"There's a bookstore up ahead."
Xiao Xiao said softly.
Dù perked up.
After one disappointment after another, it was feeling a little discouraged and impatient.
Of course.
It hadn't been such an impatient monster before.
But this time, Lord Xiao Xiao was accompanying it.
It felt a little uneasy about keeping Lord Xiao Xiao waiting far longer than it had expected.
At first, it really hadn't thought the bookstore where it used to stay would be so hard to find...
"Dù."
Dù suddenly turned around.
Huh?
"I'm not in a hurry."
Xiao Xiao smiled.
"I think helping you find the bookstore where you used to stay has been... a very interesting process."
"I've really enjoyed it."
"You don't need to feel that you're wasting my time."
"Besides..."
"I'm very glad I got to see you again."
Dù was stunned.
Its eyes flickered.
The next second, its wandering gaze came to a stop.
Huh!?
That's the one!
Xiao Xiao blinked.
Then he smiled.
"See? We found it."
Xiao Xiao headed toward the next bookstore, the one where Dù had stayed.
This wasn't a typical chain bookstore.
It was an independently owned bookstore.
Xiao Xiao thought of the bookstore where he'd first met Dù.
That had been independently owned too.
It seemed Dù preferred bookstores like these.
Indeed.
Chain bookstores tended to feel more orderly and standardized.
Independent bookstores, on the other hand, bore a strong personal touch.
They also gave people more of a sense of pleasant surprise.
Xiao Xiao pushed open the door and entered the bookstore.
It wasn't large.
But it was arranged in a very neat and cozy way.
The warm colors, accented here and there with brighter shades, put people at ease.
The thoughtful touches in the details