Fantasy Library.

Chapter 486 This girl is quite good at hiding her true intentions.
"jingle--"

As Aize pushed open the door of Tianxinwu and stepped into the Japanese-style confectionery shop, a melodious wind chime rang out first.

"welcome!"

Immediately following this was a sweet voice that sounded very familiar to Aize.

Before Aize could even recognize who the voice belonged to, the other person exclaimed in surprise.

"Isn't this my brother?"

The one who spoke was Kurama Koharu, the younger sister of the Kurama family.

"Xiaochun?" Aize was taken aback and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The reason for asking this question was that Aize could tell that Kurama Koharu was not here to play with Ma Tingluhua, nor was she here to patronize the Ma Ting family's business. Instead, she was acting like a waiter, serving tea and water to the guests at each seat.

The clothes she was wearing were not casual clothes, but rather work-like attire. The skirt was long, and she wore black stockings underneath. She wore a top with alternating orange and yellow stripes, as well as a white apron. It was obvious that she was a staff member.

"It really is my older brother!"

Once Koharu Kurama confirmed that it was Aize who had entered, she immediately grabbed a tray and jogged over.

Her appearance, like a summoned little animal, was exactly the same as when she was little, which made Aize feel a little nostalgic.

"Why is my brother here?" Koharu Kurama ran up to Aize, looked up at him with her big, bright eyes, and asked with a mixture of surprise, joy, and worry, "Has the matter of the Sacred Blade been resolved? Is my brother able to leave Kenshin Shrine now?"

Clearly, Koharu Kurama still vividly remembers the commotion caused by Aize pulling out Murasame yesterday and is worried about him.

"Of course I can leave Kenji Shrine. I didn't commit any crime. It's not like I'm under house arrest." Aize smiled and said, "As for Murasame... the matter of the Sacred Sword can be considered to have been initially resolved."

At least that's how it looks on the surface.

As for what secrets are hidden behind the scenes, due to Asagi Yoshino's personal reasons, Aize is still only partially aware of them.

But that's something I need to handle myself; I don't need to bring it to Kurama Koharu and the others who know nothing about it.

"Oh, that's good." Koharu Kurama visibly breathed a sigh of relief, her adorable expression as she gently patted her chest. She said, "I was worried something would happen to my brother. Grandpa, too, wouldn't tell us anything, only that my brother would be staying at Kenji Shrine and wouldn't be going to help out in Shinatosho anymore."

"Well, Grandpa probably doesn't know how to explain it to you either." Aize scratched his head and said, "I didn't expect things to turn out like this. It's already quite good that Grandpa was able to handle these things calmly."

"Anyway, you don't need to worry about me. I'm doing great now. Not only do I not have to work during the holidays anymore, but I also have someone to take care of my food and lodging. I'm so happy."

"By the way, you still haven't told me how you ended up here."

Aize returned to the main topic and gave Kurama Koharu a once-over.

"I work part-time at Sister Luhua's shop," Kurama Koharu explained, then seemed a little embarrassed by Aize's scrutinizing gaze and said, "W-what's wrong? Is my outfit strange?"

The little girl seemed to care a lot about Aize's opinion, looking both expectant and uneasy.

“No, not at all surprising.” Aize commented truthfully, “In fact, it seems quite suitable for you, like Xiaochun has finally grown up.”

Aize was indeed quite moved.

You know, Koharu Kurama used to be a tiny little thing, always following Aize around, always clinging to him. I never expected that after a few years, she would have grown into such a pretty girl.

Although she is quite petite, according to Cong Yu, this girl is actually quite well-endowed.

Aize glanced at Kurama Koharu's chest discreetly, but couldn't discern anything.

If what Cong Yu said is true, and this girl has grown quite accomplished, then Aize can only say that this girl has been hiding her true abilities very well.

"Is that so?" Koharu Kurama had no idea that her older brother, whom she had been affectionately calling out to, was already thinking about her development. After hearing Aize's words, she smiled foolishly and said, "I grow too, although I'm not as amazing as you, brother."

At this point, Koharu Kurama looked up at Aize's face, which she had to tilt her head back to see, and felt a little touched.

From a young age, she loved following her cousin, who was completely different from her childish older brother. He seemed very mature and could persevere under her grandfather's strict guidance, earning praise from her grandfather time and time again.

While his older brother was only concerned with himself and playing wildly, this cousin, though always looking utterly hopeless as his aunt chased him away to play with his sister, never forgot to follow behind him.

Koharu Kurama especially liked to hold onto her older brother's clothes and follow behind him. Her brother would occasionally turn around to look at her, making sure she was keeping up and not getting lost.

"I wish my brother were my real brother."

This is a catchphrase that Koharu Kurama has always had on her lips since she was little, which shows how much she likes her older brother, Aize.

Now, several years have passed, and her favorite older brother has grown taller and taller, making it difficult for the shorter Koharu Kurama to look up at him, which puzzles her.

But seeing her favorite older brother grow up to be more mature, stronger and taller, Koharu Kurama couldn't help but feel happy from the bottom of her heart, and even began to admire and depend on him.

Boys are so cunning; before you know it, they all grow tall and big. Even my silly older brother has grown taller than me. It's so unfair.

However, even though the other boys, including Lian Ge, had grown taller, they were still immature in other aspects. Only Aize Ge was different. He always had a sense of having experienced many hardships. He looked very mature for his age and very reliable.

"You'll definitely keep growing." Aize had no idea that his cousin was thinking so much. He just naturally patted her head like he did when they were little and asked, "By the way, where's Rentaro?"

"That idiot Ren-nii isn't here." Kurama Koharu squinted her eyes happily, enjoying Aize's head pat. When she heard Aize mention Kurama Rentaro, she puffed out her cheeks and said, "He must be out chatting up foreign tourists again."

"...Rentaro has changed quite a bit too." Aize's lips twitched, and he said speechlessly, "I remember he wasn't like this when he was a kid. How come he suddenly became so fond of flirting with girls?"

"Who knows, that idiot Lian is just an idiot. Maybe he thinks it makes him more manly?" Kurama Koharu said angrily, "Brother, you can't be like him, you'll become stupid!"

For the cheerful and lively Koharu Kurama to finally utter such a curse, it seems that Rentaro Kurama's actions are indeed quite unbearable.

"What about Sister Luhua?" Aize decided to change the subject and asked, "Is Sister Luhua in the shop?"

"My sister's helping out in the kitchen!" Koharu Kurama said with a grin, "I'll go get her!"

As she spoke, Koharu Kurama, carrying the tray, ran off again with her small, light steps.

"Sister! Your brother has come to see you!"

The little girl called out, and soon a head popped out from the direction of the kitchen. "Oh my, isn't this Aze?"

Like Anma Xiaochun just now, Ma Tingluhua walked out from the direction of the kitchen, half by accident and half by surprise, but without any worry.

It turned out that this childhood friend, who was two or three years older than Aize, was different from when she was wearing casual clothes yesterday; she was now wearing a Japanese-style work uniform.

The work uniform consisted of a dark red striped top and a dark blue long skirt with black pantyhose underneath. She wore small leather shoes and a white apron that didn't extend past her hips. Her outfit made her look more like a stay-at-home wife than a staff member.

"You have time to come over now?" Ma Tinglu patted Aize's arm and said with a mischievous grin, "Why don't you spend more time with the shrine maiden at the shrine and strengthen your bond?"

Upon hearing this, Aize's eyes twitched uncontrollably.

Because there were many people present at the time, it was impossible to keep his discovery of the Murasame sword a secret, and it spread quickly.

However, Asagi Anharu has not yet announced to the public that he and Asagi Yoshino have entered into a nominal marriage agreement.

Therefore, only a handful of people who knew the truth knew that he had a special relationship with Yoshino Asagi.

So, how did Ma Tingluhua know this?

The answer is practically obvious.

"...Did my mom call you again?"

The moment Aize asked the question, he already knew the answer.

“Mr. Genjuro just finished discussing this with Auntie over the phone, and then I received the call.” Ma Tingluhua laughed very happily, as if she had stolen something good. She said with a smile, “Oh my, I never thought my little brother would be engaged to the priestess. I’m so proud of him.”

Aize said something with a blank face.

"You can get along so well with my mom, are you sure you're just my sister and not my aunt?"

The words had barely left his mouth when Aize's mouth was grabbed.

"Is it this mouth that uttered such obnoxious words? Is it really this mouth?"

Ma Tingluhua still had a smile on her face, but it had become very forced. A grid pattern appeared on her forehead, and the hand that was pinching Aize's mouth was very strong, making Aize feel pain.

"wrong."

Aize readily admitted defeat; otherwise, he would have pinched her waist instead of her mouth.

"Hmph, Aze is getting more and more malicious. He even makes fun of girls' ages now." Ma Tingluhua released Aze's mouth and muttered in dissatisfaction, "I just graduated from high school not long ago. I'm a fresh college student outside. Calling me 'auntie' is really too rude."

"...These days, no college student would use a word like 'vibrant' to describe themselves, right?" Aize couldn't help but complain, "Only old aunties would use such an outdated word."

As expected, Aize's mouth was gagged again.

"Is it this mouth that uttered such arrogant words? Is it really this mouth?"

Ma Tingluhua exerted a lot of force this time, which shows that she was indeed angry.

"Wrong, wrong!"

Aize quickly begged for mercy, which made Kurama Koharu cover her mouth and chuckle.

The three of them started playfully fighting again, making the customers in the store smile like doting aunts.

A while later, at the invitation of Ma Tingluhua and Anma Xiaochun, Aize sat down at one of the seats in the shop.

"So, what would you like to eat, sir?" Ma Tingluhua seemed to be playing a role-playing game, acting like a waiter, and said with a smile, "This is today's menu, please take a look."

"Ah..." Upon seeing this, Kurama Koharu puffed out her cheeks and whispered, "I want to entertain my brother too..."

Aize didn't hear Kurama Koharu's words and started looking through the menu after taking it.

"It seems like there are more styles available compared to before?"

Aize expressed his feelings.

This wasn't his first time visiting Ma Tingluhua's dessert shop. Although it had been several years since his last visit, he vaguely remembered that back then, Tianxinwu didn't have as many product styles, and they were all rather old-fashioned.

In the past, Tianxinwu sold old-fashioned desserts like rice crackers, but now they offer more popular desserts among young people, such as parfaits, puddings, and chocolate cakes, making them almost as popular as dessert shops in the city.

"These were all added after my older sister started running Tianxin House."

Koharu Kurama said that.

“After all, Suizhi is different from before. Its main customers are no longer locals, but tourists.” Ma Tingluhua’s smile became more restrained, and she even said with a hint of self-deprecation, “If we continue to operate in the old way and do not launch new products, we will be eliminated by this era sooner or later.”

From Ma Tingluhua's self-deprecating humor and this statement, Aize could vaguely discern the hardships and toil of the business owner.

Running his own dessert shop must not be an easy task for Ma Tingluhua, right?
"Aze, what would you like to eat? Order whatever you like." Ma Tingluhua seemed reluctant to talk too much about this topic, and quickly composed herself, smiling as she said, "It's been so many years since I've been here, so let me treat you today."

“Then I won’t be polite.” Aize naturally wouldn’t refuse and said very readily, “Give me a fruit ice cream and a Coke.”

Given their childhood friendship, being overly polite would be a sign of estrangement and a lack of affection, so Aize would not refuse Ma Tingluhua's invitation.

Of course, he could have Ma Tingluhua pay for his share, but not for others.

"Please pack one of each of the store's new items for me," Aize said. "I'll take these back to the shrine; put them on my tab."

"Thank you for your patronage!" Ma Tingluhua said with a smile. "Remember to tell me your thoughts later, I'm considering making improvements."

Aize readily nodded and agreed.

Ma Tinglu returned to the kitchen, and Anma Xiaochun also started working.

Aize watched this scene, his thoughts unreadable.

(End of this chapter)