Raiden Makoto: ?
11: Chapter 11: Now It’s Alone Time!
Raiden Makoto: ?
Buyuan had gotten up early in the morning.
After all, he’d gone to bed at seven the night before.
He rummaged through his wardrobe, looking for something that might make Ellen’s eyes light up.
“Ah, here we go.
I think it’s that set I bought last time.” Buyuan took the clothes and went into the bathroom to wash up.
By the time he emerged again, he looked completely different.
His lower half was clad in a pair of loose white trousers, slit along the outer calves and tied with red cords into two knots.
The pant legs bore a very faint, barely noticeable pale grey lotus pattern.
His inner layer was a light cyan three-quarter-sleeve shirt with ink-wash embellishments.
Over it, a white short-sleeved outer jacket in a traditional Chinese style.
The red sleeve trim didn’t quite match Buyuan’s perpetually half-asleep vibe.
The red cord in his hair had been swapped for a more conspicuous red silk ribbon.
A clip-on red auspicious cloud earring hung from one ear, needing no piercings.
At his waist hung a tiny bell.
Because it was so small, the sound it made was very faint.
“This is gonna have Ellen completely mesmerized.” Buyuan admired himself narcissistically in the mirror.
“En-nah-nah, en-neh.” At that moment, Makoto was bent over a delivery package, her little rear wiggling as she unpacked it.
“When did you order something?
Wait, you know my bank card PIN!” Buyuan was deeply shaken.
“En-nah?
En-neh-en.” (What?
Is that supposed to be rare?
It’s just your unchanging one through six.) Makoto pulled a delicate pale purple oil-paper parasol out of the package.
“Can’t understand a word, but I feel offended somehow.” Buyuan didn’t dwell on it too much.
After all, how much could such a tiny Bangboo even spend?
“Baal, stop messing with your parasol and look at me.
How is it?
This getup look alright?” Buyuan snatched the parasol from behind Makoto and narcissistically struck a pose.
“En-neh!
En-nah-nah?” (Hey!
With that succubus constitution of yours, fooling little girls is a piece of cake.
Why ask me?) Makoto looked at Buyuan speechlessly, though she didn’t turn away.
Staring at a handsome guy was already easy on the eyes!
Staring at a fox spirit was even more so.
“Excellent.
As expected, even a Bangboo cannot resist my charms.” Buyuan was in high spirits.
He returned the parasol to her and went to the kitchen to heat up breakfast.
“En-neh, en-nah-nah.” (Crap.
Don’t tell me this guy’s actually gonna go out and bring one back.) Makoto’s electronic eyes first swirled in circles, then narrowed together.
After finishing breakfast, Buyuan checked the time.
Just past eight.
“Let’s go, Baal, no point waiting.
We’ll head there first.
If anything, we’ll just wander around ourselves.” Buyuan called Makoto to follow him out.
She picked up her little parasol and waddled after him, swaying side to side.
After buckling Makoto in, Buyuan turned on the car stereo and discovered that aside from Astra Yao’s songs, there was basically nothing good to listen to.
“Looks like I need to buy some instruments.
I was at least half a musician before.
Can’t write my own stuff, but I can still copy, right?” Buyuan rubbed his chin, mulling over how to plan this.
Bzzz-bzzz~ Buyuan picked up his phone.
It was Ruby, somewhat unexpectedly.
Ruby: Stinky fox, got a deal for you.
Buyuan: Shoot.
Ruby: You’re not gonna deny you promised to let us pet your tail yesterday.
Ruby: Squinty smile.jpg Ruby: I’m guessing you’d try to weasel out of it anyway.
Ruby: Get to the second floor of the coffee shop at Lumina Square, pronto.
Hand over your tail.
Ruby: We’re not freeloading.
After lunch this morning, the three of us will make an excuse and dip.
Ruby: This offer expires soon~ Buyuan: Deal!
“Damn cheeky Ruby.
Just you wait till I get a chance to get you back.” Buyuan casually put on his sunglasses, hit the gas, and sped over.
At that moment, on the second floor of the coffee shop, Ruby and the other two were drinking coffee.
“Ruby, why do I feel such a strong sense of guilt?” Lynn deadpanned out of nowhere.
“What kind of talk is that!
Monna, look, the heat’s making her talk nonsense.” Ruby was floored by Lynn’s remark.
“I…
I think…
hey!
Is that Buyuan?
Doesn’t quite look like him, but also kind of does.” Monna was a bit confused.
“Let me see…
WTF, it really is him.
Dressed like that, no less.
Oh man, Ellen is done for this time!
The attack power is way too high.” Ruby hurriedly sat back down.
While the three were talking, Buyuan had already come up to the second floor with Makoto.
“What are you guys chatting about, all worked up like that?” Buyuan pulled his sunglasses down a notch.
“What’s with you, dressed up all flashy like that?” Ruby was a bit thrown off by Buyuan’s rather ostentatious getup.
It felt like the bro who’d been eating instant noodles with you, suddenly rolled up in a Range Rover the next day.
“Tch.
You can only be jealous of Ellen.” Buyuan’s tone was smug.
“Pfft.
Ellen’s more likely to end up with me than with you.” Ruby slapped the table in exasperation.
Buyuan ignored her and simply leaned in, giving his rear a tsundere little wiggle.
“Hurry it up.
And you better keep your promise later.
My car only has two seats.” “Two?
You came on a bicycle?” Unlike Ellen, Ruby had no such reservations.
She grabbed hold and began refining on the spot.
“Four wheels.” Unexpectedly, the sensation wasn’t nearly as intense as he’d imagined.
Well, well.
So his tail was picky about who touched it.
“Must be a rental!” Ruby felt her entire life had been dealt a blow.
As a few more restless hands found their way onto his tail, Buyuan knew the comb he’d left in the car was about to come in handy.
“Buyuan, is this your Bangboo?
She’s so cute!” Lynn had only made a shallow attempt at testing the tail’s texture before very properly withdrawing.
But her objective had clearly shifted somewhat.
“Yeah.
You can call her Baal.
You can talk to her, but don’t touch.
She doesn’t like being touched by others.” Buyuan warned.
“Ow.” At that moment, Lynn ruefully withdrew her hand, which had just been rapped by Makoto’s parasol rib.
A while later, Ruby and Monna were sprawled in their chairs like sages.
“I almost want to light you two a cigarette.
Got this real post-enlightenment vibe.
Tch.” Buyuan realized how wrong that sounded the moment it left his mouth and clicked his tongue.
“Hey, you’re not wrong, actually.” Ruby wasn’t embarrassed either.
“Let’s go, it’s almost time.
Let’s wait there a bit early.” Buyuan checked the time and waved his phone at the three.
“We should.
Ellen’s not the type to arrive exactly on the dot either.” Lynn pushed up her glasses.
Just as he’d expected, his outfit, though quite striking, didn’t attract any particular attention.
At most, a few extra glances.
The group waited at 141 for a few minutes before spotting Ellen emerging from the metro station.
Today, Ellen wore a black hoodie with a little shark graphic on it.
Her black skirt ended just slightly above the knee — not too much, not too little.
Her black stockings were as pleasing to the eye as ever.
“You’re all here so early.
And…
is that Buyuan?” Ellen greeted Ruby and the others, then looked quizzically at Buyuan, who had his back to them.
“Yup.
Surprised, aren’t you?
We were too.” Ruby, for her part, didn’t badmouth Buyuan in front of Ellen.
Bros before…
well, bros in the heart!
“Ellen, you’re here.” Buyuan pulled drinks out of a bag and handed them out.
“En-neh, en-nah-nah.” (Don’t all ignore me!) Makoto watched this girl, who was trying to swoop in while she had no proper body, fuming that she hadn’t even noticed her.
She’d even deliberately bought a parasol to stand out!
If Buyuan knew what Makoto was thinking, he’d probably say with a laugh that it’d likely catch Vivian’s attention instead.
“So she’s Baal?
Too bad you said she doesn’t let people touch her.” Ellen’s idea of crouching down was instantly dispelled.
“Yeah.
More or less, I’m the only one who can touch her.
So, where do you guys want to go?
It’s not quite time to eat yet.” Buyuan himself rarely went out with others and didn’t have much of an opinion.
“The mall, of course!
It’s a must-go place when you’re out with friends.” Ruby immediately suggested.
“Hm?
But Ruby, isn’t that usually your last stop?” Ellen was a bit puzzled.
“Ehehe.
The three of us have stuff to do this afternoon.
I gotta go with Monna to visit her relative, and Lynn’s got something sudden at home.
So it’ll just be you two this afternoon.
So we gotta do the mall first, obviously.” Ruby scratched her head, spinning complete nonsense without her expression changing in the slightest.
“Well damn, she’s a pro.” Buyuan couldn’t help muttering.
“Really?” Ellen clearly didn’t believe such an absurd excuse.
“Ah, come on, let’s go, let’s go.
Today we’ve got someone to carry our bags!
Can’t dawdle.” Ruby shot a look at the other two, and the three quickly bustled Ellen towards the mall.
“So this is what it looks like when they’ve been paid off.
How reliable.” Watching this scene, Buyuan and Makoto both felt they’d truly broadened their horizons.
Following behind the four, Buyuan grew more and more bored.
If not for Baal, he definitely wouldn’t have lasted.
After all, since the morning was meant to earn him his alone time in the afternoon, naturally there was no share for him now.
He just quietly trailed behind, lugging a huge pile of shopping bags.
During this time, many women came up to add him as a friend, and he turned them all down.
Please.
He couldn’t possibly accept advances from these tactless ones.
You’re asking for my contact info right in front of Ellen — you think I’d dare give it?
Thankfully, time passed reasonably quickly.
Seemingly because of Buyuan’s presence, Ruby and the others all changed directly into their newly bought clothes.
Ellen, however, refused to change.
Buyuan had already booked a private room at a hot pot restaurant while they were shopping.
Seeing the group was about done browsing, he led them off to eat.
Towards the end of the meal, Buyuan was furiously signaling Ruby and the others with his eyes.
It went on until his eyes were starting to ache, and he was genuinely beginning to suspect the three really did plan to freeload off him.
“Alright, Ellen, we’re heading off now.
We’ll leave you to hang out with this friendless damn fox.” Ruby got up, dragged the other two along, and swiftly evacuated the hot pot restaurant.
Buyuan’s expression changed in an instant.
Ruby, you three are truly my blood brothers, my dearest friends and kin.
But with Ruby gone to liven things up, the atmosphere turned somewhat awkward.