Chapter 67: Shopping Mall Spree

At noon, on the bustling commercial street near the tram station, three striking figures turned heads.

On the left, a girl with short, light chestnut hair radiated idol-like charm, her every move brimming with youthful energy.

On the right, a girl with soft bangs and black hair exuded a contrasting calm, her gentle smile evoking the warmth of a kind neighbor.

If those two drew most guys’ gazes, the petite figure in the middle was a universal heart-stealer.

Her porcelain-pale skin, wrapped in a pure white chiffon blouse, made her look like a fairy-tale character. Her delicate, lovable face was more angelic than anything.

An exaggerated description, perhaps, but most girls’ maternal instincts flared at the sight of her. Even those annoyed at their boyfriends’ sneaky glances forgot to yank their ears, captivated by the adorable loli.

“So cute~”

“The other two beauties are great, but I’m all about that middle loli.”

“I want a daughter like her.”

The subject of their chatter was, of course, me, Aunt Yuyu, and Aunt Anrou.

Initially, I just wanted to grab lunch at the nearby food court, but Aunt Yuyu’s suggestion led us to the central commercial district.

After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, Yuyu dragged me to the nearby department store to buy “proper” clothes, despite my protests that I had plenty at home.

“Look, tons of people are staring at you, Tongtong,” Yuyu whispered in my ear. “Shouldn’t you wear prettier clothes to show everyone how cute my niece is~?”

“As long as my favorite aunts know, that’s enough. Others don’t matter…” To avoid trouble, I forced out the cringeworthy words, blushing furiously.

“In that case, we need to buy more clothes! I’ll pamper—er, love you to bits~”

You definitely said “torture” just now! You did! Even swapping words, that’s still bad for kids!

Somehow, I ended up in deeper trouble.

Even pleading to Aunt Anrou got a similar response.

“I think it’s fine,” Anrou said with a smile, giving an irrefutable reason. “It’s about time you learned some girly charm, Little Tong. Plus, we can pick up some daily necessities.”

So, after splitting with Anrou to shop for essentials, Yuyu dragged me to the fifth floor’s clothing section. But shortly after stepping off the escalator, her phone rang.

“Hey, I’ll take this call. Go on in, Tongtong~”

Looking at Yuyu answering her phone while expertly blocking all my escape routes, I resigned myself and stepped into the women’s clothing store.

It was a large boutique, not too crowded, with most people quietly browsing.

Having zero experience in this, I stared blankly at the endless racks, at a loss.

Just as I considered bailing to wait for Yuyu, a hand gently patted my shoulder. Turning, I saw a bright, smiling face.

“What’s wrong, little sister? Where’s your guardian?”

“Um, my aunt’s outside on a call. She told me to come in first.”

I fidgeted with my hem, embarrassed. “But there’s so many clothes, I don’t know how to choose. Can you help, big sister?”

Pfft.

For some reason, the shop assistant clutched her chest as if struck, tilting her head back, cheeks faintly flushed, muttering under her breath.

Weirder still, a clattering sound came from behind her, like something falling.

What’s going on?

I blinked, waving a hand in front of her.

“Big sister, you okay?”

Before she could respond, a chorus of girls’ voices burst from behind her, startling me.

“I can do it!”

“I’ll treat you to tiramisu if you don’t steal her from me!”

“Pick me, pick me, little sister~”

“Look at me!”

“No worries, just helping you pick some clothes, right? Easy peasy,” the pretty assistant snapped back, quickly pushing down the other girls trying to pop up.

“Thanks, big sister.”

“No trouble at all, come with me.” Flashing a smug gesture behind her, she led me to the kids’ clothing section.

After eyeing my height and build and asking about my preferences, she picked out a dress and some accessories, handing them to me.

“Try this in the fitting room. If it doesn’t fit, let me know.”

In the fitting room, I glanced at the items. Her taste was spot-on—simple colors that matched my cute, youthful vibe.

But…

“Isn’t this a bit too complete?”

Looking at the blue-and-white panties and knee-high socks, I hesitated but changed into everything.

Unsure how it looked, I nervously pulled back the curtain and stepped out, head lowered. “Big sister, I’m done.”

Silence greeted me.

Curious, I looked up to find the assistant, along with the other girls who’d gathered, staring at me with starry eyes.

“Is… is it not right?” I swallowed.

But the next second, the assistant grabbed my hands.

“No, it’s perfect~”

A beige princess dress with hollowed-out floral sleeves, layered waves, and pleats at the chest blended flawlessly.

The silky fabric extended to a pleated skirt hem covering a third of my thighs, a ribbon bow perfectly dividing the proportions. The cinched waist gave the upper gauze a fluffy, delicate feel.

Paired with the light knee-high socks on my sleek legs, I looked like a fairy-tale princess.

“I feel it’s a bit loose…”

“No problem, try this one. If it’s not right, we’ve got plenty. I’ll check for more,” the assistant said, shoving another outfit into my hands before darting off.

“I’ll help too!”

“There’s one that’d be perfect, let me find it.”

“No, mine’s the best.”

The other girls snapped into action, swarming the racks. With such a cute, posable porcelain doll before them, how could they resist?

“Uh…”

I blinked, sensing things were spiraling, but knowing Yuyu would be just as bad, I resignedly returned to the fitting room.

Taking off the dress, my exposed pale skin made me realize this body’s charm.

Even without the girls’ fervor, the popularity of [Lament of Eternal Night – Lilina], modeled after me, proved it.

The current loli craze confirmed everyone’s a loli fan.

“My past self would probably be a loli fan too.”

Muttering a quip, I caught a strange noise. “Sounds noisy outside?”

As I wondered what was happening, a petite figure suddenly burst through the fitting room curtain.

Bang.