Chapter 15: Chapter 15-Bookstore And A Reverse Trap
*TV noises* *cooking noises*
It was 7 PM. Kaede was sitting on the sofa eating chips and watching her TV dramas as usual. I was making dinner for both of us. Our kitchen was an open counter-top so I could also watch TV from the kitchen
"Onii-chan, Why are the chocolates for the neighbour's still here? Don't tell me, you don't plan on giving it to them and are going to eat them all by yourselves. That's not fair, give me some too"
"I did try to give it to them but nobody was at home"
I went as soon as I came from school but no one was answering the door. There was definitely someone living there since there were cars in the garage but I haven't even seen a single light in the house since I came here. Maybe they went on a trip or something
But now that I think about it, is it really a good idea for me to go and introduce ourselves. Usually the one responsible for the household would do it and that's me but if I go, won't the neighbours get scared and think Yakuza moved next door. 'Yakuza moved next door', that sounds like a name of a movie or manga
It might cause our neighbourly relationship to plummet and that's not good in the long run since our family plans on settling here
Maybe it's best if I send Kaede to do it since no one can resist her charm. Unlike me she can become friends with anyone no matter the person's age or gender. She's like a magnet that attracts other people due to her cuteness and positive charisma. Nobody would believe me if I said she was my sister. The differences between me and her are that big
Even her hair colour is different from mine. Unlike mine which is bleached blonde, hers is natural which she got from our mother. I got the same black hair as my dad. The only common thing between us is our parents and our last names
But the problem with sending her is that she might keep the chocolates for herself and just greet them empty handed. Knowing her that's definitely something that's she would do, so the idea of letting her do the greeting is rejected
"Enough of those chips. Dinners almost ready and I don't want you to lose your appetite"
"Don't worry; I have a separate stomach for chips"
"Isn't it usually a second stomach for sweets?"
"I have a separate stomach for anything tasty and I'll eat your delicious cooking no matter how full I am. I live by the policy to never waste any delicious food. So what are you making? It smells really good"
"Just some vegetable fried rice"
"Vegetables!? Where's the meat? Fried rice doesn't taste good without meat. Food without meat is boring"
"First of all apologies to all the vegetarians out there, what you said is very offensive to them. Second of all we don't have any meat right now. I'm barely making dinner with the leftover rice and vegetables I brought from our last house"
"Then what about tomorrow's breakfast? Are you going to let your little sister starve?"
"The only person starving is me because of the huge proportions you eat. I'll go buy groceries for tomorrow after I finish cooking, so you don't have to worry about breakfast. The only thing you have to worry about is your weight, from eating so much; you glutton"
She didn't respond back
But she then suddenly stood on the sofa, turned around towards me and striked a gravure pose and said
"How dare you call me fat! Just look at this slender and sexy body. Does this look like fat to you?!"
"The only people who would find your body sexy are lolicons"
"What did you say! I may be flat now but I'll be all boing-boing like mom when I grow up"
What she's telling is true. She already resembles our mother a lot and in the future she'll be as beautiful as her. Boys are already falling head over heels for her and if she matures any more it will be super hard to keep their shitty hands off her. I'll have to protect her from all the scum that approaches her until the day she gets married. After that I'll just keep an eye on my future brother in law to see if he's keeping her happy. But if he does anything to hurt her, he'll be hanging from a bridge until he realises his mistakes
Call me a sis-con or whatever you want, I just want her to be happy. I would do anything to keep that smile on her face
"Onii-chan, this is why you're never popular with girls. Girls like men who praise them and spoil them, not people like you who tell them they look fat"
"I wasn't popular with anyone in the first place-….! Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you this! I just remembered it when we were talking"
"Did you remember that you love your sister so much that you want to increase her allowance?"
"I do love you, but I won't be increasing your allowance"
She clicked her tongue and looked disappointed
"Dammit! It was worth trying. Then what did you remember?"
"Be proud of your brother Kaede, I tried my best and did the impossible. You won't believe what happened today"
"Enough of the build-up and get to it already"
She seems pissed
Is it because of the allowance denial? Well it doesn't matter because she'll come over and hug me in enjoyment when she hears what I have to say
"Your Onii-chan did it. He made a friend today"
Now be excited and happy because the brother you were worrying about has finally made a friend. And also another complicated relationship. Praise your brother and say he's done a good job
I was standing there waiting for her praise but she said nothing and just looked at me with a pitiable gaze
What's wrong? Didn't she hear me? Shouldn't she be all happy and giddy her brother got a friend after all these years. She should've been jumping up and down by now
She got of the sofa and slowly walked towards me
Maybe she's so shocked that she can't express her feelings. Yeah that's gotta be it. Now she's probably coming to give me a gentle hug
I opened my hands in anticipation for the hug but she stood in front of me, looked at me with that same pitiable look, put her hand on my shoulder and told
"It's okay Onii-chan you don't have to lie to me. Although I told you to make friends in the morning, I don't expect you to make them right away. You can slowly take your time even if it takes a while"
She doesn't believe me?!
"Wait Kaede, I really did make a friend today. She's a girl in my class and-"
"Don't talk anymore Onii-chan. Any more lying and it will seriously weigh on your conscious. I knew you were lying the moment you said you made a friend on your first day but when you said, that so called friend was a girl I confirmed it. Please don't dig your grave any further and let it rest"
"No Kaede I'm not lying I seriously-"
"Shhhh.."
She shushed me
"It's okay you'll have opportunities in the future. Don't worry about what I said this morning. You don't have to lie for the sake of your sister. I'm not worried anymore since my brother Is a great guy who will eventually get a friend"
To think that I would get pitied and comforted like this. Just how impossible is it in her head for me to have friends. This is just sad
"Then what if I told you, I met our childhood hero muscle head idiot"
Her face brightened up in a second
"Really! Where?"
She believes that but doesn't believe me having friends. What a good sister I have
"I met him in school. He's a PE teacher there and he's just like mom and dad described him. He's super cool"
"How did you even find out he was muscle head idiot?!"
"He guessed it the moment he saw me because I look like dad and confirmed it when I told him about dad's job. He's a really nice guy and helped me a lot with the transfer"
"I want to see him so badly! Did you tell dad about this?"
"I called him but he didn't pick up. He must be in a place with no signal connections"
"Wow! So that superman we always admired is living in this town. It's like fate"
"Do you want to meet him?"
She nodded her vigorously
"I do I do!"
"Then I'll ask him if we can visit his family later so we can greet them on behalf of dad. They even have a daughter my age. You might even get along with her"
What class was his daughter in again?
"Meeting a hero and making a new friend. This is getting exciting"
"How can you believe that so easily, but reject the idea of me having a friend?"
"I know that Onii-chan will never lie to me but saying that you have friends was a little too much. Meeting superman is hundred times more believable then you getting a friend"
How can she say such harsh comments while smiling? I guess she's not going to believe me unless I show her Hina-san. Maybe I'll ask Hina-san if I could take a photo with her tomorrow to show Kaede
But I have to clear the misunderstanding first. I wonder how it's going to go
I served the finished fried rice on a plate and gave it to her
"I'll be going to the store now. I'm taking the key with me so lock the door after I go out and wash your plate after eating"
"Okay"
She sat back on the sofa and continued watching the drama. I waited for her to take a bite and she did. She was satisfied with the meal as it was shown by her smile. Can't miss this moment since it's what I strive for
"I'll be going"
"Be safe"
~
"Carrots, Beans, Potatoes, Eggs. What else do I need?"
I was going back home as I had finished shopping for the groceries. I just wanted to buy the basic Items but ended up buying a lot when I saw all the fresh produce available
I thought I would have to go downtown to buy the groceries but I bought all of it in a market place near my house. They sold all the essentials there and everything from the meat to the veggies looked fresh and delicious so I couldn't resist. Having good ingredients is the first step to making delicious food
Although the new town has many mountains and forests near it, it has all the same facilities and shops our old town had. It's actually better since all the shops are available near by
I was going around the shopping district to see what was where, when I found a nice discovery
I found a bookstore nearby and it looked like they sold old and used manga which was pretty cool. Their book collection also seemed to be quite big. Now I can browse for manga or light novels here instead of ordering it online or going to Akihabara
I decided to go and browse the shop for any good books since I was planning on buying some books and giving it to the JEC (Japanese Entertainment Club) as a greeting gift
Since Kisaragi-san already has a mountain load of books I wanted to give something unique which she wouldn't have read. Used book shops were the best places to find them. They have books that aren't in production anymore so you can't buy them anywhere else and it's pretty cool to think that each used book in the store has its own unique history with its previous owner. Just by looking at the condition of the book you could find out the type of person the previous owner was
If there is no damage to the book and is in good condition, you could tell that the owner loved his books with passion and took good care of them. If there were food stains on the book then the previous guy liked to read them to pass time while eating something. Not only does the inside of the book tell a story, even the cover outside tells a story of its own and I find that pretty amusing. So naturally I love used books in general
I went into the shop and the first thing I noticed was the smell of old musty books and coffee which had a soothing feel to it. It was like I entered a cafe. Even the owner of the bookstore looked liked a bartender in a bar who would listen to your thoughts and worries
The bookstore was pretty big considering that it was only in a local shopping district. I asked the owner who was sitting at the register if I could keep my bags here until I choose something and he agreed without saying anything else. He wasn't intimated by me and treated me like a normal customer. This is why I prefer adults to young people
While I do intimidate some adults, not all of them are scared of me since their used to seeing scary people like me in their everyday life in many forms like the over working boss, over bearing mother-in-law, a nagging wife etc. So if I had to choose between talking to adults or kids my age, I would definitely choose adults. Even the Senpais at my last workplace didn't care how I looked but only focused on my job skills
That's how the adult world works. Nobody cares about how you look, if you can finish a job more efficiently your value increase as a member of the working society
I went to the last section on the right where they were keeping all the old and used manga. There were four medium sized bookshelves full of them. I slid my finger across the books and felt different textures for every book I touched. You know none of them are new, since new books all have the same slippery texture but these didn't. It's just something I do every time I see old books
I went through the mangas one by one and could find both new ones that have been made recently and ones that were made 20 years back. It feels like I'm holding on to an antique when I'm holding the old ones
My love for old books was getting over me
I was searching for something unique and got really focused in doing it and while moving to get a book I almost stepped on something black on the ground which caught my eye at the last second
I looked to see what the big black thing was but to my surprise it wasn't a thing but a person. He was crouching down, looking at manga in the bottom shelves. He had a black tracksuit with a hoodie on his head. His face was covered with a medical mask and big black sunglasses. The first thought that came to my mind when I saw him 'danger'
No matter how you looked at it, this guy screamed suspicious
His whole body was covered in black, head to toe and was even wearing sunglasses. It was half past seven in the night, why the hell was he wearing sunglasses?!
I thought that he might be a criminal on the run who didn't want to have he's face seen at first but then I thought about it more logically and guessed he was a closet otaku who didn't want anyone to find out about his hobby. There are some people out there who think that being an otaku is weird and try to hide their hobbies from others. For me, I take pride in being an otaku and can shout it to the rest of the word if I had to
It didn't seem like he noticed me almost stepping on him. In fact he looked like he didn't notice anything that was going around him since he was super focused on choosing a book from the two he had in his hands. He kept on looking at each one of them and was having a hard time deciding which one to choose. Both of them are equally good books and even I would struggle to choose between them
He went through the each book again and again but still didn't make a decision. It was pretty amusing seeing him fret over which book he should choose
It was almost cute seeing him get frustrated. I'm not gay but that's how it felt. The hand gestures and slight movements he made in frustration were pretty adorable
It was like a baby was kept in the middle of his parents who were a small distance away and he had to choose if he goes to his mother's side or father's side. He would first walk a little bit to the mother's side but then would be lured in by his father and would walk to his father's side and his mother would do the same thing and lure him in again and this would happen for a while until the baby would get too tired and just start crying in the middle
That's exactly how I saw it through my eyes and it was amusing to watch
So is he going to go for the one on the left or the one on the right. Times running out. Now choose left or right!
"Hmph.."
He made a grunting noise, got up and threw both books inside his basket
Seems like he couldn't decide and chose both. So in the end, both the parents went to the middle to take care of the crying baby. Well played sir, well played. Truly a good match
But I had a small question regarding his decision. The basket he had already had around twenty books in it so he was binge shopping. Then why didn't he just get both of them from the start? Well it doesn't matter since I saw something good
I didn't notice until he stood up but he was pretty short and had a curvaceous body. I didn't think he would be fat since he looked pretty slim when he was crouching down. Perspective really does change everything
He then took one of the books from his basket and started reading. Then turned towards me and started walking. I had to get out of his way since he didn't notice I was in front of him. Just how focused and eager is he to read that manga. He then left this side and probably went to the register to buy the books
I had already chosen a few books and finally found the last one when I was looking at him. I picked up the book, put it in the basket and went to the counter where the black hoodie guy was standing at the back of a 3 person line, reading his book. I also went and stood behind him
*Silent laughing noises*
He seemed to be having a lot of fun reading the manga and had a somewhat high pitched laugh that didn't fit how he looked. I got curious about what book he was so interested in and took a peek
!!!
I don't know what to say. I just have pure respect for this man. I actually wanted to clap my hands in admiration when I saw what manga he was reading
This man in public, was reading one of the top 3 rated ecchi mangas you should never read in public
Anyone who reads the series always does it in private due to its highly inappropriate contents. If anyone sees you reading this manga they're definitely going to start avoiding you
But he was reading it right in the middle of a store where everybody could see him. Doesn't he feel scared that people will look at him weird? This man truly knows no fear. He's a straight mad lad. Respect my man, just respect
The two people in front of him finished buying their books but he was still standing in the same place as before. He hasn't noticed so I told him
"Excuse me, it's your turn"
He looked away from the book and saw the register. He hurriedly put the book in his basket and went forward. He then pulled a blue purse out of his pocket
A purse? He's a girl?!
No wait. There's no way a girl is going to read a book like that and enjoy it so much. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's highly unlikely. That too he was reading it in public. Won't girls normally be embarrassed of that? He probably borrowed the purse from his girlfriend or his mom
!!!
I didn't mean to look but when he opened his purse to pay for the books I accidentally saw how much was in there
It was a whopping fifty thousand yen!
He had a bundle of 1000 yen bills wrapped in a rubber band and pulled a couple of bills out
The guy was loaded. He even showed the money openly without being discreet about it. From his voice I heard earlier he didn't sound like a full grown adult and sounded younger than me. His parents must have given him the money
Just how carefree are they, letting their kid roam around with that much money. If someone with bad intentions saw that money, he would have gotten robbed the second he left the store. I hope nothing like that actually happens
He paid the bill, took the book he was reading from his bag and started reading it again. I wanted to give this man a salute to commemorate his dedication to manga
"Ki-choo!!"
Just when he was about to leave the store he sneezed
Fuck. This is bad. I'm starting to doubt my sexuality now because I found that sneeze really cute. Maybe this man has opened a new chapter to my life? 'The Gay Life of Yamamoto Yuuto', it has a nice ring to it but I like boobs and not dicks and I want it to stay that way
I also payed the bill, took my stuff and left the shop
I stopped in front of the stop and checked my phone to see if I got any messages from my father. He would usually leave some message if he was going to a place where we can't call him and sure enough he did. He left a message saying 'I'm going to a village in Tibet so I can't contact you for a week. Take care of your sister and yourself and also expect the souvenirs I sent to you'. Tibet huh, he sure is enjoying his life
I looked around to check the place out but saw the hoodie guy on my right. He was walking in a really slow pace and reading his book leisurely. It would be cool if I could meet him again in this book store and could see one of his internal conflicts in choosing a book again
Just when I was about to go in the opposite direction, a women standing next to a police officer on the opposite side of the road, a 100 metres away on my left was pointing in my direction and shouting
"That's him officer! That man in black clothes was the one who stole my purse!"
I first looked down to see if I wore black clothes. I was wearing white. I sighed in relief knowing that I won't be seen as a culprit like usual and turned towards my right and looked to see who the thief was. To my surprise the only person in black was the hoodie guy I saw in the store
He stole a purse?!
He looked suspicious from the beginning and even had a purse with a lot of money in it, but was it really him? It could be someone else. I decided to call him out and confirm it. So I shouted
"Hey you! You in the black!"
He turned and looked at me
"Stop for a second. I want to ask you something"
He immediately turned around and started walking away at a quick pace. Why isn't he stopping?
I decided to catch up to him and ask, so I also started walking faster
"Hey don't walk away! It's just a question!"
He looked back again and this time started running away from me when he noticed I was following him
So he really was the thief!
He's running away now that he knows I found out. Why did it have to be him?
To think I actually admired the guy. I feel betrayed
No matter who it is stealing from others is illegal. Well I'd be a hypocrite if I started saying stealing is illegal when I've done way worse then that. The woman who lost her purse looked really desperate in finding it. The purse must have all her savings and valuables in it. If she loses it, all her hard work to earn the money would've been for nothing and I didn't want to see that happen
I decided to catch him for her and started running after him with my groceries in hand. He noticed I was after him and started running away faster than before. Even though he looked fat, he was actually pretty fast and with the 40 kg of groceries I was carrying and the 100m head start he had, catching up to him wasn't easy
He was running like his life depended on it. I called out to him again
"Stop running and give back the purse! If you don't want to get caught, at least throw the purse away! I won't chase after you if you do that!"
He didn't listen to me and kept on running. Seems like he's desperate for the money, but that doesn't mean he can steal. I started running faster to catch up to him
We had ran for a few hundred metres and were already out of the shopping district. We were running on the right walkway of a wide brightly lit road which was empty with no cars or people coming. The road was in between a waterway and a neighbourhood and was slightly going up a slope
Because of the inclination, he started running slower due to exhaustion which gave me a chance to catch up. I was slowly closing in on him and was only a little bit away. He saw that and tried to dash off as fast as he could. I didn't want to waste the opportunity so I let go of the groceries and jumped
I was flying mid-air when I wrapped my hands around him to make him stop. This made him lose his balance and caused both of us to fall onto the ground. I was now holding him with my hands wrapped around him from the back waiting for the police to come and help me
When I held him tightly to restrain him, I felt a sensation that I had never felt before
On my hands I could feel something soft and elastic. It was as warm as a fresh meat bun out of the oven and was softer than anything I had touched before. The softness even put's cashmere cloth to shame. No matter how tightly I held him, whatever I was holding on too was fighting back and pushing with a harder force. It was at that moment I noticed that I had mistaken a crucial fact and I thought to myself
'You have got to be fucking kidding me'
The hoodie guy I was holding onto wasn't a he, BUT A DAMN SHE!!!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone