I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace

Chapter 2077: Date Plan Execution ?

Having found herself tagging along with Megiddo and Kaito, Kaori gently held her aching stomach as they headed to the store Megiddo had recommended.

(…W- Well, it’ll be fine. Kaito-kun is handling War King-sama after all. I’ll just focus on the fact that we’re being introduced to a good shop.)

Fortunately, unlike during Archlesia Empire's Founding Festival, when Megiddo forcibly dragged her into a ceremony, this time Kaito was there to keep Megiddo in check.

Judging by their earlier interactions, Kaito seemed fully capable of handling Megiddo, which gave both Kaori and Akane some relief.

Before long, they arrived at the shop Megiddo had mentioned.

[This is the place. It’s a pretty popular brand, but the store here in this town is actually the flagship location, where all the production happens. You can get stuff here much cheaper than elsewhere.]

[Heehhh…… Ah, yeah, I think I’ve read that in a magazine. Did you know about this, Akane-san, Kaori-san?]

[Yeah, I knew about this too. It’s a brand that sells high-quality clothes at reasonable prices. Not as intimidating as luxury brands——— feels just right.]

[……I’m not really familiar with clothing brands, so this is my first time seeing this brand.]

Impressed by the stylish exterior of the shop, Kaori followed Kaito and the others inside. Though the store wasn’t particularly large, it was filled with tasteful clothing that exuded quality, making it understandable why it was so popular.

As she curiously browsed the store, Kaori stopped at an area displaying T-shirts and involuntarily widened her eyes at the price tags.

(Eh? 300R!? That’s…… 30,000 yen in Yen!? For one T-shirt!? Eehhhh…… isn’t that way too expensive?)

The unexpectedly high price left Kaori with a conflicted expression as she glanced at the others, but none of them seemed to share her reaction.

[What do you think? Pretty cheap, huh? Even if you bought everything you liked, it wouldn’t cost you much.]

Hearing the words Megiddo said with a grin, Kaori wiped away sweat from her forehead.

(No, no, War King-sama, it might seem cheap to you, but it’s definitely not cheap to me! Not that I can say that out loud……)

To Megiddo, introducing them to this store was simply a matter of showcasing a reasonably priced brand. But for Kaori, an ordinary citizen, it was nothing of the sort.

However, complaining to the War King about this shop she guided them to…… wasn’t an option.

[That’s true. The prices are pretty reasonable. The T-shirts are affordable, and the designs are stylish.]

Responding to Megiddo's comment, Kaito glanced around at the items in the store and agreed.

(……No, no, Kaito-kun? These prices are not reasonable at all! What kind of prices are you used to paying for clothes?! ……No, you’re ridiculously rich, so maybe it makes sense for you, but I’m not like that! When I was summoned, I was just a high schooler without much money. Even deciding on a ¥3,980 T-shirt was a big deal for me! These ¥30,000 T-shirts scream luxury brand to me! ……Ah, Akane-san. If it's Akane-san…… she would definitely understand how I feel……)

Kaito typically wore clothes made by Alice, crafted with the highest-quality materials and techniques. These clothes were incredibly expensive, but due to his immense trust in Alice and his tendency to have excess funds, he often bought such items without hesitation. As a result, he owned a fair number of luxurious outfits.

Previously, Kaito had managed to retain a somewhat ordinary sense of monetary value…… However, after frequent visits to stores catering to nobles to purchase ceremonial outfits and other high-end items…… his sense of what was expensive had become completely desensitized, and now, he considered a ¥30,000 outfit to be cheap.

Kaori, looking visibly shaken by Kaito's remark, turned toward Akane with a glimmer of hope, silently pleading for some reassurance…… However, Akane’s reaction was not what Kaori had expected.

[Chairman, it's amazing that this brand's clothes are at this price.]

[That's true. It’s just what you’d expect from a direct-sale store. T-shirts are affordable and easy to buy. Shall we pick up a few ourselves?]

Kaori had been expecting a reaction similar to her own, but instead, both Akane and Frau seemed to share the same opinion as Megiddo and Kaito regarding the shop's prices as reasonable.

(Ahhh…… Kaito-kun was too amazing that I completely forgot, but Akane-san is also the head of a considerably large trading company. She even mentioned that her usual leopard-print outfits are custom-made. W- What should I do…… I did bring a decent amount of money this time. If it’s just around 2000R, I can just barely manage…… No, I was planning to spend about a tenth of that! But in this atmosphere, I can’t be the only one to say it’s expensive, and no matter how wealthy he is, I kinda want to show off a little to my junior, Kaito-kun…… Uuu, but I wanted to buy a new kitchen knife……)

With everyone else feeling the prices were reasonable, Kaori couldn’t bring herself to say they were expensive. Wearing a somewhat resigned expression, she braced herself for a significant expenditure.

All without noticing that at that moment, Kaito briefly glanced at her……

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai: [Come to think of it, Akane…… She can prepare something like Blue Diamonds, gems rare enough to only appear a handful of times a year, as gifts. And during that exchange over the Fruit of the World Tree with Kaito, she stepped back, saying something like, "Resolving it with money would leave us with dissatisfaction". But honestly, it felt like she could’ve just bought the World Tree’s fruit if she wanted to.]

? ? ? : [She actually does have more money than most nobles, after all. The only reason she couldn’t get a Fruit of the World Tree is that it’s not something that ever hits the market in the first place, but she definitely has the wealth to afford it. It’s just that Kaito-san’s level of wealth is in a completely different league. By normal standards, Akane is extremely rich.]