And to conclude, Luke stood in line but was unable to buy a doll.
It’s no surprise, given how long the line was.
So, Luke had no choice but to change his strategy.
He decided to ask each person who had bought a doll one by one.
“I’m really sorry, but could you spare that doll? There’s a child who really wants this doll. If it’s money, I’ll even add a bit more to my allowance, so please…”
Although what Luke was saying could definitely be seen as unpleasant, no one sent him harsh looks.
Luke’s current appearance was that of a child shocked at not being able to buy a toy.
In fact, some even seemed to pity him a bit.
However, the meager amount Luke folded and proposed was still far too insufficient to change the minds of collectors.
In the world of limited editions, prices could double or triple if left alone, and money wasn’t really that important to collectors in the first place.
“Sorry, kid. I’ve been waiting since yesterday to buy this.”
“Yeah. If I were just going to sell it to someone else, I wouldn’t have waited like this.”
“No way…”
Luke muttered with a dazed expression.
Despite trying to be as polite and courteous as possible, sometimes even pretending to be cute, it didn’t work at all.
No matter how cute Luke was, his charm didn’t matter to those who were among the 200 to buy that limited edition doll.
Rather, to those who had experience with younger siblings breaking their collections or selling them for cheap during the holidays, Luke’s approach had the opposite effect.
Of course, Luke was far cuter and more polite than the younger siblings who had caused them those sad experiences.
At that moment, a voice of salvation reached Luke.
“Luke, if it’s something you really want to give to your younger sibling, there’s one method you could try.”
“A method? What is it?”
The one who spoke was a young man who had been waiting in line with Luke but ended up getting pushed back and unable to buy.
The two had already shared quite a bit of conversation while waiting together, so a certain bond had formed.
Thus, the young man didn’t want to hold back his advice.
“Don’t give up yet. This isn’t the only place you can get that doll.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Seeing Luke perk up his ears in interest, the young man chuckled and continued.
“Even though it’s a limited edition of 200, not all of them are available here. If you wander around some smaller shops that haven’t opened yet, you might find one. Even if you don’t, who knows? You might find a similar-looking counterfeit.”
“Indeed, that makes sense!”
Luke seemed to have an epiphany from the young man’s words.
After all, unlike in the past, the modern age was one of mass production.
Just because it’s a limited edition doesn’t mean that all of it gets distributed in one place; that would be an inefficient method in modern distribution.
“Thank you very much for the advice!”
Luke deeply bowed his head in gratitude for the young man’s unreserved advice.
Seeing that, one could feel a bit envious, thinking, “Luke’s younger sibling is so lucky to have such a kind brother.”
Luke sparkled his eyes towards the newly descended hope, clasping his hands and looking up at the young man as he asked.
“Then you’re planning to look for shops from now on? You must know where they might be? Could you share that information with me?”
“No. I can’t tell you.”
Luke’s expression went slightly blank at the unexpected response from the young man.
It felt as if the hope that had just come down was snatched away once more.
How could his “clasping hands and looking up to request” be completely useless?
In fact, it wasn’t just this young man; it was useless to everyone.
The realization that something he had thought to be infallible had no use in this situation was an even bigger shock to Luke.
Thus, Luke, no longer acting like a mage, resorted to appealing to sentiment as he shouted.
“What? What do you mean? You waited in line with me!”
Seeing Luke’s excessively shocked expression, the young man finally realized how his words might be interpreted and began to sweat nervously as he corrected himself.
“No, the truth is, I just don’t know either.”
“You don’t know? Didn’t you bring it up? I thought you knew of some potential places.”
“Ah, actually it’s not that simple.”
The young man sighed and continued.
“Just because you find the doll you’re looking for doesn’t mean that’s the end of it.”
“What do you mean it’s not the end?”
As Luke tilted his head in confusion, the young man spoke in a grave voice.
“The question of whether you can actually buy the item is another problem.”
“Even if the item is there, I might not be able to buy it?”
What could that possibly mean? It’s a product displayed in a shop with a set price; how could one not be able to buy it?
As Luke began to frown at this increasingly incomprehensible story, the young man began to explain the ins and outs of the situation in detail.
“There are a lot of fraudsters. This toy store is big enough that it’s not bad, but…”
“Fraudsters?”
“Yes, fraudsters.”
In some dreadful places, they sell counterfeits as if they are genuine at regular prices, and when it comes to limited editions, they charge several times the regular price.
Since Luke had faced such situations more than once, he understood even better.
In the past, he had no choice but to buy, but ended up regretting it frequently.
So now, he honestly wouldn’t trust any stores other than this one.
And that was also the reason why this store was popular enough for so many people to wait in line.
This store, being the largest in the toy store, always sold genuine products at fair prices.
“So, I can tell you which places to avoid, but I can’t tell you which places are good. Until this store came along, I was always getting swindled. Besides, you especially have to be careful when looking for limited edition items.”
“…I see. There are opportunities, but it’s ‘dangerous.’”
After hearing the young man’s story, Luke had no choice but to nod in understanding.
With all this said, it seemed clear that they really didn’t know.
“Well then, at least can you let me know which places I should avoid?”
“Sure, do you want me to jot it down for you?”
As the young man raised his hand to mimic writing something, Luke shook his head and replied.
“Just tell me. I’ll remember it.”
“Hmmm… Just telling you might make you forget.”
In response to the young man’s concern, Luke proudly patted his chest as if to say there was no need to worry.
“That’s nothing to worry about. I’m good at memorizing things.”
“Really? Well then….”
Seeing Luke’s confidently innocent expression showcasing his memory skills, the young man started speaking as if to say, “Well, then here goes.”
“First, the worst place is the Rupert Doll Shop, which is two blocks straight down at the corner intersection. They always double the price when it comes to limited editions. Most of their dolls are also fakes. I’ve fallen for it several times before, not knowing.”
“Is that so?”
“Right? If you say you’re not buying, they’ll threaten you with ‘Are you sure you don’t want to buy?’ They genuinely feel like thugs in a back alley. If a girl like you goes there alone, it might be even worse.”
“Wow, do they really say that to customers? That’s really beyond imagination.”
And so, Luke listened attentively, chiming in as the young man shared a list of “Toy Shops to Avoid.”
Interestingly, as he was talking, others who had faced similar issues began to share their stories with Luke as well.
One shop had poor service, another was in a dangerous alley for kids to go alone, and so on.
Thanks to many people’s contributions, Luke also gathered useful information about shops that were okay.
Having gained a wealth of information about nearby toy stores, Luke beamed and expressed his gratitude to everyone.
“Thank you all so much! This is going to be a huge help with my inquiries!”
“Yeah, I hope you can find the doll you want.”
“I’ll be cheering for you. Oh, and definitely negotiate when you buy.”
Some even offered to guide him directly, but Luke politely declined, as he felt there wouldn’t be enough time.
There was no way ordinary people could match his “speed.”
Still, this was surely enough help.
“It’s really fascinating, though. It’s amazing that so many people can be so excited about such a silly story, where a little girl turns into a spirit and fights monsters with an unclear origin and purpose.”
When Luke first treated them as “strange people who are crazy about girl toys despite not being married,” everyone just laughed it off.
No matter how obnoxious the words were, they couldn’t really hit a child they just met today, especially since the child seemed to be too innocent to know what they were saying.
But this remark crossed a line.
They could tolerate insults directed at themselves, but they couldn’t bear insults directed at something they loved.
—
Thwack!
“Ouch!”
In the end, Luke ended up getting a smack from the young man.
