After being pulled closer by the auntie, the two exchanged glances, staring at each other for a long while before continuing to walk forward stiffly, holding the bread.
It... was probably just an accident?
Their original intention was still to pass through this living area as quickly as possible, then take another elevator back to their residence on the tenth underground level.
But they hadn't taken more than a few steps when, behind a small stall selling hand-woven goods, a white-haired old woman smiled and nodded at them.
"Girls, these are hair ties I wove myself. Which one do you like? I'll give you each one. They'll match your hair color perfectly."
"N-No, thank you..." Shu still subconsciously refused, his voice as faint as ever.
"We..." [Shu] also wanted to add something, but the old woman had already picked out two gray woven cords decorated with small, light gold stars and, without taking no for an answer, placed them in their other free hands.
"You should dress up pretty when you're young!" the old woman said with a chuckle. "Although you sisters look lovely with your hair down, it can be inconvenient at times, can't it~"
The two of them: "..."
Uh...
"Thank you" remained the universal reply. The two bowed slightly, the gesture so small it almost looked like they were nodding at someone.
Their gazes had already started to drift downwards subconsciously. Aside from that fleeting glance when they were first called over, they hadn't managed to look at the old woman for more than a second.
Holding bread in one hand and a hair tie in the other, the two dazed Stelles lowered their heads in unison and continued walking.
Passing by a fragrant oden stall, the stall owner, a robust man, called out in a booming voice, "Ladies! Want something hot? Fish balls, daikon, konjac noodles, bitter melon, all in today's fresh broth!"
The two kept walking, their eyes fixed on the floor, trying to pass by quickly without looking, but the stall owner's enthusiasm was beyond imagination.
"Don't go! Just try the broth, it's free! This weather may be artificial, but a hot drink will make you feel good!"
As he spoke, two small paper cups filled with clear broth had already been handed to them, with a small piece of kombu knot and a skewer of fish balls floating inside.
It was hard to refuse such hospitality, or rather, the two Shus couldn't muster a single mouth between them that could firmly refuse. So they just dazedly accepted the soup cups.
Next came two slices of sample apples, thrust upon them by an auntie at a fruit stall.
A young lady at a tailor shop beckoned them to come in and see the new fabrics that "would really suit your temperament."
Even an uncle selling children's toys cheerfully handed them two small, light-up pinwheels: "Here! For you little girls to play with!"
In just a short, hundred-meter street, their hands had accumulated a pile of inexplicably received "gifts."
Bread, hair ties, two skewers of oden plus a cup of soup, apple slices on toothpicks, promotional pamphlets, light-up pinwheels...
The only reason they could hold so many things was thanks to their rusty artistic skills—being able to hold eight or nine pencils of different models in one hand.
They barely spoke the entire time, just passively accepting, their faces still maintaining "Stelle's" unique dazed expression, filled with the bewilderment of being "assaulted" by kindness.
Bodies stiff, reactions slow, it was as if the programs of these two NPCs had never been loaded with the module for handling everyday acts of kindness.
The two "Stelles" continued to walk stiffly side-by-side, the increasingly cumbersome pile of "gifts" in their hands having become a rather heavy burden.
Especially the two cups of oden soup. Although they were trying their best to keep them balanced, the slight swaying with each step brought the soup dangerously close to the rim, forcing their pace to become even slower and more cautious.
There was no way to get through this quickly!
On top of that, the light-up pinwheels were stuck in the bag with the bread, the tassels of the hair ties were brushing against the apple slices... it was a complete mess.
A total mess!
They were tired.
Both felt a trace of mental fatigue, and even a hint of... helplessness towards these gifts.
They were gifts, after all. The two couldn't get annoyed, only a deep sense of powerlessness.
Right now, they urgently needed a place to stop, to deal with these burdens, and to catch their breath from this passive acceptance of kindness.
Their eyes swept across both sides of the street, and a breakfast shop with clean windows and a few small square tables at the entrance caught their eye.
There weren't many people inside, and the aroma of white porridge and steamed buns wafted out.
This was the place.
With that same awkward tacit understanding, they turned at the same time and walked towards the breakfast shop.
Lifting the transparent door curtain, which was quite unique on this street, the two "quietly" walked into the shop.
It was warm inside, the tables and chairs were wiped clean, and the background music was the lively chatter of the street.
They both chose a table in the corner and carefully placed the pile of things from their hands onto it, one by one, their movements as clumsy as if they were disarming a bomb.
Before they could even figure out what to do with these gifts, a cheerful figure rushed to their table.
"Welcome! Two... uh, please sit, please sit!" The person was a young woman in her twenties, wearing thin-framed glasses, a clean apron, and holding a menu and an order pad. Her face beamed with an incredibly infectious, enthusiastic smile.
Shu felt this waitress looked somewhat familiar. Looking down, he saw her name tag read "Little Chen."
Little Chen's gaze quickly swept over the motley collection of items on the table, which were completely out of place in a breakfast shop, then landed on the two almost identical, slightly dazed "Stelles." A hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes but was quickly covered by a stronger, professional enthusiasm.
She deftly helped them move the clutter on the table to make space for tableware.
"What would you two like to eat? We have freshly cooked porridge, freshly wrapped wontons and dumplings, all sorts of steamed buns, soy milk, and fried dough sticks... Here's the menu!"
Little Chen's voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying an energy that was hard to refuse.
She handed the menu to them, leaning forward slightly, her smile radiant.
The two "Stelles" looked at the menu handed to them, then at each other again.
They had only wanted to find a place to sit and deal with the things in their hands; they had no intention of buying anything.
But now, they were occupying a seat, and the waitress was standing before them so enthusiastically... Just kill him. There was no way he could refuse.
"We..." the "Stelle" disguised by Shu picked up the menu, his eyes quickly scanning the prices.
The cheapest... plain porridge?
Too deliberate, too shabby...
"We'll have..." the "Stelle" disguised by [Shu] was also browsing quickly.
Order something expensive? Unnecessary.
Almost simultaneously, they made a decision—a compromise.
Order a reasonably priced, "normal-looking" breakfast.
"One order of wontons, and add two fried dough sticks," they both said at the same time.
"You got it! Two orders of wontons, four fried dough sticks!!"