I was left all alone as everyone scattered, just sitting on a waiting chair in front of the changing room, staring blankly.

As I pondered how long I would have to wait, someone emerged from one of the changing room boxes after pulling the curtain aside.

“Oh? Everyone’s here.”

“Ah, Mariel-senpai.”

“Seriously, every time I see you, the title changes, doesn’t it, my dear junior?”

Since there were passersby around, I called her senpai to conceal Mariel’s identity.

In response, Mariel called me junior, fittingly.

Usually, whenever Mariel faced me, she was always dressed in a black nun’s outfit.

However, on this weekend shopping outing, rather than her usual nun attire, Mariel was all decked out in outfits suitable for a girl her age.

No, rather, she was wearing clothes that even most girls her age wouldn’t easily attempt.

Her chest, which couldn’t even be hidden by the nun’s outfit, was revealed due to the unbuttoned shirt she wore, and instead of the long nun skirt that concealed her skin, she wore a short flared skirt that exposed her calves and even, whenever she moved, would sometimes reveal her thighs.

Once again, I wanted to ask the Goddess,

Is this girl truly the Saint?

“Huh? Hmm… Did you fall for me after seeing me all dressed up instead of my usual nun attire?”

“W-who says I fell for you!”

Of course, I was surprised to see Mariel all dressed up and thought she looked beautiful.

But the conclusion of that thought ended up being pity for the Goddess rather than falling for Mariel.

“Oh come on, no need to lie. This sister is just a bit pretty, you know?”

“…Is there no shame in saying that yourself?”

“Oh? Isn’t it the truth? The Saint cannot lie!”

“Well, I suppose it is.”

Yes, the Saint can’t lie.

Just that she loves money… not just a little, but a lot.

“Anyway, I didn’t expect you to come to a place like this considering your usual image. What a surprise.”

“…I’m curious about what kind of image you see in me. I’m at an age where I love dressing up just like the other girls, you know?”

“Umm… The money-grubbing Saint who tricks her junior?”

The answer came out reflexively without even a hint of filtering.

“Tricking? If the top-grade holy water sells for 4 gold each, that’s incredibly cheap!”

“Yet you sold it to Selian for 2 gold each. And it turns out that Heroes can request holy water support for free from the temple, you know.”

“Hehe… You figured it all out already. Such a pity.”

Mariel, who was lamenting her grievances, bit her tongue and let out a silly laugh upon hearing my rebuttal.

“What do you mean, it’s a pity? Are you sad you can’t con me anymore?”

“Eheh?”

Mariel tilted her head and responded with a cute smile.

“O Goddess Serena…”

“Ah! If you have something to say to the Goddess, you can tell me! I’ll pass it right on!”

Watching Mariel say, ‘I’ll charge just one silver piece as a commission!’ made me give up further thoughts since she seemed genuinely sincere.

“…Let’s just talk about something ordinary.”

“Then here’s a question for my junior! Since you’re so smitten, I don’t really need to ask, but how do you like this outfit?”

See? I didn’t fall for her or anything.

“You definitely look good in it. However, please refrain from wearing it out in public.”

“Hehe, if my junior puts it that way, I suppose I have no choice but to agree.”

Then Mariel went back inside the changing room, rustling around for a moment before coming out wearing her usual nun’s outfit.

“I meant to say that you weren’t supposed to buy it, just at least button it up a bit.”

I felt a mix of unease and guilt, wondering if I had caused her to give up an outfit she liked because of my casual remark.

However, she answered in a voice that seemed totally unconcerned.

“I never intended to buy it in the first place. I’m going to be wearing nun outfits every day anyway, so there’s no sense in spending a lot just for decoration. I just came here for a change of pace.”

“…Wait here for a moment.”

I led her over to the checkout counter.

In front of the register were accessories at a price point that was easy to purchase without worry, taking up less space than clothes.

After taking a moment to look over the displayed accessories, I picked out a headband and proceeded to the register.

“Junior?”

Then I placed the headband onto Mariel’s head.

Though it wasn’t anything special given the cheap price, the headband adorned with flower designs suited her quite well.

Was there truly any attire that wouldn’t match with her looks?

“It’s a gift. Since you can’t wear other outfits because you only wear nun clothes, something like this accessory should be fine, right? If anyone says anything, just sell it using the Goddess’s name like you usually do.”

At her age, a girl who likes to dress up and isn’t able to wear what she wants wouldn’t be without its effects.

Mariel’s voice, saying it was simply a change of pace, may have sounded calm, but her gaze toward the clothes she held lingered with regret.

Instead of looking in a mirror, she seemed to be picturing how she’d look while running her fingers over the floral decorations on her head.

“Junior…”

Mariel, silently touching the headband, called me softly.

“Even if I wear the headband, it won’t be seen under my veil anyway…”

Ah. I completely overlooked that aspect.

Right now, she wasn’t wearing anything on her head, so I forgot, but usually, when Mariel roamed the Academy or the Temple, she always wore a veil.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that part… but it’s a recent purchase, so I should be able to get a refund.”

I hurriedly tried to take the headband back from her head, but she stepped back, avoiding my hand.

“Nope. It’s already a gift, so it’s mine now. This headband is mine!”

Did she think I was trying to take it away? Mariel stuck out her tongue at me while holding onto the headband with both hands.

I wasn’t trying to take it; I just wanted to return it for a refund so I could get something else…

“Hehe. Since my junior gave me such a gift, I can’t just sit back!”

With that, Mariel went to the display where I picked out the headband, took a scrunchie, and went straight to the register again.

Then she came behind me, fiddled with her hair a few times with one hand, and tied it up with the scrunchie.

“This is a gift from me! Use it whenever you tie up your hair!”

When I turned my head slightly to look in the mirror, I saw small floral patterns against a black background.

It seemed to be the same brand as the headband I chose, as it had identical floral patterns.

When not tied up, it also looked good worn as a bracelet on her wrist.

“…I didn’t expect to receive a gift from senpai.”

Feeling an uncharacteristic shyness, I blurted out a joke instead of expressing my gratitude.

“What did you think I was like, my dear junior?”

It was a question similar to her previous one.

So I gave a response akin to my earlier one.

“…A miser?”

“I-I do know when to spend money!”

Well, given her usual behavior, it’s hard to believe that… But since I received a gift, could I not trust her?

However, since we both knew it was all in jest, we looked at each other and let out a small laugh.

“Anyway, it’s almost time for me to head back, so I’ll go first. Take care of that headband, okay? You should cherish that scrunchie too!”

“Don’t worry! I didn’t get a chance to say it before, but thank you for the gift. I really like it. Please, be careful going back.”

Seemingly pleased, Mariel gently caressed the headband with one hand as she exited through the store’s door.

Seeing her like this made me glad that I gave her the gift.

Mariel had left, and I too moved back toward the changing room where I originally was.

However, before I could return to the changing room, my friends who had gone to choose their clothes were back first.

Three people, one ghost, and one cat were gathered at the front of the changing room, each holding something.

Yet, since I wasn’t there to act as a mannequin, they were looking around in confusion.

“Ely!”

Amidst that, Selian was the first to spot me and rushed over.

I was already on my way back, so there really was no need to come…

“I specifically told you not to follow a stranger who offers you delicious food!”

Was that really sincere…? Not a joke?

After all, it wasn’t a stranger; I had left to pay for them.

“Where on earth have you been?”

“Uh, I just wanted to buy an accessory…”

At the mention of ‘accessory’, Selian’s eyes landed on the scrunchie in my hair.

To be precise, I had bought a headband for Mariel, and this hair tie was from Mariel… but there was no need to go into detail.

Fortunately, Selian didn’t press me further about my absence and simply led me back to the front of the changing room.