Chapter 100: Ch 100- Guests- Part 1
The next few days were even more hectic for me and the shop. More and more new customers were coming to our shop and purchasing bulks of books.
Luckily for me, the store was replacing all the books that had been sold so far, but I was beginning to worry about how much others were buying. Mainly because it did not seem as if the people were buying books for the sake of buying.
So I decided to put my foot down and put a limit on how many books one could buy at that time.
Even if the shop wouldn't run out of books anytime soon, I was not going to risk it.
A lot of customers were disappointed because of this rule, but they had no choice but to follow it if they wanted to buy anything at all.
Surprisingly enough, everyone obeyed my rule without causing much trouble or fighting back, which I was thankful for.
I breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally time to close the shop. Even the twins looked exhausted, and I sent them back up with Fenrir as I cleaned up the shop downstairs.
"Let's see. I should take care of this shop first and then cook something for dinner. But I really don't want to move. What is something that would cook quickly and won't require much preparation?"
I tried to recall when a knock at the door grabbed my attention. I went toward the door and opened it, only to see two familiar faces.
"Excuse me, shopkeeper, but we are here to return the favor from when you came over to greet us. Here is something I baked myself. I hope you like it."
My new female neighbor and her brother had come to visit us. Luna looked at me with sparkling eyes, waiting for me to take her offered gift, and Leo was… just looking sorry for me.
His eyes darted toward the gift in his sister's hands with a pitiful look on his face.
It felt awkward for me to stand in the doorway and look at the two, and Leo's cough reminded me that I should invite them both inside for now.
So I took the basket and stepped aside to let them into my house.
"Please come inside. I will serve you some tea and snacks."
I told the pair, and they exchanged a look. Leo hesitated, but Luna was already pushing past the door frame and coming inside.
Leo just sighed and had no choice but to follow. But as he passed me, he made sure to whisper some words of wisdom to me.
"Make sure to throw out the pie. Believe me, you will thank me if you do that."
The male told me as he came inside, and somehow, I had a feeling that he spoke to me like that not because he was jealous, but because he was concerned.
I settled the pair on the sofa before I quickly went to the kitchen and opened the basket I had gotten as a gift.
The pie inside was bright green and… a little too green. It was not a healthy green either, but a neon green, and the plate it was in looked like it had seen better days.
'Fuck-! This is no pie. It's a nuclear disaster waiting to happen. I should dispose of it as soon as possible.'
I threw the pie in the garbage pile before bringing out some tea and snacks for our guests. I pushed the tea in front of them, and Leo looked relieved to not see that pie anywhere.
Luna reached for the tea first, her hand touching the handle before she drank it slowly. Her eyes lit up as she took the first sip.
"Oh wow! This is really good. Leo, have you tried it yet? I swear that it's really good!"
She told her brother, and he hesitated but took a drink of the tea as well. I had used a special blend today, and the male also looked taken aback.
Suddenly, the two in front of me no longer looked like mature adults, but more like later teens and young adults. They looked like they needed guidance.
"It seems like these snacks were truly to your liking. I will pack some for you to take back."
I told the pair, and Luna suddenly looked excited.
"You will? Thank you so much. See, Leo! He's a good person. You were worried for nothing."
The female spoke, but her brother kept quiet. I also kept quiet, trying not to feel offended that someone had doubted me like that.
Leo looked like he had been caught between a rock and a hard place, and he gave me a sorry look.
"Yeah… I admit that I might have… overreacted a little. I am just a little sensitive when it comes to our current situation and Luna. Shopkeeper, I apologize for my behaviour up until now."
Leo gripped his cup hard as he spoke these words.
Had I been someone to hold a grudge, I would not have forgiven him. But I was too tired to argue with him. In fact, I had already forgotten what had happened up until now as well.
Still, I could tell that it was sitting heavy on Leo's mind, so I just laughed it off with a wave of my hand.
"It's alright. I understand. It must be hard for you to suddenly come here and start living all alone with only your sister. My doors are always open for you and your sister to come and seek shelter."
I told the pair, and the siblings suddenly looked surprised by my offer.
They gave me a look before they nodded.
"Alright. We will seek you out if we ever need your help."
They told me before they finally left, and I started to prepare for dinner. There was just... too much to do. It felt like chores never ended, and as soon as one finished, it was time for another one.
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