Sparkle, pajamas, weakness

Sparkle rose from the sofa and walked over to the window, tapping the glass lightly with her fingertips.

The cityscape outside was reflected in her eyes.

"I want to go out and play!"

She turned around, her voice full of eager anticipation.

Lin Hai nodded with a smile. "Of course, but you'd better change into something suitable first, something that won't stand out too much."

"What kind of clothes?" Sparkle asked, tilting her head.

Lin Hai took out his phone, opened a delivery app, and quickly browsed the nearby women's clothing stores.

Sparkle leaned over, her chin almost resting on his shoulder, and eagerly swiped through the screen, but she soon wrinkled her nose.

"I don't really like... most of these."

"Don't rush. There's this one too."

Lin Hai switched to a major shopping app, and a dazzling array of women's clothes filled the screen.

This time, Sparkle's eyes lit up. Her slender fingers flew across the screen, and she picked out more than a dozen dresses and outfits without hesitation, all with distinctive designs and different styles.

They ranged from playful short skirts to flowing long dresses, and even included a few leather jackets with punk studs.

"I'll pay!" Sparkle said, producing a small, softly gleaming piece of gold from somewhere and pressing it into Lin Hai's hand. "Is this enough?"

Lin Hai hefted it. The piece of gold was worth far more than all the clothes she had picked out.

"These are gifts from me." He gently placed the gold back in her palm.

Sparkle blinked. Instead of taking the piece of gold, she happily added a few more items to the shopping cart.

To Lin Hai, this really was a negligible expense.

The gold in the heavy suitcase provided by Belobog's Underworld was worth enough to buy more than a dozen villas!

On a whim, Sparkle went to the bedroom by herself and quickly changed into Lin Hai's pajamas.

Because of the difference in their sizes, Lin Hai's roomy pajamas made her look even more petite and lively.

The dark fabric contrasted sharply with her fair skin.

Despite how simple and ill-fitting the clothes were, Sparkle managed to give them a free-spirited, playful look.

Wearing the oversized pajamas, Sparkle came into the living room and spun around.

"How do I look?"

"This..." Lin Hai couldn't help but marvel.

Some people really were born able to pull off any look!

Sparkle was so beautiful, and her unique presence always caught the eye.

Lin Hai smiled. "That outfit works too. Come on, let's take a look around."

"Mm."

The two took the elevator downstairs and stepped into the residential complex in the evening.

Sparkle was curious about this planet, stopping now and then to watch residents walking their dogs, children playing, and the blinking signs on the shops.

Then a rich, smoky aroma, tinged with the toasted fragrance of cumin, wafted toward them.

A lively barbecue restaurant was buzzing with voices.

"That smells amazing!" Sparkle suddenly grabbed Lin Hai's arm, her eyes fixed on the skewers sizzling with oil. "I want to eat that!"

Lin Hai naturally went along with her. "This place it is, then."

After they entered the restaurant, he handed her the menu and let her order whatever she wanted.

Sparkle studied it carefully, ordering half a jin of lamb skewers, another half jin of beef tendon, and a few snacks.

Suddenly, she pointed to one item, a sly gleam flashing in her eyes.

"This one, 'lamb kidneys'... you should eat a few more of these!"

Lin Hai knew, of course, that they were meant to nourish the body, and he couldn't help laughing.

"If I only nourish myself without using it up, my body could have problems."

At that, Sparkle suddenly leaned close to his ear, her warm breath accompanying her whisper.

"Don't worry... I'll show you that even if you eat these every day, they still might not be enough."

The barbecue restaurant was efficient, and the staff brought the assorted skewers to their table one after another.

Fragrant, charred meat skewers, golden grilled wings glistening with oil, bright green chives, plump eggplant topped with minced garlic...

They soon covered the small table, and the warm, spicy aroma of cumin and chili powder filled the air.

Sparkle's eyes lit up at once. She picked up a sizzling lamb skewer without the slightest restraint, carefully blew on it, then took a bite and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

"Delicious!"

She mumbled her praise, looking sweet and adorable.

Watching her tuck in, Lin Hai couldn't help smiling too. He picked up a grilled squid skewer and began to eat.

The two immersed themselves in the simple pleasure of good food.

Just then, the speakers at a shop by the street began playing Hakimi music with a bouncy beat and an infectious melody.

Hakimi north-south mung beans.

Hakimi ashi gashi.

Sparkle stopped chewing and listened intently for a while, a puzzled expression gradually appearing on her face.

"These lyrics... what do they mean?"

She tried to make out the endlessly repeating, catchy melody, which had no actual meaning.

For the moment, she couldn't understand this particular form of music.

Lin Hai couldn't help chuckling. "The song doesn't have any specific meaning to begin with, but it's fun to listen to, isn't it? We call it an abstract song."

"Abstract?" Sparkle laughed too. "No meaning? That's wonderful! That's the purest kind of joy!"

She readily embraced this abstract music and its purely entertainment-oriented structure, even gently swaying her head to the beat.

In high spirits, she suddenly remembered something. She picked up a piece of lamb kidney with her chopsticks, gave him a sly wink, and held it to Lin Hai's mouth herself. "Come on, have a little more nourishment!"

Lin Hai looked at her, laughed aloud, and opened his mouth to eat it.

The rich, distinctive flavor of grilled kidney melted in his mouth.

His mouth a little dry from eating, Lin Hai handed Sparkle a can of chilled cola.

Sparkle took it curiously and had a big gulp. The prickling carbonation made her frown slightly, but her brow soon relaxed.

"Mm, it's sweet and very fizzy. Interesting."

Her tone was matter-of-fact, and she showed little surprise.

After all, in Penacony, the city of dreams, all sorts of marvelous sodas that could alter one's sense of taste or even induce hallucinations had long been commonplace.

To her, the drink before her was an ordinary experience.

Sparkle smiled. "Next time, I'll take you to Penacony and treat you to something delicious to drink."

"How delicious?"

"Very delicious. Once you've had it, you won't forget it."

Lin Hai was looking forward to it too. "Then I'll wait for a taste."

The two chatted as they drank cola and ate barbecue, perfectly at ease.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lin Hai readily paid the bill and took Sparkle for an aimless walk down a street.

Sparkle gradually felt the strength being steadily drained from her body, and she grew weaker and weaker.

"Lin Hai, I still can't stay here for long."

She raised her arm. "The longer I stay, the more my power is suppressed. Roughly speaking, I can stay here for three to four hours."

Lin Hai crouched down of his own accord and picked Sparkle up in a princess carry.

"I'll carry you home."

"Mm."

"Sparkle, did you have fun today?"

"I had a lot of fun."

"Next time, I'll take you somewhere even more fun."

"Where?"

"Next time... I'll give you five places to choose from. How about that?"

"Okay." Sparkle nestled in Lin Hai's arms.