After changing her clothes, Xiao Chun Miura rummaged around her room for a long time.
Her original intention was to check if there was anything she needed to bring with her.
In Xiao Chun Miura’s impression, if a girl was going out on a day off…
Things like handbags seemed just as important to consider as her outfit.
But…
Due to her complete lack of experience, Xiao Chun Miura had no idea what style she should bring…
There were a few small handbags in her bedroom.
But no matter which one, Xiao Chun Miura felt awkward carrying them out.
Perhaps it was because she wasn’t used to a girl’s lifestyle—something that couldn’t be overcome in a short time.
Xiao Chun Miura sighed.
…In the end, she chose to carry her usual Student Bag out.
This way, no matter how strange she looked, passersby would only think, “She’s a Student.”
If she was seen this way, Xiao Chun Miura felt the pressure in her heart would be a little less.
Part of her reason for going out this time was to buy something casually…
After all, when under stress, shopping helps—this was also one of the reasons Xiao Chun Miura wanted to go out.
Xiao Chun Miura had previously checked the App on her Mobile Phone…
The first time she used the Map Function and Phone Function, the girl had generally checked, and this Mobile Phone was basically fully functional.
Afterward, she checked the Payment App and confirmed there was enough Balance.
Although a five-digit amount wasn’t particularly much, considering purchasing power, under normal circumstances, it was more than enough to buy whatever she wanted.
She hadn’t thought specifically about what to buy, maybe she’d see something interesting while walking… Like Anime Merchandise?
If she saw it, she might buy it.
After all, this was the kind of world she lived in.
Of course, precisely because this world was fictional…
If she didn’t find such shops while shopping, Xiao Chun Miura also felt it was normal.
In that case, she probably wouldn’t buy anything extra.
Anyway, if she really bought something, she’d just put it in her Student Bag and bring it home.
Better than carrying it in her hand.
“…Alright.”
Not sure why she was cheering herself on, Xiao Chun Miura bravely stepped out the door.
—After all, she’d be living in this world for several years.
If she could enjoy life…
It would be better than enduring psychological torment all the time.
“Let’s start from here.”
Deciding to temporarily set aside miscellaneous things that affected her mood—like Kondo Haruka, Kanzaki Sou, System, Goodwill, Common Route, Personal Route—Xiao Chun Miura stepped onto the street, determined to view this world more positively.
***
However, fate is always so fickle.
Xiao Chun Miura didn’t even know how to process what was happening.
Her self-mockery before leaving was just a casual thought.
The so-called protagonist treatment of “wherever you go, you trigger a Plot Trigger”… If she were playing a Game Plot, Xiao Chun Miura wouldn’t find it strange.
After all, in a Game Plot, if events didn’t keep happening around the protagonist, it wouldn’t be a Game Plot.
The so-called Protagonist Aura was just something that pushed the plot forward without considering other factors.
But.
Even if this was a Game Plot, she wasn’t the protagonist.
Triggering a Plot Trigger wherever you go… In daily life, that was actually unsettling.
She came out to clear her mind and find some peace.
Standing quietly in front of the bookshelves in the Bookstore, Xiao Chun Miura tried her best to ignore the presence beside her.
However, he stopped at her side, blocking her at the back of the Bookstore with nowhere to go, and even continued deeper along the bookshelves.
Xiao Chun Miura’s expression froze.
—Why.
…Why, why did she run into Kanzaki Sou!!!
***
A dozen minutes earlier.
Wandering aimlessly on the street, Xiao Chun Miura passed by many shops.
She had left the house heading for the Shopping Street she found through her search—it wasn’t far from the Residential District, and it satisfied her urge to shop.
Without much thought, Xiao Chun Miura headed in that direction.
However, the experience wasn’t as fun as she’d imagined.
Although the Shopping Street was indeed bustling, with a lively afternoon weekend crowd that gave a vibrant feel.
But for Xiao Chun Miura at that moment, that was actually a downside.
Walking around crowded places as a woman—realizing this, Xiao Chun Miura became increasingly uncomfortable while shopping.
Maybe it hadn’t affected her before, but that was because she’d always been preoccupied with Kanzaki Sou, Kondo Haruka, and other matters, leaving no room to care about anything else.
But now, Xiao Chun Miura was shopping with the hope of “relieving stress.”
…With her troubles set aside, the unfamiliarity of “being female” took center stage.
Crowded areas made Xiao Chun Miura feel extremely uneasy.
Moreover, there were many semi-luxury jewelry and fashion stores on the Shopping Street—the crowds were even bigger in these areas.
As a result, Xiao Chun Miura didn’t linger at the entrances of those shops for long, quickly moving away as if avoiding them.
In the end, she turned into a Shopping Plaza… and then entered a Bookstore.
Fewer people, quieter—stepping into the Bookstore, Xiao Chun Miura felt like she could finally breathe.
…Alive again.
“Oh oh, young lady, looking for a book?”
“!”
Xiao Chun Miura jumped, turning around reflexively.
Behind the counter, the Uncle Clerk greeted her kindly.
“Ah… Please let me look around first—”
“Oh oh, ask me if you need anything.”
The Uncle Clerk’s greeting gradually calmed Xiao Chun Miura’s exaggerated mood…
After soothing herself for a moment, Xiao Chun Miura began browsing the book covers along the shelves.
The stable environment relaxed her…
Unconsciously, Xiao Chun Miura became absorbed in the Bookstore’s quiet atmosphere.
…And just like that, time passed.
Xiao Chun Miura browsed and flipped through books, unknowingly reaching the end of the aisle.
She was about to head to the other side of the bookshelf when she noticed the shelf at the end was flush against the wall.
To get to the other side, she’d have to walk along the shelves to the entrance and then circle around.
With that in mind, Xiao Chun Miura prepared to step toward the shop entrance.
But as soon as she turned her head, she froze.
There was a boy a little distance away in the narrow aisle, closer to the entrance, absorbed in flipping through the book covers on the shelf.
Normally, it wouldn’t matter—if she spoke up, he would likely move, letting her out.
But…
Xiao Chun Miura couldn’t move, nor could she speak.
She looked at his familiar profile, then turned her face back to the bookshelf; her foot, which had started to move, quietly returned to its original spot.
The boy’s profile was already deeply familiar.
Today, he wasn’t wearing his school uniform, but a simple white sweatshirt and dark casual pants.
His face, as always, had black-framed glasses…
But perhaps because his outfit was more relaxed, he looked less like an honor student than usual at school, and more like a gentle boy-next-door.
Kanzaki Sou didn’t notice Xiao Chun Miura inside; he was focused on browsing the shelves, occasionally reaching out to flip through the book covers.
He was completely unaware that he had cornered a trembling girl at the end of the narrow Bookstore aisle.