"How is it? Little junior."
After finishing the photo shoot, Xia Liang walked over, put her hand on Emerald Sparrow's shoulder, and looked into the mirror, "I think this one is the most satisfying."
Emerald Sparrow looked at herself in the mirror and saw that she was wearing a loose, short cardigan with long sleeves, a high-waisted skirt, white socks, and canvas shoes on her feet, all of which added a youthful student vibe to her demeanor.
Her appearance as a Magical Girl was somewhat youthful, but in this outfit, she seemed to take on a slightly more mature air, looking much more grown-up, at least like a middle school student.
It was precisely this point that led Emerald Sparrow, after a brief moment of silence, to nod subconsciously in approval, "I think it's quite nice."
It wasn't merely a perfunctory response, but genuine satisfaction.
So, after nearly an hour of trying things on, and stopping only because the store clerk was neglecting other customers, which was bad for business, Emerald Sparrow and Xia Liang walked out of the store with several bags in hand.
By that time, it was already the afternoon.
"Ah, that was satisfying!"
Holding her phone, Xia Liang moved forward while browsing through the photos she had taken earlier, "I could never see you in these clothes normally, but now I can save them all."
"...I'd really prefer you to delete them."
Carrying a paper bag, Emerald Sparrow paced down the street, "If you really don't want to delete them, then at least be a little careful not to let those photos slip to the other members."
"Eh? Is it bad to show them to Xiao Lu?"
Xia Liang raised her phone and shook it, "I think she'd be really happy to see them, after all, you're very cute."
"You know what I'm trying to say."
Emerald Sparrow gave her a sidelong glare, "No means no."
"So this is our little secret then?"
Xia Liang grinned, pressing the phone against her chin, "With this, our secrets accumulate even more."
Emerald Sparrow remained silent to her deliberately teasing words.
Replying too earnestly would only encourage Xia Liang's playful spirit; replying too carelessly might make Xia Liang feel snubbed. The best response was no response, handling it neutrally.
The two walked along the pedestrian street for a while, crossed the road they'd come by, and once more reached another block. Emerald Sparrow didn't speak, and Xia Liang didn't ask, just occasionally throwing out a question in light conversation.
Before long, having turned a corner, Emerald Sparrow spoke softly, "We're here."
"Where?" asked Xia Liang, puzzled.
"Our next stop, a privately operated pour-over coffee shop."
Emerald Sparrow reminisced as she spoke, "It was also where Fangting City's team used to meet up after school. I'm not sure if it's still in business, but let's go check it out."
"Like how we used to have to meet on the rooftop of a building?" Xia Liang asked, somewhat pensively.
"Something like that," answered Emerald Sparrow nonchalantly.
"Eh... You guys used to meet in places ?" Xia Liang was somewhat astonished, "Was there some special reason?"
"Is it that strange? Going to a café shouldn't be unusual."
"Well, it's not about going to a café being unusual, but the kind of café you're talking about seems a bit..."
While speaking, Xia Liang stretched out her hand, pointing towards the opposite side of the street, "Look, it should be that one over there, right?"
"What kind of café? It should just be an ordinary..."
As Emerald Sparrow followed where Xia Liang was pointing, she saw a coffee shop indeed in the place of her memory. However, as she got a clear view of the coffee shop's sign and decor, it was as if she forgot what she was about to say, abruptly swallowing her words.
In her memory, the location across the street was supposed to host a small, exquisite coffee shop with a Western Region style, slightly quiet business-wise but with a very particular atmosphere and equipment.
But now, what entered her view wasn't the shop she remembered.
A girl dressed in a black and white maid uniform was standing at the door, enthusiastically promoting to passing pedestrians; the storefront was decorated in a breezy pink style, giving off a very girly vibe; the name of the coffee shop was written in cursive on the sign, but beside the logo was a miniaturized version of a maid outfit.
And such an outfit, in the public's mind, had a specific name: maid attire.