Chapter 27 Antiquarian Bookstore
#22MotoKanoAntiquarian Bookstore
On the Saturday of the week when Tachibana-san set up a part-time job for me at a bookstore, I was already on my way to the address she had given me.
It was one station away from my home, in the opposite direction of school. Passing by the nursery school that had recently become a familiar sight, I walked beyond it, past Tachibana-san’s house…
“It’s even closer than I thought.”
I had already checked the location on a map app, so I had a rough idea. But walking there made it feel even closer.
The bookstore Tachibana-san introduced me to—or rather, the antiquarian bookstore—was about a five-minute walk from her house. Although it was in the opposite direction of the station, past the residential area, a few mixed-use buildings lined the streets, and the antiquarian bookstore occupied about half of the first floor of one of them.
“…It has more atmosphere than I expected.”
That was my first impression upon seeing it.
I already knew it was a secondhand bookstore since Tachibana-san had mentioned it beforehand.
However, I wasn’t very familiar with secondhand bookstores. The only one I knew was that place with the catchy jingle about selling books—the store that always played that melody inside.
I used to go there a lot as a kid. BookXff. Back in high school, I often stopped by the local one while out on walks, especially in my third semester of senior year. During the free attendance period. Since I got into college through a designated school recommendation and didn’t have to endure the entrance exam battles, I had plenty of free time. That store was a great place to kill time without spending money.
When I recently visited again, I was surprised to find that they no longer just sold books but also gaming cards, figures, and even secondhand clothes.
I stood outside for a moment, lost in nostalgia, before finally stepping inside.
The faint mechanical hum of an old air conditioner. The scent of books carried by the air flowing from it tickled my nose.
Without a doubt, this was an antiquarian bookstore—that thought crossed my mind immediately.
“Welcome~”
A sluggish voice drifted from somewhere beyond the counter at the back of the store. A woman’s voice.
I stopped and waited, expecting her to appear, but she made no move. With no other choice, I started walking toward the back while glancing around the store.
Behind the counter was what seemed to be a break room—or rather, a tatami seating area. There, a woman was watching a 16-inch TV while munching on a rice cracker.
“Um, I’m here for a part-time job interview. A friend introduced me.”
“Huh?”
A startled voice escaped from the woman sitting on the tatami.
For a brief moment, I felt uneasy. But I quickly realized—there was no way Tachibana-san would pull a prank like this.
In other words, the only logical conclusion was that this woman was just incredibly careless.
“…Ah, you’re Mirei’s boyfriend.”
Yep. No doubt about it—this woman was absolutely careless. That was my final conclusion.
When did I ever become Tachibana-san’s boyfriend? That’s rude—to her.
“No, I’m not. But she did introduce me.”
“Oh? But I could’ve sworn Mirei said something like that.”
“There’s no way she would say that.”
I could say that with certainty. If anything, I could easily imagine Tachibana-san earnestly recommending me for the job, only to be teased by this woman and turning bright red in protest.
“You seem to understand Mirei quite well.”
Because I was so firm in my response, I found myself on the receiving end of the bookstore owner’s counterattack.
With an indescribable expression, I glared at her.
“…You seem to be quite close with Tachibana-san.”
Feeling like I was being played, I muttered resentfully.
“Well, of course. We’re cousins.”
Cousins.
I see. That certainly explained how she had the connections to recommend me for this job.
“Well then, let’s start the interview, shall we?”
She gestured for me to step onto the tatami.
Was she telling me to come in? That was the only logical conclusion.
“Shouldn’t you be watching the store?”
“It’s fine. Customers hardly ever come in.”
“That’s… definitely not fine for a business, right?”
Astonished, I ended up speaking rather bluntly to someone who might become my employer.
“It’s fiiiiine~”
“Is it really…?”
Was this place actually okay as a workplace?
A slight unease crept in. But since this job was recommended by the trustworthy Tachibana-san, at least I didn’t have to worry about unpaid wages or anything like that.
With that slightly rude thought in mind, I stepped onto the tatami with a wary expression.
She turned off the TV, which had been on mute.
Sitting across from each other with a low table between us, we faced one another.
“I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Saito Iori. I’m a classmate of Tachibana-san’s.”
“Takayama Monami. Twenty-six years old. Nice to meet you.”
There was no real need for her to mention her age, but… well, she was pretty young. For now, I bowed politely.