Just as Haruka was about to make his way toward the reading counter, Rintarou pulled him back by the arm, saying, “No, wait!”
The replies Rintarou wrote were always pretty long. Every shelf owner at Frère knew that he had a crush on her. There were even people who looked forward to coming and reading the exchanges between them.
“Kasugai-san is nice; she’s got such a gorgeous vibe,” Haruka added.
“She really does,” Rintarou said, smiling bashfully as if he were the one getting complimented. But then his expression darkened. “This morning, I didn’t know what I should wear, so I panicked and gave Kajiwara-san a call, but…”
“What, you called Keiichi?”
Haruka had known that Rintarou had gotten advice from Keiichi about what books to stock at Frère, and tips on job-hunting, but he was surprised to learn that they had connected beyond that. It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand the relief that came from talking about tons of things when you got Keiichi in front of you, but…
“So? What’d he say?”
“He yelled, ‘How should I know?!’ and hung up on me.”
Haruka burst out laughing. Lately, Keiichi had said he’d been helping out at Uneta’s bar after Undecimber Garden closed at night. He would’ve been just getting to bed as the sun was rising, but the fact that he didn’t ignore Rintarou calling and waking him up, and actually said something, meant that he must’ve liked the kid a lot.
“Do I look weird?”
“You look good. But you would’ve been good just being your usual self, without getting worked up over it.”
When Haruka patted him on the shoulder, Rintarou smiled.
“Man, it feels like everyone’s having fun lately,” Haruka said with a sigh. “I wonder if I’m gonna meet someone like you guys too. I’ve got lots of connections through work, and I go out with people to have fun, but my relationships are wide and shallow. I’ve got no one I’m close with in private. Other than Keiichi, that is.”
He had given up hope, thinking that he didn’t have any time to meet anyone outside of work, but lately, he’d gotten to thinking that it had nothing to do with time. Rintarou had only met Satoko once and just spoke to her through messages in the notebook, and yet he had a closer relationship with her than Haruka, who’d exchanged business cards and spoke to her every time she came to the store.
“Sakurai-san, I know a good method,” Rintarou told him, voice brimming with confidence.
“Huh, what is it? Tell me!”
“You’ve got to become a shelf owner too.” He then went on to enthusiastically tell him that even if he couldn’t talk well, the books would accent his personality.
“I see?”
So the reason why Satoko was closer to Rintarou than Haruka, who’d spoken to her numerous times, was thanks to the power of books.
“After Kajiwara-san suggested it, and I started thinking hard about what books I put out, it all made sense. I’d thought I’d just buy any old book, but I wasn’t actually doing that at all. They all had similarities and points that drew me in. Once I realized that, I started recognizing what I was looking for. If you use books as a starting point to talk about your interests or background, conversations can get deep, even if it’s your first time meeting someone. And that can link pretty well with understanding yourself.”
As Haruka was impressed by how smoothly Rintarou had said that, the student bashfully admitted that it was his second time saying it. Apparently, the first was at a final interview for a job.
“Yeah, it worked with Kasugai-san too. I guess bookshelves feel kinda like matchmakers,” Rintarou mused.
“Wait, are you two together already?”
“No, no, not yet. I mean…”
Just as Rintarou started to babble out excuses, they saw a woman outside of the store. Speak of the devil; Satoko had arrived. She had on a long coat and a long skirt, wearing them well in a balanced silhouette. When she said hello with a smile, Rintarou’s face went red. You could tell from looking at him that he was in love, but what about her?
“Hello, Kasugai-san. You’re off today, aren’t you? Stay as long as you’d like.”
After greeting her, Haruka picked up the two cat dishes and went behind the register counter.
Matchmaking shelves, huh? That might actually be true.
While he was washing the dishes, he heard cheerful laughter and couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Do you like sweets, Shirane-san?” a voice asked, ringing like a bell.
“Yeah? Sometimes.”
Satoko held the paper bag she’d been carrying toward the curious Rintarou. When she told him they were kitty tails, he peeked inside the bag, head shooting back up with a look of glee on his face.
“Sakurai-san, c’mere for a second. These are amazing!”
Why was he calling him over there when they should have been chatting just the two of them? Resisting the urge to burst out laughing, Haruka popped out from behind the counter. Inside the paper bag were stick-shaped donuts wrapped in clear film. She must have been thinking of Chiyo and Sumi, because there were a number that mimicked black tails and striped ones.
Satoko held the bag out, looking at Rintarou. “Um, do you not like donuts?”
“Huh? I like them,” Rintarou answered, confused. The two silently looked at each other.
“If you’d like, share these between you and Sakurai-san. I bought them for you,” Satoko explained again, only for Rintarou to take a step back in shock.
“I’m sorry. Here I’d thought you were just telling me there was a place that made cute cat tail-shaped sweets,” he said, bowing his head apologetically as he accepted the bag.
Resisting the urge to ask how in the world he’d interpreted it like that, Haruka thanked her.
“I actually had a question for you today, Shirane-san.”
Satoko pulled a book out of her bag. It was one she’d bought from The Hammock Cat, centered around pictures of the homes and townscapes of the world’s literary masters. It was a collection of introductions to authors’ works and how they’d lived. It was the sort of book that looked like it would be an introduction to world literature.