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“Enjoy the Hero’s course meal! This set is composed of the dishes the Hero enjoyed! Students from the Academy get a discount too!”

The streets were bustling with a crowd, and I tightly held Anne’s hand, worried we might get separated.

Amidst the chaos, I turned my head at the sound of a vendor, and there was a shop I had never seen before.

They even claimed to serve dishes that I supposedly enjoyed, but there was a salad made of some kind of greens mixed in the course menu.

One thing was certain; it was definitely not a dish I often ate.

It was likely an attempt to take advantage of the Celestial Festival period by selling dishes under the name of the Hero.

Although I felt a bit offended from the perspective of the person involved, it seemed that those who were buying didn’t really expect much and just wanted to enjoy the festival.

It felt silly to dwell on such trivial matters, and I had no intention of making a fuss about it.

But still, I approached the staff doing the promoting because there was one thing I absolutely had to say.

“I’m not going to eat salad, so don’t spread weird rumors and change it to a meat dish.”

Selian and Yuli always nag us to eat vegetables, but Anne and I are hardcore meat-lovers.

I couldn’t tolerate the idea of mixing salad with the food loved by meat enthusiasts.

“What you like doesn’t really matter…”

When I approached, the staff initially looked at me like I was being nosy, but suddenly I could see recognition dawning in their eyes, and they stopped speaking in surprise.

Having achieved my objective, I took Anne’s hand again and disappeared into the crowd, only to hear the vendor from earlier calling again behind me.

“Hero Set! No salads here! Only meat! This is the set menu personally confirmed by the Hero!”

Yes, yes. This will likely boost the reputation of meat lovers a bit more.

With a satisfied smile, I turned to Anne, who was also giving me a thumbs up for my action.

I was feeling proud that I had completed a good deed today while walking down the street, and I asked Anne.

“By the way, let’s go to the Academy in the afternoon. Is there anywhere you want to see?”

“Hmm? Not particularly?”

I realized I was foolish to expect a plan from Anne. Of course, that didn’t mean I had a plan either.

In the end, wandering aimlessly without a plan, we entered a nearby shop.

As we walked, we unexpectedly came across a familiar sign, leading us into the store where I had bought my outfit last time.

This was the place where my friends took me to get fitted to show off like a Hero.

It was also where I had become the subject of some mockery during the fashion show.

As soon as I stepped in, a mannequin caught my eye.

If it had just been a regular mannequin, I would have casually glanced over it.

But the reason I couldn’t take my eyes off it was that it was wearing the exact outfit I had just worn for the opening ceremony.

Only the accessories that I had bought separately, like the shushu Mariel had given me, weren’t included.

And next to the mannequin, one of the staff was diligently promoting just like in the restaurant earlier.

“This is the outfit the Hero wore during the opening ceremony! Everyone can purchase it at our store, so if you want to buy it, please let one of our staff know!”

At this point, I thought I should be getting some modeling fees, but I decided to ignore it; I didn’t want to get stuck in a crowd like right after the opening ceremony.

“One Hero Set please! Size is…”

“Wait a minute, Anne!”

I had only glanced at the mannequin for a moment, but Anne, who had been holding my hand the whole time, was now chatting with a nearby staff member.

“What are you planning to do with clothes and armor you won’t wear anyway? This isn’t even your style.”

Of course, while Anne was included in the outfit decision, it wasn’t selected with her style in mind.

Even though Anne was a noble lady, wasting money on clothes she wouldn’t wear wasn’t a good habit.

This wasn’t just my leftover mentality; it was a perfectly reasonable thought for an average person.

So, I tried to pull her away, but she stood firm like an ancient tree, refusing to budge.

“Since I’m registered as Anne Clein, I’ll leave the size and delivery details to you!”

In the end, against my objections, Anne managed to purchase the Hero Set, the same outfit I wore during the opening ceremony.

Once she achieved her goal, she willingly came back to my side.

“…Did you really need to buy this, knowing you won’t wear it?”

“Hehe… Just as a souvenir, I guess?”

Hearing such a ridiculous excuse made me want to chuckle.

Deciding to find a gift to support Anne in the upcoming tournament, I was just about to step forward when a staff member who had taken Anne’s order rushed over to us.

“Are you Anne Clein? You ordered the Hero Set, right?”

“Yep! So?”

“Actually, I was checking because I saw two other orders delivered to the same address on our list. Is your order an additional one?”

…….

Just to check, before Anne could answer, I asked the staff member.

“Uh… what are the names on the orders?”

“For privacy reasons, I shouldn’t reveal it, but it won’t matter since the delivery is to the same Academy dormitory. They are Selian Deretia and Yuli Atillea.”

…….

I raised my hands to hide my bright red face in embarrassment on behalf of the two who weren’t here and Anne.

Why is this my embarrassment to bear?

“If there’s any issue….”

“Ah, no! That’s right; just include my order with the same address!”

As the staff returned to their original position after hearing Anne’s reply, I still couldn’t take my hands away from my face.

Selian… Yuli… They said they had plans, but when did they come and go here?

Honestly, I’m technically a noble now, but since I’m just a title holder, I really don’t understand how actual nobles spend their money.

I’d rather enjoy another delicious meal than buy clothes I wouldn’t even wear.

“…Alright, let’s go check on the original purpose of our visit.”

I tried to ignore what had happened since entering the store and moved on.

The place we arrived at was a corner displaying various accessories.

It seemed all the accessories were handmade because I couldn’t find the same design of shushu and headband I had exchanged with Mariel last time.

The other accessories displayed all had different designs.

“Wanna try this one?”

I picked up a headband with a large white flower among various accessories.

Considering Anne’s active nature, it was a design that would probably get in the way, but I didn’t mind.

When I placed it on her head, I thought it was indeed a good choice.

The white flower blooming above her red hair created a beautiful harmony, making it hard to imagine her usual sassy self.

“Yeah. Great. No need to look at anything else. This is enough.”

Anne’s thoughtful demeanor in front of the accessory display was gone, replaced by a smile as she played with the flower in the mirror.

Thankfully, it seemed like Anne was satisfied too.

“Here, this is my gift to cheer you on in the tournament. Since you got it before the match, you can’t lose, right?”

“Yep! I’ll break everything!”

With a bright smile showing her teeth, Anne looked as if she really might break the arms and legs of the students she meets, and I thought I should intervene now, but a broken bone could easily be healed with divine magic, so it wasn’t a problem.

Well, isn’t it typical to break a bone or two when you’re young?

As long as that person isn’t me, it shouldn’t be a problem at all.

I just took a moment of silence for the opponents Anne would face in the tournament.

*

“Shall we head to the Academy soon?”

Having bought a gift for Anne, we strolled down the street enjoying various sights together.

We watched a bard singing in front of a fountain, throwing a coin, and mingled with a group that was praying together for a brief moment.

I participated in anything that seemed fun that caught my eye.

Before I knew it, it had become lunchtime, and even after brunch, I needed to refill my stomach again.

So, while wandering the streets with Anne and doing everything we wanted, I realized there were plenty of festivities and sights prepared inside the Academy as well.

In fact, the Academy students, who weren’t bound by money, could be said to be the true enjoyers of the festival.

“Umm… It seems a bit early, but let’s head over and wait.”

Unlike me, who was struggling to make plans with individuals, it seemed Anne had already discussed timings with the other two.

I was filled with anticipation about what our class had planned in secret for me as I headed towards the Academy, to our classroom.