Kaguya's pupils contracted as she turned her head to look toward the sky. She could sense an unusual energy emanating from it, a strange power that felt oddly familiar. But how could that be? This was the real world—there shouldn't be any supernaturally strong forces here.
"What are you looking at?" Qiao Xiaoqing asked, curious, noticing Kaguya had gone silent for a while.
"There was just a shooting star. Didn't you see it?" Kaguya responded.
"Shooting star?" Qiao Xiaoqing walked to the window, glancing outside, her face filled with confusion. "Where? I don't see any shooting star."
"It was just now. Maybe you missed it," Kaguya said.
"I didn't see anything," Qiao Xiaoqing said skeptically. "You're not just trying to change the subject, are you?"
"How could that be?" Kaguya replied. "I definitely saw it..."
She paused for a moment, realizing that her enhanced abilities had allowed her to see the shooting star, but Qiao Xiaoqing wouldn't have noticed. After all, not everyone had Kaguya's ocular abilities. It was daylight too, and seeing a shooting star in the brightness of the day with the naked eye would be near impossible for an ordinary human.
"Out of arguments, huh?" Qiao Xiaoqing huffed.
"Maybe I was mistaken," Kaguya said with a smile, though her mind wandered. She made a mental note to investigate the area later. Judging by the trajectory of the shooting star, it hadn't landed far from here.
However, before Kaguya could act on her curiosity, Qiao Xiaoqing dragged her out for something every woman seemed to enjoy—shopping.
The bustling metropolis was as lively as ever, unchanged by time.
Wide, smooth streets bustled with cars and people, towering buildings lined the sides, and shops stood shoulder to shoulder, their windows filled with goods. People strolled along, chatting and smiling with their companions, their conversations blending into a lively hum of voices.
"I don't think we need to go out," Kaguya suddenly said. "There's really nothing exciting outside."
"How could you say that?" Qiao Xiaoqing retorted, tightening her grip on Kaguya's arm. "We only get to meet once a month!"
"But we're going to see each other for a whole month, right?" Kaguya sighed, feeling the soft warmth on her arm. "There's no rush."
After all, since time flowed much more slowly in the real world compared to the alternate dimensions Kaguya visited—about a tenth of the speed—her long journey in the Akame ga Kill world had only lasted a single month in this world.
"Are you hiding something? Maybe a secret lover?" Qiao Xiaoqing leaned in, puffing out her cheeks, her tone teasing.
"What? No way!" Kaguya said. "I don't even have a 'Number Two,' let alone a 'Number Three!'"
"Who said that? I'm standing right in front of you," Qiao Xiaoqing pouted, raising her chin proudly.
"You?" Kaguya was taken aback.
"Of course!" Qiao Xiaoqing puffed out her chest, pointing to her face confidently. "Who else would it be?"
"You..." Kaguya was momentarily speechless.
"What? Not good enough for you?" Qiao Xiaoqing turned her head away in mock indignation. "I get it—now that you're a fancy fox spirit, I'm too lowly for you to notice."
"Hey, hey, we're friends. No need to mock me like that," Kaguya sighed, her mouth twitching slightly. "Do you think I wanted to become a fox spirit?"
"Who knows what's really going on in your head?" Qiao Xiaoqing held onto Kaguya's arm tightly. "But I'm your childhood friend. No one's taking you away from me."
"Wait, are you seriously acting like my girlfriend now?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow, startled.
"Why not?" Qiao Xiaoqing huffed. "I'm just making sure you don't go astray, so you don't get lured off by some shady woman."
"I appreciate the concern, but it's really unnecessary," Kaguya muttered, her lips twitching.
"We're here." Qiao Xiaoqing suddenly announced.
Kaguya blinked, looking ahead.
They stood before a towering building, sleek and modern, its reflective glass exterior gleaming under the sunlight. The building's clean, simple lines exuded a strong sense of modernity and elegance.
"Let's go inside!" Qiao Xiaoqing smiled, tugging on Kaguya's arm.
Kaguya hesitated but then thought about how uncomfortable her current outfit was. Most importantly, she still didn't have any proper undergarments, and she had no intention of borrowing Qiao Xiaoqing's. That would be too weird, especially since she thought of Qiao Xiaoqing as her little sister.
The interior of the building was tastefully decorated in a serene, elegant style, a sharp contrast to the imposing exterior. Rows of clothes lined the walls, their designs dazzling and varied, a feast for the eyes.
Kaguya, however, had one thought: Expensive.
But, having been an empress, Kaguya no longer cared about the price. In the past, she might've balked at the cost of these clothes, but now she focused more on whether they were to her taste.
She didn't know that her real challenge was yet to come.
For some reason, Qiao Xiaoqing seemed incredibly enthusiastic about picking out clothes for her, constantly bringing different outfits for Kaguya to try on. It was exhausting. Kaguya couldn't understand why women enjoyed trying on so many clothes. Wasn't it enough to wear something comfortable? Why make it so complicated?
Kaguya even suspected that Qiao Xiaoqing saw her as a life-sized dress-up doll.
What made it worse was that many of the clothes Qiao Xiaoqing chose were far too revealing, like dresses that exposed her thighs or shoulders and back, and even some that showed a bit too much cleavage.
"I've had enough! Are you buying me clothes or just messing with me?" Kaguya finally snapped.
"Are you mad?" Qiao Xiaoqing blinked innocently. "I thought you were enjoying it."
Enjoying it?
Kaguya's mouth twitched. Even though she did enjoy dressing more daringly since she had gotten used to being a woman, that was back in the Palace with her lovers. At most, she'd wear short skirts that barely exposed above-the-knee, paired with stockings and heels—something far more elegant and comfortable than this.