After Izumi Chihiro led Miss Elf around a few bends, a bookstore appeared before them — Takasago Bookstore.
"Eh, is this it? There's a bookstore so close by! I should have come here to buy books earlier…"
Yamada Elf was a little surprised.
Because she usually ordered online, which of course took some time. If it was nearby, it wouldn't be impossible to go out.
"Let's go in."
Izumi Chihiro walked forward.
"Chihiro, who is this?"
Takasago Tomoe, holding a broom and cleaning, turned to look at the two, her gaze questioning.
"I am Yamada Elf, you haven't forgotten, have you?!"
Yamada Elf took a step forward.
"Oh, it's you. I think I saw you once before. I'm the daughter of this bookstore's owner, Takasago Tomoe, and also Chihiro's childhood friend since middle school."
Takasago Tomoe put down the broom, then introduced herself while placing a hand on her chest.
Izumi Chihiro smiled without speaking.
This statement might make Eriri explode, but Yamada Elf couldn't quite grasp that point.
"Oh, so just a classmate then."
Yamada Elf said with a dismissive air.
"Judging by this posture, could she be a relative of Sawamura's somewhere? They look like they were carved from the same mold. Perhaps Sawamura should investigate if they're distant relatives or something."
Takasago Tomoe ignored her proud attitude and looked at him.
"What relatives? I am me, Yamada Elf! My family has no significant relation to that Spencer, and we are certainly not relatives."
Yamada Elf responded for him in a firm tone.
Although she rarely spoke with Eriri, she could understand the other's temperament; there were some similarities, but she was the one and only Yamada Elf!
"There's no need to argue about this. Don't forget our purpose."
Izumi Chihiro said.
"Tell me, what works do you want to buy?"
Takasago Tomoe didn't get angry either, immediately adopting the role of a store clerk.
"Why even ask! Of course, it's my new work, 'Bloom! Holy Elf!'"
Yamada Elf stood up and said.
"Hmm? I don't seem to recall this work. Is it a new release? No, even if it's a new release, I should have at least glanced at it to see if it had any quality..."
Takasago Tomoe fell into deep thought.
The summer wind felt strangely cold at this moment.
"How could that be! As a female store clerk, you don't even know about today's best-selling release! That's simply too foolish!"
Yamada Elf's expression stiffened, then she said indignantly.
"Just kidding, just kidding... Although I'm not very interested in Yamada Elf's works, in terms of sales, the bookstore wouldn't be unprepared."
Takasago Tomoe's gentle smile looked quite sarcastic; she clearly knew the name 'Yamada Elf'.
"I think it's placed here."
She squatted down and pulled out a light novel from the bottom shelf. The cover featured Sagiri's art style.
"Hey, how could you put me so low! You're looking down on me too much! I'm a best-selling author with over two million copies sold!"
Seeing this, Yamada Elf was furious.
"Hmm? That Kasumigaoka Utaha's work is on the second row?"
She scanned the upper shelves, and familiar light novels came into view one by one. The first row indeed consisted of major authors she couldn't contend with, so there was no point of comparison, but she was dissatisfied with the subsequent rankings.
"Yes, I think so. What's wrong?"
Takasago Tomoe's aura was not weak, and she retorted.
"Why is she placed above me? My sales are much higher than hers!"
Yamada Elf's voice grew louder.
"This is just ranked by quality... You can understand it as my personal opinion, so you don't need to care so much."
"How can I not care! You jerk! Senju Muramasa, Kani Nayuta, and Chihiro are one thing! But for others, I still consider myself... I consider myself not inferior."
"Yamada Elf, you can actually speak with more confidence."
"Forget it, it's just a rogue ranking anyway, not to be taken seriously! Only sales are the true and undeniable data! We'll talk when their sales surpass mine!"
Yamada Elf put on an 'I don't care' act, reached out, took a few copies of her new work, and placed them on the checkout counter.
"Wrap them up for me!"
On the way home.
"Kishuku! Kishuku! Kishuku... It's one thing for Senju Muramasa and Kani Nayuta to look down on me, but even a mere bookstore clerk can despise me! I've decided! I won't buy books from her anymore!"
Yamada Elf gesticulated wildly as she expressed her dissatisfaction.
"It's just because you haven't worked hard enough, Miss Elf."
Izumi Chihiro then spoke his mind freely.
"Because of your debut work, everyone has gradually formed a unified understanding of your quality. To change this perception, you can only rely on your own solid strength. Think about it, if you had Nayuta or Muramasa's writing skill, even if you maintained your completely naked and lewd style, your reputation would still be primarily based on everyone's praise."
He had expected this remark to provoke a retort from the young girl, but Miss Elf merely looked a bit more resentful.
"That's easy for you to say! Everyone's focus is different! I'm just a bit weaker in this area. Don't expect me to be like those two, hey!"
"I haven't even reached that level, so of course, you can't either. I'm just making an analogy. At least it shouldn't be at the level of an elementary school student, right?"
He scoffed.
"You make it sound like I'm completely useless!"
Yamada Elf pouted.
"Not really. To have these sales, it means you still have some skill in being lewd, Miss Elf."
"I'd rather not have that kind of compliment!"
Back at Izumi.
Yamada Elf immediately had him read it, wanting to hear his evaluation.
"Hmm, the new work indeed shows some breakthrough in quality, and the vocabulary has noticeably increased. Furthermore, Sagiri's illustrations are complementary. If the plot could be improved further, perhaps it could break through previous limitations."
Izumi Chihiro gave an objective review.
"Hmph! I told you I'm a genius, didn't I! If I want to do something, I can still achieve it! Like this, surpassing you, Chihiro, is indeed only a matter of time."
With a compliment, Yamada Elf's tail perked up.
"Don't think it's that simple, Miss Elf. Even if your quality has improved, it doesn't mean your new work's sales will be better than your debut work. If there are no new ideas and you merely follow the previous work, your performance could plummet. I see this tendency in your early development..."
Izumi Chihiro's gaze was cold, dampening her arrogant spirits.
Yamada Elf was a bit embarrassed, then crossed her arms and snorted, "I... I certainly have innovative ideas! How could I possibly write according to the outline of 'explosive flame dark elf'! It's just a similar theme! That would be too boring!"
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter