Volume 1: First Arrival Chapter 70: Twilight Stroll
--"I saw you."
Kirk's movements froze slightly and he blinked, somewhat surprised that Nate's movements were so quiet and elusive that there was no sound at all.
He kept his neck as it was and took a quick glance out of the corner of his eye, then he saw Nate's expressionless face, which looked like the iceberg in the "Titanic"; moreover, his laser-like eyes caught his sight at the first moment, revealing a subtle expression of catching the criminal red-handed.
So Kirk simply turned his head slowly, as if nothing had happened, smiled widely, and stretched out his right hand.
"Want some ice cream?"
Nate glanced down, showing no expression but unable to hide his disgust, "You've already finished eating."
Kirk looked at his right hand. He had forgotten that he had just stuffed the last bit of the cone into his mouth. All that was left in his hand was a wrapper like a torch. "So, you mean, if you haven't finished it, you'll share it with me? I didn't expect you to be like this, Nate."
Nate: ...
However, Kirk still stuffed the ice cream wrapper into Nate's hand and said, "Since you like it, here you go."
Nate looked at the wrapping paper rolling in his palm and glared at Kirk speechlessly, but still put the wrapping paper away obediently.
There is no trash can here, so I'll go back and throw it away later.
Then, Nate looked down at Kirk's empty hands, and a breath caught in his chest. "You have time to buy ice cream, but you don't have time to go to the supermarket to buy daily necessities?"
Kirk: Ah! I forgot.
Nate had to use all his strength to control his anger.
Looking at Nate who was feeling hopeless, Kirk thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we go to the supermarket together now? You make the list and I do the hard labor."
"Otherwise, every time I go to the supermarket alone, I'll lose something, and then you'll complain that you don't have this or that. What do you think?"
It just so happened that Nate could lead the way, and they would go to the supermarket in Little Italy, and after shopping, he could buy a fig-flavored gelato.
Perfect!
Nate didn't buy it at all, patting the briefcase in his hand, into which the brown paper bag had been stuffed, "I still have work to do."
"Besides, it's your turn to go to the supermarket this week. If you forget something, you have to go to the supermarket again. I won't be responsible."
After saying that, Nate no longer paid attention to Kirk, turned around and started walking towards the apartment again.
However, Kirk's voice came from behind.
"Nate, dear Nate, if you come with me to the supermarket, when we come back, we'll go to the comic book store together."
Nate's footsteps suddenly stopped.
But he didn't turn around.
It was clear from the tense muscles in his back that Nate was struggling.
Just as Nate was about to overcome temptation and continue walking, the devil's voice sounded again.
"You can pick any comic book you like, any genre, any country, any subject matter, I'll pay for it."
Nate: ...
One second, two seconds.
Nate finally turned around and looked at Kirk, who was leaning against the sycamore tree like a boneless person with a lazy look on his face and a grin that asked for a beating, and he let out a long breath.
"Let's go."
"Oh yeah."
A second later, Nate's voice sounded again.
“We went in the wrong direction.”
"oh."
"Kirk, how long have we lived here? And you don't even know which direction to go to the supermarket. Are you mistaken?"
“There is no need to be obsessed with right and wrong. The earth is a circle. Even if you deviate from the orbit, you can still reach your destination in the end.”
"…So, you mean, you don't mind crossing the Atlantic Ocean instead of going through Africa, then through the Indian Ocean, across Asia, and across the Pacific Ocean to get to a supermarket in Los Angeles to do your shopping, right?"
"Don't worry, I'm not worried at all that you'll starve to death."
Nate, "..."
Lazy laughter flew in the sunset of New York in the evening. Two figures walked side by side, one in front and one behind, which was also a beautiful scenery in the busy city.
until--
A wide variety of comics fill the bookshelves, and the faint scent of books lingers on your fingertips. The evening sun shines on the winding alleys of Manhattan's Chinatown. The hustle and bustle of getting ready for a party after work on Friday surges in the air, making the small bookstore exude an even more tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
Kirk was like a butler, with four full shopping bags at his feet, leaning against the threshold of the comic shop, and popping potato chips into his mouth.
With its slender figure and eye-catching appearance, passers-by couldn't help but take a second look at it, curious about what happened in this comic book store.
This is an old store. The signboard has faded several times due to wind and sun, and the original color can no longer be seen. The edges and corners have been repaired with newspapers, but they have become blurred under the sunlight over the years. Traces of time can be seen inside and outside.
The storefront, without fancy decorations or colorful lights, is gray and is quickly submerged in the bustle and bustle of New York. It could be called a waste paper collection station, but it is easily forgotten. It is hard to imagine that the tourists coming and going would be willing to stop here.
If a murder happened here and the police came to investigate, it wouldn't seem so outrageous. Movies often choose such places as backgrounds, don't they?
However, the palm-sized store is not deserted at all. A quick glance can reveal at least five customers. Even in the cramped space, you can't feel their anxiety or irritability at all. Instead, they are focused and immersed in the atmosphere, revealing a hint of excitement and happiness.
Originally, it was just because of that figure that caught my attention that I couldn't help but take a few more glances at it. Is this some kind of treasure shop in downtown Manhattan?
Bathed in the scorching gaze, Kirk raised the corners of his mouth slightly and pointed inside with his elbow.
"Prince William is selecting comics."
puff!
Such outrageous words were said in such a serious manner, and the humor was naturally revealed, and passers-by couldn't help but laugh.
But thanks to this, pedestrians did not stop and continued to move forward. The orange-red sunset gently rippled like the water on a lake.
Nate likes comics. He doesn’t have any special interests or hobbies, he just likes comics very much.
Moreover, I like all kinds of comics regardless of subject matter or type.
When we were young, we were short of money and three meals a day were our top priority, so we naturally could not afford such luxury shopping. But comics were different. We could enter this small world of comics without having to buy or even borrow them. We could spend an entire afternoon standing in the aisle of a comic shop.
Later, when I grew up, my life gradually became more affluent, but the habits I developed since childhood were still engraved in my bones.
Although Nate started collecting comics, he was never greedy and just satisfied himself with small amounts. In his apartment, he had a small bookcase dedicated to collecting comics. Over the years, he has collected nearly 300 comics. For those real collectors, this number is not much.
Nate has always been more restrained.
So, every time Kirk wants to bribe Nate, comics are the best gift, like today.
