Niila led them to a massive shopping district packed with people. She was vibrating with excitement while dragging Mayalyn along behind her.

Jiran stayed alert as he walked behind the two girls. While they peered inside one store after another, he pushed his mana body senses to their utmost as he observed their surroundings.

No way I’m going to let some pickpocket, kidnappers, or rude nobles interrupt our expedition. Brandon’s memories of anime make it clear this is exactly the time to be the most vigilant!

The first store the girls decided to enter was filled entirely with brushes. Hair brushes, make-up brushes, paint brushes, toothbrushes, bath brushes, and more.

How can there be so many brushes? I wonder if I can make a universal brush?

Mayalyn looked bewildered in the foreign environment as Niila led her through the store. When they spotted an entire rack of hair brushes her shoulders shot up and she clapped her hands in excitement. An instant later her face morphed into that of a battle-hardened war veteran as she scoured the section.

While Mayalyn was distracted, Jiran pulled Niila aside.

“Mayalyn lost all her belongings. Can you help her select what she needs, then bring it all to me? Make sure to find something nice for yourself too, anything you want.” he said while handing her three gold coins.

“Really? Anything?” Jiran raised his hand, ready to bring down the chop again. The little demoness giggled and dashed back to Mayalyn’s side in a flash.

Satisfied that Mayalyn was in good hands, Jiran stood outside and pushed his mana body through its daily growth routine. He first expended aura harmlessly underground, then recharged it with his mana.

The smell of fried vegetables and meat soaking in beast fat and wrapped in fluffy pastry drew his attention to a nearby food vendor. There was also a candy stall nearby that he ignored over the much more compelling and savory treats.

He grabbed two types of the delicious buns for each of them. When the girls came out of the store, he met them with a smile. Mayalyn returned his smile, though it was tinged with embarrassment at the bag of supplies she had purchased with his coin.

Before Niila could drag her off to the next store Jiran directed them to a nearby bench where they enjoyed the snacks together. The salty-sweetness of the meat inside the flakey crust was so delicious Jiran let out a deep moan of contentment, which brought a round of giggles from both girls.

Niila led them to their next stop, which was an assortment of shops specializing in clothing. They stopped in front of two boutiques standing side by side.

One was for the lower class, it displayed work attire and uniforms. The other was bursting at the seams with colorful dresses clearly designed for wealthy female nobles.

Niila glanced his way discreetly while Mayalyn was looking at the pretty clothes with starry eyes.

Jiran nodded toward the dress store then held up five fingers while pointing at Mayalyn and one finger while pointing to Niila. She pumped her little fist excitedly before dragging Mayalyn into the store.

He smiled to himself and resumed training his mana body while simultaneously keeping an eye on every nearby individual.

Jiran watched as an inconspicuous figure slid gracefully between two obnoxious nobles. The nobles had knocked an old man down and were berating him for getting in their way.

The graceful man used the distraction to snatch both the nobles' coin purses in one swift movement. Only taking a few coins from each, he placed them back within their robes before slipping out of sight..

Some things are the same everywhere I suppose.

His attention was grabbed by Mayalyn’s dramatic gesturing inside the dress shop. Niila’s eyes were wide as she looked about frantically for some way to calm the distraught and incoherent Mayalyn.

Her concern was replaced by relief when she saw Jiran walk inside the boutique.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She’s not making any sense.” Niila grumped.

Jiran studied Mayalyn as she struggled to articulate what was wrong. She used the same animated arm waving and aggressive tone of voice she had used on Niila.

I’ve been doing so much for her lately that she must be freaking out. Well, it’s my coin and if I choose to give it to a friend, I bloody well will.

When Mayalyn exhausted her rant, Jiran leaned close to her and whispered with a serious glint in his eyes.

“No more complaints. I’m buying you these dresses because you’re a pretty girl and I want to see you in pretty clothes. Now, if you think you can pick out something better than what Niila chose then get those as well.

“But don’t think for a minute that I’m buying you anything for any reason other than my own enjoyment. Understand?”

By the end of his tirade, Jiran’s finger was a hair’s breadth from her chest and he was looming over her with that same dangerous glint in his eyes.

His stern voice was just loud enough that every shopper in the store stopped and stared at him with wide, startled eyes.

Mayalyn’s mouth was hanging open and her face had turned three shades brighter red than he had ever seen it. With an audible clack, her jaw slammed shut. She nodded and then stalked back into the racks of clothes with Niila close behind.

“He’s so handsome! I wish he would yell at me like that,” A random woman whispered to her friend.

After the first woman started whispering to her friend about needing to urgently get home to her husband, Jiran rolled his eyes and shrank his aura down to cover only himself. He had no desire to hear how hot and bothered anyone was by his display.

As soon as he withdrew his aura, Mayalyn dashed over to him with a chastised expression. She gave him a quick, silent hug before running back to Niila.

Stolen novel; please report.

Enjoy your shopping while it lasts, Mayalyn. We’ll be working hard to earn more money soon enough.

When the girls finished, Mayalyn presented him with ten full outfits. Her victorious smile made her intentions clear.

Do you really think I’ll be so easily defeated?

Jiran simply smiled, scooped up the clothes with his aura and marched to the counter. The woman behind the desk greedily rubbed her hands together in anticipation, and then blinked in surprise at the casual use of his mana body. Her once hungry demeanor shifted to one of dread.

“Niila, make sure you get a matching dress for your sister,” Jiran told the wide-eyed little girl as she shyly clutched the adorable purple dress to her chest.

When he turned back to the proprietress, Jiran held an unsettling grin on his face.

The woman opened and closed her mouth several times while her eyes remained glued to the floating clothes.

A kick to his shin from Mayalyn averted Jiran’s attention from the sweating woman.

“Motaapa rekaru so abara,” She said. Then she cocked her head in deep thought before trying again.

“Jiran, you be nice to ancient mother,” This time she had a wide smile, confident she had explained herself perfectly.

Niila’s uncontrollable giggles and Jiran holding his shaking head in his hand didn’t deter Mayalyn for even a second as she gave the mortified shopkeeper a big grin and a thumbs up.

They walked down the street after their eventful shopping. Jiran felt he had received a fair price for his coin considering their little theatrics in the shop.

Having maxed out their shopping tolerance for the day, they headed back to the inn.

Mayalyn halted in front of a jewelry stand. Her attention was grabbed by a sparkling necklace of polished pearls and aqua sea stones.

She shook her head with a tremulous smile before they pressed forward on their lighthearted journey to the inn.

Arriving at the inn, Niila darted away, searching for Miila to share the unexpected surprise. Mayalyn escaped to her room with the precious bundles in her arms. Sitting down to wait for dinner, Jiran reveled in his feelings of satisfaction.

He took a deep breath and examined how he felt. His chest was light, as if it was stuffed with feathers and his skin prickled like gentle currents zinged through it.

Leaning back in his chair, he looked at the ceiling and felt thankful for the last several days.

Relaxing and being happy without constantly fighting for your life is pretty nice.

Mayalyn soon joined him, not being one to miss a meal, even for something as exciting as new clothes.

Before their food arrived, Dandy came out of the back with his girls dancing and twirling in their colorful new dresses. Jiran felt a swelling of warmth in his chest at how happy his actions had made them.

Swept up in the moment of affection, he allowed that warmth to appear on his face as he smiled brightly at the twins.

Dandy put his hands on both of their heads and they all bowed together.

“Thank you for the lovely dresses, Mr. Jiran,” they said in unison.

“You’re welcome, and thank you both for being such a big help to Mayalyn and me. I hope you two can continue to help her learn Imperial, when you’re not busy helping your family.”

“I would be delighted to!” Miila said, her excellent manners on full display.

“Thank you, Jiran. Did you, ahh, need anything?” Dandy said, looking slightly nervous.

“Just dinner,” Jiran replied with a grin.

“Right! Of course, coming right up.”

After eating, Jiran was treated to a fashion show as Mayalyn pranced into his room, one outfit after another. His favorite part was how she demonstrated every minute detail that pleased her on each item. The sound of her voice was a soothing lullaby that soon had his eyes drooping.

He barely understood a word of what she said, and it was glorious. He soon fell asleep to the sound of her happy, tinkling chatter.

Jiran’s dream morphed from quietly reading in a library and discovering the secrets of magic to explosions and destroyed buildings. Thousands of zombie monsters that he had killed many times before rose from the ground all around him.

They attacked in waves, never giving him a moment’s rest. No matter how many times he destroyed them, they always came back.

He woke up coated in sweat, breathing hard in the darkness. The soft mattress under his back was the first reminder that he was no longer in the wilds on a journey of endless slaughter.

With deep breaths, Jiran attempted to regain his usual tranquility. He tapped into his aura’s senses and observed the sleeping family and his new friend. The sight of their serene faces, peacefully sleeping, helped him quickly bring his emotions back under control.

This vacation has been way more fun and exciting than I thought it would be, but is it really okay for me to enjoy myself so much?

After all, Madra abhors stagnation.

I have a nagging feeling that if I stop pushing forward, something terrible will eventually happen.

Crafting and learning at the academy ought to be fine for now. It wouldn’t be wise to force myself to tier up again so soon anyway.

I have way too much to learn about my current skills to be thinking about what’s next. I’m also not accustomed to the amount and quality of my mana in this tier. I should solidify my foundation here for a while longer.

Resolved to continue at his current pace, Jiran got out of bed and prepared to head out of the city. He used his aura to nudge Mayalyn awake. Today would be the first day of her new job, so it wouldn’t do for her to sleep in.

She exited her room several minutes later, dressed in a snug-fitting brown and green outfit that reminded him of a martial arts uniform from Earth. She bounced loosely from one foot to the other, clearly excited to be off.

It sure is nice to have an exercise partner who’s so excited. Samris was always such an emotional dud.

By the time First Mother rose, they were both glistening with sweat in the same small valley he had found the day before.

Once he was done recovering, Jiran hopped to his feet and faced the panting blue-haired girl.

“Alright Mayalyn, show me what you can do,” He raised his fists in front of himself at chin level and squared his shoulders to her rising form.

She understood his intentions instantly and a smile spread across her lips. She didn't waste a second before pouncing at him. Her nails extended into claws and a bestial growl escaped her lips.

Matching his speed and strength to hers, Jiran danced before her swiping swings and lunging kicks. She even tried to bite him which just made him laugh as he spun to the side and slammed her into the ground with a hand on the back of her over-extended neck.

“Faster! Harder!” He shouted while beginning to weave in counterattacks. With the new threat of her wild blows resulting in painful retaliation, she soon calmed and adapted a more methodical and strategic style.

“Bend your grounded knee to the side like this when you do that kick. Relax your shoulders when you punch so your own muscles aren’t slowing you down.” She accepted his criticism like a seasoned soldier, instantly correcting her form while continuously pushing herself.

An hour later he called an end to their sparring and she immediately collapsed on the ground. He placed a hand on her shoulder and sent a healing shaping through her body.

He made sure not to disrupt her muscles' anabolic state with over-healing, as that wouldn’t allow them to grow as much as healing naturally would.

She’s a quick study. I bet Samris would enjoy training her. Learning isn’t enough though, The time has come for you to show me what you can really do.

“Come, it’s time to work.” He said as he led her into the nearby woods for their first hunt.