Chapter 74: Tarot Astrology Shop
City lights began to twinkle as dusk settled, illuminating streets and alleys.
After a fifteen-minute subway ride, Ruo Xiaoxi arrived home.
She walked to the commercial street, heading to the clothing store where she’d worked during the summer break to collect her wages. The money was transferred directly to her bank card.
“Come back and visit anytime!” the owner called out warmly.
“Visit…? I… I work here,” Ruo Xiaoxi muttered, feeling like her job mostly involved playing with the children, like a lucky charm attracting customers.
‘Mommy, there’s a pretty older sister over there, I want to go see!’
That was probably how she drew people in. While browsing, they’d often buy their daughters matching outfits. Little boys didn’t seem interested in clothes, but they would occasionally peek at Ruo Xiaoxi through the glass.
She wondered how many boys’ first loves, first aspirations of beauty, she had been.
With her earnings in hand, Ruo Xiaoxi walked out of the store, satisfied. Now she had money for school supplies, new dresses, and sunscreen, without having to touch the little nest egg she shared with her sister.
She had secretly been saving that nest egg as a dowry for her sister’s future wedding, slowly accumulating it bit by bit as a token of her brotherly love. But then she remembered she was a girl now…
After a brief moment of thought… Yes! She’d just marry her sister! That way, the nest egg would come full circle back to her! (Just kidding.)
“I’ll go to the supermarket. Time to celebrate getting paid.” As Ruo Xiaoxi descended the steps, she suddenly felt a gaze, a hidden observation.
“?” She stopped, alert.
She stood perfectly still, listening intently to the surrounding sounds, her eyes discreetly scanning the area.
One advantage of being a vampire was her heightened senses. Just as humans could feel when they were being watched, vampires had that sense amplified many times over.
“Hmm? Ever since leaving Xiaonuo’s house, I’ve kept feeling like someone’s watching me,” she murmured to herself.
Could some urban legend be haunting her? If so, she suggested those scary ghosts come out. She was a vampire too; they were practically colleagues. There was no need to scare each other. Just come out for a chat.
“If you have a crush on me, please come out and confess. Otherwise, it’ll be hard for me to reject you.”
Ruo Xiaoxi put her hands on her hips and shouted to the empty surroundings. The ensuing silence made her feel a bit silly for talking to herself.
“No one there… Oh well.” She shrugged.
After shopping at the supermarket and browsing for dresses, she realized it was already 10 PM.
On her way back, she spotted a milk tea shop. Suddenly craving milk tea, she stopped at the entrance, looking up at the illuminated sign that read “Xiaoqian Milk Tea Shop.”
“A milk tea shop? Sounds fancier than a regular milk tea place.” She hadn’t been here before. Pushing the door open, she stepped inside. The shop seemed closed, no customers in sight.
Of the two counters, only one, displaying a cabinet full of glasses, was lit.
The rest of the shop was dim. Two girls in uniform stood behind the illuminated counter. One, with long, pale pink hair, was affectionately hugging a girl with snow-white hair, whispering sweet nothings.
“Ah, Fufu, let… let go, we have a customer.” The girl in the embrace heard the door open and quickly pulled away, blushing.
Ruo Xiaoxi froze, wondering if she’d walked in on something. What were these two girls doing?
Wait a second, these two girls!
Her eyes widened slightly. She recognized them! They were the two girls from the free couple’s milk tea event on her Qixi Festival date with Senior Xia! (Qixi Festival-Chinese Valentine’s Day)
The pink-haired girl wore twintails and bat hair clips, radiating energy and cheerfulness. The snow-haired girl had smooth, cascading long hair, appearing elegant and shy.
Both had skin as fair and pure as jade, their delicate arms intertwined, their petite figures each exuding a unique charm. Their breathtaking beauty made it hard to look away.
Mascots… no, Aces! They were definitely the aces of this milk tea shop!
“Excuse me, customer, the milk tea shop is closed. However, the Tarot Astrology Shop is still open. We have a limited selection of milk tea. Are you interested?”
“Tarot Astrology Shop? What’s that…?” Ruo Xiaoxi hesitantly approached.
“It’s… a little shop we run inside the milk tea shop. We open at night, sell milk tea, perform magic tricks, and do fortune-telling.”
“I’m the astrologer, Yifulan. This is the owner of the Tarot Astrology Shop, Su Xiaoxiao.” The pink-haired girl gestured towards herself and then the other girl.
Ruo Xiaoxi was surprised. The owner was also a white-haired lolita, like her! And even shorter! Probably around 1.45 meters tall! Yes!
She suddenly felt like she’d won something.
“Eh, the owner? Then you’re…”
“That’s right, I’m the owner of the astrology shop, and she’s my wife.”
Yifulan hugged Su Xiaoxiao, beaming. Su Xiaoxiao blushed shyly, not resisting, leaning back into the embrace.
“Fufu… Taking advantage of the situation to touch me under the counter? You’ll get a spanking later.”
“Hee hee, you caught me! I’m sorry.”
So they were indeed a couple! Ruo Xiaoxi suddenly felt like she’d lost something.
“So, customer, would you like some milk tea, or would you like to see us perform a magic trick, or perhaps have your fortune told? It’s all for entertainment.” Yifulan spread a deck of tarot cards on the table.
“Eh? Wait a minute, you…” Suddenly, Yifulan paused, as if sensing something. She leaned closer, studying Ruo Xiaoxi carefully.
“It seems we have a special guest today.”
Leave a Reply