Housendou, Aeon Mall Toyokawa branch. Despite the kanji being literally the same as Toyokawa, just read differently, it was headquartered in Toyohashi. This branch, though, was the biggest in the region, and it even came with its own adjoining café that liked to advertise its locally grown ingredients. One guess which part was currently driving Yanami crazy.
“It’s not time yet,” I told her.
“I know what time it is. And no, this isn’t drool. Grown-ups don’t drool.” She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped something from her mouth. Not drool apparently.
I was pretty excited too. Not to the point of drooling, but still. Komari had vanished pretty much as soon as we came in, and Shiratama-san was busy looking at the new arrivals. It was my turn to make myself scarce.
“What’s the point of buying books here specifically?” Yanami said, bringing my train of thought to a complete stop. “You can do that anywhere, can’t you?”
I shook my head. Oh, the ignorance on display. “No two bookstores are alike, Yanami-san. You’ll never find the same thing in the same way twice.”
“So do the cafés have, like, different menus or something?”
Books. Books, Yanami. Not food.
“Bookstores are for more than just buying. They’re for discovering. Different locations have different concepts, which come with different shelf arrangements, different books on display. What you find is a kind of conversation between employee and customer.”
“Oh, I get it! It’s a social thing!”
She could not have been further from the mark. How to get through to her?
“Okay, think of it like classical music. The same symphony can sound different through different conductors and orchestras. Through the kinds of books a particular store decides to show its clientele, it speaks to us. And they all have different things to say.”
“But all you ever buy are manga and light novels.”
Fair. Maybe not the perfect analogy. But there was still plenty of variety to be had there. Regardless, at least some of my wisdom had to have seeped its way into the sponge she called a brain.
Ensuring she was sufficiently distracted by a food magazine, I slinked off to do my own thing. My original plan to beeline for the manga and light novels was postponed after someone’s extremely judgmental comment, so I started my search elsewhere, and that was how I found Shiratama-san eyeing the shelves in the literature section. Creeping up behind her, I saw that it was a historical fiction novel that had her attention. Not really my field of expertise, but I was familiar with period dramas and stuff.
She noticed me, returning her hesitantly outstretched hand. “President? How long have you been there?”
“A few seconds?” I stood next to her. “Didn’t expect that to be your genre.”
“My grandpa got me on them, and I’ve been sort of hooked ever since.” She took a book titled The Recluse in the Leaky Row House, read the back synopsis, then put it back. “I know you planned all this for me.”
“Huh? I-I guess. I mean, in the sense that I wanted to help everyone get a little closer.”
Shiratama-san looked conflicted. Seemed she didn’t buy my flimsy attempt at consolation. “Yanami-senpai doesn’t like me. And Komari-senpai’s scared of me.”
“I, uh, think there’s more to it than that.” Yanami was just jealous and petty. Komari was Komari.
“Sorry. Not the time or place.” She smiled. Her own form of consolation. “I do want to bridge these gaps. I’ll do my best.”
“Right, well, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
I calmly left her. But inside I wanted to scream. Things had been going so well, at least on the surface. God, why did people have to be so complicated? There had to be a way to get the others to come around. Maybe food for Yanami, smut for Komari.
Wait. That’d totally work. It really was that easy.
I could hear Yanami now. All it’d take was one snack. Gee, Nukumizu-kun, turns out Shiratama-chan’s swell! You were right all along!
Yeah, I liked the sound of that. Could honestly start simulating her myself. Out with the old, in with the new. Komari was another matter. I started to scour the shelves for bait, then spotted her in the educational section clutching a thick hardback.
“What’s that?” I asked.
She shot me a glance but didn’t move. “I-it’s about clothes. Old w-western fashion. Wanted to use it for r-reference, but…” She showed me the back. The price tag was just a smidge outside of her gift card’s reach. With a sigh, she returned it. Another glance, sharper this time. “Wh-what do you want?”
“You’ve been keeping up with Clocked Out, Locked In this season, yeah?”
“O-oh. Yeah. That’s good.” An ominous and obscene grin spread across her lips.
“Gimme your OTP. Actually, I’m gonna guess Takaya-san, on the right of course, with—”
Komari’s elbow suddenly found itself in my solar plexus. “H-how do you know that?! D-don’t do that again!”
For my astuteness, my reward was pain. For what reason?
Whatever. I had what I needed. Just had to hit up the right place for the goods later.
✦ ✦ ✦
We went to an arcade next. At Yanami’s suggestion, surprisingly enough. We played this VR zombie shooter game with big, bulky headsets and everything. I’d seen it around but never had the chance to try it out. Never thought I would, frankly. It was four player only.
Yanami stretched. “How come you’re so good at shooting games, Komari-chan? What’s the secret?”
“R-rage.” Komari brushed her bangs aside suavely.
“Rage, huh?”
“Rage.”
Why were they looking at me when they said that? I fled their gazes and found Shiratama-san’s instead.
“I’m still a little dizzy,” she laughed. “Sure was intense, huh?” She put her index fingers up to her temples and smiled. Cute. Cloying, but cute.
“Hey, I saw air hockey that way,” Yanami said to Komari. “Wanna go a round?”
“Y-you’re gonna regret that.”
A confident Komari? Now this I had to see.
I started to follow, when Shiratama-san grabbed my sleeve. “Hey, um, I could use a break. Will you come with me?”
“Oh, sure. Let me just let them know where we’ll be.” I searched, but they were quickly being swallowed by the crowd. I hesitated.
Shiratama-san tugged. Hard, this time. “I’ll just come out and say it.”
“Huh?”
She brought her face in close. Her big, round eyes came right next to mine. The world faded away around us as she whispered in my ear. “I want to be alone with you.”