Yamka lifted the lower part of her mask to reveal only her mouth, then took a long sip at the same time as the ogress, before the two struck the bottoms of their cups against the table with a loud thud that echoed through the place.

  Yamka and the ogress laughed together, enjoying each other's company, before the ogress slapped Yamka's shoulder hard, then took another sip and set her cup back on the table with a resounding smack.

  She looked at Yamika with eyes full of affection, but her expression suddenly changed when she noticed something on her face; her smile faded slightly as she asked in confusion.

  "Cousin, what's with your red skin color? I almost didn't recognize you… but your scent gave you away."

  The three froze in place. A heavy silence filled the air for a few long seconds, and Yamka's hand slowly rose toward her mask, unsure what to say.

  Finally, she muttered hesitantly, trying to weave a quick lie.

  "I… got a sunburn."

  She clasped her fingers together nervously, watching the ogress expectantly for her reaction, while the ogress stared back at her in a deafening silence until she suddenly burst out laughing, slamming her hand repeatedly on the table, then wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye as she said.

  "As silly as ever! How many times have I told you to use diluted clay on your skin during harvest?"

  Yamka's eyes almost popped out of their sockets from sheer shock, unable to believe the ogress had actually fallen for her lie.

  But she decided to play along, laughing awkwardly in return and saying.

  "You're right… I always forget!"

  At that moment, Noroi cleared his throat loudly to remind her of their mission.

  Yamka turned toward him, understood the signal, then looked back at the ogress and pointed her thumb toward Noroi and Haruki, saying with obvious stammering.

  "We… I mean… my h-husband and I want to buy a few things."

  "Of course!"

  said the ogress cheerfully, returning to her wide smile.

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  Haruki and Noroi began moving between the shelves, choosing what might suit the boy, while Yamka continued distracting the ogress with conversation, maintaining her act as the so-called "cousin."

  Noroi picked up a jacket and a pair of pants from one of the shelves, placed them on Haruki's arms, and pushed him toward the changing room ,which was nothing more than a small corner separated from the rest of the place by a tattered cloth curtain that barely covered whoever was inside.

  Noroi leaned back against the wall near the room, crossing his arms over his chest beneath his cloak, waiting for Haruki to come out of the room in his new clothes.

  Meanwhile, Yamka found a dark blue cloak hanging nearby.

  She pulled it down to feel the fabric with her fingers, admired it, then signaled to Noroi that she wanted to buy it.

  He nodded in approval of her choice.

  After a few moments of waiting, Haruki emerged wearing a medieval-style shirt made of cotton and linen, with a high collar and ties holding the sides together, coordinated with comfortable dark crimson pants, a cloak draped over his shoulders, and his mask on his face.

  Yamka let out a whistle of admiration and said.

  "Alright… I have to admit, that looks good on you!"

  Haruki's confidence rose when Yamka praised his appearance, even though he hadn't chosen those clothes.

  He shifted his gaze to Noroi, who gave him a thumbs-up gesture.

  Yamka returned to the ogress and leaned both elbows on the table, smiling beneath her mask, and asked.

  "We got pants, a shirt, and a cloak. How much will all that cost us?"

  The ogress gasped loudly; Yamka had just insulted her. She answered angrily, with a scowling expression.

  "How dare you offer money, cousin? You will not pay a single penny over my dead body!"

  Yamka's lips curved upward into a wide smile, and although the ogress couldn't see her face, Yamka genuinely admired her principles.

  With praise and sincerity in her tone, still playing the role of the so-called cousin, she said.

  "That's exactly what I'd expect from you, cousin ,generosity and hospitality."

  Yamka patted the ogress's shoulder in a gesture filled with both affection and gratitude.

  The three began to move away from the market, while the ogress stood at the doorway watching them leave, waving at them one last time.

  At that moment, an ogre wearing a dirty apron around his waist appeared, his green face scowling and his lower tusks jutting upward.

  He walked toward the ogress until he stood beside her, looking in the same direction she was gazing, but he saw nothing except the crowds of monsters shopping.

  Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he asked.

  "Who are you waving to, my wife?"

  The ogress turned to her husband, her face still adorned with a smile ,quite the opposite of the frown she usually wore ,and replied.

  "My cousin Viek came to visit us with her husband."

  The ogre tilted his head in puzzlement, his brows furrowing in bewilderment.

  "Didn't your cousin Viek and her husband die in a fire at the farm last year?"

  The ogress's smile faded away, and her gaze shifted toward the direction where the three had disappeared.

  She muttered under her breath, words only she could hear.

  "That's why her skin was red."

  She turned back to her husband, her face now expressionless.

  Laying a hand on his shoulder, she took a deep breath before speaking.

  "Pack up our things. We're leaving."