Chapter 13

Prologue A heavy snow was falling on the morning that Minami Tsuburaya learned that the owner of the bookstore where she worked part-time had passed away. “I’m the last bookseller in this town, you know. So as long as I’m alive, I’ll never close up shop.” That had recently become the favorite phrase of the store’s owner and manager, Emon Koumoto, who would recite it while squinting his eyes behind his glasses in a kindly expression. Neither that smile nor his gentle tone of voice had conveyed the feeling of grim resolve that one might expect from such words. His attitude had always been bright and sunny. Minami would smile, too, and respond with something like “Well then, you’ll have to live a nice long life.” Ten years earlier, when Minami was still in middle school, there had been as many as five bookstores in town. But books were less popular now, and the rise of e-books and online booksellers had seen each store close one by one. Koumoto Books, the last store standing, was a slim three-story building that occupied a quiet street alongside old cafés and bars near a small movie theater. Though it was in the opposite direction from the prosperous part of town, it was still a short three-minute walk from the station. Local booklovers flocked there to relax. Even so, Minami was well aware that sales were down year over year, distributions were dwindling, and most of the big releases that the store worked hard to keep in stock for people who wanted to buy them at launch went unsold and had to be returned to the publishers. It was heart-wrenching. But even then, the owner would smile calmly and say in his mellow voice, “Koumoto Books is this town’s last bookstore. If we disappear, I’m sure a lot of people will be sad and won’t know what to do. It takes an hour by car to go to the bookstore in the next town, and many older people here find that difficult during the snowy season. So I want to keep this shop going for as long as I live.” It had sounded as if he were saying Close this shop over my dead body, which had always made Minami feel secretly anxious. …I wonder if the boss will remarry. He’s young, still in his forties, slim, a smart dresser, and he’s outgoing and kind… I’m sure there are plenty of women who would like him. But maybe he doesn’t want to have a family again. Losing loved ones is tragic, especially the way he did. Really, it’s not surprising he would think that way after such a depressing incident… Just thinking about Koumoto Books facing its end alongside the owner’s death is lonesome, like an icy frost gripping your heart. Minami had reassured herself that it was still a long way off and had hoped for a future where the owner could have a new family that would continue to operate Koumoto Books. She’d never imagined that the owner would pass away at the young age of forty-nine. And in such an unnatural accident at that. A college boy working part-time in the bookstore discovered the body. He said that when he’d arrived at the store at nine in the morning to prepare for opening at ten, the owner had been sprawled out in the children’s book section on the second floor, with blood flowing from his head. Next to him was an overturned stepladder. Books were scattered all around. He must have stayed late the previous evening to do some organizing. As he was shelving books, the stepladder had toppled out from under him. When he’d grabbed a shelf for stability, all the books had fallen in an avalanche onto his head, and one had hit him in a critical spot. Another blow to the head followed as he’d hit the corner of his cart, and by the time the blood had pooled on the floor, he had already stopped breathing. The part-timer had called an ambulance in a panic, but it was already too late, and the police had deemed his death an unfortunate accident. Mr. Koumoto had no living relatives. With the loss of its sole proprietor, the bookstore would have to close. “Koumoto Books is closing? Where are we supposed to buy books now?” “And it was so convenient, too, close to the station and with a good collection. The owner was so kind and knowledgeable.” “What an awful way to go out, especially because he was the third generation in his family to run the place. He kept giving his all for this town even after he lost his wife and child. That family had the worst luck.” “Can’t they keep it open as ‘Something-or-other Books’?” “It just won’t be the same here without it.” Many people expressed similar sentiments to Minami and the other staff at the bookstore, but no eccentric benefactor materialized to purchase the failing business and keep the store running. Thus, Koumoto Books, which had operated for sixty-nine years straight, was slated to close up shop on the last day of March, two months after the death of Emon Koumoto. The shop had been shuttered since the accident, but before it closed for good, it would reopen for just one week to show appreciation for its customers and clear out the inventory. Minami was busy with the preparations. She hadn’t felt like doing anything for about a month after the owner passed away and had spent every day idling at home. Even crying was beyond her—the reality that the store owner was gone and that Koumoto Books was going to disappear still felt far away. Minami had dulled her feelings to protect herself from heartache. She’d spent all day in bed with her eyes closed. Like many booklovers, Minami was nearsighted and couldn’t even see as far as her outstretched hand without her glasses. Nevertheless, she had stumbled around her apartment without putting them on and groped her way to the refrigerator to retrieve ham, cheese, and other foods that didn’t require any preparation, which she begrudgingly ate out of obligation if not hunger. She’d spent several days like that. Gradually, she’d managed to convince herself to get up and start moving, and now she was furiously working to prepare for the final week of business and stave off her depressing thoughts. There were five part-timers at the store: Minami, two high schoolers, one college student, and one housewife. Minami had been working part-time at Koumoto Books for the last seven years, since her second year of high school. She had been there the longest of any of her coworkers, so they were relying on her to see things through. Plus, since she wasn’t studying or taking care of a family like the others, she could spend all her time preparing for the shop’s last hurrah. That’s how she ended up at the store alone again, finishing up some small details. Once she finished tidying up the comics corner on the third floor, she headed down the stairs. From the children’s section on the second floor, she heard a voice. Someone was speaking, even though she had already drawn the shutters down and should have been the only person in the store. Maybe one of the part-timers came back for something? From her position midway down the stairs, Minami lifted her glasses up just a little bit and strained to scan the second floor. As she gazed around the room, she saw an unfamiliar young man standing in front of some shelves. Is that a high schooler? The intruder had a slight build and wore a navy-blue duffel coat with a white scarf wrapped around his neck. Minami started to approach the trespasser, ready to scold him for entering the store without permission, when she heard his somewhat high-pitched, boyish voice again. “Is that so? Mm-hmm…it’s so tragic that happened. Hmm…I understand.” Who is he talking to? But no matter what angle she held her glasses at, the only person Minami could see was the young man in the duffel coat. “All right, I’m sorry, Princess Yonaga. This isn’t cheating, I promise. After all, you insisted on coming along no matter what when I told you to stay home.” Minami was starting to feel uneasy. Who was the boy talking to? “You’re right—ten days is too long to be apart. I feel the same way. Yes, I love you. No, I’m not lying. You’re the only one for me. So please just quiet down a little. I swear a million times to the god of books, I’m not cheating on you.” The boy was standing exactly where the store owner had collapsed and died. When Minami realized that, she felt all the hair on the back of her neck stand up and her limbs stiffen. “Sorry for the interruption. My girlfriend is very cute, but she’s the jealous type. Let’s see, then. I’ll ask again—who killed Emon?” Her shoulders hitched slightly in surprise, as if someone had run a cold hand across her spine. Unable to endure the creeping fear that hit her all at once, she shouted angrily, “What are you doing over there?!” The boy turned around. His large glasses gave him an innocent look. Mouth slightly agape, he stared back at Minami with big, round eyes. As he moved, his black hair bounced softly—he seemed like a totally unremarkable schoolboy. In fact, his appearance was so ordinary that Minami eased up. Her fear faded, and she approached him without hesitation. “Who were you talking to just now? You said something about the boss, didn’t you? What’s the meaning of this?” she asked, scowling. The boy blinked rapidly behind his glasses and put both hands up, either to stop her or to gesture in surrender. “I’m sorry. I called out from the back door downstairs, but no one answered, so I let myself in. My name is Musubu Enoki. I came here after I received a notice from a lawyer.” Young Musubu didn’t sound as though he was from the area. He spoke like someone you’d see on TV, without an accent of any sort. Did this kid come from another city? And what’s this about a lawyer? What he told her next only strengthened Minami’s suspicion of him. “Apparently, there was something written about me in the will that Mr. Emon left with his lawyer before he died. In the event that he passed away, I’m supposed to be entrusted with all the books in here.” He continued with a friendly, unguarded smile on his face. “I’ve just started spring break, you see. From tomorrow on, I’ll be working with you for a little while. Let’s see—you’re Minami Tsuburaya, right? The one who’s been working here the longest out of all the part-timers and the most reliable lady around! Wow, how reassuring! I’m used to taking care of books, but this will be my first time working in a bookstore, so I’m sure I’ll be depending on you!”