The Price of Pretence and a Sister’s Care

Observing the exceptionally attractive man and woman flirt openly, utterly oblivious to their surroundings, the mall manager felt his temples throb, cursing wildly in his heart.

Damn it, what an accursed day this was!

He had actually stumbled upon two upper-class nobles with such peculiar tastes! One was clad in a security uniform, the other in a maid outfit—truly a pair of ‘Sleeping Dragon and Phoenix Fledgling,’ perfectly matched in their eccentricity!

It was as if this pair feared nothing more than *not* being misunderstood!

You two exalted ones, if you insist on indulging in kinky cosplay, couldn’t you take it back to your sprawling mansions, each hundreds of square meters in size? Must you really come to *my* mall to cause such a ruckus?!

The mall manager felt as though he had truly encountered the worst possible luck today. Yet, with matters having escalated to this point, what recourse did he have?

It was his own staff’s lack of foresight, offending individuals who should never have been provoked. To manage to smooth things over with a ‘90% off the entire store’ discount was, in itself, a considerable reprieve.

Considering the authority wielded by a Paladin, even if a few people had been killed on the spot, it was doubtful anyone would dare to utter a single complaint.

The mall manager secretly resolved that upon his return, he would immediately initiate a general education session for all his staff on ‘how to identify and properly serve upper-class individuals with peculiar tastes,’ thereby resolutely preventing any recurrence of today’s incident!

Thinking thus, and observing that Li Chunsheng and Liuxia showed no inclination for further conversation, he swiftly shot a discreet glance at the still-frozen sales associates surrounding them.

One quick-witted associate immediately understood, quietly pulling the distraught female sales associate Xiao Li and Yang Tianyi, who remained kneeling on the floor, away from the scene. The mall manager, too, bowed deeply, softly murmuring, “Then… I, your humble servant, shall not disturb your esteemed pleasure, exalted ones,” before greasing his soles and quietly slipping away.

****

Relying on his enhanced acute perception, Li Chunsheng confirmed that no idle bystanders remained within earshot of his conversation with Liuxia. He finally let out a long sigh of relief, then, with a noticeable trace of reluctance, removed the hand that had rested on Liuxia’s small head.

“I apologize, Senior…” he murmured, his head bowed in apology. “For the sake of the act, I touched your head… and for so long, too…”

‘Deep down, his Senior was fundamentally a man of indomitable spirit, one truly qualified to become a Paladin! To have her head stroked like a pet by him for such an extended period, she must surely be quite displeased, he mused.’

Initially, Li Chunsheng’s actions had indeed carried a hint of involuntary affection, yet later, they had served merely to buy time, concealing the fact that both of them were impostors.

After all, he was not a true Paladin; if he had truly engaged in further conversation with that shrewd mall manager, he feared his deception would quickly be exposed.

“Eh… eh?” Liuxia was roused by his apology, as if suddenly jolted awake from a beautiful dream.

‘So… so earlier… it was all just an act?’

“Oh… and I was… I was so completely immersed just now…” The young woman recalled the safe and blissful sensation she had felt beneath his warm palm, her pretty face instantly flushing crimson with embarrassment.

‘It was clearly just an act, yet she had truly gotten into character!’

Even now, she could feel her cheeks subtly burning, and her entire being felt light and floaty.

‘Waaah… it’s all ChunSheng’s fault for giving me this girl’s body; it’s just too strange!’

‘And because of it, I’m becoming stranger and stranger myself…’

However, ChunSheng’s reasoning was so sound that Liuxia was utterly unable to fault him, and could only say in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, “It’s… it’s fine…”

“Then… then next… shall we quickly head home?” Having experienced so much, the young woman felt mentally exhausted and now only wished to return home for a good night’s sleep.

“Leave? Why leave?” Li Chunsheng asked, puzzled. “Weren’t we going to buy clothes?”

Liuxia weakly tried to persuade him. “ChunSheng, are you actually tricking yourself now? We aren’t really rich people, are we?”

“Come on, it’s still pouring outside, and our clothes aren’t completely dry—how uncomfortable is that!” Li Chunsheng chuckled, then, without further ado, took Liuxia’s hand. “It’s a rare opportunity that the mall manager gave us a 90% discount. Since we’re already here, let’s pick out some suitable clothes for Senior!”

Saying this, he disregarded Liuxia’s protests and pulled the young woman into the adjacent high-end clothing store—one he hadn’t been able to enter for a long time.

“E-exalted ones, how may we be of service?” Given the previous precedent, the remaining female sales associates in the store had become exceedingly subservient.

“For this lovely young lady, please select an outfit suitable for the current season.” Li Chunsheng snapped his fingers with a flourish, then, gesturing to Liuxia beside him, declared grandly.

“Additionally, pick out two more outfits for when the weather warms up, and package them all for us to take.”

In truth, neither he nor Liuxia had any experience in selecting women’s clothing. Thus, he simply entrusted the entire task to these professional sales associates.

“Then… then what about you, exalted one?” A female sales associate, observing the still-damp security uniform Li Chunsheng wore, asked hesitantly in a low voice.

“Me?” Li Chunsheng smiled, then secretly activating the gold coins within him and utilizing his Bronze-tier physique control, his body temperature instantly rose, thoroughly drying the residual moisture from his clothes.

With a hint of gentle warmth in his voice, he stated, “Today, I am this maid-M’lady’s exclusive security guard. Therefore, I won’t need to change.”

“The exalted one is truly kind to this young lady…” The female sales associates felt a pang of envy, perceiving that while this Paladin seemed a bit peculiar, he was also incredibly romantic.

Upon receiving such clear instructions, all the staff in the store immediately sprang into action, gathering to select the most suitable clothes for Liuxia. Then, truly like a group of dutiful maids, they clustered around Liuxia and led her towards the changing room.

“W-wait, wait! I can change myself…”

“Oh, M’lady, please allow us to assist you!”

“Wow… M’lady, your figure is truly magnificent.”

“Ah… d-don’t touch there!”

“…Indeed, the size of this underwear is still too small. Xiao Ya, quickly go to the storeroom and bring the largest size!”

“No, it’s still a bit small! Change it again!”

“Waaah…”

From inside the changing room, Liuxia’s panicked cries constantly echoed, along with the melodious laughter of the female sales associates, which couldn’t help but send Li Chunsheng, waiting outside, into flights of fancy.

Not long after, surrounded by the sales associates, a completely refreshed Liuxia was led before Li Chunsheng.

“H-how… how do I look?” Liuxia nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, looking at Li Chunsheng with apprehension.

The young woman was now clad in an exquisitely tailored, perfectly fitting off-white cotton overcoat. Most astonishingly, as if the designer had anticipated her figure, the garment at the chest featured a perfectly structured ‘bust pocket,’ which flawlessly accommodated and supported the young woman’s somewhat exaggerated, majestic peaks. Elsewhere, the clothes tightly accentuated her slender, graceful waistline, making her appear exceptionally alluring. Yet, the overall pristine white, combined with her own snow-white long hair and clear crimson eyes, imbued this ultimate allure with an additional touch of unblemished purity and sanctity.

Indeed, it was a high-end brand store; a mass-produced ready-to-wear garment somehow managed to look like a bespoke, custom-made piece.

Li Chunsheng was momentarily captivated by the breathtaking sight before him. He felt that seeing his Senior in this manner was worth any amount of money.

…This magnanimous sentiment persisted until the moment he had to pay.

“Total comes to 14,763 Black Iron Coins, correct…? I understand…” Li Chunsheng nodded calmly on the surface, his expression unchanged as he pulled out his Black Iron Card and swiped it lightly across the payment machine.

‘So damn expensive!’ he internally gasped, feeling as though his heart was bleeding.

‘This was… *after* the 90% discount! The lives of the wealthy are truly… unimaginable.’

However, in doing so, a significant portion of the money he had just ‘acquired’ from the City Defense Army was now spent.

‘Alas, it seems I’ll have to find a way to earn more money again!’

“Let’s go, Senior…!” Li Chunsheng decided that before he could succumb to a pained expression, he should quickly pull Liuxia away from this dreadful place.

As Li Chunsheng’s childhood friend and senior, Liuxia instantly discerned his current state of mind, and a deep sense of guilt welled up within her.

‘…What should I do?’

‘Girls’ clothes… are actually so expensive… and ChunSheng doesn’t even have much savings to begin with…’

‘Can these clothes… be returned? This much money would be enough for the two of us to live comfortably for a very, very long time…’

The joy she had felt earlier, having obtained a Black Iron artifact for her junior, was gradually replaced by anxiety.

Li Chunsheng noticed the young woman’s anxiety and quickly began to comfort her. “It’s fine, Senior. Even if we didn’t buy them now, we’d have to buy them eventually… You can’t possibly keep wearing this maid outfit everywhere, can you?”

“Senior, you’re so beautiful now, yet you always wear a maid outfit…”

“It’s raining today, so there aren’t many people outside, which is fine. But normally, if you don’t dress more elegantly, you might encounter similar trouble when you go out in the future, right?”

He racked his brain for comforting words, yet the anxiety on the young woman’s face showed no signs of diminishing.

She merely continued to internally fret: ‘Yes, if it weren’t for me, ChunSheng… he wouldn’t have encountered so much trouble in the first place…’

Seeing that his comfort was ineffective, Li Chunsheng scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. Finally, with a sincere yet slightly self-deprecating tone, he said, “In any case, for the days to come… I hope I can rely on you, Senior, to always take care of me! So… I also hope that Senior can live a better life with me…”

Because the person standing before him was such a beautiful young woman, even though these were heartfelt words spoken to his senior, saying them now felt exceptionally shy.

‘Seriously, this situation is far too much like a confession…!’

Yet, he truly felt that way. He hoped to continue standing by his Senior’s side, supporting each other and walking forward together.

But who knew that this somewhat self-deprecating ‘declaration of dependence’ would produce an unexpected effect.

“Eh?!” Liuxia let out a soft cry, her face brightening like a clear sky after rain.

‘It… it’s like that?’

‘ChunSheng, he… is truly so gentle…’

‘Even if he didn’t give me gifts, I’m already… inseparable from his protection.’

‘Oh no, it feels like tears are about to fall…’

The young woman rubbed her slightly moist eyes, her voice soft as water. “To be… to be given a gift by someone, this is… this is the first time…”

In this world, most boys, aside from their parents, could perhaps only hope to receive gifts from their wives and children. For orphans like them, such hopes were even more of a luxury.

She had once longed for a gift from Mu Shengling… but in the end… it had only been a longing…

She never expected it from the junior she had always helped…

A warmth that Liuxia herself had not noticed filled her eyes as she looked at Li Chunsheng, her tone becoming exceptionally gentle. “Thank you… ChunSheng, I will cherish these clothes…”

‘At the very least, I mustn’t let ChunSheng’s kind intentions go to waste,’ the young woman thought to herself.

Just then, Liuxia keenly heard Li Chunsheng’s stomach rumble. She pursed her lips into a smile and said, “Hehe, after all that happened, I completely forgot ChunSheng hasn’t eaten yet~”

“Come on, ChunSheng!” The young woman glanced around, then pulled ChunSheng to sit on an unoccupied soft bench.

“Eh? What are you doing?” Li Chunsheng asked, a little confused by Liuxia’s sudden enthusiasm.

“Sit tight~” The young woman swiftly opened the lunchbox she was holding, scooped up a large mouthful of food with a spoon, and, with a beaming smile, extended it towards Li Chunsheng.

“Come~ Open wide… Ah——”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey… Senior! W-what’s suddenly gotten into you?” Li Chunsheng’s face flushed at her abrupt action.

“Now now… don’t talk while eating, okay~” Liuxia gently fed a mouthful of food into Li Chunsheng’s mouth.

Watching Li Chunsheng’s somewhat flustered expression, she mischievously smiled. The young woman chuckled, “Didn’t you, ChunSheng, ask me, your Senior, to be your ‘girlfriend’ and ‘maid’ out here…?”

“So now, you just properly enjoy Senior’s service!”

‘The debt I owe ChunSheng… it will probably be hard to repay…’ Yet, at this moment, Liuxia felt no guilt or unease because of it; instead, her heart felt warm.

‘Perhaps, this is our unique bond, as brothers?’

That day, the special ‘brothers’ explored the mall for a long time, and only when the rain outside gradually lessened did they carry their spoils and walk hand-in-hand back to their small home.