"This is the best clothing store in all of Leionholm! I have bought clothes here in the past and I have seen the female section many times. It's awesome, I'm sure you will love it." Fallace said to Soshi while they were walking to the female section.

  

  Soshi pondered if Fallace was telling the truth because everything was vastly larger than his size. But then she saw the children's section and she smiled.

  

"Fallace, thank you for showing me. I guess I'll choose these athletic pants and a shirt." Soshi said calmly.

  

  

"Are you sure? Maybe you want something more feminine? Something that brings out your beauty!" Fallace said confidently, striking Soshi's heart.

  

  

"Uhm... Ah, I... shouldn't. My heart won't rest, and I need clothes that will help in my fight." Soshi muttered as her cheeks turned a little rosy, but then the sadness took over.

  

  

"I understand, Soshi. Oh, look over there, I think those would look great on you!" Fallace said.

  

  Soshi tried them out, and then Fallace recommended something else, and they did that for a couple of hours. Soshi was exhausted, and Fallace was talking with her about how she looked great in everything.

  

"Huff... puff... Fallace, I am at my limit here. What do you think about this?" Soshi told Fallace in the changing room in a tired yet entertained voice.

  

  

"I think we just went full circle and came back to where we started. This is the exact same, but for some reason, it looks better on you. Hmm, and I don't know why?"

  

  

"Ah! You dummy, did we waste all this time for you to just say what I originally chose was better!"

  

  

"Now I get it!"

  

  

"What did you get!"

  

  

"It is your smile, Soshi. Through our little fashion performance, your mood improved so much! That makes you look even better with the same outfit."

  

  

"Eh! I..." Soshi stepped back, embarrassed.

  

  

"It's okay, Soshi. I know there is something more important weighing on your heart right now. Let's get you home."

  

  

"T... thanks..." Soshi muttered as she followed Fallace to the check out in the store.

  

  She didn't even change out of them. Soshi was very impressed with Fallace. She had never had an especially high opinion of Chiflings due to their societal inferiority. He was making her have fun, and she appreciated that.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  By the time they were done in the clothes store, the sun had set, and they still had some way to go until they reached the north. Fallace, in the meantime, asked Soshi where she lived. She resided in the far north of Leionholm near the northern gate.

  Fallace was less familiar with that part of the city because he lived in the middle where the two halfs converged. There, he worked as an entertainer, mostly in the south of the center where the money was.

  Fallace had planned to show her something surprising that would make their long way across the city more fun.

  

"Soshi, look here, encantation Glow glow fairies!" Fallace exclaimed as three light sources taking the shape of small fairies took form in the palm of his right hand.

  

  They flew like they were dancing on a rising stage and made the signs easier to see by enlightening them. Soshi was surprised that Fallace knew magic.

  He tried to remain composed by telling her he learned it by studying the magic tricks his competitors used. Consequently, he only knew magic that had entertainment potential.

  Soshi's surprised look slowly turned sadder and sadder. She didn't want to bother Fallace as he was doing his best to support her mood even though she constantly brought it down. But her friends... they spent their whole lives learning magic, and it was meaningless. It didn't save them, and seeing magic reminded her of that.

  Fallace was able to put 2 and 2 together and realized that Soshi's mood change was due to his spell. That made him feel bad, and he quickly remembered a trick he often used to brighten up the small crowds watching him. A surprisingly athletic 1 armed old man showed him hidden alleyways in the city where he could set up tents. He also taught Fallace basic manners, how to access magic and this very spell.

  Fallace acted without a second thought and charged his magic aura to cast a silent encantation. He read Soshi's facial expression, which remained unchanged and casted the low level charm Joyous present.

  Soshi's state of mind was slightly altered as magic instantly entered her brain and lingered in it. As Soshi had a weak state of mind and couldn't anticipate the charm, she wasn't even able to have a chance to resist the spell. With its ability to magically slowly change the chemical level of joy inducing hormones.

  Soshi had a real mood swing as Fallace used more magic energy than usual into the spell. Usually, he uses it on crowds, and the magic disperses, lowering the concentration of magic energy and its potency. She was jolly, and her facial expression changed completely. Even starting to talk about places she visited in the past and which restaurants were the best.

  After some time, they had reached the north, and Soshi was telling Fallace the directions home. It was late, and they saw men lighting the worn down lanterns and the plentiful streets filled with people lessened. Soon, only a couple of people per street remained. Soshi said that they were still around an hour away. As she was familiar with these streets because of her friends that lived here.

  The weight of telling their families of what became of them was something Soshi wanted to ignore. At least for now, as her brain was unconsciously blocking the bad thoughts out.

  Two men in suits quickly approached Soshi and Fallace. Both of them recognized the emblem of a golden "J" that was on a red heart on their ties. One was tall and bald smoking a cigar. The other one was a bearded man with fine blonde combed hair parted in the middle, a head shorter than the bald man.

  It was the criminal organization that everyone in Leionholm knew of, Justizia. Fallace had a terrible relationship with the mafia as they many times mistook him for a runaway slave.

  

"Hey sweetie, you shouldn't walk around with your servant this late! There's a foul malefactor running around town kidnapping young girls! I should know since my own little sister has disappeared without a trace. Aw, my sweet, adorable Carla!" The bald man exclaimed, waving his hands around for emphasis and fixing his cigar.

  

  

"I... am actually heading home, mister, and Fallace is not my servant! He's my... my... friend." Soshi said, trying to stand back against the intimidating nature of the gangsters and grabbing Fallace's hand.

  

  

"Thanks, Soshi! I have personally beaten fools like you that talk down on me many times! So you can go and scram!" Fallace exclaimed, directing his attention to the men.

  

  The shorter gangster looked down on Fallace and started laughing. The other man pulled out his cigar and started laughing, too.

  

"Talking down is an absolute with midgets like you, hahaha! I'll let that jab slide since you're accompanying such a cute young lady." The bearded gangster exclaimed.

  

  

"Let's go, Delues! We still have to continue the patrol. Let these youngsters go free from your speeches. Be safe, alright." The bald gangster said, putting his arms on Soshi's shoulder much to Fallace's dismay.

  

  The Gangsters walked past the pair, and they continued their walk to Soshi's home. Fallace's pulse was heightened as he confronted those men but had finally calmed down a short time after. He was sure he could defeat them, but they sure were intimidating.

  Just when Fallace was about to turn around and talk to Soshi about the incident, he saw a shadow quickly approaching from behind. In a split second, Fallace turned around, and the bearded man Delues had caught Soshi in a double underhook hold.

  

"Ey! Roberto, this girl is a tough cookie! Are you sure I shouldn't try to break the charm?! Delues shouted to his bald companion while Soshi was resisting his hold with the strength of a ferocious hound.

  

  Roberto swung his knife at Fallace with intense strength mirroring Konstantin ferocious swings before replying.

  

"Delues, I told you that we can't hurt the innocent! I will just beat the kidnapper into submission until he releases the spell!" Roberto yelled after Fallace barely dodged his assault.

  

  

"Hey, what's the big idea!? Soshi isn't charmed, and I am no kidnapper!" Fallace said while drawing his saber.

  

  

"Hah! I thought it was weird that a free chifling was walking around with a young girl, but my suspicions were confirmed when I touched her. I felt it. A magic charm lingering in her mind that influences her subconscious." Roberto told Fallace as he lit another cigar.

  

  Fallace was in horror when he realized that the bald man mistook Joyous present for a malicious charm.

  Soshi cried out, screaming that Fallace was innocent and that it was a misunderstanding. However, who would believe a girl influenced by magic.