"Welco...me."
The hostess at the entrance nearly called for security or the authorities—had she not seen it all before.
But where was this?
Orb, the neutral nation!
The so-called freest country in the world!
She herself had witnessed far more outrageous antics than what stood before her now!
Thus, she quickly suppressed the fleeting surprise on her face, her professionalism as a top-tier saleswoman swiftly taking over.
With a smile, she bowed at a 45-degree angle and continued the welcome she had left unfinished.
"Sir and miss, Yongmei is at your service. Any requests you have, you may direct them to me."
"Oh? Any?" Wang Hu perked up at once, but before he could take further action—
Thud!
A fierce kick landed on his leg. Cagalli, biting her lip with a flushed face, glared at him as if flames were about to shoot from her eyes.
"Pervert!"
A voice both delicate and flustered escaped her rosy lips.
"Ahem."
Well, he had promised to take responsibility. Clearing his throat, Wang Hu spoke up.
"Pick out a suitable dress for her."
"Of course, sir." Covering her mouth, her eyes curved into crescent moons, the saleswoman named Yongmei flattered,
"I'll go select the perfect outfit for your girlfriend right away."
With her sharp, veteran saleswoman's eye, she had instantly discerned the dynamic between the two.
A slightly flirtatious male lead and a tsundere childhood friend female lead?
In that case, all she had to do was flatter the heroine!
Hehehe... Today's sales quota is as good as secured. Teehee.
"W-What nonsense are you spouting, you idiot!"
"W-Who... who's this scumbag's—this pervert's—girlfriend?!"
Like a cat with its fur bristling, Cagalli immediately protested the moment she heard the term.
Her first rebuttal was directed at the saleswoman, before naturally circling back to cursing Wang Hu.
"Oh? Is that not the case?"
Her gaze, fluid as water, shifted between the indifferent Wang Hu and the furious Cagalli.
Pressing her lips together, Yongmei gently twisted the knife.
"But you two seem so close—I assumed you were a couple."
"Still, you make such a perfect pair! Any child you have would surely be beautiful!"
"Wha—? A child?!"
Steam practically erupted from Cagalli's head, her face turning as red as a tomato.
"A child... or something..."
She stammered, at a loss for words. Having grown up in Orb's central residence, surrounded by so-called high society elites, no one had ever spoken to her like this.
And having always seen herself as one of the boys, Cagalli had never once considered such matters.
Now faced with this overly talkative saleswoman, she was utterly unprepared.
"Wait a minute!" Recovering from the initial shock, Cagalli exploded with rage.
"I told you there's nothing between us! We don't even know each other!"
"Stop tacking on weird, baseless assumptions!"
"Calm down, calm down," Wang Hu murmured from the side.
He quickly stepped forward to cover Cagalli's mouth, simultaneously offering an apologetic smile to the other customers who had turned to look.
Meanwhile, the saleswoman Yongmei timely displayed an expression that seemed to say, "Did I see that wrong?"
'You bastard, I'll bite you to death!'
Her eyes conveyed this message as Cagalli opened her mouth, baring her canine teeth, and bit down hard on Wang Hu's hand covering her mouth.
"You!" Wang Hu couldn't even pull his hand back now. He lowered his head to meet Cagalli's stubborn gaze.
Fine, consider it a dog bite.
With a silent sigh in his heart, Wang Hu signaled to the saleswoman Yongmei.
"Please bring us a dress."
"Certainly." Watching the pair before her, Yongmei agreed verbally while growing even more convinced of her own assumptions.
Hmph, a bickering couple.
I've seen plenty like you two—today's sales quota is counting on you!
As soon as Yongmei swayed away, Wang Hu swiftly reached out with his other hand and gripped Cagalli's neck.
"That's enough, don't push it!"
"Ow, wha' 'ou mean push i'?"
With her mouth still clamped on Wang Hu's hand, Cagalli's words were muffled.
"You don't want this to escalate, do you? Think about your family."
Threatening her verbally, Wang Hu gradually increased the pressure on the girl's neck.
"Tch."
Feeling the tightening grip and imagining her father's reaction if he saw her like this, Cagalli's face flushed red before she finally released her bite.
"I won't let you off! One day, you'll fall into my hands!"
Cagalli glared fiercely at Wang Hu, who was now blowing on his injured palm.
"Yeah, yeah, sure."
Wang Hu nodded, inspecting the nearly broken skin on his hand.
Just then, Yongmei returned with the dress. Her reappearance made Cagalli shoot Wang Hu one last glare before falling silent.
Except...
"I won't wear a dress!"
Turning her face away, Cagalli declared that not even her father could make her wear a dress—let alone now!
"What kind of girl refuses to wear dresses, always dressing like a tomboy?"
Wang Hu wasn't actually insisting she wear one. In his memories, scenes of this girl in a dress were rare—only three instances across two seasons of the anime: once at Tiger's place, once disembarking from the Archangel, and once during her forced wedding.
But you refuse?
Perfect. That's exactly what I want—for you to resist. Forced fruit tastes sweeter, after all!
"No, no way!"
Could Cagalli ever be forced?
Maybe later, but before the Lion of Orb ascended to the heavens? Nearly impossible.
"Wearing it or not?"
Wang Hu raised an eyebrow, cracking his knuckles as he prepared to take decisive action.
"Miss."
In a flash, Yongmei teleported herself between them, blocking Wang Hu's line of sight. She then bent down gracefully and whispered something into Cagalli's ear.
Wang Hu's ears twitched, but her voice was too soft for him to catch. However, he could see Cagalli's eyes brightening with every word.
"Fine." After hearing Yongmei's secret, Cagalli's attitude did a complete 180.
For no apparent reason, like a triumphant general after a great victory, Cagalli cast a haughty glance at Wang Hu.
Then she prepared to walk past him toward the dressing room.
"Please wait a moment," Yongmei stopped Cagalli just as she was about to change clothes.
"We also have paid Bathhouse and Dressing room services here, all with dedicated attendants."
"Great, take me there!" Her eyes shining even brighter, Cagalli nodded repeatedly.
"..."
Seeing and hearing this, if Wang Hu still didn't know what was coming next, he might as well buy a block of tofu and smash his head into it.
Watching the excited Cagalli depart, Wang Hu quickly opened the financial app on his phone.
"Shift!"
After glancing at the balance displayed—all his hard-earned bonus money—he realized this trip might wipe him out completely!
Time flew by before Wang Hu could figure out how to gracefully avoid the inevitable situation that was about to unfold.
Like a lotus emerging from water, Cagalli appeared before Wang Hu, led by Yongmei, now dressed in a pure yet alluring style.
"Do I look good, sir?"
The top saleswoman asked softly, gazing at Wang Hu with the gentlest expression.
"You look good."
Against his better judgment, Wang Hu couldn't bring himself to lie.
"Thank you. That'll be 800."
Smiling like a fox that had stolen a chicken, Yongmei cheerfully announced.
"Uh... Orb currency?"
"No, Atlantic Federation dollars. But if 800 seems too expensive—"
"We do offer discounts. After discount, it's only 799.99 Federation dollars."
"Which is just over 700 with some change. Maybe that'll make you feel better?"
"Got it. Here's the invoice header. Please issue a receipt."
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