Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 404: Going Out Together
After checking into the inn, Tauro and his companions finally had some free time.
Ankh went out for a drink while it was still light. Tauro saw him off, changed into ordinary clothes, and had Pella imitate a belt around his waist.
When Tauro opened the door, he found Zion standing outside with one hand raised, just about to knock.
“Zion, is something wrong?”
“Ah! Ragune-san left through [Dimensional Corridor] as soon as we arrived, so I was wondering what Tauro-sama planned to do…”
Zion fidgeted beneath the dark hood of her armor.
“Ragune went to the Dragonfolk Village? That’s unusual,” Tauro said. “I was about to visit the former mayor’s residence. Would you like to come with me?”
“May I? Then I’d be happy to accompany you!”
Zion brightened immediately.
Although she had catfolk blood, Zion didn’t resemble an ordinary catfolk. Her body and face appeared almost entirely human, while only her ears and tail showed her mixed ancestry.
Neither humans nor beastfolk had fully accepted that appearance in the past, leaving her deeply self-conscious. She therefore kept the magical hood of her leather armor lowered whenever she went outside.
“Are you planning to wear the armor all day?” Tauro asked. “This is supposed to be a day off. You should remove the hood and relax.”
“The armor is far too convenient to leave behind,” Zion replied as though the answer were obvious. “The darkness enchantment keeps the hood in place even in strong wind. More importantly, it was a gift from Tauro-sama. I can’t simply abandon it in the room.”
“Are you still wearing the gauntlets as well?”
“Of course!”
“That doesn’t sound very restful. I’ll keep the armor and gauntlets in [Magic Storage], so take them off. We can buy you some ordinary clothes before visiting the residence.”
Ignoring Zion’s hesitation, Tauro persuaded her to deactivate the armor’s disguise.
The black, hooded silhouette dissolved, revealing Zion’s cat ears, tail, gauntlets, and leather armor.
Tauro realized that he had scarcely seen her without the magical hood since upgrading her equipment.
“Take off the gauntlets first. I’ll store them for you.”
Zion handed them over. She then began removing the leather armor as instructed.
Because the armor had been designed for mobility in hot conditions, it covered far less than Tauro had assumed. He suddenly noticed how much bare skin was visible beneath it.
“Zion… are you not wearing clothes under the armor?”
“Only my underwear. Anything more is unbearably hot.”
Only then did Tauro understand what he had just asked her to do in the corridor.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you undress out here. Go into the room first!”
“Huh?”
Zion finally recognized the situation and flushed with embarrassment. She had become so comfortable around Tauro and the others that she had briefly forgotten to be conscious of it.
Tauro hurried her into the room, took a spare set of his everyday clothes from [Magic Storage], and handed them to her.
“Wear these after removing the armor.”
“Tauro-sama’s clothes? Thank you!”
Her delight at receiving his clothes quickly overcame her embarrassment.
Tauro turned his back while she changed, then stored the leather armor.
“That should be better,” he said. “I’m so accustomed to seeing you hooded—and to the way you speak—that I nearly forgot you were a girl. I’m sorry. These clothes will have to do until we buy something that fits properly.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I was always with Ragune-san, so I had stopped worrying about such things as well.”
Zion looked down at the borrowed outfit with obvious happiness.
“Tauro-sama’s clothes are very comfortable. They may be a little tight around the chest, though…”
She tugged experimentally at the fabric.
“I’m rather small,” Tauro admitted. “We should buy your clothes before doing anything else.”
Tauro and Zion left the inn together.
At first, Zion constantly glanced around, uneasy about displaying her ears and tail without the hood.
Tauro took her hand as they walked.
“You should be confident in your appearance, Zion. There’s nothing about you that should cause shame.”
“Y-Yes, Tauro-sama!”
Encouraged by the person she respected most, Zion straightened her hunched posture and began walking with her head raised.
“My, what a lovely child,” an elderly woman said as she passed.
“Those ears are adorable,” an older man exclaimed. “Where did you buy them? What? They’re real? I thought they were part of a costume. I was considering buying something similar for my daughter.”
Zion’s unusual appearance attracted curiosity, but the reactions were warm rather than hostile.
At the clothing shop, the female proprietor stared at Zion thoughtfully.
“A rare catfolk appearance… Wait. An outfit with false cat ears and a matching tail might sell extremely well!”
Inspired by the idea, she forgot about serving her customers and immediately began sketching designs.
The friendly attention was unlike anything Zion had experienced before.
As she continued shopping beside Tauro, the insecurity she had carried for years gradually loosened its hold, and she began enjoying the outing from the bottom of her heart.