After the incident with the celers, classes continued normally.
However, it was glaringly obvious that most students were not focusing on the class, and instead, they were talking in hushed tones about the celers.
There was nothing the professors could do about that. It was not as though they could force the students to pay attention to class.
With that subtle atmosphere, the last class of the day came to an end.
At that moment, Ley walked over with a pleading expression,
"Brother, I need to buy some stuff in the mall. Can you come with me?"
"Sure." I nodded immediately. "Andrew, do you want to come with us?"
"I–"
"He doesn't, right?" Ley narrowed her eyes at him.
Andrew stiffened and nodded like a chicken pecking rice.
"Y-Yeah, I have something to do later, so I can't."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Well, I guess it will be just the two of us, Ley."
"Hehe. That is nice, it has been a long time since we went out together."
… Thinking about it, that is true.
Since I broke up with Karime and fell into that dungeon, I had spent a lot less time with Ley.
I could not help but put on an apologetic expression.
"…Sorry, Ley. I have not been a good brother lately."
"Nothing like that." Ley shook her head with a cute smile on her face. "You have always been the best brother."
"And you are the best sister." I rubbed her head gently and chuckled softly.
Ley's lips curved up happily. She was in such a good mood that she was even humming a little tune.
However, her good mood did not last long.
"… What are you doing here?"
She asked the beautiful girl with whitish-blue hair that suddenly joined us.
"Well, I overheard your conversation and thought it sounded fun. Do you mind if I join?" Sylvia asked with a smile.
"I–"
"I have never gone shopping with friends. It's something I have always wanted to do."
Ley's refusal got stuck in her mouth.
She awkwardly pulled my sleeve as though asking me to find a way to refuse her, but seeing Sylvia's anticipating look, I could not bring myself to tell her she could not come with us.
I just learned that we are Sylvia's first friends. So, how can I reject her request now?
So in the end, Ley and I looked at each other helplessly before she reluctantly nodded.
"… Okay, you can come."
"Thanks!"
For an instant, I thought I saw a sly smile on Sylvia's face, but it disappeared so quickly that I thought it was an illusion.
"By the way, what mall are we going to?" I asked Ley.
"I'm not sure. I plan to buy some clothes, so I guess any mall is alright."
"I have a suggestion," Sylvia raised her hand. "I know of a good place managed by an acquaintance. We can go there."
"Well…" Ley hesitated briefly before nodding.
Just like that, we took a taxi toward the place Sylvia indicated.
To our surprise, she took us to the most upscale place in the entire city.
[Another World].
Ley and I had complicated expressions as we looked at the signboard of the store Sylvia brought us to.
"… Did you say that this place was managed by someone you know?" I could not help but ask.
"Yeah. In fact, it's owned by a member of my family."
I was speechless.
I mean, I knew that Sylvia's family was rich, but this rich?
[Another World] was the most famous boutique in Sanctuary and the entire World's United Government. It was said that anything in this place had a price of five zeros at the very least.
Even though our family was pretty well off, we definitively could not afford to buy something here with our pocket money.
Sylvia understood our thoughts when she saw our expressions and chuckled.
"Don't worry. I told you that this place is owned by my family, right? If you like something, I can ask them to give you a special discount."
Ley and I hesitated slightly, but when we saw Sylvia's enthusiastic expression, we agreed.
I thought we would have to show our identifications or something before entering the boutique. After all, this boutique was famous for not allowing any guests in.
But to my surprise, as soon as the two guards at the entrance saw Sylvia, they bowed respectfully.
"Young miss, welcome."
"Hello. These two are my friends. They come with me."
"Understood. Please come in." The two guards nodded and looked at us curiously while allowing us inside.
Once we entered the boutique, we were met with a classy place with a comfy feeling.
Everything was made of high-quality wood, with several crystal tables spread throughout the boutique and beautiful and exotic plants decorating the entire place.
A young woman welcomed us with a gentle smile, but before she could speak, a blur appeared and a new figure stood in front of us.
It was a beautiful black-haired woman. She was quite petite, around 1.65 meters (5'4"), with a pair of striking black eyes that seemed to contain the night sky.
"Sylvia, my child, you came to visit me!"
As soon as the woman appeared, she hugged Sylvia tightly with a smile.
"Mom, you are embarrassing me." Sylvia twisted her body awkwardly.
'Wait, mom…!?'
Ley and I froze at the same time. If I don't remember wrong, she also called that maid that came for her a few days ago 'mom'.
What does it mean…?
'Could it be that she has two moms?'
While Ley and I were confused, the woman kissed SYlvia's cheeks before releasing her. She then stared at us curiously.
Strangely, her eyes were fixated on me for a bit too long.
"So you must be Sylvia's friends, right? I'm happy to know that this child has made friends."
"Mom…!"
"Okay, okay, I won't embarrass you anymore. Nice to meet you, children. My name is Dayana."
Just as the woman finished introducing herself, the voice of the demon sounded in my mind.
[Boy, that woman is an Irregular as well.]
I stiffened.