Kaito looked at Nicole with narrowed eyes.

He could see through her nefarious plot of making these people misunderstand the situation. However, he did not understand what she could gain from it. Even though people thought they were together, she would be more harmed by the rumours than him.

​​

He did not have power on Martial Island, so it was completely useless for her to attempt to manipulate public opinion to force his hand. His position right now was one of a returning child of the Iekami clan, so he was not worth the time or effort.

Kaito did not believe that she was in love with him. Her interest looked like an obsession for something she had heard about, like a child who had never eaten a hamburger. The imagination based on stories and descriptions was always better than reality.

The shop attendants hurried and returned, each with several clothes on hangers. These were in a range of colours and patterns. As experienced individuals, they could recognise the size of their customers, so this aspect was not a big problem.

"Miss Jiang, would you like to select clothes for the gentleman to try?" The shop attendant asked with an ingratiating smile.

Nicole's cheeks became a little red as she snuck a look at Kaito. She wanted to pick out clothes for him because she felt it was the kind of thing that girlfriends would do. But she was also cautious about pushing too hard.

If she annoyed Kaito, she would lose the advantage she had by meeting Kaito first. It was not worth it to get such a small gain and lose the final game. With that, she calmed down. She could not be too anxious about capturing Kaito.

Based on what her master had said, Kaito would be on the island until the championships. Even if he was free to move around, he probably will not be able to leave. She had time.

"No. I am not the one who is going to be wearing them." She said with aloofness, but a little humour in her tone let the attendants know she was not mad.

Nicole backed away from the centre stage and found a place to sit down. Kaito took the opportunity to pick out some clothes carelessly. He had gotten used to wearing training clothes, but he missed choosing his wear.

He did not hesitate to choose the finest things with a careless hand. It was not his money, so he would not skimp. It was a good day to enjoy limited freedom. His mouth arched into a small smile.

"I will take those." He said with the casualness of a man who did not mind shopping for his own clothes.

The attendants were a little horrified and even a bit disgusted.

They could not believe how shameful the man was. He had practically swept the store clean of all the exclusive wear available. They thought he would pick an outfit or two, but he had just picked seven full suits along with other accompanying wear.

Even though the sale meant a lot of commission for the attendants, they felt sorry for Miss Jiang. The suits alone cost a lot because they were designer items. Furthermore, things were pricier on the island because of the complexity of shipping.

Most shrewd people chose to get a permit to leave the island and shop outside for large volume purchases. Otherwise, it was a huge loss. So, seeing a man spending a woman's money without a care was a bit discomfiting.

"Miss Jiang…" One of the attendants called softly.

Nicole was a short distance away, but she saw the awkward standoff and walked up. "Is there a problem?"

"The gentleman wants all these." Someone spoke up while gritting out the word 'gentleman'.

"So?" Nicole asked.

The attendants felt like their views were refreshed. Were women so casual about spoiling their gigolos? They were worried about this lady for nothing. If one of them was willing to spoil and the other was willing to be spoiled…

"We will wrap them up right away." One person snapped out of the daze.

When it came the moment to pay, Kaito did not look to Nicole. He took out a card from the pockets of his loose activewear and casually handed it to the cashier. The woman at the checkout point was a little stunned.

"Is there a problem?" Kaito finally spoke with a mocking gaze.

"No, sir." The woman said before quickly processing the payment.

When the two customers left, the shop was still stunned and horrified. It seemed that they had annoyed someone who might be important. However, he did not seem to care, so they were probably safe. The vigilance would have to remain up in case they made another mistake.

"Can we stop at another shop?" Nicole asked. "I need to pick up my evening gown for the birthday party."

Kaito was looking around the city with clouded interest, but he heard the question. He nodded a bit distractedly. Martial City was somewhat similar to a regular metropolis, but it had enhanced appeal due to the harmonised architecture, clean air and minimal noise.

When the two people entered the shop, they almost clashed with another woman. She was a good-looking person, but not in a special way. Other than her tall and slim body and curly blond hair, nothing else stood out.

"Good morning, future Guardian Jiang." The woman spoke up.

"Hello, Dr Lambert," Nicole said with some sarcasm. "Or did they finally strip you of your PhD?"

Phoebe Lambert was not bothered. Her disdainful eyes swept from Nicole to Kaito, who looked back at her without backing down. She looked even more disgusted by him. Even though he was slightly handsome, he was not worth her attention or effort.

"What are you looking at? Do you think that everyone can be treated casually like the cheap woman beside you?" She said nastily.

Kaito was a little amused by the sudden attack. It was unfortunate that he did not have the will or interest to engage a crazy person in a verbal fight. However, the same could not be said about Nicole Jiang. She felt like Phoebe was going against her and ruining her face before her crush.

"Do you think that you are all that?" She retorted. "You are merely a woman who does not get a hint after being rejected. You think you can move the demon king just because the princess is sleeping. What a joke! He is only waiting for the right moment to kill you."

Kaito was confused by the strange words, but the irony of the first statement was not lost on him. He wondered if this Nicole Jiang had a different understanding of rejection.