Halochassis

Chapter 67 - Shopping

Lireina was completely stunned when she stepped into Shin’s dining room and found a pink-haired girl casually sitting at the table, happily eating a slice of buttered bread. The faint smell of warm bread and melted butter filled the room, mixing with the morning air drifting in through the open window. What made the sight even more suspicious was the fact that the girl was wearing Shin’s clothes. The shirt was obviously too large for her, hanging loosely around her shoulders and making her look even smaller than usual. Lireina stared at the unfamiliar girl for several seconds, her green eyes slowly narrowing as she processed what she was seeing.

Her mouth remained slightly open before she finally turned toward Shin with a smile.

“Oh my, I didn’t know that you had a visitor this early in the morning, Shin,” Lireina said sweetly.

“I, uh…” Shin scratched the back of his head, already feeling sweat trickle down the side of his face. His stomach tightened as he glanced between Lireina and the pink-haired girl. He had no idea how his girlfriend would react now that she had finally seen Risha inside his home, wearing his clothes and eating breakfast like she belonged there. “She just came over last night?”

“Last night?” Lireina tilted her head, her smile never disappearing.

“Y-Yeah! B-But it’s not what you think!” Shin immediately panicked. He threw both hands into the air and waved them frantically, as though physically pushing away whatever conclusion Lireina might have reached. “She’s just a friend from work.”

“Oh.” Lireina blinked innocently. “Why did she stay here last night?”

“W-Well, her family house burned down last night. She had nowhere else to go, so I let her stay through the night. She also didn’t have any clothes left, so I had to lend her some…” Shin wiped the sweat from his forehead. He forced himself to breathe normally, convinced that his explanation sounded perfectly reasonable.

As far as he was concerned, it was mostly the truth.

Mostly.

Now came the difficult part. He had no idea how Lireina was going to treat this half-truth and half-lie.

Lireina slowly shifted her attention toward Risha. She continued smiling as she stepped inside the house and approached the dining table, her cheerful expression making it almost impossible to tell what was going through her mind.

“Nice to meet you, um…” Lireina extended her hand toward the pink-haired girl.

“Ri… Rika,” Risha replied.

Risha was sweating just as badly as Shin.

She nervously placed her hand in Lireina’s and immediately felt how warm and gentle her grip was. Yet despite the friendliness of the gesture, Risha’s body remained tense. She was finally meeting the Untouchable Windwalker face to face, the legendary Celestial Warden whose name was known throughout the continent.

Risha was terrified that Lireina might misunderstand her relationship with Shin. Everyone knew how deeply Lireina loved him, and everyone knew how dangerous a Celestial Warden could become when provoked. Risha could not use a Halochassis anymore either. The glove that had once given her power was no longer in her possession, leaving her almost completely defenseless if things suddenly went wrong.

“Nice to meet you, Rika!” Lireina said brightly as she shook Risha’s hand. “Shin never told me about you.”

“Ah, well, it’s because Shin is deeply in love with you, Miss Untouchable Windwalker,” Rika quickly answered. “Please don’t misunderstand us. I’m not his paramour or something.”

“I didn’t say anything like that.” Lireina’s smile remained perfectly bright. “Why are you so defensive?”

Risha froze.

Shin froze too.

The two exchanged a quick glance before looking back at Lireina. Something about her smile felt increasingly dangerous the brighter it became. Neither of them could tell whether she was genuinely amused, quietly annoyed, or simply enjoying their discomfort. Lireina was usually cheerful, but right now, Shin was beginning to understand that a cheerful smile could be far more frightening than an angry glare.

“N-Nothing,” Risha said quietly.

Lireina puffed out her cheeks, her long elven ears twitching slightly as she crossed her arms.

“Geez, Shin. What are you so scared of, huh? I’ll never get angry at you even if you get a sidechick or two.”

“As I just told you, I’m loyal to you, Lena!” Shin cried.

For a second, the room fell silent.

Then Lireina suddenly burst out laughing.

“Pfft! Hahaha!” Her laughter filled the dining room as she covered her mouth. “I’m just fucking with you.”

Shin stared at her in disbelief.

Risha also looked completely stunned.

Lireina finally stopped laughing and reached for Risha’s hands again. Her playful expression softened into something warmer, and the tension that had filled the room gradually began to disappear.

“Don’t worry, Risha. You’ll be okay,” Lireina said. “Shin might be a bit perverted, but he stays in the closet. He’s also quite a gentleman sometimes, as long as you remind him what to do.” She gave Risha a playful wink.

“Y-Yeah.” Risha nervously nodded, though a tiny smile had begun to form on her lips.

Lireina smiled back before suddenly wrapping an arm around Risha’s shoulders.

“So, how about I join you two for breakfast?” she asked. “And afterward, let’s go shopping for some clothes for you.”

“Huh?” Shin exclaimed.

“Shin, you don’t have work today, do you?” Lireina asked. Without even waiting for his answer, she pointed directly at him with her index finger. “How about you accompany us to the mall? You’ll be our pack horse.”

“Pack horse, huh?” Shin muttered, already accepting his miserable fate.

Risha scoffed at him. Then, unexpectedly, she giggled.

It was a small, soft laugh, almost quiet enough to be mistaken for a breath. But both Shin and Lireina noticed it immediately.

For Shin, the sound was strangely unfamiliar.

It was the first time he had ever seen Risha laugh so innocently.

He had seen her countless times inside the headquarters of the Iron Bandits, usually with that same tired and gloomy expression on her face. He had seen her during missions, carrying weapons and staring down enemies without hesitation. He had even watched her fight while wearing Mastema power armor, surrounded by explosions, screaming metal, and the violent glow of magic.

But he had rarely, if ever, seen her genuinely smile.

Risha had always seemed like the gloomy girl who silently followed Adzeel’s orders and stayed close to the shadows. She rarely spoke about herself, rarely showed weakness, and almost never allowed herself to relax around other people.

Yet Shin had gradually learned there was more to her than that cold exterior.

She was someone who cared about him.

Someone who had risked herself for him.

And now, as he watched Risha laugh with Lireina over something as stupid as being called a pack horse, Shin realized that perhaps this was the first time he had ever seen her simply being herself.

<><><><><>

And so, after finishing breakfast, Lireina, Shin, and Risha headed into the busy streets of Luminous City and eventually wandered into one of the largest malls in the central district. The place was already crowded despite the relatively early hour. Adventurers, merchants, workers, and families moved through the wide marble corridors while colorful signs and magical advertisements flickered above the storefronts. The air was filled with the mixed smells of roasted meat, sweet pastries, perfume, and freshly brewed coffee from the food stalls scattered throughout the building.

Their first stop was an apparel store.

At first, Shin assumed that the entire trip would simply be about buying new clothes for Risha. After all, she had arrived at his house with practically nothing left except the clothes on her back. That seemed like a simple enough mission.

He quickly realized how wrong he was.

The moment Lireina stepped into the store, her attention was immediately captured by the rows of dresses, jackets, skirts, blouses, and other fashionable clothes hanging beneath the bright magical lamps. Her green eyes practically sparkled as she browsed through them, occasionally pulling something from a rack and holding it against herself in front of a nearby mirror.

Before long, Lireina disappeared behind the curtain of a changing room with an armful of clothes.

Shin stood outside with Risha, carrying several pieces of clothing that Lireina had already selected.

“This is going to take a while, isn’t it?” Shin muttered.

Risha glanced at the enormous pile in his arms.

“Probably.”

A few moments later, the curtain opened.

Lireina stepped out wearing a purple frilly dress decorated with layers of soft fabric and tiny ribbons. The skirt bounced lightly around her knees whenever she moved, while the purple fabric brought out the brightness of her green eyes. Her long blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, and her elven ears twitched excitedly as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Then she turned toward Shin.

“How is it, Shin?”

“You look good,” Shin answered, raising his thumb.

Lireina stared at him for a moment before returning to the changing room.

Several minutes later, she emerged wearing a red jacket paired with a black mini skirt. The jacket gave her a slightly more mature appearance, while the dark skirt made her look like someone who had walked straight out of an expensive fashion magazine. She placed both hands on her hips and tilted her head.

“How about this?”

“That looks good as well,” Shin said, giving her the exact same thumbs-up.

Lireina slowly lowered her arms. Her cheeks puffed up. Her elf ears drooped toward the sides of her head.

“It seems that anything’s good to you.”

Risha immediately covered her mouth, trying to suppress a giggle. Shin noticed it and suddenly became nervous.

“N-No, that’s not what I meant!” he said quickly. “It’s just that…”

He paused, desperately searching for the right words.

“You look so good no matter what you wear.”

Lireina blinked.

The irritation on her face immediately disappeared.

A warm blush spread across her cheeks, and she quickly looked away while fiddling with the edge of her jacket.

“Geez.”

Risha failed to hold back her laughter this time. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she watched Shin accidentally stumble his way into a compliment.

Shin sighed in relief. Then, as Lireina stared at Risha through the mirror, a sudden idea seemed to strike her.

Her eyes widened. A metaphorical lightbulb practically appeared above her head.

“Oh! I have an extra dress here that would look really good on you, Rika!” Lireina exclaimed.

Before Risha could even react, Lireina grabbed both of her wrists.

“Come here!”

“A-Ah!” Risha cried as she was dragged toward the changing room.

“Wait, Lireina!” Shin called after them.

The curtain closed behind the two girls, leaving Shin standing outside with his arms full of clothes. Inside the changing room, Lireina happily began sorting through her things.

“Try this one first,” she said.

Risha nervously reached for the dress.

“Do I really have to?”

“Of course! You need something nice.”

Lireina gently helped her remove the borrowed clothes, chatting casually as though they had known each other for years. Risha remained stiff and uncomfortable at first, unused to receiving such friendly attention. She had spent most of her life watching her surroundings, preparing for danger, and following Adzeel’s orders. Being fussed over by someone with Lireina’s cheerful personality felt strangely unfamiliar.

Then Lireina noticed something.

As Risha turned slightly, Lireina caught sight of the back of her body.

There, just below her shoulder blades, was a tattoo.

A magnificent phoenix spread its wings across Risha’s back, its feathers carefully drawn in intricate patterns. The creature looked as though it were rising from flames, with its wings stretched wide and its head raised toward the heavens. The tattoo was old enough that some of the lines had faded slightly, but the symbol remained unmistakable.

Lireina’s expression slowly changed. Her playful smile disappeared. She stared at the mark with wide eyes, suddenly recognizing what she was looking at.

“That mark…”

Her voice became quieter.

She leaned closer, examining the phoenix tattoo with disbelief.

“Wait…”

For the first time that morning, Lireina looked genuinely shocked.

“Are you… from the Phoenix Clan?”

At that moment, Risha’s eyes widened. Her entire body became rigid. The blood seemed to drain from her face as she slowly turned her head toward Lireina. She had not expected that question.

Not from her.

Not here.

For a brief moment, the cheerful atmosphere of the changing room disappeared completely, replaced by a heavy silence that made even the sound of people walking outside seem distant.

Risha swallowed hard.

Lireina had just discovered the secret that Risha had spent years keeping hidden.