Her breathing was ragged as she steadied herself, her eyes wide. "Why would a girl your age even know how to torture people like that? And in the most gruesome ways possible."
"Haha." I leaned back, resting my elbows on the chair's arms. "You don't need to know why. But it was a wonderful stress reliever."
The smile crept onto my lips before I realized it, sharp and dark as I recalled those times. The thought of when Mom might finally allow me to deal with traitors sent a thrill through me.
Apparently my expression betrayed me, because Luna swatted me on the head with the flat of her palm.
"Stop that. I won't be able to concentrate with that kind of smile," she said, glaring.
"Hehe, sorry." I raised my hands in surrender. "I have a question."
"Ask away," she said, reaching for scissors and combs, starting to trim the ends of my hair.
"Why didn't you react to my eyes?" I asked, watching her in the mirror.
"Your eyes?" She tilted her head.
"Yeah. They're... different. But when our eyes met, you didn't flinch at all."
"Oooh, that." She hummed thoughtfully. "They might look scary, sure, but I've seen worse. And if I'm right about what you mean by 'special,' they probably only work on people who are trained or who have bad intentions toward you. I've heard of eyes like that before. The best way to resist them is either to have real strength or unshakable pride in something."
I blinked, surprised by how calmly she explained it. "Is that so... thank you."
While she cut, my mind wandered to the problem of my fox form. Changing always meant tearing clothes or awkwardly slipping out. "Is there a way to get clothes that can change shape with the body?" I asked.
"There is, but it's expensive." She arched a brow. "Why? Do you need it?"
"Yes. Money isn't a problem. Can you make all my clothes like that?"
Her scissors paused. "All of them? How many sets are we talking?"
"Thirty every day. Fifty for training. And... five formal sets." I didn't hesitate.
Her jaw dropped. "Pfff-why so many?"
"Reasons." I met her stare without blinking. "Can you do it?"
"I can," she admitted reluctantly, "but not today. I'll give you a few sets I already have in your size and deliver the rest later." She leaned back, brushing loose strands from my shoulders. "All done. How do you like it?"
I reached up, fingers brushing the lighter locks. My hair still fell below my shoulders, but it was thinned, the weight gone. The bangs framed my face better. "Thank you. But... why is there more white now?"
"No matter what I did, every time I cut, the ends turned white." She shrugged helplessly.
"I see." I stood, stretching.
"I'll fetch the clothes. Go to the changing room-I'll bring them to you," she said, pointing at a door near the side.
"Can you make sure they're baggy? I prefer that style."
She smirked. "I was already going to bring you men's clothes. Don't worry-they'll be baggy enough."
Shrugging, I walked to the changing room.
—
Twenty minutes later, I stepped out. Amari and Rachel were waiting on a small bench, chatting quietly. Both looked up when I emerged.
"Yo. Have you been waiting long?" I asked, walking toward them.
"Luna did an impressive job. You look so manly." Amari grinned, teasing.
Rachel's expression flickered between joy and disappointment, her cheeks flushed.
"Why do you look disappointed?" I asked, arching a brow. "Don't I look good?"
"You do," she admitted, fidgeting, "but..." The words trailed off into embarrassed silence.
Internally, I smirked. She's probably disappointed she can't ogle my body anymore. But glad no one else can either.
Turning to the mirror by the counter, I examined myself. A hoodie with the sleeves down and a tank top underneath. Black cargo pants tucked into ankle boots. A sports bra instead of the usual kind. My breasts weren't huge-barely a B-cup-but still bigger than Mom's, so I didn't care. My hair was tied back into a neat ponytail, my scarf wrapped securely around my neck.
I hadn't rolled up my sleeves. Not here, not in public with Amari. No need to start stupid rumors about her before introductions were handled properly.
"Aah, finally you're done," Zagan shouted from across the shop.
"Yeah, I just need to pay and finish my order," I said, walking toward the counter.
"Cool."
At the desk, Luna handed me a slip of parchment with the cost. My eyes nearly popped.
"How much did you say?" I asked, incredulous.
"That'll be fifty platinum coins," she said sweetly.
My lips twitched. One platinum was worth a hundred gold. One gold was a hundred silver. One silver was a hundred copper. This meant that my order totaled five thousand gold coins. I had saved for two years, and now that money was gone in a single purchase. With a long, suffering sigh, I pulled out the coins from storage and dropped them on the counter.
"Ugh, I'm so poor now," I groaned, slumping.
"To think you had fifty platinum on you," Zagan muttered, stunned.
"Where'd you get that money?" Amari asked, still staring.
"The person who wants me to fight for the kingdom," I replied flatly, eyes still on the counter.
"Huh? It can't be Mom or the Black Ops," Amari muttered under her breath.
"If it isn't one of those, then it must be the King," Zagan said. His expression darkened. "Is he... buying you, like a mercenary?"
"Hmpf. Don't worry about that. It has nothing to do with you." I shrugged, brushing him off.
"But-" Amari started, but she met my eyes and fell silent.
I don't care who they think it is. Some things are meant to be known only by our house, and no one else. I packed away the items, shoulders heavy.
All I received was a grunt.
Yo
We made 1000 collections and over 227,000 views. Haha, 2 months and 9 days, and we stand at that.
Thank You for liking my half bake of a novel. Again never thought I would be good at this. But hey looks like I am not as bad as I thought. Excluding grammar. We just don't talk about that.
I will be doing some reworking this week on my novel. I have extra time, so that will happen this week and maybe next week as well. I don't know yet. I will still be uploading chapters, so don't worry.
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Chapter 41: I'm lost
"Are you guys ready to go?" I asked, tilting my head slightly as I looked at Rachel first. She was standing there in the shop, still half in a daze, like her mind was somewhere else entirely. Her eyes were a little unfocused, lips parted as if she wanted to say something but forgot halfway through. When she didn't respond, I shifted my gaze away before the silence grew awkward and looked toward the others.
Amari gave me a bright nod, her ponytail bouncing as she did so, and Zagan pumped his fist in the air like he had just been waiting for the chance. That was enough to answer. With the group ready, we headed toward the door.
"Thanks for your patronage!?" Luna's cheerful voice carried after us from behind the counter. She waved with both hands so hard I thought she might topple over.
I raised my hand and waved back, a little stiffly, before we stepped out of the shop and into the bustle of the street.
The sun had climbed higher by now, warmth seeping into the stones underfoot. The faint smell of polish and perfume from Luna's store still clung to my scarf, which irritated me for some reason. Standing outside, I opened my mouth to ask what we were doing next, but Zagan beat me to it.
"To the adventurers' guild!" he declared, pumping his fist again like we were marching off to war.
"Okay, lead the way," I said, falling into step behind everyone.
We hadn't even made it a block when Amari suddenly leaned closer to me, her eyes narrowing in that mischievous way she had when she was about to ask something that would get under my skin.
"Sis, are you wearing a bra now?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity and just enough innocence to make it dangerous.
I blinked, caught off guard. "Yes," I admitted slowly, glancing down at myself, "it's the first time I actually need to wear one. Why?" My brows pulled together as I tried to figure out why the issue was such an urgent topic.
"Really? How does it feel?" Amari pressed, tilting her head like she was trying to read my expression more than hear my words.
"Comfy," I muttered, trying to sound casual while my cheeks warmed. I shifted uncomfortably and adjusted the hem of my oversized hoodie, wishing she'd drop it. My eyes flicked toward her chest for just a second. She was about the same size as Mom-small. Smiling faintly to cover my embarrassment, I made an exaggerated show of adjusting my chest, pressing my arms together.
"Hey, don't show off!" Amari cried, her cheeks puffing out as she turned away, pouting.
Before I could answer, Rachel spoke up, her voice carrying a gloomy weight. "Wait, this is your first time wearing one?" "I have been wearing one since I was ten years old." She looked down at her chest with a sigh, her shoulders slumping.
'Wait, how did I not notice those!?' I couldn't believe my eyes as I focused on Rachel's chest. D-cups. How had I been so blind? The longer I stared, the more depressed I became.
"You fiend," I said flatly, my tone completely deadpan. Amari, without missing a beat, said the exact same words at the same time. Rachel blinked at us, startled, while Amari and I slowly turned to look at each other. Our eyes met, and in that unspoken moment, we shared a mutual understanding.
A grin spread across my lips. Amari did the same. Without needing words, we had formed a pact.
(5 minutes later)
"Haha, all done," I said triumphantly, brushing my hands together as if I'd just finished a masterpiece.
"We did an impressive job," Amari agreed, and we slapped our palms together in a crisp high-five.
Rachel... was no longer Rachel. She was a walking cocoon. We had layered her in so many of my old clothes that she was basically a human burrito now. We layered her with ten layers of hoodies, jackets, shirts-anything we could get our hands on. The only thing poking out was her head, her wings awkwardly jutting through holes we had to cut in the fabric.
"To think my old clothes would still be useful," I laughed, doubling over as I looked at her blushing, mortified face.
"Poor Rachel," Zagan said with an exaggerated sigh, but the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth betrayed him. He was enjoying this as much as we were.
Rachel shuffled toward us in tiny steps, her arms trapped in a stiff T-pose. "Can you guys take them off, please? "It's getting hot in here," she begged, her voice muffled by layers of fabric. She waddled closer like a penguin, her steps short and clumsy.
I had to bite my lip hard to stop the laugh bubbling up. My shoulders shook, and tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Amari snorted beside me, covering her mouth, and even Zagan had to turn his head to cough into his fist.
After a few moments of torment, we took pity on her. With a simple gesture, I stored all the extra clothes in my space, finally freeing her. Her hair was a complete mess, sticking out at odd angles from static, and her cheeks were flushed bright red.
She did ask to keep one of the hoodies, tugging on the sleeve of her favorite, but I shook my head firmly. No way.
"Now that that's over with, can we move to our destination?" Zagan said, trying to sound like the responsible one.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's finish this and get some food," I muttered, shoving my hands deep into my cargo pants pockets.
"Didn't you eat anything this morning?" Zagan asked, giving me a puzzled look.
"Hello? You woke me up," I said, narrowing my eyes at him like he was the idiot here.
"O-oh, right... Yeah, we did that," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
"Whatever. The faster we do this, the better," I grumbled, gesturing for him to get moving.
We had barely gotten halfway down the street when a delicious aroma hit my nose.
"Sniff, sniff. Ooh, that smells good," I murmured, my steps slowing as I lifted my head, sniffing the air like a hound on a trail. A heavy, meaty scent curled through the air, rich and smoky. My stomach tightened in response. Ignoring whatever conversation the others were having, I followed the scent without thinking, my feet carrying me forward.
Then-bam.
I collided into someone, the impact knocking them backward to the ground.
"O-oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there," I said quickly, looking down at the person I'd just bowled over. I bent slightly, hand half-extended to help her up, when my heart froze.
Her glare was all too familiar. And in her hand-raised high-was a folding fan I knew far too well.
It was the granny from this morning. It was the same granny who had smashed her fan over my head as if it were nothing.
Panic flared in my chest. Before she could bring that fan down, I bolted.
Using Flash Step, I vanished from her sight and reappeared on the nearest rooftop in a burst of speed. My scarf whipped around me as I landed, crouched low, and looked back. The granny was still staring up at me, her expression a mix of surprise and fury.
I didn't wait to see what she'd do next. I dashed away across the rooftops, moving at full speed until the market square was far behind me.
Eventually, I stopped above a narrow alley, my chest rising and falling with steady breaths. Looking back, I didn't see anyone following me. Relief washed through me, and I let out a long sigh.
Dropping down into the alley, I brushed off my hoodie and started walking out toward the main street. "Haah, hopefully she won't find me here. I really don't want to buy her another fan," I muttered, dragging a hand down my face.
But as I looked around, recognition failed to spark. None of the buildings looked familiar. My stomach sank.
Face-palming, I groaned. "I'm an idiot."
Spinning in place, I searched for anything-anything-that looked recognizable. Nothing. Just endless stone buildings and bustling streets full of strangers.
"Nope. I have no idea where I am," I admitted aloud, shoulders slumping. "Hah... I'm lost."
Sighing in defeat, I picked a direction-south, hopefully toward the city center-and started walking.
After a few minutes, a wave of shouting caught my attention. I perked up, ears twitching under my hood, and followed the noise until I came to a stop in front of a wide, two-story building. A sign swung above the door in bold letters: Jimmy's Barbecue.
