Before heading to the second floor, Gustave noticed a camera store positioned along the side corridor. Remembering how much Yang Chan enjoyed photography, he asked Chu Zihang to take the children upstairs first while he purchased a camera for her.
The camera store was compact but elegantly designed. Professional cameras were displayed in pristine glass cabinets that had been polished to perfect clarity, allowing customers to examine each piece of equipment in detail.
"Welcome, sir. Are you here to look at cameras?" inquired the shop owner—a distinguished elderly gentleman with white hair and glasses who exuded refined expertise.
"Yes, I'd like to purchase a camera, but I don't know much about them. I was hoping you could recommend something suitable," Gustave admitted honestly. His knowledge of camera brands was limited to Sony, Nikon, and Leica—and even that was only because he'd previously used a Samsung phone with decent camera capabilities.
"What's your preferred price range, sir? Are there any specific parameters or features you need to consider?" the owner asked professionally.
"Price isn't a concern, and I don't really understand the technical specifications," Gustave replied candidly.
"By the way, what's the name of that camera?" Gustave pointed to a model with a particularly impressive lens assembly, operating under the assumption that superior cameras typically featured longer lenses.
"That's a Hasselblad H6D-400C. What you're seeing is the complete kit I've assembled—camera body, lens, and filters. The total price is 8 million yen," the owner explained.
Gustave's interest was immediately piqued. He'd just spent over 2 million yen on a complete PS5 setup at Sony, yet here was a single camera costing eight million. There had to be something extraordinary about it.
"What makes this camera so special?" Gustave asked with genuine curiosity.
"Simply put, this camera produces exceptionally clear photographs with resolution reaching 400 megapixels. When you enlarge the images, you can literally see individual hair strands," the owner provided a concise but impressive explanation.
"I see," Gustave nodded with understanding.
"Are you purchasing this camera for personal use, or is it intended as a gift?" the owner inquired, having observed that Gustave possessed minimal camera knowledge.
"It's a gift," Gustave replied with a smile.
"May I ask who the recipient will be?" the owner continued his thoughtful questioning.
"A little sister. She's just over four years old and absolutely loves taking pictures," Gustave explained Yang Chan's situation briefly.
"Ah, I understand—it's for your four-year-old sister," the owner said with recognition. "In that case, you should consider this camera instead: the Hasselblad X2D. It's perfectly suited for children like your sister. When taking photos, she won't need to manually focus or worry about composition—the pictures will turn out beautifully regardless."
The owner indicated a different camera positioned on the opposite counter.
"Excellent! I'll take that one. Please include the complete kit—camera, lenses, everything," Gustave decided immediately, indicating his choice of the Hasselblad X2D.
"Certainly, sir," the owner responded, moving to gather the camera equipment and accessories.
When the owner announced everything was ready, Gustave discovered that he had professionally assembled the camera and placed it in an elegant gift box. The packaging was exquisitely detailed, clearly demonstrating the owner's thoughtful craftsmanship.
"Thank you so much. What's the total cost?" Gustave asked gratefully.
"The complete amount is 2.1 million yen," the owner replied.
"Can I use a credit card? Specifically a Chase card?" Gustave inquired.
The owner shook his head apologetically, indicating that foreign bank cards weren't accepted.
"Oh, that's somewhat problematic," Gustave sighed, realizing he'd need to make a trip to the bank for cash withdrawal.
"However, you could pay a partial deposit and take the camera with you today," the owner suggested helpfully.
"Boss, aren't you concerned I might disappear with the camera and never return?" Gustave asked with amused interest.
"Ha ha, I don't believe you're that type of person, sir. I've always been confident in my ability to judge character," the owner replied with a warm smile.
"Thank you tremendously for your trust," Gustave said appreciatively, then extracted the remaining Japanese yen from his pocket—approximately 800,000 yen.
"Sir, while we cannot process foreign credit cards in our store, we do accept US dollars," the owner mentioned, noticing that Gustave still carried some American currency.
"That's wonderful! I'll pay with a combination of Japanese yen and US dollars. I can provide 800,000 yen and cover the remainder in dollars. How much would that be in US currency?" Gustave was delighted to avoid the bank trip.
"One moment while I calculate that," the owner said, turning to work out the conversion.
"Excluding the 800,000 yen, you'll need to pay $8,800 in US dollars," he announced. (Actually, the precise amount was $8,899, but the owner waived the $99 since this was a gift for a little sister—he had a granddaughter who also enjoyed photography.)
Gustave counted out exactly $8,800 and handed it to the owner, then departed with the elegant gift box containing the camera.
When Gustave headed toward the second floor to locate the others, Chu Zihang, Ume Matsuzaka, and the rest had already descended.
Ume Matsuzaka was holding Yang Chan's small hand, and Yang Chan wore an adorable floral butterfly dress that made her look absolutely precious.
While Ume Matsuzaka typically displayed tendencies toward materialism and celebrity worship, she possessed excellent aesthetic sense and had dressed Yang Chan beautifully.
The boys following behind carried several shopping bags that presumably contained additional clothing Ume Matsuzaka had selected for Yang Chan.
"Chan'er looks absolutely adorable," Gustave observed admiringly. "Here—this is a gift from me."
He smiled warmly while presenting the gift box.
"Brother Gustave, what's inside?" Yang Chan accepted the gift box with puzzled curiosity.
"Chan'er, why don't you open it and see?" Gustave encouraged.
"Can I really open it?" she asked uncertainly.
"Of course! This was specifically chosen as a gift for Chan'er," Gustave assured her.
After hearing his confirmation, Yang Chan found a nearby table and began carefully opening her present.
While Yang Chan unwrapped her gift, Ume Matsuzaka approached Gustave and produced a stack of money. "Mr. Gustave, this is the remaining 500,000 yen after purchasing Chan'er's clothes today."
Gustave looked at Ume Matsuzaka with genuine surprise. He had explicitly told her she could use the money however she wished, yet she hadn't taken advantage of his generosity and was even returning the unused portion.
"Ms. Matsuzaka, you..." Gustave began.
"Mr. Gustave, I appreciate your generous intentions, but this money was specifically for Chan'er's clothing. I cannot accept it for personal use," Ume Matsuzaka interrupted, firmly pressing the money into Gustave's hands.
Gustave shook his head but had little choice except to accept the returned 500,000 yen.
"Wow! It's a camera!" Yang Chan exclaimed after opening the gift box to reveal the exquisite camera equipment inside.
"That camera brand appears to be Hasselblad. I recall their entry-level models cost over 1.5 million yen," Kazama observed, recognizing the prestigious brand.
"What?! Over one and a half million!" Ume Matsuzaka, who had just returned money to Gustave, was once again shocked. The gift Gustave had casually given Yang Chan exceeded her entire annual salary. She simply couldn't comprehend the world of wealthy individuals.
Yang Chan remained as oblivious to monetary values as Luffy and the others. After picking up the camera and taking a test photograph, she simply appreciated how beautiful the image looked.
"Thank you, Brother Gustave!" Yang Chan expressed her gratitude sweetly before carefully placing the camera back in its protective case.
After completing their shopping expedition, Gustave's group prepared to return to Shin-chan's house.
"Oh right—Shin-chan!" Gustave suddenly remembered their missing member when it came time to head home.
After inquiring about the Lost Children Center's location, Gustave retrieved Shin-chan under the relieved gazes of two staff members who were clearly grateful to see him go.
Originally, Gustave had invited Ume Matsuzaka to accompany them to Shin-chan's house for dinner, but unexpectedly, she firmly declined the invitation.
Honestly, Ume Matsuzaka would have loved to accept—it represented an excellent opportunity to spend more time with Gustave. However, no opportunity could outweigh her absolute terror of dealing with Shin-chan in a domestic setting.
"Oh, wait..." Gustave said, looking around until he spotted an elegant scarf displayed in a nearby store window.
He quickly entered the shop, confirmed they accepted Chase cards, selected the scarf, and completed the purchase.
Gustave never saw the final price since card terminals didn't display account balances, but Ume Matsuzaka remembered it perfectly—it was a limited edition Burberry scarf priced at 1.3 million yen. She had coveted it for months, but her budget absolutely couldn't accommodate such luxury.
When Gustave presented the scarf to Ume Matsuzaka, she was so moved she nearly burst into tears.