Chapter 10: What Is This Guy Talking About?

Ah… I just want to die.

Right now Lu Yushan—or rather, under her current identity, she should be called Fei Xia—sat on a tall stool at the bar, gripping her magic staff so tightly her knuckles went white. 

The staff lay across her lap.

My back is freezing.

The central air-conditioning blasted cold air mercilessly across her bare, exposed spine, raising a fine layer of goosebumps and making her shiver involuntarily.

As for why Fei Xia was sitting here in a backless black dress, cat ears perched on her head, looking like she had lost the will to live, it all started ten minutes ago.

***

Ten minutes earlier, inside the changing room.

Qiong Ling—the boss, the same bunny girl from before—had cut off Lu Yushan the moment she tried to reveal her identity.

Knowing Lu Yushan had no title yet, she had given her one on the spot.

Fei Xia.

“It means red evening glow, the last light of the setting sun.”

Qiong Ling had come up with the name the instant she saw her and was extremely pleased with it.

Now.

Qiong Ling circled Fei Xia three times like someone admiring a priceless antique she had just acquired. 

The gleam in her eyes made Fei Xia’s skin crawl.

This “treasure” had been “bought” with a one-hundred-thousand upfront payment and came with a three-month rental contract.

Even though the bonus for saving Qinghai Starlight was factored in, it still wasn’t cheap.

She had to polish her properly and wring out every bit of value.

“Want to try the bunny girl outfit? The high-cut one?”

It was phrased as a question, but she had already pulled out the set that consisted of almost nothing but straps.

“No! I’d rather die than wear that!”

Sure enough, the girl’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

She had literally sold herself, yet here she was acting like a creditor who owned the place.

“Debtors really are the lords of the house. The ancients weren’t lying.”

Qiong Ling wasn’t angry at all. If anything, her smile grew brighter.

She tossed the bunny girl costume back into the closet, clearly prepared for the refusal.

“How about the maid outfit then? The one with lace trim? Come on, call me ‘Master’ and let me hear it~”

Fei Xia’s mouth twitched. Her expression softened a fraction, but the rejection was still written all over her face.

“M-Mas… ter.”

She ground the words out between clenched teeth, deliberately slurring them so each syllable sounded like it had been pried from her jaw with pliers.

“Pfft—hahahaha!”

Qiong Ling doubled over laughing. 

She turned, reached into the very back of the wardrobe, and pulled out a long black dress along with a fluffy cat-ear hair clip.

“I’m done teasing you. What about this one? Classic little black dress. No cleavage, no thigh slits—perfectly proper.”

Fei Xia eyed it suspiciously.

From the front it really did look like a simple, high-collared black evening gown—elegant and modest. 

Compared to the previous two options, it was practically conservative.

She still hated the cat ears, but compared to the bunny girl or maid outfits, this was a godsend.

“…This one.”

She took the dress, cheeks faintly pink, and gave Qiong Ling an awkward little push.

“Get out. Don’t watch me…”

Fei Xia kept her head down, voice growing smaller and smaller until the last few words were barely a whisper.

“Okay, okay, shy little kitten.”

Qiong Ling grinned wickedly, scratched the back of her head, and left the changing room.

The room finally fell quiet.

Only the soft rustle of fabric remained.

Fei Xia unfastened the clasp of her cloak and peeled off her clothes one piece at a time.

Staring at the mirror, at the girl’s body wearing nothing but pure-white underwear, she swallowed hard.

The girl in the reflection had curled in on herself from nerves. 

Her skin glowed pale and rosy under the lights, looking so delicately embarrassed that even she felt a pang of pity for herself.

Don’t look if it’s improper, don’t look if it’s improper…

She quickly averted her eyes. 

To end the awkward nakedness as fast as possible, she turned to grab the black dress.

At that exact moment, Qiong Ling’s extremely half-hearted—and clearly amused—shout came from outside:

“Bai Ning, do—not—come—in, ah~”

Before Fei Xia could react.

Click.

The doorknob turned.

A girl in a maid uniform burst in like a whirlwind.

Time seemed to freeze.

The air solidified. The usual chatter in the store gradually died away.

The girl called Bai Ning stayed frozen in the doorway, staring blankly at Fei Xia, who was standing sideways to the mirror wearing only her underwear.

From that angle she had a perfect, unobstructed view of Fei Xia’s fair, pink-tinged body and the slight tremble in her waist from shock.

She could even see the tiny mole on the inside of her thigh.

As for Fei Xia, her brain had gone completely blank. 

He had even forgotten to cover himself; he simply clenched his legs together on instinct, striking an unbelievably coy and suggestive pose.

Their eyes met.

One second.

Two seconds.

Fei Xia could see her own flushed face reflected in the other girl’s pupils.

“S-s-s-sorry!!! I didn’t know anyone was inside!!!”

Bai Ning’s face exploded into crimson. She slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

From outside came her frantic, incoherent apologies and scolding:

“Boss, why didn’t you say something sooner?!”

Inside the changing room, Fei Xia remained locked in that pose like a statue, shattering silently in the chaotic wind.

Thump—thump—thump—

Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs. Her cheeks burned hot enough to fry an egg.

She saw…

That girl saw everything…

I was seen completely naked…

Logically, since her soul was male, being seen by a girl shouldn’t count as a loss.

But… why did this body feel such an overwhelming, I-want-to-crawl-into-a-hole-and-die wave of shame?

The physical shudder and mental collapse tangled together until Fei Xia’s mind went white.

***

Back in the present, at the bar.

“Hey, isn’t that her?”

“Yeah, yeah, the ‘tsundere berserk magical girl’ from the video!”

“Go ask her. Aren’t you into that type?”

“What? I-I’m not into her! I’m just curious…”

Whispers kept drifting over from behind.

Fei Xia sat rigidly on the round bar stool, feeling as if needles were pricking her back.

Whenever she turned her head, the gazes would instantly dart away and the speakers would spout completely illogical nonsense, pretending they hadn’t been staring.

And so an unspoken tug-of-war began for no apparent reason.

Until Qiong Ling appeared in her bunny girl outfit, instantly pulling every eye in the room like a magnet.

She wore the outrageously skimpy costume with total ease. 

Draped over her left arm was a piece of black fabric. She walked straight up to Fei Xia.

“Little Fei, put this on quick.”

Fei Xia took the fabric and immediately recognized her original cloak.

Thank goodness.

Like a withered tree meeting spring rain, she hurriedly draped the cloak over herself. 

The relief was instant.

Even though the direct contact of cloth against her bare back felt a little strange, it didn’t matter. As long as it covered the damn backless dress, she could live with it.

Next, Qiong Ling produced two black ribbon hair ties and redid Fei Xia’s straight hair into twin tails.

Fei Xia was utterly confused.

Visually nothing had changed from before. Why the extra step?

But Qiong Ling’s eyes sparkled with rare excitement.

She leaned in close.

“Come on, curse at me.”

?

What is this guy even saying?