Chapter 185: Clothing

“It really makes me happy that you’re taking the initiative like this, Little Fox.”

Serveyia spoke while gently stroking Liuli’s head.

“Hmph, who made you so passive, Serveyia? If you won’t do it, then I have to be the one to take the lead, right?”

Liuli said this with a hint of dissatisfaction. She had always thought this kind of thing should be Serveyia’s initiative—Serveyia should be the one to bring it up and do it.

What was she doing taking the lead herself?

“Wasn’t I just worried you’d get shy, Little Fox?”

“Serveyia, I think you’re just making excuses for yourself.” Liuli knew exactly what Serveyia was thinking.

“By the way, Serveyia, are you busy this morning?”

“No, I’m not. Is there something you want to do, Little Fox?”

“I want to go see Dora to discuss the clothes.”

“For the data, sending a message should be enough, right? You probably don’t need to talk in person?”

“It’s not just the data, it’s also the specific styles… Oh, right. In that case, I’ll take Yuli with me. After all, this is meant to be a little surprise.”

In Liuli’s view, if she told Serveyia about these clothes in advance, Serveyia might back out or refuse.

Besides, apart from one or two outfits she’d already decided on, she actually didn’t have many ideas about what clothes Serveyia should wear.

She was mostly just going with the flow.

“Alright. Will you be back for lunch, Little Fox?”

“Probably. If I’m not coming back for lunch, I’ll let you know in advance.”

Dora was still in her E-sports Club. Liuli took the souvenirs she had bought from the Elf Territory and headed to the club.

Although Dora, being a noble lady, might not be particularly impressed by the small gifts she brought, it was still a token of her sincerity.

And, to be honest, it was a bit embarrassing—she hadn’t even thought about souvenirs at first.

It was only after Aili reminded her that she realized she needed to prepare them.

Speaking of Aili, Liuli’s feelings about her confession were still a bit muddled.

Even though they had agreed that Aili would show her sincerity during the visit, plans changed.

After returning to the Elf Territory, Aili became extremely busy—so busy that even Serveyia would sympathize.

The matter of responding to her confession was left hanging like that.

But Liuli knew that leaving it unresolved wouldn’t solve anything. She couldn’t put it off forever. She needed to give Aili a clear answer sooner or later.

To be honest, Aili was very good-looking, and Liuli didn’t dislike her at all.

There really wouldn’t be any problem accepting Aili’s confession.

After all, the only person she really needed to consider—Serveyia—had a noncommittal attitude about whether she should accept Aili’s confession or not.

So, the only thing she needed to think about now was whether she could take that step herself.

Coincidentally, just as she thought of Aili, her phone rang. She opened it and, sure enough, it was a message from Aili inviting her to lunch.

But, unfortunately, she had already promised Dora, so it seemed she’d have to cancel on Aili’s invitation.

However, Liuli wasn’t so heartless. After rescheduling with Aili, she realized it was probably time to give Aili a clear answer.

“Your Highness, your birthday is coming up soon.”

As soon as Liuli arrived at the E-sports Club, Dora said this to her.

“Yes. I was a bit busy before, but after Serveyia reminded me, I realized my birthday really is almost here.”

“This is a major event in St. Laia. Preparations might start in a couple of days.”

“I-Is it that serious?”

“Of course it is. Although I haven’t met the previous princesses, according to St. Laia’s records, the princess’s birthday is as important as the school festival. It might not be as lively as the Academy Festival, but it’s a holiday almost all students celebrate together. And, Your Highness, you should be prepared—this year’s birthday celebration might be even grander than you imagine.”

“W-Why?”

“First, Your Highness, you are St. Laia’s first princess in many years. Second, as the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox who hasn’t appeared in the world for a long time, your first birthday since reappearing will naturally be a focus of attention.”

“Even so, there’s no need to make it so… uh… so extravagant, right?”

“Well, you are the princess, after all. And for everyone else, it’s a nice holiday. It’s just… becoming more and more famous.”

“Alright, if that’s the case, I can reluctantly accept it.”

Liuli had always admired people who sacrificed themselves to give the public holidays, even if that wasn’t their original intention. But who doesn’t like more holidays?

“By the way, Your Highness, how did you persuade Serveyia?”

“I didn’t really persuade her. I just traded it for my birthday gift. I don’t really want anything else, so I might as well trade for this.”

“So, Your Highness, what kind of clothes are you planning to have made?”

“Just some of Neng Dai’s outfits.”

Neng Dai was a character Liuli had always liked, and she had always wished to see her in real life.

Of course, seeing her in real life was impossible. The only alternative was cosplay.

Given her status as the Princess of St. Laia, if she seriously looked for someone to cosplay Neng Dai, there would be no shortage of volunteers.

But if it was someone she liked doing the cosplay… that would feel different. Having someone she liked cosplay a character she liked—just thinking about it made her happy.

“All of them?”

“If possible, then all of them would be best. But wouldn’t that take a lot of time?”

Liuli wasn’t too worried about the cost, but time waits for no one. She still hoped to get the clothes before her birthday.

“It’s actually not that bad. The clothes themselves aren’t too difficult to make. But, you know, Serveyia cosplaying… I’d really like to see it if I had the chance. With her figure, cosplaying Neng Dai would definitely attract a lot of attention, right?”

“Unfortunately, Serveyia doesn’t want anyone else to see. She won’t even let me take pictures.”

But, honestly, Liuli didn’t really want others to see either. Given the typical scale of Azur Lane outfits, if they were to be faithfully recreated, it definitely wouldn’t be simple.

“Well, I can understand that. Actually, the fact that Serveyia agreed to this at all is a bit surprising. Serveyia must really like you, Your Highness, to have agreed to it, right?”