—Kanade, is that employee spying on me? I hope they've been found out...
Eriri tugged at the corner of Natsukawa Kanade's clothes, her tone somewhat nervous. Her other small hand was clenched into a fist and held against her chest, as if that could make her feel more comfortable.
—Don't be suspicious, it's just an illusion.
Kanade comforted her, then looked back and met the gaze of the young employee. He saw the other person quickly turn their head and look away.
—...At most, he thinks your outfit is suspicious, right?
His tone was a bit hesitant. The clerk's actions were indeed a bit strange, but he didn't seem to be looking at Eriri. It seemed like... he was looking at *him*?
Could it be that he looked even younger than Eriri?
—Is my outfit okay? I think it's pretty normal.
Eriri lowered her head, looked at herself, and felt there was nothing wrong with it.
—If you watch romantic dramas often, you'll realize you're dressed like a private detective right now.
In fact, this kind of clothing only appears in romantic dramas; most professional detectives wear casual clothes when they go out. Why would they dress so strangely? Are they worried about not being exposed fast enough?
—Well, stop wasting time and go find the book you want. I feel like everyone is looking over here.
The bookstore here seems to be quite famous. Early in the morning, many people dressed like otaku came out in "painful clothes" (itasha-style apparel), choosing their favorite "trophies" one by one. However, everyone came alone. No one came in pairs like Kanade, not to mention that one of them was a pretty girl.
The only thing I can say is that if looks could kill, I'd already be riddled with wounds.
—Mhm.
Eriri also looked around and found that, just as Kanade said, some passersby were already staring at her.
*Do others think she and Kanade are a couple? What good taste they have!*
Then her cute face flushed, and she hid on the other side of Kanade, using his body to slightly block their view.
—Not this, not this... Found it!
After leafing through for a while, Eriri soon found the goal of this trip: the book her mother wanted.
As a manga artist, Eriri is a simple fan of vanilla series. She only watches and draws about men and women, but her mother is different. She is a true fujoshi and loves reading forbidden love series.
—Did you find it? Let me see...
Kanade turned his head to look.
—No!
Eriri quickly hid the notebook and refused to let him see it, no matter what.
Forget about others, but this series must never be shown to Kanade! Otherwise, what if he went astray by accident? Not at all!
Kanade didn't mind. If she didn't want him to see it, he didn't want to see it, so he started reading himself.
*Since I'm here, it doesn't seem like too much to pick up a book and leave, does it?*
If he were in front of other girls, he would still pay attention to his image, but he and Eriri are "comrades-in-arms," so there's nothing wrong with simply choosing books together, or even reading them together, right?
After leafing through the pages for a while, he was immediately attracted to the cover: a generous blonde girl with her hands in prayer, her soft hair tinged with a bit of crystalline liquid…
Kanade reacted immediately.
He remembered the dream he had that morning. The angel in the dream seemed to have done the same thing...
Eriri approached and discovered that Kanade was looking at the notebook in front of him, so she took a look too.
Blonde, thin, hair as long as hers... It's definitely her!
Eriri's pretty face flushed. She felt as if she had traveled inside a book and become the protagonist on the cover. In front of her was Kanade, with a mocking smile, rudely telling her: "Swallow it...".
*Ahhhhhh! I'm going to die!*
The feeling of shame surged in her heart and she couldn't suppress it at all.
Then she blurted out:
—W-what? This is trash! The hair color isn't bright enough, the characters' faces aren't drawn well, and they have such thin bodies, but the breasts have so much fat... This is totally unscientific! Stop looking at it!
The more she spoke, the angrier she got. Although Kanade, beside her, hadn't said a word, seeing how absorbed he was, he must be fascinated by the frontal armor, right? That kind of thing... that kind of thing, she had it too!
Although it's not that big yet, it will definitely grow in the future! Of course! She drinks milk every day!
In short, she has unlimited potential and a promising future!
—Ah? Um...
Kanade finally regained consciousness and responded quickly:
—Well, well, you should have finished shopping, right? Let's go fast...
At first, he also wanted to take home a trophy, but he suddenly stood stunned. Now he doesn't dare think about it much. If he buys this book on impulse... he won't be able to look at Shiina anymore.
"…"
Eriri's eyes looked very resentful, but she still followed Kanade obediently.
The two approached the counter, and Eriri hid the notebook among other books and handed it to Kanade. He took it and handed it to the clerk calmly.
The more times things like this happen, the more you need to act like "I am very mature," and it would be better if you acted so mature that people could tell at a glance that you really are an adult.
—The total is 3,000 yen. Is there a member?
The clerk was an elegantly dressed young woman who looked like the same type of person as Kasumigaoka Utaha. She looked at them with a subtle expression, as if exploring their relationship.
—No, just pay directly.
Kanade shook his head and handed her the money.
After paying the bill, the two were about to leave the bookstore when they were suddenly called again.
—Please wait a moment!
—Excuse me, what is your relationship?
The clerk caught up from behind and asked in a low voice.
—Uh... brother and sister.
—Great!
After receiving the answer, the clerk was overjoyed and quickly handed a note to Kanade. Before leaving, she winked at him and said:
—Call me.
"…"
*What a pity! I thought you realized I wasn't 18, but it turns out you were the one who wanted me to be.*
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