Amy followed Clara all the way to the southernmost end of Hot Springs Town.
Because her usual routes only included the seaside, the forest, the restaurant, and the mayor’s yard, Amy had never been here before.
So this was the first time she discovered there was actually a clothing store here—apparently, this was the moment she unlocked the outfit-changing system.
But why had Clara brought her here?
Just as she was wondering, Clara spoke: “You probably saw it in the letter. I’m sorry for what happened at the restaurant last time, but… I don’t think it was entirely my fault. The clothes you wore that day were really ugly, and I accidentally blurted it out.”
“So you brought me here just so I could buy a pretty dress to wear back?”
Honestly, Amy was angry now.
It was one thing for Clara to say her clothes were ugly—because they really weren’t very nice—but to drag her out here to spend money over it was another thing. She didn’t even have money for clothes!
And even if she did have that kind of money, she would buy an oven, not some flashy, impractical dress.
Clara, oblivious, looked at her and nodded as if Amy’s words had been nonsense.
“Yes.”
—The implication being: yes, I just want you to buy prettier clothes.
Amy’s eyebrow twitched twice, but she didn’t speak.
As she considered whether to turn around and leave or say something first, Clara said again: “I want to buy you a nice dress.”
“I… what?” Amy thought she had misheard and repeated incredulously, “You want to buy me clothes?”
“Yes, why else would I ask you out?” Clara said impatiently. “I shop at this store a lot. It’s pretty good. Pick whichever outfit you like, and I’ll pay.”
Then she muttered under her breath, “Just think of it as my apology for that day.”
Amy was stunned by Clara’s words—especially those three magical words, “I’ll pay.”
There was nothing in the world more beautiful to hear.
It hardly sounded like something Clara could say at all.
Realizing she had misunderstood Clara just a moment ago, Amy suddenly felt guilty. At the same time, she found that this awkward little girl, who chose to express her apology in her own way, was actually rather cute.
She deliberately pretended not to have heard Clara’s last words and asked, “What did you just say?”
Clara, flustered, refused to admit it. “I said hurry up and pick a dress you like.”
“And?”
“Nothing else! You must’ve misheard!”
While speaking, she shoved Amy into the clothing store without giving her a choice.
The moment they entered, a lively voice rang out: “Welcome, beautiful lady, what do you need—oh, Clara!”
A young man with flaming red hair and earrings practically leapt at Clara as though to give her an enthusiastic hug.
Clara coldly pushed him away. “Good afternoon, Leon.”
The young man—Leon—shrugged at Amy with a helpless expression that said she’s always like this, and sighed, “Clara, you really… if you didn’t come here so often to buy clothes, I wouldn’t want to deal with such a cold customer.”
Amy didn’t know what to say, so she copied Leon and shrugged back.
“Enough nonsense.” Clara pulled Amy closer and introduced her, “This is my neighbor Amy. She’s here to buy clothes today. I’m not buying.”
“You don’t need to.” Leon laughed behind his hand. “Did you forget? Just a few days ago you bought thirty outfits and dresses in one go. How could you possibly wear them all?”
Amy nearly dropped her jaw.
Thirty outfits?!
How much money was that…
That much money could buy several ovens—forgive her, right now all she could think about was ovens.
Now she understood why Leon treated Clara so warmly, even sticking to her icy face. With a customer like that, how could he not be attentive?
After teasing Clara, Leon reached out to Amy. “Hello, Miss Amy. It’s a pleasure to meet you. If you need anything, just let me know—don’t be shy.” His tone was exaggerated, each sentence practically ending with an invisible little wave.
From his eyes, Amy saw the same eager enthusiasm he had shown Clara. He probably thought she was another shopaholic like Clara.
Amy sighed inwardly: he was going to be disappointed.
She was just an ordinary farmer.
Even so, she politely shook his hand. “Hello, Leon.”
Leon didn’t immediately try to sell her things but let her browse on her own, which made Amy feel more at ease. Clara, meanwhile, split off, standing seriously before a rack full of clothes—probably already considering which thirty outfits to buy next time.
Such sweet troubles, Amy thought.
She turned her attention back to the clothes before her.
Sundresses, jeans, white blouses, cropped tops… everything looked nice, but Amy couldn’t imagine wearing them for farm work.
What, was she supposed to hoe the fields in a beachy sundress?
To be honest, back when she was still gaming, she had dressed her character like that once.
A sky-blue sundress printed with daisies—it looked beautiful on her avatar. Even hoeing the fields looked elegant, and Amy had stared at her little game character for a long time, feeling much better.
But that was a game. In a game you could farm in a bikini—or nothing at all—and it didn’t matter. Reality was different. She had to consider things like tripping on the hem while bending down, dirt stains on fabric, or too much exposed skin getting sunburned.
If she was finally getting new clothes—even if someone else was paying—she wanted something practical.
Perhaps noticing her long hesitation, Leon came over and asked, “Miss Amy, would you like me to help you pick something?”
“Thanks, but no,” Amy politely declined.
She was looking for something both pretty and practical for farm work.
Leon might know what was fashionable, but he couldn’t possibly know better than she did about what was suitable for farm labor.
“Alright then, take your time.”
Leon walked away, secretly thrilled: if she’d been looking this long, she must be planning to buy a lot.
He was just about to slack off when Clara called out, “Leon, pick something for Amy.”
Her voice was loud enough that Amy heard clearly.
“No—” Amy began to refuse, but Clara came over, clearly displeased. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Were you planning to pick out those ugly clothes again? Let me tell you, I will not spend my money on ugly clothes. You’d better drop the idea right now. My money is only for beautiful clothes.”
Amy was speechless.
Had she been that obvious?
Clara muttered under her breath, “I just don’t get why you always like ugly clothes… you actually look quite pretty today.” Her voice grew softer and softer, and Amy almost missed it.
It seemed Clara always got shy when she said something nice.
A true tsundere little girl, Amy thought.
“Alright then, Leon, please help me choose something suitable,” Amy relented, remembering that Clara was footing the bill. “But nothing too complicated—I still need to do farm work.”
“Farm… work?” Leon’s jaw dropped.
Clara rolled her eyes.
“Yes.” Amy admitted calmly. “I have a farm. I water the crops every day, then harvest them with a sickle when they’re ripe, load them in baskets, and they become meals for the next few days. There’s a lot of work, so I need clothes that are practical.”
“And stylish!” Clara interjected.
“Wow…” Leon’s eyes lit with envy as Amy spoke of her farm. “I grew up on my grandma’s farm. I helped her with those same chores when I was little. It was hard, but it was also so happy… I really miss those days. I wish I had a farm too.”
“Then work hard and retire early,” Amy encouraged.
“Don’t worry, Miss Amy, I’ll find you something both beautiful and practical!” Leon declared confidently, and hurried off.
After a quiet moment, Clara suddenly asked, “Is farm work really that enjoyable? My mom spends so much time fussing over her sunflowers in the yard—it seems like such a waste of time, but she’s happy. I just don’t get it. To me, it’s dirty and exhausting… but Ophelia loves it.”
Amy thought for a moment before answering: “Everyone likes different things. You don’t need to understand or adopt someone else’s hobby. Just do what makes you happy.”
Clara said nothing.
Soon Leon returned, carefully holding up his chosen outfit.
It was a swan-white sundress, hem just above the knees, with a circle of delicate rhinestones at the neckline sparkling under the lights.
Leon’s voice was filled with excitement: “What do you think? Miss Amy, wear this and you’ll be the most dazzling farmer in Hot Springs Town!”
The most dazzling farmer in Hot Springs Town—Amy couldn’t help but laugh at the title.
She smiled and nodded, then looked to her “patron” for approval. “Clara, what do you think?”
Clara glanced at it and replied with her usual tsundere air, “Hmm, it’s acceptable.”
In the end, Clara bought the dress for the hefty price of 528 gold, and it became part of Amy’s wardrobe.
“This much fabric, and it’s so expensive,” Amy muttered in distress.
That money could buy her several meals of creamy salmon pasta.
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t buy you the dress for you—I did it to make myself happy.”
“You’re right,” Amy played along. “Not just for me, but for the entire Hot Springs Town.”
Clara gave a little huff.
Then she rubbed her stomach. “After shopping this long, I’m starving. Let’s go eat.”