As a result of receiving Chris's tackle, I ended up with injuries that would take about fifteen minutes to fully heal. The power of the medical pod is incredible, isn't it? Dr. Shouko told me that if I had relied on natural healing, it would have taken at least three to four weeks to heal completely. When I asked if that meant that I had broken a bone, she responded with a vague smile.
「Chris, make sure you have perfect control over your enhanced body before you get married. Don't slack off on your control training, okay?」
「Yes…」
When I moved from the Black Lotus's medical room to the lounge area, Chris was getting a lecture from Elma. It was no surprise. Even if she had a reason like being busy, skipping daily training and ending up injuring someone is a serious matter. I'm willing to forgive her, though.
「You are still in your growth phase, Chris-kun. Even if you think you are used to your enhancements, your control can slip because of the fast growth of your body. Make sure you train diligently every day, alright? Otherwise, on your wedding night, you might accidentally snap Hiro's ribs, spine, or hip bones.」
「That sounds terrifying.」
「It happens sometimes. There are stories about noble ladies who aren't usually physically active breaking a few of their husband's bones on their wedding night. Serena, being a soldier, probably didn't have that problem since she trains regularly.」
Dr. Shouko, who had come with me from the medical room, gave Chris a warning, and Elma started telling a scary story after hearing that warning. Wait, isn't the husband in that story a noble with a reinforced body, too? If even nobles with enhanced bodies end up breaking a few bones, doesn't that mean someone like me, who doesn't have any enhancements, would be in even worse shape?
Come to think of it, nobles with enhanced bodies can exhibit strength comparable to or just a little weaker than power armor. If someone used that kind of strength on me while having sex, my bones would definitely get crushed.
「Chris, work hard on your training, okay?」
「Yes…」
Chris, who had been full of energy after finally getting a break from work, now looked like a wilted leaf. She seemed really downcast. Well, if you hurt someone due to your own carelessness, I guess that's how you'd end up feeling.
「It did hurt, but I'm all healed now, so no problem. Since Chris apologized, let's consider this matter closed. Sound good?」
「If Hiro says so, then I'm fine with it. How about you, Mimi?」
「Of course!」
With a smile, Mimi hugged the dejected Chris. Yeah, yeah, it's nice to see everyone getting along.
「Alright, we're done with Chris's thing. So, where we hangin' out? Got any ideas?」
「How about we go buy some clothes for Neve-chan? Now that she's out of the pod and starting to live normally, she can't just keep wearing those simple hospital gowns forever, right?」
「That sounds great! But wait, if she's still in the pod, she can't try anything on, can she?」
「I have her exact measurements, so that's not a problem. But we should probably get something with a little extra room. As her treatment progresses, she might gain a bit more muscle and fill out more.」
The crew members who were interested in fashion were all excitedly chatting about what clothes we should get for Neve, in contrast, there were three people who had gone noticeably quiet. The first was me, the second was Elma, and the third was Kugi.
「Yeah, that sounds good. While we're at it, if anyone finds something cute, they should buy it as well.」
Since I'm the type to stock up on a lot of clothes of the same design and rotate through them, I wasn't particularly interested in shopping for new clothes. Elma was the same as me, and Kugi always wore her shrine maiden outfit. In Kugi's case, it wasn't like she wasn't interested in fashion, but her physical characteristics made it difficult to find clothes that fit her—the fox ears on her head weren't a problem, but her three fluffy tails did cause some issues. Most of the clothing templates available in the Grakkan Empire weren't designed to accommodate her tails.
Of course, there were other species with tails or similar appendages, so specialty shops catering to these races existed. But such shops were rare. You might find one occasionally in a bustling trade colony, but on a planet like Dexer III, mainly populated by humans, the local clothing stores probably won't have much to offer.
「Well then, maybe I'll go collect some of Dexer III's fine liquors.」
「I will accompany my Lord to wherever shop he wants to go.」
「In that case, why don't we go to a shopping complex that has everything, from clothes to alcohol?」
I nodded at Chris's suggestion but then found myself lost in thought.
「Do nobles actually go out to shop in stores? Don't they usually summon merchants to their estates?」
「We can do that if you want, but don't you think that takes away from the feeling of going out and having fun? Plus, you'd be dealing with merchants who are all smiles and flattery, trying to win you over with every word. It would feel almost exactly like what we were doing yesterday.」
「Better not, let's go to the shopping complex.」
Chris nodded deeply in agreement with my quick reply. I don't want to spend any more time dealing with greedy people who are only trying to leave a good impression for their own gain.
「If we're going out, Chris is going to need a disguise, she is too well-known, the last thing we want is to attract attention. Let's pick out something from my or Mimi's wardrobe that might fit her, we should change up her hairstyle too.」
「Let's go with something that looks like a mercenary outfit!」
「Leave her makeup to me.」
「I'll help too!」
With that, Chris was whisked away by Mimi and the others. Left behind were me, Mei, Tina, Dr. Shouko, and Neve—the five of us.
「…I'm not really good with makeup or fashion stuff.」
Tina mumbled, possibly sensing my questioning look as to why she wasn't going with them like Wiska had. While saying this excuse she sat next to me, and Dr. Shouko took the seat on my other side.
「As you know, I'm not really into that kind of thing either. And Mei-kun is fully committed to wearing a maid outfit.」
「I think everyone should wear maid outfits.」
That's actually a fantastic idea—if you set aside the matter of how people might look at me for having everyone wear maid outfits. I would love to see everyone dressed up as maids. The problem is that doing so would probably cement my reputation as someone with an excessive love for maid outfits, which might not be the best look for me.
「Captain, should I wear one too? A maid outfit? 」
「That sounds great! How about we have Mei-kun pick out maid outfits for everyone next time?」
「If Master allows it, I'll acquire the perfect maid outfits for everyone.」
「I'll allow it.」
Public image? Who cares about that! Being fawned over by multiple maids is every man's dream, right?! Well, we just need to do it inside the ship, no one will know if we do it in the Black Lotus.
「Ya really like this stuff, don't you, Boss…? Wanna try out some other costumes too?」
「Let's do it. I'll cover the budget. Out of my own pocket money.」
After that, we headed to a shopping complex with the newly disguised Chris. We bought clothes for Neve, stocked up on Dexer III's alcohol and specialty goods, and went on a spree buying cosplay outfits—or rather, costumes for cosplay.
What's the difference between cosplay outfits and costumes for cosplay, you ask? Well, the difference is that these weren't cheap, flimsy lookalikes—they were the real deal. The shop staff gave us some weird looks, but…
Well, what can I say? I couldn't resist my desires.