Artoria's stunning outfit caught Eichi off guard, and he could not help stealing a few extra glances.
He only reluctantly looked away when Artoria's gaze became a little dangerous.
Artoria herself was also somewhat puzzled by the strange feeling in her heart.
As the former King of Britain, she had always been revered by her people.
Even in her current incarnation as a Heroic Spirit, she had always fought on the front lines as a knight.
Because of that, she had been admired by many Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Therefore, Artoria had long since grown used to the gazes of others.
But for some reason, after being stared at so intently by Eichi just now, a desire to stop him welled up in her heart.
'It must be because this outfit feels too insecure, yes.'
Artoria found an answer for herself in her mind.
Although it was a rare holiday, Artoria had not originally intended to wear such a beautiful but insecure and battle-unsuitable outfit.
It was Rika, dragging along Shoko, who suddenly appeared in front of her.
They told her that to attend a summer festival, one had to wear clothes suited to the atmosphere of a summer festival.
Feeling that the two of them had a point, Artoria then became like a dress-up doll, constantly trying on all kinds of clothes.
"Are these clothes related to the summer festival?"
In the end, after rejecting more than a dozen flimsy, obviously dangerous little dresses and trying on a few princess dresses and gothic dresses, Artoria sensed that something was off.
The summer festival was, no matter how you looked at it, an event from Japan.
So why were there clearly European-style clothes mixed in among the outfits suitable for a summer festival?
'Oh no, we got carried away.'
Rika and Shoko exchanged uneasy glances.
"There are many kinds of summer festivals, haha."
Shoko, who had heard there was fun to watch from afar but had been dragged over by Rika, laughed awkwardly.
In fact, Panda's original request had been for Rika, who kept Yuta firmly under control.
In Panda's view, Rika was the most romantically experienced girl among the female students at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Mai only counted as half.
Because Mai was attending an ordinary junior high school this time, there really were a few junior high boys who had a good relationship with her.
Combined with the school atmosphere in Japan, there had even once been junior high boys who wanted to confess to Mai.
However, they were frightened away by Maki, who was carrying a naginata and glaring fiercely.
Since then, the rumor that Mai was a yakuza princess spread even further.
Rika was very interested in Panda's suggestion and even dragged along Shoko, who had originally planned to watch the fun from a distance.
"If you do not like these, you can also try Japanese-style yukata and kimono."
Seeing that their intention to treat Artoria like a dress-up doll had been exposed, Rika immediately pulled out the yukata and kimono that were actually worn at summer festivals.
"How about trying this?"
The first thing Rika pulled out was an obviously problematic modified yukata.
Both the upper and lower parts of the yukata were much shorter.
The upper half did not cover the shoulders like a normal yukata, but generously exposed the shoulders and alluring collarbones.
The sides of the yukata rested right at the edges of her shoulders, as if they would fall off with any large movement.
The lower half was the same. A normal yukata reached the ankles and only revealed glimpses of the calves while walking.
But this yukata only reached mid-thigh, and Artoria had no doubt that she would expose herself with even a slightly larger movement.
And why, despite being a yukata, was it paired with stockings?
"No, clothes like this are indecent."
A blush crept across Artoria's face.
If Rika had not been so familiar with her, Artoria would have wanted to pull out the Sword of Promised Victory and blast both her and this shameless outfit away.
"Hmm, perhaps this kind of trendy style is too radical for Saber?"
Rika tapped her cheek with one hand, then suddenly turned around as if she had thought of something.
"Then how about Saber tries this?"
Rika laboriously lifted a large box.
When she opened it, there was a very traditional kimono inside.
The kimono itself, along with all kinds of accessories, was quite elaborate.
Just putting on this outfit took a very long time.
And it was very inconvenient to move in.
Seeing that this outfit would not work either, Rika pretended to look troubled and took out a carefully prepared kimono.
Compared to the first yukata, this kimono looked very conservative.
Its multi-layered structure and style, which revealed almost no skin, gave Artoria a strong sense of security.
Compared to the second traditional kimono, this kimono had fewer accessories, which also made it much more convenient to move in.
So Artoria chose this kimono, which was mainly pink and full of youthful girlish charm.
"I feel like something is not quite right."
After putting on the kimono, Artoria murmured softly.
But Rika did not give her time to think.
"Oh no, we're going to be late! Let's go now, Saber!"
Hearing that, Artoria looked up at her watch, realized it was already time to meet, and without thinking further, went straight out and got into the car.
As the car drove out of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Rika flashed a bright smile.
She turned back and gave Shoko a big victory sign.
Shoko also smiled and gave Rika a thumbs-up in return.
'Juniors really are cute. They would not turn their Seniors into a joke.'
Shoko thought to herself.
Then, three figures appeared in Shoko's mind.
'No, it's just that those three guys are too abnormal. What did I do in my past life to end up with classmates like them?'
Shoko scratched her head and went back to catch up on sleep.
The fun was over, and she had even gotten to participate up close for once.
Now it was time to catch up on sleep.
After all, even the top healer in the Jujutsu World could not defeat the dark circles under her eyes.
Staying up the latest, using the most expensive eye cream... "There's still some time before the summer festival, how about we go get something to eat?"
For some reason, when he saw the change in Artoria's expression, Eichi felt a strange sense of guilt.
So Eichi used Panda's Little Class, Lesson Two: Invitation.
When there is no topic, take the initiative to invite the other person to a place that can enhance your relationship.
Pay attention to the comfort of the environment, because many girls wear beautiful clothes and delicate makeup when dating.
This means they need to constantly maintain their image during the date.
Therefore, avoid activities that involve a lot of exercise or are likely to make them sweat.
Thinking of this, Eichi secretly glanced again at Artoria's delicate side profile from the corner of his eye.
'She really is beautiful, but Ria does not seem to be wearing makeup, and would a Heroic Spirit even sweat from this level of activity...?'
"That coffee shop nearby seems quite famous. Let's go sit there."
Eichi found that the more he thought about it, the more confused he became, so he simply chose a popular nearby coffee shop, one rumored to fill you up with just one cup, and went in to sit down first.
He could also use the time while Artoria enjoyed her meal to sort out his thoughts.
(To be continued.)