The Costume

Mikha'el twirled around, but tripped on her own feet. "Kyah!" she fell to the ground for the second time. 

"What are you doing, Mikha'el?" Damon asked, rocking his feet while looking at her performance. 

"I'm trying, but the moves you're teaching me are too different from what I'm used to," Mikha'el complained while caressing her bruised knees. 

"That's the point! People will only take interest if it's different!" Damon reasoned out and played the music again. 

Damon decided to train Mikha'el as the first member of his dream girl group. In the meantime, he planned to introduce Mikha'el as a soloist as she would become the leader in the future. 

"Why can't I just do my own dance?" Mikha'el stopped moving and crossed her arms, annoyed at the unsuccessful attempt to follow the steps. 

"Because I want you to follow mine instead," Damon smiled and gave Mikha'el a thumbs-up. "You're already doing great. Keep up the good work." 

"Ugh," Mikha'el rolled her eyes, but followed. 

As Damon continued guiding Mikha'el through the dance routine, her frustration gradually faded. Despite her initial struggles, Mikha'el's movements began syncing harmoniously with the music. 

Each step and sway became smoother, and her grace slowly emerged amidst the unconventional choreography. 

Damon watched with pride as Mikha'el persevered, her focus intensifying with each beat of the melody. 

"You're catching on quickly!" Damon encouraged, nodding approvingly as Mikha'el more fluidly executed a sequence of steps. 

The music filled the air as Damon started clapping, which matched the beat. He was enjoying the show Mikha'el provided. 

After a few seconds, Mikha'el stopped in a pose and bowed. "Phew," she muttered while wiping her sweat. 

"That was fantastic! I enjoyed it so much," Damon stated and gave Mikha'el a clap of approval. 

"Ah! What kind of music is this?" Mikha'el asked as she slumped into the ground in exhaustion. 

"Just something from where I came from," Damon replied awkwardly. He stared at his screen, which showed the dance practice of the girl group he chose to copy. 

"It's hard," Mikha'el complained, lying on the ground and drinking a lot of water to hydrate herself. 

"Well, you memorized it already. You will be fine tomorrow," Damon stated before standing up and taking out the quest paper. 

"Tomorrow!?" Mikha'el shouted in disbelief. 

"Yes, tomorrow. You will perform in the plaza again," Damon informed as he started to walk away. 

"Hey! Are you going to leave after dropping a bomb like that?" Mikha'el rushed toward Damon in a hurry. She thought he would leave her again, and her heart raced with a sudden surge of panic.

"I'm not leaving you. I'll just be out on my quest. I need to earn money to support you as well, hmm?" Damon chuckled while shaking his head. 

Mikha'el visibly relaxed at Damon's words, a sense of relief washing over her. His reassurance was like a balm to her worries.

Damon resumed his stride, scanning the surroundings in search of the Scarlet Whisperpetal. The paper with the crude drawing served as his guide, depicting its unique features. 

"Quest?" Mikha'el asked after matching Damon's pace. 

"Ah, I joined the Adventurer's Guild. We can use this to easily access the other Nations to search for your kind," Damon stated. He had thought about it earlier and the benefits he could get from being a member. 

"That's great. Sometimes, you actually make sense," Mikha'el nodded in satisfaction. 

"I always know what I'm doing," Damon replied with a frown. "But first, we need to find the Scarlet Whisperpetal," he stated, showing Mikha'el the drawing. 

"Ah, that one. It's been growing around here," Mikha'el replied, pointing in a specific direction. 

"You're a big help," Damon grinned before running to the site and saw a bunch growing around. His eyes twinkled, and he hurriedly picked them up, storing them all in his inventory. 

After an hour, they were done. 

"We got twenty Scarlet Whisperpetals. This is enough," Damon stated in delight. His job became easier because of the help Mikha'el gave. 

"Are you going back to the city?" Mikha'el asked while plucking grass to pass the time. 

"Yes," Damon replied and sat beside Mikha'el. "Let's take a rest for now. We have a big day tomorrow." 

Mikha'el flinched, and goosebumps appeared on her skin. She gulped her nervousness, thinking she might tripped on her feet for tomorrow's performance. 

"I-I should practice," Mikha'el stood up hastily and ran back to their camp to memorize the steps again without waiting for Damon to reply. 

Damon watched with amusement as he smiled genuinely. "I guess it will work out fine," he muttered, staring at the sky. 

The following day, Mikha'el stared at Damon in horror. She had just woken up, and he greeted her in distaste. 

"What is that?" Mikha'el asked while hesitatingly pointing at the thing Damon was showing her. 

"This will be your costume. I don't want you to wear those… clothes while performing," Damon grinned and handed Mikha'el the dress he bought cheaply in the Otherworldly Shop. It wasn't that fancy since it was in low price, but it was better than ordinary. 

"How can I wear something like that?" Mikha'el gasped while shaking her head in disapproval. 

The dress was teal, perfectly fitting Mikha'el's hair, and a mix of black. The outfit consisted of a sleeveless top resembling a corset and a short, frilly skirt in a matching color scheme. 

Damon also gave her a new pair of cheap black boots to match. 

"You will look amazing in that dress. You can change now and I will fix your hair," Damon pushed Mikha'el behind the wall and waited for her to finish. 

After a while, Mikha'el came out with a deep, red blush on her cheeks while pulling down the skirt for more leg coverage. 

"Woah," Damon's eyes widened upon seeing Mikha'el. Her appearance drastically changed after wearing a lovely dress. 

"I-Is it alright?" Mikha'el asked shyly, afraid she would look funny instead. 

"Of course! Your beauty if out of this world," Damon complimented, only to receive a smack on the head.