That Which Adorns You

Once again, the bulletproof SUV rolled to a stop - this time outside a massive shopping mall, its curved glass and layered balconies giving it the faintly absurd appearance of a tiered cake.

Sunata stepped out first, opening the rear passenger door. Braith climbed down, then carefully helped Yumie place her feet on the pavement. She looked… conspicuous. Her blonde-orange hair spilled messily down the back of a simple blouse and skirt - both clearly too large, borrowed from Kertu. The fabric hung awkwardly on her smaller frame, but she didn’t complain. She merely clutched Braith’s arm a little tighter as he guided her toward the entrance.

The building loomed over them, bustling even from outside.

As they approached the crowd, Sunata handed Braith a white cane tipped with a plastic ball.

“Give this to Yumie,” he said quietly. “It’ll give her some cover if anyone gets curious about the kemonomimi features.”

Braith nodded and placed the handle into Yumie’s waiting hand. She tested it once, letting it skim the ground ahead of her, the tip skittering lightly against the tiles.

They stepped inside.

The mall was enormous. Shops lined wide walkways on multiple levels, every one of them buzzing with activity. People passed by in steady streams, most too absorbed in their own lives to stare for long. A few glanced at Yumie, then dismissed her as a blind woman cosplaying a fox character and moved on.

But what truly stunned Braith was something else entirely.

Mahotonas were everywhere.

Birds circled near the ceiling, their movements too precise to be natural. Wolves, cats, deer, and creatures Braith couldn’t immediately name followed their Mahoros with quiet loyalty. The place felt less like a shopping center and more like a living exhibit.

A petting zoo, his mind supplied weakly.

The most unsettling part wasn’t their presence - it was the way they looked at him and Yumie.

They knew.

Every single one of them.

And all it would take was a single question from their Mahoro for that knowledge to surface.

The objective became painfully clear: don’t draw attention.

Sunata walked ahead as though he didn’t have a holstered handgun beneath his jacket. Braith followed, guiding Yumie carefully as they moved at a steady, unremarkable pace through the crowd.

Sunata slowed slightly, falling into step beside Braith, his voice low.

“By the way, we confirmed the guys at the hospital yesterday were runners. You’ve got some impressively bad luck. Two encounters that close together.”

Braith nodded. The knowledge didn’t comfort him, but it explained a lot.

“We’d like to get this done as quickly as possible,” Sunata continued. “We need to get back and give you a proper Mahotona briefing. With another humanoid Mahotona present this time, for demonstration.”

Braith blinked.

“Why didn’t we do that before we left?”

Sunata shrugged.

“I doubted Yumie would be able to focus in those clothes. Besides, the gloves are enough for the time being.”

Braith glanced down. Yumie was absently scratching at her belly, clearly not enjoying the borrowed outfit. Still, she said nothing, enduring it quietly as they approached their destination.

The clothing store loomed ahead - sleek, elegant, and unmistakably expensive.

Braith’s breath caught.

Sunata noticed immediately and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Relax. Government’s paying.”

Braith nodded and led Yumie inside.

The moment they crossed the threshold, Sunata stopped, turned, and walked away.

Braith understood instantly. A man in a dark jacket trailing a blind fox-girl clinging to her boyfriend’s arm would draw far too much attention. So he guided Yumie deeper into the store, toward the women’s section.

Before they got far, she tugged on his sleeve and leaned close.

“I think I know what I want.”

“Hm?”

“I want another sweater.”

He smiled.

“Okay. What else?”

She paused.

“…Another sweater. For days I’m not wearing the first one.”

His heart skipped.

“No skirts? Pants?”

She shook her head.

“No. Just sweaters.”

He bit his lip. He wasn’t convinced he’d survive a future where she wore nothing but oversized sweaters.

“At least get some undergarments,” he whispered. “Please. Anything.”

She sighed.

“If you insist…”

He breathed a silent sigh of relief and gently redirected them - straight into the women’s underwear section.

His confidence evaporated instantly.

Rows upon rows of fabric assaulted him. Cute. Elegant. Innocent. Explicit. His feet stopped moving, nearly sending Yumie stumbling.

He leaned in and whispered desperately.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. Women’s underwear. Help.”

She giggled, clearly enjoying herself.

“Go on,” she whispered back. “Pick something you’d like to see me in.”

His brain short-circuited.

“I-”

His eyes flicked across the displays and landed, traitorously, on a semi-transparent black lace set. His face burned as he tried to redirect his thoughts.

Then her voice brushed his ear.

“That one looks sexy.”

His soul briefly left his body.

“Yumie… what do you mean, that looked sexy?”

She tilted her head toward him, her unfocused grey eyes drifting in his direction.

“What do you mean, what do you mean?” she replied mildly. “That lingerie looked sexy. What are you… oh.”

Her expression stilled.

Braith nearly choked.

“How did you know what I was looking at? I thought you were blind!”

She nodded slowly.

“I am. But something flashed in my head. Just for a moment. An image. And I knew, instinctively, that it was what you were looking at.”

He stared at her, heart pounding, then glanced back at the display.

“Can you see it now?”

She shook her head.

“No.”

His thoughts raced. What had been different? He replayed the moment in his mind. He’d forced himself to calm down. His heart had spiked. Why?

Because he’d imagined her.

He swallowed hard.

Almost immediately, she leaned closer, her breath brushing his ear.

“I saw it again. What did you just do?”

He hesitated.

“Braith,” she pressed gently. “This is my sight we’re talking about. Say it.”

He sighed, face burning.

“I imagined you wearing it.”

Her mouth parted, colour blooming across her cheeks. She shifted her weight, tail flicking once behind her.

“…Does my body excite you enough to accidentally project images of your surroundings into my head?” she murmured. “You perv.”

He stared, mortified-

-and then she laughed.

“Relax, love. We’re engaged. You’re allowed to look.”

Then her smile changed - brighter, hopeful, almost childlike.

“Try again,” she said eagerly. “Imagine me in something else. I want to see more.”

He hesitated only a second before complying.

He chose safer pieces this time - simple cuts, soft colours - and pictured her wearing them. Each time, she gasped softly. Sometimes she commented on how something looked. Sometimes she just laughed in disbelief, overwhelmed by the sheer fact that she could see at all.

Then she tugged on his sleeve.

“Hey… what if I put the first one on?” she asked. “Will you be able to show me what I look like?”

His heart thudded painfully.

“I-”

“Oh! And grab a few pairs of those last ones,” she added quickly. “I’ll wear those.”

The ones she meant were plain black, modest, with small purple bows at the center - decorative more than provocative.

Grateful for the reprieve, he nodded and gathered them up. She stayed close, clinging to his arm as they made their way toward the changing rooms.

Before they reached them, he grabbed an oversized grey sweater to finish the set.

He needed clothes too - but this was Yumie’s moment.

So he guided her forward, heart pounding, the lace garments hanging from his arm as the door of the changing room came into view.