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The morning of January 1, 1350.
Melissa carried a canvas tote bag as she made the rounds of several nearby bookstores.
Tingen City's Municipal Library would not reopen until a week after New Year's. Although Benson had suggested that Melissa rest at home during this time and enjoy the New Year and her remaining time in Tingen, Melissa found it a little difficult to sit still. Simply resting at home felt rather wasteful.
As the air had been quite good these past few days, she slept until she woke naturally, then got up, intending to borrow a few books from a familiar bookstore.
On the first day of the new year, there were few people on the streets, but Lower Street was still crowded. To the people there, the new year seemed to mean only a change in the time and date, with little worth looking forward to.
History of the Loen Kingdom? No, this book is too thick and too large. It would be good for passing the time, but I couldn't finish it in these few days.
Melissa had always preferred to finish what she started. Guided by the simple belief that nothing should be wasted, she always finished every book she borrowed before returning it.
Guide to Engineering? Melissa's eyes lit up. She quickly pulled it out and turned to the last page, only to feel a little disappointed when she saw it had been published fifteen years ago. This was already a rather outdated edition. Many of the machines in it were obsolete, and she already owned a newer edition...
Melissa's eyes dimmed slightly.
Still, as their living conditions gradually improved, she had slowly grown able to accept some leisure activities that involved "idling away time." So, although several circuits of the bookstore yielded no