16 Victoria Supermall [1]
"Oh? So you're Raven Blackheart, I've heard about what happened in your class, must've sucked."
Claire tried to console Raven in her own way.
"Y-Yeah… but I'm used to it by now."
Smack-!
Reinhard slapped Raven in the back as he advised him,
"Grow some backbone man, you shouldn't let people walk all over you like that."
At Reinhard's words, Brandon twitched slightly, recalling past memories of being 'walked all over' by people.
Crack-
With a devious smile on her face, Claire cracked her knuckles and said,
"Yeah? Why don't we teach those guys a lesson?"
"Absolutely not, do you want to get expelled?"
Reinhard shot her down instantly.
"Whatever."
Claire rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.
Reinhard then approached Brandon, placing his arm on his shoulder.
"And this guy over here is Brandon Locke."
Since Reinhard was taller than the three, he could easily place his arm on their shoulders.
He was really touchy with people.
With a smile on his face, Brandon gave his greetings,
"Hello, Miss Claire."
"Claire's fine. Anyway, I remember you back in Combat Class, you were pretty good. But why are people saying you fell off or something?"
"Ah, hahaha."
Brandon scratched the back of his head, giving Claire an awkward laugh.
He knew the reason why, but he didn't know people were talking behind his back about it.
'Even in this world, people still gossip about everything. Haaa…'
Reinhard seemed to notice the mood had become sour, as he reprimanded Claire,
"You still haven't changed that bad habit of yours. Sorry about this guys."
"No, it's really fine. But what did you call Claire for?"
Of course, Brandon already knew what Claire was here for.
After all…
"Right, this girl over here–who can't seem to think before speaking, is the heir to Victoria Supermall."
Reinhard said while patting Claire's head.
Claire seemed like she wanted to say something about it, but she kept her mouth shut.
"Woah."
Brandon and Raven said in unison.
But for Brandon's case, he was merely pretending to be amazed.
Reinhard cupped his hand around his ear, tilting his head slightly near Claire.
"Oh, what's that? You said you'll give us a discount because you felt bad?"
His tone sounded sarcastic.
Claire seemed reluctant, pondering for a moment.
"...Mmm, fine."
"Haha, I knew we could count on you!"
Reinhard once again walked towards where Raven and Brandon were standing, placing his arm on both their shoulders.
"Well, Gentlemen, you've heard the Lady. It's a 100% discount, basically free!"
"Hey!"
Claire retorted.
The two boys could only stay silent the whole time, unsure of what to make out of the situation.
Reinhard and Claire seemed to have a relationship like fire and ice.
.
.
.
Arriving at the mall, if one could describe the sheer space that it covered, even huge would be an understatement.
It was enormous.
Stalls and rented spaces were lined all over, as a grand fountain was situated at the center.
People wandered about, children, adults, and seniors took their time shopping and exploring.
The air was alive with the chatter of conversation and murmurs being audible.
Vendors called out to each person passing by, their voices mixing with the crowd.
Brandon and Raven stood there in awe. While Reinhard and Claire motioned ahead of them.
Claire turned around to face the two.
"What are you two just standing still for? Let's go."
At her instructions, the two immediately followed suit.
"Yes, Maam."
The four hopped on a white circular device. As soon as they did, there was a robotic voice that spoke,
[Which floor would you like to go to?]
"Floor 28."
Vuuum-
As soon as Claire gave the instructions, the circular device lit up green, and they were instantly teleported to the 28th floor.
"Damn!"
Brandon was taken aback.
At first he thought it was just a fancy elevator, but turns out it was so much more different.
The technological advancement of this world had never failed to meet his astonishment.
Noticing this, Raven tilted his head.
"You've never used a shiftporter before?"
"N-no…"
"That's weird, isn't your family rich? I thought you'd have a shiftporter in the Locke Company building."
Claire chimed in, leaning close to Brandon.
"Ah, haha, I must've forgotten. My family's been calling me forgetful lately."
"Uh, okay…"
At the mention of Locke Company, Brandon's interest instantly skyrocketed.
'I really need to look into Brandon Locke's identity.'
At this moment, he could fully admit that Brandon Locke was an interesting character.
'So why didn't he ever make an appearance in the novel?'
He had the system, something that the main protagonist had.
He was also rich, and his looks are something worth remembering.
The way Brandon Locke was designed seemed like he wasn't just an ordinary extra.
From the pale white hair that reached his neck, to the ice blue eyes.
Plus, his face was perfectly symmetrical, even a narcissist would agree to that.
There was no doubt in Brandon's mind that this seemingly extra character he'd transmigrated as, had to have an important role in the story.
But he then remembered that he had stockpiled 400 chapters behind, only reading up until the 3,891th chapter.
'But isn't that too far in the story to introduce a new character?'
It was, and the fact that Brandon Locke had a system made Brandon even more suspicious.
'There has to be something more about Brandon Locke.'
He truly wished he could search the character in the Path to Ascension wiki page.
'I'll find out eventually.'
After all, he was now playing the character.
Stepping out of the shiftporter, Brandon, Raven, and Reinhard followed Claire closely.
She had led them to a store with mannequins wearing suits and dresses being displayed on the front glass.
The four of them beckoned inside.
As they made their way inside, an employee was already ready to greet them.
"Good evening, Miss Victoria, and these must be your friends."
"Good evening, yes, that's right. Could you help us get something tailored to wear?"
'Tailored, huh? A rich girl through and through, she's just like Belle.'
Of course, Brandon couldn't say it out loud.
"Yes, gladly. But for a moment, we're still helping another customer get something tailored."
"That's fine, take your time."
The four sat down on a circular couch.
While they waited, the employees unexpectedly offered them refreshments.
'What kind of store is this?!'
Back in Brandon's world, clothing stores wouldn't usually have refreshments.
The customs of this world were truly a mystery to him.
.
.
After waiting for a while, it seemed like the other customers had finished getting tailored.
A door situated in the corner opened, revealing two women.
One of them had pitch-black hair, while the other women had bright-blonde hair.
When their gaze landed on the four who sat on the couch, their eyes peered wide open.
And so was Claire's.
"Eh? Amy and Rachel? Fancy meeting you here."
"What a coincidence, Claire. Is that Reinhard with you?"
Amy approached the four, scanning the three people she was with. While Rachel also followed suit.
Reinhard then greeted Amy and Rachel.
"Yup, good to see you again, Amy, Rachel."
Seemed like rich people knew each other.
Claire added,
"Yeah, we're getting something tailored for the party. You too, right?"
Amy then pointed at Rachel, and responded,
"Yup, you guys must've waited long. Sorry about that, Rachel here took too long deciding on what design she wanted."
"Sorry…"
Rachel bowed apologetically.
"No, it's okay. Anyway, let me introduce you guys to these two over here."
Claire presented with open hands towards Brandon and Raven, as if she was giving a report.
"This gloomy fellow over here is Raven Blackheart, and this guy with the long hair is–"
Before Claire could finish, Rachel cut her off.
"Nice to see you again, Brandon."
"Yeah, you too, Rachel."
The other four tilted their heads, giving a confused look.
"Eh?... You two know each other?"
Claire asked.
"Uhm… Yeah, we're classmates."
"Oh, that's right. I forgot you Reinhard, and Raven was in the same class as Rachel."
One of the employees then approached the group, gesturing towards the door.
"Miss, Claire, the room is now open. You may proceed to get tailored right away."
