Wuji and Mai (Part 1)

Ye Wuji had just stepped out of the shop, thinking that Rei must have moved to another one. He was planning to search for them, but in truth, he wasn't worried at all. Given Rei's personality, she wouldn't let him stray too far until she had spent that thousand ryo. Even if he couldn't find them for a moment, as long as he stayed in the area, Rei would eventually come looking for him.

It was precisely because of this mindset that Ye Wuji wasn't in any hurry. Plus, having just bought a Gamabunta wallet, he was in a fairly good mood. He was just about to stroll slowly toward the shop Rei had visited earlier.

From that very shop, a loud shout rang out: "Ye, get your butt over here right now!" The voice was so loud that nearby pedestrians and people inside the shops all heard it. They turned to look at the shop where the sound originated, confused about what was happening.

The moment Ye Wuji heard the voice, he knew it was Rei's. He knew very well that this was the tone she used only when she was truly furious; usually, even when she was angry, it was mostly in jest. He hadn't expected her to lose her temper so badly in that shop.

Knowing that Rei was genuinely angry and having no idea what had happened, Ye Wuji hurried toward the shop.

Upon entering, he saw Rei and a girl of about ten years old staring each other down, as if they were practicing a staring contest.

The girl facing Rei was dressed in red, had short yellow hair, and stood a little over a meter tall. Most importantly, she carried a red fan on her back that was nearly as large as she was.

This girl looks just like Temari. That was Ye Wuji's first reaction. If he didn't know that Temari shouldn't have been born yet, he would have mistaken her for the girl herself.

Behind this girl stood a woman. Judging by her figure, she was likely very beautiful, but unfortunately, she wore a veil, making it impossible to see her face.

The woman had been watching the two girls bicker with a smile, but after Ye Wuji entered, her eyes flickered. She didn't say anything, simply continuing to watch the scene unfold.

Ye Wuji arrived at Rei's side, but before he could ask what was wrong, Rei spoke first: "Ye, give me all your money." She then turned back to the girl opposite her: "Now I have the money, this item belongs to me." As she spoke, she pointed to a blue butterfly-shaped hair clip resting on the shop counter.

After hearing Rei and observing the situation, Ye Wuji realized that both girls had set their sights on the same hair clip, but Rei hadn't brought enough money, which was why she had called for him.

Ye Wuji didn't lecture her about spending money recklessly; instead, he immediately took out the Gamabunta wallet he had just bought, intending to hand the whole thing to Rei. If he defied her in front of others, the consequences would be terrifying.

To his surprise, Rei didn't take the wallet. Instead, she looked at him with an unreadable expression, leaving Ye Wuji feeling flustered and confused.

"Where did you get this wallet?" Rei's tone was clearly laced with suppressed anger.

"I just bought it over there. What's wrong, Sister Rei?" Ye Wuji sensed that things were taking a turn for the worse.

Sure enough, after hearing his reply, Rei looked at the wallet in his hand with resentment before finally taking it. Once she counted the money inside, the displeasure on her face became even more apparent.

"What's the matter? Not enough money? If you're broke, why are you even shopping? Not to mention anything else, aren't you just wasting the shopkeeper's time?" the girl in red mocked Rei with a sneer.

"You!" Rei shouted at the girl. Meanwhile, Ye Wuji felt a wave of relief; thankfully, the girl had drawn Rei's fire, or else he might have been the one on the receiving end of her rage.

"What about me? I'm doing just fine," the girl in red laughed arrogantly. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. I gave you time to get the money, but it seems it's still not enough. Don't tell me you want me to wait until the end of the year? If I did that, how would the shopkeeper make a living? It's only three thousand ryo—if you don't have it, stop pretending to be rich."

"How much is that hair clip?" Ye Wuji took the opportunity to ask Yuta.

Yuta glanced at Rei and said, "Three thousand ryo."

"So expensive? Then what's going on? What's the deal with that girl?" Ye Wuji continued to ask.

After Yuta explained, Ye Wuji finally understood. The hair clip was a work by the famous jeweler Ishikawa Yu. Although Ye Wuji hadn't heard the name, according to Yuta, he was a very renowned craftsman whose works were highly sought after. Because his pieces were exquisite and he rarely made low-end items, they were usually hard to come by. For some reason, he had released a batch of affordable accessories to celebrate the New Year, allowing more people to own his work. He had set the prices himself and mandated that they be sold at that exact price to prevent scalping; anyone who violated this rule would never receive his work again.

Rei had happened to find the last one, but since it cost three thousand ryo, she didn't have enough. She had intended to go back to get more money, but the girl and the woman beside her had entered the shop, spotted the blue butterfly clip, and wanted it too. Rei refused to back down, so she started scrambling for cash.

Although Aunt Kei had only given Rei one hundred ryo and Yuta three hundred, totaling four hundred, they weren't like Ye Wuji—they had their own savings. However, even after pooling their money, they only had fifteen hundred ryo. That was when Rei remembered Ye Wuji had fifteen hundred ryo on him, which would have made exactly three thousand. Although he should have spent a little on candied hawthorns, he had claimed he didn't spend anything, which was why Rei had been so desperate and loud when calling him.

Everything should have gone smoothly, but she hadn't expected Ye Wuji to buy a wallet, which explained why she had looked at him that way.

So that's what happened. Once Ye Wuji understood, he felt it was all a massive coincidence. Watching the two still bickering, he felt a sense of helplessness. It was just a hair clip, but it was clear that this was no longer about the item—it was about the pride of two young girls.

Thinking about how Rei would be hit with a double blow—not getting the item she liked and losing face in front of another girl—Ye Wuji felt a chill. He knew how Rei would treat him if she lost face, especially since he was partially responsible, even if it wasn't entirely his fault.

To avoid this, Ye Wuji decided to find a solution. He finally came up with an idea and stepped toward the two arguing girls.

"Um, Sister Rei," Ye Wuji said softly.

"What is it?" Rei, who was in the middle of a heated argument, turned and snapped.

"That wallet... I just bought it, but I think I can return it. If I return it, wouldn't we have enough money?" Ye Wuji said, offering his solution while looking at the Gamabunta wallet in her hand.

Rei paused at his words, and Ye Wuji continued, "I can just buy another wallet later. It's not like this hair clip, where there's only one left."

Hearing this, Rei was tempted. It's not ideal, but this hair clip is the only one left. I can buy the wallet later—yes, I'll just go back and get more money. Just as she was about to agree, the other girl spoke up.

"That's not necessarily true. That toad wallet is common enough, but the one you're holding is modeled after the summoning beast of one of the Konoha Sannin. By the time you go back to buy another, it might be gone, and you'll only be able to get a generic one. Hahaha!" The girl looked at Rei with disdain, as if she were taking advantage of her own younger brother.

Rei, who had been about to hand the wallet back to Ye Wuji to return, pulled it back after hearing the girl's taunt.

"Sister Rei, it's fine. Even if that wallet is gone, we can buy another. It's just a wallet." If Ye Wuji hadn't said anything, Rei might not have known what to do, but his words made up her mind.

Rei tucked the wallet away and said to the girl, "It's just a hair clip. I was only teasing you earlier. But since you look so pathetic, I'll let you have it. Yuta, Ye, let's go." With that, Rei led the way out of the shop.

The girl was about to retort, but she stopped immediately. After Rei and Yuta left, Ye Wuji walked toward the girl and the woman standing beside her, intending to explain.

"I'm sorry. Sister Rei was only acting that way because of me. I'm sorry for the trouble." Ye Wuji turned to leave.

"Hey, wait a second," the girl called out. She walked up, circled Ye Wuji a few times, and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Ye Wuji."

"Ye Wuji, huh?" The girl suddenly leaned in close, their faces nearly touching. Ye Wuji didn't know what to do; although they were both children, he possessed the mind of an adult, and his face instantly turned red.

"Little guy, you're pretty cute." The girl reached out and pinched his cheek lightly. "Remember this: my name is Mai. Don't you dare forget it." With that, she returned to the woman's side.

Ye Wuji hurried out of the shop as if he were fleeing.

Not long after, the two women, one tall and one short, also stepped out of the shop.

"Mother, was that the person who helped the girl, and also the apprentice she's teaching? Is it true?" Mai asked the woman beside her.

"Didn't I just tell you? Why are you so skeptical?" the woman replied.

"That's not it, but isn't he afraid even after seeing Sister like that? Although he did seem quite clever just now, he was also rather cute."

"What are you planning? I'm warning you, if you go too far, watch out for when your sister comes back to settle the score with you."

"How could that be? I'm merely helping Sister keep an eye on him. Besides, didn't Mother say Sister taught him ninjutsu? In that case, I should help Sister check if he's been slacking off while she's away."

"Alright, enough fooling around. We've finished strolling through the streets, so it's time to head back. We still have to go to the Daimyo Mansion tonight."

"How truly dull. Still, today wasn't without its gains, so let's head back then."

These two people were, in fact, Takikage and her daughter, who was Fu's younger sister.