"Are you worried about Aya being taken away by mom? If you admit it honestly, mom might let you off the hook this time."

"Who's worried! Do you think I lack confidence in myself? In various senses, Aya is into flat-chested girls, your temptations are in·ef·fec·tive on him."

Tiran stepped forward, directly touching Vivian's forehead, emphasizing each word through gritted teeth.

"Eh… Really? But he had a nosebleed just now, right?"

"Just a pure physiological response!" the princess insisted.

"Well… actually, I did start to imagine things getting a bit too exciting in the future," Aya's voice sounded from the contract.

"Aya, shut up! This is a matter of dignity!" Tiran clicked his tongue, "And, you do prefer flat-chested girls, right? Right?!"

"Well, that's a bit…"

In the men's restroom several dozen meters away, Aya, ignoring the dumbfounded male customers behind him, washed away the nosebleed with water while exchanging remarks with Tiran in the contract.

"Quickly say it! Swear that you'll only like flat-chested girls for the rest of your life, the slightly raised shape and smooth soft touch are gifts bestowed by the gods!"

"Swearing to the Dragon God, I'll only like flat-chested girls for the rest of my life… hey, this statement behind really makes me sound like a pervert!"

"Enough talk! Say it quickly! Or else I'll jump down from here!" The princess seemed to have lost it, her eyes lifeless, her voice hollow as if she were a puppet just capable of echoing.

"Isn't this the first floor…," Aya almost chocked.

"Speak." Though it was serene and gentle, the voice conveyed an icy chill from the depths of hell and a sense of impending doom to Aya.

Frightened, Aya stood at attention, raising his left hand with index, middle, and ring fingers together. "I swear, I'll only like flat-chested girls for the rest of my life, the slightly raised shape and smooth soft touch are the gifts bestowed upon me by the gods!"

"Mmm~ Aya, I really like you the most!"

As if the spring thawed, Tiran's tone instantly softened, making Aya breathe a sigh of relief.

However…

"Oh no, I said it unconsciously…"

Feeling the astonished and subtly colored gazes behind him, Aya blushed and covered his face.

Not only the customers in the restroom, even the passing female customers and store clerks outside curiously stopped to observe.

To outsiders, it seemed as if a maid had made outrageous and shameless remarks in the men's restroom! Far more embarrassing than "a chance encounter in a parallel world full of gourmet delights"!

"Sorry for the disturbance!"

Aya dashed out of the restroom.

...

Moments later, under the still shining sun on the street.

"Uh-oh, this is embarrassing, can't face anyone now..."

"Don't worry, in the way you look now, no one will recognize you." Tiran walked beside Aya, teasingly.

"Even then, becoming an odd focus of urban legends for something senseless is not something to be happy about! It's all because you made me swear!"

Aya shook his head vigorously, trying to forget what had just happened.

"Sorry about that."

Tiran tapped his own head, making a "hey hey" sound.

Due to the chaos caused by Aya, it was impossible to stay in the shop any longer, so they had to come out first and consider going to another store, but…

"What's in your hand?! When did you buy these?!" Tiran's eyes focused on the paper bag Vivian was carrying behind her back. Spotting the meager cloth inside, Tiran couldn't hold back.

"When you all hurriedly ran out just now, the price was slightly higher than I expected."

"But where did you get the money from…"

Clearly not carrying a bag, and no apparent magical magitech device on her, Vivian pointed at Tiran's forehead with her index finger, pulling out a dark golden metal sheet from a suggestive spot on her chest.

Hey, deliberately placing it there, mocking, right? Definitely mocking?!

"Really, at least be more mature, you're my mom after all. Can't you act like an adult a bit?" Tiran complained sulkily.

"In any aspect, Mom looks more like an adult than Little Tiran, right?" Vivian stood with hands on her hips, looking rather proud.

…But anyone who can fuss over such things like this can hardly be considered mature, right? Aya stood by, unable to help but cover his face.

The three of them had gone out in the afternoon, and with Aya, the journey back and forth only took a few minutes, so they had plenty of time, but Tiran hadn't visited the Beacon's commercial district in a long time, and once they started shopping, they couldn't stop.

Pitying Aya.

That day, Aya recalled the fear of being a maid.

With the funds being spent freely, a girl's spending power was indeed terrifying.

"Why did I forget to bring the storage ring when I came out for shopping!"

Taking the paper bag that contained a pair of summer strappy high heels from Vivian, Aya couldn't help but comment.

The weight was a secondary issue; the main problem was the volume. These bags, big and small, were difficult to carry with just both hands. If he used telekinesis to hold them all in the air, it would attract too much attention.

"Thank you, Aya, this is for you~"

Tiran smiled back, swiftly stuffing something into Aya's mouth.

Suddenly reminded of past painful experiences, Aya subconsciously tried to spit out what was in his mouth, but his body's reflex was faster than his brain, and he ended up biting into it.

Huh? It had a sweet and crispy texture, with the aroma of baked wheat, the taste of egg, milk, and a chilling sensation… was it ice cream?

"It's an ice cream puff, strawberry flavored."

Tiran chuckled, "I don't always play pranks."

"The fact that you said that proves my usual encounters, right…" Aya sighed with a mix of laughter and tears.

But the fact that it wasn't something dark like mustard or chili, made Aya thankful that Tiran, the young miss, was by his side forever.

"Oh, there's a swimsuit shop here."

The Queen Consort, who was about to declare the end of the shopping, suddenly stopped in front of a plain store door, inviting Tiran.

Compared to the large chain swimwear stores and other shops they had seen, this one had no name and no fancy decor; at first glance, it seemed somewhat shabby.

—Of course, shabby was a relative term compared to the dazzling array of businesses on this commercial street; viewed in isolation, this place was clean and minimalist.

"Um, I have a bad feeling about this, maybe we shouldn't go in…" Tiran seemed to hear her sixth sense alarm, instinctively taking a step back.

"It's okay, it's okay, with Mom around, what's there to fear? Let's go, let's go."

Vivian circled around Tiran and almost half forcibly pushed the princess inside the door.