Guide to tamming vilanesses-Chapter 71: The fair

While still on the line, Jun and Yuji gave Shin and the girls several tips about where to go and what not to miss at the fair. They pointed out the best food stalls, the shows worth watching, and even a few quiet corners where couples could sneak away for a moment.

By the time Shin and the others finally stepped through the wooden gates, Jun and Yuji laughed and said their goodbyes, telling Shin’s little "harem" they were free to enjoy themselves and flirt with their men as much as they liked.

It was difficult not to be impressed the moment they entered the medieval fair. It felt almost as if they had stepped into another world entirely.

Rows of wooden stalls lined the winding dirt paths, their banners fluttering in the soft evening breeze. The smell of roasted meat, sweet pastries, and spiced cider drifted through the air.

Merchants in period clothing called out to passing visitors, showing off hand-forged trinkets, leather belts, glass bottles filled with colorful liquids, and polished steel blades.

In the distance, the rhythmic beat of drums mixed with the lively notes of lutes and flutes, while performers in bright costumes entertained small crowds with juggling, mock sword fights, and exaggerated tales of knights and dragons.

That made the entire place feel strangely magical.

Aiko stood still for a moment, completely captivated.

Her eyes sparkled as she took everything in, and she couldn’t contain her smile when she spotted a display of armor replicas at a nearby nerdy stall.

They were clearly made of real metal, not cheap props. A polished breastplate and helmet rested on a wooden stand, every rivet and plate perfectly shaped and fitted. It looked less like a costume and more like something a real knight might have worn centuries ago.

For a brief second she looked like a kid who had just walked into the world of her favorite stories. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Then the thought hit her.

Her shoulders stiffened slightly.

Wait... if Ana and Ange realize how excited I am about this...

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks as she quickly tried to compose herself.

She didn’t want to look even more like a nerd than she already did.

"Did you get interested in that store?" Shin asked, noticing the small fluctuations in the girl’s emotions.

"Ye... yes..." Aiko replied timidly.

"So, let’s take a look," Shin said, his fingers trailing a slow, warm path down her spine before his palm settled firmly on her hip, guiding her as he took the lead.

Aiko felt comfortable with Shin’s touch, and she leaned toward him happily. When his hand drifted lower, palm smoothing over the impressive curve of her backside, she didn’t tense or pull away. Instead, she just melted further against him with a contented sigh, completely at ease with his exploring hand.

Ana and Ange followed right behind her. They were also looking around the place, completely mesmerized.

They slowly approached the stall.

Wooden racks displayed pieces of armor in careful order, helmets, gauntlets, chainmail coifs, and small shields hanging from iron hooks.

A long table held daggers, short swords, and decorative scabbards, their polished metal reflecting the warm lantern light. Behind them, mannequins wore full sets of armor: a heavy-looking knight’s harness, a lighter brigandine with leather straps, and even a dark cloak draped over a mail shirt.

Ange tilted her head as she looked over the display.

"Wow... this is pretty detailed," she said, before letting out a small amused laugh. "But I can’t imagine who would be nerdy enough to actually be this into it."

She said it casually, almost playfully.

But Aiko felt her chest tighten.

Her eyes instinctively dropped toward the ground, and the excitement she had been trying so hard to hide shrank even further.

Before the silence could grow awkward, Shin casually spoke up.

"I like it."

Ange blinked, immediately turning toward him.

"Well... sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything..."

Ana laughed at her cousin, while Shin turned his attention to Aiko.

"So," he said casually, "what do you like the most here?"

Aiko froze for half a second. Then, almost automatically, her eyes lifted back toward the display.

"The... the helmet design is actually really good," she said quietly. "It looks like a late 14th-century bascinet. See how the visor curves forward? That shape helped deflect blows better than flatter ones. And the rivet placement on the hinge is pretty accurate too... Most replicas get that wrong."

The stall owner, who had been quietly organizing a few items behind the counter, suddenly looked up.

"Oh? You noticed that?"

Aiko stiffened, but the man was already stepping closer, clearly intrigued.

"you até absolutely right about the bascinet. Though technically this one’s closer to an early hounskull variation. See the angle here..."

Aiko’s eyes lit up again.

"Oh! You’re right. And the bevor connection would have..."

Their discussion quickly spiraled into an enthusiastic exchange about visor shapes, historical armor weight distribution, and the differences between decorative replicas and historically accurate reproductions.

Meanwhile, Shin slowly stepped closer to Ange. He leaned slightly toward her and spoke in a low voice.

"You know, Aiko likes these things. But she’s really insecure about her hobbies, especially because her group of friends used to mock her for it."

Ange looked down, feeling quite guilty. She had recently changed the way she treated Aiko, but she had still been guilty of bullying her in the past.

"Sorry..." she murmured."I’m not the one you need to apologize to," Shin said, gently petting her hair. "Just be a good girl, okay?"

"Hm... I will," she murmured softly.

〇〇〇

Kaho took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Eva had convinced her to visit the mall with her. Her friend wanted to help her buy clothes and revamp her look.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Kaho had to admit that Eva had an excellent sense of fashion.

The white top accentuated her natural curves, and she was practically shining thanks to the accessories.

Still, Kaho couldn’t help but feel that these clothes didn’t suit her.

She was just a weird and boring girl. If she were to wear something so flashy, people would think she was trying to show off.

"Hey, come on, let me see how you look," Eva asked from outside the changing room.

Kaho opened the curtain and stepped out timidly. She tried to hide her ample cleavage with her arms, and her eyes were fixed on the floor.

That said, it was impossible not to notice that she was a beauty. And the clothes allowed her to showcase all of that beauty.

"I look weird... right?" Kaho asked shyly.

"What do you mean, you look gorgeous," Eva said, approaching her. "But you need to stop hiding your face with your hair, and besides..."

The blonde continued to give her objective assessment. Eva wasn’t the type to compliment people without reason, so her words were absolutely honest.

"Are you sure I don’t look weird?" Kaho asked once more.

"Girl," Eva huffed, "if you go out dressed like that, you’ll turn every head in the mall."

The idea made Kaho’s entire body tremble. If she attracted that much attention, her heart would explode.

Seeing this, Eva laughed softly. She never imagined she would become so close to someone who was her complete opposite.

"You don’t even need to say anything, I already know what you’re thinking..." Eva commented with a sigh. "I’ll look for something a little less flashy for you."

"Thank you..." Kaho murmured.

It was at that moment that Eva’s phone rang with a notification.

She immediately picked it up and smiled when she saw it was a message from Shin.

"What is it... Some good news?" Kaho approached her friend.

"Yeah, my master sent a message," Eva commented, laughing a little. "Look at this."

She showed a photo of Shin dressed and riding a horse while wearing an improvised armor.

The poor animal seemed to be having difficulties with his weight.

Apparently at one of the stalls they could rent this, and the girls forced him to wear it. Clearly the armor wasn’t big enough for him, giving him a funny appearance.

"Where did he take that photo?" Kaho asked, surprised.

"Apparently there’s some kind of medieval fair today..." Eva explained. "He went on a date with Ana there."

Kaho always found it strange how Eva didn’t seem to mind the fact that Shin had more than one girlfriend.

Well, just the fact that she called him "master," even in public, was already quite strange and a little hard to understand.

"Oh! And apparently he won a sword dueling tournament," Eva murmured, while playing a video that her master had sent.

Ana had filmed him as he brandished his fake sword to defeat the last enemy in the small tournament that was organized at the fair.

Kaho couldn’t deny that it was impressive to see Shin move so fast. He didn’t look at all athletic at first glance.

"Anyway, it’s time to get you to wear more clothes," Eva said, putting her phone away.