[V4C3] Brothers with Black Hair

The commercial district of Sazandol was divided into the west and east districts by the central street.

The west district was closer to the harbor and filled with a chaotic mix of various food stalls and street vendors. Meanwhile, the east district featured a more serene atmosphere with many upscale shops.

Monica had been living in Sazandol for almost half a year, but she had never visited any of these upscale shops.

Due to how high-end the stores were, she felt they were intimidating to approach unless she was wearing appropriate attire.

However, the current Monica had changed into a fresh blouse and skirt. Lana redid her hair, and lightly applied makeup as well.

The two had matching hairstyles, with a braid tied above their heads in the shape of a hairband. The rest of their hair flowed smoothly down their backs without any ties.

“First, let’s go to the tableware shop. I have a favorite place.”

Saying that, Lana guided Monica to a tableware store in the east district.

As the two stepped into the shop, they were welcomed by a well-groomed elderly man with a distinguished mustache and a gentle smile.

“Welcome. Well, if it isn’t Colette-sama. Is your friend accompanying you today?”

“Yes, could you show us some teacups?”

“Of course. Right this way.”

Lana followed the shop owner with a dignified attitude. Monica, feeling out of place in the unfamiliar store, quickly followed suit.

Several shelves for display were lined up in the back of the store. Generous amounts of clear glass were used for the display shelves, and the ornate carvings on the edges only added to the air of luxury.

Numerous beautiful tea cups were arranged neatly on these shelves.

“…They’re beautiful,” mumbled Monica, causing the shop owner to smile with joy, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes.

“Yes, aren’t they all very beautiful?”

From delicate depictions of wildflowers, to incredibly intricate single-colored patterns, and even cups featuring exotic birds and plants, each teacup seemed like a work of art.

Huffing with pride, Lana began explaining each cup one by one.

“That one is from the new collection by Corminet, characterized by their use of gold paint. See, the gold is a bit deeper here. The vivid coloring and the application of gold paint give it a luxurious and splendid appearance.”

“Yeah, it looks really… elegant.”

“Right? Now, this cup here with a very detailed pattern is made by transferring an etching onto it! Nowadays, with current advancements in technology, even fine lines can be beautifully reproduced…!”

Lana, passionately talking about teacups, seemed more exuberant than usual.

…Maybe some would find her a bit braggy, but surely, this was Lana’s way of cheering up Monica.

(What should I do? I’m really happy.)

Monica wasn’t particularly interested in fashion or shopping like Lana. However, she felt delighted at Lana’s kindness in uplifting her spirits. That made this moment of dressing up and shopping enjoyable.

(…Maybe I should buy a teacup.)

The teaset Lana had gifted her consisted of six pieces, and the one Monica broke was just one of them. There were still five remaining, so she didn’t need an urgent replacement. Yet, Monica felt the urge to buy something for herself for the first time in a while.

(This small flowery one is cute… and the blue one here is also pretty…)

After carefully examining each cup, Monica’s eyes were drawn to one set in particular.

It was a set of cups delicately depicting a black cat playing with wildflowers.

“…Just like Nero.”

Upon hearing her inadvertent whisper, Lana turned to Monica in surprise.

“Is Nero, by any chance, the black cat I occasionally see at your house?”

“Uh, well, yes, he’s my… familiar…”

Monica stammered, letting her gaze wander.

Currently, only Monica and Isaac knew the true identity of the black cat, who was currently in hibernation.

Of course, ordinary cats didn’t hibernate, so the basket where Nero slept was kept in her bedroom to hide him from visitors.

Monica was afraid that digging into the details about Nero’s existence might cause her to accidentally reveal something she shouldn’t.

Fortunately, Lana didn’t press further on the subject of Nero. Instead, she looked at the cup Monica was observing, muttering, “Wow, it does look similar.”

Monica took another careful look at the cup.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the cat on each cup had a different design. The first one was playing with flowers, the second one was chasing butterflies, and the third one was curled up and sleeping.

(…I want to show these cups to Nero and Ike.)

Such designs were not really for treating guests, but they seemed suitable for everyday use.

Putting on a small smile, Monica told the shopkeeper, “I’ll buy this set.”

＊　＊　＊

After arranging for the purchased teacups to be delivered to her home, Monica and Lana visited stores for miscellaneous items and shoes before getting a bit hungry. They decided to head to the pie shop, as planned.

Lana’s favorite pies seemed to be from a stall located in the west district.

“If we’re heading to the pie place, this way is faster. Oh, but make sure you absolutely never go after dark. The public safety here isn’t great, and it becomes an backalley if you go one more block in.”

A noble lady going out alone without any escort would certainly be an eyebrow raiser.

Moreover, Sazandol was by no means a safe city. Being a lively port town with many people coming and going, it naturally attracted criminals.

That’s why Lana made sure to learn when and where it was safe to walk alone.

After scanning the surroundings, Lana lowered her voice slightly and whispered to Monica.

“Especially stay far away from the back of the west district. Rumor has it that there’s some new merchant who deals in dangerous substances… If a foreigner talks to you around there, run away immediately.”

“Uh, okay.”

Monica obediently nodded at Lana’s warning.

Monica was one of the Seven Sages, the most powerful mages in the country. Her chantless magic had once shot down a flock of wyverns in an instant.

Despite this, Lana worried about her as if it was only natural to do so. That made Monica very happy.

As Monica was about to express her gratitude for the concern, a loud voice echoed from behind.

“THIEEEEEEF!!”

Startled by the loud voice, Monica and Lana stopped in their tracks and turned around.

Just behind them, they saw a middle-aged man running straight towards them. The man held a knife in his right hand and a large travel bag in his left. He was apparently the mentioned thief.

Chasing the thief was a young black-haired man who looked like a tourist. However, there was quite a distance between them, so the thief would likely get away if he escaped into the alleys.

“Outta my way!”

The thief approached the two while wildly flailing his knife.

The panicked Lana quickly grabbed Monica’s arm.

“Monica, get back!”

Lana tried to pull Monica to the edge of the road. However, Monica stood still, staring directly at the thief.

The expression disappeared from her somewhat childish face.

“…I’m fine.”

Without chanting, Monica deployed a defensive barrier in front of the thief.

Unaware of the suddenly appearing transparent wall, the thief crashed into it, screamed, “Gyah!?” and fell backward.

“What the… What did I just run into…”

As the thief rubbed his nose, the young man who had been chasing him grabbed him from behind.

“——Hmph!”

The thick arms of the young man tightened around the thief’s neck. His muscular biceps swelled noticeably even through the clothes, binding the thief like steel shackles.

The thief struggled for a while, flailing his arms and legs. Eventually he spasmed and went limp, his eyes rolling back into his head.

After dropping the thief onto the ground, the black-haired young man sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Seen up close, the man was quite large, with a stern face. His short black hair was neatly combed, and he had a beard on his chin. He appeared to be in his late twenties.

The man glanced between Monica and Lana, then spoke.

“Ladies! Are you injured?”

His voice was incredibly loud… unnecessarily so at this close distance.

Startled by the loud voice, Monica shivered and froze, her shoulders trembling. Lana stepped forward with a wry smile.

“Yes, we’re fine, sir. Is that bag yours?”

“No, actually, it belongs to my younger brother…”

Just as he was about to explain, the man turned around and shouted loudly.

“Teodor! Why are you dragging your feet!”

The man turned toward another young man, who was leisurely walking towards them.

He had fluffy, soft-looking black hair and a slender figure. His slightly droopy eyes seemed a bit sleepy, which made it seem as if he was always smiling. He appeared to be around 20 years old.

The younger man stopped next to Monica, looked up at the large man, and spoke in a gentle tone.

“Thanks for recovering my bag, Anthony-niisan.”

“Good grief… You’re always so casual and relaxed. That’s exactly why you attract the attention of thieves.”

“But there was a cute puppy. I lost track of time when playing with it.”

Judging by the conversation, the two appeared to be brothers. That said, they didn’t appear to have much in common besides the color of their hair.

The calm Teodor sadly stroked the broken handle of his bag. After raising his face, he glanced at Monica and Lana alternatively.

“Hey, Anthony-niisan, who are these girls?”

“Oh, right. They accidentally got involved in the commotion. Luckily, the thief just happened to trip, but…”

In actuality, the thief had fallen due to Monica’s barrier, but apparently Anthony saw it as him suddenly tripping.

Anthony adjusted his posture and turned to face Monica and Lana.

“Ladies, I sincerely apologize for getting you caught up. If you don’t mind, could I perhaps offer an apology? Specifically, how about having some tea over there?”

“I’m very sorry, kind sir. We have plans after this.”

Lana swiftly interrupted Anthony’s words, pushing Monica forward.

Anthony attempted to speak again, but Lana interrupted with a lovely smile.

“If you need your bag repaired, I recommend Mark’s Shop on Fifth Avenue. Well then, goodbye!”

After quickly saying her goodbyes, Lana hurriedly left with Monica.

“Uh, erm, Lana…”

Lana whispered to the flustered Monica while walking briskly.

“Those two had a hint of an accent. They’re probably foreigners… Well, even if they weren’t, we shouldn’t accept an invitation from men we don’t know. Especially nowadays, with all the rumors about people dragging young girls into secret salons dealing in illegal substances. Make sure you never go with someone you don’t know!”

“O-Okay, I got it…”

＊　＊　＊

“…Dang, got rejected.”

The big man with a beard, Anthony, seemed depressed after getting left behind by the two girls.

His brother, Teodor, pulled out a sturdy string from the broken bag, tied up the fallen thief’s hands behind his back, then looked up at his brother.

“Come on, Anthony-niisan. We’re on the clock right now.”

“But that lady seemed to be familiar with the area. It would be assuring to gain her cooperation as an informant.”

“So you wanted to use that as a pretext to get close to her?”

Upon hearing Teodor’s words, Anthony collapsed to his knees, clenched his fists, and groaned with frustration from the bottom of his heart.

“…Oof.”

“Come on. We have to focus on our job. Ideally, we want to wrap it up by the next holiday, right?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. We must do our best for the sake of our vacation.”

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