Chapter 27: Pincotat Grand Festival (5)
Pincotat's West District had always been famous across the continent for its clothing industry, so naturally, the main way to earn points here was by participating in various cosplay activities prepared by the clothing shops.
"Excuse me, which one of you will be the performer?"
Faced with the shop clerk's excited question, Reinhild stepped forward. The clerk, confirming the participant, hurriedly pulled a large pink box from under the table. In the center of the box was written: [Adventurers' Guild (Female)]. Below the text were three black stars and one gold star.
—Three stars is the highest, one star is the lowest. Since it's an adventurer theme, it shouldn't be a problem, right?
Having carefully studied the West District promotional pamphlet along the way, Reinhild immediately understood what the box represented.
Like East District, the West District challenge was divided into five difficulty levels, but there were three key differences here:
In West District, participants cannot choose the difficulty themselves. They must draw from the box. They only learn the content of the challenge, as well as the possible highest and lowest difficulty. Each point level in West District is worth double that of East District. Points in West District are determined by theme, not by store. Each theme can earn up to 10 stamps, and higher-level stamps can overwrite lower-level ones, allowing free challenge attempts.
Of course, the box's protective measures couldn't resist Reinhild's Divine Protections. After confirming there were no traps inside, Reinhild deactivated any Divine Protections that might affect the fairness of the game. Nervously, she reached into the box and hesitated for a moment before grabbing a piece of paper.
[1 star, experienced magician…]
"Ma'am, please change into this costume. Sir, please enter that door and wait under the guidance of the receptionist."
"See you shortly."
Subaru waved and entered the large door on the right. Inside was a huge hall. With the receptionist's help, Subaru quickly found a seat and began observing his surroundings: wooden chairs, a wall plastered with posted requests, teams in discussion, men and women carrying various weapons, and a massive bar counter.
Having traveled with Reinhild, Subaru had been to many adventurer guilds. Usually, those seated were either ruffians or muscular men covered in scars. The air was filled with the scent of blood and herbs, and people's eyes were sharp and wary.
But here, everyone was attractive and well-dressed. The air smelled faintly of alcohol, people chatted with cheerful expressions, and the place bore no resemblance to an adventurer guild—except in Subaru's imagination.
"Excuse me, are you recruiting companions? Do you need a magic user?"
A familiar voice brought Subaru back to reality. Slowly, he turned his head. There was Reinhild, dressed as a mage. In this world, mage outfits weren't revealing like in anime. Because of Rozval, a 400-year-old court mage who had been the strongest for most of his life, the Rozval style was popular among the Kingdom's mages.
"Ah, yes! Beautiful mage lady, would you like to be my partner?"
Subaru held Reinhild's hand while admiring her outfit. The white tight pants accentuated her legs, the long black cloak and flowing red hair gave her a commanding presence. The only imperfection, if any, was her top.
The Rozval-style top had a deep V-neck, but unlike Subaru's past life's version, it wasn't overly revealing. The midsection had three sets of buttons. Reinhild wasn't flat-chested, but a normal build couldn't properly carry this outfit. Indeed, the neckline wasn't supported at all.
Reinhild noticed Subaru admiring her. When his gaze paused at her chest, she naturally felt shy, but when she sensed his slight disappointment, an inexplicable surge of anger filled her.
—Ouch ouch ouch ouch…
Subaru instinctively tensed, but his hand couldn't move away.
"Of course."
It was an incredibly calm voice. Subaru looked up at Reinhild's face. Though her expression was blank, he keenly sensed the irritation in her eyes.
—So Reinhild has this side too.
"So cute!"
Anger mixed with shyness. Fortunately, Reinhild had learned to control her non-human strength since childhood. Otherwise, Subaru's festival experience might have ended right there.
(Exhale)
"I'll draw the next role."
After that, Reinhild played several roles: serious barmaid (1), diligent cleaner (1), heavily armored knight (1)… and noble mercenary (1).
All ten consecutive roles were one-star. The maximum interaction was simply holding hands—a minor scene for the two of them. Reinhild even felt a little embarrassed holding Subaru's hand, and Subaru, thinking Reinhild was still upset, didn't initiate handholding.
"Subaru, I'm sorry about just now. I don't know why I suddenly did that. But I really wasn't angry, and I didn't use any Divine Protections during the activity. If you didn't enjoy it, I can redo it."
After about half a minute, Reinhild adjusted her mindset, walked in front of Subaru, and spoke earnestly.
"Ah, it's fine. Look, my hand's fine. If anything, feeling a little pain let me see another side of you, Rein-chan. I think it was worth it. No, that's not what I mean. Anyway, I'm glad Reinhild isn't angry. Next, as planned, I'll play the role Rein-chan likes. Which shop do you want to go to?"
"I understand. Then…"
Reinhild looked at the shops lining the street. Though she initially intended to pick randomly, one shop caught her eye. Subaru followed her gaze, and his confident expression immediately froze, a cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Um, Reinhild… you're still angry, right?"
"Huh?"
Reinhild looked at Subaru in confusion, then realized she had revealed too much.
"I'm not, just a bit curious."
"Then let's go. I'm curious to see what you look like in men's clothing."
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