[Miss Crane's Custom Clothing Store • Chaldea Branch]
Guided by Naoki for several minutes, Ritsuka finally arrived at the shop's entrance, marked by a signboard.
Ritsuka had already been astonished by Chaldea's unexpectedly luxurious cafeteria, but now, their surprise was even greater than before.
"So Chaldea actually has a clothing store too, Chief?"
"Chaldea has a lot of unused empty spaces—warehouses, for example. They'd been left unused for so long they were covered in dust. I figured instead of leaving them empty, it'd be better to repurpose them. Luckily, the shop's owner here is an old friend of mine, so I turned it into a clothing store and asked her to manage it."
Naoki said this as he pushed open the door.
Ritsuka followed him inside.
Since the room had originally been an old storage warehouse, the space wasn't small—probably about the size of three or four bedrooms. However, not many items were placed inside such a large area. Only numerous clothes hung along the walls, and a sewing machine sat at the far end of the room.
In front of the sewing machine, a woman could be seen intently focused on stitching a garment.
Apparently, she hadn't noticed their entrance.
"Is she the shop's owner?"
"Yes, her name is Crane." Naoki replied. "Fujimaru, you've surely heard of the legend of the grateful crane, right?"
Of course. Every Japanese person had heard of that tale.
There's a genre of stories known as "animal gratitude tales." These usually revolve around birds or animals rescued by humans who later return the favor by bringing good fortune. In Japan, the legend of the grateful crane is especially famous.
"She's the 'crane' from that very legend."
"Huh?"
"More precisely, she's an existence formed with the crane as her core motif, which allows her to exist as a Servant. I met her about eight years ago. At the time, Roman rescued her when she was in trouble and asked me to find her a place to stay."
"You know the legend of the grateful crane. Since Roman and I helped her, she's been desperate to repay us. But Roman and I didn't really need her help. So she's stayed ever since… Until recently, that is. I asked her to come here to create Spiritron Dresses and Mystic Codes. That's also why I've brought you here."
"That voice… Could it be Mr. Natsukawa?"
At that moment, Crane—who had been sewing clothes in front of the machine—suddenly turned around and looked at the two of them.
Naoki waved his hand. "Long time no see, Crane. Sorry I haven't visited much after asking you to come here. Are you getting used to living here?"
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Natsukawa. I'm doing just fine. Chaldea supplies my Mana, so there are no issues." Crane said with a smile. "But why have you come so suddenly… AHH!"
Mid-sentence, Crane suddenly shrieked, quickly stood up, and dashed straight toward Ritsuka: "Such a cute girl! Her face seems ordinary at first, but the more I look, the prettier she gets—she has that innocent, childlike charm only underage girls possess, and also such vibrant energy—A girl full of vitality! This is what a girl full of vitality looks like! This is the first time I've ever seen one!"
Since the people around her when she met Naoki were all adult women, and Gray was the quiet type, Crane had never seen this kind of girl—the type only seen in Japanese anime.
Seeing Crane suddenly become so enthusiastic, Ritsuka instinctively took several steps back, a bit frightened. "Chief… who exactly is Miss Crane…?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention. She absolutely adores cute girls, especially the 'idol' type… She's such a fanatic that she immediately starts thinking about designing beautiful clothes for any cute girl she sees, imagining them wearing her creations, and gets so moved she nearly returns to the Throne of Heroes."
"EH—!?"
The huge, almost incomprehensible gap between her appearance and personality shocked Ritsuka into exclaiming aloud. When she wasn't speaking, Ritsuka had assumed Crane was a calm, literary-type girl. But was she actually an otaku idol fanatic?!
Meanwhile, Crane…
"The outfit most suitable for a girl full of vitality is a sailor uniform, but for a minor we must also consider schoolgirl attributes, and a design that highlights the pure, soft figure of a teenage girl…"
"Chief, suddenly I'm feeling a bit uneasy…"
"Hahaha…"
Naoki laughed awkwardly. Truthfully, even he didn't know how to handle Crane in this state. "Ahem! Crane, get a hold of yourself. Fujimaru is still new here. Please show your true self only after you've gotten closer, okay?"
"Ah! You're right. It's not good to scare a new customer. I sincerely apologize." Crane said, suddenly realizing her behavior and bowing deeply. "But seeing this young lady, I understand why Mr. Natsukawa brought her here. It's about the Mystic Code, isn't it?"
"Mystic Code? Come to think of it, Chief, you mentioned Spiritron Dress and Mystic Code earlier… What are those?"
Naoki smiled and explained. "A Mystic Code is magical equipment used by Magi. For example, a flying broom used by a Magus—that's one type of Mystic Code. As for the Spiritron Dress… that's something Servants need to consider, so you don't need to worry about it, Fujimaru."
"Mystic Codes come in many forms—brooms, swords, depending on the situation. Even bullets or pistols can be Mystic Codes. Clothing is no different."
"Because of her legendary nature, Crane is exceptionally skilled at making clothes. So I wanted her to collaborate with other Servants in Chaldea to create clothing-type Mystic Codes."
"I'm mainly in charge of the designs." Crane added. "When it comes to design, I won't lose to even that genius—anyway, no more delays! Miss Fujimaru, please let me take your three measurements immediately! Then, try on the clothes I've made in the changing room over there!"
"Eh? Wait, wait a second—why do you need my body measurements…?"
"Because we're going to make a Mystic Code for you."
Naoki's words caused Ritsuka to freeze momentarily.
"Our goal in the future is to stop the Incineration of Humanity. To achieve that, we don't just need to defeat Goetia—we must also travel to the seven Singularities to correct them. Therefore, we need equipment capable of handling various situations. Do you understand? This is for your own good. Since you're going to defeat the Demon King, you'll definitely need the perfect 'armor.'"
"Crane, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Understood!"
With sparkling eyes, Crane immediately wrapped her arms around Ritsuka and forcibly dragged them toward the nearby changing room. Shortly after, Naoki heard alternating, flustered screams, accompanied by clothes flying out of the room.