More clothing-based slice-of-life, but this time we get the boys too.
Chapter 102 – Foreign Wear (Pegasus Moon)
Hilda couldn't help but chuckle as Dorothea, Mercedes and Annette ushered Byleth into the store they were presently in. It was a new opening for a seamstress, someone who had come to fill in one of the vacancies left due to the battle in the Sealed Forest. Many of the old merchants and townsfolk had lost their lives against Solon's minions, so new people were arriving to fill in.
"I-Is this really necessary?" Byleth asked in a flustered tone.
"Of course it is, Professor!" Annette said cheerfully.
"Gotta get you some new dresses to match that new look, after all," said Hilda.
"But I've got plenty of clothing already," Byleth said in protest.
"Yeah, but those were for when your hair was blue," Dorothea said with a smile. "Some of them still work for you, sure, but–"
"Then I can just use those ones, can't I?"
"Don't be like that, Professor," said Mercedes. "Everyone needs to update their wardrobe every now and then."
Byleth couldn't help but give Mercedes an exasperated look. It hadn't even been a year since Dorothea had made her shop for so many new clothes, and now she had to get even more? In any event, this store's selection mostly consisted of items she'd only consider wearing on special occasions. The teacher suspected the girls were just roping her into it for their amusement.
"Besides, there's some really sexy dresses here I think you should try out~" Hilda said cheekily.
"H-Hilda!"
Byleth now knew for certain the girls were just doing this for fun.
"Come on, Professor, please?" said Annette. "Pretty please?"
Byleth made a nervous "Ehehe…" as she looked around at the girls, knowing she wasn't getting out of this. She then sighed in defeat. She knew she would have to indulge them.
The seamstress then came forward to have a look at Byleth. Byleth assumed the middle-aged woman was from Hoshido, but she curiously had green eyes and streaks of green in her otherwise long black locks of hair.
"So, you're the one everybody is talking about," said the seamstress, her voice with a slight foreign accent. The woman then held up a small band with several notches drawn on it and said, "Let's figure out your size. Lift your arms."
Byleth complied with the request, lifting her arms over her head. The seamstress wound the band around her bountiful chest, making Byleth blush at being measured.
"Ah, you're very big here," the seamstress muttered. "You must eat well."
"Are you kidding?" Dorothea said jokingly. "Professor Byleth's probably one of the biggest eaters at the monastery, besides Raphael and Balthus, of course."
"D-Dorothea!" Byleth hissed in embarrassment, causing the other girls to laugh at her expense.
The seamstress then moved the band down measure Byleth's waist, and then her hips, letting out an intrigued "Hmm" each time. Byleth, meanwhile, wondered when it would all be over.
"You have an excellent figure," said the seamstress. "Very fit and yet perfectly proportioned. I'll see if I have anything in your size."
"Hey, do you mind if we try some of these on?" Hilda asked the seamstress.
"Please do not touch the merchandise!" the seamstress snapped. "If you want to try it on, you have to buy it first."
"Yikes… talk about touchy."
"But surely you concede that the Professor will be wearing your finery before she considers purchasing it, yes?" asked Constance as she stood in the shade.
The seamstress's expression showed she did not agree with Constance.
"Let me handle this, kiddos," said Anna as she entered the shop, prompting Byleth and the students to turn to her.
"Anna, your timing couldn't be better," said Dorothea. "We just–"
"I heard. Leave it to me."
Anna then walked to the back of the store and began talking to the seamstress in a language none of them recognized. The seamstress spoke back in the same tongue, her expression showing her delight at meeting someone fluent in her native language. After a minute of negotiating, it looked as though the two had come to an agreement.
Anna turned back to the others and said, "Miss Jiayi said you can try them on, but you'll have to pay a fee first. If you want to keep them afterward, she'll take that fee out of the original price. Sounds good?"
"How much of a fee?" asked Mercedes.
"Thirty gold per dress."
"What? That much?" Hilda said in slight dismay.
"That's almost a fifth of their price!" Annette said in protest.
"These dresses are very expensive to make," said Jiayi. "They're made with Hoshidan satin."
"Can't you haggle her down a bit lower, Anna?" asked Hilda.
"Sorry, kiddos," said Anna. "Best I can do. Making satin's not cheap, and clothes made from it are really valuable."
The girls let out several disappointed groans, but decided to go with it, reaching for their purses.
As she paid Jiayi, Hilda looked at a shiny pink cheongsam and said, "Ooh, this one looks all me."
As Hilda reached for the dress, however, Jiayi slapped the back of her wrist and, as Hilda recoiled with a loud "OW!", said, "Not that one!"
"Hey, I paid your fee already!" Hilda said crossly. "What's your problem?"
Jiayi then gave Hilda's left breast a sharp poke, startling the pinkette as she said, "It's not in your size! You are too big for it!"
Jiayi emphasized her meaning by giving Hilda's chest another poke, this time incidentally poking her covered nipple. Hilda let out a flustered "EEH!" as she jolted back with a blush.
"H-Hey! Watch the girls!"
Dorothea couldn't help but snicker at this, remembering the last time Hilda had said those exact words at Gronder.
"I will find you a dress in your size," said Jiayi.
As the seamstress went back to find some appropriately sized dresses, Mercedes then asked, "Oh, Hilda, I meant to ask you something. Where is Marianne? Isn't she usually with you?"
"I invited her along for this, but she didn't want to come. I think she had plans with Dimitri today."
"Really?" Byleth asked in surprise.
"Yeah, the two have gotten really sweet on each other. Mary keeps denying it, but I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up with a crown on her head in a few years."
"Do you mean to say that Marianne and Dimitri are… dating?!" Annette asked in surprise.
"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" said Mercedes.
"The two were quite the pair at the ball," said Constance. "Even I cannot deny they would have a fortuitous relationship as spouses."
"Hold on there, Coco, they're not getting married yet," said Hapi.
"But with how often Prince Dimitri has rushed to her rescue, she must be besmitten with him by now."
"I think they would make a good pair," said Byleth.
"Ohh, Professor~" Dorothea said with intrigue. "You think it could be true love for them too?"
"They work well together in battle, and they know a lot about each other's habits. They'd stand a lot to benefit from each other's skills."
This answer wasn't what the girls expected, with Anna rubbing her forehead in a mix of amusement and slight disappointment.
Seeing this, Byleth asked "What?" in genuine confusion.
"By, you've got a lot to learn when it comes to love," said Anna.
…
Several minutes later…
"Ooh~ check me out~" Hilda said teasingly as she stepped out of a makeshift changing room. "Am I sexy or what?"
Hilda posed as the others looked at her wearing a glossy pink cheongsam that clung to her figure, the skirt open at the sides and only reaching her knees. Her thigh-high boots were replaced by a pair of small pink shoes that complimented the look. Evidently, the dress was slightly too small for her, so the top of the dress was straining a bit to contain her breasts.
"Wow… too bad you didn't wear that for the White Heron Cup," said Dorothea. "You might've beaten me if you had."
Dorothea wore a similar outfit to Hilda's, although hers was in a bright red rather than pink.
"You think so?" Hilda asked. "It's honestly a little tight."
As Hilda gestured to how the dress was stretching around her chest, Annette couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. The orange-haired girl was already dressed in a green qipao, though this one reached her ankles and was far more conservative. She then looked at Mercedes, who wore a white kimono with a beige sash around her waist. The outfit was a conservative one, but it too could not hide just how well-endowed the blonde was.
"Oh, this feels so lovely," said Mercedes. "And it's just my size, too!"
Annette let out another groan before she said, "I need some milk…"
Petra, who had opted not to try a dress on, then said, "Constance, you are looking very impressing."
"That's 'impressive', Princess of Brigid," Constance corrected as she stepped forward, wearing a maroon kimono that, bizarrely, seemed a perfect fit for her.
"Better watch out, Coco," said Hapi. "The Ferd probably wouldn't be able to resist seeing you like this."
"Did someone happen to refer to me?" said a voice, prompting the girls to turn.
To their surprise, they saw Ferdinand accompanied by Sylvain, Lorenz, Ashe, Felix, Ignatz and Caspar.
"Oh, hey boys," Hilda said teasingly. "Fancy seeing you all here."
"We were in the middle of procuring some essentials for the monastery when we overheard you," said Lorenz.
"Wow, girls, love the dresses," Sylvain said flirtatiously. "Especially you, Dorothea."
"Well, aren't you the flatterer, Sylvain," Dorothea replied in amusement.
"What're you all doing here?" asked Caspar.
"We were helping Professor Byleth pick out some new clothes. We would've gone to Di Rienzo's, but…"
"I see…" said Ferdinand. Everyone there knew the tailor Di Rienzo had lost his life in the Sealed Forest.
"Where is the Professor?" asked Felix.
"Chatterbox's still in the back," said Hapi. "Anna's trying to help fitting her."
Chuckling, Sylvain said, "I'm not surprised. Must be hard for her to get stuff her size."
The others looked at Sylvain in disapproval at his joke.
"Are these friends of yours?" asked Jiayi. "Do they wish to buy some clothes as well?"
"Are you perhaps offering anything for men?" asked Ferdinand.
"Perhaps you wish to try some on. If you do, it's thirty gold for a trial."
"Thirty gold per outfit?" asked Ashe. "Just to try them on?"
"That was the best Miss Anna could accomplish," said Constance. "But I will admit that this fabric is of exceptional quality. Well, Ferdinand? Does this look take your breath away?"
"It… um… well…" Ferdinand had trouble finding the words to compliment Constance's look.
"Told you so, Coco," Hapi said as Constance smiled at Ferdinand.
"Maybe you boys should try one on too," said Mercedes. "Um, that is, the men's outfits."
"Hey, why the heck not?" said Sylvain.
"It would be rude of me to refuse," said Lorenz.
"I'll pass," said Caspar. "Not really into that fancy-schmancy stuff, especially if I have to pay just to try one on."
"Aww, that's a shame," said Hilda.
"I'm afraid I'll have to pass as well," said Ashe. "I don't think any of them suit me in any event."
"I don't plan to buy anything here," said Ignatz. "I wouldn't have a real use for it."
"What about you, Felix?" asked Annette.
"I'm not fond of the idea of paying just to try one on," said Felix. "Still, I am intrigued by the selection available."
"Wait, you're actually interested in fashion?" Sylvain asked jokingly. "Did you get replaced like Monica did?"
"Not funny, Sylvain," Dorothea snapped.
"Y-Yeah, you're right. Sorry."
"I've had an interest in Hoshidan culture for a while now," said Felix. "Mostly on their weaponry and their art of war."
"Now that's the Felix I know."
Felix scowled at Sylvain, and then gestured to a mannequin dressed in a set of Hoshidan samurai gear.
"It interests me how they wear something so showy and yet functional."
"You have a good point there, Felix," said Ignatz. "That armor might not look too strong, but the way the fabric is woven provides a surprising level of protection without sacrificing much in the way of mobility."
"Hoshidan warfare doesn't make use of heavy armor like the Knights of Seiros do. They favor mobility and decisive strikes rather than brute force. One could learn a great deal from studying their art of war."
"I guess that's true," said Ashe. "You think you might buy that, Felix?"
"Not now, but perhaps another time."
"Anyhow, let's see what this lady's got," said Sylvain as he, Ferdinand and Lorenz went to look at the seamstress's selection.
…
Another several minutes later…
"So, how do I look, ladies?" asked Sylvain as he emerged wearing a black yukata with grey pants. He had opted to let the girls get a look at a portion of his bare chest, though it wasn't to the same degree that Balthus would show in his usual outfit.
"Not bad, Sylvain," said Hilda. "I gotta admit, it suits you."
As Sylvain smiled at Hilda's compliment, Lorenz stepped out and said, "This quality is quite impressive."
The others looked to see Lorenz was wearing a violet changshan with black pants, making him look a bit like a foreign dignitary.
"Well, it's… okay, I suppose," said Dorothea. "Kinda makes you look like a snake in some way."
"A snake?" Lorenz asked incredulously.
"Ohoho, Ferdinand, you look quite dignified," said Constance as Ferdinand emerged wearing his own outfit, one that made him look a bit like a samurai.
"But of course!" Ferdinand said proudly. "A true noble can make anything look good."
The girls couldn't help but roll their eyes at this.
Then, as the students continued complimenting each other, Petra said, "The Professor is spending much time in changing."
Realizing Petra was right, Dorothea stepped toward the back of the shop and said aloud, "Professor? Is everything alright back there?"
"We'll be just a second!" said Anna.
"Ow! Anna!" Byleth yelped.
Fifteen seconds later, Anna said, "All done! Come on out, By!"
Byleth stepped out of the changing room with a blush on her face as she lay her eyes on the students. She was dressed in an elegant white-and-green kimono top with a floral pattern on it, though her ample chest was stretching out the fabric. The bottom half was a black hakama with a pink trim that reached under her breasts. Her hair had been arranged in an elegant bun with a stylized hairpin holding it together. The whole thing somewhat made her look like a foreign lord's wife.
"Wow, Professor, you look fantastic!" said Dorothea. "Nice work, Anna."
"Glad to help," Anna said as she put a finger to her cheek and winked.
As everyone around her began complimenting Byleth's look, the teacher could not help but smile in thanks.
Deep down, she was glad she had decided to indulge them.
I figured we could use some more lighthearted stuff before shit hits the fan. I also noticed that most of my recent "bonding" moments were girls-only, so I decided to let some of the boys in on the fun. I mean, Sylvain really would look pretty good wearing Japanese clothes.
But Hilda wearing a qipao or cheongsam? Hubba hubba~ Make it happen in FEH!
I'm not an expert when it comes to Asian clothing, so if I got something wrong, let me know.
EDIT: I've changed the seamstress's dialogue around. Sorry, I guess the "me so solly" approach is in poor taste.
As for why I'm inserting a slice-of-life into arguably the last in-game chapter before the war, it's meant to give Byleth and Dorothea some last happy memories before everything goes horribly wrong. That's kinda what a lot of the pre-timeskip has been about: making happy memories amidst the trauma.
EDIT2: I've slightly updated the seamstress again. You'll learn why later. The name Jiayi roughly translates as "auspicious one".