Yuan Qing held the pile of clothes, heading toward the fitting room with a blank expression.
Sundae watched him close the door and then turned to Mizuho, whispering, “Um… is your brother usually this… cool?”
Mizuho thought for a moment. “He’s usually just lazier.”
Sundae blinked, not quite understanding.
The fitting room door opened, and Yuan Qing stepped out.
He was wearing a beige knit sweater paired with deep blue wide-leg pants. The sweater was a women’s style, but the cut was simple, so it didn’t look out of place on him. Instead, it made his entire aura seem a bit softer.
Mizuho’s eyes lit up, while Sundae immediately covered her mouth.
“What is it?” Yuan Qing tugged at the hem of his shirt. “Does it look strange?”
“Not at all!” Sundae was the first to speak. “It’s a perfect fit! This item sells very well in our store, but I’ve never seen anyone pull it off like this!”
Mizuho had already pulled out her phone.
“Don’t take pictures,” Yuan Qing said.
*Click.* The shutter sound had already rung out.
“It looks good.” Mizuho nodded with satisfaction as she looked at the photo.
Yuan Qing sighed and walked back into the fitting room.
Over the next while, he tried on another five or six outfits.
There were skirts, pants, casual wear, and even some slightly more formal pieces. Mizuho insisted on taking a photo of every single one, and Sundae let out a gasp of admiration for every look.
Raven lay in the handbag, its wings shaking from muffled laughter.
Finally, he tried on the last set.
It was a long black dress.
The design was minimalist without any extra decorations, ending just at his calves.
With that black dress on, combined with his world-weary face and messy long hair, Yuan Qing exuded a cold, detached temperament.
He looked like the heroine of some arthouse film.
Or like…
Mizuho suddenly remembered the figure from yesterday’s livestream—the one dressed in black robes, shifting and leaping amidst the flashes of blades, the figure that had made more than 2,000,000 people hold their breath.
“Is it weird?” Yuan Qing twisted his waist and gave the skirt a little whirl.
Mizuho shook her head. She put her phone down without taking a photo.
“It’s very suitable!” Sundae praised.
“I’ll take this one,” Mizuho said, reaching for her wallet. “And the ones from before. Wrap them all up.”
Sundae nodded excitedly. “Certainly! Please wait a moment!”
She began packing the items with agile movements, stealing glances at Yuan Qing as she worked.
Meanwhile, Yuan Qing, looking as if he had nothing left to say, walked back into the fitting room to change into his own clothes.
By the time he came out, Sundae had the shopping bags ready. She stood behind the counter with her hands folded in front of her in a standard clerk’s pose.
Evidently, Mizuho had already paid without hesitation.
Yuan Qing stood to the side, looking at the shopping bags as if he had given up the struggle. “Are these really all for me?”
“Who else?” Mizuho replied without looking back. “Am I supposed to wear them?”
“They’d fit you too,” Yuan Qing blurted out.
Mizuho smiled. “Is that a compliment?”
“A compliment!” Yuan Qing answered.
Sundae watched the two bicker. Just then, the shop door was pushed open.
A middle-aged woman poked her head in, holding a thermal bag.
“Little Sundae, Mommy brought you some lunch.”
The other clerks heard this and immediately covered their faces to hide their snickers before walking away to continue their work.
“Mom!” Sundae hurried over. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to bring you food,” Sundae’s mother said, completely unbothered by the others. “Are you busy?”
Sundae nodded. “Yes! I’m helping this pair of siblings pick out clothes!”
Sundae’s mother turned and blinked when she saw Mizuho and Yuan Qing.
“Oh! Then I won’t disturb you,” she said, handing the thermal bag to Sundae. “Eat while it’s hot. I made your favorite fried chicken today.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Sundae said, taking the bag. “Go on home. I’ll bring the container back tonight.”
Sundae’s mother nodded. “Alright, I’ll be going then. Little Sundae, make sure to take good care of these two guests.”
“I know, Mom!”
As soon as her mother left, Sundae hurried to close the shop door.
Sundae turned toward the two of them, looking a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, my mom is… a bit impulsive.”
“It’s fine,” Mizuho said with a smile. “Your mother clearly cares about you.”
Yuan Qing looked at Sundae and suddenly asked, “You work here part-time?”
“Yes,” Sundae nodded. “I come here after school lately.”
“Don’t Magical Girls get government subsidies?” Yuan Qing asked.
Sundae smiled. “We do, but I send that money to my mom. She’s home alone and her health isn’t great, so I want to save up some more.”
“I see…”
Yuan Qing didn’t seem to have anything else to say.
Sensing that the atmosphere had turned heavy, Sundae waved her hands dismissively. “It’s really nothing! I like this job, and the subsidy is enough, really. I just… want to help out at home more. For someone like me, who can’t become someone like Miss Raven, this kind of effort is necessary.”
A smile bloomed on her face as she spoke.
Yuan Qing looked at her and suddenly said, “The fried chicken your mom made… is it good?”
Sundae blanked for a second and then laughed. “It’s good! Super delicious! My mom is a great cook!”
“That’s good then.” Yuan Qing nodded.
Mizuho glanced at him.
Yuan Qing’s expression remained calm, but Mizuho felt that his question wasn’t just idle small talk.
“Let’s go.” Yuan Qing picked up the shopping bags.
Mizuho nodded and turned to Sundae. “Thank you.”
Sundae gave a deep bow. “Please come again!”
***
The two walked out of the store.
The sun had begun its slow descent in the west, and the flow of people on the street was gradually increasing.
Mizuho suddenly asked, “Why did you ask that question earlier?”
“Which one?”
“Asking if her mom’s fried chicken was good.”
Yuan Qing thought for a bit. “…Because I didn’t know what else to say.”
“Is that so…”
Mizuho nodded slightly.
The two walked side by side down the street, the shopping bags swinging in Yuan Qing’s hand.
“Did you plan to bring me here to buy women’s clothes because you knew Sundae worked there?” Yuan Qing asked suddenly.
Mizuho was a bit surprised. “How did you know? I had to ask other Magical Girls just to find out where she was.”
“Ah, so that’s how it was.”
Yuan Qing had actually just been guessing.
Raven poked its head out of the handbag and looked left and right. “Where to next?”
“Going back,” Mizuho said. “But before that, I have some things I want to say to Mr. Luo.”
Yuan Qing looked at her.
Mizuho stopped walking and stood under a cherry blossom tree by the roadside. A gust of wind blew past, causing the sunlight filtering through the leaves to flicker.
Mizuho spoke. “That clerk just now, Sakuma Seidai. Did you see her? The serious way she worked her part-time job.”
Yuan Qing said nothing. “…”
“She isn’t a genius. Raven said she works hard, but her strength is average. Yet she’s still persisting—working to make money, helping her family, being a Magical Girl. She takes every single thing seriously.”
“…”
“You have talent. You have that… quality that makes it impossible for people to look away. Did you know that during the livestream yesterday, I was watching you and thinking about one thing.”
“What thing?”
“I was thinking, ‘If I had your talent, I would give it my all to stand at the highest peak.'”
“But?”
“But you… you just want to lie flat.”
“What’s wrong with lying flat?”
“There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but you shouldn’t *just* lie flat. You have the ability to be the one standing at the summit.”
“…”
“I’ve seen many people. There are plenty of talented individuals, but you’re the first one I’ve seen like this. You made Kazama Hifumi get serious. You made more than 2,000,000 people hold their breath. You could live a life that…”
“My, my, the passion of youth,” Raven suddenly interrupted, poking its head out from the bag. “It’s good to be young, hehe…”
The two stood still, and the air suddenly became very awkward.
They resumed walking, but neither of them spoke again.
“Anyway, think about what I just said,” Mizuho said abruptly.
“Mm.” Yuan Qing gave a casual agreement.
“I’m serious.”
“I know.”
“Then what do you think?”
“I’m not really thinking anything.”
“…”
“By the way, why did you buy me women’s clothes?”
“Oh, that was just my own personal interest.”
‘Actually, it was also partly to mess with him,’ she thought.