The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 5 - Chapter SS

EXTRA * Somebody, Please Stop Them

“Ivy, what do you think of this one?” Druid asked, shoving a frilly skirt in my face. I couldn’t think of any occasion when I would even wear it.

“I can’t wear that… Um, maybe we should get going…”

“Then what about this one? Isn’t it cute?”

Yes, it was very cute. But it didn’t suit a traveler like me, and it was probably very expensive, too. The embroidery was terribly lavish, unlike the kind on the other clothes I’d seen so far.

“Um, I’d kind of rather have some simpler, everyday clothes…”

How did I get myself in this mess? As I stared at the mountain of clothes piling up before me, my consciousness flew far away.

“Ivy, you don’t like this one?”

“Huh?! What part of it don’t you like?”

You guys just don’t get it! Why were Druid and Baluka going so gaga over choosing clothes for me? And completely ignoring my wishes, too.

It had started with Druid asking me if he could pick out some clothes he thought would suit me. So I said, “Sure, thank you.” I mean, wouldn’t most people choose about three items? But he and Baluka kept trying to one-up each other’s choices, and before I knew it, I had a mountain of clothes in front of me. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t even listen to me. Somebody, please stop these guys!

“Sir, an order just came in for you.”

Aha! Is that a store employee I hear? Maybe he can stop them.

“An order? Please leave it on my desk, and I’ll check it later. By the way, what do you think of this?” Baluka asked, barely ­giving the order a glance before losing interest. Come on, taking care of orders is a big part of your job!

“I think this lighter color scheme would suit her better. The embroidery is quite pretty, too.” The employee took a look at me and selected two blouses. I had to admit that the colors were cute, and the tight embroidery was also pretty. He sure knew how to pick out clothes—I guess that comes with the job.

“Yes, that is very cute.”

“I think this would look good on her, too.”

Baluka scrutinized the garment his employee had brought over, then scurried off and returned with one where collar was the only thing designed differently. “Don’t you think this one’s cuter?”

“You’re right. This one is definitely more girlish.”

No, employee, I wanted you to stop them, not join them. As I watched the two giggle over the collar design, I let a quiet sigh escape me.

“Gee, they sure are getting excited.”

I flinched at the sound of yet another voice. I nervously turned to see who it was…and my eyes were met with a man ­carrying a big pile of clothes.

“Um, yes, they sure are. And who are you?”

“I’m Miche, head of the embroidery department. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Ivy. Um, could you maybe please stop them…?”

Miche’s eyes filled with sympathy. “I’m sorry, sweetie. You can never stop Baluka once he gets in that mood. He gets even more insuf…er, more excited than usual.”

Was he about to call Baluka “insufferable”? I gave Miche a suspicious look, and he smiled awkwardly in reply. “Just give up. You know, I’m more surprised by your friend. He’s giving Baluka a run for his money.”

“Oh, that’s Mr. Druid. He’s family.”

Miche gave me a kind smile and lightly patted my shoulder twice. “Hang in there, kid. I’ll take Buff away for you.” And with that, he dragged Buff away to the back room.

“But this color suits Ivy better.”

“Yes, it does, but this one’s better because it’s brighter.”

Baluka and my dad were disagreeing passionately over the same color. And as important as color was, there’s no way I’d ever wear the clothes they were holding anyway. Ribbons are cute, but they’re not my style.

“Oh, nice. This one might look good on her, too.”

“Yes, it sure would. But this color would definitely be better.”

Was it just me, or were they trekking deeper and deeper into cutesy territory? Having a look was nice and all, but I would definitely never pick any of those clothes for myself.

“Mr. Druid, please, what you’re holding really isn’t my style. I’d never wear it.”

“Huh?!”

Wow. The kindred spirits even gasped in unison.

“These clothes just aren’t me.” I looked at the clothes Druid and Baluka were holding, then I nodded. I’m glad I said it. I just had to avoid flashy, frilly clothes like that.

“Then what about this one?”

Oh! How cute. Unlike the overly girlish designs from before, this one was simple while still having a subdued prettiness about it. It was light-colored, too, so it would be easy to coordinate with my other clothes. Yeah, it was always best to choose a color that was easy to match with.

“Okay, we’re definitely taking this one,” Druid said. Baluka nodded in reply. I gave them a funny look. For the first time, they were on the same page. The clothes Druid had chosen got moved somewhere else. Apparently, the garment they’d just shown me was our winner.

“Hee hee!” It was so lovely to me that the sight of it made me giggle with excitement.

“Okay, now that we’ve got her style pinned down, we’ve just got to find some others along the same lines,” Baluka said.

I flinched. They had already chosen so many clothes…were they still going to pick out some more? Mmmrrrgggh… If I let them do what they want, this shopping trip will definitely wind up taking forever.

“Um, hey, why don’t we decide on our price limit before we buy anything?” I suggested.

Druid and Baluka gave me the same bewildered look. They really were kindred spirits.

“But we don’t need to worry about money,” Druid said.

I shook my head no. “Yes, we do need to worry, so let’s set a price limit first! Please?” Otherwise, Druid would keep buying clothes for me for all eternity.

“Oh, fine, if you insist, Ivy. But it wouldn’t hurt to let loose a little.”

You never were going to stay within a budget, were you?!

“No, Mr. Druid. I insist we set a budget, sir!”

Ack, I’m talking like that again…well, no, it’s actually best for me to sound firm. I looked at Druid, and he slumped his shoulders in reply. He was unsatisfied, but I wasn’t backing off.

“Okay, fine.”

I won!… Wait, not exactly. Why do we always have to bicker over our budget? Druid was so headstrong when it came to money.

“You’re just too stubborn, Ivy.”

“You’re the stubborn one, Mr. Druid!”

“No, no, you never give me an inch once you’ve made up your mind! You’re the stubborn one, Ivy.”

I’m absolutely positive Druid is more stubborn.

“Like father, like daughter, eh?” Baluka remarked.

Druid and I froze. Then the stubborn people who stubbornly argued over which one was more stubborn stared at each other. Were we alike? You know…I’m happy to hear that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy that we’re both stubborn…

“What’s wrong? Is your face getting a little red?” Druid asked.

“I’m sure you’re just imagining things…”

Great, I got giddy because Baluka said we were alike. How embarrassing.

“Ivy, how about a clothing budget of ten gidal per person?”

Ten gidal per person? Ten…gidal? What? Per person?

“Absolutely not! Two gidal per person is just fine. Our cloaks already cost twenty gidal all together. We need to be more careful with money!”

Druid and Baluka had both told me that you couldn’t be cheap when it came to cloaks. They would protect your life, so it was okay to invest a lot of money in them.

“Awww, but two gidal just isn’t enough. Ten gidal for the both of us.”

“That’s too much, Mr. Druid. Maybe not for you, but I’m still growing.”

There was no telling whether or not I could wear the clothes we’d bought today when next winter came. Now that I was eating well, I was catching up in size, little by little. That meant ten gidal was frivolous.

“You know, you have gotten a little taller…” Druid thought for a moment, then he nodded. “Okay, then. Five gidal for the both of us. And not a dal less!”

I looked into Druid’s eyes. Absolutely nothing would sway him. I guess five gidal it is.

“Okay, I’m fine with that. Then we can quickly choose my…”

“Good! Now, we’ll have to pick the best clothes for you within our budget.”

Huh? What is this sensation I’m feeling… It’s dread. I can’t believe I thought he’d calm down a little once we set a price limit. Ack! Baluka, not you, too…

“Oh well…” I sighed. “Guess I’ll let them win. Oh!” The pants Baluka just brought out are really cute. Especially the embroidery at the pockets…super cute.

“Guess this one’s a yes,” Baluka said.

“Uh-huh,” Druid nodded.

Huh? Oh, so we’re buying the pants, too. But I think these ones are cute, so I’m actually happy about that. Oh, now they’re fighting over a blouse with the same kind of embroidery.

“I don’t think this will ever end…”

I really didn’t care much about whether the embroidery was around the collar or the pockets. I just couldn’t understand the fascination. But there was no point in just sitting there waiting for them to finish. I decided I might as well have a look around.

“Oh, this would look really good on Mr. Druid!” I touched a polo shirt with embroidery on the collar. The pockets were also embroidered. Wow, how dashing! But the color…it’s not bad, but I think a brighter one would suit Druid better. Something with a similar print, but a brighter color… Could I find something like that?

“Found it! Yeah, a brighter color definitely works better for him. Hm?! Oh, the embroidery is a bit different on this one. Maybe this one’s more attractive?”

Which one would suit him better? Hmmm…whichever one evokes an image of strength, probably? Huh? This one, then? I ­pictured Druid in my mind. No, darker embroidery would make the overall look too intense. How about this cool green polo shirt with the brown embroidery…? Oh, this light-blue polo shirt would look good on him, too! No, maybe the green? Urgh! I just know they’d both look great on him. Okay, let’s pick the embroidery first! Which of these is better? Which one screams “Druid”…? I think the one with the shield motif is manlier than the one with leaves. Oh, but also this feather design…

“This one? No, this one?”

Hmmm…every embroidery design seems to work well for Druid. I glanced at him. He and Baluka were still having a lively time choosing my clothes. Silly boys. It was just clothes—they didn’t have to agonize so hard over it.

“This is never gonna end, is it…?”

I looked at the polo shirts in my hand that might suit Druid… Yeah, I think the shield motif is cooler. Then again, those feathers…