Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

Having not been home for a long time, Guan Gufeng decided to go home.

I wanted to surprise my sister, so I didn't call her beforehand.

I went to Toraya and bought all sorts of sweets. I bought a lot this time because they were for Sato and his younger brother.

They worked tirelessly in the bookstore every day without asking for wages. Only under Guan Guyu's insistence did they receive a small amount of pay.

With the clothes he had bought earlier, Guan Gufeng took a car to the bookstore.

The weather was gloomy today, and it started raining on the road, but luckily I had an umbrella in the car.

After arriving near the bookstore and parking the car, Guan Gufeng carried the large and small bags, while Kitamura No helped hold an umbrella for him, and the two walked into the bookstore.

Guangu Bookstore looks a bit newer than when I last visited.

A new sunshade has been erected at the entrance, with a round table and folding chairs placed underneath, and an ashtray on the table.

A small handwritten wooden sign hangs on the bookstore's wooden door, bearing Guan Guyu's handwriting.

Closed today. We'll be waiting for you again once the new books arrive. —Guan Gu Bookstore

The bookstore is closed, and my sister has finally given herself a day off.

He pushed the door open with his buttocks, and the bell rang above his head.

"Sis, I'm home!"

Pushing open the door, the lights inside were on, but the person sitting behind the counter wasn't Guan Guyu.

He was a young man wearing a dark blue overall vest. He was holding a comic book when he stood up. When he saw Guan Gu Feng, he spoke excitedly.

"Mr. Guan Gu! You've arrived!"

He ran up to Guan Gufeng, reached out to take the bag, then pulled his hand back, rubbed his palm on his pants, and then reached out again.

"Why are you here! Brother Sato didn't say you were coming back today!"

Guan Gu Feng handed him the tote bag and smiled, "I didn't tell Sato; I wanted to surprise my sister."

He divided the bag in his hand into two bags for the underling, then turned to the side and nodded to Kitamura, who was standing at the door behind him, having folded his umbrella.

The underling then noticed Kitamura No, and froze for a moment, his heels involuntarily pressing together: "Kitamura-Chief!"

Kitamura put away his umbrella and leaned against the door, nodding to the underling without saying anything more.

He stood at the bookstore entrance for a moment, glancing around inside.

A female guest was sitting by the window reading a book, and everything seemed normal in the corner.

Then he left the bookstore, leaned his umbrella against the umbrella stand outside the door, and stood under the awning, where he could see the entire store through the shop window.

"Isn't Chief Kitamura coming in?" the underling asked in a low voice.

"He's fine as long as he's outside." Guan Gufeng glanced around the shop. "Where's Sato? And my sister?"

"Brother Sato was taken to Ginza by Miss Sekiya." The younger brother carefully placed the handbag on the counter.

"He said he wanted to buy clothes for you, Mr. Guan Gu, and asked Brother Sato to help him take a look. He left early this morning and should be back soon."

Guan Gufeng was taken aback, but felt a warmth in his heart.

He pointed to the bag on the table: "There are Toraya's sweets in the bag. Pick a box and eat it. You've been working hard lately. After you finish, share the rest with the others."

"No, no, it's not hard work at all!" The young man waved his hands repeatedly, his ears turning slightly red. "Brother Sato said that we can't slack off when working at Sachiko-nee's bookstore. Um, Mr. Sekiya, could I ask you for a favor?"

He took out four books from behind the counter. The spines of the books were covered with transparent book covers, which showed that they had been carefully maintained.

The edges of each book were slightly frayed from being turned many times, as if they had been read many times.

"I bought all four of your books." His voice was a little nervous. "Could you sign them for me?"

Without saying a word, Guan Gufeng took out a pen from the inside pocket of his coat.

"Volume 1 cannot be signed."

The younger brother was taken aback.

I made a promise to someone.

"It's alright, it's alright!" the younger brother quickly said, "Three books are enough... one is enough!"

After signing his name on the title page of the three books, Guan Gufeng put his pen away.

"Thank you, Professor Guan Gu."

Just as Guan Gufeng was about to turn around and walk into the inner room, a voice came from behind him.

"Mr. Guan Gu... could you be... Guan Guyu's younger brother?"

The voice carried a hint of hesitation.

Guan Gufeng turned around and looked at the person behind him.

She held a half-open copy of "The Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of ​​Shadows" in her hand, with a finger tucked between the pages. She wore a light gray sweater and her hair was simply tucked behind her ears.

Unlike the residents of this old shopping street, Guan Gufeng had learned to identify clothes with dense stitches and fabrics that slightly reflected light after browsing the women's clothing section of Ginza a few times.

High-end goods.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." She closed the book, took two steps over, stopped at an appropriate distance, and bowed slightly.

"I am Yasuda Subaru, and Guan Guyu's classmate in high school."

Guan Gufeng searched his memory for the name, but found nothing.

He had already pieced together the fragments of his predecessor's memories, but he knew almost nothing about his sister's social circle during her high school years.

He was still young then, and Guan Guyu's world was beyond his reach.

"We haven't met before," Guan Gufeng said.

"Yes." Yasuda Subaru nodded. "When I met Xiaoyu, she didn't talk much about her family."

Just as he was about to speak, Kitamura walked in through the door.

His gaze fell on Yasuda Subaru, lingered for a moment, and his brow twitched slightly.

"You are... a member of the Yasuda family?"

Subaru Yasuda turned her head to the side, her expression showing surprise for a moment. She tilted her head and looked at Kitamura No for two seconds, a look of doubt flashing in her eyes.

"Oh, sir, do you know me?"

"I saw you at a banquet before, with President Kadokawa, in the outskirts of Fuji Bank."

Subaru Yasuda blinked, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Oops, we've been found out."

Guan Gufeng then took a second look at her.

Yasuda.

Yasuda, who was one of the four major pre-war zaibatsu (financial conglomerates) along with Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Sumitomo.

After the war, the zaibatsu was forcibly dissolved, but the family remained a core shareholder of the Fuji Zaibatsu, controlling Fuji Bank (formerly Yasuda Bank) and other major zaibatsu.

So she's the daughter of a chaebol.

"I'm from a collateral branch," Yasuda Subaru added frankly, "the kind of collateral branch on the periphery."

"My seat at the banquet was five tables away from the main table, so just like the uncle said, I could only stay in the peripheral area of ​​the banquet."

She's still a marginalized heiress.

Guan Gufeng extended his hand: "I'm Guan Guyu's younger brother, Guan Gufeng. Who are you in the shop?"

Yasuda Subaru half-held his hand, then released it and said, "I didn't manage to get your book before. When I was chatting with my classmates, someone mentioned that there's a bookstore in Taitung Ward that's less crowded, so I came here to try my luck."

"I never expected that Guan Guyu opened the shop, and I never expected that you would be her brother." She said, shaking the book in her hand.

"I asked her to keep a copy of your book for me. I came to pick it up today, and I plan to sit for a while, read a few pages, and then go home."

After she finished speaking, she glanced down at her watch.

A long-established Swiss brand that doesn't make GG jeans much, yet its prices are surprisingly low-key.

"Ah, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. It's been a real honor to meet Mr. Guan Gu in person today."

She bowed slightly to Guan Gufeng again, nodded to Kitamura, then took a folding umbrella from the umbrella stand by the door and pushed open the bookstore door.

The bell rang on the door once. After the door closed, Kitamura looked at Sekiya Kaze, and the two remained silent for a moment.

Guan Gufeng spoke first: "A collateral branch?"

Kitamura nodded: "I did see her in the outskirts that day. If she's a direct descendant of the Yasuda family, the security guards and secretaries around her would be different."

"However, being able to attend that kind of banquet means that one is at least a member of a collateral branch with a certain level of recognition."

Guan Gufeng thought about it for a moment, but didn't take it too seriously. He wasn't interested in the genealogy of the conglomerates; he just wanted to confirm that this person wasn't of unknown origin.

He picked up the rest of his bags from the ground and walked towards the back of the bookstore.

"I'll go to the back room to wait for my sister, Uncle Kitamura. The store has the latest comics, you can just take one and read it."

Kitamura was taken aback. "I don't actually read comics much."

"Who bought the Weekly Young Jump magazine that was in the car earlier?"

"..."