Chapter 104 - Clothes Make The Man

The group of four stepped into the shopping district, looking around for a clothes' shop or tailor that they could go to. There were some seemingly more expensive shops around that they of course avoided. Clothes didn't have to be expensive to look good, after all. But soon, in an alley on the middle layer, they found a neat little tailor that seemed to sell high-quality clothes and that wasn't too expensive.

"Really, I don't think this is necessary. I can keep wearing these clothes. They fit quite well, and are rather comfortable. And most importantly, thin. It's simply so hot around here.

" Lynol pointed out, his complaints continuing throughout the whole time that the group was on their way over here. Of course, neither Kyla nor Foster would have it,

"You're our party leader, man. You can't go around lookin' like that. If the boss of a group looks like a slob, people're gonna underestimate them. You have to look good to get people to respect you..

" Foster pointed out, pushing his friend into the store ahead of him.

With a loud groan, Lynol turned his head,

"Can I not simply get people to respect me through my skill?

"

"Hah, yeah right.

" Foster scoffed,

"If you were as strong as this Liam dude you told us about, maybe, but at our level? Nah man, that's not happening.

"

"Heh. From the strongest in your crew to someone 'at our level'. Funny, isn't it?

" Octer let out with a slight smirk, but he was soon met with a penetrating glare from the man in front of him,

"Shut it, don't remind me. It's frustrating enough as is. Also, don't think you'll get out of this so easily.

"

"Urgh...

" Awkwardly following the others into the shop, Octer looked around, already overwhelmed by everything that he was seeing. There were so many different pieces of clothing around here, in numerous different colors, to the extent that he didn't even know where to start. Kyla, however, was already at work picking out some things for herself. Meanwhile, Foster stepped in front of Octer and Lynol,

"For now, just go around and pick out some things you think look good. But don't buy anything without my or Kyla's approval.

"

Lynol turned his head and looked at the woman excitedly running through the shop,

"Why do we need her approval? She looks like... I don't even know what she looks like. Something weird, at least.

"

"What? Oh, you mean because she's wearing all that frilly white and pink? I think it looks pretty nice.

" Foster pointed out, patting his friend on the back,

"Also, let's try not to judge her before we see what you're going to pick out for yourself, alright?

" He said with a slight wink, before looking around the store. He already had a good idea what sort of thing he wanted. Mostly, he would just wear comfy and chill clothes, pretty often somewhat oversized.

Right now, he was just looking for a base outfit. Walking around the store, there were a few things he liked. First, he picked out a few simple black shirts, and then picked out a thin charcoal jacket. It was too thin to be called a jacket, really, it was more something aesthetic. Foster was pretty surprised to see something like this, honestly. It was pretty close to a casual zip-up hoodie in style, just without the zip-up part. It was the kind that just hung loosely open.

"Is it supposed to be tied close or something?

" Foster wondered, since it sort of reminded him of his Gi's jacket. Either way, after that, Foster went around the store and soon found something in a beige tone. It was just that it was a roll of cloth hanging on the wall, and nothing seemed to be made of this material. Quickly, Foster walked over to the single employee, a middle-aged woman with slightly pointed ears.

"Sorry, could you help me for a moment?

" He asked, and the employee turned toward him surprised, but quickly nodded,

"Of course, what can I do for you?

"

"That cloth over there, do you maybe have pants made of that?

" Immediately, the employee looked at the color that Foster was pointing at, and slowly nodded her head,

"I think we do, yes, let me check for you.

" She said, quickly making her way to the back. Meanwhile, Foster thought about something he hadn't realized yet. His bracelet, the snake biting its own tail, was an accessory he couldn't take off. Or well, he could, but it was too risky to leave something of that value laying around,

"It's not like it looks bad, though. Just not normally my style.

" He said, forgetting that he has been wearing nothing but a Gi for the past month, something that anyone would find insane back on earth.

It didn't take long until the employee returned from the back with a pair of pants just like Foster imagined them. They would work great together with that outfit overall.

"Awesome, thanks. Now... do you maybe have something like suits? Readymade? I don't have the time to get one tailored specifically for me, sadly.

" Foster explained, and the employee looked him up and down, before she clapped her hands together,

"I think we do have a few suits your size, yes!

"

"Oh, perfect! Could I maybe have a look at them?

"

"Sure, come right over here with me.

" The employee replied, guiding Foster into one of the adjacent rooms. It didn't look like customers could come back here, but there was really a whole other section of the shop back here.

However, when Foster looked around... he was utterly perplexed. He went into this shop with an open mind anyway. All of the mannequins set up in the front were looking far too fantasy-like to him already, but here... this really seemed a bit over the top. Rather than the formal suits he expected, these suits were... like those of medieval nobility, or formal military uniforms.

"Urgh...

" He let out. Foster definitely wasn't going to wear any of these. Especially not to a date.

"Are they not to your liking?

" The employee asked, and Foster let out a deep sigh,

"They weren't what I was imagining, at least. I was hoping for something less... extravagant. Something more sleek and simple, you know?

" He explained, walking through the room to get a closer look at the mannequins, while the employee was trying to understand what exactly he meant.

But then, Foster stopped in front of one of the closets. It was slightly ajar, but inside of it, he could spot something interesting. He slowly opened the closet, and saw a decent, black suit jacket.

"What about that?

" Foster asked, and the employee rushed over, soon seeing what what he was talking about,

"That? That sort of thing really isn't what most customers ask for... it looks quite...

"

"Boring? Compared to everything in here, sure, but this is exactly what I'm looking for.

" Foster grabbed the suit jacket, and quickly tried it on. It fit as if it was made for him. It was a deep black color, and the material felt rather nice too.

"Hm, alright. I usually go for a dark blue, but... I can work with this.

" Looking down at his body, Foster already knew what he was going to pick out to complete this. The only thing in the closet was this jacket, but that also meant that he could freely choose the whole suit for himself. And to him, there was only one way to really go with a suit like this.