Toadette's Story: Book 1

Chapter 66 - My First Star Festival

— TUESDAY —

First thing’s first… One soft kiss on each of Minh T.’s feet, both of which had my head trapped.

“You’re so pretty,” I whispered, slowly stroking her legs.

Rising at six in the morning, I made my way to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and hair, then cleaning my glasses, I gave my lips a nice red shine using my friend’s cherry lipstick. And now, with my skin lotioned from head to toe, I slipped into a black dress I hadn’t worn since last year.

The dress, which I had worn to prom, reached just above my feet, only leaving my shoulders fully exposed. I specify “fully” because it was transparent, giving people the mildest sight of my bare body and panties if they so pleased. Paired with the heels that Daisy assured matched my size to a T, it sure gave off that elegant vibe. However, being a girl who didn’t normally fancy heels, I had to adjust to having my feet slanted downwards at all times.

When Minh T. woke up, her eyes bulged out her head.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“Probably should’ve gotten a new dress,” I lamented.

“Still fits you like a glove.” She climbed out the bed. “Whoa, I love your feet!”

“I know.”

“Not like that, silly. I mean, these heels… They really make your arches pop, like, wow. I wanna fit my face in that curve.”

“Fit yourself in whatever clothes you’re fixing to wear. The princess should’ve given us a specific time to be up.”

Minh T.’s outfit also had some kind of elegance. She thankfully wore those flats she’d won at the arcade, and though they covered up her pedicure, they still made the tops of her feet look nice. Additionally, she wore black leggings, adorned her arms and ankles with bracelets and anklets, donned a necklace with a heart jewel and had a pink crop top that revealed her midriff. Okay, it wasn’t quite as elegant as I hyped it up to be, but it was a definite step above going out in casual jeans and with dirty feet.

Makeup-wise, she had red lips and accentuated her cheeks with a very strong blush, almost like that of a clown. A cute clown, admittedly.

“Can we take a picture?” she asked, giggling.

“By all means,” I said. “And make sure you send it to me.” Because I really wanted to have an image of her feet in those flats on my phone for personal reasons. Minh T. set her phone on the floor and began to set up the picture.

“Heck, might even film a bit. Got the memory for it.”

SNAP!

“Feeling good?” she asked.

“I just hope…” I shrugged, smiling. “Yep.”

I swung the door open, striking someone hard in the face. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see the little girl there.

“Morning, misses,” she said, rubbing her nose. “Ah, you look stunning today, Miss Minh T.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, I don’t mean anything bad by that, Miss Toadette,” she quickly blurted out.

“Didn’t think so until you said that.” I pushed her head back. “Hey, you’re late to wake us up, but you’ve still got time to inform us, kid.”

She beamed brightly. “Because you’re not hosting any events, you both have to walk to the event like the others. Or you can catch a bus or a taxi or whatever. Just make sure you’re there before nine tonight.”

“We’ll definitely be there by then,” I said.

“Great. And, em, are you sure you’re not going to bring a change of clothes, Miss Toadette?”

“It’s fine.” No matter what games I played, I doubted anything could make me so drenched as to ruin my dress.

“I’ll see you two there,” the kid said, skipping away.

“Well then, shall we be on our way?” Minh T. asked, grabbing my hand.

“We’re not gonna eat first?”

“I believe it was my suggestion to eat lightly because of all the grub we’ll have at that festival.”

“Good thing you brushed your teeth after last night’s cheese dinner,” I chuckled. “Sorry to ask so late, but you mind reminding me what exactly the point of the Star Festival is again?”

“I’m gonna enrol you in a college just to force you to understand history. We celebrate the various stars in the galaxy that help it to run, and if we’re lucky, a special comet comes by and drops all these Star Bits. People wanna collect as many as they can, either for good luck, because of their energy, or simply because they’re plan pretty.”

“Ah, then I’ll be sure to grab one for luck.”

The hotel’s lobby was so packed that it was like surfing through a crowd in a stadium. We kept losing each other, only to breathe a sigh of relief when we finally found each other on the street. The streets themselves might as well have been flooded, but at least we had a few inches of space.

Minh T. was hopping up and down the whole time. With the distance we still had to cover, the odds of her getting sweaty were good. Because of that, I reminded her to slow down, but she continued skipping as if there was no tomorrow. Although I thought her sweaty feet would be nice, I felt sorry for anyone at the festival who would have to breathe in that aroma when she inevitably removed her flats. And a twinge of fear, imagining how I’d get once that smell entered my nose.

“Minh T.!” I grabbed her before she could smack into a pole.

“Sorry. Pretty obvious I don’t wear these things regularly like you do, huh?”

“Next time, wear nylons,” I suggested. “Better than wear them with nothing, since the back of the shoe always presses against your heel and causes blisters.”

“Noted. But I’m not feeling those effects yet, so—”

“Walk normal, come on.” I tugged on her arm. “We don’t want you snapping your ankles.”

She scoffed, but with the slower pace, we weren’t constantly dealing with bumping into people. We could just go with the flow. Every other turn, however, I couldn’t help but notice castle guards standing on either the sidewalks or the tops of buildings with binoculars.

“Keep me safe,” I whispered.

As we neared the festival, the loud sounds indicated the amount of activity it bustled with—a stark contrast to our first visit, where my milk was extracted like a cow. The buildings remained the same, but now there were colourful balloons and lengthy streamers flying in the air. And on top of that, the entrance was full of people, making movement another nightmare. Yeah, I felt an uncomfortable number of butts pressing into me from all angles. Yet as hot as it got for those ten minutes, the moment I stepped inside, fresh air filled my lungs. Minh T. quickly squeezed her way next to me, pulling me towards the sidelines.

“Welcome to your first Star Festival, Toadette.”

Well now… Clearly I only thought the buildings were identical. The place had gone from looking like a standard old-timey fair to a modern-day miniature amusement park. Kids ran all over the place, adults were taking pictures, and the number of little event booths was even grander than last time. So much to do, so little time…

“13 hours is not little time, you know.”

“Huh!?”

“Next time, don’t mumble your thoughts,” she giggled. “The day is ours to enjoy.”

From the morning until the stars would come out… When put that way, there was indeed a lot we could do. And fortunately, unlike a real amusement park, I didn’t have to shell out extra money to be inside.

“Before anything else…” I pointed to my stomach.

“Follow me,” she said, strutting down the cobblestone pathway. “Pick up the pace.”

Pushing my way past people, trying not to fall forward, I trailed behind her as she entered what appeared to be a bar. Yes, a bar. If she thought she was gonna get me drunk in the early morning, she had another thing coming. Yet by the time I reached her, she was already ordering stuff at the counter.

“I am not drinking beer, thank you,” I said.

“Didn’t order that. That’s more a night drink.”

“Good.”

“You’re not allergic to red wine, right?”

I threw my hands up, leaning on the counter with an expression that had her smirking.

“Not like you’re gonna magically lose control of your body.”

“Have you forgotten I have to be on alert at all times right now?”

“That’s why we’re about to loosen you up,” she giggled before having a serious expression. “I’m not letting your first festival be depressing.”

She nudged the glass of red wine towards me, sipping some for herself. I simply watched the liquid bounce up and down, seeing how it distorted my pale face. Ugh, I wanted to have as much fun as possible here, that was true. But I also didn’t want to be so vulnerable when my life was at risk. Sorting priorities like this shouldn’t have been so difficult, nor a scenario I’d ever have to face. Minh T. continued to tap her fingers, staring at me as the glass got louder and louder.

When she exited the bar, she rubbed her stomach, then grabbed a map from a stand.

“I’ll decide what we do first, to get us started. I take it water’s not on the table yet?”

“Not particularly,” I said, licking toast crumbs off my fingers.

“Muy bien.” She ran ahead of me. “We’ll start on baby difficulty then.”

“I’m wearing heels, slow down!” Before I continued, I wiped the excessive substance that dribbled from my mouth onto my hand. Whatever remained of this liquid could blend in with my red lips.

The first thing Minh T. led me to was a simple carnival-like game. You know, throw a ball to knock an item down, and you win a prize. To summarise: she walked away with a plush toy she could aggressively jam into her bag, meanwhile, I looked like a girl who didn’t get to actually run during a game of softball.

“Why am I so bad at games with aiming and throwing!?” I shouted, missing all three of my throws.

“Your mind’s always racing at a million miles per hour. I’m guessing you throw before you’re even sure if it’ll hit,” she said.

“Sure, totally,” I said, failing to hide the sarcasm in my voice. “Hey, mister, I’m gonna beat this game before I leave here, mark my words!”

“Glad to remember that, ma’am. Enjoy the rest of the festival.”

“Alright, Minh T., this time I’m picking something that’s not rigged against me. Asshole.”

She snickered, setting the map in my hands. “Could’ve been worse. Could’ve been another arcade.”

At least this throwing game had me warmed up for whatever came next. Now… The number of games in this place was impressive. I focused on the dry ones, although I kept note of the water ones I wanted to try with a certain somebody. We could also take our time and slowly make our way through the games, as the middle of this place was easily accessible from all pathways.

My first choice was the Balloon Burst game.

“Two-versus-two game,” Minh T. explained, guiding me to the area. “I have no plans on being on the rival team.”

“Meaning that you’d better not hold me back.”

We ascended a wooden staircase to take our places. A deflated balloon lay behind us, and we each held a pump in our hands. Our opponents, a Toad and a Koopa, looked about our age, so this wasn’t gonna be a super unfair match. All I needed was my stamina, and Minh T. just needed… She needed prayer.

The goal was simple: be the first to make the balloon explode.

“You two from around here?” the Koopa asked, the glare on his shades intense.

“Toad Town,” Minh T. answered. “You gonna let your guard down because of that?”

He snickered. “I don’t think you stand a chance, but I’m still gonna give it my all. First year in Mushroom City, so I guess we’re all outsiders against one another.”

“Koopa Village, I bet,” I said, winding my arm up. “Been there a number of times for missions. Especially for that old dude who never seems to die.”

“Hey, we got long life cycles, what I can say?” He clapped. “Alright, get some tissues ready, ‘cause the waterworks are about to begin!”

“We’ll see about that. Minh T., let’s get it going!”

When the whistle blew, I left all panic behind and calmly pumped. But right on my side, Minh T. pumped as hard as she could. It was impressive until I noticed just how out of breath she was becoming within the first couple of seconds.

“Follow my rhythm,” I shouted, maintaining my more controlled pumping. Oh, it was plenty fast as well, but it was steady. Up, down, up, down, on a beat of… I don’t know music terms, but if we kept to this, our balloon would fill up faster than our rivals’.

Looking to my side, I could see the Koopa glancing over to us with his confidence in the toilet. That cool attitude? Disappearing as I gave him a taunting smile. Those poor suckers were using Minh T.’s technique of ultra-spastic speed, and just as it seemed like their balloon was about to burst…

POP!!

“Holy moly! That was close!” Minh T. exclaimed, looking as if the explosion had taken out her hearing. “How did you…?”

“Common sense to me,” I explained. “Pumping all crazy is useless. It’s like zigzagging to win a race when you could save time by going straight.”

“Whoo-hoo, check out the big brain on Toadette.” She pinched my cheek, waving to the good-hearted rivals as we descended. “Good game, guys!”

“Hey, glasses Toad,” the Koopa said, “that’s some epic strength you’ve got there.”

“Thanks.”

He tossed me something flat. Hmm? A card?

“I always pay well for someone who can beat me in any game,” he chuckled. “100 coins in there. You two have a good one, alright?”

We waved to them one final time.

“That was fun. Now, the next one we do will be…”

“My choice.” She snatched the map back. “Let’s not be greedy.”

Before I knew it, I was walking towards a… a grape-crushing competition. Considering she knew I didn’t want these heels soiled, she was doing this on purpose to see something that would entertain her. Her dickish smile and villainous giggling were dead giveaways.

“They’d better have a rag I can wash my feet with afterwards.” I took off my heels, tossing them to the pervert. “Don’t expect a smell. Even if they have one, probably more a Daisy touch than a Toadette one.”

“Sounds like a win either way,” she moaned, proceeding to sniff the toe area.

This grape-stomping event didn’t involve climbing stairs, but I still decided to loosen up my limbs before stepping into the makeshift arena. It was basically a square pool filled to the brim with grapes, shallow enough for onlookers to observe. Hell, it was big enough for four people to go against each other.

Among these three rivals I faced, only one rang familiar to me. I didn’t expect the difficulty to still be on easy, truth be told.

“You might wanna go against someone your own age, kid,” I warned, waiting to enter the fruit-filled pool.

“Just because you’re speedy doesn’t mean you can win everything, Miss Toadette.” Penelope cracked her knuckles. “But don’t hold back on me either.”

“Nah, I’m still gonna play nice.”

“Your funeral.”

“I’m rooting for you, Toadette!” Minh T. shouted.

And so began the competition! The four of us wasted no time in crushing the grapes under our feet, making the numbers rise. How they had the technology to even measure something that precise was impressive, but not as impressive as the speed at which I was destroying these grapes. It felt warm and mushy, and I found myself lifting my dress to avoid any stains. Yet I did it all with a smile.

The stranger rivals, humans, weren’t half bad themselves. If it weren’t for my natural speed, they might’ve had the upper hand. One of them was actually gaining on me.

But when I looked back at the scoreboard, I gasped. The little girl was somehow squashing more grapes than I was! Her lead wasn’t huge yet, but how!? How could a ten-year-old girl be more destructive than me? She was physically slower, she didn’t have as smart of a brain as I did. What was it? Damn it!

“You gettin’ jealous?” she teased, shaking her butt.

And as she continued to dominate, the crowd began chanting her name. Including that girl who I could’ve sworn was my best friend.

“Real nice, Minh T.!”

“You’re welcome!”

No way was I gonna lose to a little kid in such a simple activity.

As the timer ticked down, I could feel the pressure growing heavier and heavier. I took that pressure and converted it into strength. Every additional step I took was a stomp that had my body vibrating. Looking into the sea of fruit, this cleared out more grapes for every stomp. The other humans tried their own techniques, and only one of them still remained close to surpassing me. Wait, no, he did surpass me! I was now in third place! Just a few more seconds were remaining, and Penelope was now freely dancing all over the pool like an idiot!

“Finish!” the announcer called, followed by the audience giving their loud applause.

“Crazy.” I rolled out of the arena with my soles soaked in clear juice. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“You know, Miss Toadette, you’re always either overestimating or underestimating what somebody can do.” Penelope smugly hit me with her shoulder, licking her fingers. “You think you can stay conscious after losing all your blood, and now you think I can’t crush grapes faster just because I’m smaller.”

“Yeah, I wish she’d stomp me like that,” Minh T. chuckled.

“Moral of the story: whenever you go against me, give it your all.”

“I’ll give you my all, alright.” I snatched Penelope up, choking her. Choking her body, calm down. It was a tight hug that left her head spinning as she finally landed on her feet.

“With how much you love to exercise, you should go try the rock wall climb.”

I blankly stared. “How high?”

“High enough that you can see it from here. You get a harness, jeez, no one’s ever died at a Star Festival before.”

Well, so long as I was attached to something, at least I’d get a nice view of the festival and surrounding streets. Although, there was a small matter that needed my attention. I slowly tapped my foot, hoping one of the two girls would notice.

“Lick it,” Penelope said.

“What?”

“Just smushed grape. Lick it off your feet.” She sat and brought her foot up to her face. “They bring really sweet grapes here, so it’s not like you’re gonna look like a weirdo, believe me.”

“How should I—” And as I looked around, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Both of those human rivals were licking the substance off their feet. It was so bizarre, but they didn’t seem embarrassed at all. Unlike me, who felt a shiver down my spine as I nervously pulled my foot up to my face and slowly took a lick from my heel to my toes.

Mmm… Surprisingly good flavour… It felt incredibly strange to be nibbling on my own toes like this, almost like a baby in front of everyone, but it’d probably be the only acceptable moment to do it. I kept slurping up the juice until I couldn’t detect any more sweet, sticky liquid on my soles. Although, it wasn’t like any of this dried my feet.

“Might as well keep your heels off, considering you can’t climb with them,” Minh T. suggested, excitedly dangling my shoes.

“Knowing how deadly her feet can get, the longer we keep her barefoot, the safer we’ll all be.”

After rubbing my feet against the cobblestone, I kicked the cute little brat away and headed towards the tall grey structure. Minh T. claimed she would also participate in the rock climbing. I tried to convince her not to do it, knowing her strength, but she talked my head off about how I shouldn’t underestimate her either.

“Never made it to the top before, but it’s not impossible,” she said. “Now when they extend the height next year, I’m done.”

“The top!? Girl, I don’t remember you ever making it to the halfway point.”

As we looked up, we spotted another familiar face, someone who caused me to both smile and rage all at the same time.

“Why are you here right now and not patrolling these streets to keep me safe!?” I asked, pulling Captain Toad by his collar.

“I’ve been at this job longer than you, cutie.” He knocked on my cap. “Besides, some of us have to be inside the festival in case a Scapelli’s actually hidden here.”

“Don’t worry,” Minh T. said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Just waiting for her to calm down any moment now.”

“Thank you, fuck.”

He was looking himself up with a harness, and wow, despite being an absolute prick, he looked dapper today. No traditional captain outfit in sight, just a simple attire: a crisp, white button-up shirt with some darker slacks. However, I couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t have a utility belt to harbour any sort of weapon.

“Hey!” He snapped his fingers, bringing me back. “Get out of Wonderland, Alice.”

“How fast do you think you can get to the top of that thing?” I pointed to the rock wall while tightening the harness around my own hips.

“You’re really a speed demon at heart. Unfortunately, we men are the beasts when it comes to strength, so I’d beat you easily.”

“You’re gonna eat those words. And if I win—”

“I already know, and that’s why I’ll be damned if I let you get ahead of me for a second.”

“Even I don’t know what she could be thinking,” Minh T. noted, finally ready to climb.

“Better that way.” Captain Toad cracked his knuckles. “Alright, bitches. Ready, set… Go!”

He instantly clutched the protruding stones, scampering up the structure like a cat or monkey. Despite looking so silly, the energy on display had my legs quivering. Although, my big feet having to stay stable on the stones was also a cause for that. How in the world was I going to reach him? He was already so far ahead, showing no signs of slowing. Meanwhile, I was only high enough to barely surpass the nearby low buildings. Did I even need to explain where Minh T. was?

“Man, it never gets easier,” she coughed. “Go, Toadette! Show him who’s boss!”

“Right!” Hmm… My usual technique was all about maintaining a steady pace. Resorting to chaotic methods was always a last resort. But considering what I wanted this bastard to do, I could break my own rules.

Maybe I couldn’t climb as fast as he could, but I was lighter. Confident that the harness would hold, I dug my feet into the stones and jumped. I cleared a good three-fourths of a metre before grabbing another stone, panting. With each jump, my smile grew wider and wider. Oh yeah, here I come, Captain Toad!

Hehe, it was like being in a bouncy house, only without limits to how high one could go. And—

“Whoa!”

My heart skipped a beat when my foot slipped. Focus, Toadette! The higher I rose, the tinier the rocks became, making my grip begin to slip. Yet as I neared the top and saw the soles of his shoes, I was salivating with victory. The sunlight beamed on my face, and before his fingers could reach the peak, guess who shot up like a rocket and landed on her slender feet?

“The shit!?” He fell backwards, leading me to whistle to myself as he climbed back up.

“About time,” I said with the cheekiest grin. “How rude of you to leave me waiting.”

“Is it even worth questioning what jackassery you pulled to get up here?” He rubbed his arms and sat, trying to catch his breath. Giggling softly, I scooted closer to him. “Get it over with, Toadette.”

I cocked my head. “Well…”

“What? Aren’t you gonna make me smell your cheesy-ass feet?”

“They’re not smelly…” I twiddled my thumbs. “Besides, maybe I had a different plan than whatever you were expecting.”

It took him only a few seconds to figure out what I wanted.

“F-R-E-A-K-Y.” He slipped off his shoe. “Not taking my sock off, pervert.”

“Fine by me.” The sock would’ve smelt stronger anyway. Before sniffing, I looked over to see if anybody would catch us. With us being so high in the air, along with this being a fairly thick wall, chances were slim that someone would be eavesdropping.

Oh… His foot… It smelt so… It smelt cleaner than I expected, that was for sure. A bit of lotion (coffee-scented, interesting), a touch of naturalness, but all mixed into this invigorating blend. I dug my nose deeper, hungry for more of his aroma. Mmm… Even with the damp fabric blocking my lips from his sole, I could feel its shape against my face. His feet might have been smaller than mine, but they were still something I could lose myself in for an eternity. Especially if he kept scrunching his toes like that.

“Ew…” He pulled his foot back, leading me to pout. “Can’t believe I thought you were the normal one.”

“Don’t we all get disappointed at some point.” I swung my legs over the wall. “Your foot smelt really nice…”

“Did it?”

“Yeah.” My tone softened. “Thank you for letting me do that.”

“Guess I still have that first reaction in my head. You know, when I almost killed you on the plane with my boots.”

“Oh, those are disgusting,” I quickly said. “But I think my new little favourite thing is having a slight stink. Not one that can burn my lungs out like a bug bomb in a home, but just a little sprinkle of natural feet.”

He laughed. “Can’t lie, it’s cute seeing you try to say all this without going red in the face.”

Was I red? Oh… Oh well, at least Minh T. wasn’t up here to—

“Took me 19 years, baby!” She nearly caused me to fall, prompting Captain Toad to grab me tightly by the waist.

“How did your big… You both are crazy enough on your own, but you’re terrifying when you’re in the same area.”

“Heh, I wasn’t gonna look like a weakling in front of her,” she grunted, bunching up next to me with her phone out. “Photo. Three, two, one!”

SNAP!

All three of us together now. And instantly, that was her new wallpaper.

“And now…” Minh T. snatched Captain Toad’s foot, yanking off the sock and sniffing it repeatedly. She then aimed her phone’s camera at him, spinning it around to capture all three of our faces as she wriggled her nose between his toes. Captain Toad burst out giggling in disgust as she sniffed even more loudly. Minh T. then proceeded to stick his big, juicy toe in her mouth.

I was as interested as I was angry that she had the courage to taste him like this. Meanwhile, all I could do was watch as she sucked his toes.

“You nasty bitch,” he laughed, kicking her in the face.

“Hey, I earned some lunch considering I brought my butt up here,” she moaned, smiling. “Alright, Toadette, heels on. We’re gonna just drop down anyway.”

“High heels?” Captain Toad asked. “Never imagined you were the type to wear those.”

“Special occasions only.”

“Gotta say, heels or barefoot, you are absolutely gorgeous in that dress.”

“Thank you. You look great as well.”

“And with those lips, man… I really wanna put my tongue in your mouth now.”

If I was red before, I was volcanic red now. I quickly rose to my feet and put my shoes on, which was something I probably should’ve waited until reaching the ground to do.

“Dang… Okay, no lie, your feet actually look kinda hot with those heels,” he admitted.

And down I went, Minh T. laughing like crazy while I attempted to hide my embarrassment. Even by the time I hit the ground and was free, I was drinking so much water and yet my cheeks still burned. The Toads eventually caught up to me, both going on and on about my feet.

“I mean, I’m not surprised she’s got arches like those given how she runs more than a man on the lam,” the captain continued. “I ain’t saying I wanna kiss those sweaty things, just that, you know, I think I can acknowledge beauty when I see it.”

“So where’s my beauty acknowledgement?”

“Well, Toadette’s got you beat, but… I like your makeup, you look sexy in those flats, I maybe wanna kiss your ass. Happy?”

“Very,” she stated, taking me by the arm. “Toadette?”

I spun around, marching up to Captain Toad. Before he could stop me, I puckered up and kissed him… Yep, right near his lips, just like with DT. Still wanted my first kiss to be something super special, you know. But when I backed up and he had those red marks on his face, I felt very proud and suddenly more confident.

“You’ve been a better boy recently, so maybe you’ll get to taste my mouth soon,” I teased, licking my lips. “Now, let’s go play a water activity. You coming?”

He rubbed the spot where I had pecked him. “Of course, baby.”

“Well, well, well, I see those heels really did fit you perfectly. What’d I say, spore head?”

Would you look at that. So the smelly-foot princess arrived from her country.