CHAPTER 36: 36: CREDITS WELL SPENT

It’s definitely there.

Little Carlos tugged Aria’s hand and led her toward the children’s sock section, where many designs of cotton socks for children aged one to six were displayed.

The varieties ranged from tiny flowers to irresistibly adorable animal shapes, and even grown-ups like Aria could not help but touch their softness.

The yellow ducky cartoon section grabbed the little one’s attention the most, and the others couldn’t help but chatter excitedly about it.

"Sister Samantha bought this one for me, I am wearing this one, and I have more at the back of the room!"

Little Carlos even grabbed Lolo’s hands to make him look at him.

Then he pointed to the socks he was holding, the same pair he had, all while wearing that arrogant little face again.

What a little guy!

He’s really transformed into a spoiled baby from crying and looking pitiful.

Aria found herself wondering how this little one had changed so much in just the two days she had been away.

Well, as long as the little guy is happy, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Moving around the store, Aria found that it was surprisingly large, almost like a regular clothing store for adults.

There were cute small bibs, napkins, and even tiny hand warmers.

By leaving the two brothers under Lolo’s watch, Aria could explore the store further.

At the same time, the younger ones could pick whatever they wanted, since she had already promised to pay for everything.

A small stuffed rabbit plush toy sat on the counter, positioned in front of the computer and beside the credit scanner.

As Aria approached, it greeted her with a mechanical, sweet-toned voice.

"Welcome to Small and Stylish Days!"

"Please shop at your convenience and dress your adorable kids in soft, protective, and joyful clothing!"

Clearly shocked for a moment, Aria quickly regained her calm.

"Fluff Ball, are all the guards in this mall just stuffed toys? Do you have any idea why?"

"No idea..."

"Okay."

It was probably just the way the Heavenly Train Station worked, Aria thought.

After all, it was not bad, and she was merely curious about it.

Above the ceiling, a hanging colorful banner displayed the opening sale with nearly thirty percent off all children’s clothing for ages zero to twelve.

Aria guessed that thirteen was considered a teenager, which was probably why there were no clothes for that age.

Overall, Small and Stylish Days was much like a modern 21st-century clothing store.

The only difference was that there were no salespeople to assist customers.

Instead, cute stuffed toys were intelligent enough to operate under the system’s mysterious ability.

Regardless, there’s no issue with that.

Aria recalled being electrocuted once in the Food Hall while simply trying to grab a plate of food.

Somehow, it reminded her of how capitalist the system was.

No one could ever steal from this place.

After walking for a while, Aria made sure there were no clothes or items unrelated to children.

So far, she has only come across an endless set of items solely for children’s clothing, ranging from underwear to jackets.

Reaching for her stationmaster card full of credits in her pocket, Aria thought it was time to make good use of it.

She chose this one, then the next one, followed by these adorable sets, and so forth.

By gathering everything she found cute, adorable, and lovely, Aria left the youngsters around her staring in awe.

Buy it, buy it, buy it!

New tops, shorts, pajamas, jackets, socks, and more.

Aria grabbed them all.

She even bought small underwear with adorable animal designs, despite not having any kids around her.

Why?

For the sake of cuteness, and because it definitely wasn’t wasting money.

And she could always just pass it on as a gift to someone else later.

At this moment, shopping made her feel so comfortable and happy, as if her brain were overflowing with dopamine.

As soon as her eyes landed on something cute, she’d instantly buy it!

With a tap of her card, the items she brought were loaded into the basket.

They were then gently whisked into a curtained compartment, much like airport baggage being sorted automatically.

A timer was set for three minutes.

When it finished, the items she brought came out.

They were already neatly placed inside several paper bags on the other side.

One paper bag after another was placed in front of her.

Aria nodded toward them, clearly very pleased.

Her stationmaster card credits were spent well.

In fact, she wanted to buy something for Lolo as well.

So far, since Lolo was old enough for the store’s clothing, there had been nothing suitable for him.

Additionally, the teenage boy did not mind having any new clothes so far and even refused when he realized his master wanted to buy something for him.

He could find clothes outside, whether they were old or worn out.

He had been living like this ever since.

Even so, Aria’s thoughtfulness already warmed his heart enough to be moved again by how someone can be this good.

To add to his choice, he believed he had his own credits and did not want to take too much from Aria.

He had already received enough help, from the moment he was saved until now, and he had nothing more to ask for.

Aria let the teenage boy go for now, reminding him that her promise still stood once there were suitable clothes for him.

That time would come soon, as one of her recent rewards included a clothing store for teenagers and adults.

She was going to open it at the Wishing Stop Station.

They walked back with their arms full of paper bags.

Even little Carlos and Lucas carried their own, small and light enough for their height.

Both of them looked so proud, as if they were helping with something important.

The feeling was incredible for the little ones, and Lolo was glad to be able to help the person who owed his second chance in life.

When they reached the Train Mall Platform, the Heavenly Train was nowhere to be seen.

The youngsters around Aria were left in shock.