The last couple of days had been quite eventful. The girls made a new friend, Chloe. Ari and Anna finally became a couple and royally messed up being so loud that the entire castle had heard their first time. Last but definitely not least, Maya’s parents showed up in the capital, and Sophia had to do her best to make them like her. Fortunately, they not only ended up liking but straight-up loving her.

As all of that, except for meeting the fox-girl, had been rather tiring, the girls decided it was time to do something fun together to get a bit of stress relief. Namely, spending a ton of money on new clothes. They had planned this a long time ago because they all needed new clothes for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. Still, because one thing kept happening another lately, they only got the time to do it a few days after Sophia and Maya helped Ellie craft her present for Kira’s birthday that was happening soon.

Thankfully, they had gotten a day off from the academy, definitely not because a certain blonde and black-haired troublemaker duo had caused another uproar, and the group decided to use that day to go shopping together.

“Alrighty, where do we start~?” While the five girls were walking around in the capital, Sophia faced the others while seemingly in a good mood.

“With a place that sells incredibly short skirts.” As usual, the girls’ ability to sync up was almost scary.

“A-Ah…” The blonde stopped walking. “I, uhh… I hoped you all would’ve forgotten about that part…”

“Nope.” Everyone just shook their heads.

"You all know that if it gets too extreme, I'll only wear it at home, right?"

“Good enough!”

“Stop syncing up so well!" Sophia glared at all of them. "With four at the same time, it gets seriously creepy!"

“Hehe.”

“Urgh…” She gave up. “Can we go to the lingerie shop first, though? I really am open to an outfit with a skirt, one that I chose, but I'm only going to wear them outside when I can have tights or leggings beneath it. Just like I do with the school uniform. They have a nice selection, and something colorful might be fun!"

“Ohh!” Chloe raised her voice. "Do they also have overknees? I'd like to get some that are a little sheerer and or thinner. My current ones are a little too warm for my liking…"

“You’re crazy!” This time, all the cats unionized.

“Wow, you were right…" The fox-girl then glanced at Sophia. "The sync is a little creepy."

“I do like the idea, though.” Maya nodded a few times.

“E-Eh?!” The cats then focused their attention on her.

"A-Ah, no… No, not the ridiculous idea of our crazy fox. I mean getting new legwear in general. I’d like to get something with more contrast to my hair. Maybe I’ll give black tights a try.”

“Ahhh.” They looked relieved again.

"Aww..." Except for Chloe, as she still looking for a companion in that regard.

----------------

As everyone liked the idea of going to shop for new legwear first, the girls decided to go to the lingerie store they had visited several times to look at their stock.

"Hmm… I don't think I've ever been in this area of the capital yet." After having walked around for 15 minutes, Sophia started scanning their surroundings.

"It's a shortcut," Ari replied to her. "The previous times, we went to the lingerie boutique from the castle, right? From your mansion, it’s faster if we go this way.”

“I see…” She nodded a few times. “I’m totally not going to remember any of this.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised.” Maya had already given up on her girlfriend’s navigation skills.

“Hmm?” Ignoring the justified insult, the blonde continued to look around until she found a curious sign. “Shrine ground of Mira…? Who’s Mira?” She seemed a little confused.

“You don’t know her?” Ari tilted her head. “She’s the goddess of magic. Well, for the beastfolk, at least. Her being depicted with animal ears and a tail didn’t make her overly popular amongst the humans.”

“Very fluffy tail and ears, I want to add.” Anna chimed in. “It’s divine fluff! It’s kinda quite similar to, but barely above Chloe, even!”

“Wow!” Sophia nodded a few times. “Understandable with the human thing, then. She had no problems imagining the issues there. “Wait, what…?” She needed a moment before the words fully registered. “There is a goddess of magic…? Wait, I thought magic is something natural…? Why does it need a goddess…? Wait, there are more besides that idi-, Canir?!" She decided to reword her sentence. "E-Eh?!"

“The great Canir has a bit of a special position.” The princess tilted her head while thinking of an explanation. “He doesn’t really have a role as Mira does. He’s more of a general or, rather, the main higher being? He’s basically in the center connecting everything? There are many besides Mira. There are goddesses of nature and life, too, for example.”

“…” The blonde wasn’t sure how to feel about this revelation. The main one already was quite the handful, so any more of these higher beings seemed like a massive pain. “Still, a goddess of magic, huh? Is she also an eccentric one…?”

“Also…?” Ari tilted her head. “She’s said to be very gentle, caring, and always looking out for others.”

“Oho.” She liked the sound of that a lot more compared to a certain unreliable-looking slob. “Also…” She then looked at their fox-girl. “Divine fluff, gentle, caring, always looking out for others and unexplainably good at managing and controlling magic… Chloe, is there anything you want to tell us?”

“H-Huh?!” She looked at the tiger with big eyes and a shocked expression. “Where did that come from?! Also, wouldn’t my magical reserves be much bigger if I were Mira?”

“Maybe you’re just artificially limiting yourself?”

“Bold thing to say by someone who actually has goddess-like magical power.” Ari stared at her. “Is there anything you want to tell us?”

"Not to mention that you even have your own pocket dimension with your portals." Chloe directly jumped in on the jaguar’s comeback.

“Point taken.” Sophia had little room to talk back. “I’m not the gentlest girl around, though. At least not to a point where it is a definitive trait of mine. Also, I’m a lover of divine fluff, not the wielder of it.”

“Fair enough.” The jaguar accepted her explanation. “Do you want to look at the shrine? It’s not far and almost on the way.”

“Nah, I’m fine.” The blonde shook her head. “It’s probably not any different than the Canir shrines, right? Only with a different person? I’ve seen enough of them already.”

“Yes, it’s pretty much the same.”’

“Yeah! Shopping sounds like so much more fun!” Chloe agreed with her and energetically raised her arm. “Let’s go!” She seemed very eager to move on.

----------------

After the girls had finished getting distracted, for the time being, they finally went to the lingerie boutique for real to get some of their sought-after legwear.

“Do you already have a specific idea for colorful tights in mind?” Inside, while browsing the products on display, Ari faced Sophia. Some minutes ago, Chloe had spotted something interesting, and she took Maya and the princess with her, so the two ended up on their own while looking around.

“Hmm…” The tiger gave it some thought. "A red or maybe burgundy color might be fun. No idea why, but I think red tights look amazing. The same goes for leggings."

“Red, huh?” The jaguar tried to imagine it. “As long as it’s not a shiny color, I could get behind it, yeah.” She nodded a few times.

“Yupyup." She agreed. "A subdued and or matte hue would be better."

“Let’s see…” Ari glanced around to find something fitting. “Oh, how about those?” Her eyes stopped at a red pair of tights worn by a mannequin. “I love the thin argyle pattern they have.”

“Oh my gosh, they are amazing!” Sophia immediately fell in love with them. “I need those!”

“Well, that was easy.”

“Ohh! They’re even lined! It’s like they’re made for me!” The blonde was already getting her hands on them. “They feel so soft and warm~!”

“Lined tights really are taking over now that it’s getting colder.”

"And that's a good thing!"

“Sure is.” The jaguar had to agree with her.

“Okay, I’m happy for now!” Sophia grabbed three sets of tights in her size while smiling at Ari. "Do you also plan on getting something, or will you stay with the tried and proven black legwear?"

“I wasn’t planning to. Do you think anything else would fit me? I feel like black is the best option for me.”

“That is true.” She nodded in agreement. “Maybe something in white for contrast? I think that would work quite well.”

“Hmmng…” Ari didn’t seem to be fully convinced. “I was planning to get something along the lines of a white pullover to contrast my hair. I think my legs look better in black.”

"…" As they were currently in the school unfirm with the rather short skirt, as they went shopping right after the magic lessons, Sophia took a good look at Ari’s legs in her usual black tights. About a minute later, she finally looked her into the eyes again. “True.”

“Did you really need to stare at them for that long?”

“I even hurried up, you know?” Sophia wasn’t the least bit embarrassed.

“Right, your fondness of legs, I forgot.” Ari rolled her eyes.

“There’s lots to be fond of with yours!”

“T-Thanks? I guess?”

“Yup!” She gave her a big smile. “Let’s see… What else would be a great fit for those amazing legs…. Oh!” Sophia's eyes wandered around in the boutique until they stopped on something they liked.

“Hmm…?” The jaguar followed her line of sight and quickly found what she was looking at. “N-No!” The moment she saw the scantily clad mannequin wearing nothing but very revealing black lingerie made with lots of lace combined with an eloquently designed garter belt and straps holding up a pair over overknees, her entire face turned red. “Underwear aside, t-there’s just no way I’m going to wear a garter belt and straps in public!”

“Underwear aside?” Sophia raised an eyebrow in interest.

"A-Ah!" She got even more embarrassed. "W-Well, I like lace trim a lot, so the underwear looks great… Though, okay, maybe a good bit too see-through in important places... Also, those bits won't be seen in public, so…"

“You like lace trim, huh? That must mean you also do like the garter parts, right?” She pointed at the detailed lace on the holder and the overknees.

"…" The jaguar paused for a moment while taking another glance or two at it. Or a lot more, to be precise. "S-Still, I'm still not going to wear it!"

“In public or in general?”

“S-Shut up!”

“I bet Anna would love to see you in it, though. When the two of you are alone, of course.”

“…” She went silent again while looking at the lingerie once more. “I hate you…” Ari then hung her head in defeat.

“Want to try it on?” The blonde didn’t have a hard time understanding her reaction. “Should I get a clerk for help? I bet there are some catches to get it to fit perfectly.”

“N-No!” The jaguar raised her voice. “I don’t want some stranger to see me in that!”

“It’s just a clerk, though? They do nothing else day in and out. It’s not like they care as it’s their job. They just want to help.”

“I care, though!”

“Fine, have it your way.” Sophia didn’t feel like arguing.

“Thanks!” Afterward, she grabbed a set in her size, and the two made their way to the changing rooms. "P-Please make sure that no one enters my stall. I'll die if someone sees me!"

“Sure~.” The blonde just waved at her before the curtain to her cabin closed.

"…" Roughly ten minutes and lots of ruffling sounds later, Ari still hadn’t said a word in her cabin.

“Does it fit?” Sophia was getting a little curious.

“Uhh… I-It’s the right size, but I don’t know if it… fit’s me…”

“Should I get a clerk, after all? They’ll definitely be able to tell if it fits the way it's supposed to be.”

“No!” She raised her voice again. "This lingerie hides nothing! NOTHING! No clerk is going to see me like that! It's less sensual if I'd be naked!"

“Well, then I’m out of options…” Sophia wasn’t sure how to help her. "As I'm pretty sure it looks amazing on you, just get it and have some fun with Anna once you present it to her.”

“…” The changing cubicle turned silent again. "P-Please come in and judge it for me…"

“Excuse me?!” She got loud. “That’s sooo a job for either a clerk or the princess!”

“I don’t want a stranger to see me, and it’s supposed to be a surprise for Anna!”

“You know what’s going to happen once our girls find out that you presented yourself to me in underwear, right? Right?! Not to mention that you're wearing extremely sensual and suggestive lingerie right now…”

“I don’t have any ulterior motives, though! You’re just helping me to check the fitment of some clothes! They just happen to be quite embarrassing for anyone to see…”

“Are you happy with that excuse…?” There was a hint of sarcasm in Sophia’s voice.

“Not at all! I don’t have anything better either, though…”

“I’m going to blame you for everything, okay?”

“S-Sure…”

“Alright…” Hesitating for another moment, the blonde then entered Ari’s changing cabin. “W-Wow.” That was all she could say after she saw the jaguar in the outfit she was currently trying on. "I-It hiding nothing was a huge u-understatement!"