“If it’s a holiday, wouldn’t the school leaders be happy too?”
This was the first time Serveyia felt that the little fox might be even cuter than she had imagined. Could such a naive idea actually come true?
“If the school leaders don’t have any tasks they need to complete, then maybe they really would be happy. But how should I put it… adults often have things they absolutely have to do. You probably understand that, little fox?”
“Hah… how hard.”
“Little fox, while what you said earlier was heartwarming, this comment gives off a vibe of ‘the rich don’t understand the poor.’”
“I-Is that so?”
“Of course it is. Everyone is working hard, and then someone who barely works suddenly says ‘so hard.’ Don’t you think that really reflects that saying, little fox?”
Well… when put that way, it did make sense, but Liuli had always thought that people who have to work during holidays were truly suffering.
“Does little fox want to take a look at some clothes?”
“Clothes? What kind of clothes?”
“The cosplay outfits Yike mentioned earlier. Aren’t you curious, little fox?”
“Actually… I am a little curious.”
“Since you’re curious, why not try some on? You don’t have to show anyone else—just me.”
“But don’t cosplay outfits need to be custom-made?”
“It’s not like we’re going to an event. If you’re just wearing them casually, custom isn’t necessary.”
“Serveyia, why are you so carefree about this?”
“Simple—because I really want to see you in a cosplay outfit. I’m willing to make some sacrifices for that.”
“O-Okay then…”
Liuli felt that Serveyia’s eagerness was hard to judge. Should she say Serveyia was true to her desires, or that she never hid them?
“Since you really want to see, Serveyia, let’s go take a look…”
Liuli felt she needed to push herself. Maybe this opportunity could let her experience cosplay too?
“What kind of character does little fox want to cosplay?”
“What kind of character?”
Liuli thought instinctively. She liked a lot of characters, but the problem was what kind of character would suit her current appearance?
Her hair was actually the smallest obstacle.
The ears on her head and the tail behind her were the biggest hurdles to cosplaying freely.
So there weren’t many options available.
The most likely cosplay would be fox-type characters.
But fox characters—and a white fox with nine tails at that—were rare in 2D works. Famous ones were even rarer.
If she really wanted to cosplay, it wouldn’t be easy.
“Serveyia, is there any magic that can make my tail and ears disappear?”
“Does little fox not like them?”
“It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s just that with ears like these and a tail like this, I feel like no matter what character I cosplay, it looks strange. So, is there a way?”
“Little fox, I think you don’t need to be so strict. As long as it looks passable, isn’t that fine?”
“No way! If I’m going to cosplay, I want it perfect. This is my choice, the character I like. Of course I want to cosplay perfectly.”
“There is a way, but it’s only temporary and doesn’t solve the root problem. Besides, it’s not very comfortable.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll just pick some foxgirl characters to cosplay.”
For Liuli, cosplay was an activity to please herself. If the process was uncomfortable, it was better not to do it at all.
“Since little fox has decided, I do know a place. There are plenty of foxgirl characters to choose from for cosplay.”
“Serveyia, I’m curious—how do you know about these places?”
Serveyia wasn’t from the Fox Clan, and aside from Liuli, she didn’t seem to have other foxgirl friends.
Under these circumstances, how did Serveyia know so much?
“Of course I found out after meeting you, little fox. Didn’t I tell you I’ve been looking forward to this day?”
Serveyia took her hand and led her to a store with an antique feel.
She pushed open the door, and a crisp wind chime sounded from inside.
The store’s decor had a strong Eastern vibe.
Wooden shelves were lined with all kinds of costumes, props, and accessories.
The most eye-catching were a row of fox ear headbands and tail decorations hanging on the wall—all colors available: white, black, red, gray, gold…
Not just wearable ones, but also insertable types. Was this store even legit?
“Welcome!” A woman with orange fox ears popped her head out from behind the counter, her tail gently swaying behind her. When she saw Serveyia, her eyes went wide. “S-Serveyia Lady?! What brings you here…?”
“I’m here to bring someone shopping.”
Serveyia said calmly, stepping aside to let Liuli walk forward.
The shopkeeper’s eyes widened even further, her mouth forming an O shape.
“A Nine-tailed Celestial Fox?! A real Nine-tailed Celestial Fox?!”
Her gaze landed on Liuli’s nine tails behind her, and she trembled with excitement.
“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I’ve run this store for three hundred years, and this is the first time I’ve seen a living Nine-tailed Celestial Fox! Princess! Princess, you’re so beautiful! This fur! This shine! This fluffiness! You’re the perfect representative of the fox clan!”
She was so excited she couldn’t form coherent sentences. She rushed out from behind the counter and circled Liuli several times.
Liuli felt a little embarrassed under her scrutiny. Her tails puffed up slightly, almost wrapping around herself entirely.
“Shopkeeper.” Serveyia spoke softly, her voice gentle but carrying an undeniable authority. “We came to shop, not to be stared at.”
“Ah—right, right, right! Sorry, sorry!” The shopkeeper quickly stepped back and bowed deeply. “Forgive me, Princess! I got too excited! May I ask what kind of clothing the Princess would like to buy?”
“Show us.”
“All cosplay outfits of foxgirl characters from games. Bring everything over for us to see.”
“Wait, everything? Is that really necessary?”
“Of course it’s necessary. How else can we find out which one suits you best, little fox?”
“Then… let’s do as Serveyia says.”
“Yes, yes! Our store has many foxgirl-themed outfits. Please come this way.”
“Little fox, which one would you like to try first?”
Liuli glanced at the clothes on the rack, hesitated for a moment, and chose the most obvious one—the cosplay outfit of Yakumo Ran.
“Th-This one…”
“Okay.” Serveyia took the outfit from the shopkeeper and walked into the changing room with Liuli. “Do you need my help getting dressed, little fox?”
Liuli nodded. The reason was simple—Yakumo Ran’s outfit was more complicated than she had imagined.
First, a white inner layer, then a blue Daoist robe, a yellow belt, and finally an outer robe on top.
As for the accompanying fox ear headband, she chose not to wear it, since she already had her own ears.
Though the color differed from the original Yakumo Ran’s, if she ignored that small issue, it actually looked really good.
“There.” She took a step back and looked at the mirror. “Little fox, how does it look?”
Liuli turned to face the mirror—if she could ignore her hair color, she looked like she had stepped straight out of a game as Yakumo Ran herself.
The blue Daoist robe accentuated her silver-white hair’s luster, her nine tails fluffed out behind her, and her heterochromatic eyes shimmered faintly in the glass.
The robe’s cut fit perfectly, highlighting the curve of her waist.
The hem reached just above her ankles, revealing her legs in stockings beneath.
Well, the stockings were probably one thing that wasn’t canon.
“Very nice,” Serveyia said, examining her closely with a pleased expression. “As expected of little fox. You look good in anything.”
“But Serveyia, is there a way to change my hair color to yellow?”
Liuli still wanted to find a way to make herself look more authentic.
Without a wig—or rather, since a wig wasn’t really suitable—she instinctively thought of magic.
If she could change her hair color, she would be perfectly accurate.
“There is a way, but are you sure you want to do that, little fox?”
“Why not? Would there be some side effect?”
“No side effects. I just think your white hair is beautiful. There’s no need to change it, right?”
“No way! I want to perfectly recreate the character!”
“Little fox, if you’re going for perfect accuracy, should you also match the personality?”
“Uh… I guess… I really would need to?”
“So why don’t you match that?”
“Serveyia, do you just want to argue with me?”
Liuli didn’t know what to do now. Serveyia seemed unwilling to help change her hair color, and she hadn’t learned any similar magic.
“I’m not arguing. I just think changing your hair color for a cosplay is pointless. And frankly, even if you did dye it yellow, I doubt most people would recognize who you’re cosplaying.”
“Mmph…”
Liuli was rendered speechless. It really seemed to be true. Ten years ago, or even fifteen years ago, if she cosplayed this character, many people would recognize her. But now—probably no one would.
“Besides, secondary settings change all the time. Since you don’t need to show it to anyone else, it’s fine as is.”
Serveyia’s approach was gentle and persuasive, leaving Liuli a little frustrated. Though she was reluctant to admit it, she knew Serveyia wasn’t wrong.
“Is there any other outfit little fox wants to try?”
“Something to try?”
Liuli thought about the clothes she had seen earlier. They were indeed pretty, but the idea of wearing them on herself was a bit daunting. Some outfits looked nice but were too skimpy—that would be a real challenge for Liuli.
Even if there were options like safety shorts or leggings, Liuli felt it would be strange.
If she had a choice, she honestly didn’t want to wear anything underneath a cosplay outfit.
To her, that would be a kind of Out of Character.
Of course, she knew this thought itself was absurd, so she wouldn’t demand it of others—at most, she’d demand it of herself.