"Aseria?"
Alan looked at the woman walking into the shop with genuine surprise. He hadn't expected that someone who had just broken in and stolen from him yesterday would have the nerve to return so early the next morning. No wonder they say suspects always return to the scene of the crime; it was practically a golden rule.
Aseria, meanwhile, felt as if she had been struck by lightning. What was he doing here? Shouldn't Alan be at Hogwarts right now? Why had he suddenly returned? The unexpected sight caused her to freeze at the entrance.
She had come for two reasons. First, last night's experience had left her unsettled; knowing that Thunderbird was planning to deal with Silver Lightning had stirred a hint of guilt within her. Second, she genuinely liked the products. During her midnight "visit," she had taken a liking to several accessories, but she hadn't dared touch anything then for fear of disturbing the scene. She figured she could simply come back during the day to buy them. It wouldn't cost much, and she didn't want to miss out if Thunderbird eventually destroyed the place.
"Aseria?" Alan called again.
"Huh?" It took her a moment to react. "Yes?"
"What's wrong? You've just been standing there," Alan asked, his expression curious. Inwardly, however, he was shaking his head. *This woman is completely unprofessional. I thought she was naive, but she's just plain stupid.*
"Oh…" Aseria quickly smoothed her expression. "Sorry! I was under the impression you were away at Hogwarts. Seeing you here in Diagon Alley took me by surprise."
"Ah, I see. Well, I have a business to run. Now that things are finally picking up, I can't stop thinking about the shop while I'm at school. I applied for early leave. Speaking of which, you and this shop must be connected by fate. The last time we met was right after I opened, and now I've barely been back from school for a day and here you are again," Alan said with a chuckle.
"Oh... what a coincidence." Cold sweat began to prickle down Aseria's back. If she had decided to break in just one day later, she might have run right into him.
"By the way, you don't look well. Did you not sleep last night?"
Alan was intentionally poking a sore spot. At the mention of last night, Aseria jumped.
"Uh, that's right. I've been quite busy these past few days. My energy is a bit low." She felt her smile stiffen, but she had to push through.
"The Ministry is indeed demanding. Honestly, it's much better to be like me and just run a shop." Alan played along with the small talk. "Wait, it's not the weekend. Don't you have to be at the Ministry today?"
"Actually, we've been working so much overtime—including an all-nighter recently—that I was given a compensatory day off today." She wasn't lying about that part, so her voice sounded more natural.
"An all-nighter? What kind of project requires that? You weren't out on a field mission, were you?" Alan asked, feigning innocent curiosity.
"Uh…" Aseria felt like she was going to lose her mind. Why did he keep asking about her work? "Sorry, Ministry regulations. I can't really talk about the details."
"Of course! I understand." Alan gave her a knowing look. "You don't have to tell me the specifics. But tell me, how is my equipment performing? It's effective, isn't it?"
*Effective? It's so effective it's going to get you killed.* Aseria wanted to roll her eyes, but she restrained herself. "You'd have to ask my colleagues at Auror Command. I'm not exactly a frontline combatant." She felt like her fake smile was about to crack.
Fortunately, Alan didn't press the issue and changed the subject. "You really do look tired. Would you like to see the phonographs? Music is a great way to relieve fatigue. We just launched a new Christmas album." He gestured toward the displays.
"Oh, really?" Aseria breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation moved away from the Ministry. "But I think I'd like to look at the jewelry first." She hadn't forgotten the pieces she'd eyed during her break-in and walked straight to the display.
"No problem, take your time." Alan accompanied her.
Watching her navigate toward specific items with a clear goal, Alan sighed inwardly again. *Don't you think this is a bit much? It's only your second time here, yet you're picking things out with surgical precision. You're being way too obvious.*
Aseria, however, was immersed in the shopping experience. She picked out several items and then moved to the phonographs. "Is this the Christmas album? Can I hear a sample?"
She was moving quickly, driven by an instinctive desire to buy what she wanted and get out before she slipped up. But the record truly interested her; she hadn't seen it last night.
"You're quite familiar with the layout. You even knew we had a place for samples," Alan remarked, squinting slightly. "No problem at all. We have a special listening booth in the back where you can also try on those accessories. Follow me."
Realizing she had acted far too at home in a shop she supposedly hadn't visited in months, Aseria immediately put on an exaggerated look of surprise, pretending she had no idea such a booth existed.
Her acting was so clumsy that even Hog, sitting behind the counter, noticed something was wrong and let out an awkward sneeze.