Chapter 28

Clearly, it was good news.

After being invited by Raven as an escort to the party hosted by Nemesis.

At least, until I started picturing the soon-to-be-completed Fixer Office in my head.

But perhaps it’s true what they say—there’s no such thing as free happiness in this world.

I was soon met with a trial that made cold sweat pour down my back.

“Dress code?”

Alice stared wide-eyed at Raven from across the sofa.

Her reaction was as if she’d never heard the word before in her life.

“Yeah. Apparently, since it’s a big company and all, they’re asking guests to follow a basic dress code for entry. Men wear suits. Women wear dresses. That sort of vibe.”

“Ah… d-dresses, you say…”

“Got anything appropriate to wear for occasions like this?”

“Hmm, well… I do have some, but they’re all Japanese-style. Do you think they’d be okay?”

“Japanese-style? Ah, you mean wafuu. Hmm…”

Raven rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Generally, traditional styles weren’t frowned upon at these kinds of parties.

Especially since the atmosphere seemed casual enough for them to invite someone like Raven, who wasn’t closely tied to the company.

Ultimately, the key point of the dress code was to show a certain level of decorum.

In that sense, traditional attire might stand out a little but wouldn’t stray too far from the intended purpose.

Of course, when everyone else is wearing dresses and suits, a kimono would naturally draw attention.

But honestly, does it really matter to me? I thought to myself.

Buying an expensive dress just to attend one party felt a bit unnecessary anyway.

“Well, I think it’ll probably be fine. I’ll check with the organizers. But on one condition: nothing that shows off your panty lines, got it?”

“Wha—! P-panty lines?! You pervert! That’s sexual harassment! Seriously!”

Alice flushed bright red and exploded in anger at Raven’s words.

Wait, now that I think about it, doesn’t a slit that deep usually reveal something?

Why haven’t I ever noticed Alice’s panty lines before?

As I pondered this mysterious phenomenon, Alice suddenly pulled me into a tight hug and shouted,

“F-fine! Then I’m set! What about Yuria?”

“Huh? Oh right. The part-timer probably doesn’t have anything suitable to wear.”

Why is this suddenly my problem? I’ve been minding my own business this whole time.

But… well, he’s not wrong.

Having to adhere to the dress code for the party was indeed troublesome for someone like me, whose wardrobe consisted solely of pajamas and maid outfits.

And let’s face it, clothes that fit the occasion are usually expensive.

Being flat broke certainly didn’t help matters.

“Alice, don’t you have any old clothes lying around?”

“All my old stuff is at my parents’ house. Plus, I grew tall pretty quickly as a kid…”

“Hmm, I see what you mean.”

“W-what exactly are you implying with that?!”

Thwack!

Alice’s leg whipped through the air like a lash, striking Raven squarely on the thigh.

From where I was nestled in her arms, I understood the attack perfectly.

I could tell exactly where Raven’s gaze had lingered momentarily. Yeah, Alice *is* pretty tall.

Though his posture lacked proper force, Raven must have been caught off guard because he winced noticeably.

Rubbing the spot gingerly, he casually suggested another option.

“How about renting a dress? It’ll definitely be cheaper than buying one.”

“Are you sure? Rentals can still be pricey. And Jin, you’re broke, aren’t you?”

“I’ve saved up for situations like this. Consider it part of employee welfare.”

So, instead of purchasing, Raven opted for renting.

Special occasion outfits are always a bit of a burden to buy outright.

Take wedding dresses, for instance. Why spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on something you’ll only wear once?

That’s why rental shops exist—to cater to such demands at much lower prices.

It seemed Raven had decided to go that route.

But… I don’t really want to wear a dress…

“When should we go? Considering the schedule, sooner would be better.”

“Let’s go today! You’re free anyway, right?”

“Well, yeah, but your opinion matters more. What about the part-timer?”

“Yuria, are you busy tonight? Wanna go dress shopping with your big sis?”

“…”

Alice’s burning gaze practically screamed, “You’re coming, obviously.”

And Raven’s nonchalant demeanor seemed to say, “Don’t worry about the cost.”

There was no way I could refuse.

Besides, what would refusing even accomplish?

Skipping the party altogether? Missing the moment the complete Fixer Office comes together?

“Ugh… f-fine. Let’s just pick something plain…”

I hung my head low, already growing accustomed to being cradled in Alice’s arms.

Wearing a dress, huh?

A sudden wave of self-loathing washed over me.

*

The rental shop we needed was located in the bustling downtown area.

According to Raven, it was one of the cheaper children’s formal wear rental shops nearby.

Wait, so I really have to wear kids’ clothes? Even a dress?

The sheer sadness of it almost brought tears to my eyes.

“Welcome~ Oh my, are you two newlyweds?”

“No! We’re definitely not!”

“It’s me, the person who called earlier. We’re looking for a child-sized dress. And no, we’re not a couple.”

“Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry. You two just look so picture-perfect together. Hmm, children’s clothing is this way.”

The shop owner chuckled as she led us further into the store.

Looking around, it was clear this place specialized in children’s clothing—everything was adorably tiny.

“Wow, this… uh, hmm…”

The designs of the displayed dresses left me utterly stunned.

White dresses, blue dresses, red dresses, purple dresses…

Each one was overflowing with frills, some adorned with giant bows or decorative flowers.

It was a parade of dresses that screamed “little princess.”

I thought I’d mentally prepared myself before leaving the office.

But imagining myself in one of those made my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“Oh, this one’s nice! Yuria has fair skin and light hair, so how about a deep red?”

“Hmm, it’s not bad, right?”

“Wow, this one’s great too! Yuria would look like a fairy in this!”

“Nice choice.”

“Hey, Jin. What’s with that tone? You’re not showing any emotion.”

While I stood there, lost in the cruel fate awaiting me,

Alice and Raven’s voices drifted over as they browsed through the selection.

Curious about what they’d found, I glanced over to see a raspberry-red dress and a pastel-colored one.

I didn’t have much of an eye for fashion, so I couldn’t tell if they were good or bad.

What I did know for sure was that imagining myself walking around in either of them sent cold sweat trickling down my spine and my heart pounding uncomfortably.

“So… I really have to wear one of these…”

To be honest, I didn’t want to.

These dresses were fundamentally different from the maid outfit I currently wore.

At least the maid outfit was a uniform, something I wore strictly for work.

But these dresses? They might as well have been shouting, “Look at me! I’m a cute little girl!”

Physically speaking, it wasn’t inaccurate!

But I still wasn’t ready to fully accept that reality.

“Ugh… b-but for the sake of seeing the main event…!”

Of course, I could’ve refused to wear it and skipped the party.

No one was holding a knife to my throat or forcing me to go with Raven.

But weighing my petty embarrassment against the desire to witness a pivotal scene from the original story…

There was no contest. The latter easily won.

Am I really going to let a little thing like not wanting to wear a dress stop me? Are you stupid?

Besides, I’m wearing a mask anyway. What’s so embarrassing?

“The young lady will be wearing this, right? Then take your pick. This size should fit perfectly.”

“Yuria, choose one.”

“…”

Fine. Since it’s come to this, I’ll just suck it up and wear it.

With newfound determination, I surveyed the options briefly.

Then, I picked up a modest blue dress that covered most of my skin and held it aloft like a monkey lifting a lion cub.

This’ll do. No need to look further. Let’s wrap this up.

Since I couldn’t speak, my body language roughly conveyed this sentiment.

“Oh, quite the classic choice! Would you like to try it on?”

“Can we do that?”

“Of course! You can’t choose without trying it on.”

“Perfect! Go ahead, Yuria.”

Huh? Try it on? Here?

Before I could blink in confusion, I was nudged toward the fitting room with the dress in hand.

Left alone with a mirror taller than me and the plain dress in my arms, I stared blankly at my reflection.

“…Alright, I guess I should try it on. I’ll have to wear it to the party anyway.”

After double-checking that the fitting room door was locked, I hung the dress aside and hesitantly removed my maid outfit.

By now, I could’ve changed blindfolded. Slipping into the surprisingly simple dress, I figured I was fully dressed by the time I glanced at the mirror.

There, staring back at me, was a fox-masked girl in a dress exuding unreal charm… Hmm, this is kind of embarrassing.

“Agh, nope.”

I hurriedly switched back to my maid outfit.

Even though no one was watching, I couldn’t handle the overwhelming cuteness reflected in the mirror.

Why does it suit me so well?!

Overwhelmed by emotions crashing over my rationality, I had no choice but to surrender.

“Huh? Yuria, is something wrong? Is there an issue with the dress?”

“…”

“Should I bring another one?”

“…”

Shaking my head vigorously, I shuffled out of the fitting room with the dress clutched in my arms, avoiding Alice’s questions.

She probably assumed there was something wrong with the dress.

How could I admit that I was simply too embarrassed to wear it?

Sorry for being like this. I think I’ll just skip the party…

Head bowed in defeat as I returned the dress to the shopkeeper, I barely noticed Raven stepping forward after silently observing the situation.

“Would something other than a dress work?”

“Huh? Jin, what are you suddenly…”

“I’m asking if something other than a dress would be fine. Part-timer.”

How did he know I didn’t want to wear a dress?

I stared at him in amazement, wondering if he’d somehow read my mind.

Tsking his tongue, Raven strode over to the shopkeeper and said,

“Do you have any children’s suits? Something that would fit her.”

“Uh… but…”

“Even for a girl, at this age, there’s not much difference from boys. It won’t look too strange.”

Was I imagining things?

For some reason, his eyes looked strangely sad.

“Yuria, is it okay if you don’t wear a dress?”

“…!”

Honestly, I didn’t care either way.

Not having to wear an embarrassing dress was actually a relief.

Whatever misconception he had, I decided to take full advantage of the situation.

Chuckling evilly in my head like some sinister mastermind, I confidently gave a thumbs-up.

From there, things moved quickly.

Turns out, children’s suits weren’t nearly as embarrassing as dresses.

I tried on each one like I was in a fashion show, engaging in deep discussions with Alice about which suited me best.

Plus, with my unusually long limbs for a kid, I had a model-like figure that suited suits better than dresses. At least, that’s what I thought.

Snap! Snap!

“Ahh! So cute! What’s with this androgynous charm? I need to take pictures…!”

“…”

“If you keep taking pictures every time I change, when will we finish? Let’s hurry up and go already.”

Of course, my appearance triggered Alice’s cuteness radar, sending her into a frenzy of shutter clicks.

Thankfully, after changing over ten times, Raven’s patience ran out, and he physically intervened to put an end to it.

Fortunately, I managed to pick out a suit I liked, ensuring I’d meet the party’s dress code.

With everything prepared, four days passed in the blink of an eye.

We gathered in front of the building hosting Nemesis’ launch party, *Beyond the Metafuture.*

“Alright. We’re just simple external guests. No causing trouble. Eat, look around, and leave. Got it?”

“Got it!”

“…!”

Alice and I raised our hands energetically, pretending to heed Raven’s warnings.

Of course, I already knew what lay ahead—it was all just for show!

Clutching Alice’s hand tightly so I wouldn’t get lost, a small question suddenly crossed my mind.

“Hmm? Now that I think about it, isn’t something… missing?”

Something minor yet essential.

Scratching my head, unable to recall, I followed the group inside the building.

And so began the heart-pounding events of the original story.