"The reborn party, with Mei added, successfully cleared the tenth floor of the dungeon. It was an overwhelming victory, thanks to the addition of a front-liner, their previous experience in clearing it, and the level-up of Ren and Furi. The main rewards included twenty World Fragments and one Job Change Stone.
"The Job Change Stone count has increased," Ren noted.
This was due to the specification that if even one inexperienced member is present, the clear count resets from the beginning. While this was slightly underhanded, without it, members joining later might never get a chance to change jobs. Furthermore, the new member needs to be sufficiently active, so it can't be called too easy. In fact, the reason Takuma and his group were able to use three stones was precisely because they could acquire multiples this way. Since Furi didn't need a job change yet, the new stone was put aside for the time being.
The following holiday.
"Mei. Is there anything you want?" Ren asked.
"? Why the sudden question, Master?" Mei replied.
"Well, it's a reward for your hard work during the meeting."
Ren and Mei were alone in the house. Furi and Iris had gone to the Wise Man to look at the monster encyclopedia. Mariabell was, as usual, asleep in her room and was not counted.
The new junior, though surprisingly talkative when addressed, was usually quiet. She often spent her holidays quietly reading in the living room. She was in the living room because she didn't have her own room. The four private rooms were currently occupied by Ren and the others. They had discussed sharing a room or having someone move out so Mei could have a private room, but Mei had said:
There is no need for concern. I do not require sleep in a bed.
She takes a form of rest similar to computer defragmentation or sleep mode, but she can do so just by sitting in a chair and closing her eyes. Since she didn't need a room as long as she could put her luggage somewhere, Ren and the others had left it as is, thinking, "If she insists..." So, at night, she slept sitting in a chair in the dark living room. If a burglar were to sneak into the house, they would likely be startled to encounter a robot—or rather, a Golem—who looked almost exactly human. If they dared to scream, Mei would wake up and knock them out.
They did need to put a bookshelf in the living room, but since the others' books were there too, this wasn't a problem. Ren felt that Mei had too few personal belongings, so she decided to use the excuse of a reward to give her a present.
However, Mei didn't seem particularly interested.
"If you embrace me eventually, that is sufficient for me."
"Please, let me. It wouldn't look good for me to just take it easy while the new person does all the work, would it?"
"There was no damage to my body, and you are providing my meals, so I believe you are an exceptionally kind 'Master.'"
After thinking for a while, Mei spoke again.
"If you insist, could you procure a piece of clothing for me?"
"Ah, of course. I knew Mei was interested in clothes after all."
To varying degrees, girls were like that. If she were paying for it herself, she might buy something else, but if it was a gift from someone else, she wouldn't mind wearing cute clothes—Ren felt the same way. In fact, pretending that her current self was a beautiful girl character and dressing her up was quite fun.
"So, what kind of outfit do you want?" Ren asked.
"Yes, a maid outfit. The design may be according to your preference, Master."
"Wait, how did you decide on that? ...No, I can pretty much guess."
She had probably read a story about a mistress becoming a maid, or a maid becoming a mistress.
"Since I serve my Master, that is the proper attire, is it not?"
"I've only seen that in manga and such. Well, I've never met a real maid, to begin with."
"In that case, your common sense is not a helpful reference, Master."
The new girl was, as usual, completely unreserved in her speech.
Still, Mei had a point. An outwardly silver-haired beauty like her would certainly look good in a maid outfit.
"Alright. ...But those clothes look pretty expensive. Is it okay if I combine this with your Christmas present?" Ren asked.
"I wasn't expecting one anyway, so there is no problem."
It was settled.
"I look forward to seeing what design you choose, Master."
"Don't pressure me. It's my first time picking out clothes like that, too."
"Do you not engage in such 'play' with Furi-sama?" Mei asked.
"Of course not!" Ren retorted.
In Japan, she might be able to buy a cheap Santa or maid outfit online and ask someone to wear it... but that wasn't the point.
"The problem is the shop. I'll ask everyone later if they know of any places." Ren decided.
"I know a supplier that my mother taught me about."
"Your mother, is she quite an eccentric, or is she perhaps the source of all this?" Ren wondered.
The truth of the matter would probably become clear if they gave Mei's child a proper education.
"Well, shall we go check it out right away?" Ren suggested.
"Yes. I will gladly accompany you."
Mei led them to a small shop nestled quietly in a corner of the town. It was an area Ren and the others didn't frequent, closer to the brothel district. The inside was surprisingly clean, and the costumes on display were colorful and clearly well-made.
"Welcome. ...Oh, Mei-chan. And is that the rumored 'Ren-chan'?" the shop owner asked.
"Hello."
"Nice to meet you. ...Um, am I really that famous?" Ren asked.
"Of course. A cute succubus who used to be a boy is bound to be the talk of the town, isn't she?"
The shop owner was a woman in her late twenties or early thirties. She likely enjoyed cosplay, as she was sitting behind the counter dressed in a Gothic Lolita outfit. Her hair wasn't black but a slightly muted gold.
"Ah, this is a wig," the owner explained.
"Oh, so you don't dye your hair?" Ren asked.
"Hair dye isn't nonexistent, but it's quite expensive. Wigs are easier to change the color and length of, right?"
"That's true."
Wigs, it seemed, were made by purchasing human hair and dyeing it. The owner gazed longingly at Ren's hair.
"Your hair, Ren-chan, could be used as is without dyeing... Please grow it out carefully. You can sell it for a high price if needed. I'd even buy it myself."
"I'll think about it."
So, this was why Iris had talked about wigs before. Since almost everyone here had black hair and eyes despite being in a fantasy world (?), there might be a surprising demand for wigs and contact lenses.
"Now, what can I do for you? What kind of costume are you looking for?" the owner asked.
"Do you have maid outfits? Preferably a design my Master would favor." Mei replied.
"Maid outfits are over there."
There were surprisingly many options.
"How about that one? ...Ah, yes, that one. Doesn't it look like something a young man would like?"
Ren took the outfit the owner pointed to from behind the counter. It was a corset-attached style with the skirt and apron being one piece. The chest area had extra fabric allowance, so a girl with a large bust would look incredibly devastating in it. While it might be a bit too generous for Mei's current size,
"I will need to increase my bust size," Mei commented.
"It's so convenient that your three sizes are adjustable. I'm almost jealous." Ren murmured.
Such boldness! Changing her body to fit the clothes. Mei could, in theory, wear every outfit in the shop.
"How is this, Master? I believe I can increase my bust size to the maximum allowed by this costume."
"I wonder what you plan to do after putting such an outfit on such a cute girl," the owner said.
"Should you be saying that, being the person who made it!?" Ren retorted.
"Courtesans are among this shop's regular customers, you see."
Ren had the outfit put back for now. He could practically see Furi and Iris giving him the "Hmph" look again if he gifted an outfit like that.
"Master prefers large chests, does he not?" Mei inquired.
"No, well, I don't dislike them. But the value of a girl isn't just there."
Ren felt that he would be indifferent if only Furi and Iris's breasts grew bigger. They had their own charms, and if they suddenly got huge breasts, the balance would be off, and he would feel a sense of loss, as if the girl he loved had become someone else.
Mei nodded at this.
"You like small breasts as well. You have broad tastes, worthy of respect."
"Hey, you summarized that a little too concisely!" Ren protested.
In the end, Ren chose an outfit that was close to a standard maid uniform. The skirt length was below the knee, and the apron had plenty of frills, making it look cute. Ren chose it because he felt that this more reserved style would suit Mei, who was thirteen (something easy to forget because of how mature she was). So, he definitely did not back down from a more revealing choice.
"Our costumes generally recommend hand-washing, but that's alright, isn't it?" the owner asked.
"Yes. We don't have a washing machine at home."
The lack of modern conveniences made choosing clothes ironically easier. After paying, Ren handed the packaged costume to Mei.
"You worked hard the other day. ...And a slightly early Merry Christmas."
"...Thank you, Master."
The girl received the package, looked directly at Ren, and hugged the package tightly.
"I will treasure it and make good use of it."
Her surprisingly genuine reaction made Ren mutter, so no one could hear, "...That's cheating."
--------------------
When Ren returned home and reunited with Furi and the others, the girls reacted to the purchased outfit:
"Cute!"
"It's wonderful!"
Ren breathed a sigh of relief that they didn't give her any judgmental looks. It was also somewhat endearing when Mei immediately began changing, as she was asked to try it on. However, Ren wished she hadn't started changing right there in the living room. Since they were all girls, it was probably fine, but Ren averted her eyes out of courtesy.
Since Ren had chosen something that suited the current Mei, the costume looked perfect on her. A silver-haired beautiful girl maid. She looked almost too good in it.
"That's nice. I kinda want something like that too now," Furi said.
"I'll buy Christmas presents for you too, Furi, so you can buy one if you want." Ren offered.
"That's a good idea. Should we all wear them?" Iris suggested.
"If we all wear them, we'll have a horde of maids without a Master," Ren pointed out.
"But we'd be very motivated when we do the big cleaning," Furi countered.
"That might be true."
They were enthusiastic for a while, but Furi and Iris requested something else for their presents. Furi wanted manga, and Iris wanted a history book.
"Are you sure you don't want anything more?" Ren asked.
"Well, Mei-chan's was a reward plus a present, right? It wouldn't be fair if we got ours as Christmas presents," Furi explained.
"Besides, we buy our own clothes," Iris added.
Cosplay was fun, but it was too embarrassing to wear outside. And since they couldn't wear it in the dungeon, it wasn't very practical.
"I can go out in it without any issues, though...?" Mei commented.
"You might be okay if you're as confident as Mei." Ren sighed.
Mei, having obtained the maid outfit, declared she would actively do housework.
"I can also be entrusted with preparing meals."
"We'll make the meals, though. Right, Iris-chan?" Furi said.
"Yes. Cooking is fun, and it's a necessary skill for a hunter." Iris agreed.
"Then, I shall be in charge of cleaning and laundry." Mei offered.
Mei, being a Golem, was resistant to heat and cold. Laundry was particularly taxing in the winter because the water was so cold. Ren and the others often used lukewarm water created by Ren's magic, but Mei was perfectly fine plunging her hands into water drawn straight from the well.
"I would like to procure an attachment for scrubbing." Mei mused.
"You can even change your arms?" Ren asked.
"Yes. It costs resources to generate, but some optional parts are possible. My mother even operated a drill."
"A drill."
"I cannot yet generate that level of power. I can, at most, shave food ingredients."
"Even that would be useful, wouldn't it? Like shaving dried bonito flakes." Ren suggested.
Unfortunately, dried bonito flakes were unavailable here.
"Hmm? A shaving tool, huh... Hey, how about shaved ice?" Ren suggested.
"Oh, that's a good idea!" Furi exclaimed.
They had plenty of ice in the Ice Chamber. Ren asked Mei to try shaving some, and a small mountain of fine ice emerged with a distinctive GARI GARI GARI sound. Piling this high in a bowl and topping it with the jam they kept on hand completed the treat.
"Mmm! Delicious!" Furi exclaimed.
"This is great. We couldn't do this before because shaving ice with a knife was too much work," Ren noted.
"Yes! It's very delicious!" Iris agreed.
Making a cake would cost a lot of money for ingredients. Shaved ice, on the other hand, only required jam and ice. In this case, the ice served as an excellent binder for eating the jam. Putting jam on bread made it feel more like a staple food and less like a dessert.
"This would be perfect if it were summer." Ren sighed.
"My challenge is securing the ice. I will need to create an arm that can hold the ice while simultaneously shaving it," Mei said.
"If we ask the Wise Man's generation, they might be able to teach us how to make a proper shaved ice machine." Ren suggested.
Although they couldn't get instructions for making a full machine, they managed to get a drawing of the shape, which Mei used to create a "shaved ice arm." It became one of the treasured possessions among Ren and the others.
============
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