Shizuka glanced at the busy Nao on the field, then at Hakuto beside her.
She had only come by to take a look, happened to run into Hakuto, and just stopped for a quick greeting.
Now that the greeting was done, she was about to head off to do her own thing.
"Alright, Shiratori, you do your thing. Call me if you need anything."
Shizuka waved at Hakuto before turning to leave.
However, just as she was about to go, Hakuto suddenly grabbed her.
"Since you're already here, Sensei, why not make a purchase?"
Shizuka had just turned her head when she heard Hakuto's words, and her face instantly darkened.
I see you as my student, and you see me as a customer?!
"You haven't even finished setting up, and you're already pulling in customers?"
"Well, you know, I'm a bit short on cash lately, Sensei. Think of it as helping me out."
Hakuto's smile was bright and reassuring as he pulled Shizuka along to where Nao was busy.
Though surprised by the way Hakuto was roping in acquaintances, Shizuka didn't say much.
After all, she figured a student wouldn't be selling anything too expensive.
Since Hakuto brought it up, buying something wasn't a big deal—it could even serve as a little souvenir.
Just as she was pondering how to neatly arrange the merchandise, Hakuto had already pulled Shizuka to Nao's side.
"President, I brought a customer."
Nao had been acting casual, but the moment she heard that Shizuka was here to buy something, her expression changed in an instant.
? → (ღ♡‿♡ღ)!
Her speed at switching expressions wasn't any worse than Hakuto's, even leaving Shizuka a little surprised!
"Welcome, welcome!" Seeing her first customer, Nao was all about enthusiasm, quickly pulling out a collection of Yusarin and Zhiend merchandise.
"You're the student council president of Hoshinoumi Academy, right? We've met before. Do you remember?"
When dealing with strangers, Shizuka remained fairly friendly—just like when she first met Hakuto.
"Of course! Since Sensei is my first customer, I'll give you a 20% discount on this purchase!"
Watching Nao's little performance, Hakuto could barely hold back his laughter. No wonder she was a born performer.
To better gather intel on ability users, Nao often had to blend into various environments, so acting was a fundamental skill for her.
But Hakuto knew—the real Nao was the one who constantly bickered with him.
Shizuka glanced at the merchandise in Nao's arms and asked, "What are these? Merchandise?"
"These are Yusarin and Zhiend merch! And all the Yusarin ones come with her autograph—completely unavailable on the market!"
Shizuka was familiar with Yusarin, as she was a national-level idol.
As for Zhiend...
"You mean that Zhiend... the rock band?"
"Sensei, you know them?!" Hearing Shizuka mention Zhiend by name, Nao's eyes instantly lit up!
Zhiend had almost zero popularity in Japan. At least, no one in Nao's circle knew about them.
"Kind of..." Given Shizuka's background, it wasn't surprising that she had come across them.
"In that case, since it's fate, I'll gift you this limited edition Zhiend album, Sensei."
Nao generously handed an album to Shizuka, acting as if it was no big deal.
But Hakuto, standing beside her, was very much concerned!
Wait, what?! My dear President! You just gave that away for free?!
What about my commission?!
"Then I'll take it, thanks. But one of my students just mentioned he's short on cash, so I'll pay the market price."
Shizuka didn't want to take advantage of Nao, and she had come here specifically to spend money.
The main reason, however, was that she only knew Zhiend by name and felt too embarrassed to accept the album as a gift.
Hearing that Shizuka intended to buy the album at market price, Hakuto immediately panicked.
"Sensei... just take the President's gift. You can pick something else to buy instead..."
There was only one reason—because that limited-edition album was ridiculously expensive.
Even Hakuto hadn't expected Nao to just give it away.
He had only been complaining about her giving it away for free, out of respect for money.
But he never imagined that Shizuka would actually insist on buying it at market price. He just wanted to make a bit of lunch money from her, not fleece her for a fortune.
"Alright, I appreciate it, Tomori."
After hearing Hakuto's words, Shizuka picked out another Yusarin album and handed it to Nao.
"Sensei, you have great taste!" Nao swiftly wrapped up both albums.
Meanwhile, Hakuto could only shake his head in resignation upon seeing Shizuka's choice.
Was this what they called the instincts of the wealthy? Always picking the most expensive item!
The Yusarin album Shizuka just chose was the priciest one here.
It had originally been part of Yusarin's personal collection, but after hearing that Nao was setting up a stall, she had given it to her.
If it went to auction, crazed fans would bid it up to astronomical prices.
And if someone hyped it up as the very first album Yusarin ever owned, the price would double.
Nao wasn't trying to rip off customers, but she was definitely quoting fair market prices—maybe even slightly lower.
Hakuto regretted bringing Shizuka here. While those two albums were indeed worth a lot online, they were essentially useless to her.
And given her personality, she definitely wouldn't resell them. She just wanted a keepsake.
"Sensei... forgive me..."
Just as Nao was about to announce the price and Shizuka was getting ready to pay, Hakuto had already braced himself for a financial disaster.
But then—a savior arrived!
A sudden gust of wind swept through! The two albums in Nao's hands vanished in an instant, and even the price she was about to call out got stuck in her throat.
"A total of fifty—"
Even Nao's hairstyle got wrecked, her previously sharp bangs blown into a total mess, making her look hilariously ridiculous.
"Takajo Jojiro!!!" Nao growled through clenched teeth.
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