Chapter 10 - shopping 4
After our little battle over the hot pot finally came to an end, the three of us resumed eating peacefully.
Occasionally, Amy would glance at me before letting out another laugh, clearly remembering how I had fallen into her little trap.
I, on the other hand, chose to ignore her.
Some battles simply weren’t worth fighting.
Especially against a devil disguised as my beautiful older sister.
Once lunch was over, we stepped out of the restaurant together.
The afternoon sun bathed the bustling streets in warm light as merchants continued calling out to passing customers.
Amy stretched lazily.
"So," she asked, turning toward me, "what should we do next?"
"Go home?"
"Or do you still want to look around?"
I thought about it for a moment before an idea suddenly came to mind.
"I want to buy something for Mom."
Amy blinked.
"For Mother?"
I nodded.
"This is our first shopping trip together."
"I want to bring something back for her."
"A small gift."
Amy stared at me for a moment before smiling softly.
"You really love Mother, don’t you?"
"Of course."
I answered without hesitation.
"She’s always busy."
"So... I thought she’d be happy if we brought her something."
Amy’s smile became gentler.
"I think she’ll love anything you give her."
Then a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.
"And next time..."
"We’ll drag her into coming shopping with us."
I couldn’t help laughing.
"She’ll probably refuse."
Amy confidently shook her head.
"Not if both of us ask together."
"I know Mother."
"If it’s for us..."
"She won’t be able to say no."
"Hehe..."
I smiled.
"Hehe..."
The two of us exchanged identical grins.
Standing quietly behind us, Selena watched the scene in silence.
Taking the Matriarch shopping...
If anyone else had suggested such a thing, she would have considered them insane.
But these two...
Young Master Gray and Young Miss Amy...
They were probably the only people in the world capable of convincing Lady Seraphina.
Selena quietly decided not to imagine what that day would look like.
It would probably be... terrifying.
...
We continued wandering through the city together.
After visiting several small stores, we eventually entered an accessory shop.
Glass display cases lined the room, showcasing necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and countless beautifully crafted ornaments.
I slowly looked around until something caught my attention.
My eyes soon landed on a display of matching bracelets.
There were friendship bracelets, couple bracelets, and family sets.
Among them, one simple design caught my attention.
A silver bracelet with a small star charm engraved into its center.
It wasn’t flashy.
It wasn’t overly decorated.
Just simple.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Without hesitation, I bought the entire set.
Amy blinked in surprise.
"Four?"
I nodded.
"I liked the design."
She tilted her head.
"But there are only three of us."
I looked at the remaining bracelet for a moment before smiling.
"Then I’ll keep the extra one."
"Maybe it’ll be useful someday."
Amy didn’t think much of it and simply smiled.
"Fair enough."
Without another word, she paid for all four bracelets.
After leaving the counter, I turned toward Amy.
"Sister."
"Give me your hand."
She obediently stretched it out.
I carefully fastened one of the silver bracelets around her wrist.
The tiny silver star rested gently against her skin.
Amy’s eyes brightened.
"It looks beautiful."
"I’m glad."
Finally, I put on my own bracelet.
Only Mother’s remained.
Amy smiled happily.
"Mother is definitely going to like it."
"I hope so."
...
As evening approached, we returned to our carriage.
Throughout the ride home, Amy continued bringing up the hot pot incident.
"Hahaha!"
"Gray, your face when you ate that chili was priceless!"
I sighed.
"Can we please forget about that already?"
"No."
"Never."
She answered without hesitation before bursting into laughter again.
"You really thought you could steal food from me without consequences."
I crossed my arms.
"I’ll get revenge one day."
Amy smiled confidently.
"I’ll be waiting."
Selena silently watched our exchange.
Although she remained as composed as ever, she found herself smiling slightly.
The atmosphere between the siblings was... pleasant.
Warm.
It was nothing like the image the outside world had of the Starlight Family.
...
Before long, the carriage arrived back at the mansion.
After thanking the coachman, we stepped inside.
A nearby maid immediately bowed.
"Welcome back, Young Master."
"Welcome back, Young Miss."
Amy nodded.
"Is Mother available?"
"I’m afraid not."
"The Matriarch is currently handling official matters."
Amy wasn’t surprised.
"I expected as much."
She looked toward another maid.
"Please inform Mother that we’ve returned."
"And tell her Gray has something he’d like to give her when she’s free."
"Understood."
The maid bowed before leaving.
...
Amy and I returned to my room.
The moment we entered, she opened her spatial ring.
One after another...
Shopping bags began appearing on my bed.
One.
Five.
Ten.
Twenty.
Soon, my entire bed had disappeared beneath a mountain of bags.
I stared blankly.
"...Sister."
She looked at me innocently.
"Yes?"
"Why..."
"...is everything on my bed?"
She smiled brightly.
"Because if I leave them anywhere else..."
"You’ll ignore them."
"At least this way, you’ll be forced to organize everything."
I looked at the mountain of clothes.
Then back at her.
"...You’re evil."
"Hehe."
She proudly placed both hands on her hips.
"If you don’t clean them up..."
"You can sleep with your new clothes tonight."
"I’ll even tell the maids not to help you."
I sighed dramatically.
"I regret coming shopping."
"No, you don’t."
"...Maybe."
Amy laughed.
Fortunately, she eventually helped me organize everything.
Together, we neatly placed the new clothes inside the wardrobe.
When we finally finished, the room looked tidy once again.
I looked at the neatly arranged clothes before smiling.
Today had been...
Fun.
Really fun.
It wasn’t because of the shopping.
Or the food.
Or even the gifts.
It was because...
For the first time in a long while...
I had simply enjoyed spending time with my family.
And somehow...
That alone made this day unforgettable.
Back in my room, I carefully organized everything we had bought, placing each item neatly inside my wardrobe.
The soft rustling of fabric filled the room as I folded each new outfit and arranged it on the shelves.
As for Amy...
She had somehow taken complete control of the room.
Rather than helping, she was lying comfortably on my bed with a content expression, looking as though she owned the place.
Every now and then, she’d offer an unnecessary comment that only made organizing everything take even longer.
To make matters worse, she had even instructed the maids not to help me.
"Gray," she said lazily, "doing things yourself builds character."
She stretched comfortably before continuing,
"You’ll be awakening in a few months anyway. It’s about time you learned to take care of yourself."
I paused, holding one of my new shirts, then looked at her with a blank expression.
"Then perhaps you should practice what you preach instead of lying there like a professional slacker."
I gestured toward her dramatically.
"You’re three years older than me, you know."
Amy didn’t seem offended in the slightest.
Instead, she rolled onto her side and rested her cheek against one hand.
"Ah, Gray."
"Don’t be such a crybaby."
"I trained all morning."
"This is my well-earned break."
She proudly placed a hand against her chest.
"Do you really think your big sister is lazy?"
"I happen to be one of the most hardworking people in this household."
I stared at her for several seconds.
Then replied in the flattest voice I could manage.
"...Yes."
"A very lazy one."
"And a glutton."
I tilted my head thoughtfully.
"I still don’t understand how you manage to eat so much without gaining weight."
"It must be all that training."
Silence.
Amy slowly sat upright.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"...Gray."
"What..."
"...did you just say?"
A chill ran down my spine.
"I was merely stating facts—"
Before I could finish, Amy lunged at me.
"Hey!"
She grabbed my head with both hands and immediately began ruffling my hair until it looked like a bird’s nest.
"Stop!"
"I just fixed it!"
I struggled to escape, but my seven-year-old body stood no chance against her.
After a full minute of merciless bullying, she finally released me.
I sighed while trying to smooth my messy hair.
"Just wait."
"Once I awaken, I won’t let you bully me anymore."
Amy only laughed.
"Then awaken first, little brother."
She lightly poked my forehead.
"Until then..."
"I’m still the older sister."
I rubbed my forehead and let out a helpless sigh.
"...Let’s go see Mother."
Amy’s playful smile softened.
"Alright."
She hopped off the bed and dusted off her clothes.
"Let’s go."
The two of us left my room side by side and headed toward Mother’s office.