259 知らないという一言で終わらせるより、知ろうとする努力を......
デートと一括りに言っても、様々なデートの形がある。
スエラと行った夏祭りといったイベントに行く形のデート。
メモリアと行った異世界ではあったが旅行のような形のデート。
ヒミクと過ごしたゆっくりと過ごす家デートといった形。
互いの趣味嗜好。
運動が得意か不得意か。
賑やかなところが好きか嫌いか。
条件次第で行先などいくらでも変わる。
それこそ共通の趣味を持っているのであれば、その趣味を一緒にやるといったケースもある。
そんな俺はなんの因果か、入社当初じゃ考えもつかない相手、エヴィアさんとデートすることとなった。
その彼女と過ごすとなれば何がいいかと思考をめぐらす。
彼女を一言で表すなら高貴だろうか?
貴族である彼女の雰囲気は高貴な存在だとわかるような仕草を所々に感じさせる。
姿勢の良さもそうだが歩き方、立ち居振る舞い、様々な面でそう感じた理由であるのだが、俺個人の感想的には精神的な要素が多いような気がする。
そんなエヴィアさんが特殊な魔道具、角といった悪魔らしい要素を人間ぽく偽装するためのペンダントと、魔力欠乏を起こさない用の指輪型の魔道具を装着し外出用の姿を見たときは純粋にどこかの令嬢かと思った。
そんなエヴィアさんを車に乗せてデートは始まった。
彼女を最初に連れてきた場所と言えば。
少々高めであるが、種類が豊富な婦人服を取り扱うアパレルショップだ。
なんとエヴィアさん、ドレスは数百単位で持っているのだが、日本に出られるような格好となるとスーツしか持っておらず。
必要になったら買おうと思っていたのだが仕事が忙しすぎて、今の今まで私服を買っていなかったそうだ。
「必要なかったのでな」
では行くぞと、スーツ姿でデートを始めようとしたエヴィアさんにふと疑問に思い車内で、スーツが好きなのかと助手席に座る彼女に聞いたら、それ以外にないと答えられなぜと聞き返した結果がそれだった。
俺はらしいと思いつつ苦笑し、せっかくのデートなのだからとスケジュールを変更し俺でも知る有名な店に連れてきたわけだ。
プライベートなのだから着飾ったエヴィアさんが見てみたいという俺の願望もある。
それなりに客入りのある店の試着室の前で佇み、エヴィアさんが着替えてくるのを待つが、問題なのは俺の周囲だ。
別に女性専用のショップに男が一人立っていることで奇異の視線を向けられ気まずくなっているわけではない。
「どうだ、次郎」
「似合うと思っていましたが、ここまでとは思っていませんでしたよ。綺麗ですよエヴィアさん」
「そうか、たまにはこういうのもいいな」
サッと試着室のカーテンが開き、スーツから一転カジュアルな感じの格好をしたエヴィアさんが出てくる。
普段のスーツ姿ではなく、かといって貴族が着るようなドレスでもない。
日本の女性が着るような私服。
普段見れない新鮮な恰好に俺は素直な感想しか述べられない。
ただ、問題と言うわけではないがやはり美人が着るとその服もだいぶ印象が変わる。
美人はどれを着てもよく似合うとは聞くが、例外はあるだろうが一般的な物ならなんでも着こなしそうな雰囲気がある。
そんな空間で、俺自身も楽しみ始めているが、二人きりというわけではない。
「お客様、ぜひとも次はこちらの服を」
「ふむ、悪くはないな」
なぜか俺たちの周りに、いや、エヴィアさんの容姿を考えれば彼女のと言い換えた方がいいだろう。
彼女の周囲にはひっきりなしに店員が次から次へと様々なジャンルの服を勧めてくる。
終いには店員が着衣サポートまでしだす。
VIP待遇とはこのことかと言いたくなるような店員さんのサービスが過剰だ。
日本人では見ることのない赤髪にその色に違和感を感じさせない顔立ち、女性としては高身長で出るとこは出て引っ込むとこは引っ込んでいる整った容姿に、優雅な立ち居振る舞い。
最初に対応していた店員がいつの間にか店長に代わり、積極的に店内の服をエヴィアさんに勧め。
終いにはまだ店に出していない最新の服すら出す始末だ。
女性ファッションに疎い俺がエヴィアさんを連れ立って、どんなのが好みかと彼女に問いかけたのがきっかけで店員がオススメの服を着こなし、あれよこれよとあっという間に店内でファッションショーが始まり、遠巻きだが一般女性からの視線も集まり始めている。
「綺麗ねぇ、隣の人は彼氏かしら? 顔は少し怖いけど、結構いけてるし」
「どうかしら、付き人って感じじゃないわよね。距離が近いからそうかもしれないわね」
「あの人どこかの国の歌手とかだったりして」
「それだったらすごいんだけど」
何やら話がとんでもない方向に行きそうになっているが、所詮は雑談、写真とか気にしていれば問題ないか。
何人か写真を撮ろうとしたがその悉くを俺の背でブロックした。
着せ替え作業自体苦とは思っていないのか、好みであればとりあえず着てみるエヴィアさんの姿に店員も熱が入っているのか、それに気づいた様子はない。
ダンジョンで鍛えた気配感知がこんな風に役に立つ日が来るとは......
そんな俺の地味な苦労とは裏腹に、ファッションショーは続く。
最初は綺麗系統から入っていたがどんな服でも着こなせてしまうエヴィアさんに向けて動員した店員は、今ではジャンル問わずカジュアル系統やミリタリー系統、森ガール系統、民族衣装と言えばいいのか? エスニック系統と呼ばれるような服まで持ち出してきた。
それをすべて着こなす彼女に俺は脱帽しつつ、エヴィアさんが楽しんでいるということもあり、俺自身綺麗な彼女に向けて素直な感想を述べる。
時々、さっきの方が好みだと言うと少し笑みを浮かべてくれることが彼女が喜んでくれているのを教えてくれる。
俺の感想も、店員にとって参考になっているらしく、段々とエヴィアさんの好みと俺の好みがマッチするような服に近づけていく辺りプロだというのを感じる。
そんなファッションショーであったが、最終的には。
「ありきたりな言葉しか出てこないのが申し訳ないんですが、今まで見てきた中で一番似合ってると思いますよ」
綺麗系統に収まった。
白いコートに、少し薄い赤色のインナーに黒のパンツ、そのどれもが昔の俺なら手を出さないような値段の代物ばかりだが。
ダンジョン内で稼いでいるのでその値段にひるまずカードで一括購入。
「店員さん、さっきのスーツを袋に入れてください。こちらの方まとめてカードで」
もちろんエヴィアさんの方が稼いでいるのはわかっているが、彼女との初めてのデートなのでここは男の俺が購入。
「あのぉ、他の服はいかがしましょうか?」
そこで店員さんがおずおずと俺が似合うと言った中でも好きだと言った服の山を見せてきた。
その量は小さな山になっており、それを全部買うとなれば車とまではいかないが、なかなかの値段になる。
「買うぞ、支払いはカードで頼む」
その量の光景に買えなくはないが元来の小市民根性の俺が少しためらっていると、タグが外され着替え終えたエヴィアさんが即断で購入を決意した。
「すべてだ」
その光景に周囲からおーと感嘆の声が漏れたのは言うまでもなかった。
そんな渦中の俺と言えば、ワンセットだけといわず全部買った方が良かったかなと必死にすべての服をまとめている店員さんを脇目にそんなことを思い、レジスターの金額を見て俺の英断は間違っていなかったと思った。
恐らく、この店の今日の売り上げはかなり良かっただろうと言える金額に店長さんの表情は満面の笑み。
店を出る際には車まで服を運ぶ人員が随行し、店の前には店長店員総出整列し見送られた。
服に関して頓着してこなかったせいで、こんな経験などしたことなかったおかげで店を出る際には何事かと周囲の人から見られた。
「堂々としてましたねエヴィアさん」
「当たり前ではないですねぇ」
そんな場でも揺るがず毅然とした態度のエヴィアさんに大丈夫だったかと問いかけるも。
いつものように凛として、確認を取ってくる彼女に向けて運転している俺は少し笑いながら否定する。
そんなちょっとした騒ぎで始まったデートであったが、そこからは普段仕事中では見られない彼女の一面が見れた。
そしてこれからどんなことが起きるのだろうかと少し楽しみになり次に向かったゲームセンターでは案の定。
「おい、次郎この機械は壊れているぞ」
「いや、若干アームが弱いですけど正常ですよ。だから、魔法使わないでください。浮かせるとか反則ですよ」
「む、ならこちらのアームの強さを」
初めて見るクレーンゲームに挑戦して四苦八苦している姿を見ることができ。
店員や監視カメラの死角を突き隠匿はどこに消えたと魔法を使おうとしたエヴィアさんを止め。
「さっきの物と比べれば簡単だな」
「いや、それ一番難易度高いんですけどね」
「貴様もできているではないか」
「いや、フルコンボではないですね」
意外と難しいと言う俺の言葉を信じ、挑戦した太鼓を叩くゲームでは、初手から最上位難易度を汗一つ流さずクリアするエヴィアさん。
動体視力と反射神経、そしてリズム感が正確すぎると思った一面だ。
ただでさえ美人ということで周囲の目を引いていたが、これではまた周囲に人だかりができてしまう。
どこに行っても目立つ人だなと内心で思いつつ、騒ぎになる前に次の場所に俺は彼女を連れていった。
「いいな、これは」
「レビュー評価が良かったですからね。本当は食べてから連れてきたかったですが」
再び車で移動し、連れてきた場所はネットで評判が良かったクレープ屋。
喫茶店も兼ねていて、海辺にあるため景色も良好。
暖かい季節で晴れていると海沿いのテラスで食べることができる。
雰囲気もいいためカップルも多いが、今日は世間一般で言う平日、そこまで混んでいなくゆったりとした時間を楽しめる。
甘いものが好きだと聞いていていたのと、あまりこういったものを食べたことがないのではと思い連れてきたわけだ。
俺が注文したシンプルなチョコバナナでもおいしいと感じこの店は当たりだと思ったが、果たして彼女の方はどうかと伺えば。
満足げに頷き、食べる姿が見えた。
エヴィアさんの評価もなかなかだ。
「しかし、今日はずいぶんと甲斐甲斐しく動いてくれるが、こっちの世界のデートというのはそこまでしてくれるものなのか?」
「人によりますが、俺にとっては」
「貴様にとっては?」
海沿いの店内の席に座り、クレープを食べているとエヴィアさんにここまでしてくれる理由を聞かれ。
俺は深く考えず。
「楽しんでもらえればなと、思っただけです。だって、二人で楽しんだ方がいいじゃないですか」
「......」
ただただ素直にそんなことを口にした。
その言葉を発した後に、あれ、俺なんだかクサイこと言ってないかと思い、少し気恥しくなる。
「なるほどな、そうだな。互いに楽しめるのが一番だな」
そんな俺の心情を見抜いてか、あるいは気づかぬようにか。
ふっといつもの嗜虐的な笑みではなく、柔らかい。
とても女性らしい微笑みを見せてくれた。
それにドキッとして、さっきの言葉以上に気恥ずかしくなった俺はスマホを見て時間を確認する。
時刻は十五時を回ったところ。
まだまだ、時間には余裕はある。
次はどこに行こうかと思い。
事前に調べた場所を思い返し、次はどこに行こうかと考える。
しかし。
「私だ」
デートの空気を打ち壊すように、エヴィアさんのスマホに着信が入り、その番号を見て一瞬眉を顰めるもすぐに対応するエヴィアさんは、二、三会話をした後に通話を切る。
切った後の表情はいつもの仕事の表情になっていた。
それだけで、今日の時間は終わったとわかった。
「緊急ですか?」
「ああ、残念だがデートはここまでだ」
その雰囲気に何かあったと察した俺は、仕方ないと思い。
クレープの最後の一口を頬張る。
そして、立ち上がるエヴィアさんに向けて。
「なら、この後の予定は次のデートに持ち越しですね」
そんな言葉を投げかけた。
俺の言葉が意外だったのか、目を丸くする彼女の顔を見て、俺は笑って。
「まだデートは終わってませんから」
気を晴らすようにそう言った。
その言葉に、仕方ない奴めと言うかのように苦笑が混じったような笑みを見せたエヴィアさんは。
「ああ、楽しみにしている」
柔らかな言葉でそう言ってくれた。
今日の一言
知りたいという気持ちが、行動力を生み出すときがある。
264 259 Rather Than Just Saying I Don'T Know, The Effort To Know...
There are many different forms of dates.
A date to go to an event such as a summer festival with Suela.
An otherworldly but travel-like date with Memoria.
A date at home with Himikku, where you can relax and enjoy yourself.
Our hobbies and interests.
Are you good at sports or not?
Whether you like busy places or not.
The destination depends on the conditions.
If you have a common hobby, you can work together on that hobby.
For some reason or other, I ended up going on a date with someone I never would have thought of when I first joined the company.
I wondered what I would like to do if I were to spend time with her.
If I had to describe her in one word, would it be noble?
She is a noblewoman, and you can feel her noble gestures here and there.
The reason for this is because of her good posture, the way she walks, her behavior, and many other aspects, but for me personally, it's more of a mental factor.
When I saw that Evvia was wearing a special magic tool, a pendant to disguise her horns and other devilish elements to make her look human, and a ring-shaped magic tool to prevent magic deficiency, I genuinely thought she was some kind of young lady.
I put Evvia in the car and our date began.
The first place I brought her was a little expensive, but the first place I brought her to was.
It's a little expensive, but it's a clothing store with a wide variety of women's clothing.
Evvia has hundreds of dresses, but when it comes to dressing for Japan, she only has suits.
I was going to buy one when I needed it, but I was so busy with work that I hadn't bought any clothes until now," she said.
I didn't need it.
I was about to start our date in a suit, but I asked her in the car if she liked suits, she said she had no other choice, and I asked her why.
I laughed and changed my schedule and brought her to a famous restaurant that I know, because this was a date.
Since this is a private place, I also wish to see Evvia in her best attire.
I stand in front of the fitting room of the store where there is a good turnout and wait for Ms. Evvia to change, but the problem is my surroundings.
It's not that I'm in an awkward situation with a man standing alone in a women's only store, but I'm not in an awkward situation with a strange look in my eyes.
What do you think, Jiro?
I thought it would look good on you, but I didn't expect it to be this good. You look beautiful, Evia.
Well, sometimes it's nice to do that.
Quickly, the curtain of the fitting room opens to reveal Evvia, dressed casually in a change from her suit.
It's not your usual suit, and it's not a dress that a nobleman would wear.
You can see her dressed in casual clothes like a Japanese woman would wear.
I can only speak frankly about this new and unusual outfit.
It's not that there's a problem, but if a beautiful woman wears it, her clothes will look very different.
It is said that a beautiful woman can wear any kind of clothing, but there will be exceptions, but she seems to be able to wear anything in general.
In such a space, I am beginning to enjoy myself, but it is not just the two of us.
"Sir, by all means, next time, let's have this dress.
"Hmm, not bad.
For some reason, around us, or perhaps it would be better to say her, considering Evvia's appearance.
Around her, shopkeepers are constantly suggesting various kinds of clothes one after another.
Eventually, the staff will even help you with your clothes.
The service of the staff is so excessive that you may ask yourself if this is what VIP treatment is all about.
She has red hair and a complexion unlike any other Japanese woman, and she is tall for a woman, with a well-groomed figure that comes out when she needs it and goes in when she needs it, as well as elegant behavior.
The first clerk who dealt with it at first has been replaced by the manager, who actively recommends the clothes in the store to Ms. Evvia.
Eventually, she even brought out the latest clothes that are not yet available in the store.
It's a good thing that you're not familiar with women's fashion, so I took Ms. Evvia along and asked her what she liked, which led to the shopkeeper recommending the clothes, and in no time at all, a fashion show began to take place in the store, and even though it's distant, ordinary women began to look at it.
Beautiful, is the guy next to you your boyfriend? The face is a little scary, but it's pretty cool.
I don't know, it doesn't feel like a valet. Maybe it's because we're so close.
Maybe he's a singer from another country or something.
That would be awesome.
Something is about to go horribly wrong with the conversation, but it's just small talk.
I tried to take some photos, but I blocked all of them with my back.
You might not be bothered by the process of dressing up, or perhaps the shopkeepers are just as enthusiastic about it as you are about dressing up, if you like.
I never thought my dungeon-trained sense of presence would come in handy like this: ......
Contrary to my humble efforts, the fashion show continues.
The shopkeeper, who started out in the beautiful line, but mobilized for Ms. Evier, who can wear any kind of clothing, is now in the casual line, the military line, the forest girl line, or even ethnic clothing, regardless of genre? She even brought out what is called ethnic clothing.
I take my hat off to her as she wears all of them, and also because I know that Evvia is enjoying it, I give my honest opinion of her beautiful self.
Sometimes she smiles a little when I tell her that I like it better, which tells me that she's pleased with me.
My impressions also seem to be helpful to the shopkeeper, and I can see that she is a professional as she gradually approaches the clothes that match her taste and mine.
It was such a fashion show, but in the end, it was decided that .
I'm sorry to say it's so cliche, but I think it's the best-looking thing I've ever seen.
It's all in the neat line.
A white coat, a little light red innerwear and black pants, all at prices I wouldn't have been able to afford in the past.
Since I'm earning money in the dungeon, I don't mind the price and buy them in bulk with my card.
Clerk, please put the suit you just bought in the bag. This one's all on the card.
Of course, I know that Evvia makes more money than I do, but since this is my first date with her, I'm the guy who buys the clothes.
Would you like something else to wear?
Then the shopkeeper gradually showed me a pile of clothes that I said I liked among other things that I said looked good on me.
The amount is in small piles, and if you buy it all, it's not quite a car, but it's a pretty good price.
I'll buy it, just pay by credit card.
At the sight of the quantity, I was a little hesitant to buy it, but with my original petit-bourgeois mentality, the tag was removed and Evvia, after changing, decided to buy it on the spot.
It's everything.
Needless to say, the scene elicited exclamations of admiration from those around me.
Speaking of me in the midst of such a whirlwind, I wondered, with the clerk who was frantically packing all the clothes by my side, if I should have bought not just one set but all of them, and looking at the amount on the register, I realized that my wise decision was not wrong.
The manager's face was all smiles at the amount of money that I could probably say that the store's sales today were quite good.
When we left the store, the personnel carrying the clothes to the car accompanied us, and in front of the store, the manager and all the staff were lined up to see us off.
Because of the fact that I had never experienced anything like this before, people looked at me as I was leaving the store.
"You looked magnificent, Miss Evia.
It's not natural.
I asked Evvia if she was okay with the firmness of her attitude, even on such occasions.
I deny it with a little smile as I drive toward her, dignified as usual, to get her confirmation.
The date started with a bit of a commotion, but from there I saw a side of her that I don't usually see when I'm at work.
I was looking forward to seeing what would happen next, and as expected, I went to the game center.
"Hey Jiro, this machine is broken!
"No, the arm is a little weak, but it's normal. So don't use magic. It's against the law to make it float.
"Mm, then I'll take this arm strength.
I could see her struggling with the challenge of a crane game, which she had never seen before.
You can see her struggling with the game for the first time, stopping Ms. Evvia who was trying to use her magic to penetrate the blind spots of shopkeepers and security cameras to find out where the hiding has gone.
"It's not as easy as the last one,
No, that's the most difficult one.
You've done it too.
No, it's not a full combo.
Believing me when I said it was surprisingly difficult, Evia cleared the topmost difficulty level from the first move without breaking a sweat in the challenging game of drumming.
This is one aspect that I thought was too accurate in terms of dynamic vision, reflexes and rhythm.
You'll be able to get a lot of attention for your beauty, but this is going to draw crowds of people around you again.
Wherever she goes, she's conspicuous, I thought to myself, and I took her to the next place before the commotion started.
"This is nice,
"The reviews were good. I really wanted to eat it before I brought it to you.
Driving around again, the place I brought was a crepe shop that had a good reputation online.
It also doubles as a coffee shop, and since it is located by the sea, the view is good.
On a sunny day in the warm season, you can eat on the terrace by the sea.
Many couples come here because of the nice atmosphere, but today is a weekday and it is not so crowded, so you can relax and enjoy your time.
I had heard that you like sweets, and I brought you here because I thought you might have never had this kind of food before.
Even the simple chocolate banana I ordered was tasty and I thought this place was the right choice, but I asked her how she was doing.
I saw her nodding and eating with a satisfied smile.
Evvia's assessment is also quite good.
But you have been very willing to work hard today, but is a date in this world really worth it?
It depends on the person, but for me
What's in it for you?
While sitting in the restaurant by the sea, eating a crepe, Evia asked me why I was doing all this for her.
I didn't think much about it .
I just wanted you to have a good time, that's all. Because it's better for both of us to have a good time.
"......
I just said that honestly.
After saying those words, I felt a little embarrassed, thinking that I hadn't said anything bad.
I see, I see. It's best if we enjoy each other's company.
Maybe she saw through my emotions, or maybe she didn't notice.
She smiled softly, not her usual sadistic smile, but a very feminine smile.
She showed me a very feminine smile.
That made me nervous, and I was even more embarrassed than I was before, so I looked at my phone to check the time.
The time is around 15 o'clock.
There's still plenty of time to spare.
I'm thinking about where to go next.
I think about the places I've looked up and wonder where to go next.
But.
It's me.
As if to break up the atmosphere of the date, an incoming call comes in to Evvia's phone, she frowns for a moment at the number, but quickly responds, and after a couple of conversations, she hangs up the call.
After hanging up, the expression on her face was her usual work expression.
That's all I needed to know that my time for today was up.
"Is it urgent?
"Oh, I'm afraid the date is over,
I knew something was wrong with the atmosphere, and I knew I had no choice.
I took the last bite of the crepe.
Then I turned to Evvia, who was standing up.
Then we'll just have to carry the rest of our plans to the next date.
I said those words to her.
She rolled her eyes, as if my words were a surprise, and I laughed.
I laughed and said, "The date isn't over yet.
I said that to relieve my mind.
Evvia's smile was mixed with a wry smile, as if to say, "You can't help it," she said.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
He said so with soft words.
Word of the Day
Sometimes the desire to know creates the power to act.
Entering a Company From Another World!?
異世界からの企業進出！？転職からの成り上がり録『祝1億PV突破！！』　
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/entering-a-company-from-another-world/
Action Adventure Comedy Ecchi Fantasy Harem Romance Shounen
Adapted to Manga Angels Average-looking Protagonist Beautiful Female Lead Childcare Demon Lord Demons Dungeons Elves Fallen Angels Fantasy World Game Elements Human-Nonhuman Relationship Level System Male Protagonist Modern Day Monsters Older Love Interests Polygamy Pregnancy R-15 Summoned Hero Transported to Another World Vampires Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1881dn/
七士七海