“Then let me measure your bust first, little sis—ehehe.” The manager glided over with a grin like a cat that found cream.

“No need, sis! I know my size—87 centimeters.” I folded my arms like a shield and took a wary step back.

“...” The manager froze, sighed like a soft wind, then turned to look at Lan’er.

“I…I, uh…” Lan’er suddenly remembered she’d never measured at all, the thought slipping away like a fish.

“It’s fine, little sis~ Everyone has a first time,” she cooed, voice warm as a quilt.

“Mm-hmm, that’s right, Lan’er.” I gave her a bright, encouraging smile, like lantern light in fog.

Serves you right—drag me into a lingerie shop, and the tide turns.

“I’m sure that little sis over there only speaks so smoothly because she’s been through it,” the manager teased, her glance flicking to me like a thrown pebble.

“...”

“Tangxue, you’ve had it measured before, right?”

“Dummy… if I hadn’t, how would I know my own size?” I sighed, the sound thin as rain on panes.

“Oh…” Lan’er sagged in relief like a slackened bowstring. “Manager, I’m ready!”

“Good~ Turn this way, little sis. I won’t hurt you.” Her tone was light as feathers drifting down.

“...” Why does their conversation sound like something else? The air feels skewed like a crooked picture frame.

“Uh… little sis, your figure’s pretty good. Lots of promise. Watch your diet, and your future’s bright.” Her words landed like sugar dust over bitter tea.

Flat is flat. No need to dress it up like flowers on a rock.

I shot her a frosty look sharp as ice on glass.

“Really, sis? I always thought I had hope!” Stars popped in Lan’er’s eyes like a night sky lit with sparklers.

The subtext wasn’t great, but to a happy fool it was sunshine through leaves.

“Really~” The manager ruffled Lan’er’s hair, palm soft as a warm breeze, smile neat as a ribbon.

“...” That felt perfunctory, like paint over a crack.

“Alright, alright~ Go pick the styles you like. I’ve got your sizes memorized. If you need, I’ll bring the best fit.” Her voice rang tidy as stacked boxes.

“Thanks, Manager!”

I didn’t care much about styles. Dreamsound always picked when we came, her taste steady as moonlight. Left to me, I got lost, like mist in a bamboo grove.

Strap bras were easiest—airier, less stifling, like open windows. Strapless bandeaus looked discreet, smooth as a lake, but felt awful to wear, like tight rain clouds.

What do I do… what do I pick? The rack stretched long as a river.

While I hesitated like a stuck weathervane, Lan’er had chosen already—lace-trim panties and a little camisole. Pink with clever blue motifs, sweet as cotton candy with a twist of sky.

“If you’re that torn, just take them all,” the manager chirped. “If you like them, I can gift them. But… you must try them on first.” Her cheeks flushed like peach blossoms.

Manager, you don’t even bother hiding your thirst… but honestly, that works for me.

“Alright… but I’ll pay.” My voice was firm as a closed fan.

“No need—”

Before she finished, I’d already grabbed the pieces and slipped into the fitting room, a darting fish behind a beaded curtain.

“Sigh, what an impatient child.” The manager rubbed the long hair by her temple, black silk flowing like water.

I changed fast. Years in girls’ clothes had trained my hands, my motions quick as sparrows.

Back then, I didn’t have to lift a finger.

“This body makes me blush every time,” I muttered. The mirror held a shy girl like moonlight caught in a bowl; I could hardly meet my own eyes.

Sky-blue hair combed to one side like a stream under frost. Skin pale as porcelain, flushed with a dawn-pink glow. Softness at my chest, a tide barely contained, even by a large adult size. A doll-like face, yet a figure that could stand beside any beautiful woman, a plum tree blooming in winter.

“I must’ve inherited my looks from Dreamsound… but why do I look so much like my old self? Or was my old self already a mirror of hers?”

“First, rule out me and Dreamsound being relatives. She said herself I’m the Merfolk’s first with a dual affinity for ice and water.” The thought rang clear as ice bells.

“Also, why does it feel like her relatives are everywhere? Go anywhere, and you bump into one—fine in Demon Territory, but even in random forests?” Faces flicker like fish in a shoal.

“And why is every one of them stronger than Dreamsound? Any random auntie could shake half a continent. How did the Blue Domain Empire fall, back then?” The question hung like thunder beyond the hills.

Truth is, the Merfolk’s edge isn’t endless mana. It’s that terrifying mind, pressure like the deep sea.

To judge a Merfolk’s age, you read their spirit, like counting tree rings under your palm.

But Qingyu Mengyin was too young. She never thought that far, and of course she’d never told Qingsheng Tangxue.

Among the Merfolk, true peaks of spirit are rare as phoenix feathers. Those few can shift a continent’s bones with a thought, and snuff a soul like pinching a candle.

“Tangxue, you done?” Lan’er’s voice knocked on the door like a gentle tap of rain.

“’Kay, ’kay.”

I straightened up, threw on a coat like a leaf over dew, and stepped out.

It was autumn. The draft had cat paws. I wasn’t about to walk around in only lingerie and catch a cold.

“Uu… Tangxue, your figure’s too good…” Lan’er sighed, envy bright as lime on the tongue.

“Don’t say that…” Being told I’m busty is mortifying, hot as steam to the face.

The manager’s eyes curved, a secret tucked like a note in a sleeve. “When you’ve got someone you like, you’ll find your size worth showing off.”

“No way.” Who’d brag about the weight on their own chest? It felt like carrying peaches in a paper bag.

“Right, Tangxue, I picked a super cute set for you! Look—how about this?” Lan’er held up a sweet, ribbons-and-clouds sort of thing.

“...” Great. My least favorite part.

“...Can I not try it?” The words slipped out on habit, quick as a darting swallow.

“No way! Your bestie worked hard to find this—how could you refuse?” The manager got more fired up than Lan’er, eyes gleaming like polished stones. “And you finally came to a real store. You have to try.”

“Yeah, Tangxue, we came all this way. You can’t not try.” Lan’er nodded, earnest as spring shoots.

“...” I’m terrible at refusing friends. My will softened like sugar in tea.

“Fine. But listen—don’t bring me another ten.”

“Eh? We can bring ten more?” The voice wasn’t Lan’er’s. It was the manager’s, bright as a chime.

You don’t feel bad about your own stock?! I screamed inside, words flapping like startled birds.

Truth was, the manager lacked nothing. Money flowed for her like a spring, and this shop was just life-experience cosplay, opened to match her… preferences.

“Good thing this one’s cute-style. If Lan’er awakens some weird kink, we’re doomed. I’ve got to stop them before the manager leads her astray.” I made a silent vow, knot tight as a red string.

Too late.

Outside, the manager had already started pitching all sorts of odd lingerie to Lan’er, her words scattering like flower petals in a breeze.