"Ah."
Mahiru Shiina let out a small gasp upon unexpectedly seeing Luo Shu.
"Mr Luo Shu, why are you..."
Her initial confusion about Luo Shu's presence turned to greater surprise when she noticed Sharon holding his arm:
"You're that kind lady from the convenience store before."
Sharon smiled at Mahiru and said meaningfully:
"We meet again, my lovely little angel."
Being called a 'lovely little angel' by someone she'd only met once made Mahiru somewhat embarrassed.
At the same time, Mahiru was very curious about Sharon and Luo Shu's relationship.
First, she ruled out family – the facial differences between Western Europeans and East Asians were too great for them to be siblings. Given how they were holding arms...
Were they lovers?
Did that mean Mira was caught in a love triangle? As the unrequited party?
This major discovery left Mahiru utterly dumbfounded.
She never expected that Mira Tsubakihara, who always gently turned down her suitors with a mild expression, would actually be involved in a love triangle.
"Why are you spacing out like that?"
Luo Shu's voice snapped Mahiru Shiina out of her thoughts.
"Ah, sorry." Mahiru quickly apologised and stepped aside, apparently thinking she was blocking their path.
At that moment, Luo Shu glanced at the umbrella stand nearby and said:
"I took the umbrella you dropped earlier to the entrance of the store. It's on the far-right rack. The two white umbrellas there both belong to that convenience store. The free umbrellas provided here are blue, so no need to worry about mixing them up."
"Ah!" Mahiru's face flushed red upon hearing this, clearly surprised that Luo Shu had noticed why she'd bought an umbrella.
"You two know each other?" Sharon tugged at Luo Shu's sleeve, asking knowingly.
She'd witnessed Mahiru's approach to Luo Shu at Shiba Park earlier, and with her increasingly sharp hearing lately, had even caught their entire conversation. Naturally, she understood their relationship. Her question now was purely to tease Mahiru.
"Ah, well... we..." Mahiru's face grew even redder when asked about their connection.
What exactly was her relationship with Luo Shu?
The one who approached and the one being approached? Or perhaps... the neighbour's child of his girlfriend? But Mira-nee isn't Luo Shu's girlfriend either, is she?
Instantly, Mahiru's thoughts became a tangled mess, leaving her swaying unsteadily.
Recognising that Sharon was bullying the poor girl, Luo Shu gently nudged her with his elbow and said:
"She's the daughter of Mira-nee's hometown neighbours. You could say she's like a little sister."
Hearing this, Mahiru nodded vigorously as if to say, "Yes, exactly!"
Yet even Luo Shu didn't anticipate Sharon adding insult to injury with:
"Oh? The little sister of that homewrecker cat?"
"I'm Sharon Holygrail. Nice to meet you."
'H-homewrecker cat?' Mahiru's expression froze instantly.
In Japan, 'fox spirit' and 'homewrecker cat' were practically synonymous terms for seductresses. However, while 'fox spirit' referred to those who tempted but hadn't succeeded, 'homewrecker cat' implied they'd already taken half a step further - potential suspects who might have already 'tasted the forbidden fruit'.
'So... this Miss Sharon was fully aware of Mira-nee's unrequited feelings for Luo Shu?'
'Wait, no, the crucial point was Sharon referring to Mira-nee as a 'homewrecker cat'.'
'Did that mean Mira-nee was intentionally being the other woman?'
In that instant, Mahiru's mental image of Mira Tsubakihara as the gentle older sister was completely shattered!
"Sharon." Luo Shu frowned, clearly displeased with Sharon's deliberate misleading.
Understanding his meaning, Sharon immediately changed tack with a mischievous grin:
"Just kidding! Got you there, didn't I?"
"So it was just a joke..."
Mahiru found this blonde woman quite wicked, yet she'd shown concern earlier, too - what a contradiction.
'Wait a minute... Sharon only backtracked after Luo Shu spoke up. Could this have been to protect Mira-nee's reputation?'
Suddenly feeling she'd grasped the situation, Mahiru promptly changed the subject:
"Are you two here shopping?"
Mahiru Shiina silently loaded the magazine with the thought, 'I won't disturb you then'. If either Luo Shu or Sharon said yes, she could withdraw immediately.
Yet she never expected Sharon to completely defy expectations:
"We came out to buy daily necessities since we just moved house. But both Luo Shu and I are foreigners who know nothing about local shopping."
'Is she asking for my help? She must be asking for my help, right?'
Mahiru wasn't stupid - she easily grasped Sharon's underlying meaning.
Logically, she could refuse. After all, hadn't Luo Shu just advised her in the park not to get involved with strangers' affairs and to look after herself?
Yet Mahiru still betrayed Luo Shu's expectations:
"In that case, may I offer you both some assistance?"
'Consider it payment for warning me?' Mahiru thought self-deprecatingly, unable to meet Luo Shu's gaze from the side.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu looked at Mahiru and mentally remarked: 'This kid would probably get along well with Yukino Yukinoshita.'
"Really?"
Sharon feigned surprise and seized Mahiru's hand. Seeing the girl's expressionless nod, she immediately smiled:
"Then I'll leave it to you, Shiina-san."
Mahiru Shiina felt utterly drained inside, but still nodded before asking:
"What would you two like to purchase?"
Hearing this, Sharon immediately turned to look at Luo Shu.
Seeing this, Luo Shu's face twitched as he said:
"Toothpaste, electric toothbrush, face towels, winter and summer quilts with covers, pillows with cases, oh, and some bath products too, plus skincare cosmetics. That should be all for now."
As Mahiru listened, her headache grew worse until she couldn't help but ask Luo Shu:
"Excuse me, do you have a shopping list for these items?"
Luo Shu's mouth twitched as he glanced at Sharon, who pretended not to notice and turned her head away.
Seeing them like this, Mahiru felt both exasperated and amused.
She simply took out her handbag from the basket she was carrying, retrieved her notebook and pen, and handed them to Sharon:
"If you don't mind, please use these."
The tables had turned, and now it was Sharon's expression that froze.
Seeing Sharon hesitate to take the stationery, Mahiru tilted her head:
"Is there a problem?"
At this point, Luo Shu mentally chuckled while adding fuel to the fire:
"Sharon's always lived in Europe before, and her living situation was... special. She's never bought these things before."
"Including cosmetics."
"That can't be true!"
Mahiru stared at Sharon's flawless, poreless complexion. How could a girl who didn't even know about cosmetics have such perfect skin?
Now exposed, Sharon glared at Luo Shu with a mix of anger and resignation before finally nodding in admission:
"What he said is mostly correct. Well, I have bought jewellery before."
Hearing Sharon's weak defence, Mahiru was convinced.
Though intensely curious about Sharon's skincare secrets, she restrained herself. After all, these were private matters... even if she was dying to know.
"So it seems I'll have to help you choose everything then?"
Sharon nodded and asked, "Would that be too troublesome?"
She worried that spending too much time shopping with Luo Shu might attract attention from certain spies, exposing their connection.
"If you're not too picky, it shouldn't take too long." Mahiru wasn't entirely confident about the timing, though.
Mahiru sensed this would be a major hassle, but there was no turning back now.
This favour was proving harder to repay than expected!!