Jingyi Bo spent another week practicing. Meditating, training her martial arts forms, exploring her spiritual technique, refining her talisman-making. It was a lot to take in, and Bo was starting to feel the fatigue of working harder than she ever had in her life. Lying on her back on a lounge couch, she was quite content to stare at the ceiling and forget about existing for a few moments. A blinding smile shoved its way into her field of vision.

“Bo! There’s merchants in town! A whole dang marketplace of ‘em!” Despite her occasional absences, Hizashi Kokoro was a constant force of nature, attempting to get Bo to do more than train or dissolve into a puddle of fatigue. She somewhat filled the hole that Chao and gang had when she first arrived - an influence that prevented her from simply stagnating. As Bo got herself sorted to visit this marketplace with Kokoro, she wondered how Chao and the gang were doing, anyway.

She saw them whenever they had classes, or when they met for Saoka practice, but where they had been almost constantly nearby when she lived in her little shed, they couldn’t exactly follow her to the girl’s dormitories. Not that it had stopped them from trying - Elder Ienaga had spotted them trying to creep in and had literally thrown them back to the other side of town. Bo wondered if she could make the landing soft on the other end, but the injured state of the boys when they arrived insisted that it hadn’t been the case.

“Hi, Jingyi.” Izumi was, as per usual, awaiting them outside. She always seemed to have an uncanny knack for knowing where people were - Izumi wasn’t waiting outside, she had simply arrived there at the same time as them.

“Anything new today, Izumi?”

“Well,” Izumi smirked and leaned in for a conspiratorial whisper, “Those two half-spirit girls are getting along quite nicely … but look at this!”

“Woah! They’re just so compatible … I wonder if they could make a trio!? Is that even allowed?!”

Hizashi didn’t seem to mind as her two short friends tittered and gossiped over the small book, or the strange charts within. If anything, she looked happier for them - bystanders had to cover their eyes from the shining sun.

--

The trio arrived at the south wing of the campus - normally empty, now full with the thrilling sounds of commerce. No sooner did they arrive did a voice shout out to them - a sweet and friendly voice of a boy who double-dipped on looks, but forgot to grab smarts.

“Hi there, ladies! Jingyi!” Amai Ichiro ducked through the crowd and made his way towards them. He had a pouch full of sweets in one hand and a skewer of meat in the other, and the stains around his perfect lips told the story of him trying to eat both at once. His cousin was not far behind, having to work a little hard to keep up with the taller man.

“I told you not to run off like that-- Oh. It’s you.” Hoshikawa Junpei was his usual, grumpy self. Somehow, Bo was sure he would never be convinced that they were genuinely friendly. I really wonder who peed in his rice bowl …

“It’s so good t’see you! Wow, all we’re missin’ is Tatsumaki, an’ Chao, an’ Wang!”

“Hahaha,” Amai’s grin was almost as sweet as Hizashi’s was bright, “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

“Mm, I don’t think so. Bo? Makoto?” Both of the girls shook their heads. There was no such thing as Youni De. However, there was a market to explore.

Bo had some things she wanted to buy. Tea leaves, clothes that weren’t just the academy’s uniform robe, possibly some nicer soaps for her hair - it was still a tangled mess, and everyone seemed to think that was just her style. The one major problem in this situation was Bo’s entire lack of currency. Sure, some of the people here traded in goods of immortals - mana stones, cores, elixirs and what-not. But Bo had about as many of those as she did gold pieces. None at all.

A little dejected, Jingyi Bo followed the rest of the group as they browsed. She had managed to pay an off-season trader once with trinkets made of transformed material, but these people seemed a little more canny to such simple things.

“Would you like something from here, Jingyi?” Amai broke Bo out of her introspection as he gestured to a food stall. The man behind the thing was frying up strips of meat, skewering them with vegetables. The whole thing made Bo’s mouth water, and she instinctively nodded. With a charming smile, Amai paid the man for two skewers, handing one to Bo.

As she took the skewer from him, their hands brushed together. His hand was strong, but soft, and as Bo looked up at his sweet smile, she felt a little safer. It was like the world around them fell away as they locked eyes, and she could feel a slight blush rising to her cheeks. He was an extremely attractive man, but how could he offer such a beautiful smile to a plain girl like her? Bo looked away, murmuring a thank you. Unfortunately, her eyes instead locked with Junpei’s - his suspicious glare immediately brought the world crashing back, and everything went back to normal.

The group continued on - Bo devoured the meat in record time and, when no one was looking, ate the skewer too. She hadn’t even realised that she was chewing wood until she was nearly done with it, and by then Bo decided it would be more suspicious to have a chewed stub of a skewer than no skewer at all. By some minor miracle, no one seemed to notice. In fact, Bo was enjoying an unprecedented moment of peace, entirely unnoticed in the safety of the group. Amai and Hizashi were having a delightful conversation about nothing while Izumi took notes, and Junpei was busy having a thoroughly unwanted shoulder ride atop Chao Da.

Wait, Chao?!

Bo did a double-take as she realised the Chao gang had simply attached themselves to the group. Junpei had been lifted up above the crowd to avoid him getting lost - the boy seemed to have decided that this was a better vantage point to survey for danger, so he tolerated it. Wang Wei was carrying a few boxes of stuff (likely Chao’s), and Youni De followed behind Wang like the third in a line of ducklings.

“Hey, Senior Bo! Enjoying the markets?” Chao’s smile was genuine, though not as appealing as Amai’s.

“It’s certainly interesting. Bigger than any I’ve ever visited before.”

“No markets back where you come from? Where do you come from, anyways?”

“Who was it who said we needn’t worry about our sects … ?” Appropriately chided, Chao laughed and nodded.

“Too right, Senior. Blank slates here, y’know! No thinking about the past! Anyway, we’re gonna follow right behind all of you until we think of something clever to do.”

Bo really didn’t know how to answer that, and it seemed like Chao was finished talking, so she turned back to looking where she was going - only to run face-first into Kokoro’s back. The padded stop aside, it wasn’t like her to just stop dead in her tracks. Was some ferocious monster ahead? A villain, come to defeat them? A calamity in progress--

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“A dress shop!” Kokoro had practically screamed in delight, causing everyone around to stare in surprise. Sure enough, there was a tent set up, a banner of embroidered silk proclaiming the place to be Madam Myeong’s Worldly Fashions. Stands and racks displayed clothes from all around the three nations, in all manner of designs, colours, materials and styles. Bo wasn’t particularly a ‘dressing up’ kind of girl, but Hizashi Kokoro evidently didn’t care. Before Jingyi Bo could say a word in her defence, Kokoro shoved her and Izumi straight in, leaving the boys behind.

“Why’d she take Jingyi?” Amai seemed a little confused. The rest of the boys simply shrugged. Some mysteries would have to remain mysteries, even to the people who knew the answer.

--

The inside of Madam Myeong’s was twice as extravagant as the outside. This madam had not been simply content with selling clothes - there were all the tools and materials of the seamstress’ trade, as well as curtains for changing behind to try on outfits. It was this extravagant setup that made Bo feel particularly out of place. Kokoro certainly had the figure for these outfits, and Makoto had the looks, but Bo was just a scruffy-haired, tomboyish--

“Oh my stars! Bo, this one’d be perfect for you!” She didn’t even get time to finish the thought before Kokoro shoved a dress into her hands. It was a white cheongsam with a tasteful floral pattern stitched in black that seemed fairly close to her size.

“K-Kokoro, I appreciate it, but I don’t have any money--”

“Nonsense, Bo! I en’t lettin’ my new friend go home empty handed!” As if she had planned the whole thing, Kokoro reached into her robe and pulled out a string of coins that Bo swore was never going to end. It was more money than she had ever seen in her entire life, all in one place - Just who is Hizashi Kokoro?!

Drawn by the clinking of coins, the seamstress herself emerged from between a pair of shelves.

“Meowty fine day to mew three!” An older half-spirit woman smiled enthusiastically at them, her cat-slit eyes focusing on Hizashi with worrying persistence. Madam Myeong had a rather distinct feline expression of her spirit half, with shaggy grey-white hair, an exceedingly fluffy tail and, of course, those soul-piercing golden eyes. A little shorter than Kokoro, with a bit of weight to her, Bo’s mana sense insisted that she was in fact a mage. Why a mage would decide to become a seamstress was beyond her knowledge, but the world of cultivation frequently made little sense to Bo.

Madam Myeong made for a gracious host, if one overlooked the odd verbal tic. Where Kokoro had located one fine outfit for Bo, Myeong found several for all three of them. In short order, they were hurried off behind the changing curtain to try them all on. Sensing her nerves, the other two girls made Bo show off her clothes first. Eager to get it over and done with, Jingyi Bo disappeared behind the curtain and tried on Kokoro’s suggested dress.

It fit her rather well, even if it was slightly too long. It was tight too, clinging to her unexpectedly, and the slit on the side was a little higher than Bo would have liked. Still, when she went out, the two girls gave her a little clap.

“Now don’t you just look precious?” Kokoro beamed. Makoto smiled softly in a way that made Bo happy, but Myeong tutted.

“No, no, that won’t impurress me. Mew look like a scruffy orphan stuffed into a nyoble’s stolen dress. Try the nyext one.”

A little put-out, Bo did as she was told, trying on the remaining clothes and coming out for appraisal. A set of loose Yamato robes got a wide grin out of Kokoro, while an especially layered Goryeon outfit seemed to have Makoto in a writing frenzy. Madam Myeong especially approved of a rather practical tunic and pants combination, and Bo did quite like the tasteful embroidering on it. A scandalously short robe was thrown out on principle, and Myeong practically had to force Bo to emerge from behind the curtain when she tried on a thin silk dressing gown. Bo could have sworn Makoto hated it, but as they added it to the pile of clothes to take with them, she realised that Makoto was subtly glaring at Kokoro. Am I sensing jealousy? What could she possibly be jealous of?

Kokoro went next. Madam Myeong evidently had to help her put some of them on - Bo and Makoto couldn’t help but wonder at certain choice grumblings from the half-spirit woman, like How do mew even fit these in? or What do they feed mew over in Myamato?!

The wait was worth it every time. Kokoro’s good looks weren’t just part of her figure, she had a beautiful face that complimented all the bright and cheery outfits that Myeong had chosen for her. As though seeing right through to her essence, her outfits were emblazoned with summer flowers, shining with stitched suns, patterned in bright yellows and oranges and reds. Kokoro bought them all, and Bo found herself surprisingly eager to see more of them.

Finally, it was Makoto’s turn. She had a similar figure to Bo, so Myeong gave her some of the outfits Bo hadn’t been fond of, as well as a few others. Jingyi Bo wasn’t quite sure why, but every time she was behind that curtain, her hands felt sweaty and nervous. Every time she emerged, her eyes couldn’t help but soak in her appearance. The long black hair complimented every outfit she wore perfectly, contrasting the colours and matching with anything black or white. One outfit in particular made Bo’s heart beat louder in her chest - a sleek, dark blue robe with a knee-high slit that gave the merest glimpse of her legs. The golden embroidery seemed to match the gloss of her hair, the colour of the robe complimenting her smooth skin.

“Y-You should get that one!” Bo blurted out without even thinking. Having been silent thus far except for the vague mumbling of constant praise, the other three women were slightly surprised.

“I’ve never heard you so fired up, Jingyi!” The corner of Makoto’s lips curled up into a small smirk. “Are you excited about the dress, or about me?”

The teasing giggle cut right through to Bo’s soul. Definitely just the dress! Definitely just the dress! Just tell her you like the dress!

“You.” Bo clapped a hand over her mouth and her eyes went wide - even Makoto’s grin turned to surprise, and a blush.

“I-I was just teasing, you know! You’re so silly, Jingyi. If it makes you that happy, I’ll get it.” Both of them attempted to play it off with a laugh, though no one was convinced. Kokoro seemed pleased, her shining smile filling the tent.

“What do you think of my dress, Senior Bo?” All eyes turned to Chao, sporting a rather revealing silk robe that entirely failed to flatter his lanky frame. Madam Myeong chased him out with a measuring stick.

--

It was late by the time they returned home. All three of the girls had chosen to remain in their academy robes for the time being, but they held bundles of fresh new clothes, including a few accessories they had picked up. Kokoro had insisted on paying for them all, and once again Bo was forced to wonder exactly who she was to have so much gold on her person.

The entire day had been an amazing break from cultivating. Bo felt relaxed in a way she hadn’t felt in a very long time, and closer to her new friends. In fact, she felt so good it was starting to make her anxious.

It’s been a while since anything bad happened, hasn’t it? That cruel little voice in the back of her head snuck up alongside her, whispering evil in her ear. Not even one real set back. You’ve had lots of fun with your friends, made progress on your cultivation, and even found a wonderful new home to live in. Just how long until it all comes crashing down? A week? A month? A year? The longer it takes for something bad to happen, the worse that something will be--

“Argh! Shut up!” Bo nearly threw her teacup at … nothing, really. Thankfully it had been empty, or she would have pitched the contents all around the lounge. Kokoro poked her head around the corner from the entrance to the bathroom.

“Everythin’ alright in there?”

“Just dandy, Kokoro. Nothing to worry about.”

“If you say so …” She made a face that insisted she didn’t really believe Bo at all, but left the girl alone. Still, her concern offered a change in Bo’s mind. So what if something bad will happen? Something bad always happens, that’s inevitable. Let’s have fun in the here and now, and worry about that when we get there!

When Jingyi Bo thought about fun, she thought about her new friends. But most of all, she thought about Izumi Makoto’s smile.