Chapter 15: Shopping (Part 4)

After we finished eating, we decided to split up.

Mom and Yuna went to buy ingredients for dinner, and I was told I could head to the bookstore in the meantime.

What Mom handed me was a generous offering from Mr. Yukichi.

Apparently, it was to make up for not getting me a birthday present this year.

『Books! Books! So many books! How wonderful… how absolutely wonderful!』

Alicia’s excitement hit well beyond the maximum the moment we stepped into the bookstore. Not that I was any less thrilled—my heart couldn’t hide its joy at being in a bookstore for the first time in ages.

“Time to get serious…”

I grabbed a shopping basket and cast the spell Increase Physical (Small) to enhance my physical abilities.

First things first: checking for new volumes of the manga and novels I’ve been following.

I scanned for anything released in the past year and tossed each one into the basket as soon as I spotted it.

“This one and this one… Oh! A new volume of Hunter✕Hunter! And Defenders of the Fallen Kingdom too!?”

『All the books are so colorful and beautifully bound! And the stories, expressed through these illustrations and words… I can’t believe something like this exists… and so many of them!』

After a year away, the bookstore felt like a treasure trove.

Beyond the series I followed, so many other titles caught my eye that it was hard to choose.

“Oh, the novel that got an anime yesterday also has a manga version now. That’s a must-buy!”

The more books I tossed in, the heavier the basket became.

But with my strength boosted by magic, this was nothing!

“Ugh… I can’t reach the top shelf.”

This was one of the downsides of having shrunk over a head shorter after ending up in Alicia’s body. I used to reach these shelves with no problem.

“What should I… Oh!”

I spotted a small stepladder tucked beside the bookshelf. That should do the trick.

I moved it into place and climbed up.

…Now, which volume do I already own?

While I stood there trying to remember, I noticed a strange rustling in the air around me and turned to look.

Everyone was staring at me. But when I made eye contact, they all quickly looked away.

Their gaze had been…

“Ahhhhh!?”

I jumped off the stepladder and clutched at my skirt.

I had completely forgotten I was wearing a miniskirt.

…Ugh, I just flashed Alicia’s underwear.

『…Sorry, Alicia.』

I felt horrible. The embarrassment completely crushed me.

『I probably would’ve done the same thing… What’s done is done. Let’s just be more careful from now on!』

『…Yeah.』

Still… what do I do about those books on the top shelf?

As I was thinking, someone suddenly spoke up.

“Excuse me, would you like help retrieving something?”

The voice came from a store clerk in uniform—a tall, high-school-aged girl with a sleek black ponytail that reached down her back. She was striking.

“Um… yes, could you please get that book for me?”

“Love is Radiant, right? Which volume are you looking for?”

“Well… I don’t remember which volume I bought last. I think it was about a year ago…”

“In that case, it’s probably volume 13, maybe 12, or just barely volume 11.”

The clerk reached up slightly and pulled out the relevant volumes.

“Hmm… Even looking at the covers, I’m not sure…”

“In that case, I’ll remove the shrink wrap.”

“Wait… is that allowed?”

“It’s no problem at all.”

With practiced ease, she removed the plastic wrap and handed me the book. I flipped through it quickly.

“I remember reading this one. Sorry, looks like I already own this volume.”

“No worries at all! Want to check the next one just in case?”

“I clearly remember the ending of this volume, so I’m sure. The main character was going through an endless back-and-forth trying to decide which heroine to choose—it really stuck with me.”

“Oh, the next part gets even more exciting! I’m kind of jealous—you get to read it fresh. I wish I could forget it and experience it all over again.”

“I totally get that.”

『I get it too!』

Alicia echoed her agreement in my head.

“Well then, if you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

『“Thank you very much!”』

“You’re welcome.”

We bowed our heads to the bookstore clerk and parted ways.

…Alright, I guess it’s about time to wrap this up. My funds are starting to look a bit shaky.

Plus, I feel like I’ve been drawing a lot of attention.

A silver-haired girl who clearly didn’t look Japanese, walking confidently through the store with a basket full of manga and novels, muttering to herself while moving freely from shelf to shelf—and on top of that, flashing her underwear.

Yeah, from an outsider’s perspective, that probably looked… a little unusual.

Better not attract any more attention. Time to head to the register and meet back up with Mom and Yuna.

But before that—just one thing.

『Alicia, is there a book you want?』

『…For me?』

『Yeah. Since we’re here, I thought I’d get you a present. Is there anything you’d like to read?』

『I like all kinds of books… but if I had to pick, I’d like to read some of this country’s history books, or maybe maps.』

『Hmm, that kind of stuff we probably have in the textbooks at home. No need to buy them. Anything else?』

『…In that case, I’d like to read the story you told me during our journey—the one about the girl named Alice.』

『Got it. Alice in Wonderland, right?』

『Yes, that’s the one. It was such a strange and memorable story… Do you still have a copy?』

『I used to, but I have no idea where it went… Alright, I’ll get it for you.』

I headed to the paperback section and searched for the book. They had both a Japanese translation and the original English version. I checked, and it turned out Alicia could read both thanks to magical language comprehension. Magic really is incredible.

She said either was fine, so I went with the translated version… because I can’t read English.

I added the book to my basket and lined up at the register.

『Thank you so much, Ikuto-san!』

Alicia sounded truly happy—and I felt just a little guilty.

After all, it was still my parents’ money paying for the gift. That made me feel kind of pathetic.

Someday, I’d like to get a part-time job and buy Alicia a proper present with money I earned myself… Not that I have any idea whether I can even work a part-time job now.

With both hands holding two big paper bags—so full that the cashier even asked if I’d be okay carrying them—I made my way happily toward the parking lot, where Mom and Yuna were waiting.

On the way home in the car, I couldn’t resist pulling out one of the manga I’d bought and started reading it.

I got car sick and ended up feeling awful.

Back in the day, stuff like this wouldn’t have bothered me at all…