Chapter 21

AFTERWORD I was raised in a large city in Tohoku. When I was growing up, it was so prosperous that there were three department stores right in front of the train station, and it was easy to find good books. My neighborhood had a splendid central library, there were bookstores everywhere, and all of them were packed to the brim with people picking out things to read. All the new releases would be lined up for display the day before they went on sale, and I would set out cheerfully for the bookstore to make my purchases. The busiest of all the bookstores was a three-story building in the shopping arcade near the station. It was basically a reader’s paradise, with books densely lining the shelves almost all the way up to the ceiling. Whenever we went out as a family, my mother would always take my little brother along with her to shop. While they were gone, my father and I would wait for them and read. My father would head for the corner on the first floor where they kept the magazines and paperbacks. I would stick to the children’s section on the second floor, and I would feel so happy and fortunate whenever my dad would buy me a book on the way out. As I grew up, I started going to the manga section on the third floor as well, and I really got to read so many books. I fondly remember the days when bookstores were more tolerant of people standing around and reading. The books I was looking for and the books I wanted—all of them were there in that store. I cannot recall a single instance of a book being sold out or not available for purchase because it hadn’t been delivered. I was always confident that if I went there, they would have any kind of book I might want. It was a point of pride for me that our town had a bookstore like that. Even after I moved to Tokyo for university, in my mind, that bookstore was still the best around. Internally, I was so proud of it. The bookstore in my hometown is so amazing! It’s the best in Tohoku—no, the best in all of Japan! When I learned that that bookstore would be closing, I really couldn’t believe it. I cried and sobbed while searching the internet for more information. I couldn’t imagine that such a successful bookstore, loved by all the locals, could just disappear. I had always thought that at least the bookstore would be right there forever, unchanging. The whole time I was writing this story about Koumoto Books, I was reminiscing about that space where I felt nothing but happiness. The story of the people who ran Koumoto Books ends here, but Musubu’s story is going to be sold simultaneously under the Famitsu Bunko publishing label. It’s a collection of short stories, titled Bond and Book: The Devotion of “The Surgery Room.” All sorts of books will make their appearance. Please consider reading it alongside this volume. The illustrations for both books are courtesy of Miho Takeoka. When I received the cover for this book and saw the clean drawing of Natsu, Emon, and Kanesada from the back, I was so moved that I started to cry. Once you finish reading this book, please take your book cover off and take another look at the three of them. Finally, I want to say that no matter what changes the future will bring for books and bookstores, I’m certain their essential qualities will be the same. And I will always, always love them. May 29, 2020Mizuki Nomura