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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 10 Prologue

 

Nanaejima Summer Vacation: Prologue

Summer vacation is something students enjoy, but not so much for adults. For someone like me who runs a business, this time of year especially is a real pain, with fewer customers.

That’s the sentiment of Kanako Kanazawa (age 24), owner of the select show Kanakana. Kanako Kanazawa’s passion led her to stay in Naanejima after graduation and open her own shop. Accessories are the main items on display in the store. They also carry bags and clothing for women.

Most of the items are custom-made by students. However, don’t think less of them for this, the creations of passionate young people are often quite good. As the shoppers are also students, they are also in tune with the current needs of the students. (Of course, if something isn’t a hit it will no longer be in stock in the store)

By offering these items at low prices, Kanakana has become popular among students. The recently launched online store has also brought in a fair number of orders from outside the island, making for a decently successful business. (Although there is the challenge of figuring out how to deal with shipping costs)

Under normal circumstances that’s the case. In the days leading up to the end of the first semester, the store saw a boom in both customer traffic and sales as students were returning home. They were buying souvenirs for their family and friends. But that all stopped dead once summer vacation began.

On the second day of Kanaki’s summer vacation, the store was deserted.

「Ah, I’m so bored. What should I do? Since it’s summer vacation, maybe I should go to the beach? No one’s gonna come by if I’m working in the store anyways, so maybe I should just go for a swim? Maybe a cool guy will hit on me.」

Since it’s Kanako’s store, whether she closes early or temporarily is entirely up to her whim.

Just then, the front door opened. Reflexively she smiles and says 「Welcome!」, which is a basic part of customer service. Then the sales smile turned into a genuine smile. That’s because the boy who walked in was a refreshingly handsome guy with glasses. He looked mature, but he was still young. He’d probably started college this year… or maybe he was in high school still.

Anyways, his smile is nice. That refreshing smile that naturally appears when she says ‘Welcome.’ It’s so soothing, seriously. Kanako thinks this kind of younger guys is just fine.

That said, when a boy comes alone into a woman’s accessory store, it’s most likely to get a present for his girlfriend. No, there’s a possibility that it’s a present for his sister. Kanako craves the faint hope and leaves herself a little room to have a chance, and turns her eyes to the handsome customer with glasses. He’s looking around the store with slow steps.

Is he looking for something? Kanako’s general stance is not to strike up a conversation, especially since this is a customer she’s seeing for the first time. She just waits to see what’s going on, thinking she’ll answer him if she’s asked a question.

One thing that caught Kanako’s attention was the notebook that Glasses-kun was holding close to his chest. It was a slightly old-looking notebook with a red leather cover. He was holding it carefully to his chest as he browsed the products.

Then, Glasses-kun stopped in his tracks.

「Huh?」

Kanako couldn’t help but let out a gasp. That’s because the red notebook seemed to suddenly open in Glasses-kun’s right hand. Furthermore, the pages were flipping through at an incredible speed. It almost looks as though the notebook is turning itself, but no, that’s not the case. The guy with glasses is probably deftly flipping through the pages with one hand. Still, it’s intriguing. But from the counter, it’s hard to see due to his position.

The red notebook, which had been turning pages, stops at a certain page.

Staring intently at the open page, the guy with glasses picks up an accessory from the display and compares it with the page. Finally, he slams the red notebook shut and comes over with the item in his hand.

「Excuse me, can I have this?」

「Ah, yes.」

The thing the guy with glasses brings over is an elaborately decorated brooch. It’s a bit pricey for this store, and for a student, it would be considered a bit of a splurge.

「This’s a one-of-a-kind piece, right? It’s a nice design, but who made it?」

「Um, I think it was a college student. He sometimes brings his own creations here.」

「I see. If that’s the case, could you tell me his name and which university he attends?」

Hearing the question with a refreshing smile, Kanako couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.

「I can’t really give out that kind of information so casually. Are you like in the same line of work?」

「No, no, not at all. It’s just that the designs are so great, I was wondering what kind of person would bring them to this store.」

「Well, some do it as a hobby, but most are receiving technical training in this kind of decorative arts. They’re the kind of people who want to make a living out of it in the future.」

「Oh, really? By the way, do you make them too?」

「Me? I only sell them. I did it seriously when I was a student, but I didn’t seem to have the talent for making them, so now I just do small repairs and tinkering with them.」

「Have you given up on your dream?」

Kanako couldn’t help but laugh when asked that question.

「At one point, I realized, ‘I won’t be the main character in this world’, so I gave up. I thought about doing something completely different, but I loved this kind of thing so I decided to become a supporting artist. I want to help make good products, introduce them to people, and deliver them to those who want them. But now I’m satisfied. I wasn’t able to become a creator, but as a shop owner, I’ve found a new dream. As a businessman, I’ve found my own world.」

In response to Kanako’s story, Glasses-kun says, ‘That’s amazing’, with a somewhat complicated look on his face.

「Do you have any dreams or goals you want to accomplish?」

Glasses-kun gave an ambiguous look at the question, then finally nodded.

「Yes, I do.」

「Are things not going well for you?」

When Kanako asked this probing question, Glasses-kun gave a wry smile.

「Who knows.」

He dodged the question, but somehow Kanako knew the answer. She smiled brightly.

「Well, do your best. This island is a place where you can accomplish things, after all.」

Perhaps not understanding the meaning of her words, Glasses-kun seemed a little confused and replied, 「I’ll take that into consideration.」

He then added, 「Oh yes, so can I ask you one more thing?」

「Huh? What is it…!」

Kanako gasped.

Suddenly, Glasses-kun grabbed her hand.

「What time does this shop close today?」

「Huh?」

「Would you like to go out and have fun?」

Five minutes later, the select shop Kanakana closed for the day.

Within three days, the handsome bespectacled guy (Isshin Yuiga) had successfully identified the female college student who appeared to be a leprechaun and had purchased the Nanana collection item he had found in the shop Kanakana.