Chapter 131: Girls Day

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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.

“Let’s go eat something highly caloric and full of sugar for a change!” I celebrated.

“Oh, then let’s go to the newly opened mall on Wally Street; it has a lot of stuff we could try!” Baihe said.

“I want a Frappuccino! I don’t know what that is, but I always hear people talking about it.” Annabelle said it cheerfully.

“Alright then, let’s go there!”

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 weren’t related to anything regarding Hunters! Just normal things, for a change...

“So many shops... This is the first time I have visited a place like this.” 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.

“You’ve never come to a mall before, Annabelle?” Baihe was surprised. “Poor girl…” She gave her a head pat.

“It doesn’t really matter; now I’ve come with you two!” Annabelle smiled. “I’m so happy to be your friend!”

“Aww…” Both Baihe and I couldn’t help but have our hearts melted by her words.

I mean, she was such a cute girl sometimes!

“Anyways! We can come back to do some shopping later; let’s go eat! Have you ever eaten chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce before, Annabelle?” I asked her. “Or cookies and cream ice cream?”

“Wow, never! Are they good?” She wondered.

“They’re really good.” Baihe nodded. “Though I’ve heard there are some Chinese food restaurants too! So we could have a taste of that as well, while we are at it!”

"Sure, that sounds good!” 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.

“So many things! Anna, what’s a Crispy McSpicy?” Annabelle wondered.

“A sandwich with crispy chicken and spicy barbecue sauce!” I said. “I remember eating these back then.”

“Baihe, what’s that?” Asked Annabelle.

“That’s… Oh, that’s where you can get yourself a Frappuccino! Let’s go get some there for starters.” She said.

“Right!” 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.

“Hmmm..! So sweet, cold, and creamy! And there are cookie pieces in there! And the cream is fluffy, light, nice, and creamy!” Annabelle was having a sugar rush as she was drinking her cookies and cream Frappuccino with extra whipped cream.

“I guess this is the first time you ever get one of these.” Baihe laughed, drinking an infusion of different teas, with some lemon and orange juice in the mix. “This cold tea is really nice and refreshing too, especially on these hot days~”

“I should have guessed you would get something healthier.” I laughed. “I got myself something pretty gross, but it’s good nonetheless!”

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.

“Hmmm… With this, I’m happy already~” I sighed in relief. “Oh, so anyway, where’s Sara? And Scarlet? Do you girls know?”

“Didn’t your brother tell you?” Asked Baihe. “Scarlet 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, she’s a popular figure in the world of hunters in the USA. So everyone’s asking for her interviews.”

“She’s busy and famous... I want to be like her.” Annabelle said, sipping her Frappuccino.

“Is that so?” I wondered. “Do you have good memories with her, Annabelle?”

“Yeah! Big sister Scarlet was always nice to me, even when the rest weren’t that nice to me,” Annabelle said. “Roy was always bullying me... but Scarlet usually was nice; she always brought me clothes and sweets!”

“I see…” I sighed, feeling slightly sad about remembering what she went through all alone, surrounded by those dangerous people who weren’t right in their heads.

Scarlet is certainly not right in the head either, but at least she’s more sane than the rest of the Dawn of a New World; she had guilt at the very least, something the others couldn’t even feel when doing their atrocities.

“Anyways… Sara went to look after her guild. As a Guild Master, she had to go to her guild’s 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.” Baihe said. “And about her resurrection... Your acts were hidden as requested, and her death too.”

“That’s a relief; I don’t want to bring unwanted attention towards me, to be honest.” I sipped on my incredibly sugary drink, feeling energy already filling my body. “A lot has happened.”

And that’s 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 wasn’t 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 Hel’s 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 choose…

“What should we go buy to eat, though? This won’t be enough,” 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.

“I want something I haven’t eaten before…” Annabelle said. “Nuggies!” Meanwhile, Annabelle was sporting black jeans, a black and white striped blouse, and a cute gray ribbon. Things Scarlet just bought her. I guess she’ll be adopting her from now on. She really acts like her mom sometimes.

“Alright then, let’s 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?” I asked.

“Nope!” She said it cutely. “Is it good?”

“Yep, the food’s really good. Before it all got destroyed, I used to work at a Chinese food restaurant…” Baihe said. “I 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.”

“Oooh! Really?” Annabelle wondered. “Sounds romantic!”

“I think that’s a bit of a stretch!” I laughed. “But 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 didn’t interfere, which is a relief.”

“Yeah…” Baihe smiled faintly. “Thank you so much for all of that, Anna. I don’t know if I ever thanked you about that properly…” She said, her blue eyes looking straight into mine.

“A-Ah, it’s fine. Really!” I smiled. “You can thank me for your friendship; that’s all I ask, honestly.”

“That goes without saying!” She giggled. “Now, let’s go snack on something!”

“Yaaaay!” 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!

“This, and this, and I want that one white bun thingy too!” Annabelle told the receptionist at the Chinese food restaurant.

“Oh, you want dumplings? Which flavor, we got shrimp, pork, soup, and-”

“All of them!” Annabelle smiled as if possessed by the spirit of gluttony.

“A-Alright, I’ll add five of each then…” The girl had good patience; I’ll make sure to leave her a tip.

Although I took my brother’s 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.

“Dumplings, shrimp fried rice, chop suey, Mongolian beef, and chicken, and so much more... I wonder if the food in here’s as good as the one I make.” Baihe wondered.

“Let’s dig in then!” I said, grabbing my plate of fried rice with shrimp and giving it a taste. “Oh, not bad! Pretty alright!” 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.

“Nom, nom… Hmm, so juicy!” Annabelle was happily eating her dumplings.

“Hm, alright… I guess I give it a 6/10; not bad, not too great either.” Baihe said this after tasting the many dishes. “I guess it's still a fast-food restaurant and all, not a professional Chinese food place…”

“Okay, okay, let’s just enjoy it, for once.” I laughed. “Relax!”

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!

“Yeah, I love these black jeans… Oh, and these black jackets too!” I was fascinated.

“You sure love black, huh? Are you into gothic and punk styles?” Baihe wondered. “I never thought such a cute-looking girl like you liked those styles, hehe.”

“What does that even mean? I like what I like!” 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.

“For once, I want some dresses... These white ones are really pretty. Aw, what the heck? I’ll get some!” Baihe said it decidedly.

“Look good on you! You’re really preparing well for summer with all the sandals.” I laughed.

“I dislike sneakers; my feet are a bit... Well, delicate, I don’t like too much heat on them…” Baihe shrugged. “Ah, those sunglasses look cool! Look, they’re heart-shaped!”

“Cool!” Annabelle said, trying some.

“Nice~!” I laughed. “Say whiskyyy~”

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.

“Ahhh, 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 more…” Annabelle said, looking at the jeans and shorts.

“Well, your current fit looks really good on you,” Baihe said. “The ribbon’s a cute extra; maybe we could go with that for starters?”

“Yeah, 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, that’s it! Annabelle, you’re rocking them!” I giggled.

“Really?! Hehehe!” Annabelle giggled happily.

"Seriously, I can tell why they dressed you like a doll; you look good in anything!” Baihe said.

“She’s really photogenic, isn’t she? She could become a model in the future.” I wondered.

“A model? Me?! Really?” Annabelle was flattered.

“I think you could if you try hard enough.” Baihe nodded. “Anyways, let’s take a selfie with this; she looks really cute!”

“Okay, cheese~” 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 I’ll never forget the nice and cute memories I made today.

Annabelle and Baihe... They’re really my besties.

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