.
Silvermoon Banana were silver in color, a fruit that grew by absorbing moonlight.
River Apples were pale blue and grew in rivers.
Fruits in this world differed not only in how they grew but also in their effects when eaten—truly fascinating.
But ultimately, the most important thing about fruit was taste. We decided to buy a Ice Melon and a River Apple.
Next, we wandered into the ingredient street, mainly frequented by housewives buying groceries for cooking. We could hear lively bargaining all around.
"Boss, 30 copper coins is too much. Can you make it cheaper? 25 coins?"
"That would be a loss, but since you're a regular, I'll make it 27 coins."
"Deal. 27 coins it is."
Hearing so much haggling wasn't bad; it was educational. Then we spotted a spice stall and quickly headed over.
"Welcome! What do you need?"
I glanced at the board: sugar 10 copper coins, salt 30 copper, soy sauce 10copper, pepper 5copper, chili powder 2 copper.
(Salt is really expensive… good thing we already have plenty.)
"Boss, give me two of everything except the salt."
The shopkeeper packed sugar, soy sauce, pepper, and chili powder into a bag and told me the total.
"That'll be 54 copper coins."
I handed over a silver coin. The shopkeeper took it, then returned 4 large copper coins and 6 copper coins.
"Here's 46 copper coins."
"Thank you."
I gave the wallet to Lina so she could store the coins; my hands were full. While storage magic existed, it wasn't widely used in this town yet, and I didn't want to explain unnecessarily.
We continued shopping and only used the storage pocket when we reached a less crowded area. Lina handed the wallet back to me.
"Lina, you keep the wallet for now."
It didn't matter who held it since we were always together, and it was a good opportunity for her to learn how to pay.
"Okay."
She accepted it temporarily, and we kept exploring. I also bought some pork at a meat stall and learned which monster meats were edible. Monsters like the Sugrith Tiger, which looked like animals, tasted good, while humanoid monsters like orcs were quite unappetizing.
After the ingredient street, we reached the clothing district. Here, shops replaced stalls.
We entered the first store but I immediately wanted to leave—it was a women's clothing shop. Thankfully, Lina was with me, so I didn't look suspicious.
The clothes were beautiful, perfect for Lina.
"Lina, go pick the ones you like."
"Mm!"
Excited, Lina began exploring, but couldn't decide. A shop assistant approached.
"Little miss, this outfit would suit you perfectly. Would you like to try it?"
Lina looked at me nervously, and I nodded. She replied to the assistant.
"I want to try."
"Please head to the fitting room."
Lina followed the sales clerk into the fitting room and drew the black curtain closed, while the clerk and I waited outside.
While we were waiting, I decided to ask the clerk a question.
"Excuse me, miss, could you tell me where to buy shoes?"
We had been wearing slippers all this time—even during the hunt against the Orc King—so it looked a bit odd. It was definitely time to get a proper pair of shoes.
Of course, we'd still need slippers for bathing, and our old ones were worn out, so replacements were necessary.
The clerk glanced down briefly, then smiled at me.
"Starting from the next shop over, it's the third one along."
"Thank you."
Lina soon came out wearing the recommended outfit—a white inner shirt, a light blue short-sleeved top, and a blue skirt. The combination suited her perfectly; it seemed made just for her.
"Wow… it's beautiful!"
The clerk's compliment brought me back to reality, and then she suddenly walked off to another part of the store, leaving Lina staring at me.
"It really suits you," I said.
I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, signaling my approval. Lina's face immediately turned red, and she looked down, fidgeting with her hands.
Just then, the clerk returned, carrying a pile of clothes.
"Little miss, would you like to try on some more outfits? It's perfectly fine if you don't buy them!"
Lina looked to me for approval, and I nodded. She became a little fashion doll, trying cute, elegant, and mature styles.
"Karen, help me choose. Which one suits me best?"
I picked two cool-toned outfits to complement her snowy hair and blue eyes.
"These two."
"Okay, I'll buy these."
She handed them over to the assistant, who packed them.
"That's 1 silver coin."
We also bought socks, a pair of new slippers, and leather shoes. Lina spotted a lingerie shop, since she was starting to develop. I stayed outside while she went in, wallet in hand.
While waiting, I thought about tomorrow—the bicycle Gajeel promised to finish. Hopefully he could make a larger bike for us in the future.
When Lina returned, her face was bright red, clutching a bag. I didn't ask what happened.
After that, we came to a store selling ordinary clothes. The prices were very cheap, like a big clearance sale.
We bought a few sets of clothes for our adventurers work, and Lina returned the wallet to me.
By the time we stepped outside, it was already evening, so we decided to head back to the inn. On our way, however, we spotted a stall selling combs and decided to take a look.
It was a small accessories stall, offering various hair ornaments, headbands, and all kinds of wooden combs. The combs had teeth of different widths and spacings.
"Welcome! Looking for a suitable comb? Let me introduce them to you," the shop owner said.
He explained the uses of the combs, suitable for both boys and girls. The combs could groom hair, clean dust from it, and even massage the scalp, promoting blood circulation and helping with hair growth and preventing hair loss.
"I see… Lina, is there one you like?"
"This one," Lina said, picking up a nine-row comb. Its surface was semi-circular, with nine rows of teeth—perfect for long-haired girls.
I chose a regular single-row comb. Looking at myself for the first time in a while, I realized how messy my hair had gotten and wanted to tidy it up.
"We'll take these two. How much are they?" I asked, deciding to buy both combs.
"These two will be 34 copper coins in total," the owner replied.
I paid, and we continued to the inn.
As night approached, the streets became less crowded, and each stall began to close up. The restaurants, however, grew lively with people finishing work and coming out to eat.
Afterward, we returned to the inn. Once we had finished dinner, we went to take a bath.
Before washing my hair, I used the new comb I had bought to brush away all the dust from the day, making it easier to wash and helping protect my hair's quality.
After finishing the bath, I stood in front of the mirror and combed my hair forward, then parted it and styled my bangs into a 30/70 split.
My hair wasn't long enough to comb fully back, so it fell forward slightly, but I managed to fix it at an angle, revealing a bit of my forehead. The lighter weight of the hair caused the ends to lift just a little.
It looked much cleaner and more refreshing, and my hair stayed neat—I was satisfied.
I then stepped out of the bathing area to wait for Lina. At that moment, the boss lady spoke to me.
"Karen, a new hairstyle, huh? It looks really refreshing. Yours was fine before, but now… you look even cooler."
Her tone sounded sincere, so I accepted the compliment gracefully.
"Thanks, it's all thanks to the comb I bought today."
Lina came out with her long, damp hair looking silky thanks to the comb. She froze when she saw me.
"Lina?"
"Let's go back to the room!"
Lina snapped out of her daze, suddenly grabbed my hand, and tugged me forcefully back toward our room.
I didn't understand why she was acting this way, but since the goal was clearly to go back to the room, I replied with a simple question.
"Okay…?"
The innkeeper's wife, watching me being pulled along, commented with a playful tone.
"So cute."
As Lina dragged me along, I kept replaying the events in my mind, trying to figure out what had prompted her reaction. I activated a third-person perspective in my mind to review the scene.
Lina had frozen when she saw me. The only noticeable difference was my new hairstyle—but could that alone have stunned her? The innkeeper's wife's comment wasn't directed at me; it was about Lina, but not about appearance—rather, her behavior.
If it were about my appearance, was Lina truly mesmerized by my "cool" new hairstyle? That would be narcissistic. No, it had to be that something else had suddenly occurred to her.
When we reached our room, I took out the key and opened the door. I used a bit of magic to light the lamps inside, while Lina locked the door behind us.
I handed her a damp towel, and Lina took it with both hands. She didn't immediately use her own towel, instead lowering her head and rubbing her hands together.
Her hand movements clearly indicated she was shy—but shy about what, I wasn't sure.
Her face slowly turned red, and she finally lifted her head to speak.
"Karen… your… your new hairstyle… it's… really handsome…"
Was that really it? Her reaction was because my new hairstyle made me look more attractive. Since I had anticipated this possibility, I wasn't embarrassed when I heard it, and I returned her compliment.
"Thanks. Your hair looks even more beautiful too."
Hearing my words, Lina's fair face blushed like a ripe apple. She shyly tried to cover her face with her hands, but since she was holding my towel, she buried her face in that instead.
Once she calmed down, she revealed her face, took out her own towel, and began drying her hair, which had become a little messy. I reminded her gently.
"Lina, your hair is a bit messy."
She then handed me the nine-row comb.
"Karen, can you help me fix it?"
Without a mirror, she couldn't see her own hair, so she needed my help.
"Of course."
I accepted her request and gently combed her long hair. It was incredibly smooth—no tangles even after multiple passes.
Her hair was very fine. Even though she had a lot of it, it wasn't thick, and the texture was excellent—soft, silky, and elastic, pleasant to the touch.
"Mm~"
Thanks to the comb, Lina looked very comfortable and even made a small, adorable sound.
"All done."
I handed the comb back to her, and she smiled.
"Thank you, Karen."
"You're welcome."
I smiled in return, and then we went to sleep, my towel still resting in Lina's arms as usual.
I calculated today's expenses. Not knowing how much Lina's underwear cost, the total was a little over three silver coins. Prices here weren't too high.
This was a town, not a city, with fewer people and abundant supply, so costs were naturally lower. Prices in the capital must be incomparable.
Plus, the capital would gather many skilled artisans, making finely crafted and durable items very expensive.
With these thoughts lingering, I finally drifted off to sleep.