CH 22.1

The next day.

Felix and I decide to visit the castle town. My plain black hair and dark eyes seemed to be extremely rare in this world, which is why we were headed to the castle town rather than the downtown area. So, whenever I went shopping, I always went to the castle town, which was relatively safe. However, I would like to visit the downtown area someday. 

Nonetheless, Gazelle and Felix were hesitant to allow me to go downtown due to the possibility of a commotion around me. I had no idea how uncommon my appearance was in this world…

The reason for this was because nobody in the Black-winged knights made a big deal out of the fact that I have black hair and eyes. In addition, I rarely leave the order’s premises.

Well, no matter whether I’ve come to another world or not, my innate nature as an otaku hikikomori with deep roots could not be cured so easily!

Hair colors that were vibrant and bright were popular in this world, particularly red and green, followed by blue and purple, in that order. In Ritzheim Magic Kingdom, there had only been one person in history with black hair and eyes. 

Hmmm~ In ‘Change the World,’ the summoned protagonist and a person with black hair and eyes—is approached by many people who were interested in protagonist’s physical characteristics…

However, it’s been more than 3 months since I’ve arrived in this word, and I’ve never heard any girl approached me saying, ‘How cool! Black hair and black eyes are so rare! Wonderful and cool!’

I’ve never been called out by someone saying something like these though? Why is that? Isn’t it rare having black hair and black eyes? Doesn’t that ruin your reputation?

“Felix, my hair and eyes are unusual, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“But no one is making any commotion in the castle town.”

“The people that are in this area usually an aristocrat. They are taught from a young age that shouting in public is not something upper-class people do.”

“I see…” I looked up at Felix, who was standing next to me. When we locked gazes, he smiled gently and cocked his head as if to ask, “What is wrong?” 

Since Felix and I were both on our days off, neither of us was dressed in our knight uniforms or training outfit. On the contrary, Felix wore a stylish brown vest and pants with a white shirt underneath. A white hooded jacket covered these, and instead of a long sword he wore a dagger slung from his belt. His classic outfit was a perfect match for his golden thread hair and purple crystal eyes.

Hmm… I see.

When I head outside of the barracks, I was usually accompanied by Gazelle or Felix. At times, I went out with both of them.

That-is-why… if such a beautiful looking young man walking around, of course everyone’s eyes will be drawn to him! Of course they don’t care about an ordinary guy with dark hair and dark eyes that’s just a little bit unusual! 

If I had such a handsome and refreshing guy by my side, everyone would only have eyes for Felix. Mystery solved! I mean, our vice-commander is way too cool!

By the way, the girls we just passed on the pavement, who looked like noble ladies, were also saying, “Just now, that man looked really fine!”, “They’re both so lovely!”, “Maybe they’re lovers…”—They were talking secretly with their cheeks-stained red.

Fufu, that’s true. Our vice-commander is indeed cool!

While I was musing about this, Felix opened his mouth. 

“Is there something you want to buy, Takumi?”

“Ah, yes. I want to visit various stores, but if there’s a store that sells confectionaries, I’d like to go there.”

“Confectionaries?”

I nodded vigorously to Felix who asked me while blinking his eyes. 

“I was working with Iris the other day and he gave it to me. So I wanted to give Iris something back.”

“Is that so. Well, let’s walk around and see if we can find a nice store to go in to.”

“I’d be grateful.”

“By the way, does Takumi like eating them?” 

“Un, I like them a lot.”

I gazed up at Felix with a small smile to which Felix rounded his eyes. He narrowed his dazzling eyes, and slowly replied in a calm tone. “Really? That’s surprising to hear. I’ll… keep this in mind.”

In this way, we made our way through the town side by side. On either side of the main street in the castle town stood buildings of varying colors, and golden streetlights were spaced evenly apart.

Since I’d been here a few times, when the sun set, and the streetlights were faintly lit; this particular street would have a very magical atmosphere. The views, however, were equally stunning during the day as they were in the evening. Just looking at the brightly colored buildings and unusual goods on display in the shops was enough to lift one’s spirits. Besides, it was entertaining to watch the people pass by. 

Although there were non-humans in the order, there were even more people of all kinds in the castle town. There were ladies dressed in opulent attire who could be identified as aristocrats at a glance, an elderly Dwarf couple, and even a three-horned hawker who called out to me.

“Welcome! How are you guys doing?”

Felix and I stopped at a store on the street that sold fresh produce. Stores of all kinds lined the streets, from bakeries wafting with the scent of fresh bread to markets showcasing jewel-like displays of fruit and vegetables to butcher shops with chickens dangling from the front of their establishments. Along the street, a few vendors were selling flowers from mobile stalls made out of roofed carts.

I asked the three-horned older woman in front of her store to show me, and she stopped, allowing me to look inside. The moment I entered the store, the irresistible aroma of burning sugar and butter tickled my nostrils. As Felix and I perused the case of freshly baked goods under the window display case, I recognized several of the same treats that Iris had given me recently. 

“Ah, these pastries. These are the ones that Iris bought for me.”

“…It looks quite sweet.”

“Well~ It is sweet. But that’s all you need for a snack while you’re working, right?”

“I see.” 

“But I can’t give him the same thing he bought me as a gift.”

“Shall we go to another store?”

“No… I think I’ll buy one for myself and I’ll buy something else to pay Iris back.”

There was another flavor of pastry available than the one Iris had given me, so we bought those baked pastries before leaving the store.