Character Story 5: A Little Bit of Progress, Despite Earlier

SCene: A plaza in Landsol.

Yui
Whew... Thank you very much.

Clerk 1
We'll let you know if we get any more good-looking magical books.

Yui
These are a little heavy... I might have bought too much at just that first store...

Yui
(But lately, there have been more incidents than before where magic is necessary, so I need to study more and learn more types of magic...)

Yuuki
1. Greet Yui and offer to help carry her books.

Yui
Yuuki! Please, don't worry about these. They're a little heavy, but I can carry them on my own.

Yuuki
1. I'm still worried.

Yui
Ah... Thank you. In that case... Could I go to one more bookstore? I'd like to pick up a few more books.

...

Yui
(Yuuki really is kind... Even in my dreams, he's helped me so many times...)

Yui
(Going shopping with Yuuki like this, it's almost like a date...)

Yui
(A date... Just thinking about that is making my heart race, somehow...! I need to calm down... Breathe in, breathe out...)

Yui
(... I can't calm down at all!)

Yui
Ah! This is the bookstore I mentioned earlier! I almost missed it... Hello!

Yui
(Huh...? This store is...)

Clerk 2
Welcome. The book you asked about last time is here now!

Yui
(This is the wrong one! This store isn't for magical books...)

Yui
Um... I don't think that's right...

Clerk 2
Oh? Then, can we sell it to someone else? This month's romance self-help book!

Yui
(Don't say what the book is about! Oooh... This is way too embarrassing -- I want to run away...)

Yui
Wawawa...! I'm not here for that! Today, I'm...!

Yui
(Even though this is the one I ordered, I don't want Yuuki to know that I'm buying a book like this...)

Yui
(But this book is going to sell out in an instant, so if I don't buy it right now, I won't be able to get it again...)

Yui
... Actually, I'll take one copy, please.

Clerk 2
Thank you. I'll give you a discount, since you brought your boyfriend today.

Yui
B-B-B-Boyfriend!? Yuuki and I aren't...!

Clerk 2
Oh, was I mistaken? Just for today, stores in this area are giving a discount to couples who go shopping together.

Clerk 2
And well, because he's carrying around your bags for you, I thought for sure that he was your boyfriend going shopping with you...

Yui
(I do want to save money, since I bought so many books today, but going as far as lying...)

Yui
(And besides, I haven't confessed my feelings to Yuuki yet, so I can't accept this discount...)

Yui
Sorry. The truth is...

Yuuki
1. "Could you give us that discount?"

Yui
What...!? Whaaat!? Y-Yuuki!? W-w-w-why...!?

Clerk 2
Okay! I'll take the discount off right now. Here's your book, and here's your change.

Yui
Wawawawawa...! T-Thank you very much...!

Clerk 2
Thank you for your business. Be nice to your boyfriend!

...

Yui
Um... Y-Yuuki. About earlier... T-Thanks!

Yuuki
1. "It's good that we could get that book more cheaply."

Yui
Y-Yeah! That's true! Ha ha...

Yui
(Could it have been that... aside from just that clerk, we looked like a couple to everyone else, too...?)

Yui
(Does that mean we've already gotten that close!? ... I know that... I'm in love with Yuuki. But what does he feel for me...?)

Yui
... Y-Y-Yuuki! Um... I want to ask you something...!

Yui
... A-Actually, never mind! Sorry! Just forget I said anything just now... um...

Yui
Uh, could you help me bring those books back to the guild house? Y-Yeah! I'll brew some of this nice tea I bought earlier for you in return!

Yui
(I couldn't do it... I was so nervous, I couldn't say a thing! Someone, help! Makoto...!)