Mousse learned at an astonishing speed. Even Dr. Clover, who had seen his fair share of geniuses, looked as though he had seen a ghost. Still, no matter how fast he was, it could not compare to the efficiency with which he had read before. After all, he had to wait for the doctor to explain things carefully, sentence by sentence, and then Mousse had to digest and understand it all.
Before they knew it, one week had passed, then another.
While Mousse buried himself in the Tree of Knowledge and studied archaeology with all his might, Candy Island in Totto Land welcomed a special visitor.
"Hey! Hey!" An old man leaning on a cane called out. When the other person remained completely unaware, he raised his voice and called again, sounding irritated.
The middle-aged man, who had been looking around curiously, finally realized the old man was calling him. He hurriedly gave an embarrassed smile and nod, then jogged over to apologize.
"Sir, were you calling me? Sorry, I thought you were calling someone else. My apologies."
The anger on the old man's face immediately vanished, only to be replaced by the haughty air of a city dweller looking down on a country bumpkin. He snorted through his nose. "You're new here, aren't you?"
"Huh? Was it that obvious?" The middle-aged man found it somewhat amusing, but he was also curious how the old man had recognized at a glance that he was not a local.
The old man curled his lip disdainfully. "Because everyone who comes to Totto Land for the first time looks around curiously like you do."
"Huh? Hahaha, so that's how it is? I hadn't even noticed it myself." The middle-aged man burst into hearty laughter, without the slightest hint of displeasure in it.
That