A Reluctant Wardrobe and Lingering Touches

Under Mo Linyu’s watchful eye, Li Yue took less than fifteen minutes from entering the mall to completing her underwear purchase, a timeframe that even encompassed their shared drink.

The former had been patiently awaiting the latter to seek her help or advice; however, imbued with the dignity of a Hero, how could Li Yue possibly ask the Demon Lord for assistance?

Especially when it came to something as intimate as purchasing undergarments.

Though she was buying women’s underwear, her shopping habits remained decidedly masculine, devoid of excessive hesitation; she simply selected a few sets of similar styles based on her size and proceeded directly to the counter to pay.

In Mo Linyu’s recollection, Li Yue hadn’t even stepped into a fitting room.

“Wait, aren’t you going to try them on?” Mo Linyu asked.

Li Yue merely replied, “I just worked up a sweat; it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

She was concerned about soiling the store’s merchandise, even though the air conditioning had largely dried her perspiration.

“Hey, aren’t you worried they won’t fit?”

Li Yue’s brow furrowed slightly, but she still answered, “It’s not as if I’ve never worn underwear before; I know roughly what size range I am… Even in that other world, undergarments were more or less the same.”

“Then aren’t you going to change into one?”

“I already have.”

“…When did you change?”

Beneath Li Yue’s shirt and shorts, she had already donned a newly purchased two-piece set; it was merely a simple, pure cotton style. Unlike Mo Linyu, she had no intention of wearing anything that would make one’s heart race or cheeks flush.

“I thought you might need some help or something.”

Detecting the regret in Mo Linyu’s tone, Li Yue retorted unhappily.

“Hmph, don’t underestimate me! I was a woman for a whole year, after all; do I still need you to teach me?”

Her voice was a little loud, and her words were peculiar. The stares of passersby made her instinctively quicken her pace.

“Oh, a ‘woman,’ indeed~”

Mo Linyu followed unhurriedly, her arms crossed, a cryptic smile playing on her lips.

Li Yue’s demeanor and actions lacked feminine qualities. After all, her year-long experience in the other world had little to do with gender and might even have had an adverse effect, given that she had been constantly fighting and killing.

Even if an old granny were to become the Hero and fought demons for a year without dying, she would likely develop hyperandrogenism (TL Note: A medical condition characterized by excessive levels of androgens, often leading to masculine traits).

Mo Linyu continued, following this thread of conversation:

“Actually, I only found out yesterday that you were originally a man.”

“So what? I have no obligation to explain this to you. Regardless of whether I’m male or female, my mission is to defeat you, and nothing more.”

Li Yue hadn’t intended to conceal it, but she also hadn’t planned on broadcasting it.

It was the same even in the other world; her companions, who fought the Demon Lord, had always seen her as nothing more than a simple-minded girl, unaware of worldly ways, until their very deaths, hadn’t they?

“It seems I’m destined never to meet your original self. At least not within these three months.”

Whenever the two drew near, Li Longkang would transform into Li Yue, and until those three months passed, Mo Linyu truly had no opportunity to see “Li Longkang.”

“Want to see what I look like?”

Li Yue pulled out her wallet and even flashed her ID.

“If you beg me, it’s not impossible…”

Mo Linyu narrowed her eyes, deliberately choosing not to follow Li Yue’s lead.

She simply said, “Beg? No, what you originally looked like isn’t important. If you don’t want to show me, then don’t; I’m not that curious…”

Li Yue twitched the corner of her mouth.

In truth, Mo Linyu had already seen Li Longkang’s appearance in the school registry; after all, before she accompanied Han Xiaoyu on a visit to Li Longkang’s home, she couldn’t very well go without knowing what her visitation subject looked like.

Naturally, she had no intention of revealing this to Li Yue.

Seeing the Hero’s expression, as if they had just swallowed a fly, Mo Linyu wore a triumphant smirk.

She then added, “For now, let’s go buy your clothes first, and then we can discuss how to efficiently utilize this scar to search for otherworldly souls within Tianyuan City.”

Her hand rested against her chest, as if sensing something…

Ultimately, however, she merely shook her head.

“Hmph, it’s not that easy after all, is it?”

Mo Linyu said this, and Li Yue didn’t refute it. She had, after all, reluctantly agreed to the cooperation…

When it came down to it, she had little choice in the matter.

During this period, she couldn’t possibly live with the risk of randomly changing gender (TL Note: A humorous play on a Chinese idiom, ‘suidi daxiao bian,’ meaning ‘to relieve oneself anywhere,’ here implying ‘to change gender anywhere’), could she?

****

The warehouse-style clothing store, fitting room.

“No, this outfit is far too form-fitting.”

Li Yue stood inside the fitting room, gazing with disdain at the clothes Mo Linyu had brought.

“Form-fitting? These were chosen according to your measurements. At most, they’re just slim-fit.”

“It’s not a matter of size.”

Li Yue stammered in response, “It feels too feminine.”

“What are you talking about? We’re buying women’s clothes, aren’t we?”

Mo Linyu let out a soft sigh, her tone laced with both helplessness and teasing. “Besides, you’re currently in a female body; what’s wrong with appropriately showcasing your charm?”

“Charm, my ass!” Li Yue hissed angrily, her voice lowered within the fitting room. “I’m a man!”

“Alright, alright, you’re a man.”

Mo Linyu humored her dismissively, then casually handed over a rather flashy viscose mini-skirt, adorned with sequins along the side waist. It hardly looked like a serious skirt.

However, it would have suited Mo Linyu perfectly.

“How about this one? It would be very cool to wear in summer.”

Li Yue stared at the mini-skirt in her hand, her face instantly paling. She swallowed hard, nonetheless, retreating a few steps to lean against the fitting room’s inner wall, as if the skirt in her hand were some terrifying beast.

Imagining the sensation of a breeze caressing her thighs once she put it on, she couldn’t help but shiver.

“No, absolutely not! I just said no skirts! It’s impossible for me to wear a skirt!”

“It’s just a skirt. Aren’t you overreacting a bit?”

“You don’t understand!” Li Yue roared excitedly. “Not wearing a skirt is my bottom line! It’s a man’s dignity!”

“Alright, I’ll go find something else for you…”

As Mo Linyu said this, Li Yue interjected:

“Forget it! Asking you for help was a mistake. I’ll have to find something myself!”

She emerged from the fitting room with an impatient expression, pushed past Mo Linyu, and began selecting clothes to her liking in the warehouse-style clothing store. However, she first deliberately avoided the traditional women’s wear section and dove into the activewear and casual section.

Mo Linyu merely glanced over and immediately saw through Li Yue’s intentions.

“Hero, you’re not going to wear sportswear again, are you?”

Her thoughts exposed, Li Yue immediately grumbled in annoyance:

“Mind your own business!”

“Sigh, I once dreamed of a decisive battle with a Hero clad in magnificent armor, wielding a golden holy sword. I even used to put on makeup before ascending my throne. Yet, the one who approached me that day was a delinquent girl in sportswear, carrying a baseball bat. Did you ever consider my feelings?”

“…You, the Demon Lord, have ‘princess syndrome’?”

Though she was the reincarnation of the Demon Lord, Mo Linyu clearly knew how to dress well.

She possessed a maturity that belied her high school age.

After all, in her previous life, she was a demon queen who had lived for centuries, and her sense of taste and aura were impeccably refined.

As a result, all the clothes she had found were styles Li Yue simply couldn’t pull off. It would be better for Li Yue to choose according to her usual dressing habits.

Before long, Li Yue had made her choices.

“Hmm, this will do.”

She ultimately chose a lightweight sun-protective jacket, paired with a black printed T-shirt underneath.

The hem of the T-shirt was casually tucked up, revealing a section of her fair waist and abdomen, where her toned obliques were distinctly visible.

For her lower body, she wore stretchy denim shorts, approximately three-quarter length. To avoid any accidental exposure, she had chosen a tighter fit, which inadvertently accentuated her long, slender legs.

Finally, she put on a baseball cap.

While Li Yue’s original intention was simply to stay cool, she inadvertently exuded a subtle hint of sexiness.

She spun around demonstratively, her open sun-protective jacket fluttering with the movement, revealing a section of her waist and abdomen, still glistening with a few beads of sweat.

Even Mo Linyu’s gaze involuntarily lingered on that patch of skin…

Then, she extended a finger, tracing along Li Yue’s toned obliques from top to bottom, and finally, lightly hooked the denim shorts just below the waistline.

“Kya?!”

Li Yue let out an unmanly squeal, retreating and covering her waist and abdomen.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Her fair cheeks flushed crimson, and even her ears and neck turned bright red.

Mo Linyu wore a triumphant smile, bringing her fingertip to her own lips and lightly tapping it.

“Hmm, this style isn’t bad either… You actually understand quite a bit, don’t you?”