The Heart System

Chapter 866: Chapter 866

The mall was busier than I expected.

It was the weekend, so I probably should have seen that coming, but the moment we stepped through the entrance, I was surrounded by families, couples, groups of teenagers, and people carrying enough shopping bags to make me wonder if some of them had practically moved in.

Esme walked beside me with her hands tucked into the sleeves of her oversized hoodie. She kept looking around, taking in the crowds and the stores without staying focused on anything for too long. Every time someone walked a little too close to us, her shoulders tightened before she quietly moved closer to my side.

Cora walked on my other side.

The three of us had been together for almost ten minutes, and nobody had managed to say anything more complicated than where we were going.

The awkwardness was almost impressive.

I glanced between the two sisters, and Esme noticed. "Hmm."

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I’m just making sure neither of you has murdered the other yet."

Esme stared at me for a moment before a tiny smile appeared on her face. "I haven’t done anything."

Cora’s fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her purse as she looked toward Esme. "Neither have I."

"See? We’re making progress already."

Cora’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she looked ahead and continued walking beside me. Her hand brushed against mine once, then again a few seconds later, and I noticed that the second time she didn’t move away.

I decided not to comment on it.

The whole point of bringing them here was to spend some normal time together. After everything that had happened, I didn’t want this to turn into another serious conversation where I had to play therapist between two sisters who apparently shared the same stubbornness.

"So, where are we going first?" I asked.

Esme glanced toward Cora, almost as if she expected her to answer.

Cora noticed and looked back at her. "Why are you looking at me?"

"I thought you knew where we were going."

"I don’t."

Esme looked at me instead. "You brought us here."

"I know, but I’m not the one who needs clothes."

"I don’t need clothes."

I looked down at Esme’s oversized hoodie before raising an eyebrow. "You absolutely need clothes."

Esme immediately pulled the sleeves farther over her hands. "I have clothes."

"You have three hoodies that look exactly the same."

"They’re different."

"How?"

"This one has a zipper."

"And the other two?"

"They have different zippers. And the shape of the zippers are different as well."

Cora glanced between us before quietly saying, "She has a point."

"Please don’t encourage her."

Esme’s lips curved into a small smile as she looked away.

I pointed toward the clothing stores. "Come on. We’re getting you something that isn’t designed to hide your entire body."

Esme frowned and shuffled her feet slightly. "I don’t like shopping."

"I know."

"There are too many people."

"I know."

"Then why are you doing this to me?"

"Because I’m apparently a terrible person."

Cora’s expression softened slightly as she looked at me. "I don’t think you’re terrible."

"Thank you."

Esme quietly smiled again, and the three of us continued toward the clothing stores.

We eventually walked into one that wasn’t too crowded. Esme immediately seemed more comfortable, probably because the store was spacious enough that she didn’t have people brushing against her every few seconds.

She moved between the racks slowly, touching different fabrics while Cora followed a few steps behind.

I watched them for a moment.

Esme would occasionally hold something up, look at it, then put it back without saying anything. Cora wasn’t much different. She didn’t talk much, but she paid attention to everything around her, occasionally glancing at Esme before returning her attention to the clothes.

I picked up a simple sweater and held it toward Esme. "What about this?"

She looked at it for barely a second before shaking her head. "No."

"You didn’t even look at it."

"I know what it is."

"It’s a sweater."

"I have sweaters."

"You don’t have this sweater."

"I don’t need it."

Before I could argue, Cora reached over and took the sweater from my hands.

"I like this one," she said, running her fingers over the fabric before looking at Esme. "It’s simple. You’d probably like it."

Esme hesitated, then reached out and took it from her. "Okay," she murmured, looking down at the sweater.

I blinked. "That worked?"

Cora looked at me with a faint frown. "What?"

"You convinced her in five seconds."

"She listens when people don’t make everything complicated."

I put a hand against my chest. "Are you saying I make everything complicated?"

Cora’s lips twitched slightly. "Sometimes."

Esme looked down at the sweater again, hiding another small smile. "I’m surrounded by traitors."

I... I had a hard time believing Cora would do... something like that. Killed me? Nah... but... fuck. Was Mana telling the truth? Or was she taking me for a fool and lying to me? Why did I even think she was telling the truth from the beginning? Maybe she had something planned? Or... god. The more I thought about it, the more intense my headache got.

We continued browsing, and eventually Esme had accumulated several pieces of clothing in her arms. She still complained whenever I suggested something, but she stopped refusing everything automatically.

Cora even started helping her choose.

It was subtle at first. She would pick up a shirt, look at Esme, and hold it out without saying much. Esme would inspect it and either nod or shake her head. When she liked something, Cora would simply place it into the shopping basket.

Watching them like that made me feel strangely relieved. They were still awkward with each other, but at least they were interacting. Like Delilah and Ivy. Though, neither of them were crazy... not that Esme was crazy, but still.

As we moved toward another section, a woman walking past us caught my eye. She looked around our age, dressed casually, and gave me a quick smile before continuing past.

I didn’t think much of it.

Cora did.

Her hand slipped around my arm almost immediately, and she leaned slightly closer to me. Her fingers wrapped around my forearm as she looked toward the woman.

The woman noticed. Cora didn’t say anything, but the way she stared at her made the woman’s smile disappear almost instantly. She looked away and continued walking. She was just... clingy. And her jealousy was out of this world. If only she knew Jasmine and the others...

I glanced down at Cora’s hand. "Really?"

Cora looked up at me innocently. "What?"

"You know what."

"I don’t."

"You just grabbed my arm because some woman looked at me."

Cora’s fingers tightened around my arm as she turned her gaze forward. "She was staring."

"She smiled."

"Exactly."

I sighed. "Cora."

"What?" she asked quietly, shifting closer until her shoulder brushed mine. "I’m trying."

I couldn’t help but smile. "You are."

She seemed satisfied with that answer and kept her arm linked with mine. Esme had been watching us from a few steps ahead. She looked at Cora’s arm around mine, then at Cora’s face.

We wandered through several stores, bought clothes, stopped at a shoe store because Esme needed new sneakers, and eventually ended up in a small café inside the mall. Esme ordered something sweet, Cora got coffee, and I settled for something cold because I had already spent more money than I had planned.

Esme sat across from us, slowly stirring her drink while looking around the café. "This is nice," she admitted.

"You’re enjoying yourself?"

She nodded, her expression a little softer than before. "It’s not as bad as I thought."

Cora rested her cheek against her hand and looked toward Esme. "You should come shopping with us again."

Esme stopped stirring. "With you?"

"Yes."

There was a brief pause before Esme smiled. "I’d like that."

Cora’s gaze lingered on her for another second before she nodded. "Okay."

I leaned back in my chair and looked between them.

Maybe this was actually working.

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