Congratulations, You’ve Unlocked a New Skin!

The sports shop smelt.

Strongly.

Jarel resisted the overwhelming urge to cover his nose. Doing that would definitely get him stared at. Instead, he suffered in silence.

Jinxia, of course, was completely unbothered.

Her head turned on a swivel as she scanned the store, searching for whatever outfit had been recommended to her. It didn’t take long. It never did.

She locked onto her target and immediately dragged Jarel toward the small women’s section with alarming speed.

He barely had time to breathe before she planted him in front of the racks and pointed.

“Opinion.”

He blinked and took in the scene.

Sportswear. A lot of it.

His brain, still catching up with reality, managed a weak nod.

“Yeah.”

Apparently, that was sufficient.

Four seconds later, she had her size. Two seconds after that, she was dragging him toward the changing rooms.

He was unceremoniously discarded outside like a stuffed toy as the stall door slammed shut behind her.

Jarel collapsed onto the nearby bench, panting.

He couldn’t remember the last half hour.

His memory just… stopped somewhere around sitting down to watch anime.

And now he was here.

In a sports shop.

Being used as a consultant.

By a demon.

He stared at the floor, trying to reconstruct his life choices-

The door opened.

He looked up just as Jinxia stepped out. She struck a pose instantly - hip cocked to the side, one hand resting on it.

“Opinion.”

Jarel blinked.

The outfit was… exactly what he’d pictured.

Black. Form-fitting. Confident.

Her midriff was exposed, abdominal muscles clearly defined. The shorts emphasized the strength in her thighs, while the top - if it could even be called that - balanced athletic and feminine in a way that was impossible to ignore.

Her blonde hair practically glowed under the lights.

Jarel nearly recoiled as guilt hit him like a truck.

What would Quinn think if she saw this?

He swallowed hard.

But there was one immediate upside - they were definitely not trying anything else on. There was no need.

He nodded quickly.

“That’s perfect.”

Jinxia tilted her head.

“Yeah?”

She glanced down at herself.

“Feels a bit… open.”

Compared to what she usually wore, this was actually tame. Jarel wisely kept that thought to himself.

“It looks powerful,” he said instead.

She considered that, then nodded.

“Good.”

Her eyes snapped back to him, sharp and focused.

“What’s next?”

He exhaled slowly.

“Well… if ‘gym girl’ is your angle, then you should probably go to the gym more often.”

She frowned.

“How does that help?”

He sighed.

“Because that’s where people who share that lifestyle are. Or-”

He raised a hand, thinking.

“-you go the complete opposite direction. Somewhere like a library.”

She stared at him.

“What are you yapping about?”

He held up his fingers, counting.

“The gym has people who see you as an equal.”

Another finger.

“A library, or somewhere quieter, has people who might… look up to you more.”

She tilted her head slightly, thinking.

“I like people looking up to me.”

He nodded.

“Then that’s your answer.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“But why a library?”

Jarel opened his mouth.

Paused.

Thought about how to explain it.

Gave up.

“…Some people just like confident people,” he said instead.

He was not expecting her to burst out laughing - and even less so for it to be genuine. But it was. She doubled over slightly, unable to stop herself. Between breaths, she managed to respond to his stunned stare.

“C-confident? You… you mean…” She gasped for air, wiping at her eyes. “They like to be dominated?”

Her giggles increased, grin widening as realization spread across his face. She straightened, grin widening.

“Dominated…”

She rolled her shoulders back, standing tall and proud.

“Alright, let’s go find a weak guy who wants a tall, muscular demon mommy to dominate him.”

Jarel decided, once again, that questioning anything she said was a waste of energy. He gave a small nod.

“There’s a nice library with a café not too far away-”

She cut him off instantly, then frowned.

“I know the one. But I’m not going alone.”

Her grin returned - but this time it wasn’t confident. It was sharp. Hostile.

“Because if you’re wrong, you’re going to be punished in front of your little wifey.”

His breath caught.

“Quinn? What’s she got to do with it?”

Jinxia’s smirk deepened.

“Because if you’re right, I want her to see that I’m better than her at romance too.”

That settled it. She wasn’t backing down from this. He searched for an excuse - anything - but came up empty. He sighed.

“We’ll have to wait until she finishes her cooking lesson. If we interrupt, Sayang will have my hide.”

Jinxia snorted.

“What makes you think I care?” She paused, then huffed. “But you’re right. I don’t want to make Sayang upset either.”

The words were casual - but something underneath them wasn’t. Jarel caught it immediately.

Fear.

It was faint. Buried. But it was there.

His heart flipped.

The Demon of Greed… was scared of Sayang.

He chose his next words carefully.

“Do… do you know Sayang’s history?”

Jinxia shook her head, fixing him with a sharp glare.

“Spill.”

“Her late wife was the Demon of Lust.”

She blinked.

A beat passed.

Then she burst into laughter.

“Mahalina? Of all people!” She shook her head, still chuckling. “I heard one of her extra consciences went rogue years ago. So that’s what she did… fell in love.”

But the laughter faded quickly, replaced by something uncertain.

“But then… no…”

She trailed off.

Jarel waited - but after a moment, she shook her head, dismissing whatever thought had crossed her mind.

“No matter. Let’s go back to your apartment and see if they’re done.”

He nodded, though unease lingered. The mystery around Sayang was only getting deeper.

Jinxia stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve.

He pointed at her outfit.

“Aren’t you going to pay for that?”

She scowled.

“Terrible service. They don’t deserve the money.”

He sighed.

“It’s not a designer store. Of course the service is worse.”

Her expression flipped instantly into a grin.

“I’m the Demon of Greed, nitwit. Taking without giving is kind of my whole thing.”

He let that sit. There was no arguing with that.

But then another thought struck him.

“What about your other clothes?”

With her free hand, she tugged lightly at the collar of her top, the fabric stretching just enough to reveal a sliver of skin.

“They’re in here.”

Jarel immediately looked away.

She let out a short, amused huff.

“Good boy. Wouldn’t want your wifey thinking you’ve been staring at my chest now, would we?”

His face heated despite himself - which only made her grin wider.

Then she clapped her hands once, tone snapping back to business.

“Alright. Hold your breath.”

He was a fraction of a second too slow as his world exploded again.