Xia Taotao, a Rabbit Beastkin, is 19 years old this year.
She is a complete and utter social phobic.
The Pink-haired Rabbit Girl's only hobby is collecting Magic Girl merchandise; she likes all kinds of merchandise.
And now, Xia Taotao is terrified.
She felt like a Rabbit foraging for food, only to turn around and find a Fox Fox glaring at her from behind, drooling at the corners of its mouth.
This was a rather terrifying psychological trauma for the Rabbit.
Especially since she was a socially anxious Rabbit, and the other was a sunny Fox Fox.
What? Isn't it normal for pink-haired people to be socially anxious?
"Ah, ah, ah... Tianqing, Tian Qing Tongxue..."
Xia Taotao trembled all over, unable to speak clearly, clutching the clear cards and badges she had just picked out, shrinking into a small ball.
The dazzling and bright Tian Qing Tongxue was right in front of her!
The Rabbit Girl swallowed, gathered her courage, and tentatively greeted her:
"G-g-g-good afternoon! Tian Qing Tongxue!"
"Mm, good afternoon~"
The Golden Fox smiled back, and its bright, cheerful smile made Xia Taotao tremble again.
...
Soon after, in the dessert shop, the two sat opposite each other.
Xia Taotao sat timidly across the table, eating a banana split in small bites.
Su Tianqing sat next to Nan Jiayu, with a plate of red velvet cake and a chocolate mousse in front of them, each taking small spoonfuls to taste.
"I really didn't expect to see Taotao Tongxue here," Su Tianqing said with a smile.
"Y-y-yes... I also didn't expect to s-s-see the two of you..."
The Rabbit Girl huddled into a ball, answering timidly.
Her voice was very soft, with the fragility of a small Rabbit, and coupled with the oversized black coat she was wearing, it created a strong sense of contrast.
"Why is Taotao Tongxue dressed like this?" Nan Jiayu scrutinized the Rabbit Girl's strange attire and asked curiously.
"That's because..."
Xia Taotao huddled up, not daring to meet the Cat Girl's gaze directly.
Of course, it was to buy Magic Girl merchandise without being recognized—the Rabbit Girl wanted to tell the truth, but facing two classmates she wasn't very familiar with, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
"I-I-I, I was, just today, today there's a new... new release..."
After stuttering for a long time, the Rabbit Girl couldn't utter a complete sentence, leaving Nan Jiayu a bit confused.
"New release?"
"It's Magic Girl merchandise, right?" Su Tianqing interjected with a smile.
Xia Taotao nodded repeatedly.
"Y-yes, it's Magic Girl merchandise."
"I heard there's a new Nightingale poster and badge standee this afternoon. Is Taotao Tongxue here to buy those?"
"Yes, it's a limited edition merchandise set of one thousand, and if you buy it today, you'll also get two laser tickets, which are said to be Nightingale's brand new ceremonial dress!" Xia Taotao became excited.
Perhaps it was because they were talking about a favorite topic, but the Rabbit Girl's ears perked up, and her face flushed with excitement.
"There's even a limited laser ticket?!"
"Yes, it's only limited to these one thousand sets, and there won't be any public sales for the next half year."
The Fox Fox and the Rabbit immediately began discussing.
Watching Xia Taotao, who completely lost her social anxiety when talking about things she liked, Nan Jiayu silently scooped a spoonful of chocolate mousse into her mouth.
Sure enough, it was a topic she couldn't join in on.
Should I try to understand it? It seems quite interesting.
"Speaking of which..."
Nan Jiayu said softly, the Cat Girl's voice making Xia Taotao tremble all over.
"The merchandise set you mentioned, is it really a limited release?"
"That's right, the first limited edition merchandise usually comes with special bonuses, and it's not necessarily mass-produced later, so it's quite valuable," Su Tianqing explained.
Actually, she had only recently started getting into these things, and the reason was to win over Lin Muyao and buy some gifts for the Magic Girls.
She couldn't just keep getting divine code stones from them without showing any appreciation!
The first release of the merchandise was at 3 PM.
The three arrived early at the official store to queue, and only successfully bought the limited set at 3:30 PM.
"Oh, oh, oh, so it's this ceremonial dress!"
Xia Taotao exclaimed, holding the limited laser ticket, her eyes shining.
On the ticket was a tender yellow Magic Girl in a brand new ceremonial dress, striking her debut pose for the camera, delicate and graceful.
"It's said that Miss Nightingale commissioned a friend to design this ceremonial dress! It's simply too beautiful!~"
"It certainly is much cuter than her debut ceremonial dress," Su Tianqing nodded, commenting sharply.
This was a design Ben Hu specially prepared for Miss Nightingale! Of course, it's cute!
"If only Hyacinth could also change into a cuter outfit, but she seems to really like cool armor..."
Xia Taotao was a bit conflicted,
"But she uses a greatsword, so if she were too cute, she would indeed lose some heroism..."
"Perhaps Hyacinth herself really likes it," Nan Jiayu interjected.
"What a pity—"
After grabbing the first release merchandise, and then buying some other new merchandise nearby, the Rabbit Girl said goodbye to the two and left.
"Taotao Tongxue, goodbye~ Let's hang out again sometime if we get the chance~"
"Ah, ah... G-g-goodbye!"
Hearing that last sentence, the Rabbit Girl felt her social anxiety instantly flare up again, and she didn't even have time to agree, simply saying goodbye and diving into the subway station.
Watching her leave, Su Tianqing nudged Nan Jiayu beside her with her elbow.
"Little Fish, what do you think of Taotao Tongxue?"
"Hm? Tianqing, do you mean... in what aspect?" Nan Jiayu was a bit puzzled.
"In terms of personality, I think she's a good person."
"...That's your intuition, Tianqing, isn't it?" Nan Jiayu raised an eyebrow, saying with a wry smile.
However, that Xia Taotao certainly didn't seem like a bad person, just a bit too timid and shy.
I should try to interact with her more in the future. Maybe I can make another friend, the Cat Girl thought.
Su Tianqing recalled the Rabbit Girl's gaze towards her.
Envy, longing, timidity,
And... a deep-seated inferiority complex.
.
Meanwhile, on the subway.
Xia Taotao huddled in the corner of the seat, wrapped in her coat.
It wasn't rush hour, and the subway was sparsely populated; no one noticed the low-presence Pink-haired Rabbit Girl in the corner.
The petite Rabbit Girl held many merchandise paper bags in her arms, and at this moment, she was earnestly admiring the Xin Yuehu acrylic clear card in her hand, a satisfied smile appearing under her mask.
Xin Yuehu, so cute.
Not only does she sing beautifully, but she's also very pretty, and so sunny and cheerful, making her endearing; she's simply the person she dreams of being.
But seeing the cheerful smile of the little Fox Fox on the clear card, Xia Taotao couldn't help but think of Tian Qing Tongxue's smile.
That dazzling smile, that graceful demeanor, made the Rabbit Girl's infatuated smile slowly recede, her head lowered, her expression forlorn.
Tian Qing Tongxue is also as cute as Xin Yuehu, even their level of vivacity is quite similar.
"Let's hang out again sometime if we get the chance~"
Xia Taotao couldn't help but recall what the Golden Fox had said to her when she was leaving.
But she didn't even dare to look into her eyes.
If she couldn't even face her own classmate... then what right did she have to believe she could become a cheerful and sunny person like Xin Yuehu and Tian Qing Tongxue?
The girl silently huddled into a ball, tightly clutching the acrylic clear card in her hand.