The content of her imagination was getting a little too wild.
Fortunately, Miyajima Tsubaki managed to put the brakes on her thoughts in time, and then continued to stroll with Hayato along the underground shopping street of Shibuya subway.
Hayato had received the alpaca princess doll and was already immensely grateful, so he didn't ask for anything more.
At least for today, if Sawamura told him to go east, he would most likely not go west.
Miyajima Tsubaki looked at the dazzling array of shops in the underground passage and felt a little overwhelmed.
The shops in the underground passage were not like those on the main street; most were small, but the variety was still considerable.
She rarely had the chance to visit such places, so she looked around, finding everything incredibly fresh.
She had just sniffed a few blooming one-leaf orchids at a flower shop, but seeing too many customers and the owner already overwhelmed, she didn't linger.
She left quickly, thinking as she departed that this shop might need to find another part-timer... Then she headed to a jewelry store and became very interested in a canvas-style bag.
She looked at it again and again.
Young girls might pay more attention to brand and style when looking at bags, but at Miyajima Tsubaki's age, she focused more on its durability and usability.
She tugged at the bag's leather... or rather, its "● leather" material, then murmured to herself,
"It looks like it would be great for grocery shopping, and... it's not expensive..."
She was a little tempted.
But then she glanced at Hayato, who was leaning against the wall, yawning boredly, and she quickly shook her head... No, no, no, her current identity was a high school student; how could she have such "auntie" thoughts?
Besides, this bag wasn't the type high school students liked to carry.
Speaking of high school students, it was indeed better to choose more colorful items; even a simple girl like Miyajima Sakura used bright red hair ties.
Miyajima Tsubaki's heart stirred, and an idea suddenly came to her.
She had it.
She put down the bag, looked around, then found a hairpin and held it up to Hayato:
"Do you think this looks good?"
"Huh?" Hayato straightened up and walked over, then scratched his head... He really wasn't very knowledgeable about such things.
"I think it looks quite nice," Miyajima Tsubaki smiled, then planned to get to her main point, "It feels very fitting for Miyajima Sakura-senpai's style," and then use that to bring up the topic of Sakura.
It could be said to be a seamless transition, without any awkwardness—at least, that's what she thought.
But the words "Miyajima" had not yet left her mouth.
"Excuse me, store clerk," Hayato called out, "How much is this?"
The store clerk smiled and walked over, replying, "One thousand yen."
"Holy cow!" Hayato was startled.
For those who have no concept of this price, it can be converted to RMB, which is about fifty yuan.
"That expensive!?" Even Miyajima Tsubaki's small mouth formed an "O" shape.
Just a mere hairpin... She was about to put it down, a hint of regret in her eyes.
A perfect opportunity to start a conversation was delayed by the exchange between Hayato and the store clerk.
But the store clerk, thinking she was deterred by the price, quickly said, "Miss, this hairpin is our latest style.
Look at the cherry blossom pattern on it; how beautifully it's made! It would definitely look great on your head.
Don't you agree, sir? This young lady is so beautiful; she's surely a perfect match for this hairpin."
The store clerk was an experienced veteran; she could tell at a glance that they were a couple.
If the girl liked something, wouldn't the boy have to pay?
What a load of crap, Hayato thought, rolling his eyes inwardly.
Just because the lady is pretty, does that mean the sir isn't?
And a thousand yen for a hairpin?
You could just rob me, but you're giving me a hairpin instead, right? You really... I'm going to cry.
Whoever buys it is an idiot.
Miyajima Tsubaki pursed her peach lips slightly and said with a smile, "We're not buying it."
Hayato looked at the doll in his hand again and then recalled the hint of regret that had just flashed in Sawamura's eyes.
He sighed.
"Where do I pay?"
The quality of this doll is quite good, so he might as well consider it money spent on the alpaca princess.
Besides, he still had two or three thousand yuan left from the black guy's inheritance; he should save where he could and spend where he should.
The store clerk was delighted.
She thought, I've been in sales for two years and have developed a keen eye.
At first glance, this young man is so handsome and talented; I knew he was a rich young master.
Didn't I just catch him?
It's a pity he already has a female companion, otherwise, I'd want to get my hands on him and let him have two rounds... Even if he had no money, sleeping with such a top-tier guy would be a great tonic, slurp.
What a pity, what a pity.
However...
She glanced at Miyajima Tsubaki's attire again.
Do young masters nowadays really prefer the "spiritual girl" style?
Oh... but her chest is indeed big.
Not only big, but also firm.
Heh, men really do like that.
"Then I'll go wrap it up for you," the store clerk said.
Miyajima Tsubaki had originally wanted to refuse, but seeing how decisively Hayato spoke, she thought that refusing might embarrass him.
However, seeing him about to pay, she quickly spoke up:
"Wait a moment!"
Hayato glanced at Miyajima Tsubaki, wanting to say that it was in gratitude for the doll, so she should just accept it.
But unexpectedly, Miyajima Tsubaki didn't talk to him at all; instead, she spoke directly to the store clerk:
"It's too expensive. Can you make it cheaper?"
"Ah, this? Miss…" The store clerk looked a little troubled.
"Make it cheaper, give us a small discount, and we'll be repeat customers," Miyajima Tsubaki said.
The store clerk looked at Hayato, who also looked at Miyajima Tsubaki, who was arguing reasonably, with a slight surprise, and then could only give the store clerk an "I can't do anything, I have to listen to her" look.
The store clerk, helpless, could only open her mouth to reply to Miyajima Tsubaki.
To be honest, in this era, there weren't many girls who would bargain.
The store clerk thought of just giving a fifty yen discount to appease her and be done with it.
Then, the store clerk strategized, the store clerk achieved victory from a thousand miles away, the store clerk commanded with certainty, the store clerk suffered a crushing defeat.
Heh, how could two years of sales skills compare to nearly twenty years of housewife experience!
Miyajima Tsubaki walked out of the shop, thoroughly satisfied, holding her spoils of war—a cherry blossom hairpin whose price she had successfully cut by 40%.
"You all," the triumphant Miyajima Tsubaki earnestly advised Hayato, who was following behind her, "don't just pay immediately when you want something.
Even if the price is cut this much, that store clerk still makes a profit."
Hayato nodded.
He, of course, understood this principle; in fact, having been poor through two reincarnations, he possessed quite skilled bargaining abilities.
It was just that he was too lazy to negotiate this time—after all, the money spent was an unexpected gain that wasn't originally his, and if he haggled for too long, Sawamura, who was nearby, might also find it boring.
He hadn't expected her to personally take charge.
And…
Hayato compared them and thought to himself that even he probably couldn't have done better than Sawamura.
How could she be so skilled?
"I'll give you the money," Miyajima Tsubaki said, reaching for her wallet.
But Hayato stopped her, "It's fine, just consider it a reciprocal gift."
He shook the alpaca princess.
Miyajima Tsubaki thought for a moment, then didn't insist.
Six hundred yen was still a bit expensive for a hairpin, but for a small gift, it was just the right price.
However, she had originally given him the doll to repay him for helping her twice, so this back-and-forth meant the favor hadn't been repaid...
"Aren't you going to try it on?" Hayato asked.
Miyajima Tsubaki glanced at the cherry blossom hairpin.
For young people, this style of hairpin might still be a bit plain, but for an older woman like her, it was slightly too flashy.
She thought for a moment, then gently tucked her hair behind her ear and clipped the hairpin at her temple:
"Do you have a mirror?"
Hayato took out his phone and showed her the reflection on the screen, "It suits you quite well."
Miyajima Tsubaki first scanned the charm on his phone, still finding the alpaca very familiar... then looked at the screen.
A wry smile.
Why did she feel like a frumpy old woman trying to forcefully act young... and even dressing up flamboyantly to go out with a "toyboy," desperately trying to match the "toyboy's" age, only to feel that bitter sense of shame when it was all in vain.
And then the toyboy, of course, was...
Miyajima Tsubaki glanced at Hayato.
Speaking of which, the young man was indeed quite handsome; even the idols on TV were nothing more than that, and he was leagues apart from the male hosts in the news...
An old cow eating tender grass?
This phrase suddenly popped into Miyajima Tsubaki's mind.
Then she quickly denied it.
Not yet, not yet.
She raised her hand to remove the hairpin, then casually found an excuse: "It doesn't seem to match this outfit.
I'll wear it another time."
What she was thinking was, forget it, she'd just give it to Sakura when she got back.
Hayato nodded:
"Is there anywhere else you want to visit? If not…"
"Mhm."
Miyajima Tsubaki said, "Let's just look around some more."
Her successful bargaining experience just now had rekindled her long-lost desire to shop.
Staying cooped up at home all day was truly boring; occasionally coming out like this to relax was excellent.
…No, that's not right.
Miyajima Tsubaki dismissed that thought again, then convinced herself with a more appropriate reason.
She was doing this out of necessity to gather information about Sakura, and it had nothing to do with her own desire for fun… This was merely a necessary sacrifice made for the sake of gathering information.
"Hmph hmph hmph~~???"
This time, it was Miyajima Tsubaki's turn to lead the way.
She walked ahead, humming an unknown tune softly, her figure swaying gracefully.
Hayato, walking behind her, touched his hair.
Strange, why was this girl so happy?
"Ah," Miyajima Tsubaki turned her head and reminded him, "Just so you know, you can't spend money recklessly from now on."
"Yes—" Hayato replied with a drawn-out voice, and a slight smile also appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Over here, over here!"
At the entrance of another accessory shop, Miyajima Tsubaki waved her arm vigorously to call him over.
Hayato sighed and slowly walked over.
A very strange girl.
But he couldn't quite pinpoint what was strange about her.
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