Chapter 29: Why Do I Feel Happy?

Facing the dazzling array of clothes before her, Peletti was momentarily dumbfounded.

Compared to men’s clothing—where the biggest difference was usually just the color—women’s clothing was like a hundred flowers in full bloom. Dresses, pants, and all kinds of garments came in endless varieties; just the different styles of one-piece dresses alone filled an entire row.

Did this count as a gender difference?

No wonder Peletti always heard that women took a long time shopping for clothes. Just glancing at the sheer quantity made it feel like there was no end in sight.

She suddenly felt a bit of a headache… rubbing her temples, Peletti began to miss the simple, straightforward men’s section of the past.

“That one on top—please take it down for me.”

After hesitating for a while, Peletti chose a white shirt dress with a cinched waist, along with a matching light-blue sun hat, and took them into the fitting room.

Don’t ask why a Witch of Light needed a sun hat—it was all for the outfit.

Sure enough, seeing pretty clothes really did lift one’s mood. Peletti felt her spirits unknowingly improve, a smile appearing on her lips.

But then, she suddenly sensed something was off.

Wait… why do I feel happy? I’m a macho guy—how could I feel happy about this kind of stuff??

The inner conflict didn’t last long.

What is this fabric? It feels so smooth and comfortable… ah, hurry up and try it on.

By the time Peletti realized what she had just been agonizing over, she had already finished putting on the entire outfit.

Only then did she notice a serious problem: her resistance to these cute little dresses seemed to be getting lower and lower.

Not just this white shirt dress—even the light-green long dress next to it, and the black Lolita dress beside that, all looked pretty cute to her. She even wanted to try them on.

Looking at herself in the full-length mirror, she really did look good. The girl in the reflection appeared fresh and refined; the white shirt dress accentuated her slender waist, and beneath the hem were long, fair legs like polished jade.

That said… isn’t the hem of this white shirt dress a bit short?

Seeing her exposed knees and part of her thighs, Peletti immediately felt her face heat up. She unconsciously tugged the hem downward, only to find it made no difference.

Her thoughts became unusually chaotic.

One part of her wanted to take it off, while another part didn’t want to at all. It was comfortable and looked great—so why take it off?

Before, when she forced herself to wear these kinds of clothes, it was because she told herself that she had no choice but to accept them, and that it was a way to strengthen her identification with her new body.

At the very beginning, she had felt strong resistance to wearing such light, flowing clothes. But now… she had to admit that she was starting to get used to—and even like—this comfortable and beautiful style of dressing.

“Sister? Are you done changing?” Feiye asked softly from outside the fitting room. Peletti had been inside for quite a while.

“Yes, I’m coming out now.”

Taking a deep breath, Peletti pushed open the wooden door of the cubicle. She adjusted the hem of her skirt awkwardly, a faint blush still lingering on her face.

“How does it look?”

“Wow, it looks amazing! Just as expected—Sister looks good in anything.” Feiye praised her without restraint, her eyes sparkling as if she were gazing at some rare treasure.

And it really was as she said. Peletti’s previous outfit had covered her body tightly, presenting a kind of proper, restrained beauty.

Now, her clothes were fresh and clean, revealing her delicate shoulders and slender legs, with brown leather shoes on her feet.

The overall impression was natural and casual—like the kind of girl-next-door you might see anywhere.

“So beautiful…” the shop assistant murmured, momentarily forgetting her nervousness, genuinely stunned by the scene before her.

“Uh… is it really that good?”

Gradually getting used to the breeze between her thighs, Peletti felt the blush on her face fade. She took a few steps; the skirt swayed lightly with the motion, bringing a hint of coolness.

“Of course! Big Sister is the prettiest.”

“Alright, alright—enough. You should hurry up and change into something too.”

Being praised so earnestly by such a cute little girl was more than Peletti, a self-proclaimed tough straight guy, could handle. She didn’t even notice the issue with how Feiye was addressing her. Her cheeks felt hot, and she quickly changed the subject.

“Huh? Me too?” Feiye’s eyes showed a hint of panic. Her small hands nervously clutched the clothes she was wearing. The oversized coat was clearly far too big for her, yet she held onto it as if it were a lifeline.

“Of course. Aren’t you hot wearing such thick clothes?”

At this, Feiye shook her head vigorously, her silver-white hair swaying gently with the motion.

“Not hot! I want to wear this outfit.”

“Is that so… can I know why?”

“This outfit was left to me by my mother. It’s very important.” Feiye’s voice suddenly dropped, a fleeting sadness flashing through her eyes. She gently rubbed the corner of the garment, as if touching a precious memory.

Peletti’s heart softened at once.

She crouched down to meet Feiye’s gaze, her voice becoming especially gentle.

“I think you might be misunderstanding something. Changing clothes doesn’t mean throwing away the old ones—it just means you’ll have more clothes to wear. Come on.”

Seeing that Feiye still wouldn’t budge, Peletti chose to pull her into a hug. The action felt a bit strange—clearly, the other girl was a witch who had lived for over a thousand years, yet at this moment she felt like a real child in need of comfort.

There was no helping it. The outfit was far too big; it clearly wasn’t meant for Feiye. From what she’d said, it must have been her mother’s clothing, given to Feiye after something happened.

This garment had probably been worn for over a thousand years—truly unbelievable. It still looked as good as new. Was it because Feiye had taken such good care of it all this time?

Peletti didn’t know. It was also then that she noticed Feiye wasn’t wearing any shoes at all—she’d been barefoot the whole time.

The clothes were simply too long; that was why she hadn’t noticed earlier.

No, she definitely needed to buy her a pair of shoes too. Looking at those small feet, lightly dusted with grime, a strange tenderness welled up in Peletti’s heart.

For a moment, Peletti suddenly felt like she was raising a daughter.

Really now—despite the fact that the other party was so much older than her, old enough to be her ancestor, she still had thoughts like this.

Was it because Feiye always acted so childishly?

That seemed very likely. Peletti often heard people say that girls had little resistance to cute children—she just hadn’t expected that one day, it would happen to her.

“How about this one?” Peletti took a small gray dress from the rack and held it up against Feiye, comparing it. She examined it carefully, imagining how Feiye would look wearing it.

“No need, I really don’t need to… change clothes.” Feiye’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, her eyes dodging as she avoided looking at Peletti.

“That won’t do. You’ve been wearing this outfit for so long—it definitely needs washing. Besides, think of this as a gift from me, okay?”

“Clothes… from Sister…”

Feiye repeated those words over and over. A flush spread from her neck upward, instantly covering her entire face, as if steam were puffing out from the top of her head.

Her fingers unconsciously twisted together, revealing her inner excitement.

If it’s clothes that Sister gave me… then maybe it’s not so bad after all…

However, the seriously clothes-shopping Peletti couldn’t see this scene at all.