"..."
The girl's face flushed bright red.
Xiao Xiao almost thought he saw white smoke rising from the top of her head.
Her brain must have short-circuited completely this time, right?
Xiao Xiao pondered.
"Be careful on your way back."
"Goodbye."
The shopkeeper stood at the flower shop entrance, watching the two of them walk away.
Only after Master Xiao and the girl had disappeared into the night did he turn around.
But he didn't go inside right away...
He stood there, dazed, for quite a while.
Then...
He clenched his fist.
Slowly, he reached out and pushed open the flower shop door.
His flower shop... had a mysterious guardian.
Just thinking about that made him feel nervous despite himself.
What was he nervous about?
He shook his head with a wry smile.
Even if he knew he wasn't the only one in the flower shop...
Things were no different from before, really.
After all, he still couldn't see that mysterious guardian.
He couldn't see the other person, yet they had always guarded the flower shop and protected him, too.
Thinking about it... made him feel a little guilty.
He took a deep breath.
If he ever got the chance...
He really wanted to meet that guardian.
And thank him in person.
He wondered...
Would he ever get that chance?
"Ding-a-ling~"
The wind chime at the door rang out sweetly.
"...I'm back."
The man spoke softly.
A rich floral fragrance drifted through the air.
The lights outside and the moonlight illuminated some of the flowers and plants inside the shop.
Making the already enchanting scene seem even more dreamlike.
He smiled faintly.
There was still a long time ahead.
As long as he held on to hope, then... nothing was impossible... right?
"Whew~"
After