"Lin-kun, do you know? The speed of a cherry blossom is five centimeters per second."
On the steps in front of the bookstore, the platinum-haired, blue-eyed girl stood beside the young man, looking at the blooming cherry blossoms in the nearby park, a brilliant smile on her face.
"I don't know. I only know that the East Wind-41 can reach a speed of Mach 25. Even cherry blossoms falling for thirteen years cannot stop the Dongfeng Express's mission from being accomplished."
The young man casually replied, preparing for the opening of the store.
The interior of the bookstore was quite spacious, with more than a dozen bookshelves arranged horizontally and vertically, filled with various books, yet it didn't look messy; instead, it had a pleasing aesthetic.
"Thirteen years of cherry blossoms? Dongfeng-41? What strange things is Lin-kun saying again?"
The girl tilted her head, seemingly analyzing the specific meaning.
Then she turned to look at the young man, her blue eyes full of curiosity and inquiry.
"Just take it as my nonsense, Aika, you don't have to pay too much attention."
The black-haired young man named Yalin replied with a smile, without explaining the meaning of his words in detail.
As a transmigrator with a past and present life, even if he was used to this life, it was not surprising that he occasionally revealed information that did not fit the current era.
Then he took out a broom and dustpan set and a feather duster from the corner, placing them in front of Aika with both hands: "Before customers arrive, choose one."
The girl looked up at the young man's tall figure, seemingly comparing their height difference, then unhesitatingly chose the broom.
"Lin-kun is so mischievous, is there any need to choose?"
Aika muttered, but she obediently swept the floor.
In this originally boring world, where the future could be seen at a glance, every move of the young man in front of her captivated her.
Even having her do such daily chores was a pleasure.
Yalin was speechless, not minding Aika's little temper.
Compared to when they first met a few years ago, her sudden great enthusiasm, and the emptiness and indifference hidden within.
Completely opposite extremes, yet merged in a pure white girl, like a non-human anomaly, making one's hair stand on end.
The current Aika, at least, showed little difference from her peers, which was a great improvement.
Yalin held the feather duster, cleaning the dust, and was quite pleased about it.
As a transmigrator arriving in the 80s and 90s, he hadn't brought much change to this world.
If it were other ambitious transmigrators, even if reborn in Tokyo, they would probably have made a name for themselves. Not to mention anything else, just using informational advantages for investment wouldn't result in too much loss.
One should know that in the 80s in Japan, there was a rumor that selling Tokyo could buy the entire United States, which shows how inflated Japan was at that time.
Although with the arrival of the 90s, the Plaza Accord, which had been signed, was about to break Japan's bones, and the bubble economy completely exploded, bringing an end to this dream.
Countless people went to rooftops, and the suicide rate reached a new high.
But this was also an opportunity.
Not to mention anything else, opening a funeral home in advance might even allow one to make a fortune.
Wait, isn't that making money from the dead?
That feels quite hellish.
Yalin shook his head slightly, not very interested in this.
Over the years, he had witnessed how Japan reached its peak, and now it was time to face the backlash.
Yalin made a fortune at the very beginning and then retired, buying an apartment and opening a bookstore, living a stable retirement life at a young age.
Having the chance to live a second life was already a great fortune, and Yalin was not greedy.
Moreover, his current goal was to better help himself solve problems.
With their busy efforts, the brief cleaning ended. The entire bookstore was refreshed and spotless.
Yalin handed the girl a cup of warm water, then leaned back in a rocking chair like a lazy Cat.
Even though he had spent two lives on Earth, this world had some differences from his previous one.
For example, the existence of Fuyuki City, an accident-prone area, and the local landlord, the Tohsaka family.
His understanding of type-moon was limited to the two anime series of the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars and his shallow knowledge as a Newbie Master in FGO, but he deeply understood the meaning of Fuyuki City and the Tohsaka surname.
It was 1990, and he didn't know if the Fourth Holy Grail War would break out in Fuyuki City in this world, as type-moon had many world lines, and Yalin couldn't be sure which one it was, nor did he plan to get involved.
Another example was the pale gold-haired, blue-eyed girl beside him, Aika Sajou.
She seemed gentle, delicate, and easily pushed over, an ordinary weak woman.
In reality, she was probably a Magician, just like Rin Tohsaka.
However, this was also reasonable. Even Fuyuki City had the Three Great Magician families, let alone a top city like Tokyo.
Even if she hadn't shown many abnormalities in front of him, appearing like an ordinary girl.
Yalin still keenly noticed that Aika was not ordinary, but he didn't care.
Since Aika Sajou had no ill intentions towards him, even if their initial encounter seemed a bit deliberate, Yalin didn't mind becoming a close friend to this girl.
Even if her thoughts were often inscrutable, and she occasionally uttered some dangerously unsettling words, she was not unlikable.
Compared to other Magicians who pursued the Root and went to the Clock Tower for further study, Aika was truly neglecting her duties, actually having a special interest in an ordinary person like him.
She was even persistent enough to meet him day after day for several years.
It could only be said that type-moon was vast and full of wonders.
Thinking of this, Yalin glanced at Aika. The girl seemed to notice and looked up at him with a brilliant smile, asking in a cheerful tone.
"Lin-kun, what are you thinking about?"
"No matter how I look at it, Aika is indeed very cute, like a Cat, I want to ra."
Yalin said casually, without hiding his thoughts in the slightest.
"Eh?"
Aika's eyes widened, her face tinged with a blush, a little shy and a little happy.
But before she could respond, Yalin's words rang out again.
"Of course, that was just a joke, don't mind it."
Yalin's words made the girl's face instantly stiffen, looking dejected.
"To say something like that, Lin-kun is as cunning as ever."
"That's just my nature, I can't change it." Yalin teased. He actually enjoyed teasing her; it was quite interesting.
Of course, this was not the liking between different sexes; given her age, that would be quite perverted.
Moreover, his XP has always been 'bigger is better, bigger is beautiful'.
As for Aika, he probably thought of her as a niece or something like that, Yalin believed.
As for treating her as a daughter, Aika Sajou's father was still alive, and he wouldn't push his luck that much.
"Like a Cat?"
At this moment, Aika's low murmur faintly sounded, as if repeating the phrase.
"I misspoke. Cats aren't as cute as Aika, so don't think about bullying Cats. It's a rare weekend, so it's better to relax."
Yalin rubbed Aika's head, interrupting her wild thoughts.
"You're cheating with that sneak attack."
The girl protested discontentedly, but her body didn't resist.
Her azure blue eyes, instead, narrowed, seemingly enjoying the warmth on her head.
After some playful banter, the bookstore officially opened, but visitors were few and far between.
After all, under the economic downturn, all industries were sluggish, except for funeral homes.
However, Yalin opened the store merely to avoid being completely idle and to help others, so he didn't care about the business's success.
He pulled out books from the shelves and stacked them on the table, then read them intently, but his browsing speed was far beyond ordinary people's.
Aika blinked, looking at these books with some confusion.
But she also imitated him, slacking off.
However, she preferred fairy tales with happy endings. Especially the fairy tales of Prince Charming, which she never tired of reading.
Outside the bookstore, people came and went, but it did not affect the two inside.
As for the occasional customers who came in to buy or read books, they were first surprised by this leisurely duo, then for some reason found it normal.
By dusk, after the girl reluctantly said goodbye, Yalin watched her leave with a smile, then closed the store for the day.
The moment the room was completely sealed, Yalin let out a breath, and the reflection of a silver clock appeared in his eyes, only to vanish in a blink.
Beside him, the books he had read during the day had not yet returned to their original places.
The top few were "Barefoot Doctor's Handbook," "Militia Training Handbook," "Farmland Water Conservancy Handbook"... "These should be enough for now, right?"
Yalin stroked his chin, pondering seriously for a while.
Even if the worlds and eras are different, knowledge and concepts should be universal, and anything more profound is not suitable for now.
After washing up, Yalin lay on the bed, his consciousness falling into the boundless darkness.