The main store of the destination, Junkudo Shoten, is located in Ikebukuro-ku, Tokyo. Ikebukuro is the busiest area after Shinjuku and Shibuya, and the Yamanote Line passes through the most prosperous area, and the neighborhood stretches from Ikebukuro Station to east and west, and has a daily population of one million, making it popular with young witches.

Where there are witches, there are bookstores, and the age of birth of this sentence is unknown, but it has been passed down by witches.

Junkudo was founded in 1963 during the Showa period, a time that was very special and worth remembering for Japanese witches.

Since the Meiji era, Japanese witches have been desperate to get in touch with new knowledge, and they have developed an almost perverted thirst for the culture and magic of other countries, especially Western countries, and the whole country has entered the stage of Westernization on its own from top to bottom.

Dead media, such as books and newspapers, are the most convenient medium to reach the world. Countless magic books and other types of books from Western bookstores were transported to Japanese ports again and again by huge airships and freighters, newspaper reporters and witches wrote articles day and night, the sound of printing machines resounded throughout the night, and foreign newspapers with temperature were delivered to every house through the newsboy witch.

A wide variety of magazines have sprung up, and bookstores have splintered.

While many magazines and bookstores have disappeared over time, Junkudo Shoten has remained one of the busiest areas of Ikebukuro and continues to offer the widest range of books to Japanese witches.

Although the name is a bookstore, the bookstore is actually an entire building, with a total area of about 2,000 tsubo, which is the largest store area in Japan, and because of its spaciousness, it is also used for large-scale projects and exhibitions related to books.

Tsutaya Shoten and Kinokuniya Shoten are also very large, but alchemy books must be bought at Junkudo Shoten Shoten and are the only place where you can find textbooks exported from other countries.

Ruiji hadn't studied the background of this bookstore, and today was the first time she had come here, and Feng Buyu personally led the way.

"Why do you know so much about Japan?"

"I forgot to tell you that my maternal mother is Japanese, a weak witch with a little-known name, and I am the product of a witch from a big family."

"Sorry...... Am I asking what I shouldn't be asking? ”

"It's okay, being honest with each other is the most basic principle of making friends. Let's go, the next thing you have to face is an unprecedented mountain of books, a vast sea of books, the thickest and most esoteric alchemical knowledge in the world, which is guaranteed to make you have no time to think nonsense. ”

Feng Buyue naturally put his arm around Ruiji's shoulder, not feeling that there was anything wrong with this action. The definition of intimacy is more subtle, with gestures such as holding hands and hugging shoulders that must develop into a closer relationship.

This level of intimacy is placed on the Chinese witch, and it becomes a "good friend" and a "good girlfriend", and even specific actions such as kissing the back of the hand, cheek and forehead can be done at will, referred to as having no sense of boundary.

Celestial Empire specialty, have to taste.

The bookstore is air-conditioned, and many witches who don't particularly want to buy books, but want to prostitute the air-conditioner, also choose to come here to take a look. Some hot-selling books will launch trial books, and the content of one or two long chapters, about 100,000 words, will be read by witches who are hesitant to buy books.

If the two are in good condition, and the content of the book hits an area of the heart that will produce a sense of pleasure, the witch will willingly pay for the life-high hardcover book.

The books on alchemy were placed on the third floor, and it was in an awkward position, neither a hot seller nor a particularly unpopular one. Books such as fashion books, magazines, and comics that meet the tastes of young witches are always placed in the most conspicuous shelves on the first and second floors, and there is no need to worry about not selling even if the books are on the high floors.

But it is undeniable that alchemy is still an unpopular subject that occupies an important position.

"Do you have a clue about the book you want to buy today, if you don't read Miss?"

Riji is dazzled by hundreds of books on large shelves. The quality and content of the same book published by different publishers also varies. In addition, alchemy textbooks are very expensive, and a thin copy costs tens of thousands of yen, so she hopes to avoid detours and avoid ineffective consumption.

"How many languages can you read?" Seal does not read asked.

"English, Japanese and French, a little bit of Chinese, and Arabic. My mothers loved Arabic and my sister and I learned a lot from them. ”

"If you learn Arabic, it's no problem. We have to buy alchemy textbooks written by Egyptian witches, the official language of Egypt is Arabic, one of the ten most difficult languages in the world to learn, and if you don't understand it, you will miss a lot of interesting knowledge. The witches of other countries did not have a deeper understanding of alchemy than the Egyptian witches, and the construction of the spells was far less concise than theirs. ”

Arabic ...... How complicated are your high school textbooks? ”

"No, our high school only requires mastery of English, French and German, interested witches can optionally teach Arabic on their own after class, I am very interested in alchemy, and I started learning it at a very young age."

Feng Buyue took a horror book from the top bookshelf that was even more exaggerated than "Ci Hai", with nearly 10,000 pages.

"This book "Orthodox Ancient Egyptian Alchemy" is the basis for you to learn alchemy in the future, and I personally recommend it as a must-buy. The price is not expensive, only 98,000 yen. ”

"Talent ......"

98,000 yen is equivalent to 4,960 yuan of soft sister coins, which doesn't look like an ordinary high school student witch can come up with at once.

"You're a big family, and this money is certainly nothing to you, but for me it's something that must be thought through."

Ruiji first took a picture of the book cover, and then immediately forwarded it to Fujinaga.

[Do you have this book?] 】

If you don't decide what to do, go to the witch who has the largest collection of books to borrow them, and the yen you save can be used to buy more things and maximize your profits. The school also taught [Sketch Magic] to facilitate witches who want to copy documents to complete tasks quickly.

A blank notebook, a quill, and a technique can easily complete the transcription of a book, without wasting a minute or a second of your own time.

The "Orthodox Ancient Egyptian Alchemy" in the bookstore has not been opened, and the trial book is only less than 100,000 words long. It's a bit embarrassing to copy books in a bookstore, and it can't be a shame, and it's impossible for Ruiji to really bring a notebook and a quill.

Ask Fujinaga to borrow a book at most and get a few complaints, but the success rate is very high. Rounding off, the two of them can be regarded as childhood sweethearts, although they haven't been able to stay together.

Fujinaga was quick to reply to messages.

[Yes, you want?] 】

[Is it convenient to borrow me?] Pay you back soon. 】

[The last time Mr. Shimoda asked you to go to the office, it should have been to discuss the Olympiad. I remember the last time she complimented you in the hallway and with our alchemy teacher in our class. 】

[You know that. 】

[After all, Mr. Shimoda's obsession with alchemy has reached the point of going crazy, and the students who will be invited to her office are invited to participate in the Olympiad, and the seniors of the third grade have complained in the friendship. 】

[I'm planning to sign up and try my luck. The materials consumed during the competition are also provided by the organizers, so I don't have to pay for it myself, and maybe I can really get a certificate. 】

[It's good that you're interested and have goals.] I'll send you the book after I finish the cram school class later, and I'll get ready for class, goodbye. 】

Holiday tutoring is the norm for Fujinaga, and her two mothers will plan for the entire vacation for her before the end of the semester, and she just needs to complete the tasks according to the above schedule and continue to live a routine life.

Fujinaga has repeatedly revealed the idea of "not wanting to take a holiday", and every second of the holiday is like sitting on pins and needles with people he doesn't like face to face, eating together, and talking about topics that he is not interested in.

The life of the eldest lady is not easy, Ruiji thought to herself.

She replied with a "thank you" and put the book back in its place.

The heavy 98,000 yen is like a piece of red-hot metal in your hand, and it is a relief to put it back on the bookshelf as soon as possible. If you accidentally break the plastic cover of the book with one hand and are discovered by the sharp-eyed clerk witch before repairing it, you can only consider yourself unlucky and be forced to pay for it.

Several classmates had such unpleasant experiences.

"I have a witch girlfriend who has this book on hand, and she is willing to lend it to me, so I won't think about it for the time being. What other books do I need to buy next?

"There are about twenty copies, you should be mentally prepared for heavy bleeding first."

Feng Buyue pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment from the storage space, with a string of titles written in Japanese, each of which was related to alchemy. The unit price is standard at the back of the title, adding up to a total of 120,000 yen, which instantly eliminates 3/5 of the money earned from the last photo shoot.

"It's too ruthless, is it too late for me to quit now?"

It's a cruel thing to spend the money you've just earned before it's hot.

Seeing that Ruiji was shaken, Feng Buyu hurriedly took the opportunity to lobby and released a strong killer move.

"Don't think about giving up halfway when you get on my thief ship, Miss Rydhy. Since the end of last year, the International Alchemy Association has issued a new rule that witches who hold a junior alchemist qualification certificate can receive a minimum allowance of 80,000 yen per month, the same amount as the Japanese witch's minimum living allowance, plus a subsidy of 100,000 yen per month for rent and material expenses. ”

"100,000...... How many of them? ”

Hearing the subsidy figures, the passion that had been extinguished instantly rekindled in Rij.

"You heard it right, 100,000. The number of alchemists in Japan is decreasing every year, and if this continues, there will be no successor to the alchemist world in Japan. Prices in Japan are getting higher and higher, and many witches are trapped in life, unable to find a suitable job, and cannot afford to rent a decent house.

Money-burning academic research like alchemy naturally dissuades more and more witches, and there are very few brave people like us. As long as you are willing to spend some money to invest, the subsistence allowance of the white prostitution association will net 1.2 million yen every year, not including the profit from renting out and purchasing documents. ”

Feng Buyue used a mahogany staff to list a string of calculations in mid-air, and the number after the equals sign was very impressive. The material that underpins the argument is an English document with a special colored seal of the International Alchemical Society.

"I think it's worth it for a small investment in exchange for a big return. A certain Roman merchant witch once said that a witch who guards that fixed assets every day and does not dare to take risks will never make a fortune in her life. We have to dare to throw all the chips on the table, give it a go, and never see the scenery standing on the high place without trying. ”

The witch's words are loud, and every word highlights the witch's adventurous spirit. Every witch in history who has achieved independent titles is a freak with a unique personality, so it doesn't hurt to be bold at all.

After a not-so-fierce psychological struggle, Ruiji finally failed to keep the first pot of gold he earned. Feng Buyue's eyes were too charming, and her voice was good, compared to the Siren, she couldn't resist it at all.

"Buy, you can buy it. My goal is to conquer the sea of stars in alchemy! ”

Ruiji found all the alchemy textbooks to buy according to the book list, stuffed them into the cart with rollers in one go, and hurriedly pushed the books to the cashier to check out while there was still a lot of enthusiasm in his body.

When he paid the money, he took out a platinum membership card from his wallet.

"There's a discount on my card, although it's only 9% off."

"Thank you......"

Paying the cashier 108,000 yen, Riji's heart was bleeding hard. However, thinking of being able to get an alchemist qualification certificate and mix 100,000 yen a month for a subsistence allowance, this money is not unjustly spent.

Studying art burns more money than alchemy, especially witches who play piano and paint, and the rate of return is much lower than that of learning alchemy.

The brand-new yen bills lie down in the cash register, and the cashier witch smiles sweetly at her.

"This is your receipt, and Junjiutang Bookstore welcomes you next time."

……

The purchased textbooks weighed dozens of pounds, and Ruiji had to use the sealed storage space to carry them. Her storage comes from the ring pendant around her neck, which is larger than the base of Moonstone, starting at 15 cubic meters.

The large storage space gave her the courage to fly from southern China to Tokyo with nearly the size of her household items at a time.

The process of purchasing was clean, and the sun had not yet set when I left the bookstore, and it was still an hour before six o'clock.

Halfway through Ikebukuro West Exit Park, a witch in a teddy bear doll costume drags her bulky body and distributes flyers to passing witches with sluggish movements.

Ruiji also took one of them.

The witch seems to want to finish her quest early, handing out several stacked flyers at once. The flyer reads a live event held at the Budokan in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

The main promotion of the new idol witch group Speed, the ticket price is 5000 yen, which is not worth mentioning for lovers, and the witches who are not interested feel that it is a little expensive, and generally do not spend so much money to listen to a live.

A black envelope slipped through the gap in the leaflet, with a golden snowy owl head printed on the back of the envelope and a line of printed silver Japanese underneath.

- 49th feather for snowy owls.

(End of chapter)