"Here's your delivery. Where should I have it taken?"
The shopkeeper came himself to deliver the cabinet with his people and I accompanied them as well.
It was not something I usually did, but something in me told me that leaving these people to deliver my stuff alone would only cause me more headache.
And I was right because not even a few seconds had passed when I saw the shopkeeper gesturing his people to drop my cabinet and 'accidentally' break it.
Of course, I was not about to let it happen and a few well-timed jabs about the shopowner's incapability caused him to forget all about his revenge and instead focus on proving me wrong.
That's how I got the cabinet to my house in one piece without it breaking.
"You can take it to the back room. Don't go from the front door. Follow me."
The office was part of the main building but it also had its separate door to enter from. I allowed the workers to enter the building but I suddenly realized something - the back door was a security hazard.
Anyone could enter the shop from this side and I would likely never know.
'I should invest in some form of security for the back door. Maybe getting a guard dog won't be a bad idea.'
I was not too fond of pets, but I was not against them either. Or rather, I never had a chance to keep any and form an opinion on them.
As a medical student, I had interned at a veterinary ward before so I knew how to treat them at least.
'So it's decided. I will get a guard dog later.'
I paid for the cabinet and the not-so-happy shopkeeper finally left me alone in my shop.
The sun was rising high in the sky by now and I decided to quickly have lunch before it was peak hour. And people swarmed toward my shop once the music started.
Just like yesterday, most of them did not enter the shop, but chose to watch. But quite a few people entered to buy books as well.
Business was booming for me, but the real currency - the faith points were nowhere to be seen.
Soon, the day ended and it was time for me to close the doors. But my intuition told me to keep the door open for a little longer.
Ring
The bell rang and someone walked inside. The candlelight showed a familiar black and white face in front of me.
"Ah, so you are back? But this isn't the right time for you to be out and about? Do you have company?"
I asked the little girl who had been my first customer and she tensed before she pulled something out.
"Hmph, I knew that the shopkeeper would notice the 'special gift' I brought you. Here, you should grab him. He's about to open his eyes for the first time and imprint on the person he sees first."
The young girl extended an extremely young puppy toward me and I quickly extended my hands toward her before she stopped the unfortunate puppy.
The small life in my hand felt warm and I felt a small part of myself melting at the cuteness.
'No, don't get distracted by this. I need to know what is going on.'
I turned toward the young girl to ask her some very important questions.
"Where did you get this puppy from? And why did you bring it here? Don't you know that it's cruel to separate a child from their parents when they are this young?"
The young girl's face remained impassive but she did give me an answer.
"I decided to bring this young one here because its parents died and it's all alone. I wanted to express my gratitude to the shopkeeper and also ask for more help in the future, so this is my gift to you - a dire wolf."
The girl told me and I decided to take her words at face value.
Suddenly, I felt sorry for the young life in my hands. The poor puppy was not going to survive long without nutrition.
'Well, I did say I wanted to get a dog. I guess I will have to raise one myself.'
Puppies grew up fast so that was not an issue for me…at least, not yet.
"Give the puppy here. Please, wait on the sofa for now while I go and get the puppy settled down."
The puppy was breathing well but a puppy this young needed nutrition every few hours. So I took it to my office and took out a small bowl and cotton.
I soaked the cotton into milk and gently squeezed some of it in the puppy's mouth. After that was done, I decided to put the puppy in a small but comfortable basket I found and came out.
The girl had made herself comfortable on my sofa and she looked relieved to see me.
"Don't worry about the creature I gifted you. That species of dire wolf grows up fast and are extremely loyal. Give it a month and it will look like a fully grown small-sized dog."
I took the girl at face value, mainly because she seemed to know what she was talking about.
"Hmm, you seem to know a lot about dogs and such. Does your family deal in the pet business?"
I asked and the girl paused.
"Pets, huh? Not quite but something like that. Dire wolves are notoriously hard to tame and the one I gave you is even more special. They say it has a deity's blood mixed so no one is able to tame it. However, I have a feeling that the shopkeeper would do just fine."
The girl told me and I plastered a smile on my face.
It seemed as if the young girl had cooked up another daydream about the dog, just as she had about her powers.
Speaking of powers…
"Ah, that reminds me, how are you feeling now? What about the problem you were facing regarding your powers? Has that been resolved?"
I asked the girl, wanting to know if she had gotten over her condition or not.
"Hmm, about that…I have not yet found a solution to my situation but I am sure I will find it soon. That being said, would you recommend a book to me?"
The female asked and I felt a little caught.
I could have suggested a simple children's book to her but I decided to choose something different for her. I chose something based on her previous book.
"Mana and Me…I have a feeling this book would help you out a lot."
I handed the book over to the girl and she opened the door. As she read it, her eyes widened a little.
"This book is…hmm, I think I will rent it after all…no, not even rent, I will buy it. Shopkeeper, name your price."
The female asked me and I sweated a little.
Truly, a young girl's imagination knew no bounds. I could not compete with her enthusiasm for literature and imagination.
"You can pay me the regular price for it. That book is nothing special to me. If you need anything else, do let me know."
I told the girl and she nodded before she paid me the money and left.
Once she was gone, I looked at the section I pulled the book out from. Somehow, the book had already been replaced with another book called 'Witch's History.'
"So this shop is haunted after all…ugh, well, as long as it doesn't hurt me, I guess I don't need to worry about it."