Chapter 109 – Nostalgic food and shopping

Sophia was back from visiting Canir, and after Maya learned that the tiger-girl's feeling homesick, she instantly got anxious because she was afraid of losing her. Following that, Sophia explained how she couldn't say goodbye to her family and how none of them got any sort of closure because she had simply vanished. She also gave the cat-girl peace of mind by making clear that she would never willingly leave her new family. Once the two calmed down again, Sophia got very excited about the nostalgic-sounding food called piizza that Maya had found.

"Just to be sure... this pizza, or piizza, you found. What kind of food is it?" Sophia wanted to make sure not to get too hyped over nothing.

"Let's see, the basis is a flat dough topped with some fruity red sauce. You could also add various toppings, but I went with a slice of cheese and some herbs only."

"M-Maya...?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we hurry up?" Hearing her description of it, the tiger-girl got even more excited. She now was certain it's the same food.

"Sure..." Being slightly hurried by her girlfriend, Maya quickly made it back to the place where she got the piizza earlier.

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"Ehh...?" Entering the restaurant, Sophia's eyes grew wide. The decoration of the place made her feel even more nostalgic. It had the same Italian or Mediterranean feeling as she saw in these kinds of restaurants in her old world.

"Welcome! Ah, the girl from earlier. Did you forget anything?" The owner, or a worker of the restaurant, gave them a casual greeting. He was a middle-aged man with an intense tan and massive horns on his head, resembling those of a mountain goat. Even he had the Mediterranean feel to him. "Ah, I see you brought a friend. Thanks for recommending my- Oh?" He only then noticed Sophia's features. "My, that's a surprising guest. Wait, didn't his Majesty and his army leave a couple of hours ago already?"

"He did." The tiger-girl answered. "The two of us stayed behind because we have some other… tasks to take care of." She usually left the talking to Maya, but the piizza had made her very motivated.

"Oh, I guess even after a won war, the royal family keeps being busy, huh?"

"Y-Yeah, something like that..."

"So, the two of you took part in the war? Thank you very much for your service. Everyone's glad it ended so quickly so we could open up our businesses again."

"You're welcome. It wasn't much."

"Humble, as well, very admirable." His impression of them soared even more.

"T-Thanks..." Sophia really wasn't trying to. "Maya here guided me to this place because I was hungry. I hope it lives up to the praise."

"Wow, that's some pressure. Good thing I'm confident in my craft."

"I like the sound of that. What's the recommendation?"

"Hard to say," The owner thought about it while guiding the couple to a free table. "It really depends on your taste. We offer various toppings based on meats or veggies. Though simply cheese is by far our most popular piizza."

"It was delicious.'" The cat-girl agreed.

"Sounds good to me. Maya, are you still hungry?"

"I could eat a little more."

"Great, I'm also very hungry. Could we get a whole, freshly made pizza?"

"I like myself a girl who can eat~! An oven-fresh cheese, got it. I'll get to work right away." After repeating the order, the owner left.

"Are you sure? They seemed pretty big."

"And I have a big appetite." Sophia didn't see a problem.

"Right... I forgot about that for a second." Maya took back her concern.

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About 20 minutes passed before the horned owner came back to the couple. He held a huge plate with a steamy and delicious-looking piizza with lots of cheese and garnished with a couple of leafy, green herbs.

"I put a little extra effort, so enjoy your meal." He left the two alone afterward.

"Thanks!"

"Wow, it tastes even better oven-fresh." Maya had the first try and seemed delighted about it.

"..." Sophia, on the other hand, stared at it for a little longer.

"What's wrong? Don't like it?"

"That's not it... This piizza was a very common dish in my old place. I wasn't expecting to see it in a restaurant here. I mean, it's really not hard to make, but I'm still surprised..."

"I see... You're right. It seems easy to make. I wonder why I haven't seen it before somewhere. Maybe no one ever thought about it?"

"Well, less nostalgia, more eating." She finally grabbed a slice and finally tried it. "Wow, he wasn't kidding. The owner has all the rights to be proud of it. It's amazing!"

The two continued to eat their piizza in delight while having a good time together. Once they finished it and stopped chatting about all sorts of meaningless things as is custom on a date between them, the horned owner came back to their table.

"I see it's all gone. I hope it lived up to the expectation."

"Yes, it was delicious." Sophia seemed satisfied. "It was one of, if not the best Margherita I ever had."

"Margherita...?" The other two tilted their heads.

"A-Ah." The tiger-girl noticed her mistake. "Owner, did you come up with this piizza on your own, or did you learn it from somewhere?"

"I actually learned it from a wandering trader a couple of... decades ago and came up with some toppings that go well with it. I don't know why, but this dish resonated deeply with me, and I had to have it."

"Interesting... You see, I know the place this dish originated from." She left out the detail that she was speaking about a different world. "The cheese variant is called Margherita. Also, in theory, it's called pizza, not piizza, but that might just be a regional intonation thing."

"R-Really?!" He was surprised. "Well... I can't change the piizza name now, it's already established, but do you mind if I use Margherita from now on? It has a really nice ring to it. I bet it'll increase sales!"

"Uhh, sure... It's not like I came up with that name myself."

"Thank you! Still, how do you know the place it came from? I thought the entire tiger-family lives in or near the capital?"

"Err, I'm a bit of an exception... I lived very far away until recently and only came to the capital not too long ago. Just arrived, the king immediately sent me to another mission, and now we're talking here." As usual, when she was talking about her past, Sophia, technically, wasn't lying.

"Wow, it seems like I served my piizza to someone extraordinary, huh?"

"Don't mind me, just treat me like any other person." Her evasion skills definitely got boosted, as well.

"Of course..."

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The couple chatted a little longer with the owner. Sophia also remembered a couple more pizza names, depending on which toppings are used. Because he was pleased about them, the piizza the two ate ended up being free.

"Haa... that was good~." Sophia rubbed her stomach with a satisfied expression once they left the restaurant.

"Yes!" She agreed. "What's the plan for now? With your earlier, let's call it a meeting, and the restaurant now, it's already late afternoon."

"That's true... Hmm~," The tiger looked around. "How about we do some shopping before we look for an inn? Tomorrow, I would like to experiment with my magic idea."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Anything specific you want to buy?"

"Nah, let's just look around. "

"Alright~." Maya liked the idea.

The two got some more supplies and accessories that could be useful for camping outside before leisurely strolling through the city. They checked out a couple of general clothing stores, but neither of them found anything of interest. A little bit later, though, Sophia suddenly felt a tug on the hand that was intertwined with Maya's. Looking at said girl, she noticed that she had stopped in front of a store without saying a word.

"Oh, did you find some-" Taking a better look at the store, the tiger-girl's voice trailed off. It was a boutique store, which, after she glanced through the window, seemed to be specialized in lingerie. "Looks fancy~."

"Can we take a look? I could need some new bras."

"Why...?" She raised an eyebrow. "If you're going to tell me the size isn't right anymore... I might get a little env-, erm, angry." Her voice sounded just a little scary as she alternatingly glanced between Maya's and her own chest. "Well, I mean, I'm good now, but I already needed to resort to magic, and yet you-"

"N-No, I have not! Also, I've already told you many times when we took a bath, and you asked the same question, I haven't really grown in years!"

"R-Right... Sorry..."

"Most of the ones I currently own have started to wear down from all the running around we're doing. They either lost their shape, or the fabric has gotten too thin."

"I see... Good point, actually. Even though I wear mostly sporty ones, and they have... a little less to hold, I also had to retire one the other day. I think I'll get a new one, as well."

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Having decided on a plan, the two entered the boutique, and with the help of a clerk, they quickly found something adequate. Prioritizing function because they move around and travel a lot, the decision fell on a sporty and comfortable-to-wear type or bra for both.

"Will you help me with the fitting?"

"E-Eh...?" Sophia stopped in her tracks and looked at the cat-girl. "Me...?"

"Who else?"

"The clerk? I admit that I don't really need a fitting for a sports bra because... it doesn't have to do quite as much work for me, and I'm used to them already, but you should let a professional help you. You haven't really used sports bras yet, right? You should make sure to get the right size."

"I want you to do it!"

"But a fitting's kinda... you know...?" She wasn't sure if she would survive such an intimate thing right now. "It involves a lot of touching and shaping one's chest, after all. Okay, maybe not to such an extent with a sports bra, but still…"

"Come on, you sissy!" Maya simply grabbed her hand and dragged her into a free dressing room.

Some time passed, much more than a simple fitting would typically take, and the two finally left the dressing room again.

"I'll take these for me and those for my girlfriend~!" With a cheery voice and refreshed expression, the cat-girl addressed one of the clerks while holding a couple of bras in each hand.

"Haa..." Sophia, on the other hand, looked slightly exhausted. "Also, why did I have to get a fitting, too...? I know my size, and I'm used to sports bras, anyway... Actually, you can't really call what she did to me a fitting in the first place... That was something else. Wait a moment,  I didn't try on a single bra in the first place! She didn't give me a fitting at all! She just played with... My cat's even thirstier than usual- WOW." While Maya was paying for the bras, she walked through the boutique and stopped at a very interestingly dressed mannequin. "I said it before, and I'll say it again... this world's weirdly advanced in the strangest areas. This is quite something."

The mannequin was wearing a rather sensual type of lingerie. It was a black demi-cup style bra with flower-patterned lace embroidery. It also was an unlined type of bra, making it mostly see-through as they had no sort of padding behind the lace. It was the epitome of form over function, the exact opposite of the sporty bras they just bought. "..." She absolutely didn't mind, though, and her raised eyebrows signaled deep interest over every other feeling. It also came with a matching pair of panties with the same flowery lace embroidery, and they were just as see-through for the most part. Rather than protecting and hiding one's private parts, the set was made to make them look their best and maybe entice everyone who's chosen to see it.

"Do you like this type of lingerie?"

"H-Huh?!" The tiger-girl jumped from the unexpected voice. She hadn't noticed that Maya was suddenly standing next to her because she was focusing all of her attention on something else.

"Do you?" She repeated her question.

"W-Well, I think it... looks amazing, and it's really well made..." She gave it another glance. "Though it's not something you usually wear, I guess...? Well, some would? Nothing wrong with that, but for me, they're more for behind closed doors to show off? Lingerie you don't wear for very long because you put them on to get, uhh… l-lucky... and take them off soon again…?" She trailed off a little towards the end.

"Is that so?" Maya stared at the lingerie for a while. "To get lucky, huh?" Looking at it for a bit longer, she tilted her head and eventually glanced at the inventory below the display. "Indeed, they look great. I wonder if they have the set in my size."

"Eh?" Sophia's eyes became twice as big as she froze up.

"Oh, they do! Perfect!"

"E-Eh?"

"I think I'll get the set. You never know when you need it, right~?"

"E-Eh...?"

"Please wait for me. I'll go ask the clerk if I need a fitting for it. As you said, I, I mean one doesn't plan to wear it for long, after all. It should still look good, though. I, err, one wants to show off what I, no, they have, right?"

"Eh?!" Sophia had stopped working.

25 minutes passed, and the couple was back on the streets of the city. It had gotten late, and the sun already went down. The two were currently looking for an inn to stay in for the night. Well, Maya was. Sophia lost the ability to talk and couldn't turn her eyes away from the two bags the cat-girl was holding ever since exciting the lingerie boutique. A fuse in her brain had blown, or maybe even a couple of them.