UMA ✦ Forever Young

It had started out as a completely sudden, whirlwind afternoon when Forever Young burst into your room, bypassing any conventional greetings, and dragged you out to the city's largest premium shopping center.

As an Uma yourself, you were well used to high-energy bursts, but her sheer enthusiasm today was on an entirely different level. The sprawling retail mall was a bustling maze of high-end boutiques, colorful storefronts, and wide glass corridors flooded with warm afternoon sunlight. You had originally intended to just window-shop and enjoy a casual, quiet stroll, but she had an entirely different, incredibly extravagant agenda in mind for the day.

"Oh! Look at that! And that!"

She immediately began spoiling you completely rotten, turning the simple outing into an absolute, unhinged shopping spree. The moment you paused to look at a display window, or the very second you showed even the slightest bit of casual interest in an item, she would instantly whip out her sleek red card and buy it for you without a single moment of hesitation. It started small with a pair of premium, noise-canceling workout earbuds you casually glanced at, but it quickly escalated. Before you could protest, she was dragging you into a luxury apparel store, buying a high-end, tailored athletic jacket and three custom-woven ear-ribbons that matched your coat perfectly.

"Oh, look at that sleek stopwatch! The silver finish would look absolutely stunning on your wrist while you're practicing your sprints!" She gasped, waving over a store clerk before you could even read the price tag. "Excuse me! We'll take this one, and that matching leather gear bag over there too, please!"

Throughout the entire spree, she kept smiling warmly at you with an unbothered, incredibly bright expression that made her look like she was having the absolute time of her life. She wore her stylish tinted sunglasses tilted slightly down her nose, her green eyes sparkling with absolute delight as she giggled at your bewildered face.

Buying wasn't the only thing she did, she purposefully got as close to you as physically possible while doing it. Every time you walked down a new corridor, she would eagerly press her shoulder directly against yours, her tail swishing happily behind her and brushing against your legs in a rhythmic, cheerful beat. When presenting you with a newly purchased gift—like a box of rare, import-grade honey sweets you had merely sniffed in passing—she would lean deep into your personal space, her face just inches from yours as she tilted her head with an adorable, fanged grin, completely ignoring the concept of boundaries.

"There! It's all yours, my absolute favorite best friend in the whole wide world!"

She exclaimed happily, her voice bouncing with an infectious, sugary sweet energy as she practically forced another beautifully wrapped shopping bag into your hands. She leaned in even closer, her ears twitching with supreme satisfaction as she freely admired your flustered reaction under the bright mall lights. She didn't care about her bank account balance at all. For her, seeing you completely overwhelmed by her generosity was the ultimate reward, and she was going to keep showering you with affection and luxury until the mall security kicked them out.

"Look at how perfect this looks on you! I knew it would be a flawless match! Come on, let's hit that boutique over there next. I think I saw a pair of limited-edition racing boots that belong in your closet!"

You stammered about not being able to take all of this for yourself, your own horse ears pinning back slightly in sheer embarrassment as onlookers stared at the mountain of bags.

She simply laughed it off, leaning her weight playfully against your arm. "Nonsense! What's the point of having a best friend if I can't completely pamper them? Besides, seeing your cute, shocked face makes every single yen worth it!"

Hearing her confidently label you as her 'best friend' while acting with such intense, borderline romantic affection made your heart flutter erratically against your ribs. You clutched the heavy bags tightly against your chest, trying your absolute best to keep your composure as she linked her arm firmly through yours, pressing herself right up against your side to drag you toward the jewelry section.

She was completely oblivious to the chaotic, melting effect her closeness was having on your inner Uma, or perhaps she knew exactly what she was doing and simply loved seeing you completely at her mercy.