Chapter Text
The bell trilled throughout the otherwise silent store as the front door was pushed open. I glanced at my watch, 18:13 , and sighed. I was halfway up the stairs from the bookstore’s basement and stopped at the top to shout out to the customer who obviously couldn't read the store hours.
“I’m sorry but the store is closed! Come back tomorrow morning!” My voice rang loud and clear.
I waited for the door to slam shut indicating their exit, but it never came. Now I know they heard me , I thought. Sighing, I ambled through the open doorway and up to the front area of my store. A tall, broad figure-- a man-- with blonde hair was standing near one of the sales displays with his back to me. He wore a tan-colored suit and clutched what looked to be a black umbrella in his left hand. ( I hadn’t even realized it was raining. ) The right one was placed in his pocket. His posture told me he was a proper man, most likely a businessman, and I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. I knew what it was like to work a deathly boring salary job and to bask in the money without having any true happiness in the world. All the salarymen and women of the world needed an escape; for me, it was reading and I assumed it was the same for this man in the middle of my bookstore. I took my place behind the counter and began to count out the cash register. Now and again I would glance up to see if he was still there. The man stood in the same spot all the while.
“That book, Pachinko , is extremely popular. If you’re thinking about reading it, I highly recommend it. It’s a bit of a sore spot for us Japanese-- occupation and all-- but the storytelling is unrivaled.” I waited for the man to respond but (surprise, surprise) he did not. Someone’s quiet. Checking my watch again, it read 18:32. Please hurry up businessman. You’ve been here long enough. I finished counting the register, stowed away the yen that I would deposit tomorrow morning, and bent down to retrieve the register key.
Upon coming back up, the blonde man was now standing in front of the register. How did he-- I never heard him move! I was greeted with a chiseled face and green glasses that resembled goggles more than typical spectacles. Even in the dim lighting, something about his face was familiar. Perhaps it was his lips’ lack of curvature, or maybe it was the way his brows were furrowed as if he was deep in thought. Nevertheless, I flashed him my brightest “The store is closed so pretty please leave” smile. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I did,” came his response.
Something about his voice struck me off-kilter. I know this voice! I know him, I know I do! I was racking my brain trying to find the identity of this man in my store because I knew that I knew him. It was like I was chasing after something-- more like someone-- that I had seen in a dream. A honeyed voice I had heard in a dream.
“It’s nice to see you again, Shiori-san,” he said quietly in the space between us.
There’s no way! This couldn’t possibly be…
“Na-Nanami?”