Not Glass Beads

"Ahaha~ No matter what, I really admire you guys!" Jiu Ming's words made the few people behind Suzumiya Haruhi involuntarily show a few strained smiles.

Finally able to escape from the endless switching of doors and going up and down stairs, this hellish experience, thinking back now, actually felt unreal. This place was real!?

But after arriving here, amidst the awe, why was there a faint sense of loss?

Where were all the dazzling and varied rare and exotic goods they were promised? This place was simply a cage-like house with no doors or windows leading to the outside. Beyond that was someone's shameful 'showing off wealth' that made others envious and jealous!!

"Naturally, you don't know how hard this Regiment Leader has worked during this time!" With her arms crossed, Suzumiya Haruhi accepted Jiu Ming's praise very frankly. Then, as if she thought of something, she opened her palm towards Jiu Ming, "Give it here."

"...What?" Jiu Ming scratched his head in confusion, "Do I owe you money?"

"Stop playing dumb, the thing! The thing you personally promised! The thing that allows you to come here anytime!!" Suzumiya Haruhi almost yelled in Jiu Ming's face, causing him to slightly turn his head and push the girl's face away with his hand.

"Your face is too close..." Looking at Suzumiya Haruhi, who was full of unwillingness and wanted to resist, Jiu Ming noticed Nagato Yuki. Thinking of their past agreement, he withdrew his hand and immediately released his suppression on her. Well, don't annoy her. If she gets too upset after going back, their 'cheap' world... tsk tsk.

"Hmm, for various reasons, can I go back on my word?" Jiu Ming didn't mind adding some liveliness to this Mysterious Shop, which was usually only occupied by him. However, it seemed that after giving her an Invitation Card, he would have to face not just 'a bit more' liveliness, but more unrest...

After becoming a Ghost, although he didn't reject liveliness, he also became more accepting of silence.

"No! I'm telling you, if you don't give it, it's death penalty, death penalty!!" Grabbing Jiu Ming's collar, Suzumiya Haruhi shook him vigorously. Jiu Ming's mind moved slightly, and his physical form instantly turned into an ethereal one.

Huh?

Why is she still pulling?

Looking at his collar, which was still tightly held, Jiu Ming was slightly surprised. Even Suzumiya Haruhi, who was unaware of her abilities and acted like an ordinary girl, displayed a rather special strength unintentionally.

What mortal could grab his collar and shake him around without any special powers?

"...I'm already dead."

"Then die again!!"

"Sigh, alright, alright." Scratching his head, under Suzumiya Haruhi's relentless pestering, Jiu Ming rubbed his fingers together, and a transparent Card appeared out of thin air in his hand. Before he could explain, driven by a girl's intuition, Suzumiya Haruhi instantly snatched the Invitation Card from Jiu Ming's hand.

Rude little girl, if I had a bad temper, I'd definitely beat you up...

"Just one?" After examining the transparent card in her hand for a long time, Suzumiya Haruhi pointed at the SOS Brigade members behind her.

"Eh heh!?" Jiu Ming couldn't help but show an awkward smile, "Just one! What do you need so many for?"

"Of course, it's to be used as proof of identity for the SOS Brigade."

"Such an obvious tone... To tell you the truth, this is the last one. If you want a new one, wait ten days. But I definitely won't give you any more."

The ten-day generation cycle made Jiu Ming a little strange. The Mysterious Shop was so powerful, but such a small card actually required such a 'long' generation cycle?

Was it afraid that he, the Shopkeeper, would abuse it?

Staring at the girl's oppressive gaze, Kyon continued, "En, but one is enough. The SOS Brigade? You can use it as your treasure, anyway, one like this can let you bring many people here, provided you can pay enough 'Origin'."

As Kyon spoke, he glanced at the Three-No Girl standing quietly to the side, "See the numbers on it? Every hundred points can bring one more person... Blah blah blah..."

After a long explanation, Suzumiya Haruhi finally understood how to use the Invitation Card. The people around her looked at Kyon strangely. Was it that magical?

"En en!" Nodding continuously, Suzumiya Haruhi immediately put away the Invitation Card and stomped her foot heavily, "Ok! From today onwards, this will be the SOS Brigade's second branch base!"

She seemed to have never worried about what she would use to pay for the 'money' to activate the Invitation Card.

"Don't just give me random names," Kyon said, reaching out and pressing Suzumiya Haruhi's head, his tone helpless, "And don't try to change the ownership of my place with just one sentence!"

"Annoying, this is your honor!" Suzumiya Haruhi retorted unreasonably, her gaze shifting to the few High-Energy Crystals scattered on the ground, and then to the row pressed on the edge of the sofa cushion...

"Watch me!"

With a shout, Suzumiya Haruhi directly lifted a piece of the sofa cushion, and the other SOS Brigade members were stunned.

Perhaps Suzumiya Haruhi hadn't heard Nagato Yuki's words, but everyone else had and understood the value of such items. They had previously speculated how many of these things were stuffed under the sofa cushion.

A certain awkward-faced person speculated with malicious envy and jealousy, was it just the row on the edge of the sofa, and there was nothing inside?

Now, with the sofa cushion lifted, they could all see how many of these sparkling High-Energy Crystals were pressed underneath!

"Uh... is this girl a dragon?"

"What, do you want to play Dragon Quest?"

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Kyon looked at the awkward-faced boy. In his eyes, among the five people present, Suzumiya Haruhi and Nagato Yuki were special. The other three... even with a childish-faced, busty existence could be ignored...

En, that weak-looking girl caught Kyon's eye for a moment, but she was also an ordinary person.

"It's a demon, not a dragon." Suzumiya Haruhi grabbed a handful of the High-Energy Crystals to look at them, and even collided two of them, "They don't look like glass..."

"If you take one of these and go to any glass factory, you can exchange it for a carload of marbles," Kyon scratched his head, wondering why he thought of glass. "Anyone who sees these things as glass is an idiot!"

"...Stop the nonsense!" Hearing Kyon's words, Suzumiya Haruhi couldn't help but show an annoyed expression, and directly threw the handful of High-Energy Crystals back, "Here, take it back."

"..." Seeing her action, Kyon shrugged lightly, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "Don't just stand there, sit down."

With a snap of his fingers, the area around the coffee table changed slightly. Besides the sofa where Kyon often slept, a few more appeared, much to Suzumiya Haruhi's surprise, "You didn't do this last time!"

"There were fewer people last time."

Putting the sofa cushion back, Kyon lazily lay down again, occupying a sofa by himself...

Kyon's eyes twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but secretly look at Nagato Yuki. The move Kyon just displayed seemed very similar to the abilities she had shown before!!

"Quickly show me your merchandise, this Regiment Leader can't wait." After sitting down, Suzumiya Haruhi couldn't stay still. Since arriving here, her mood had been very active. Was she that excited?

"Hmm, that's fine, but won't you introduce the people here?" Jiulong spread his palms slightly, and the Card Collection Book appeared.

"The cute Asahina Mikuru." Suzumiya Haruhi pointed to the timid, large-breasted girl, then pointed to the young man who was always smiling and seemed like a good-natured person, "The harmless Itsuki Koizumi."

Then came Nagato Yuki, "The emotionless Nagato Yuki."

Finally, pointing to the troubled, awkward-faced boy, "Kyon."

"Why do the first three have prefixes, making me feel like I'm an optional existence!"

"Stop the nonsense, then you're the complaining Kyon."

"..."

"Uh, you have a good relationship, huh." Jiulong smiled slightly, a little enviously. They really had a good relationship, unlike himself...

Fifty-year-old fossilized preserved egg, Life Force, Gap... Because of the agreement with Nagato Yuki, Jiulong paid attention and didn't take out the Defective Electricity ability card or Suzumiya Haruhi's discarded mobile phone. If these two were brought out, the latter might realize something, and the former might...

Sigh, what would happen if someone who could destroy their world with a single thought learned superpowers?

What kind of lightning, like Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, could they unleash with a wave of their hand!?

This is too dangerous.

"This one!" After glancing at the cards in front of her, Suzumiya Haruhi immediately grabbed the one-time use Gap ability card.

"The price..."

"Isn't it just money? You're all well-prepared, why aren't you quickly lending your wallets to this Regiment Leader?" Suzumiya Haruhi shamelessly extended her extortionate hand to her members.

"How can I lend my wallet... Okay, okay." Under Suzumiya Haruhi's intense threat, the awkward-faced boy, who wanted to resist, reluctantly took out his wallet, his face full of heartache.

"I think this isn't something money can buy, right?" Itsuki Koizumi scratched his head and asked. Jiulong revealed very little, but everything he showed seemed quite unbelievable, especially the fifty-year Life Force.

"Hoo, I finally met someone not vulgar." Jiulong breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both anxious and lost. "If you want to buy things here, bring something valuable of your own to exchange, or perhaps parts of your body. Unique talents are also fine. As long as you want to, you can even sell yourselves!... Why are you looking at me like that?"

"When you were explaining just now, your expression was so scary..." a very timid female voice. When Jiulong looked over, the timid, large-breasted girl had almost shrunk behind Kyon. She seemed a little afraid of ghosts?

"Was I? I've always had a standard smile on my face."