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As we walked outside of the apartment complex and into the city, I decided to first go eat something. Eating cereal again was going to make me sick, and the stronger I grew, the more calories my body craved. So this was the perfect opportunity to indulge in unhealthy foods.
âLetâs go eat something highly caloric and full of sugar for a change!â I celebrated.
âOh, then letâs go to the newly opened mall on Wally Street; it has a lot of stuff we could try!â Baihe said.
âI want a Frappuccino! I donât know what that is, but I always hear people talking about it.â Annabelle said it cheerfully.
âAlright then, letâs go there!â
We rushed to the new mall at maximum speed, surprising a few people. As we are awakened, when we run, we sometimes create a few shockwaves of wind here and there, but nothing too serious.
FLASH!
BAAM!
Once we arrived in front of the mall, we got inside, finding a beautiful arrangement of countless shops selling all kinds of products. The best was that they werenât related to anything regarding Hunters! Just normal things, for a change...
âSo many shops... This is the first time I have visited a place like this.â Annabelle was walking around, sometimes stumbling on people as she looked at each shop separately, placing her hands on the glass as she glanced at the dresses, boots, and other clothes.
âYouâve never come to a mall before, Annabelle?â Baihe was surprised. âPoor girlâ¦â She gave her a head pat.
âIt doesnât really matter; now Iâve come with you two!â Annabelle smiled. âIâm so happy to be your friend!â
âAwwâ¦â Both Baihe and I couldnât help but have our hearts melted by her words.
I mean, she was such a cute girl sometimes!
âAnyways! We can come back to do some shopping later; letâs go eat! Have you ever eaten chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce before, Annabelle?â I asked her. âOr cookies and cream ice cream?â
âWow, never! Are they good?â She wondered.
âTheyâre really good.â Baihe nodded. âThough Iâve heard there are some Chinese food restaurants too! So we could have a taste of that as well, while we are at it!â
"Sure, that sounds good!â I nodded.
We moved to the third floor, where we found the area where all the fast-food places gathered in the same corner. We started going from one after another, checking what they had.
âSo many things! Anna, whatâs a Crispy McSpicy?â Annabelle wondered.
âA sandwich with crispy chicken and spicy barbecue sauce!â I said. âI remember eating these back then.â
âBaihe, whatâs that?â Asked Annabelle.
âThatâs⦠Oh, thatâs where you can get yourself a Frappuccino! Letâs go get some there for starters.â She said.
âRight!â I agreed.
We rushed there, waited in line like any other civilized human being, not trying to get in front of other people just because we were hunters or something, and then we got ourselves some drinks.
âHmmm..! So sweet, cold, and creamy! And there are cookie pieces in there! And the cream is fluffy, light, nice, and creamy!â Annabelle was having a sugar rush as she was drinking her cookies and cream Frappuccino with extra whipped cream.
âI guess this is the first time you ever get one of these.â Baihe laughed, drinking an infusion of different teas, with some lemon and orange juice in the mix. âThis cold tea is really nice and refreshing too, especially on these hot days~â
âI should have guessed you would get something healthier.â I laughed. âI got myself something pretty gross, but itâs good nonetheless!â
What I was carrying with my two hands was a huge triple ice cream Frappuccino with double whipped cream, topped with a donut. It had vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream flavors, and the mini donut had custard cream filling covered in white chocolate.
For any normal person, this would be an instant heart attack. But my body seriously needed all this energy, so I happily ate the donut in a single bite and started devouring the ice cream and the cold, creamy, and refreshing Frappuccino.
âHmmm⦠With this, Iâm happy already~â I sighed in relief. âOh, so anyway, whereâs Sara? And Scarlet? Do you girls know?â
âDidnât your brother tell you?â Asked Baihe. âScarlet went back to speak with the landlord of the apartment where you live to buy a place close to yours, she said. She also has a lot of stuff to do regarding the press; after all, sheâs a popular figure in the world of hunters in the USA. So everyoneâs asking for her interviews.â
âSheâs busy and famous... I want to be like her.â Annabelle said, sipping her Frappuccino.
âIs that so?â I wondered. âDo you have good memories with her, Annabelle?â
âYeah! Big sister Scarlet was always nice to me, even when the rest werenât that nice to me,â Annabelle said. âRoy was always bullying me... but Scarlet usually was nice; she always brought me clothes and sweets!â
âI seeâ¦â I sighed, feeling slightly sad about remembering what she went through all alone, surrounded by those dangerous people who werenât right in their heads.
Scarlet is certainly not right in the head either, but at least sheâs more sane than the rest of the Dawn of a New World; she had guilt at the very least, something the others couldnât even feel when doing their atrocities.
âAnyways⦠Sara went to look after her guild. As a Guild Master, she had to go to her guildâs building and manage everything as usual. Her guild members were very worried about her too, so she had to go look for them. Later, she also made a public apology about what happened. Usually, she should have gone to prison, but the Hunters Association chairman let this slide, knowing full well she had been possessed by Hel when she was killed.â Baihe said. âAnd about her resurrection... Your acts were hidden as requested, and her death too.â
âThatâs a relief; I donât want to bring unwanted attention towards me, to be honest.â I sipped on my incredibly sugary drink, feeling energy already filling my body. âA lot has happened.â
And thatâs without even taking into consideration how Sara is not exactly alive anymore and has become some sort of undead... Thankfully, her appearance was already lugubrious and pale beforehand, so nobody should notice. She wasnât rotting or something either and was some sort of advanced Phantom Undead or something.
I think it was named Netherworld Specter. Kind of interesting, although without Helâs support, she weakened. Because I was able to Sponsor her, she gained a bunch of new Skills too. Not only is she a fast assassin-type fighter, but now she has both undead powers and, most likely, some sort of Necromancy too.
If I could copy one of her Skills, I wonder what I should chooseâ¦
âWhat should we go buy to eat, though? This wonât be enough,â Baihe said, sipping on her tea. She was wearing a pretty nice white blouse, a jean jacket, white shorts, and cute white sandals while carrying stylish sunglasses. Quite honestly, she was slaying with that fit.
âI want something I havenât eaten beforeâ¦â Annabelle said. âNuggies!â Meanwhile, Annabelle was sporting black jeans, a black and white striped blouse, and a cute gray ribbon. Things Scarlet just bought her. I guess sheâll be adopting her from now on. She really acts like her mom sometimes.
âAlright then, letâs eat some nuggies. I personally want Chinese food too. Something with fried rice and chicken would be nice. Have you ever eaten those before, Annabelle?â I asked.
âNope!â She said it cutely. âIs it good?â
âYep, the foodâs really good. Before it all got destroyed, I used to work at a Chinese food restaurantâ¦â Baihe said. âI cooked most of the things there... Hah, although it was a tragic incident, I still remember when Anna showed up out of nowhere, changing my life forever. She was all crazy about it! As if she always knew about me, though it was the first time we met.â
âOooh! Really?â Annabelle wondered. âSounds romantic!â
âI think thatâs a bit of a stretch!â I laughed. âBut due to the revelations I got from the constellations, I really wanted to save her and recruit her into my team, she was strong, but would have been caught in the webs of an Archdemon if I didnât interfere, which is a relief.â
âYeahâ¦â Baihe smiled faintly. âThank you so much for all of that, Anna. I donât know if I ever thanked you about that properlyâ¦â She said, her blue eyes looking straight into mine.
âA-Ah, itâs fine. Really!â I smiled. âYou can thank me for your friendship; thatâs all I ask, honestly.â
âThat goes without saying!â She giggled. âNow, letâs go snack on something!â
âYaaaay!â Annabelle was jumping around like a little rabbit.
We first went to buy some burgers and chicken nuggets for Annabelle to try. I was also craving a crispy and spicy chicken burger, so I got myself one of those. Annabelle got a double and triple burger with many things and a bucket of forty nuggets with lots of ketchup, honey mustard, and barbeque sauce.
I ate my burger rather quickly; the crispiness was nice, and the spicy barbecue sauce was really good, going well with the extremely sweet and cold Frappuccino with ice cream. I also snacked on some nuggets with Annabelle and Baihe.
Some people were looking at us weirdly too. I mean, how could three cute girls like us snack like pigs on these things? Well, this was the benefit of being hunters; we burn calories like crazy!
âThis, and this, and I want that one white bun thingy too!â Annabelle told the receptionist at the Chinese food restaurant.
âOh, you want dumplings? Which flavor, we got shrimp, pork, soup, and-â
âAll of them!â Annabelle smiled as if possessed by the spirit of gluttony.
âA-Alright, Iâll add five of each thenâ¦â The girl had good patience; Iâll make sure to leave her a tip.
Although I took my brotherâs wallet, I realized I had a lot of money in mine too. So I just used my Hunter Association Credit Card, which also has my funds to buy everything, very convenient, and whenever I showed it, people would say I looked very young for a Hunter of my Rank, amazed.
Hehehe, it feels nice to be recognized a bit! Even though I dislike too much attention, these little things are pleasing to an extent.
Once we were done buying, we carried a huge plate filled with all sorts of Chinese food near an unoccupied table and started eating.
âDumplings, shrimp fried rice, chop suey, Mongolian beef, and chicken, and so much more... I wonder if the food in hereâs as good as the one I make.â Baihe wondered.
âLetâs dig in then!â I said, grabbing my plate of fried rice with shrimp and giving it a taste. âOh, not bad! Pretty alright!â I quickly started snacking on spring rolls and the little deep-fried fish paste nuggets they sold, which were good with that sweet and sour sauce.
âNom, nom⦠Hmm, so juicy!â Annabelle was happily eating her dumplings.
âHm, alright⦠I guess I give it a 6/10; not bad, not too great either.â Baihe said this after tasting the many dishes. âI guess it's still a fast-food restaurant and all, not a professional Chinese food placeâ¦â
âOkay, okay, letâs just enjoy it, for once.â I laughed. âRelax!â
After feasting enough, we moved downstairs and started shopping for all kinds of clothes and accessories we found cute and wanted, being completely unhinged about it!
âYeah, I love these black jeans⦠Oh, and these black jackets too!â I was fascinated.
âYou sure love black, huh? Are you into gothic and punk styles?â Baihe wondered. âI never thought such a cute-looking girl like you liked those styles, hehe.â
âWhat does that even mean? I like what I like!â I crossed my arms.
I tried all sorts of fits, liking a lot these freer and non-tight jeans. I also got myself some blouses and a few jackets, mostly black ones.
âFor once, I want some dresses... These white ones are really pretty. Aw, what the heck? Iâll get some!â Baihe said it decidedly.
âLook good on you! Youâre really preparing well for summer with all the sandals.â I laughed.
âI dislike sneakers; my feet are a bit... Well, delicate, I donât like too much heat on themâ¦â Baihe shrugged. âAh, those sunglasses look cool! Look, theyâre heart-shaped!â
âCool!â Annabelle said, trying some.
âNice~!â I laughed. âSay whiskyyy~â
CLICK!
I ended up taking a selfie with the girls trying out the sunglasses. Baihe got herself summer dresses, more sunglasses (she really liked collecting them), and more sandals.
âAhhh, so many dresses! Oh, I love those shorts and the jeans! Oh my, the jeans! I want some more of those! I am actually a bit tired of dresses. My brother loved to dress me like a doll, and Scarlet too! But I kind of want to dress like you girls a bit moreâ¦â Annabelle said, looking at the jeans and shorts.
âWell, your current fit looks really good on you,â Baihe said. âThe ribbonâs a cute extra; maybe we could go with that for starters?â
âYeah, and then we get you this cute pink dress, and you put a black jacket over it, and these black boots... Oh wow! Oh yeah, thatâs it! Annabelle, youâre rocking them!â I giggled.
âReally?! Hehehe!â Annabelle giggled happily.
"Seriously, I can tell why they dressed you like a doll; you look good in anything!â Baihe said.
âSheâs really photogenic, isnât she? She could become a model in the future.â I wondered.
âA model? Me?! Really?â Annabelle was flattered.
âI think you could if you try hard enough.â Baihe nodded. âAnyways, letâs take a selfie with this; she looks really cute!â
âOkay, cheese~â I giggled.
CLICK!
Annabelle ended up trying out a bunch of new things and was the one who ended up getting the most dresses, jeans, blouses, jackets, and a lot of sneakers.
We had so many bags that I had to store them inside my inventory, revealing to the people that I had such a useful skill. Immediately, some people in these shops tried to recruit me, but I declined their offers anyway.
After spending such a long day shopping and eating, we moved to the nearby park to have a nice walk while relaxing near the trees and talking about whatever.
The day slowly ended, but Iâll never forget the nice and cute memories I made today.
Annabelle and Baihe... Theyâre really my besties.
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