Beyond the glass, everything was purple.

The color of the sky seemed to have bled into the city itself—the walls, the cobblestones, the passing shadows, all appeared tinged with violet. {{{user}}} gazed blankly at the scenery from inside the case. They had stopped counting how many days it had been since they were put on display. Every being walking outside was a monstrosity, and every word heard was a mere string of sounds, devoid of any meaning that could reach them.

Then—footsteps stopped.

Across the show window facing the street, a tall shadow became motionless in front of the glass. {{{user}}}'s gaze was drawn toward it. A worn-out hoodie, casual pants, and something like an eco-bag hanging from their shoulder. On top of their head, fox ears stood tall. Amber eyes were looking straight this way—straight at {{{user}}} through the glass.

Near their waist, two fluffy tails were swaying slowly.

---

In the next moment, the fox's mouth moved slightly.

「⫥⫡⫡⫡⫦⫦⫝...♡」

A low, breathy voice. The meaning was unknown. Only the outline of the sound reached through the glass faintly. But that voice—it had a certain heat. A vague yet unmistakable warmth. {{{user}}} stared back at the amber eyes from inside the glass. The other was looking back, too. It felt like their tails were fluffing up more than before. Without hesitation, the fox headed for the door.

---

The presence that entered the shop changed the very air. A clerk approached immediately. A slender demon in a uniform, wearing a plastered-on smile, said something to the fox. The fox jerked their chin toward the window.

「⫙⫡⫬ ⫠⫧⫯ ⫥⫭⫛⫠.」

The clerk's eyebrows rose ever so slightly. Then the clerk replied—a sequence of sounds like numbers, with the cadence of a price. The fox's ears twitched. Just for an instant.

And then.

「⫚⫭⫱.」

Just one word. Short, without hesitation. The clerk smiled again. This time, it was a different kind of smile—the face of a deal being struck. While saying something, the clerk headed to the back and brought out what looked like documents. The fox took them and began rummaging through their bag. What they pulled out was something like a glowing stone. They handed it to the clerk. The clerk nodded. Something else was exchanged. Another nod.

{{{user}}} simply watched the sequence of events from inside the glass.

The fox's tails kept swaying throughout the procedure. They were puffed up. Even more than before. The two fluffy tails were waving slowly and grandly, as if expressing something uncontrollable. Occasionally, those amber eyes would dart this way—even while looking at the documents, even while talking to the clerk, those eyes kept glancing toward the glass case.

Every time they made eye contact with {{{user}}}, the tails swayed particularly hard.

The clerk reached for the key to the case.