Scarlet

Surprisingly, we end up just straight up skipping the front entrance and flying through some entrance that opens up in the side of the building, revealing a secret garage. Likely one meant for rich people.

The driver finds a place to drop us off before moving off to go find a parking spot where – if Denise is to be believed – he will sit and wait for us until we’re done with our business here.

Man, the rich life sounds very relaxing. Maybe I can reach that point some day?

Just imagining having a personal driver and limo to take me to fancy malls in a tier 1 city sounds like a very nice life.

Well, if I actually had interest in going to malls outside of buying video games, that is.

Anyways, some guide takes us and begins guiding us into the mall all while being very, very polite to us. As if walking on eggshells.

Then again, not just anyone can become the headmaster of a Guardians University. And Denise’s father is one of them, not to mention the fact that the other two here have Astra – a Class V Guardian – as their mother. A woman who I happen to know is one of the richest people on the planet.

We continue walking through the inner areas of the mall until we reach a balcony overlooking what looks to be the main thoroughfare of the place. A massive room with an enormous water fountain at the center of it, along with an ice rink next to that, and who knows how many stores lining the walls. There are also escalators leading to a second floor which branches off away from the main area and heads towards what looks to be an even fancier looking place, with fewer but on average more expensively clothed people. Likely some sort of VIP area of the mall.

Which means we’re in the VIP of the VIP areas? Or something like that.

I also can’t help but notice the various glances being sent our way by everyone we pass by that isn’t working for the store – the workers themselves being disciplined enough to know not to do that. And there are – at this point – more glances towards my ears than I can count, making me feel rather uncomfortable.

Can I please go back to the base now?

Eventually we manage to make it to an array of very expensive looking stores. Each with price ranges far, far beyond anything I could’ve ever hoped to afford even with years of savings back at Rothwell. And a lot of these places are clothing stores, some for men, more for women. But there are also a lot of video game stores, technology stores, and even some weapons stores that I’m pretty sure shouldn’t be legal.

Then again, this is the VIP of VIP areas. Which is also the only reason no one has approached us yet despite us being Guardians. Because everyone here must be just as rich as Denise. Not to mention that I see several other Guardians scattered around the place. Although I don’t recognize any of them.

One thing I do recognize though is that some of them are wearing Lion’s Heart’s uniforms, and all of them are around the same age as us, give or take a couple years.

Are they all students?

My thoughts are redirected towards our guide when she stops leading us in the center of the stores and begins to talk like a tour guide, giving us a rundown of all the types of stores and their locations before asking us where we would like to go first. To which Denise immediately answers with clothing stores.

I almost facepalm at that.

And I’m pretty sure I hear Michael groaning, but it might’ve just been my imagination.

Almost immediately after the call I switched back to my blood lycan ears, but I really do regret it in some ways. Considering the conversations I’m overhearing, particularly about ‘the new Guardian with wolf ears being here’. And how many of them are sharing that bit of information along with pictures of me on social media.

Denise proceeds to drag us into an expensive looking store which seems to sell both male and female garments of all sorts. Many of which are more expensive than the entire outfit I have on right now. And then she immediately drags us to the women’s section, making Michael blush in the process for some reason, before going over to look at blouses.

Guess she really likes blouses?

My eyes start to widen when she begins picking out different outfits – yes, outfits, not single pieces of clothing – and asks the guide where the carts are, where the guide then brings Michael to it before he rolls it over, a look of defeat on his face.

Well, guess he isn’t ‘carrying the bags’ after all. He’s carting them around.

Better him than me.

Denise continues dragging us around the store for a while before it becomes Emily’s turn, and she takes us straight to a video game store where she browses through all the new games. And this time I am actually a little bit interested, since these are all the newer games from the best companies. So I begin browsing myself a little bit under Denise’s amused but conflicted glance.

Guessing she feels conflicted about me being interested in games but not clothes?

Doesn’t matter.

In the end I end up buying one game in particular that I had had my eye on a while back but could never even hope to afford. But now I can thanks to the paycheck I just got yesterday.

After that, we begin to go to a women focused clothing store and Michael’s face turns beet red at some of the things inside of it. And he does actually try to leave a couple times to wait outside, but Denise and Emily both snub that idea on account of not having anyone to push the cart.

“I think I pity him,” I hear Tar mutter in my mind, apparently paying attention to the guy’s struggle.

I’ve seen Artoria – she’s one of Belle’s friends that came with her to the orphanage from time to time to visit and became friends with some of us – drag around her boyfriend while shopping with me and Belle once. So this isn’t really anything new to me. Although at the time I was just hoping to get home as quickly as possible to study and then play some games.

“Brutal,” Tar mutters before going silent again.

Maybe. But it’s his plight, not mine. And I’m gonna leave it at that.

Eventually both Emily and Denise turn to me with a suspicious look in their eyes that has me stepping back one step with a frown on my face. But just a moment later, a shattering sound echoes all around us, following which the air gains a very faint red tint to it, signifying a Fracture opening up here.

Wow. Two times in just as many weeks that I end up caught up in a Fracture in this city.

At least I don’t have to deal with whatever they’re plotting.