As soon as I breathed a sigh of relief, Ling Xiaoxiao pounced over as if she’d discovered a new continent, her eyes shining like searchlights, and even the pair of rabbit ears atop her head perked up with excitement.
“Wow!! This is way too cute! This Maid Outfit was simply tailor-made for you!”
She circled me twice, her fingers almost poking my face, “Seriously, you look so much better than that shut-in otaku guy who only sat at home drawing all day! This is how you were always meant to look~”
My cheeks flushed in an instant, my cat ears flattened tightly against my scalp, and my tail slapped the floor behind me in irritation, “W-What are you staring at! Stop staring!”
I reached out, trying to cover her eyes, but she deftly dodged. Her gaze, burning with heat, swept over the lace trim on my body, making my skin crawl; even the cash stuffed in my garter was digging into me uncomfortably.
What do you mean, ‘how I was always meant to look’! She’s clearly making fun of me!
A rush of shame and anger shot straight to my head, and I stomped my foot and yelled, “If you like it so much, why don’t you try it yourself!”
She immediately put her hands on her hips and laughed even harder, “It’s not like I can’t, but I don’t work here, so what would it look like if I wore a Maid Outfit?” She winked at me, drawing out the last note, “But as for our Catgirl waitress Guiyun, isn’t it only natural for her to serve guests in this Uniform?”
I was left speechless, fuming as I turned my head away, my cat paw scrunching the apron into wrinkles. This girl was definitely doing it on purpose!
“Xiaoxiao is so cute, I bet she’d look perfect in a Maid Outfit too.” Shiyu-jie appeared at some point, carrying a tray, her aqua-green fox tail lightly brushing Ling Xiaoxiao’s rabbit ears. Her fingertips traced a circle atop Xiaoxiao’s head, “There are Spare Uniforms in the Warehouse, you know, the ones with white lace trim.”
Ling Xiaoxiao’s rabbit ears shot straight up, then drooped as if electrocuted, the tips tinged pink, “Shiyu-jie, don’t encourage them…”
She scuffed her toes against the floor, absentmindedly tying the apron strings into a knot with her fingers, “I-I definitely wouldn’t look good in it…” Her voice grew smaller and smaller, though a hint of hesitation crept in at the end.
“How could you not look good?” I immediately seized the chance and scooted closer, the tip of my tail hooking around her wrist and giving it a shake. “Didn’t you just say I looked good in it? Let’s return the favor—let us see a Rabbitgirl Maid Outfit, hmm~” My cat paw deliberately scratched her palm, making her flinch from the tickle, but she didn’t really pull away.
Shiyu-jie propped her chin up with one hand, her fox ears swaying slightly, “I want to see too. After all, Xiaoxiao’s droopy ears paired with a lace headband…” She paused on purpose, watching Ling Xiaoxiao’s ears tremble like dandelions in the wind, “might actually suit her even better than Guiyun.”
“But…” Ling Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip, her gaze darting to the Warehouse and quickly away again, “I’m not even an Employee here…” She didn’t finish before I grabbed her arm and dragged her half a step toward the Warehouse. She staggered to keep her balance, but her rabbit ears still sneaked a glance at Shiyu-jie, as if seeking confirmation.
“Just try it for five minutes!” I shook her arm, my tail sweeping back and forth behind her.
“If it doesn’t look good, we’ll change right back, and we’ll keep your secret!” Shiyu-jie also walked over, giving her back a gentle push, “Come on, go take a look. We have all sizes of Spare Uniforms.”
Trapped between us, Ling Xiaoxiao’s toes dug little grooves into the floor. At last, she mumbled softly, “Then… just for a look? You can’t laugh at me…”
“Alright, absolutely no laughing!” The moment Ling Xiaoxiao finally agreed, my eyes lit up. Now I understood why she’d been so excited when she saw me come out just now.
Ling Xiaoxiao’s cheeks were red enough to drip blood. Twisting the edge of the apron with her fingers, she suddenly whispered so softly it was barely audible:
“Um… when changing… I might need someone to help…” She shot me a quick glance, her rabbit ears instantly flattening against her head, “But—but it can’t be Guiyun! You’re definitely thinking of doing something bad!”
I’d just raised my paw excitedly to volunteer when she glared at me in embarrassment, “Let Shiyu-jie help! She’s reliable!” Caught red-handed, I pursed my lips and my tail lashed the floor in protest, but the thought of soon seeing a Rabbitgirl in a Maid Outfit made me wilt and give in. “Alright, alright, I’ll wait outside, okay?”
Ling Xiaoxiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and clung to Shiyu-jie’s sleeve as they moved toward the Warehouse. As she passed by, she didn’t forget to smack my hand with her rabbit ears, “No peeking!”
With a soft “click,” the Warehouse door closed. Ling Xiaoxiao’s white rabbit ears peeked out first, twitching from the gap, before she slowly edged out, clutching the hem of her skirt.
The lace collar of the Maid Outfit made her neck look slender and white, the tips of her rabbit ears dusted pink where they drooped over her shoulders. Even her tail peeked out as a little tuft of white from under the skirt, brushing the floor with every step.
“Uu… does it look okay?” She buried her head so far her chin almost touched her chest, voice as soft as a mosquito’s, her fingers twisting the skirt into deep folds.
“It looks amazing!” My eyes went wide, and my cat paws itched to pounce over and rub her ears, but she planted her palm on my forehead and pushed me away.
“What’s with the ‘amazing’! And d-don’t get so close!” She staggered, and the Bell on her skirt hem jingled in a flustered chorus, “No, no, this is too embarrassing, I’m changing back!”
“Hey, don’t!” I hurriedly grabbed her sleeve, my tail wrapping around her wrist and giving it a shake, “You just put it on!”
Shiyu-jie leaned casually against the doorframe at some point, holding a teacup. Her aqua-green fox tail slowly swept the floor. “Xiaoxiao, you look adorable like this,” she tapped her chin with a fingertip, “If the Bow Tie at the Uniform collar was loosened a bit, lower down, it’d look even better. Need me to help adjust it?”
At Shiyu-jie’s praise, Ling Xiaoxiao’s ears, which had been standing straight from embarrassment, bent slightly, “R-really? Then… could you please help, Shiyu-jie?”
Why does she always listen to Shiyu-jie and not me? I was the one who suggested it first… I sulkily poked at my cat paws, watching Shiyu-jie adjust the Bow Tie at Ling Xiaoxiao’s chest.
Seriously, is the Foxgirl’s charm really that powerful? I bared my teeth at Ling Xiaoxiao’s twitching rabbit ears, only to have her skirt swish across my nose as she turned.
But, thinking about it, if I were her, I’d probably be just as wary of Ling Xiaoxiao.
After all, day or night, the hardest thing to guard against is a mischievous friend! Especially after Ling Xiaoxiao snuck into my house for days and turned me into a Catgirl, I understand that saying even better now!
Fine, since the Maid Outfit is so cute, I’ll forgive this biased traitor for now.
Just as I was busy roasting a certain someone in my head, a voice sounded from outside the door.
“I’m back. Shiyu, did you take good care of the shop?”
At that voice, I instantly froze. Even though we hadn’t met in a while, I could never mistake that voice.
Meow!!! It’s Yueran!! Why is she back so soon!