Ch 157. Dazed By Beauty

"Tsk tsk tsk~" Hoshimi clicked his tongue but didn't say much, turning around to start gathering books from the shelf Yukino had pointed out.

"Shhh~~~"

The sound of rapidly flipping pages echoed continuously.

As Yukino continued reading, she subtly shifted her gaze to Hoshimi's back. Her eyebrows arched slightly, and her expression gradually softened.

However, every time Hoshimi seemed about to turn and look at her, Yukino immediately put on a serious face, pretending to be deeply engrossed in her book.

Time passed by bit by bit, and the commotion Hoshimi was making attracted the attention of a young female clerk in the bookstore. She inconspicuously walked over, carrying a feather duster as if she was tidying the shelves while observing what Hoshimi was doing.

When she saw that Hoshimi was merely flipping through books at an incredibly fast pace, the young clerk walked away in confusion.

What was that all about? Was he practicing quantum speed-reading?

What a strange guy...

By the way, the ultra-cool long-haired black beauty next to him must be his girlfriend, right? Her eyes haven't left him for even a second...

These days, there are so many oddballs. Are these two here to show off their love in a bookstore?

The puzzled young clerk secretly watched the pair, who she suspected were showing off their love.

Hmph, if these two dare do anything indecent, she wouldn't hesitate to throw them out!

Books in the classic literature section are expensive! They absolutely can't get damaged!

....

Time passed, and before long, the sky had darkened.

After an hour and a half of scanning an entire bookshelf, Hoshimi closed his eyes, turning his stiff and sore neck side to side.

"Crack—crack—"

The crisp sound of cracking bones emanated from his neck.

"Did you finish reading all of them?" Yukino walked over to Hoshimi, her eyes filled with envy as she asked.

Hoshimi twisted his neck, replying, "Yeah, I've recorded them all."

Yukino then asked, "Are your eyes tired?"

"A little."

"Don't move your head; I'll massage your eyes."

"Okay." Hoshimi closed his eyes, turning his face toward Yukino.

Yukino raised her hand, gently massaging his eye sockets. The coolness of her hands met the warmth of his skin, and both of them visibly relaxed.

After massaging his eye sockets for a while, Yukino withdrew her hand and asked, "Does it feel better?"

"Not bad, much better than before." Hoshimi opened his eyes, casually holding Yukino's hand. "Yukino, why are your hands always so cold? Are you feeling okay?"

Yukino shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with my body; my hands have always been like this."

"Oh?" Hoshimi became interested, teasingly saying, "That's kind of interesting. It suits your name well—Yukinoshita Yukino, snow beneath the snow, naturally cool and icy."

"Stop joking. It's already dark; we should head back." Yukino gently pinched Hoshimi's palm.

"Alright, let's go. But I want to buy a few more light novels. Why don't you wait for me at the entrance while I head over to the light novel section?"

"I'll come with you."

"That works too."

With that, Hoshimi and Yukino walked hand in hand toward the light novel section.

Meanwhile, the young female clerk who had been spying on them stepped out from behind a nearby shelf, glaring at their retreating backs with gritted teeth.

Damn it! These two wasted an hour and a half of my time! And I didn't even get to see a kiss!

How dare they flaunt their love in a bookstore but not do anything steamy?!

They totally wasted my time and energy!

Hmph! No way am I giving them a discount!

Soon after, Hoshimi returned to the counter with six brightly colored light novels in hand.

"These are the ones. Please ring them up for me," Hoshimi said with a warm smile to the young clerk behind the counter.

The clerk blushed, hurriedly picking up the books and scanning them one by one.

Oh no, this guy is really handsome!

I didn't notice from the side, but now that I see his face up close, he's exactly my type!

White hair and red eyes! Such a rare combination!

Just like the heroine from the recent hit novel "The Strange Dreams Chronicles!" They both have the same white hair and red eyes!

This is too perfect!

"Um..." The young clerk, feeling a tickle in her nose, nervously glanced at Hoshimi.

"Hmm? Is there a problem?" Hoshimi asked with a gentle smile.

The clerk, avoiding eye contact, muttered, "Well, our store has this promotion... If you let me take a photo of you, I can give you a discount..."

"I see..." Hoshimi seemed a bit troubled. "But I don't have any photos on me..."

The clerk quickly clarified, "No, no, I mean I'll take a picture of you right now. Then you'll get the discount."

She felt that her explanation wasn't strong enough, so she added, "We're planning to set up a photo wall in the store, showcasing some of our customers."

"Got it..." Hoshimi thought for a moment and then asked, "How much of a discount?"

"Seve... no, half off!" The clerk decisively held up five fingers.

Half off for a picture of this handsome guy? Totally worth it!

As for getting fired?

She was the boss's daughter! Who would dare fire her?! The boss?

He could try! She'd run straight home and tell her mom!

"Half off, huh? Sounds pretty good. Can I go grab a few more light novels?" Hoshimi asked, smiling even more.

"Sure!" The clerk immediately agreed.

Hoshimi chuckled, pulling a not-so-pleased Yukino along as they headed back to the light novel section.

After walking a few steps, Hoshimi turned back and asked, "Is there a limit?"

"Uh..." The clerk hesitated, unsure, so she just threw out a number. "50 books, I guess..."

She regretted it right after—50 books at half off? That's a pretty steep discount...

In the light novel section, Hoshimi quickly started gathering the top titles from the last two years. When he couldn't carry any more, he turned to Yukino.

"Yukino, can you help me grab a few more? We need to hit 50."

"..."

Yukino, with a cold expression, silently helped him pick out more books.

Before long, they returned to the counter, each holding a stack of light novels.

Including the previous six, they now had 50 light novels.

The young clerk's face stiffened as she stared at the small mountain of light novels on the counter.

Damn! He's serious! This handsome guy really went for it!

Have some dignity, man! Your girlfriend's right there! Show some restraint!

Didn't you notice her face getting darker and darker?!

"So, should we take the photo first or ring these up?" Hoshimi asked, smiling even more.

"...Let's take the photo first..." The clerk replied, stepping out from behind the counter with her phone ready.

"Okay, how should I pose?"

"Just stand over here." The clerk, fully committed to the act, directed Hoshimi to stand by the bookshelf for the photo.

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