“Oh, oh, so you were just talking about your interests. I thought you were describing my looks!”
Phew~ You scared me there.
Guang Yu’s vanguard force had received the command. Resolutely and without a care in the world, she strode proudly toward the Doujinshi Hall.
Even as stares of utter disbelief rained down on her from all sides.
But Little Fox didn’t give a damn.
She had no shame.
Not to mention, she had a mask and a baseball cap to hide behind.
As expected, Guang Yu was the mightiest warrior of them all. If she pulled this off smoothly, maybe Ye Zhibai wouldn’t plant her in the ground after all.
On the contrary, she’d even reward her with some wasabi.
Ye Zhibai prided herself on her fair system of rewards and punishments. She was just inwardly admiring her own impartiality when Little Qiu’s soft, loli-like voice of concern piped up from beside her.
“Will this really be okay…? No, no matter how you slice it, this seems like a huge problem! Sending a little kid out on a treasure hunt, Yezi? Aren’t you worried you’ll corrupt her, and then her parents come looking for you?”
“She doesn’t have parents… Ahem, I mean, kids these days mature fast. They slip out from under their parents’ thumbs early on. Take Guang Yu—she hit her rebellious phase ahead of schedule. Anyway, this was her decision. Sure, there’s some risk, but let’s analyze it logically. Both Guang Yu and the doujinshi are important. If we sacrifice Guang Yu to get the doujinshi, it’s totally worth it.”
“Good grief… Model cousin, I’m convinced.”
“Precisely.”
No more words needed.
Cheering Guang Yu on in their hearts was all they could do.
Ye Zhibai watched as Guang Yu slipped into the exhibition hall without a hitch, thanks to her petite frame. She nodded in small, satisfied motions.
At the same time, she didn’t forget to tease her group friends’ tastes with her flat, emotionless tone.
“By the way… I never expected it, Little Qiu. You like Juzi doujinshi? When did that kink start?”
“Wh-what? Is that weird?!”
“Not weird at all. To each their own—it’s perfectly normal. I just thought Juzi stuff appealed to a pretty niche crowd.”
“That’s prejudice! Ahem… No, I mean, Yezi, let me make this clear: don’t get the wrong idea. Liking doujinshi doesn’t reflect real-life preferences. Think about it—plenty of people read furry stuff, but that doesn’t mean they’re into actual cats and dogs, right?! I… I feel the same way. I like Juzi doujinshi because it’s cute 2D girls interacting. It has absolutely nothing to do with real-life orientations. Yeah, nothing at all!”
“Oh… Actually, I wasn’t thinking that much about it.”
“!”
I wasn’t thinking anything, but your frantic explanations are making you look suspiciously pretty right now.
Ye Zhibai nodded in approval. As a veteran of 2D culture herself, she got exactly what Little Qiu meant.
“I get it. Juzi doujinshi are great. I just figured girls wouldn’t be into that sort of thing much.”
“Pfft… Yezi, the way you said that—like you’re just an observer. It really ticks me off, you know?”
“True enough.”
Ugh, thanks for the reminder!
Yes, no denying it now. She was undeniably a girl.
But sorry—not sorry—as someone who actually understood girls from the inside, she was eighteen years behind.
Amid the Autumn Leaf Duo’s anxious chit-chat and waiting…
The vanguard, Guang Yu, finally returned.
Her free-spirited silhouette cut proudly through the crowd.
“Yezi, Yezi, look! Little Guang Yu’s really back!”
“……”
From how excited you sound, did you not think she’d make it back at all?
Well… Fair enough. It wasn’t easy.
Not only had Guang Yu returned.
She did so with total swagger, strolling like she owned the place.
Look at the other buyers. After grabbing their doujinshi, they hunched over, clutching bags and scurrying away.
But not Guang Yu. She bobbed her head, swinging two big bags, her walk screaming “don’t talk to me.”
Meanwhile, the onlookers shooting her suspicious looks were the ones ducking their heads in shame.
“As long as I’m not embarrassed, it’s the others who are.” Perfectly demonstrated.
Even so.
Ye Zhibai pulled Little Qiu back a few steps, ducking behind a nearby pillar to put some distance between them and the liberated Guang Yu.
Guang Yu, come to the pillar. Link up with the main force quietly.
You’re brave, a hero even, but I can’t stand at the front to welcome your triumph. Please understand.
But once Guang Yu reached the pillar too…
Ye Zhibai showered her with praise without holding back.
“Guang Yu, well done.”
“Heh heh! Of course! You questioning my skills? When this lady personally takes the field, how could anything go wrong?” Little Fox planted her hands on her hips!
Right at that triumphant hip-cocked moment…
A loudspeaker blared from the Doujinshi Hall entrance!
“Doujinshi Hall, Doujinshi Hall—whoever’s kid grabbed books without paying, you just walked out. Guardian, please come to the front desk to settle up. We’ve got cameras everywhere. Follow the rules. Repeating…”
“……” “……”
Ye Zhibai’s hopeful gaze snuffed out instantly.
Little Qiu’s eager hand, itching to peek at Guang Yu’s haul, froze mid-air too.
Ah… This colorful world.
Why did it always turn grayscale in a heartbeat?
With dead-fish eyes, Ye Zhibai stared at the beaming, confident Guang Yu. Her adorable smile reflected in those eyes.
But deep down, it was all Fox Carrot.
“Guang Yu… Be honest with me. Don’t worry, I won’t hit you. Did you seriously not pay?”
“P-pay? What’s that mean?”
“Hand over money.”
“You didn’t give us any money?”
“I gave you my phone… Oh right, I forgot you can’t scan codes. Couldn’t you come ask for help?”
“We’re asking for help now! How do you scan?!”
“!”
Holy crap, you came out asking for help—without casually strolling off with the goods first?!
Guang Yu pondered.
A spark of pure, clever light even gleamed in her eyes!
“Pfft… But Ye Zhibai—er, cousin—you don’t need to scare me. Sure, they said scan to pay, but these doujinshi are probably freebies anyway, right? Can’t fool me!”
“Where’s that confidence from…? Who told you they’re free?”
“I used my brain. Searched before buying. Try it—type Citrus Saga into a search engine. Eight big characters pop up after.”
“Wh-which eight characters?”
“Free resources, instant download!”
“You little… Guang Yu, we’re done. Enemies forever.”
“？!”
Lesson learned: Clever tricks never last.
Whatever mess Guang Yu made, Ye Zhibai still had to clean it up.
As Guang Yu’s “guardian,” Ye Zhibai donned her mask, tugged down her baseball cap, and approached the Doujinshi Hall front desk on trembling legs. She scanned to pay for what Guang Yu hadn’t.
Earning a sincere lecture from the shopkeeper to boot.
“Young folks, have some integrity. Manners first. Eyes everywhere—not blind here! Doujinshi Hall ain’t outside the law. You’ll pay what you owe.”
Impressive.
As the saying goes: One moment without social death paves the way for a bigger one later.
No such saying existed—Ye Zhibai just made it up.
You could trust an amoeba, but never count on Guang Yu to do anything right.
~~~ Zhibai’s Classic Quotes, Collected ~~~
Luckily, Little Zhibai was quick on her feet. A simple explanation, plus enough stealth.
She took only a billionth of a mental hit, then sauntered back to the pillar with bags in tow.
Seeing Little Qiu wagging her finger, lecturing the wall-squatting Guang Yu on basics, put her at ease.
“…Got it, Little Guang Yu? Online’s online, real life’s real. In reality, you pay for stuff. No such thing as a free lunch! That’s society’s harsh truth! Th-this… Yezi, you’re back! Still alive?!”
“Half-dead, nine deaths to one life. Sigh… What a nightmare. Enough chatter, Little Qiu, Guang Yu—come here.”
After all that drama…
Now came the payoff.
Time to see what treasures they’d scored!
Woo, so worth it!
