[Shu] looked at the mysterious-faced boy with a blank expression, delivering the most disappointing words with the most formal and cold demeanor.
"This shop only sells legally published, genuine audio-visual products."
"Aww~"
On the other side, Shu had finally managed to deal with the boy looking for the collector's edition by promising to "keep an eye out for when it comes in stock." He turned around only to be seamlessly intercepted by two high school girls who had come in together.
"Miss, miss! We're looking for some beautiful and touching Homu movies, preferably about friendship and dreams! Do you have any recommendations?" The girl with the ponytail had sparkling eyes.
"Yeah! Not too much fighting and killing, and not too childish," the short-haired girl added.
Sweat began to bead on Shu's forehead.
Friendship and dreams... touching... no fighting and not childish...
His gaze swept over the dazzling array of various Homus on the shelves.
"Uh... perhaps you could check out... "Homu and Friends' Grand Summer Journey"?" After eliminating a series of Homu films that clearly didn't fit the requirements, Shu managed to pick out a disc that looked healthy, sunny, positive, and uplifting.
"Wow! That sounds great! Thank you, miss!" The two high school girls linked arms and left happily.
Just as Shu caught his breath, a stern-looking uncle who appeared to be in his fifties walked over.
Unlike the other customers, he didn't go straight to the shelves. Instead, he carefully examined the shop's decor and the display of goods before finally letting his gaze fall on the two "Stelles."
"You two young ladies have a very nice shop here, and a full selection too." The uncle's tone was amiable, but the moment Shu heard him speak, he was on high alert.
He couldn't help it. His empathy had accurately captured the inquiry and shock in the uncle's heart.
Sure enough, the uncle's next sentence was a blatant probe.
"I haven't seen you before. Just arrived at the base?
"So many Homu discs, and these dolls and figures... the supply chain can't be easy to find.
"Nowadays, in the ruins of the cities outside, it's rare to find these kinds of entertainment products so well-preserved... You two... have quite the connections, don't you?"
This question was a bit too sharp.
In a world that had basically been scrapped, how could there possibly be a stable supplier of film and television discs? The only source for these things was the urban exploration teams that scavenged in the city ruins.
But would any urban exploration team really specialize in collecting these things?
The Fire Moth didn't recycle this stuff, and before this shop, there was no way to sell them...
On the other side, [Shu], who had also been paying attention, quickly stepped in to take over the conversation.
"These are all from our family's collection from before. We kept them well-preserved after the Honkai. Now that we've finally settled down, we thought we'd open a small shop to share them with everyone."
As [Shu] said this, his face still wore that slightly lazy, deadpan expression, without a hint of emotion.
"Oh? A collection this complete? Even the latest "Homu Fantasia" is here?" The uncle pointed to the disc the fashionable girl had just asked about, his eyes full of meaning.
"And, this shop is in a good location, the renovation is new, and the procedures were completed so quickly... You two young ladies, could it be that you know some... 'big shot' in the Fire Moth?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The two "Stelles" could feel the uncle's gaze, full of adult sophistication and insight, sweeping over them like a searchlight.
Well... how should they put this...
They did know some big shots... but if he was thinking of those "big shots," then based on the actual situation within the Fire Moth, it would be more appropriate to say that they knew him.
And they really hadn't asked any big shots for help with the shop's location and renovation.
They had just used a tiny, insignificant "superpower"...
He! Shu! Was a person with a hundred million in savings!!
The price of this shop was a mere three hundred thousand. Last night, they had bought this piece of land outright at a hundred percent premium.
Of course, they couldn't possibly say that. After all, it seemed that only a few people in the Fire Moth could pay six hundred thousand contribution points at once just to buy a shop...
"We were just lucky. There happened to be a vacant spot when we applied, and the renovation... we just did it ourselves casually." Shu forced a smile, giving a vague answer, then immediately changed the subject.
"Are you interested in Homu too, uncle? What kind of film are you looking for? Need a recommendation?"
The uncle looked at them, then at the increasing number of customers in the shop who were immersed in the joy of choosing. He suddenly smiled, a somewhat complex smile, as if he had seen through something but chose not to point it out.
"Hehe, I was just asking casually... Ah, when you get old, you just like to overthink things.
"You're busy. I'll just look around myself." After speaking, he strolled leisurely towards the "Classic Drama" section with his hands behind his back.
The two "Stelles" exchanged a look filled with the same helplessness.
We're being suspected...
They could only hope that the other party wasn't thinking in some unspeakable direction, like "they're Bishop Otto's illegitimate daughters"...
The uncle's appearance was just the beginning.
In the time that followed, all sorts of problems continued to pop up.
"Boss, is this Homu figure for sale? How much is it?"
"Is the plot of "Homu's Great Adventure: The Mystery of the Golden City" parts one and two connected? Which one should I watch first?"
"Can we rent discs here, or can we only buy them?"
"Do you have the complete series collection of "Homu Sentai"? It was my favorite when I was a kid!"
"Miss, how do you use this DVD player? My old one at home doesn't seem to be able to read the new discs..."
"Boss, can you tell me your supply channel? I'd like to get some to sell too..."
The two "Stelles" were like two wind-up robots with malfunctioning programs, scurrying around the shop in a panic, answering hesitantly, recommending vaguely, and fumbling around.
There were even instances of recommending "Homu Slayer" to someone looking for a family-friendly animation, or mistaking the horror-oriented "Homu Night Tales" for a heartwarming slice-of-life film.
And they had to be constantly on guard against probing questions trying to find out their background.
The business smiles on their faces grew increasingly stiff, their tired sweat had soaked the lining of their hoodies, and even their heads began to throb from the incessant chatter around them.
But their image was established.
A pair of enthusiastic but slightly clumsy rookie shopkeeper twins, a pair of beautiful girls who weren't good with words but were sincere to others...
And two sisters who couldn't stand the sight of each other and were constantly trying to show their disdain, but were in fact two peas in a pod.
This kind of persona was actually established!