Chapter 14

Even though I was reborn as an ultra-beautiful girl, I hadn’t really felt it until now.

I did receive all sorts of flirtations from the city on my first day after reincarnation.

But back then, my mind was so confused from landing in the Pixie world that I couldn’t think straight.

And after that, I’d been covering myself completely with cloth.

Until now, I’d only been treated like a suspicious short person wrapped in cloth.

I hardly even realized I’d become a beautiful girl or even a child’s body.

And since I rarely looked in mirrors, I gradually stopped being conscious of it.

Maybe that’s why.

When I removed my cloth at Greg’s shop and faced a mirror properly for the first time in ages…

I couldn’t help but curl my toes from an indescribable embarrassment that rose to the tips of my hair.

“Ugh… Ah… This feels weird. Without the cloth, it feels like I’m naked…”

It was like suddenly going outside without a mask after wearing one every day for almost half a year.

Without the cloth covering me, my figure was fully visible.

For some reason, I became overly self-conscious, feeling like my body was moving awkwardly.

“Hoo, calm down first. Thinking about it, it’s not a big deal, right? After all, I’m wearing a mask on my face. It’s not like I look hideous. It’ll be fine.”

I fidgeted with the ugly goblin mask on my face, pretending to adjust it.

The crooked nose and asymmetrical appearance of the beaten-up looking goblin mask.

Right now, this thin mask was my last bastion protecting my fragile mental state.

“Alright, the problem is this though…”

Having calmed down somewhat, I glanced sideways at the clothes hanging on the chair.

A maid outfit, commonly called such, decorated with white frills on black fabric.

The set consisted of a one-piece dress, apron, stockings, and a headband called a katsusha.

Carefully lifting it to avoid damaging the clothes, I spread it out with both hands.

Its size was petite enough to fit my body perfectly.

“How did my first change of clothes in this world end up being this kind of costume!”

Going from patient gown to maid outfit?

I felt dizzy just thinking about it.

Shouldn’t there have been some preliminary steps to take first?

For example, starting with gender-neutral clothing to lower psychological barriers.

Then slowly adjusting towards a more comfortable mindset!

This was like handing a level 1 warrior a wooden stick with 10 attack power and telling them to defeat a menacing Four Heavenly King threatening the village.

“If I say I don’t want to wear it now… That wouldn’t work, would it?”

But there was no choice.

With a huge bounty on my head, working at Greg’s shop was clearly the best option.

It would be morally wrong to refuse to wear the uniform when he’d already accepted me as an employee.

Though I desperately pleaded with Greg, hoping for other options…

Given the nature of his shop where items from the underworld flowed in…

It seemed the only way children’s clothes came in was through mad scientists making maid outfits for their androids.

“Hmm, well… Let’s look on the bright side. At least it doesn’t seem like a ridiculous cosplay. If anything, it’s more like a normal servant uniform, not fetishistic.”

While continuing my internal conflict holding the clothes,

I finally decided to go ahead and wear it.

Even though I was wearing a mask, I was now a perfect beautiful girl.

Wearing a maid outfit wouldn’t seem strange at all.

Looking at the overall design, it wasn’t one of those perverted outfits that exposed too much skin.

There was no need to overreact like I was going to die just from wearing one outfit.

Having made my decision, I took a deep breath, removed the patient gown I’d been wearing,

and started putting on the maid outfit and its components.

Swoosh.

The fabric, as soft as my hair, tickled my skin.

The expensive material was so impressive that I couldn’t help but marvel at the sensation under my fingertips.

“Ah, I’m done dressing. Hmm, let’s not wear the katsusha. It’s not like I’m a real maid anyway.”

Feeling a magical comfort that hugged my body without any discomfort,

I stood before an enormous full-length mirror that seemed made for Greg’s height.

In the mirror was a maid girl with snow-white skin.

Her skin was so clear, like freshly steamed rice cake, making her look more like an expensive doll than a human.

Thus, while staring blankly at that image, I unconsciously slipped off my mask as if drawn by a magnet.

“Gasp.”

The me in the mirror without the mask was truly a breathtakingly beautiful girl.

So surprising that I reflexively put the goblin mask back on in shock.

“T-This is much better. Even though it’s my own face, I was startled by how cute it was.”

Even in loose patient gown style, people on the street bothered me because of my face.

How much more prominent would that cuteness be in properly fitted clothes?

An inhuman level of cuteness. And a mysterious charm as if made of sugar and snow!

At this point, I was actually quite afraid that this was my face.

Hya! Hya!

To quickly shake off my fear, I struck a trivial pose by raising both arms above my head.

If I didn’t do something like this…

I felt like I might fall completely under the spell of my reflection in the mirror.

Did my urgent movements reach outside?

Greg knocked on the door and entered the room where I was.

“Are you done changing?”

“…”

“Not bad. That mask doesn’t suit you though, maybe taking it off…”

“!”

“Hmm, if you dislike it that much, I can’t force you. How about another mask instead?”

Another mask?

While shaking my head vigorously in resistance to Greg’s suggestion to remove my mask,

I paused to seriously consider his words.

Come to think of it, I had no particular reason to be attached to the goblin mask.

As long as my face was hidden, I wouldn’t care if I wore a dried squid on my face.

In fact, this ugly goblin mask might actually hinder customer service.

“!”

“Good, that means yes. Alright, let me bring you some options.”

I indicated my agreement.

Greg strode into the back of the shop…

And soon after, when he came back out,

he was holding several different masks.

“Feel free to choose any you like. Using one as part of employee benefits is fine.”

“…”

Employee benefits already, huh.

Feeling a strange emotion from Greg’s words, whether joking or serious,

I carefully examined the masks he offered.

And among them, my gaze stopped dead on one particular mask.

“!”

“So you like this fox mask? Not a bad choice.”

What caught my eye was none other than a pure white fox mask with eyes, nose, and mouth painted in purple dye.

First of all, it matched my hair and eye color perfectly.

Plus, among the masks, this one was definitely the cutest – that was the decisive factor.

Greg handed me the fox mask with an approving reaction.

I quickly turned away from him and immediately switched from the goblin mask to the fox mask.

As soon as I put on the fox mask, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in slight surprise.

“This… Is this an artifact? Even though I’m wearing a mask, it feels like my field of vision has widened.”

First of all, the wearing experience of the fox mask was different.

Unlike the goblin mask which naturally made sweat build up due to poor air circulation,

the fox mask felt light and breathable, as if I wasn’t wearing anything.

Moreover, it seemed to be some kind of artifact.

I couldn’t feel any obstruction to my field of vision typical of masks.

To give such a great item for free under the name of employee benefits!

Truly, this showed Greg’s remarkable generosity worthy of being counted among the top personalities in the Pixie worldview.

“Hmm, seems like you like it.”

“!”

“No need to thank me. If you’re not busy, let’s start work right away today.”

Of course! I’m ready to start immediately!

Fully charged with motivation, I excitedly followed Greg out of the shop.

The ghost who used to sneak around in back alleys is dead.

From today, I’m the fox mask-wearing employee of “Greg’s General Store”!

I made up my mind to work hard enough to bury my bones here.

After all, starving to death before enjoying peace… That would be unfortunate!

*

Five days had quickly passed since I started working at Greg’s general store.

Perhaps because I hadn’t been active as a ghost during this time,

the bounty hunting craze in the underworld was gradually dying down.

Of course, walking around late at night, I still occasionally saw bounty hunters with greedy eyes for the large bounty…

But I could see that the number of so-called radical bounty hunters who reacted sensitively to every scream and stirred up back alleys had considerably decreased.

Well, it had been quite some time since my last appearance.

Those who thought it was a waste of time were probably starting to drop out.

Neither good nor bad news.

Just something that didn’t require special attention.

Anyway, the ghost incident had somewhat settled down but was still ongoing.

For me, working at Greg’s general store, it meant I’d overcome one hurdle.

“…The profit we’ve made in these five days is similar to what I earned in a month before hiring you. So the problem was my face after all…”

“!”

“No, I’m not blaming you. I’m just feeling regret about my foolish business skills. Actually, I’m happy about it.”

Because in just five days of me working as an employee, we’d already surpassed the monthly profit Greg made when running the shop alone!

Of course, I hadn’t done anything particularly amazing.

I simply sat silently at the employee desk near the entrance, swinging my legs while receiving customers.

But perhaps my presence served as a buffer.

We managed to keep customers who would have run away in shock from Greg’s orc face.

Naturally, the general store’s profits had meaningfully increased.

Which meant…!

“If you don’t mind, how about signing a formal contract? I’ll make sure your salary isn’t disappointing.”

Here comes the full-time job offer!

Pretending to think for a moment, I reluctantly nodded.

Greg’s offer was until the ghost hunting craze died down.

For someone like me with nowhere else to go, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Showing your cards openly is something only third-rate socialites do.

Unless you’re being too picky, it’s better to pretend you’ve carefully considered before making a decision.

Rather than having the other party think you chose impulsively based on the mood,

it gives the impression that you made a more serious, thoughtful choice.

No such logic? If not, never mind.

“…”

“Good. Wait here while I get the contract.”

Greg carefully observed my reaction,

then disappeared into the shop saying he’d bring the contract.

Now I’ll have a stable job too.

Feeling unusually cheerful, I swung my legs on the chair that barely touched the ground.

Indeed, living in warmth while getting food was better than surviving by extorting money from thugs in cold, dark back alleys.

The physical warmth I’d experienced for five days since reincarnation, something I’d never felt before, was simply very satisfying.

‘Should I prepare to close the shop before Mr. Greg comes back?’

But what I hadn’t realized was…

Even if Greg was a trustworthy gentleman, in this world, you can’t just let your guard down.

Perhaps I’d unconsciously let down my guard that I’d maintained until now.

Maybe fate was taking advantage of that momentary lapse.

“Mr. Greg, are you there? I have something I want to ask…”

Jingle jingle.

The door opened and someone stepped confidently into the shop.

As I happened to be walking toward the door, I came face-to-face with the newcomer.

And shocked by the completely unexpected person, I froze like a stone.

“Huh? A child?”

‘This…’

Before my eyes was a beautiful woman.

She had pink hair as if cherry blossoms had dyed it.

A Japanese-style kimono that revealed one leg – rare attire in Night Haven.

She was chewing on a wooden stick and had three ornamental hairpins holding up her long hair.

Two swords clinked against each other at her waist.

I knew this distinctive woman.

No, it was impossible not to know her.

She was none other than… one of the main characters of Pixie.

A heroine position as the protagonist’s companion!

‘I’ve met her…!’

Gulp.

Unconsciously, I swallowed.

The joy of meeting the protagonist’s group mixed with the dilemma of knowing it was dangerous to get involved.

These two extreme emotions swirled together and exploded in my mind.

What should I do in this situation?

It was utterly confusing.

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