Mall Meanderings and Hidden Intentions

The afternoon sun, even at two o’clock, remained scorching. Chloe was grateful for her hood. While it hadn’t quite served its initial purpose of concealing her identity, it had, by a fortunate accident, effectively blocked out the harsh light. However, her long hair, crammed inside the hood, felt rather stifling. Fortunately, Chloe had experimented with various hairstyles that morning, and the last one she tried — two braided pigtails — remained. By simply pulling them out from under the hood, she found considerable relief from the heat.

“Phew, it’s so hot. Where should we discuss that matter? This place isn’t quite suitable, is it? Perhaps we should find somewhere with air conditioning.” Chloe exhaled a warm breath, using her small hand to wipe away the fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

“I’ve already thought of a place,” Anna replied, shielding her brow from the sun with one hand and pointing towards the colossal mall standing prominently in the plaza. “But really, Little Fox, why are you wearing such thick clothes? Don’t you think it’s odd? Everyone’s staring at you, you know.”

Indeed, her observation was accurate. Most people around them were dressed in typical summer attire. Chloe, in her fully covering ensemble, certainly stood out. Adding to her conspicuousness was the garment itself: a unique piece with a luxurious, pristine white base adorned with golden lace, clearly indicating its exorbitant price. Some curious onlookers craned their necks, attempting to discern the identity beneath her hood, while others, mistaking her for a niche cosplayer, were already raising their phones to snap pictures.

At this point, Chloe felt as though she were standing under a spotlight, any hope of concealing her identity now utterly surrendered to fate.

“I like wearing it. Don’t fuss so much,” she stated, her voice flat, though a faint blush colored her small face.

“Oh, my, Little Fox has such a cool personality,” Anna chirped, her tone remarkably varied. “But I like it. It’s just a shame I can’t witness the beautiful sight of Little Fox in a short skirt.” Anna, with an easy familiarity, then nonchalantly tugged at Chloe’s pigtail, playing with it.

It was fortunate that Anna possessed the appearance of a beautiful young girl; otherwise, Chloe would have found such a lack of personal space utterly intolerable. Had these actions been performed by a greasy old man, either his lower half or his fingers would have been broken.

Stepping into the mall, the powerful air conditioning brought an immediate, refreshing chill that invigorated the senses.

“And then, where do you plan to take me?”

“Let’s just browse first, shall we? We can find a suitable spot and then sit down to talk properly. After all, a consultation requires understanding the patient’s various conditions.”

Thus, this supposed consultation inexplicably devolved into a shopping trip. Chloe frowned, beginning to suspect that Anna might be stalling for time. I’ll observe for a bit longer, she thought. After all, I have plenty of time.

“The dresses at this store look nice. Little Fox, do you want to take a look?”

“I’ve been to this dessert shop before; their chocolate is quite delicious.”

“Here! Here! Let’s play a claw machine game! My claw machine skills are legendary!”

“…”

Chloe, being a girl who had only recently embraced a more conventional life, mostly replaced shopping trips with online purchases. Consequently, she spent the entire time timidly trailing behind Anna, occasionally offering a few mumbled agreements, and accepting items Anna impulsively bought for her. By the way, is this how newly acquainted girls usually interact? This girl seems a little too enthusiastic. Lacking much experience, Chloe couldn’t quite tell.

Perhaps noticing Chloe’s continued passivity, Anna suddenly pulled her close, linking their slender arms together, pressing them tightly against each other. To any observer, they would have appeared like two close sisters.

The two girls arrived at a claw machine, and Chloe quickly became convinced that Anna was indeed a master at the game. With just two tokens, Anna successfully grabbed two stuffed animals, both dropping securely into the prize chute.

“Here, this is for you.” Anna handed a yellow dinosaur plushie to Chloe, keeping a fox plushie for herself.

“I don’t want it… Uh, what I mean is, I already have a plushie.” Chloe declined the offering. Firstly, she already had Papertreat and harbored no habit of collecting numerous plush toys. Secondly, this particular plushie looked rather unintelligent; it seemed to be a recent internet sensation called something like… Milk Dragon?

Upon hearing this, Anna finally noticed the plushie tied to Chloe’s waist. Her eyebrows raised slightly, her initial thought being that the plushie was quite ugly. However, knowing it was constantly carried by the girl, it must hold some extraordinary significance, so she kept her thoughts to herself.

“Alright then, I’ll just leave this plushie here.” With that, Anna casually discarded the plushie beside the claw machine.

Chloe possessed an excessive sense of empathy, feeling a pang even when inanimate objects were treated poorly. The plushie sat silently there. A slight breeze toppled it over, leaving it sprawled on its back. Some mischievous children, noticing it was unclaimed, gleefully ran over and stomped on it a few times, leaving several dark footprints on its formerly pristine yellow surface. Chloe had no intention of doing anything extra, but a distinct discomfort settled in her heart.

“Why throw it away after you’ve caught it?” Chloe asked Anna. “Wouldn’t it be better to take it home and keep it?”

Anna, however, merely shrugged indifferently. “I’m not really interested in these things myself. If Little Fox doesn’t want it, then it can only be thrown away, right? But, if Little Fox doesn’t want that, then I’ll take it back with me.” Smiling, she picked up the plushie, carefully blew away the dust from its surface, and placed it back into her plastic bag. It was as if the person who had so callously discarded it moments ago was not the same person standing there now.

Observing this string of illogical actions, Chloe furrowed her brow and gazed intently at the smiling girl before her.

“Why are you trying so hard to please me?” she asked, bewildered. “We’re not even that close, are we?”

“Oh, come on~ How is this trying to please you?” Anna playfully retorted. “Isn’t it perfectly normal not to want a cute girl to be sad? Or are you suggesting Little Fox suspects me of having ulterior motives?”

“I don’t think there’s anything else worth browsing,” Chloe stated. “Let’s go to that bubble tea shop up ahead and start our formal discussion. Once we’re done, this meeting will conclude.” Chloe had sensed that the other party was clearly not there solely to help her resolve the demonic transformation issue; as for Anna’s true intentions, they remained unclear.

It’s best to finish this quickly, to avoid any further complications.

“Heh-heh,” Anna chuckled softly, pursing her lips. “Alright, Little Fox is certainly in a hurry…” She turned, once again taking Chloe’s small hand, and began walking towards the bubble tea shop.

Chloe subtly attempted to pull her hand free from Anna’s grasp, but the other girl seemed to have deliberately locked her hand securely, intertwining all five fingers. It wasn’t a forceful grip, yet there was no possibility of escape.

From an angle unseen by Chloe, Anna’s lips subtly curved upward, and a sharp glint flickered in her eyes.