Time came to the weekend again.
The time many book fans had been waiting for had arrived.
["It feels like the new volume was released so quickly this time. Am I just too tired from work and imagining things?"]
["No, it's because Old Thief worked too fast this time."]
["It seems like only two months have passed, so the update time is at most a little over a month. Can the quality really be guaranteed?"]
["Whether it can be guaranteed, we'll know once we get it. Worrying is useless!"]
["That's true, Old Thief has never disappointed us."]
After much discussion, the book friends still felt a nervous anticipation for the new volume.
How would that battle with the White Whale unfold, and how would Emilia and the others be saved afterwards?
...
"Chihiro, today is the day the new volume is released, right?"
Mashiro sought him out immediately.
"Mashiro actually cares about it so much."
He hadn't expected the girl to be so eager, even memorizing the date.
"But it's too early to go now. There will be many people queuing. Let's go in the afternoon."
"Afternoon?"
At this answer, Mashiro's brows tightened slightly, clearly dissatisfied.
"A trade."
She suddenly spoke up.
"What trade?"
He was a bit confused.
"An exchange of conditions."
She said again.
"For example, if I give you my panties, Chihiro, you..."
"Who wants your panties!"
He said loudly.
It wasn't like he hadn't come into contact with them before; after all, touching Mashiro's and Sagiri's underwear was unavoidable for cleaning, so this condition held no allure for him.
"Then how about a different condition?"
Mashiro seemingly innocently asked again.
"I know, I know. We'll go after breakfast, okay?"
Izumi Chihiro gestured with both hands.
After breakfast, Sagiri returned directly to her room.
"Sagiri, do you want to come to the bookstore with us?"
He hadn't even asked the question yet.
Sagiri had told him before that she felt a new surge of inspiration for her painting recently, so she wanted to seize this opportunity to practice diligently. After all, she had promised to become an illustrator worthy of her brother, and such an opportunity had to be grasped firmly.
He was also perfectly clear about what 'inspiration' referred to.
He was deeply relieved that Sagiri's resolve was stronger than he had imagined.
...
After walking a few streets, the familiar Takasago Bookstore appeared before them.
Although it was still morning, quite a few people had already gathered in front of the bookstore. While it didn't have the grandeur of larger bookstores, for an independently run business, this was already quite good, as Takasago Bookstore's location wasn't particularly good; it was just an ordinary small shop.
Inside the bookstore, everyone had come for the newly released volume of "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World." Otherwise, there would be no need to rush to such a small bookstore so early in the morning.
"Father, you go ahead and be busy..."
Takasago Tomoe was helping her father when she suddenly saw Izumi Chihiro and Mashiro quietly arrive. So, she asked her father for a break and walked towards the entrance.
Takasago Store Manager noticed his daughter walking towards a boy and immediately showed a relieved smile.
...
The three stood outside the shop and chatted.
"Oh, I didn't expect such distinguished guests to arrive so early today."
Takasago Tomoe spoke first.
"Tomoe, didn't I just come to add some items to my collection last month?"
Izumi Chihiro retorted.
"You know it was last month..."
Takasago Tomoe pouted, then noticed Mashiro, who looked like a celestial being, beside him, and exclaimed in surprise, "This girl is...?"
"Her name is Mashiro, Shiina Mashiro. She's sort of my childhood friend. She returned to the country some time ago due to certain reasons and is now living at my house."
Since they were acquaintances, he had no intention of hiding anything.
"Living together...?"
Takasago Tomoe immediately put on a shocked expression.
"Chihiro is my..."
"That's right, that's how it is. Because Mashiro lacks common sense, I am currently taking care of Mashiro's daily life."
Izumi Chihiro directly interrupted Mashiro's chant, explaining a step ahead.
"That's a shocking fact... However, it's not entirely unbelievable. Chihiro's setting is already that of a light novel protagonist, so for a childhood friend to suddenly appear and live with him, it seems to be within reason, doesn't it?"
After the initial shock, Takasago Tomoe's expression became more scrutinizing.
"Don't put me in a novel, hey!"
He complained.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm not the one who should be most worried about this."
Takasago Tomoe stopped worrying about the matter and said leisurely.
'Sawamura Student, your self-proclaimed invincible 'childhood friend' attribute has been broken. How long can you maintain that composure?'
The girl's heart was eagerly anticipating the drama.
"So many novels and manga."
Mashiro's attention at this moment was completely drawn to the manga and novels displayed on the shelves.
"Mashiro, do you like manga? I can recommend a lot of works to you... Oh, by the way, my name is Takasago Tomoe. You can just call me Tomoe, just like Chihiro."
Takasago Tomoe naturally felt a good impression of Mashiro, so she directly chose to address her by her name.
"Mm, Tomoe, I want to read romance-themed works..."
Mashiro immediately stated her preference.
"Romance-themed, huh? Let me think. They should be over here, but I'm not sure about your specific preferences, Mashiro. The ones here are all works with clear male and female protagonists, not harem otome, and both boys and girls can read them."
Takasago Tomoe introduced them enthusiastically.
Izumi Chihiro had to admit that in terms of understanding romance-themed works, he was still no match for her.
This was mainly due to the difference in their preferences, and after he became a light novel author, his reading of new manga and novels had also decreased accordingly, so it was normal for him to be inferior to Tomoe.
After a selection, a basket full of books was already laid out before them.
Izumi Chihiro weighed them with his hand and felt a considerable amount of pressure.
If he hadn't kept up his exercise, a normal otaku might have made a very embarrassing scene.
"Alright, it's time to go."
After buying three copies of "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World" Volume 6 from the bookstore, Izumi Chihiro, acting as a porter, carried a stack of books and couldn't help but urge them.
"Tomoe, goodbye."
Mashiro had already learned the action of waving goodbye from him.
"Bye bye~"
Takasago Tomoe waved back in response.
Turning around, Mashiro actively took a portion of the books he was carrying. Although it wasn't much, it still showed some thoughtfulness and lightened his load a bit.
"Mashiro has learned to care for others too."
Izumi Chihiro sighed with emotion.
Could it be that the nurturing is about to succeed?
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter