At this point, the owner's gaze moved past Mamoru and landed on Yakumo, who was quietly following behind.
A hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes as he asked, "And this is...?"
He seemed to suddenly think of something, his eyes lighting up. Once again, he lowered his voice and asked Mamoru in a gossipy tone, "Don't tell me you kid finally got a girlfriend?"
Mamoru didn't deny it. Instead, he followed the lead and asked back in a low voice, "What do you think? Pretty, right?"
Standing to the side, Yakumo was stunned by this sudden conversation. A blush quickly rose to her cheeks, and she hurriedly waved her hands to explain, her voice tinged with panic. "No, no! You've misunderstood, I'm not his girlfriend!"
The owner pinched his chin, looking Yakumo up and down with a smile, his gaze gentle and his tone carrying sincere praise. "The little girl is quite cute."
"I'm really not..." Yakumo's voice grew smaller and smaller, carrying a sense of helplessness.
"Oh, young people don't need to be shy." The owner had an 'I understand everything' look.
He nodded toward Mamoru and continued, "Don't look at how this kid usually seems so improper, he's actually very popular with the girls at school. I've heard plenty of little girls discussing him in this shop. You'd better hold on tight to him."
"I really am not..." Yakumo's explanation seemed particularly pale in the face of the owner's certain smile.
"Alright, boss, stop teasing her, I was just joking." Only then did Mamoru laugh and timely cut off the topic.
He struck what he thought was a dashing and unrestrained pose, flicked his bangs with his finger, and said in a declamatory tone, "As a man of the wind, how could I be content to stay within a single flower bud? My dream is to roam through a vast ocean of flowers, where not a single leaf clings to me and not a drop of dew stains my clothes."
"Scumbag!" Yakumo immediately shot him a look of disgust and spat in a low voice.
"Stinky brat!" The owner also couldn't help but laugh and scolded him.
Mamoru didn't care at all about their contemptuous looks. He skillfully took off the two bags hanging on his shoulders and set them down gently against the side of the counter.
"Look around as you please. I'm going to find some manga, otherwise I'll die of boredom after going back."
After saying this to Yakumo, he turned toward the tall rows of bookshelves, his fingers trailing over the spines of the books as he began to search intently.
The owner turned warmly toward Yakumo, a kind smile on his face. "Little girl, is there any book or manga you want to see? I have a very complete range of newly arrived books here."
Only then did Yakumo have the chance to calm down and carefully look around the shop. The small space was almost stuffed with light-colored wooden bookshelves, and books were arranged densely but categorized. From popular manga and novels to various professional books, although the scale wasn't grand, it was well-equipped. The air was filled with a quiet and focused atmosphere.
"Excuse me... do you have any books that teach painting here?" She asked softly, her tone carrying a hint of expectation.
"Painting books?"
The owner rubbed his chin as he thought back, then pointed toward the back of the bookstore. "Hmm... I remember if you walk all the way to the end, on the second shelf on the left, there should be a batch of books related to art and painting. You can look for them there."
"Okay, thank you very much."
After politely bowing in thanks, Yakumo walked in the direction the owner had indicated.
On the other side, Mamoru, who seemed to be focused on searching for manga, was actually keeping an eye on Yakumo's movements with the corner of his eye.
His hands didn't stop. He almost mechanically pulled out a copy of every manga on the top shelf in front of him, regardless of the genre or content. Soon, he was holding a thick stack in his arms, almost obscuring his vision. Then, he carried this pile of 'spoils' to the counter.
"I'll take all of these."
Mamoru placed the large stack of manga on the counter with a dull thud.
He clapped his hands and said quite grandly, "Remember to give me a receipt."
"Sure thing."
Seeing such a rare big business, the owner's eyes immediately lit up, and he could hardly close his mouth. He quickly agreed and began to count the books with nimble hands.
At the same time, Yakumo found her target deep among the bookshelves. That row of shelves was neatly lined with various painting tutorials, art theories, and art books.
She randomly pulled out a beautifully bound art book and gently opened it. Between the pages, the bright and full colors, the vast and magnificent scenery, and the brilliant and uninhibited painting style instantly caught her eye. Her slender fingers gently brushed over the smooth paper, her gaze focused, and she became somewhat entranced, as if she were in another magnificent world.
The bookstore was so quiet that only the rustling of the owner organizing books and the faint noise of the streets from outside could be heard.
After an unknown amount of time.
"I think this style might suit you better."
A familiar voice suddenly sounded behind her, breaking the focused silence,.
Yakumo didn't turn around. Just by hearing that slightly idle tone, she knew who it was.
Mamoru took a step closer to her side and continued, "How about it? Want to try this art style?"
"Not interested." Yakumo declined coldly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
Snap!
She closed the sketchbook and slightly raised her arm, preparing to put it back in its original place on the shelf.
However, just as the sketchbook was about to touch the shelf, a hand swiftly reached out from the side, steadily grabbing the other edge of the book and stopping her movement.
Yakumo couldn't help but turn her head, her clear gaze looking at the owner of the hand—Mamoru.
He looked at her, his usual joking and unrestrained expression replaced by a serious one. His voice was also unusually steady. "Life is full of ups and downs, a hundred flavors. It would be too boring to easily declare 'I can't' or 'I'm not interested' in many things without trying them for yourself."
He bared his teeth in a grin, and that smile, under the somewhat dim yellow lights of the bookstore, was actually quite dazzling. "Please don't limit your own life."
Yakumo opened her mouth, wanting to argue back, but she found that she couldn't find the right words for a moment. Her fingers clutching the sketchbook unconsciously loosened their grip.
Like a victorious general, Mamoru held that piece of 'spoils' high with a triumphant look on his face.
He turned toward the counter and shouted at the owner, who was still buried in counting, "Boss, seeing as I bought so many, how about this one as a gift?"
"No problem! It's yours!"
The owner, busy calculating the amount, didn't even look up and agreed very readily.
At this moment, in his eyes, Mamoru was simply a shining God of Wealth. As long as the request wasn't too excessive, he would naturally grant it.