Chapter 221: The Price Of Good Tatse

"Shall we see what it remembers?" the boutique attendant asked, stepping aside to reveal a circular fitting area.

A tall mirror stood at its center, framed by delicate silver filigree. Thin lines of Mana glowed along the frame whenever someone approached.

"The Memory Mirror studies clothes you’ve admired, worn, or associated with important occasions," the boutique owner explained. "It combines those memories into a new design, reflecting the preferences behind them rather than copying a specific outfit."

Reinhard nodded approvingly. "Finally. An establishment that understands quality."

Emily glanced at him. "You haven’t even tried anything on."

"I can recognize excellence without wearing it."

"Is that why you spent fifteen minutes negotiating over a five-percent discount yesterday?"

"Twelve minutes," Reinhard corrected. "You’re exaggerating."

Lily burst out laughing.

The owner smiled politely, though he seemed unsure whether to join in. "Perhaps we should begin with your wife."

...

Emily stepped onto the platform.

Silver threads spread across the mirror. Fleeting images appeared on its surface: an elegant combat uniform, a long coat, a polished clasp, and the faint shimmer of an S-Rank insignia.

The images dissolved, and a new outfit materialized around her.

A fitted upper layer followed her figure, while a long, flowing outer garment fell gracefully behind her. Silver embroidery traced its edges, and a delicate clasp rested near her shoulder. It carried the authority of an accomplished Awakener without looking like armor.

Lily stared. "That’s unfair! Why does she get to look like the protagonist of a legendary romance?"

"Because I have good taste," Reinhard replied.

Emily turned toward him. "You said that about your own outfit before seeing it."

"And I was correct both times."

She studied her reflection. The outfit reminded her of the days when every public appearance attracted attention and every piece of clothing seemed to carry expectations.

"It looks wonderful," she said. "Though I wouldn’t wear it every day."

"The mirror draws from clothing associated with important moments," the owner explained. "It remembers what you wore, not necessarily what you’d choose now."

Emily looked at Reinhard. "Good thing my husband likes me in ordinary clothes, too."

"I like you in everything."

"Even when I’m wearing your shirt?"

"Especially then."

Lily groaned. "Can you two save that for when the rest of us aren’t present?"

"No," Emily replied sweetly.

Maki studied the mirror. "It’s combining several designs rather than copying a single memory."

"Precisely," the owner confirmed.

Emily stepped down, satisfied with the result. She didn’t need to become the woman the world remembered again. It was enough to see that part of her past transformed into something beautiful.

Lily was already rushing toward the platform. "My turn! Make me look legendary!"

...

The mirror flashed.

A short adventurer’s coat appeared, followed by polished boots, decorative straps, and a dramatic cape that swept behind Lily. Ornate details completed the ensemble, while a faint enchantment made the cape flutter despite the lack of wind.

Lily struck a pose. "Behold! The strongest heroine in Solmara!"

"You were the strongest heroine until you fell into the floating obstacle course," Maki said.

"That was an ambush!"

"By water?"

"An extremely well-prepared enemy."

Reinhard circled Lily, inspecting the stitching. "Excellent presentation. Questionable practicality."

"Who asked you?"

"You declared yourself legendary in front of a qualified judge."

Lily turned toward the mirror. "Give me a sword!"

A decorative blade appeared at her side. She drew it and held it aloft as her cape billowed.

"Now it’s perfect!"

She tried another pose, then another.

"Lily, the Unstoppable! Slayer of Monsters! Conqueror of—"

"Puddles?" Reinhard suggested.

"I’m going to conquer your wallet."

"An ambitious quest. Unfortunately, the final boss has excellent financial discipline."

The owner explained that the mirror had combined clothing Lily admired with the heroic figures she associated with adventure.

Maki examined the outfit. "It seems to prioritize an idealized image rather than practical experience."

"Exactly!" Lily declared. "If I wanted to look practical, I’d ask you to dress me."

Maki considered that. "I could make you something with better weight distribution."

"Please don’t ruin my legend."

Lily returned to admiring herself.

For her, the outfit didn’t need to be practical. It needed to make her feel like the heroine of an adventure, and the mirror had delivered.

...

Maki approached with considerably less excitement.

A fitted travel coat appeared, dark and understated, with reinforced seams, comfortable movement, and several concealed pockets.

She immediately tested them. Her notebook fit into the first. A compact Mana reader fit into the second. A small glass instrument slipped neatly into a compartment near the waist.

Her expression brightened slightly. "This is actually well designed."

Reinhard nodded solemnly. "The highest compliment she can give."

Maki ignored him, examining the coat’s lining. "It’s reconstructing a pattern rather than copying a specific garment. But if someone’s preferences change, the result could become unsuitable."

The owner’s smile faltered briefly. "That’s one of the mirror’s limitations. It recognizes repeated preferences, but it cannot determine whether someone still wants them."

Maki gave the coat one final glance before stepping away.

The design was excellent. Whether it still represented its wearer was another question.

...

Reinhard stepped onto the platform with complete confidence. "Let’s see what a truly discerning man looks like."

The mirror glowed.

A dark tailored suit appeared, followed by a luxurious waistcoat, polished shoes, and a long coat embroidered with subtle gold patterns. A gold pocket watch settled into his waistcoat, while a decorative ledger appeared beneath one arm.

The result was immaculate.

Unfortunately, it also made him look like a merchant who owned half the boulevard and intended to purchase the other half before dinner.

Lily slowly raised her hand. "Why does he look like the final boss of a shopping district?"

Maki examined the pocket watch. "Perhaps the mirror identified his most consistent behavioral pattern."

Emily folded her arms. "You look exactly like someone who would interrogate a shopkeeper over a five-percent discount."

Reinhard adjusted his cuffs. "That’s a terrible accusation."

"You counted the minutes you spent bargaining yesterday."

"I was verifying the accuracy of the negotiation."

"You asked whether the discount would increase if you bought three more."

"That was a reasonable question."

Yuna covered her mouth, hiding a smile.

The owner stepped forward. "The mirror appears to have drawn from your preference for fine materials, carefully selected accessories, and formal clothing associated with business."

Reinhard studied his reflection. "The mirror has excellent taste."

"Of course you’d say that," Emily replied.

"Look at the tailoring. The fabric. The attention to detail. It has captured the image of a man who understands quality."

"And money," Yuna added.

Reinhard pointed at her. "Money is one of the foundations of quality."

"That’s not what I meant."

Lily burst out laughing.

Reinhard ignored them and examined his sleeve. "Can this outfit be purchased?"

"The projection itself is temporary," the owner explained. "However, we can commission a physical version."

"Excellent. How much?"

The owner quoted a price.

Reinhard’s expression remained unchanged. "Does that include the enchantment?"

"The standard enchantment package."

"And maintenance?"

"Charged separately."

"Replacement components?"

"Also separate."

Reinhard looked at Emily. "Beautiful design. Questionable business model."

She took his arm. "Come on, Merchant King."

"I haven’t even asked about bulk discounts."

"That’s why we’re leaving."

He allowed himself to be led away, though he continued admiring the coat’s reflection over his shoulder.

...

Yuna was the last to approach the mirror.

She stepped onto the platform and waited.

The mirror brightened.

A practical combat uniform appeared first, fitted for movement and protection. The second was a restrained travel ensemble with reinforced seams and hidden storage. The third was a formal outfit suitable for accompanying important people to official events.

Every outfit was attractive.

Every outfit was also familiar.

They reflected someone who prepared for emergencies, noticed what everyone else needed, and made sure the group could keep moving. Even the formal ensemble seemed designed to help her fulfill a responsibility.

Yuna examined them politely. "They’re all nice."

Reinhard noticed that she hadn’t selected any. "Then what’s the problem?"

"Nothing. They’re just..."

She trailed off.

Emily watched her through the adjacent mirror. "Just what?"

Yuna glanced at the outfits again. "They’re all things I’d wear because they make sense."

Nobody answered immediately.

The owner offered to generate another set, but Yuna shook her head. "Can I choose something without giving it a reason?"

"Of course," the owner replied. "The mirror doesn’t require justification."

Yuna looked toward the storefront.

She remembered clothes she’d admired in shop windows but passed over because they weren’t practical. Colors she liked but rarely wore. Little things she’d noticed while shopping with her family, then dismissed because someone else needed her attention.

She had always been good at deciding what would work, what would help, and what would make things easier for everyone else.

But liking something had never seemed like a particularly good reason to choose it.

Yuna stepped back onto the platform.

This time, she didn’t ask the mirror for something useful.

She chose a style she liked.

Silver light flowed across its surface. A graceful vacation outfit appeared: a flowing pale-blue top, a light skirt, delicate silver accents, and comfortable shoes. The colors resembled the sea at Solmara in the late afternoon. It was elegant without being formal, beautiful without looking like a uniform.

A small silver detail rested at the waist, shaped like a curling wave.

Yuna stared at her reflection, then turned slightly, watching the fabric move.

"I like this one."

Reinhard didn’t immediately praise it or offer to buy it. He simply asked, "Then that’s the one?"

Yuna nodded. "That’s the one."

Emily smiled. "That color suits you."

Yuna’s smile grew a little. "Thanks."

Lily looked between the outfits. "So the mirror can make someone look like a legendary heroine, a researcher, a wealthy merchant, and a beautiful vacation model?"

"Those aren’t its official categories," Maki said.

"They should be."

Reinhard studied Yuna’s chosen outfit. "For once, I agree with Lily."

Yuna gave him a look. "Don’t ruin it."

"I wouldn’t dare."

She turned toward the mirror again.

For once, she wasn’t evaluating whether an outfit was useful, appropriate, or convenient.

She simply liked what she saw.

And she had chosen it for herself.

...

Once everyone had finished, the owner gathered them near the mirror.

"The attraction is popular because people discover preferences they didn’t realize they had. The mirror combines details from several memories into an outfit they may never have seen before."

Maki glanced at the mirror. "Can it tell when someone’s tastes have changed?"

"No," the owner admitted. "It recognizes what you’ve admired repeatedly and the styles you return to. But it cannot know whether you still want those things."

Reinhard looked at his merchant-like reflection. "So it has excellent taste but questionable judgment."

Emily smiled. "It’s learning from you."

"Then its judgment is flawless."

The family laughed.

Yet Yuna glanced at her reflection once more. The earlier outfits remained faintly visible on the mirror’s surface, like possibilities that hadn’t entirely disappeared.

Then she looked at the outfit she had chosen.

For a moment, the mirror seemed to hesitate.

The silver wave at her waist caught its light.

Beneath her reflection, another image flickered into view.

A quiet garden beneath unfamiliar trees. A narrow stone path. A wooden bench. A small white bird.

And resting on the bench, the silver ornament shaped like a curling wave.

Yuna froze.

The image vanished, leaving only their ordinary reflections.

Reinhard had seen it, too.

Neither spoke at first.

The boutique owner’s pleasant expression sharpened with curiosity. "That is the second time."

Reinhard turned toward him. "Second time?"

The owner paused, apparently realizing he had said more than intended.

Then he smiled again, though his attention remained on the mirror. "An unusual result. Nothing to worry about."

Reinhard wasn’t convinced.

Neither was Yuna.

The mirror was supposed to reconstruct preferences from memories. It could combine different outfits, recognize repeated choices, and produce something new from what it had observed.

But that garden wasn’t an outfit.

And the ornament resting on its bench was far too familiar.

...

The owner eventually guided them toward the boutique’s exit.

Beyond the glass doors, the Gilded Mile stretched beneath the afternoon sun. Luxury storefronts shimmered with enchanted displays, and floating advertisements announced experiences available to Silver Explorers and above.

"There is another attraction I believe your family would enjoy," the owner said. "The Gallery of Living Portraits."

Lily immediately perked up. "Living portraits? Do they move?"

"They do considerably more than move," the owner replied. "The Gallery reconstructs moments from recorded memories and presents them as living scenes. Visitors can walk among them and observe details that might otherwise be forgotten."

Maki looked interested. "Does it reconstruct a memory exactly as it occurred?"

"Not always. Some memories are incomplete, and some details must be interpreted rather than reproduced."

Reinhard remembered the garden. "And what happens when it displays something that shouldn’t be there?"

The owner studied him for a moment. "Then I would advise you to pay close attention."

Emily slipped her hand into Reinhard’s. Yuna glanced at the wave ornament in her bag, then back at the boutique.

She wasn’t frightened, but she was thinking.

Lily, meanwhile, had already decided what she wanted to see. "If there’s a portrait of a legendary hero, I’m challenging it."

"You cannot challenge a painting," Maki said.

"Not with that attitude."

The owner laughed and handed them an invitation bearing the Gallery’s silver insignia. "Most visitors come to see their favorite memories brought to life." His gaze briefly returned to the Memory Mirror. "Some discover that their memories have a few surprises left."

The family set off toward the Gallery.