Chapter 94: Shopping

Aiya aiya…

One wheel of the shopping cart just refused to behave.
It kept stubbornly veering left, scraping against the smooth tile floor with a grating, annoying sound.

Lin Yu had been pushing the damn thing for quite a while.
It was exhausting.

As she rounded a corner, she glanced at Luo Shaotian, who had stopped ahead of her.

His tall frame cast a broad shadow, swallowing up her small body completely.

A few shoppers passing by stole glances at them, whispering to one another.

Lin Yu could pretty much guess what they were saying.

Luo Shaotian’s body was naturally tall and muscular — almost 1.9 meters.

And her current magical-girl body? Pathetically tiny.
Felt like someone could pick her up with one hand and carry her off.

The absurd height difference radiated an invisible oppression.

What is this, a dad taking his kid out to shop?
Seriously…

“Mm…”

Ahead of her, Luo Shaotian was busy sweeping through merchandise.

His eyes scanned row after row of shelves, stopping occasionally to pick something up, inspect it, then toss it casually into the cart.

Thud.
A thick winter comforter.

Thud.
Two memory-foam pillows.

Thud.
A toothbrush and towel set printed with cute cat paws.

Looking closer, there were even several packs of Sofy overnight pants in the cart.

The label “420mm Super Long Night Use” stared back at her.

Lin Yu’s face twitched.

Like hell she’d ever need those things.

How could a magical girl get a period?
Are we joking here?

But she couldn’t exactly tell him that. And who knew — for the sake of maintaining the disguise, she might even have to put on a shy face later and thank him sweetly for being so “thoughtful.”

Sigh——
Disgusting.

She wished the outing would end soon.
Pretending to be a girl for this long was making her skin crawl.

The pile in the cart grew higher and higher, nearly blocking her view.

How much is this guy planning to buy!?

Lin Yu silently complained, struggling to force the crooked wheel straight again.

Didn’t he say they were buying “just a few things”?
This was a whole damn mountain!

Spending money like it doesn’t hurt at all. Doesn’t know how to run a household!
No wonder you’re still single!

“Hey.”

While she was mentally cursing him out, the tall figure in front of her stopped again.

He turned his head slightly, expression checking if she was still following.

Lin Yu’s heart skipped.
She tightened her grip on the cart, thinking he’d somehow heard all her internal complaining.

“Do you like this?”

Luo Shaotian frowned, then pulled a half-body-sized teddy bear from the shelf and held it toward her.

The bear had a dopey, adorable face. It looked soft and squishy.

“Uhh…”

Lin Yu stared blankly at the giant plush bear — nearly bigger than her torso — completely unsure how to react.

She truly did not understand his thought process.

To him, she was just some girl he’d only recently met, right?
Helping her out a little was already more than enough.

Didn’t he insist he didn’t need a servant doll?

Then why spend money like this!?

Unless…

A very unhealthy thought flashed across her mind.

Is he… doing some kind of “raising game”?
Giving small rewards to lower my guard — then once I depend on him, he’ll—

The idea chilled her.
She instinctively took half a step back, gripping the cart even tighter.

“Don’t like it?” he asked, frowning.

“I figured hugging it at night would keep you warm.”

“…Ah.”

So that’s what he meant?

“It’s not that I don’t like it… b-but isn’t it too expensive?”

“Aren’t girls supposed to like big ones?”

“Hah—?”

What the hell is this guy saying!?

“I mean… big plush toys. Feels safe to hold.”

He scratched his head.

“Young people don’t like these nowadays? Hard to understand…”

He put the giant bear back onto the shelf.

“Ah—”

Only then did Lin Yu remember she was supposed to be playing the role of a shy high-school girl.

No, no, she had to at least pretend to like this kind of stuff.

She didn’t personally care for girly toys, but a normal girl would probably love fluffy, squishy things, right?

Oh right—
That idiot Li Qing used to adore this kind of cute junk.

——————

“Achoo!!”

At that moment, Li Qing — sitting in front of her computer reviewing a sniper rifle maintenance report — suddenly sneezed loudly.

She rubbed her itchy nose, glancing around suspiciously.

“Who’s thinking about me?”

She muttered to herself, and immediately thought of a short gray-haired figure.

“Don’t tell me it’s little junior…? Come to think of it, I haven’t checked on him lately. Wonder if his collar got removed…”

——————

“Ah— um!”

Lin Yu hurriedly grabbed the giant teddy bear again.

The fluffy softness enveloped her arms immediately.
It was heavier than she expected, practically blocking her entire view.

She buried half her face into its plush belly and whispered in a barely audible, shy voice:

“I… I just think it’s too expensive… I feel bad letting you spend so much…”

Hearing that, Luo Shaotian’s frown finally eased.

His reply was simple:

“Don’t worry about the money.”

“If you like it, take it.”

“Ah… o-okay, thank you, uncle…”

Lin Yu lowered her head and whispered her thanks.

Then she struggled to shove the giant bear into the already overflowing cart.

It wouldn’t fit.
After several failed attempts, she lost her temper and slapped its big plush head twice.

The bear dangled out of the cart, its stupid round eyes staring up at her as if asking:

“Why… why are you hitting the bear?”

After circling around for a while, they reached the women’s clothing section upstairs.

Luo Shaotian stopped at the entrance, face gloomy.

“You go in. I’ll wait outside.”

“Eh… m-me? Alone?”

“Yes. I’ve never been in a place like this. A man walking in feels weird.”

“But I’m also—”

“Just go. Pick something decent. I’ll pay.”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

In the end, under his unyielding stare, Lin Yu walked in like a duck being pushed into the water.

The store was filled with lace and soft fabrics everywhere.

“Welcome～”

A saleswoman immediately approached with a professional smile.

Her eyes flicked toward the handsome man waiting outside the door, and a teasing smirk appeared.

“Oh my, did little sister come shopping with her boyfriend? How sweet～”

“I’m not!”

“He’s not!”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Lin Yu forced a stiff smile.

“N-no. He’s not my boyfriend. I’m just here to buy clothes.”

“Hahaha, I see, I see. Come, take a look. We just got some new styles — very flattering, boys will love them.”

She held up a silky camisole dress so thin it was almost transparent… and started sizing it against Lin Yu’s body before she could protest.

The cool, slippery fabric brushed her skin through her shirt, making every hair on her body stand up.

“With your fair skin, this would look amazing on you. Definitely eye-catching!”

Every word from the saleswoman hit Lin Yu right in her embarrassment receptors.

She felt her face heating up rapidly, blood rushing straight to her head.

“I—I just want normal clothes… This kind… is too—too—too sexy!”

“Hahaha…”

The saleswoman wasn’t offended at all.
She smiled knowingly.

“Oh, little sister, you’re too shy. Girls these days should be confident and show off their good points.”

She quickly put the dress back.

“Well then—let’s try cute styles. This would suit you perfectly!”

She grabbed a pastel-yellow puff-sleeve dress with lace trim.

Lin Yu opened her mouth to refuse, but the saleswoman shoved another option into her hands.

“Or this one?”
“Or this one?”
“Maybe this one too—”

Faced with her relentless enthusiasm, Lin Yu was helpless.

Whatever.
After what happened with her little sister last time, this embarrassment was nothing.

She pointed randomly at a few less revealing outfits and added several fully covered sportswear sets.

Then came the lingerie selection.

“What kind do you like? Push-up? Wireless? Lace?”

Before her transformation, Lin Yu would’ve had no idea what any of that meant.

But after that previous shopping trip with her “sister,” she had picked up a little knowledge.

“Push-up is more stable… the wired ones give deeper support…”
But the wired ones were uncomfortable…

Using her previous experience, she told the saleswoman what she wanted.

But when she gave her size, the woman blinked in surprise.

“Wow… didn’t expect it, little sister. Young and already so blessed. Your boyfriend’s gonna be lucky~!”

“I—”

It felt like a slap across Lin Yu’s face.

“Lucky my ass…”

One hour later, the two walked out of the mall.

The chilly evening breeze cooled Lin Yu’s overheated, frustration-flushed cheeks.

Her hands were full of seven or eight branded shopping bags, and the weight made her steps wobbly.

Luo Shaotian walked ahead, pushing the cart filled with bedding and supplies.

From afar, they really did look like a couple returning from a big household shopping spree.

But Lin Yu’s face was sour.
Sour enough to pickle fish.

“You seem unhappy.”

He slowed down, glancing at her icy expression.

“Heh… just… a little.”

She squeezed out a fake smile through clenched teeth, eyes glued to the ground like it owed her money.

“Not a little. Your eyes look like you’re about to kill someone.”

“Correct… I do feel a tiny bit like killing…”

She almost said the truth out loud.

But right then—

Zzzzz—!

Her neck tightened!

A sharp electric shock hit the back of her neck out of nowhere!

“WHAT THE—?!”

Her hair stood on end.
The shopping bags fell to the ground.

The shock wasn’t strong, but it was precise — like an invisible needle popping her anger bubble, sweeping away every negative emotion instantly.

Then a cold electronic female voice echoed directly in her mind:

【Warning. Abnormal fluctuations detected in heart rate, adrenaline, and cortisol levels matching the “aggressive negative emotion” profile.】

【Initiating Phase-One Emotional Soothing Treatment. Please maintain a pleasant mood.】

“You okay?”

Luo Shaotian stared, confused, as she froze and trembled for no reason.

He bent down to help pick up the fallen items.

“No—no! I’ve got it!”

Lin Yu scrambled to shove everything — clothes, underwear, whatever — back into the bags, desperate to keep him from seeing anything he shouldn’t.

【Emotional Soothing complete. Physiological indexes have returned to normal. Please continue to maintain.】

The voice faded.
The shock stopped, leaving only a lingering numbness.

“…Holy shit…”

She stood again, clutching the bags, completely drained.

“What exactly is wrong with you? You look terrible.”

“…N-nothing…”

Under the implied threat of “if you’re unhappy again, you’ll get shocked again,” she forced the ugliest smile known to mankind.

“I’m very happy! We bought so much today! Haha… thank you, uncle. I’m just… really overwhelmed. That’s all.”