After setting down their luggage, they changed. Little Loli swapped her short skirt and black stockings for a white tee splashed with motifs and snug black jeans, no jewels, yet cute as a sparrow on fresh snow.
Joanna slipped into a dark red, luxurious dress, a dusk-rose against porcelain skin. Together they were a quiet paradox, simple and lavish woven like silk and hemp in one weave.
She set silver reflective shades high on her nose bridge, moonlight resting above her eyes. She loosened her golden twin ponytails, then tied a single tail to one side, like a river gathered into one stream. After checking her things, Joanna and Xiao Qianxue left the room in a line, footsteps soft as lotus petals.
In the corridor, most of their classmates milled like a flowing market. The boys drifted, wave by wave, toward one door, no need to guess who lived inside that shell.
"I'm hungry again!" "Relax, we're heading to eat." The door slid open; re-dressed Little Loli and Joanna stepped out, like two lanterns lit in twilight.
"Whoa, stunning!"
"Block me, let me snap a pic... Send me one later."
"Tch, those two rotten bitches." An Jingru and a clutch of girls watched from afar, their mouths spitting venom like thorns on a vine.
"Hey, why are you crowding the hall?" Joanna's mood soured like storm clouds. She shooed the boys away like scattered chicks.
"Xiaoxue, that combo is gorgeous!" Wang Yan's gasp rang like a bell. "Of course it is!" The blonde never denied her looks; she wore them like a crown of light.
"Especially with the silver shades and silver jewelry." The class leader appeared, pale green sleeves like willow leaves and mid-length pants. Her usual stern aura softened like spring rain.
"Class leader, dressed like this you look like a little girl now." The blonde tilted her head with a smile; her golden ponytail slid over her shoulder like poured honey.
"Quit it..." A rare blush rose on her cheeks, a peach bloom at dawn. To cover it, Zhu Jinhan quickly led the group to the lobby. Gone were identical uniforms; now their outfits glittered like a small city of elites.
"Ahem... ahem! Next, we're heading to dinner." The homeroom teacher coughed to steady a restless heart, like a drumbeat finding pace. As for why it beat so fast—best left unsaid.
Night fell like velvet. After an afternoon of play and dinner settled, everyone finally had free time, but they had to return before nine. "That's it, got it?" "Got it!" Voices answered in chorus, like geese calling over water. Letting middle schoolers stay out too late courts trouble like fire near dry grass; the teacher watched clusters of three or five head back or wander to nearby malls and sighed in secret.
"Should we hit the mall nearby?" Four walked together; besides the two, the class leader and Wang Yan had joined somewhere along the way. "I'm easy." Little Loli had slipped her shades on; her voice was casual, like wind through reeds. "But why's Xiaoxue wearing sunglasses at night?" Wang Yan's question landed awkwardly, like a pebble on still water.
Who wears shades at night, unless they're fronting? "My night vision's weak; these help correct it." She tossed out an answer as light as a leaf. Then Little Loli slid on her headphones and sank into her own music, like diving into a warm lake.
"Let's go. Rare chance to browse." Joanna took point and entered a mall, her step a confident ribbon. The others followed in her wake. "Why do I feel so many eyes on us..." Wang Yan glanced around, uneasy, like a hare in an open field.
"They've tailed us long enough; you should be used to it." Joanna skimmed the racks, eyes drifting like lazy clouds. To her, the clothes looked like scraps of cloth, not silks worth a second glance.
The class leader often spoke at ceremonies and awards; stares slid off her like rain on bamboo. Xiaoxue even more so—unmoved like a quiet pond. "Hey, Xiaoxue, let me buy you something." Joanna looked east, looked west, found nothing stirring her, then returned her gaze to Little Loli. Her voice lifted suddenly, like a kite catching a gust.
"Huh? What thing?" Little Loli blinked, then took off her headphones, eyes clear as amber. Led by her bestie, they reached a shop selling hair clips. "Welcome." The clerk saw four girls approach: one breathtakingly cute blonde in silver shades, one brunette in regal dress a shade less dazzling, one tall girl cleanly dressed with a trace of authority, and one ordinary girl. The smile came professional, like a folded fan opening.
"What can I get for you?" Her tone stayed kind, like tea warming in a cup.
"Show me all butterfly clips in this style." Joanna pointed at a clip in the case, gaze precise as a needle. "Of course."
"These two." Joanna tapped a pink-and-gold piece and a deep red-and-gold piece laid on the counter, colors like peonies and autumn maple. "That'll be 1050—" Before the sentence finished, Joanna slid out her card like a blade of light.
"Nana, what are you buying?" Little Loli asked, curious as a kitten. She usually tied her hair with a simple band, never wore ornaments. "Silly girl, couple clips for us, obviously." Joanna lifted the pink one and set it in the blonde's hair with a gentle touch, like placing a butterfly on a bloom. She put the red one on herself, left for Xiaoxue, right for her, a mirrored pair.
Little Loli stood there blushing, hands fidgeting before her like entwined vines. "Getting a couple accessory put on me..." The clerk was already dizzy from the cuteness, like sugar melting in hot tea.
"It's my favorite—Alexander." Joanna stepped back two paces, satisfaction shining like sun on water. "Thanks, Nana!" Xiaoxue cupped the butterfly clip with both hands; her exquisite face blossomed with a sweet smile, like apricot flowers after rain.
The class leader and Wang Yan picked two modest pieces priced in the low hundreds; not everyone had Joanna's lavish ease. "Done shopping, and time's about right." They left the mall. Outside, lights burned like constellations, and the crowd flowed like a bright river down the street.
They crossed a few blocks and finally returned to the hotel. "I'm exhausted, this loli's done!" Little Loli kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the bed, like a soft cat hitting pillows. "Want to do something more... stimulating?" Joanna drifted closer with a wicked smile, a fox under moonlight. "Like showering together?"
"No!" Panic fluttered first, like sparrows startled from a branch. But Joanna scooped her up and carried her toward the bathroom, arms firm as a tide. "You don't get a vote on this."
The door closed, steam rose, and laughter scattered like petals on warm water. The rest of the night was theirs, behind a veil.
