"A-Tsu? I understand."
Samael smiled faintly, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes.
He had not expected the owner of this clothing store to be her—Miss Crane.
Or rather, the crane he had casually saved last night.
In Japan, there was a widely circulated type of folktale called Animal Gratitude Tales.
These stories generally told of birds and beasts rescued by humans who brought them corresponding happiness in return for that kindness. In Japan, Crane Repaying Kindness was especially famous.
The girl before him was a Heroic Spirit formed around the core image of the crane from the tale Crane Repaying Kindness.
The story told of an injured crane taken in by an elderly couple. At night, she wove cloth to repay them, and the cloth she wove could be sold for a good price. But she made them promise not to peek while she was weaving. In the end, the old couple broke their promise, and the crane flew away.
The name she had assumed at the time was A-Tsu.
"Um... ahem, please rest in the tea room for a moment."
Completely unaware that she had already been exposed, Miss Crane cleared her throat, invited Samael to sit down, served him tea and pastries, brought over a picture book, spread it open before this distinguished guest, then took out a small notebook and ballpoint pen to ask him.
"Do you have any specific preferences regarding clothing styles? There are some popular color schemes and designs here. If you have no ideas, you can select elements you like, and I can create a custom design for you."
Seeing Miss Crane acting so solemnly before him, Samael could neither laugh nor cry as he reminded her.
"I only came to collect my work uniform. The measurements and basic requirements should