“Wait, wait! I’m Nine…!”
Whoosh!
In the street where a chilly wind blows, Sophia’s desperate voice echoes.
She was holding so many shopping bags, her hands were overflowing, and her arms were nearly full.
Because of the heavy loads, she was stepping delicately, on the verge of tumbling over.
But to keep up with the girl walking far ahead of her, she had no choice but to stagger and speed up.
“I’m really sorry about earlier…! So please, can you wait for me?”
Silence…
Sophia shouted toward the girl walking in front of her, apologetically.
However, the girl continued to walk briskly without saying a word.
Maybe she was sulking a bit from being treated like a dress-up doll for quite a while at the clothing store.
With a slightly pouty face, she maintained an ambiguous pace, neither too close nor too far from Sophia.
Huff, huff… heeek…
A white breath escaped from her panting lips.
She tried hard to catch up with the girl, but for some reason, the distance between them hadn’t changed at all.
Like many modern office workers suffering from chronic lack of exercise, Sophia’s stamina was rather terrible.
As she felt her energy dwindling, she slowly began to reduce her pace until finally, it reached zero.
With her knees crouched on the ground, she started wheezing.
Ew…?
While catching her breath, Sophia felt a significant portion of the burden lifted from her.
When she looked up, she found the girl had come close and was holding all the shopping bags she had been carrying.
“Ahh… give it back! I didn’t need Nine to carry those!”
“Forget it. You looked like you were really struggling.”
The girl slung the shopping bags, which seemed to weigh more than half her body, over her shoulder.
She was a bit miffed because of what happened earlier, but that was just her way of teasing Sophia.
Seeing Sophia crouched on the ground, out of breath, didn’t seem cold-hearted enough for her to keep stubbornly ignoring her.
So the girl, who had been trying to ignore her, decided to walk beside her, matching her tired pace.
“Ugh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to buy so much. It just kind of happened…”
“I sometimes think you should learn about moderation, Sophia.”
“Agh, you’re hitting my sore spot…”
Hearing the girl’s words, Sophia let out a pained groan.
Despite looking quite young, the girl could often make very pointed comments.
Each time it happened, Sophia found herself unable to retort, left nursing a bruised heart in silence.
“By the way, is it really okay to buy so much? Honestly, I think it cost a lot.”
“Oh, that’s fine. If Nine wore those clothes every day, the price wouldn’t really matter.”
Noticing the worried girl, Sophia smiled reassuringly.
While she could never claim she hadn’t spent a lot, the mere fact of being able to see the girl dressed in various outfits was worth it in her eyes.
“…?”
However, after hearing that, the girl looked confused and just stared at her face.
“No, I won’t wear them.”
“Huh?!”
And just like that, as she conveyed her refusal, Sophia’s voice echoed loudly in surprise.
“W-Why not?!”
“Even if you ask why… I already told you I don’t want to wear these kinds of clothes.”
“But a cutie like Nine should wear cute clothes! It’s an international loss if she doesn’t! If you’re that cute, shouldn’t you take on the responsibility?”
“Uh… Sorry, I don’t get what you’re saying at all.”
As Sophia kept rambling, the girl made an expression that seemed to say, ‘Here we go again…?’
Frankly speaking, it was now hard for her to even grasp the meaning behind Sophia’s words.
Of course, she was glad to have someone taking an interest in her, but it was inevitable that she felt pressured when such conversations cropped up.
With the girl already attracting attention due to her looks, Sophia’s confusing words drew even more eyes to them.
As the stares around them became overwhelming, the girl started feeling a little flustered.
To stop Sophia’s chatter, she found herself compelled to yield to some of her demands.
“Alright, okay. I’ll wear them, so chill.”
“Really?!”
At last, Sophia clamped her mouth shut.
However, unlike the vibrant emotion on Sophia’s face, the girl’s expression looked quite complicated.
After all, the act of wearing women’s clothing she had never donned before felt like a blow to her pride, almost like it was shattering the identity she had maintained thus far.
“…But only sometimes. And I’m absolutely not wearing skirts.”
“What? But more than half of these outfits—”
“I’M NOT WEARING THEM!”
“Alright, okay…”
Sophia’s disappointed voice trailed off as the girl stood her ground, relieved for a moment, her heart soothed.
Shortly after, to escape the excessive stares, she pulled on Sophia’s sleeve, quickening her steps to leave the area.
Vroom!
After escaping the unnecessary attention-grabbing spot, Sophia’s eyes caught sight of a huge clock built into the wall of a building.
“Oh, by the way, Nine, aren’t you getting hungry?”
“Huh? Not really…”
The clock’s hands pointed to the sky, signaling lunchtime was approaching. She asked the girl if she felt like eating something.
But the girl, who didn’t seem to feel any hunger, silently shook her head.
“Really? Hmm, that’s a shame. I know a great shop around here.”
“A shop?”
“Yeah! It’s a dessert place that’s super famous.”
Gasp!
But the moment the word “dessert” came up, the girl’s eyes lit up with interest.
Sophia, as if expecting this reaction, began to describe the wonders of the desserts sold there.
“Do you know how amazing the tarts are? When you take a bite, the sweetness just fills your mouth, melting beautifully… It feels like you’re walking on clouds!”
Woah!
With exaggerated gestures, flowery language flowed from Sophia’s lips.
If you listened critically, you’d realize it was quite exaggerated, but for the girl, who had a sweet tooth, no explanation could be more captivating.
“Especially the macarons! The crispy shell crumbles, the sweet scent tickles your nose, and the moist, soft filling just spreads in your mouth—”
Sophia glanced at the girl while explaining.
Just as she anticipated, the girl was staring at her, looking like she might drool any moment.
With certainty that her strategy was working, Sophia abruptly halted her grand description and pretended to be disappointed.
“Well, since Nine doesn’t want to go, I guess we’ll just have to go some other time.”
Oof!
Suddenly, the girl snapped back to reality.
Just a moment ago, she wasn’t hungry at all, but thanks to Sophia’s exaggerated descriptions, her mouth was watering considerably.
Now, whether she was hungry or not, she was determined to visit that place.
Eagerly shaking her head, she voiced her wish to go there.
“I’m going!”
“Huh, but didn’t you say you weren’t really hungry?”
“Nah, I’m hungry now.”
Hehe!
“Okay, I got it. Then let’s go there.”
As the girl shook her head back and forth, Sophia smiled knowingly.
Though she often showed a maturity beyond her years, in times like these, the girl acted just like a child.
The sight of her bright eyes sparkling with expectation was undeniably cute, no matter who saw it.
Satisfied with that sight, Sophia guided the girl slowly towards the shop.
“Feel free to look forward to it. This place is on a whole different level compared to the snacks Agent Emma gave you. I’m sure Nine will—”
She proudly boasted about the place she was taking her to.
Well, it made sense for her to do so.
The shop they were heading to truly was amazing.
Especially after Agent Emma brought high-class snacks for the girl, a strange competition began among a few researchers to bring her good treats.
Even though she had started giving treats first, she couldn’t help but feel a little deprived about it, leading her to think she couldn’t lose to anyone.
So she had been sharpening her sword (figuratively) for this very day.
“Wait…?”
Skreech!
However, suddenly, she found herself stopping in her tracks.
It was strange, but she felt something was missing beside her, so she glanced to her side.
But the girl who had just been there was nowhere to be seen, leaving nothing behind.
“N-Nine?”
Sophia exclaimed, bewildered by the sudden disappearance of the girl.
Turning her head anxiously from side to side, she felt relieved when she spotted the girl standing still at a distance.
As if mesmerized by something, the girl was staring blankly up at something.
Fearing the girl might vanish again, Sophia hurried over in a rush.
“W-What’s happening? Is there something there?”
Sophia asked worriedly. Yet, still, the girl did not respond.
She merely continued to gaze up, lost in thought.
Curious about what the girl was looking at, Sophia shifted her gaze in the same direction.
Soon enough, she spotted a sign attached to a nearby building.
“…Hamburger?”
Instead of a luxurious dessert shop or a sweet treat place, there was just a familiar fast-food joint’s sign.
