Yes, Lady Funina!

After all, it would be unpleasant for anyone to have their peaceful time together suddenly interrupted, or even both times, by someone else.

Linette had made thorough preparations for this date at Chiori-ya. She had even made a special appointment with Chiori-ya's owner, the famous fashion designer from Fontaine.

This Ms. Chiori is truly remarkable. Her unique and aesthetically pleasing clothing designs, once unveiled, resounded like a thunderclap throughout the Fontainebleau fashion world. As a result, this foreign fashion designer has a rather resounding and cool name in the Fontainebleau fashion scene—"Chiori the Thunder-Cutter."

Due to her physical condition (cat tail, cat ears), Lynette has to consider whether clothes fit her when buying them. In the past, when she didn't have much money, Lynette would usually buy common clothes from the market and alter them herself.

Now that I have money, I can skip this step and go to a professional fashion designer to customize clothes.

However, despite being a customer, Lynette was not actually good at dealing with the owner of Chiori-ya. In the past, when she went to Chiori-ya to order clothes, she would go with her brother, Linnie. She only needed to hide behind Linnie and let Linnie negotiate with Chiori.

However, for this getaway for just the two of them, Lynette didn't even let her brother Lynne go in her place. Instead, she contacted the owner of the Chiori-ya shop herself, and then Richard told her that Frynn and Claurind would also be there...

To be honest, it was fine if Funina went; Lynette didn't see Funina as a threat. After all, the process of customizing clothes was, to some extent, a process of showing off one's figure. Although Lady Funina was stunningly beautiful and rare in the world, her figure made people sigh that heaven was indeed fair.

As for Clarinde... this strongest dueling agent has a cool and aloof face, but her figure is so lewd. She has all her flesh in the right places. Her slender waist is adorned with two huge breasts, her buttocks are plump and round, and her thighs are long and straight. Her whole body is a display of feminine beauty.

Let alone other men, even Lynette herself couldn't resist wanting to touch it a couple of times to see if it was the real deal.

“Richard, you’re so perceptive sometimes, yet so slow at other times,” Lynette couldn’t help but say.

"?" Richard didn't understand why Lynette would suddenly say that.

"Never mind, with Lady Frinna and Clorind here, there's no need for you to help me with my advice. I was originally going to ask you to take a look when we were taking measurements and finalizing the pattern..."

Richard: !!!

“Wait, I think we can stagger the time. How about Saturday? Clarinde and the others go on Sunday, and we go on Saturday.” Richard tried to salvage what should have been his sight.

However, it was too late. Lynette shook her head and said, "I have to go back to Hearth House on Saturday to report to Father, and I also need to help my brother and the others prepare magic props. I don't have time."

Lynette had everything planned out, but who could have imagined Richard would pull this stunt?

It's too late to reschedule now, since the appointment has already been made. We can coordinate with the older brother, but we can't let the servant stand us up.

"Okay, alright." Richard knew that changing the time was probably not going to work when he heard Lynette say that, but it didn't matter. Even with Klorinde and Frinna there, he could still offer his advice. After all, everyone has different opinions. What if Frinna and Klorinde's suggestions weren't as suitable as his?

"Speaking of which, why did you suddenly decide to take Lady Funina and the others to the [Thousand Orchestra House]?" Lynette asked.

"That's a long story..." Richard didn't really want to tell Lynette about his oversight, because it might damage his image in Lynette's eyes.

"Is it that phonograph?" Lynette thought of the day when Clorind came to Richard's office with a phonograph to ask for authorization.

"how do you know?"

"I guessed. I noticed the phonograph was working back then. Didn't you?" Lynette looked at Richard. You were the one who said that once you saw the phonograph, you should assume it was on, regardless of whether it was actually turned on or not.

"..." Could Richard say that he noticed it at the time but didn't pay attention to it?

"So, in order to bribe Clorind, you decided to have several outfits custom-made for her... Wait, you wouldn't actually want to see them yourself, would you?" Lynette's beautiful eyes revealed a hint of suspicion.

“What do you take me for? I just noticed that Clarinde only has a few outfits all year round, and I remembered that I was going to the Senori-ya in a few days, so I just thought of this on the spur of the moment,” Richard argued.

What do you mean he wants to see? What are you saying? What kind of words are these?

"It seems so." Linette sighed. As expected, compared to Lady Frinna, Crolinder was more of a threat to her.

After all, Lady Frynn can be a brother, while Clarinde is obviously more suitable to be a wife. There's a saying in Liyue that goes, "Big butt, easy to bear children."

Clarinde's figure is incredibly attractive to men, who are visual creatures.

However, what's done is done, and Lynette can't say anything more. She can only think of a way to create an opportunity for herself and Richard to be alone together.

She didn't want to waste her precious weekend so early.

——————

On Sunday, Funina might arrive a little late because she has a trial to attend.

Therefore, Richard decided to meet with Lynette and Clarinde and then head ahead to the [Thousand Orchestra House].

After all, custom-made clothes are not like buying ready-made clothes in a store. Whether it's taking measurements, communicating with the designer, or making and trying on samples, it takes a lot of time. By the time everything is done, it will probably take almost a whole day.

"Let's make it clear beforehand that when communicating about the design, try to make your needs clear at once. If you don't know your needs, you can start thinking about them now. If you want to make changes after the final draft, although there won't be any extra charge, my mood might get very bad." Chiori, the owner of Chiori-ya, indeed gives people a sharp, arrogant and self-willed feeling, just like the rumors.

However, her work does match her temperament. After all, that's how the fashion design industry is. As long as the work is excellent, customers can generally accept the service attitude as long as it's not intentional insults.

Richard also heard that someone had a particular fondness for this kind of thing and deliberately used the guise of ordering custom-made clothes to come and invite Chiori's scolding.

It's hard to imagine the mental state of those people.

“Linette has already told me about her design requirements in advance. What about you two?” Chiori looked at Richard and Claurind.

“I trust Ms. Chiori’s design vision. Because of work, I hope this custom-made outfit will be more understated and simple,” Richard said.

"I understand." Chiori nodded. She had received many government officials like Richard before and was familiar with their preferences.

"And what about you, Miss Clorind?" Chiori looked at Clorind.

"Me? I'm fine with anything..." Clorind doesn't have many requirements when it comes to clothing. If she had to say something, she would like the buttons on her clothes to be secure.

"I would appreciate it if Miss Chiori could design several more outfits, including scenes for work, daily life, and formal occasions." The formal occasions Richard referred to were events such as banquets, various ceremonies, and diplomatic occasions.

After all, everyone dresses up for these occasions, so it would be inappropriate for Clarinde to be wearing a secretary's outfit.

Wearing ordinary evening gowns sold in the market would be beneath her dignity; after all, she is Funina's secretary and, to some extent, represents Funina's image, so naturally she has to dress better.

Chiori was puzzled when Richard suddenly spoke up. Who should she listen to?

"All the expenses this time will be charged to me."

Understood, I'll listen to Richard.

Just as Chiori was about to say something more, Richard added, "The fabric and everything else will be as you wish, Miss Chiori. Use whichever fabric you think is suitable, and don't worry about the price."

Hmm... Are civil servants really this rich these days?

Chiori knew Richard's identity as the permanent secretary-general of the city hall, but the salary of the permanent secretary-general should not be enough to support ordering so many clothes at once, right?

Chiori is very clear about the spending level of her own store. She does offer inexpensive custom orders, but Richard's attitude clearly indicates that he is going for the highest level. Such large orders are rare, with only a few orders a year.

"Are you sure?" Chiori seriously doubted that Richard was just saying this to pick up girls. She had seen this kind of person before. He had one set of words when his female companion was around, and another set of words after she left.

Chiori has never tolerated this kind of person, and always charges according to the most expensive price. It's not that she's trying to make money, but she doesn't like people who try to put on a show of wealth.

There's a saying that goes something like this: "If you're going to act cool, you have to finish the act, even if you're crying."

Richard pulled out his own checkbook, not the one Ningguang had given him, but his own checkbook from the Northern Bank.

Chiori immediately recognized that this type of checkbook, with its black background and gold trim, was typically only issued to high-level clients by the Northern Bank. To become a high-level client of the Northern Bank, one had to meet certain standards in terms of both status and deposits.

Clearly, Richard is someone who truly has the means to spend money, not the kind of person who tries to appear wealthy than he is. Although the prices at Chiori-ya are not low, for people like him, it's no different from ordinary people buying clothes in a shopping mall.

"I understand. Please have a seat in the shop first, and I'll draw a few drafts for you to see."

After determining the requirements, Chiori actually picked up her easel and sketched several different outfits right in front of Richard and the others.

Each one is both well-designed and aesthetically pleasing; even a layman can tell that the quality of these designs is absolutely top-notch.

Keep in mind that this is only a first draft. For a first draft drawn casually to be of this quality, one has to admit that it is worthy of being called 'Cut Thunder's Thousand Branches'.

Indeed, a person's reputation is well-deserved.

"These are just general styles; Mr. Richard can choose the one he likes."

"Um...shouldn't I be the one to choose?" Clarinde asked timidly, raising her hand. After all, Chiori's designs were clearly women's styles, and obviously not designed for Lynette.

“Hmm…the opinions of the parties involved are also very important.” Chiori nodded.

"Is it just that the opinion of the person who pays the money is more important..." Clorind muttered to herself.

"Both are important. Although clothes are the best window to express oneself, recognition from others is just as important, isn't it? By the way, are you two a couple?" Chiori asked.

“?” Lynette slowly typed out a question mark. Did they not consider her human?

"Sorry, I almost forgot about you, Lynette. Let me rephrase the question: are the three of you a couple?"

This feels even weirder!

"Not yet, Miss Chiori, why would you ask that?" Richard countered.

"Well, at first I received an appointment to design clothes for a couple, but it was later changed to a regular custom service. I was just curious, so I asked about it." Chiori glanced at Lynette, thinking that this was all I could do to help her.

Linette is a regular customer of Chiori's. Her brother, Linnie, always has her design his costumes for his magic shows. Faced with the girl's obvious affection, Chiori naturally helps her whenever she can.

Lynette was surprised by Chiori's sudden move. Even the usually calm and collected cat couldn't hold back, and a blush rose to her cheeks.

Even so, she did not directly refute him. Instead, she kept stirring the black tea in her hand with a spoon, glancing at Richard out of the corner of her eye. Her cat ears twitched slightly as she waited for Richard's reply.

As for Clarinde, she didn't seem surprised at all, as if she already knew that something was wrong between the two. She was also very curious about Richard's answer.

I want to see whether Richard will choose Lynette or Lady Furina.

However, Richard's answer was neither of the two mentioned above.

"In that case, Ms. Chiori's design can lean towards this direction. After all, I'm also curious about what couple outfits for three people would look like. Hmm, we can't forget about Funina either, so let's just design outfits for four people."

'This guy actually wants it all! Even me?!' Clarind was shocked.

PS1: PY's creation of "Star Trek: These Big Shots Are All Me"

PS2: Happy New Year! I might have to take a day off today to go to the dentist... o(ini)o

Volume 1: Extra Chapter Statistics & Leave Requests

As the title suggests, please tally up how many words I owe and the leave I requested at the beginning of the month.

The data before the bonus was offered was:

Monthly ticket 928

Recommendation Ticket

Reward

Blade 175

The data now is:

Monthly ticket 2636

Recommendation Ticket

Reward

Blade 1590

According to the bonus chapter rules: 100 monthly votes, 2 bonus words; 2 recommendation votes, 2 bonus words; 1 cat coins as a reward, 2 bonus words; 100 blades as a reward, 2 bonus words.

目前我所欠下的字数为：（17+5+4+14）×2000=

Last month's extra chapter was also

word.

It shouldn't be a big problem... right?

I should be able to pay it off this month with some effort. After that, I won't add parentheses at the end of chapters anymore, as it affects the reading experience. As usual, I'll do the end-of-month tally; I'll just subtract 12 from the total number of words updated in the backend to see how many extra chapters I've added. That way, it'll be easier to tally them up.

Okay, I used my leave slip for New Year's Day first. I just got back from the dentist; I had one tooth filled, and I still need root canals on two more. I need to write like crazy this month to earn back the money I spent on dental treatment. (?｀ω′?)

Dear readers, please take good care of your teeth and get them checked regularly. Squirrel has spent more money on dental care than on in-game purchases.

(；′д｀)g

That's all for now, half my face is still numb, I'm going to rest.

Volume 1: Chapter 105 Funina: You bad thing!

The entertainment industry is really something else.

Chiori looked at the man in front of her. He was clearly handsome, but the words he spoke sounded like something a human wouldn't say. She had only wanted to help Lynette out, but instead, she ended up getting herself into trouble.

Designing couple outfits for four people? I can't believe Richard even thought of that.

And... doesn't Lynette have any objections?

Chiori looked at Lynette, her eyes conveying: Is this guy you've taken a liking to really okay?

Lynette looked away.

It seems that success is still a long way off... Chiori thought.

"Fontaine law stipulates monogamy, and besides, there's no way four people can wear matching outfits," Chiori said irritably.

"You don't have to register your marriage; common-law marriages are not protected by law."

"This was premeditated, wasn't it?"