NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 18: Goodies in My Shop
Chapter 18: Goodies in My Shop
“Hey, isn’t that you, Brother Yake? What brings you here today? And who’s this adorable little sister you’ve got with you?”
The store manager, who had been lounging in a chair at the shop entrance, quickly stood up to greet Yake. He couldn’t help but notice the golden-haired little girl, Aierjisi, standing beside him.
“Alright, enough of that! Don’t go rushing at every female you see, asking if they fancy you. Just so you know, little Aier won’t be interested in a guy like you.”
Yake patted the store manager on the shoulder, hinting him to give up on his hopeless crusade to woo the little princess. If his awkward flirting actually worked, he wouldn’t still be single! Every time Xier visited to borrow books, she couldn’t escape his attempts to chat her up, resulting in her now harboring a strong dislike for him.
“Looks like she’s been reserved for you, huh? Fine, I won’t steal her away. Little sister, what kind of books do you need? Feel free to look around, there’s hardly anyone in my shop anyway.”
The store manager shrugged, accepting his shop’s quietude. He figured he might as well treat the newcomer well.
“Thank you.”
Aierjisi didn’t hesitate to enter the shop, browsing through several books before she began reading. During her search, the manager quietly started chatting with Yake.
“Speaking of which, Brother Yake, I’ve recently received a new batch of stock. Are you interested?”
With a mischievous grin, the manager hinted at his new arrivals.
“Oh? What’s the quality of this new stuff? Is it explosive?”
Yake perked up at the mention of new items. Back when he was as young as Xier, he visited this bookstore often. Back then, the owner was the current manager’s father, and he hadn’t been buying storybooks or educational books, but those filled with boys’ dreams and hopes.
“Absolutely! Come on, let’s go inside, I’ll show you.”
“Let’s go!”
And so, Yake followed the manager deep into the bookstore, where some hidden treasures lay—books not for sale to the public. Exactly because of that, these books were true treasures.
“Wow, Manager, you have so many adult books!”
Yake casually flipped through a couple of them, realizing these weren’t comparable to the usual stuff outside. He could buy those adult books for a satisfying long-term read.
“Ah, those are all old editions. Come, come, let me show you the new arrivals.”
The manager pulled out a key, unlocking a box and revealing new, shiny adult books.
“Check this out! Look at the quality, look at the artwork. These will absolutely crush the old ones!”
The manager handed one of them to Yake for a good inspection.
“Wow, this does look good! I’ll take three of these!”
Yake flipped through a couple of pages; indeed, those were far superior to his previous purchases. He made up his mind on the spot.
“Yake, are you here? What are you guys up to? Huh? There’s books here too? Let me see…”
Just as Yake was about to pull out his money, Aierjisi’s voice suddenly chimed in from behind him, giving him a jolt. To make matters worse, she proceeded to grab a book from the shelf and began to flip through its contents.
“Wait, those books might be too early for you. Come back when you’re a bit older.”
Before Yake could say anything, the manager swiftly grabbed the adult book from Aierjisi’s hands, telling her she had to wait until she was older to read such things.
“Huh? Older? A mere human thinks they can compare ages with me? Do you have any idea how old I really am?”
Hearing the manager’s words, Aierjisi felt insulted as if he surely underestimated her, mistaking her youthful appearance for a young age; tolerating such ignorance was unbearable for someone who is already 1100 years old.
“Wait a second.”
In a split second, Yake grabbed Aierjisi’s hand and pulled her outside.
“What’s the big idea, dragging me out like that?”
Aierjisi glared at Yake, vexed. She was just about to give that ignorant human a piece of her mind when he pulled her out forcefully.
“Little Aier, didn’t I just remind you not to reveal your identity easily? If you mention your age here, you’ll expose your status as a member of the Blood Clan!”
Yake crouched down, speaking softly to Aierjisi.
“But that human just insulted me! It was so infuriating!”
Aierjisi frowned. True, she needed to keep her identity hidden, but as a princess of the Blood Clan, being mocked by a common human was too much to bear.
“Just let it go this time. Later, I’ll buy you something delicious to make up for it.”
Yake couldn’t help it; the manager’s tone had crossed the line. But letting Aierjisi expose her identity would lead to trouble later, so he promised to treat her after to soothe her wounded spirit.
“Okay, I want some pudding!”
Since Yake had made that promise, Aierjisi, as his master, decided it wasn’t worth pressing the issue further and let the manager off easy.
“Alright, alright, I’ll get you some later. By the way, are there any books you want? I’ll buy them all at once.”
While agreeing to buy the little princess pudding, Yake asked if she was interested in any books. He was used to covering the cost since Xier always borrowed books in his name, and books didn’t cost much anyway.
“Yeah, there are a few. About these.”
Aierjisi snapped her fingers, and a few books flew off the shelf and landed in front of her.
“Evil King Dragon, Sword Hero, Lion King War Chronicles, Monkey Flying Ninja Chronicles, Aladdin’s Lamp, Kingdom History. Are these the ones you picked?”
Yake glanced at the titles in front of Aierjisi. Aside from the last one about the kingdom’s long history, the rest were all storybooks.
“Yeah! Although I need to understand what’s happened during my long slumber, I should also change it up and enjoy these storybooks to relieve some stress.”
Aierjisi didn’t mind that these books were essentially fairy tales for human children.
【Clearly, she behaves and looks just like a child.】
As Yake observed Aierjisi, he silently grumbled in his heart. This little princess, who resented being treated like a child, ironically exhibited so many childish traits.