Tiona suggested giving a gift as a token of gratitude to Charlie for saving Lefiya.
Charlie immediately wanted to refuse. However, Tiona insisted. To make matters worse, Aiz seemed to agree with the Amazoness girl.
The decision was clear from the start. Tiona wouldn't take no for an answer, and Aiz's support for the idea made it even harder for Charlie to decline.
After a while, Tiona suggested buying him new clothes. According to her, Charlie always wore the same outfit every time they met, and that was reason enough for her to drag him to a clothing store.
Without caring about the opinions of those involved, the four girls immediately took Charlie to the clothing store.
Sword Princess: Aiz Wallenstein, Crusher: Tiona Hiryute, Jormungand: Tione Hiryute, Thousand Elf: Lefiya Viridis.
These four girls were not only famous for being members of the Loki Familia—one of the two Twin Kings of Orario—but also for their combined strength and their striking beauty.
Among them, only Tione openly showed interest in someone—their captain, Finn Deimne. Beyond that, there were no rumors linking the other three girls to any man.
Yet now, these four girls were walking alongside a man unknown to many.
The sight was undoubtedly attention-grabbing.
People around them glanced their way with various expressions—surprise, curiosity, and even envy. They whispered among themselves, wondering who the white-haired man surrounded by the prominent adventurers of the Loki Familia was.
Amidst the unwanted attention, Charlie had already grown numb to the hostile gazes around him.
This wasn't the first time he had experienced this.
Every time he walked with Aishia, he felt the same. Now, he could only sigh and accept his fate as the unwilling center of attention.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
As soon as they arrived at the clothing store, Tiona immediately got excited, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the rows of clothes on display. Without hesitation, she began picking out various outfits, while Charlie could only sigh at her enthusiasm.
"Charlie, you always wear the same clothes! Once in a while, you should change up your style!" Tiona said as she piled several sets of clothes into her arms.
Though quieter, Aiz also seemed interested. Her eyes landed on a dark blue jacket with silver accents. Without saying much, she picked it up and handed it to Charlie.
Staring at the pile of clothes now in his hands, Charlie said helplessly, "Isn't this too much?"
"It's fine! You just need to try them all on!" Tiona said enthusiastically, pushing him toward the fitting room.
On the other hand, Lefiya and Tione could only watch from the sidelines. Tione seemed indifferent, while Lefiya bit her handkerchief with a frustrated expression.
"Why does Aiz-san look so excited?" She muttered softly, her eyes filled with jealousy.
"Sigh... For this once, I'll indulge your selfish requests."
Charlie finally gave in and began trying on the clothes they had picked out. First, he wore a long black robe chosen by Tiona.
Tiona exclaimed happily upon seeing him, "Wow! This makes you look like a mysterious mage!"
Looking at himself in the mirror, Charlie frowned. "I look more like a villain than a mage."
"That's just your imagination~"
Tiona giggled, then pushed him back into the fitting room. This time, Charlie tried on a white tunic with a leather belt and black trousers chosen by Aiz.
When he came out, Aiz stared at him with an indescribable expression. Her eyes sparkled slightly, and though she didn't say anything, it was clear she liked it.
Seeing Aiz unable to look away, Tiona nudged her arm with a mischievous laugh.
"Aiz, if you keep staring like that, I'm starting to wonder what's on your mind~"
Realizing she had been caught staring, Aiz averted her gaze with a slightly red face.
"No… it just looks good…"
"A flustered Aiz is so cute!"
Tiona laughed even harder, while Lefiya grew increasingly frustrated watching Aiz's expression.
"That's enough, right? I've tried on enough clothes—"
"Of course not! Try this one too!"
Before Charlie could finish his sentence, Tiona shoved another outfit at him, while Aiz continued to watch with a satisfied expression.
'I feel like a Barbie doll.'
Charlie began to feel that this was no longer about buying clothes but more like a game for them.
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As Charlie returned to the fitting room to try on another outfit, Tione glanced at Lefiya beside her with a curious look.
"Hey, Lefiya. I just remembered something… You didn't react when Charlie touched you earlier, did you?"
"..."
Hearing this, Lefiya fell silent for a moment. However, before she could answer, Tiona had already leaned in with an interested expression.
"That's right! Usually, Elf don't like being touched casually."
Standing nearby, Aiz also turned her gaze to Lefiya with curiosity.
It was common knowledge that Elf were an incredibly proud race.
This didn't mean every individual Elf was arrogant, but it was their natural disposition. Their extraordinary beauty often made them feel superior to other races. As a result, they instinctively tended to look down on other races and were reluctant to be touched by them.
Beyond that, there was something more fundamental—an instinct inherited from birth. If someone they didn't acknowledge tried to touch them, their bodies would react with strong rejection. No matter how open-minded they were, even if they consciously wanted to accept it, their bodies would resist.
Even the gods were not exempt from this rule. If an Elf did not acknowledge someone, they would not be able to touch them without eliciting a rejection.
Yet, when Charlie saved Lefiya earlier—even carrying her in his arms without hesitation—there was no rejection from her body.
"Eh…" Lefiya suddenly realized the implications of the question. Her face immediately turned red. "T-That…"
Seeing her panicked expression, Tione smirked. "So? What did you feel?"
Tiona added in a teasing voice, "Doesn't that mean you've acknowledged Charlie?"
"Eh?! No! That's not possible! That's not true!!" Lefiya quickly shook her head, but the redness on her face deepened.
"..."
Aiz remained silent, but her gaze was fixed on Lefiya, waiting for her honest answer.
Feeling cornered, Lefiya tried to recall how it felt when Charlie held her. Her body should have instinctively rejected him. Yet, at that time, she only felt shocked and… warm.
'T-That's impossible…'
'Does that mean… my body has acknowledged that man?'
Lefiya continued to deny it in her mind, trying to convince herself that it was just an emergency situation, that her body's reaction didn't mean anything.
'No way! There's no way I've acknowledged him!'
However, her body was brutally honest.
Though her mind vehemently rejected the idea, she couldn't deny the fact that when Charlie touched her, there was no disgust, no strong urge to pull away like what usually happened if an Elf was touched by someone they didn't acknowledge.
Lefiya even remembered clearly—when she was in Charlie's arms, though she initially wanted to resist, she eventually stopped. Her body didn't fight back. Instead, there was a strange warmth in her chest.
'Even if my body has accepted him, my heart hasn't!'
However, before she could fully calm her thoughts, Tione's voice interrupted from the side.
"So, Lefiya… You didn't experience any rejection when Charlie touched you?"
Lefiya's body stiffened instantly.
In the end, she insisted on her reasoning. "T-That's… that's because I was injured and too weak to react! Yes! That's the only reason!"
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Tiona stopped pressing her. However, in the minds of Aiz and the others, they already knew the answer from Lefiya's flustered reaction.