Chapter 11: Is Little Fu a Young Lady?

“This mall actually has seven floors? No wonder Hifa Star is praised as the ‘Pearl of the Starsea’!”

The moment Lingling Lan stepped into the clothing store, she was struck speechless by the grandeur.
The air carried the fragrance of roses.
From the speakers drifted Bedora’s Symphony of Moonlight No. 11 in C-sharp minor.
Both the atmosphere and the elegance were turned up to the maximum.

And there was even an indoor swimming pool… wait, a pool inside the mall?

This was truly the Star of Feasts.
Everywhere was like some Roman aristocratic bathhouse—whether for social gatherings, entertainment, or simply soaking in comfort, you could wander into any building and find a bathhouse, library, and full recreation facilities.

“Perfect. I’m a little warm myself. After shopping, let’s have a soak and relax.”

“Where’s Little Fu?” Xinghui suddenly noticed something amiss.

Lingling Lan finally realized that Wilf, who had been following closely behind, was nowhere to be seen.
Strange. She’d been tagging along just moments ago. Where could she have gone?

“I saw her half a minute ago… Eh? Where did this box come from?”

Lingling Lan looked down to see a large cardboard box at her feet.
Curious, she reached to lift it open—only for the box to suddenly shuffle backward.

“The box is alive… Eh, it even has cat ears?”

Of course, it was Wilf.
She had somehow stuffed herself inside the box, poking two holes in it to peek out with wide, nervous eyes.
Her cat-ear clips stuck out on top, making the whole thing look absurd.

“Little Fu, why are you hiding in a box?”

“Xinghui-senpai… there are so many rich people here… I-I’m scared.”

Her voice was weak and halting, like she might faint at any moment.
Lingling Lan couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to pat her through the box—but the box shook violently, trembling like a terrified kitten.

“Sister Ling, p-please don’t pat me now. If someone notices, then…”

Her voice cracked with tension, which only made things worse—more and more people turned their heads toward the bizarre sight of a moving cardboard box.

“To be honest, you’re drawing more attention this way, Little Fu. Look—some random box crawling on the ground with cat ears? That’s straight out of an anime gag.”

“If I crawl out now, won’t I get surrounded…? No, no, Sister Ling, it’s better if I just stay like this…”

Wilf felt like she was about to have a panic attack.

‘She’s just like little Bocchi,’ Lingling Lan thought. ‘Such a social anxiety gremlin.’

“Oh, come on, you’ll have to go in eventually. What’s the point of stalling?”
Without another word, Xinghui scooped up the box and dashed into the store.

“Eh-eh-eh?! It’s moving so fast… I’m dizzy @_@”

And so, under the stares of the crowd, Xinghui and Lingling Lan carried a cardboard box with cat ears into the boutique.

“Welcome to Suzuhara House! Fabrics of every kind, for your choosing!”
A cheerful red-haired attendant greeted them politely.
“May I ask which young lady we’re dressing today?”

Xinghui glanced at the dazzling array of clothes on the walls and immediately felt overwhelmed.
Not wanting to deal with it, she plopped down on a sofa with the box still in her arms.

“She’s… shy. We’ll choose for her.”

The task of picking an outfit for Wilf naturally fell to Lingling Lan.
As for Xinghui, she’d deal with her later.
Lingling Lan was already picturing Xinghui’s pitiful face when she cried and begged for mercy.
Hmph. She never forgot a grudge. If you bullied her, she’d make you cry.

So many styles to choose from…

For Little Fu, a pink Lolita dress would be perfect.
Since she loved her cat-ear clips, pairing them with a frilly little dress would make her look like a real catgirl. Then Lingling Lan could cuddle her all she wanted~

“That one. Yes, the pink one.”

“You have an excellent eye, miss. This is one of our top sellers—a ‘little sister’ dress with a 99% approval rating!”

The red-haired attendant praised warmly.
Noticing Lingling Lan’s small stature, she reached up to help fetch the dress from its high hanger.

But just then, another saleswoman sipping coffee nearby frowned sharply.

This was a luxury store in the mall.
And Lingling Lan, with her appearance, didn’t look like anyone important—just a common girl.
Normally, such customers weren’t even allowed inside.

“Miss, if you’re not buying, don’t touch the merchandise.
And Saya, have you lost your mind? Don’t let these people in. Take them to the warehouse next door.”

The saleswoman’s tone was cutting.

“But aren’t we supposed to serve our customers…” the red-haired girl, Saya, tried to explain, only to be snapped at.

“Not these kinds of customers. Idiot.”

Even Lingling Lan couldn’t stomach it.
The red-haired attendant had welcomed them kindly, and now she was getting scolded because of them?
Unforgivable.

“What’s with your attitude? It’s just one dress. Do you really need to be this two-faced?”

“How we run our business is none of your concern. Saya, throw these annoying paupers out.”

The saleswoman’s voice dripped with disdain, growing nastier with each word.

It was almost enough to wake the dark side in Lingling Lan’s heart.
She was the daughter of an Evil God, after all.
Snuffing out a few powerless mortals would be no harder than crushing ants.
But that would cause chaos, maybe even ruin this trip.

Forget it—no, kill them anyway! Why should she have to swallow this insult?!

“I…”

“Hurry up, Saya. Do you want to keep your job or not?” the saleswoman pressed.

Just then, Wilf slipped quietly out of the sofa and stepped in front of Lingling Lan, who was about to erupt.

“Excuse me… Even if it were ten of these dresses, I could afford them.
I simply don’t want to trouble you with making change for a large note.”

The saleswoman faltered slightly, but her arrogance lingered.

“Oh, by the Brown-Tree King, I honestly thought a young lady like you wouldn’t carry big bills around.”
She hesitated as Wilf’s sharp gaze bore into her, but still pressed on.
“But if you’re trying to accuse us of not being able to make change—let me assure you, we most certainly can.”

Wilf reached into her pocket, fished around, and pulled out a banknote.
A single credit bill worth one million.

“T-then… I-I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss.”

The saleswoman’s face went pale.

At the same time, Lingling Lan, Xinghui, and Saya all stood frozen in shock.