Ethel was starting to feel like he'd become everyone else's favorite toy.
Oenone kept handing him outrageously cute outfits to try on—fluffy rabbit hoodies, sweaters embroidered with adorable cartoon characters, and pants covered in sparkling sequins.
Every single one of them was pink.
Not just pink, but the brightest, flashiest shade imaginable.
Lyle, on the other hand, enthusiastically recommended clothes covered in skulls and death motifs.
Very much his style.
Abby's suggestions were the most normal by comparison.
His entire wardrobe consisted of only two options:
White dress shirts.
And jeans.
The biggest surprise, however, was Yinbing.
Ethel had expected her to join Oenone in making him wear ridiculous outfits, but instead she took the task astonishingly seriously.
Seriously enough that Ethel began feeling guilty for ever doubting her.
"This jacket with these pants..."
She carefully examined him.
"You're a little skinny. This combination makes you look broader, less fragile. It also matches your fair complexion."
He appreciated how sincere she was.
The problem was...
She might have been too serious.
"No, that's too big. I'll get another size."
"Hmm... this one's a little sloppy."
"Oh, this looks nice."
"It gives you a really clean, refreshing look."
Every time he stepped out of the fitting room, a new evaluation immediately followed—along with another outfit waiting in Yinbing's hands.
Ethel slowly began to feel trapped in an endless cycle.
Looking toward the others, Abby and Lyle were sitting nearby, grinning as they watched the spectacle unfold.
Captain Oenone was still happily searching for even more adorable clothes.
By the end of it, Ethel had become nothing more than a merciless fitting-room mannequin.
Over the course of two hours, he felt like he'd tried on well over a hundred outfits.
If anyone asked him later, he'd probably say that this nonstop marathon of changing clothes was even more exhausting than his daily combat training.
Finally, the mall's announcement system informed customers that the building would soon be closing.
Only then did Yinbing finally call it quits, gathering an enormous pile of clothes before heading to the register with Oenone.
"Tough day, brother."
Lyle smirked mischievously at the utterly drained Ethel, who had collapsed onto the bench beside him.
Unlike Lyle, Abby handed him a bottle of water.
"Stay hydrated."
"Thanks, Abby."
Ethel weakly raised his right hand to accept it.
A few minutes later, Yinbing and Oenone returned carrying four enormous shopping bags filled with clothes.
"Congratulations on almost reaching your first month with the Battle Corps!"
Oenone beamed brightly as she offered her congratulations, her heterochromatic eyes sparkling.
Beside her, Yinbing stood proudly with her hands on her hips, looking immensely satisfied with every outfit she'd picked.
"Alright! Who wants to keep the night going~~?"
She turned toward Ethel.
"Ethel, you don't have anything planned afterward, do you?"
"No."
"Perfect! Come with us! What about you two?"
"I'm heading back."
Lyle stretched lazily.
"I want some sleep."
"Me too."
Abby nodded.
"What a shame."
Oenone smiled.
"Then head back safely."
The two of them waved goodbye and left.
As they walked away, Ethel couldn't shake the feeling that they'd given him sympathetic looks right before disappearing.
"Come on, El, Yinbing."
Oenone grinned energetically.
"The night's only just beginning."
She seemed to possess an endless supply of energy as she led the two of them deeper into the city nightlife.
Eventually they stopped in front of an unassuming little shop.
Only after stepping inside did Ethel realize it was actually a bar.
Oenone confidently led him to the counter.
Behind it stood an elderly bartender dressed in a perfectly tailored suit.
Judging by the way they greeted each other, the two clearly knew one another well.
"Monthly gathering again?"
The old man smiled.
"Oh? A new face. Is this a welcome party?"
"That's right."
Oenone laughed.
"Long time no see, Hughes."
She patted the counter.
"Order whatever you want."
"I'll have a Sun Essence."
"I..."
Ethel hesitated.
"Something with a lower alcohol content, please."
"You don't drink?"
"Not really."
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I only drink occasionally... when I want to get completely wasted."
"I see."
Hughes nodded.
"You know there's also a bar back in your district, right?"
"You mean Drunken Night City?"
"You've been there?"
"Once."
Ethel nodded.
"I even ran into Captain Tia there."
"Captain Tia?"
Hughes looked genuinely surprised.
"So she actually goes to places like that?"
"Don't let little Tia fool you."
Oenone chuckled.
"Being Captain carries a lot of pressure. Trust me, I know that better than anyone."
A few moments later, Hughes placed three drinks onto the counter.
"Here you go."
"One Sun Essence, and one Witch's Secret Brew for El."
Oenone carried the drinks back.
Yinbing's cocktail glowed with a brilliant golden radiance, living perfectly up to its name.
Ethel's, meanwhile, shimmered with a faint blue-violet hue.
It genuinely looked like a witch's potion.
"Thanks."
He accepted the glass—
—and only then noticed that Oenone wasn't carrying a drink at all.
She had brought back an entire bottle of whisky.
"Alright!"
She grinned.
"Let's have a proper chat!"
"We'll start with lunch today and work our way all the way to the universe!"
Without another word, she lifted the bottle and took an enormous swig.
The moment he looked up—
Two pairs of sparkling eyes were staring directly at him.
Ethel finally realized the sympathetic looks Abby and Lyle had given him earlier hadn't been his imagination.
What awaited him was an exhaustive interrogation of his entire life.
And lying wasn't an option.
Every time he tried to make something up, the two women exposed him immediately.
They insisted it was simply women's intuition, but their accuracy was so frightening that Ethel couldn't help wondering whether the two of them were the true owners of the Concept of Truth.
"So what kind of job did you have before this?"
"Do you want to become a vice-captain someday?"
"Height? Weight?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Anyone you're secretly in love with?"
"What's your ideal type?"
"Would you date an older woman?"
The moment Oenone asked that last question, Yinbing shot her a noticeably sharp look.
Oenone, however, seemed completely oblivious and enthusiastically continued firing off question after question.
Two hours later, Ethel was finally freed.
Not because the two women had decided to spare him—
—but because Oenone had passed out face-first on the counter.
Two empty whisky bottles rested beside her.
"...Is it over?"
"It's over."
Yinbing chuckled mischievously while sipping what had to be her sixth—or maybe seventh—cocktail.
Despite all that alcohol, she showed no signs of being drunk.
Apparently she could really hold her liquor.
"Does every rookie have to go through this?"
"Haha, yep."
Yinbing nodded.
"Both Abby and Lyle survived it."
"I think we accidentally traumatized them a little."
"You looked like you were enjoying yourself."
"Of course."
She laughed.
"I never pass up a chance to hear juicy gossip."
"Could you maybe spend a little less energy interrogating newcomers?"
Ethel sighed.
Between the relentless questioning and the alcohol, his head was beginning to spin.
"We weren't doing a background check."
Yinbing smiled.
"Didn't you notice? We never asked about that."
"Now that you mention it..."
Ethel blinked.
"You're right."
"Is there a reason?"
"You've met everyone in the Third Squad."
She swirled her drink.
"There are plenty of teenagers there. Some of them aren't even confirmed Concept users yet, and they're already going through combat training."
"Unless you come from a family of fighters, who would willingly spend their youth doing that?"
"They could've waited until adulthood before joining."
"They would've had a better chance of discovering whether they were Concept users, too."
"So..."
"A lot of people have their own reasons."
She smiled gently.
"So we've developed an unspoken rule."
"We don't ask about each other's families."
"...That's thoughtful."
Ethel meant it sincerely.
He was genuinely grateful they hadn't asked about his own past.
"Although..."
Yinbing tilted her head.
"We do sometimes ask whether someone has siblings."
"Do you?"
"No."
Ethel shook his head.
"I'm an only child."
"What about you?"
Instead of answering immediately, Yinbing smiled nostalgically.
"Do you remember those twin sisters from the Third Squad?"
"Hm?"
Ethel thought for a moment.
"...Yeah. I remember them."
He didn't understand why she'd suddenly brought them up.
Yinbing's expression softened as memories from the past seemed to resurface in her mind.
You should stop her before she continues.
The familiar voice of his Concept suddenly echoed in Ethel's mind.
His alcohol-dulled brain hadn't even figured out what to do—
before Yinbing had already begun speaking.
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuqsIyZekU
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