Chapter 68: New Fashion

The three exchanged subtle glances.

She had obviously lost weight recently. Although she was still slightly plump, her curves were now balanced and soft instead of bulky. Combined with her increasingly fair skin, she looked far more attractive than before.

Unfortunately, Sora was completely unaware of the silent admiration around her.

If she had known, she probably would have been secretly celebrating.

Instead...

She was busy plotting how to bury one black bear alive.

Because her luxurious bath had been interrupted so spectacularly, Sora had absolutely no enthusiasm for preparing dinner.

That evening’s meal became the simplest dinner since everyone had started eating together.

A steaming clay pot of clear vegetable broth.

Fresh mushrooms.

Wild greens.

Some edible roots.

That was it.

Not a single piece of meat.

The soup actually tasted refreshing, but to several carnivorous beastmen...

It felt like punishment.

Lucas stared at the vegetables floating inside the pot.

"..."

Xavier poked a mushroom with his chopsticks.

"..."

Ace silently swallowed another mouthful of soup.

"..."

Even Damien looked slightly confused.

"Weren’t we supposed to have dinner?"

"We are eating dinner," Sora answered sweetly.

Damien blinked.

"But...where’s the meat?"

Sora smiled even more sweetly.

"The meat offended me."

Everyone froze.

Nobody dared ask another question.

Lucas quietly lowered his head and obediently drank his soup.

Xavier suddenly discovered that vegetables were actually quite delicious.

Ace decided mushrooms had never tasted so flavorful before.

As for Damien...

He happily finished three bowls.

"This soup is great!"

Sora nearly laughed from anger.

You are the reason we’re eating grass tonight!

That night, although the bath had ended in complete disaster, Sora still managed to boil another pot of hot water and rinse herself properly before sleeping.

The warm shower eased her frustration considerably.

She slept surprisingly well.

...

Early the next morning, Sora completed her usual morning jog before returning to the tribe.

From a distance, she noticed an unusual crowd gathered outside her wooden house.

Most of them were females.

Sora immediately became suspicious.

"What’s going on now?"

Her first thought was that Serena had probably started another round of drama.

As she walked closer, snippets of conversation reached her ears.

"That’s a lot..."

"He actually brought that many?"

"I’ve never seen someone carry so many hides before."

Sora frowned.

What were they talking about?

She squeezed through the crowd.

The moment she saw what lay outside her house, her expression froze.

Five enormous black animal hides were piled neatly in front of her doorway.

Standing proudly beside them...

...was Damien.

He smiled so brightly that it almost blinded everyone nearby.

"Kaelira!"

Sora pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What exactly are you doing?"

Damien pointed proudly at the mountain of hides.

"Didn’t you say you wanted a shower curtain?"

"..."

"So I hunted these for you!"

"..."

"They’re big enough to cover everything."

"..."

"You won’t even have to worry about anyone seeing your butt anymore."

"..."

For several long seconds...

Sora simply stood there.

Imagine it.

Several enormous black hides hanging from branches around her bathtub.

Not elegant.

Not relaxing.

Not beautiful.

It would look less like a private bathroom...

...and more like someone had built a funeral tent in the middle of the forest.

Or perhaps a mysterious ritual site.

Anyone walking by would probably assume sacrifices were taking place inside.

Of all the colors in the forest...

Brown.

White.

Golden.

Gray.

Even spotted animal hides existed.

Yet Damien had somehow chosen...

Black.

Every.

Single.

One.

Sora’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

"So..."

She forced out a smile.

"You specifically chose black?"

Damien nodded proudly.

"Of course."

"Why?"

"They’re beautiful."

Sora blinked.

"...Beautiful?"

Damien puffed out his chest.

"My fur is black."

"So naturally black is the best color."

Sora finally understood.

She had forgotten one very important detail.

This idiot...

...was a black bear.

Naturally he’d think black fur was the pinnacle of fashion.

The surrounding females couldn’t help whispering among themselves.

"Kaelira really is lucky."

"She only made new clothes yesterday."

"And today another beast husband brings her so many hides."

"I’m jealous..."

One older female even stepped forward to defend Damien.

"Kaelira, your beast husband treats you so well."

"Exactly!"

"He hunted all these just because you mentioned wanting them."

"What more could you possibly complain about?"

"Besides..."

"I think black looks quite nice."

Although she tried to sound objective, the jealousy in her voice was impossible to hide.

She hadn’t received even one animal hide this month.

Meanwhile...

Kaelira was practically swimming in them.

The crowd continued chatting until someone suddenly gasped.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned.

Only then did they truly notice Kaelira herself.

Compared to the mountain of hides, her appearance was even more eye-catching.

She wore one of the new outfits Lukan had made the previous day.

Instead of the usual leaf bra worn by females, Kaelira wore a halter-style leopard-print top that tied gracefully around her neck.

The matching short skirt hugged her waist perfectly.

Since primitive clothing had no zippers, she had cleverly designed decorative holes along one side, threading thin leather cords through them like elegant lacing.

The tied strings highlighted her waist beautifully while adding a hint of playful charm.

It was simple.

Practical.

Wild.

And unexpectedly fashionable.

The entire tribe fell silent.

Nobody had ever seen animal skins transformed into clothing like this.

Clare’s eyes lit up instantly.

"Kaelira!"

"Is this the outfit you designed yesterday?"

"It looks incredible!"

She walked around Sora twice, examining every detail.

"The stitching..."

"The neckline..."

"The side ties..."

"I’ve never seen anything this beautiful!"

Even the usually shy Zainabu couldn’t resist stepping forward.

She carefully touched the edge of the skirt before looking at Sora with admiration.

"It looks like it was made especially for you."

Sora couldn’t hide her satisfied smile.

That was exactly the effect she wanted.

She had been aiming for a wild yet stylish look.

The leopard-print halter top paired with the fitted skirt perfectly showed off her newly slimming figure.

Without modern buttons or zippers, the decorative side lacing created both function and style.

If she had boots, the outfit would have been perfect.

Sadly...

The weather was far too hot.

Still, she couldn’t complain.

Her recent workouts had finally begun paying off.

Although she still had more weight to lose, her natural hourglass figure was becoming more obvious each day.

The outfit emphasized all her strengths beautifully.

Seeing everyone’s amazed expressions...

Sora silently gave herself a mental thumbs-up.

Fashion really could conquer any era.

Clare clasped her hands excitedly.

"How did you make this?"

"I want one too!"

Sora laughed.

"I’ll draw the design for you later."

"Really?"

Clare nearly jumped with excitement.

"I’ll definitely come!"

Zainabu immediately raised her hand.

"Me too!"

"I want one as well!"

Soon several other females crowded around Sora, each eagerly asking for their own custom outfit.

Sora didn’t refuse.

She had designed several different styles anyway.

Besides...

Even if everyone copied today’s design...

She still had plenty of modern fashion ideas hidden up her sleeve.

Meanwhile...

Standing off to one side, Serena watched everything with clenched fists.

She used to be the center of attention.

Everyone admired her.

Everyone surrounded her.

Now...

That place belonged to Sora.

Her eyes reddened with jealousy.

Fine.

Just enjoy it while you can.

Soon enough...

She would make sure Sora regretted every bit of today’s glory.

Meanwhile, Damien scratched his head as he looked between the mountain of black hides and the crowd surrounding Sora.

"So..."

He raised a hand innocently.

"What about these?"

Sora finally looked back at him.

She took a deep breath.

Smiled brightly.

Then pointed toward her house.

"Bring every single one inside."

Damien grinned.

"Right away!"

He happily carried the mountain of hides after her like an oversized puppy who had finally been praised.

Watching the pair disappear into the house, the surrounding females exchanged amused smiles.

Perhaps Sora sounded fierce...

But anyone with eyes could see it.

For someone she supposedly disliked...

She certainly hadn’t chased Damien away.