Chapter 38 She Almost Believed the Elementary Student’s Superstitions

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Ye Hui soon heard the female shopkeeper tell them about the strange things that had recently been happening around her.

He had to admit that, at first glance, it truly did sound like a supernatural incident.

She had previously owned a shop in another town, where similar incidents had occurred several times in succession.

That was how the rumors had gradually begun to spread.

“Whenever someone buys something from my shop, they end up being robbed. And the things that are stolen are always the things I sold them… The strangest part is that they always suddenly turn up in my shop again, just like they did today.”

The thief had never been caught. Although there was no evidence proving that she had taken the items back, people had gradually begun to suspect that the shopkeeper herself was the thief, using some method unknown to them to reclaim the merchandise.

Even if it was not her, buying things from her shop seemed to bring bad luck. It was better to stay away.

“Perhaps I should just close the shop after all…”

With her back turned to the three children, the shopkeeper’s voice caught in her throat.

When Sakura heard that the shopkeeper intended to close the store, she was visibly shaken. Tomoyo also knitted her brows slightly and instinctively tried to dissuade her.

“How could you…”

“What a shame. It’s such a wonderful shop…”

Ye Hui was relatively calm because of his mature state of mind, but he, too, could not help feeling troubled.

Clearly, this was yet another disaster caused by a Clow Card.

It had been roughly twenty-five or twenty-six days since the night of April tenth, when Sakura had accidentally released the Clow Cards.

In that short span of time, the shopkeeper’s original toy store had been forced to close because of rumors stirred up by a single Clow Card.

She had eventually made her way to Tomoeda Town.

Everyone knew that renting a shop near an elementary school was rarely cheap.

If she had to close this store as well, there probably would not be a third one.

Thinking about it carefully, if someone bought something from your store, took it home, and found it gone—only to discover it back in your shop later—who would want to experience something so infuriating?

The rumors were exaggerated, but they had not appeared without reason.

Ye Hui pressed his lips together.

“I do want to keep the shop open, but I really can’t manage it alone…”

Maki explained.

She had once been engaged to a toy designer, but he had died in an accident.

That man had always dreamed of putting the dolls he designed himself on sale in their own shop.

“If I give up, he would probably be very sad, but… I just can’t…”

The shopkeeper choked up. She could not continue speaking, and she was beginning to lose the strength to persevere.

For a moment, neither Sakura nor Tomoyo knew what to say.

Watching an adult being crushed beneath the weight of life was simply too awkward and helpless.

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Neither of them had ever experienced anything like this. They wanted to offer comfort, but had no idea how.

All they could do was let Maki cry quietly beside them, trying her best to hold back her sobs.

Fortunately, Ye Hui was there as well.

In truth, his mental age was not far from that of the woman before him.

Having lived through a previous life, he could better understand her helplessness.

While the woman recounted her experiences, Ye Hui began examining the shop.

The storefront was not large, but it was warm and inviting. It was obvious that she had been running it with great care.

Perhaps this was love.

This had been the dream of the shopkeeper’s late fiancé, though it might not have been her own dream.

She had merely inherited the final wish of the person she loved, hoping to leave a few more traces of him behind in this world.

Ye Hui thought of his own sudden death and wondered whether anyone would remember him after he was gone.

He had never experienced such pure love, and he could not truly understand it.

By his own way of thinking, the shopkeeper’s actions seemed somewhat childish.

Yet the moment that thought arose, he hesitated.

Fragments of his previous life surfaced in his mind.

When had pure love, love untouched by self-interest—

steadfast, unwavering love—

love that was willing to spend the rest of one’s life fulfilling the wishes of someone who had passed away—

suddenly become synonymous with childishness?

For the first time in a long while, an impulse stirred within Ye Hui.

“Love really does exist. I just haven’t encountered it yet…”

With that thought, he suddenly wanted to help Maki directly and seal away the Clow Card.

In fact, he could simply sense the card’s spiritual radiance first, memorize its general location, and leave.

Afterward, he could bring Kero and Tomoyo back, sneak around the shopkeeper, and run through the monster-hunting routine once more.

But when he thought of what the shopkeeper had been through, he decided to meddle just this once.

At that moment, Sakura and Tomoyo were hesitating.

Should they politely say goodbye now?

After all, they had yet to confirm whether the incident had been caused by a Clow Card. Even if they wanted to help, there was nothing they could do at present.

Perhaps it would be better to return secretly later.

Suddenly, however, Ye Hui stepped forward.

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“Miss, I believe you! None of this is happening because of you.”

The shopkeeper came back to herself. She realized how humiliating it was to cry in front of a group of children and hurriedly wiped away her tears, though her eyes still held a trace of emotion.

“You’re Sakura’s friend, aren’t you? I’m sorry you had to see me make such a fool of myself the first time we met. And thank you for trying to comfort me…”

Ye Hui interrupted her.

“This isn’t comfort, Miss. Have you ever heard of… immortals?”

The shopkeeper stared at him in confusion.

“Excuse me? What?”

Seeing her utterly bewildered expression, Ye Hui tilted his head.

Could she be an atheist?

He tried another approach.

“I mean, do you believe in the legend of the eight million spirits of Japan?”

“Spirits?”

The female shopkeeper seemed to think of something. The melancholy on her face was replaced by a great deal of fear.

Sakura stared at him, dumbfounded, her eyes wide.

Even the usually calm and reserved Tomoyo blinked in confusion. Then she could not help lowering her head.

Don’t ruin the mood, Ye Hui!

Maki was already consumed by sorrow.

And now he had suddenly jumped in, acting strange and talking about ghosts and spirits. What was he doing?

Ye Hui had no idea what his two companions were thinking.

He wanted the shopkeeper to forget that he was merely an elementary school student, thereby making himself more convincing.

With a stern expression, Ye Hui fixed his eyes on the woman.

“That’s right! Spirits! Please don’t worry. I’m a cultivator, you see. A mischievous little ghost that only knows how to cause trouble is nothing to fear…”

Ye Hui offered his explanation.

The shopkeeper looked at the tiny child standing before her. She could no longer maintain her sorrowful expression. Blinking, she asked skeptically, “Really?”

“Don’t let my age fool you, Miss. I’m a cultivator with a proper master! You can think of me as a trainee priest, monk, or something along those lines…”

The female shopkeeper, however, focused only on the key words.

His age?

She glanced again at the two awkward little girls standing beside him, their hands at a loss for what to do.

Only then did she remember that all three of them were elementary school students.

Really, what was wrong with her? The things that had happened recently had driven her nerves completely out of order.

She had nearly believed him just now!