Jo's driving skills didn't need much explanation. The Bumblebee was driven fast and steadily by her.
Running away from home for the first time, escaping her mother's control, made her mood extremely jubilant. Her face was constantly brimming with excitement and anticipation, and her small mouth was chattering non-stop like a bird. One moment asking who Shane was looking for, the next asking about Shane's ninjutsu. After finally quieting down for a while, a few minutes later, she would ask expectantly if they would encounter supernatural events.
Who said men and women working together isn't tiring?
It's not tiring, but it is noisy!
Who said beautiful women always make one's mood pleasant?
It is pleasant, but... okay, this sentence can't be refuted.
Although Jo was a bit overly excited and talked a bit too much, Shane's mood was still pretty good. Especially when stopping to rest and taking her shopping along the way, his mood was quite pleasant.
Jo's reaction was the reaction a girl her age should have.
Olivia didn't have much interest in the kind of shopping where little girls dressed themselves up. Anna was an old vampire. The future Gossip Girl Serena was an expert in this field. Taking them shopping, he was just an emotionless payment machine. Although he spent a lot of money and earned a lot of points, he completely lacked the satisfaction and vanity of a spendthrift splashing money like water.
Jo was different. She wasn't a vain, gold-digging girl, but she still liked beautiful clothes, brand-name bags, and shiny accessories. It was just that she didn't pursue these excessively, merely having the normal beauty-loving nature of a girl.
She would be eager to try on beautiful clothes she liked and would ask Shane if they looked good after changing. If Shane seriously said they looked good, her face would brim with a cheerful smile. If Shane was perfunctory, she would decide whether to buy or not based on her own judgment. Even if Shane wanted to buy it, she would oppose it.
The reason: it didn't look good!
Money, indeed, was spent quite a bit. Things were also bought quite a few. But Jo had her own ideas and opinions. She would buy what she liked, but wouldn't waste money on what she didn't like, no matter how cheap it was.
Maybe because she rarely met peers while following her mother in the Hunter Bar, or maybe because of Shane's charm and the shared experience of dealing with the Shadow Demon King that night, Jo had a few points of hazy affection for Shane. So at the beginning, she actually didn't want Shane to spend money on her.
Could Shane agree to this?
Citing examples, reasoning things out.
In the end, Shane made Jo accept that this was her welfare package for temporarily replacing Olivia as a driver—and the kind she must accept!
A few days later.
Manning, Colorado.
A bar named "Gifts" (or similar) had neon lights flashing in the night. Jo found an empty spot among the various vehicles parked near the bar and parked the car in one go with seasoned experience that slapped most male drivers in the face. (I am the male driver getting slapped in the face; the biggest headache when driving out is parking.)
Engine off, get out.
Jo specially changed into the prepared high heels and smiled at Shane: "You know what? I've never worn high heels in a bar."
"Your mom wouldn't let you!"
"Even though I live in a bar, in my own home."
Shane smiled and shrugged, teasing: "Not only have you never worn high heels in a bar, you probably haven't worn them usually either, right?"
For Jo, who aspired to become a hunter, she almost never wore shoes like high heels that affected movement. Buying these high heels was also because... she's a girl, after all. Who doesn't like high heels? Even if she wouldn't have a chance to wear them in the future, occasionally looking at them and trying them on could satisfy the addiction of being an ordinary girl.
Jo took Shane's arm and walked toward the bar with him, asking curiously as they walked, "Why did you think of coming to a bar today? We passed so many bars and nightclubs along the way, and I didn't see you interested?"
"You forgot, I'm here to find someone."
"Is the person you're looking for running a bar?"
"..."
Is this empirical thinking? Just because your family runs a bar, you think everyone runs a bar?
Entering the bar, music was soaring and voices were bubbling inside.
When Shane and Jo entered, they attracted quite a few watchful gazes. An Asian? A blonde beauty? Such a combination was rare in a rural small place like Manning.
"A whiskey."
"A bottle of beer."
Shane and Jo sat down at the bar. Hearing Jo call for a beer very naturally, Shane waved his hand and smiled at the proprietress behind the counter: "Change the beer to juice. Don't drive when drinking, don't drink when driving. Driving irregularly, relatives shed two lines of tears."
"Few young people are as disciplined as you." The proprietress smiled and brought over a whiskey and a glass of juice.
Shane shrugged. "I'm not the one driving, and I'm not the one not drinking."
The proprietress looked at Jo, who rolled her eyes, and couldn't help but chuckle. She asked with interest, "Where are you from? Few young people like you come to play in our small place."
Shane took out five hundred dollars and handed it to the proprietress. The proprietress was stunned. Then she heard Shane say: "Wisconsin. We're here to find someone."
"Find someone?" The proprietress looked at the money and then at Shane, understanding somewhat: "Who do you want to find?"
Click.
A messy-haired, stubbly old man holding a diary walked to the corner of the bar and sat down.
"Him."
Shane smiled and looked toward the old man.
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