the bookstore ★彡

One

The day they met was calm. To some it could seem completely normal, maybe a bit boring. But if you began to romanticise the pleasant songs being sung by the birds; the warming morning sunlight; the peace and tranquillity that comes with the streets being deserted and quiet, you could start to see how the day was a perfect one for their first meeting.

It was around 8am when a young, black haired boy named Megumi could be seen. He wore baggy black jeans, a knitted brown sweater and a mid length coat. The basic attire for his regular sunday venture.

Condensation occasionally blew from his mouth and into the cold February air, alerting megumi of his obscurely brisk walking pace. The place he aimed to get to was somewhere the boy had been eyeing for a while: during
missions, while running and on errands (usually ordered by gojo).

Megumi knew the places he wanted to visit was near by, only 5 minutes away he hoped as the cold winter weather finally began to affect him.

Turning the corner a small smile threatened to grace Megumi's face, that was slightly hidden underneath his coats collar in an attempt to stay warm. He heaved a sigh of relief and slight triumph as his eyes laid upon the quaint bookshop that sat on a secluded road.

Exposed brick seemed to be the main exterior decoration, along with some plants and a small painted sign that said bookshop and the opening times on.

This bookshop had particularly interested megumi due to its hidden location and opening times, which allowed him to visit on his morning walk and also hide from all the people that could know him.

Reading was a someone passion and necessity for the boy; It gave him knowledge and a nice hobby.

Walking into the store, he was met with an atmosphere that made his mouth figuratively water. Silence. All he had heard was the soft chime of the bell and the gentle turning of book pages.

The store was larger on the inside that he had anticipated. It had large bookshelf encompasing the room all dimly lit by warm, antique lights hanging from the ceiling. Smaller bookshelves sat in the middle of the room with narrow aisles between. To his right was a wooden desk that adorned an old fashioned cash register and some piles of books all illuminated by the sunlight flooding through the two windows on the front wall of the store.
A small spiral staircase could be seen next to the desk and megumi guessed led to even more
books and possibly a small cafe as there seemed to be some tables and chairs sat next to the railings that stretched from the stairs.

He continued walking through the narrow aisles trying to find the non fiction section which was rather difficult as the store had no labels as to which section was where.

After a somewhat thorough search of downstairs, megumi began his ascent to the upstairs. His soft hands grazing the cast iron railing of the stairs as he walked up, hoping the upstairs would have what he wanted.

Once at his destination his black eyes avidly searching the walls for his preferred books. Eyes lighting up slightly when he saw it in the far left corner of the small upstairs section.

His assumption had been correct as upstairs there was a small till with a coffee maker behind and a cute chalk menu behind on the wall. The room had two tables both with two chairs.

What caught megumi s eye after he surveyed the room was the table furthest from the stairs that had books sprawled across and a half drunken coffee sitting next an opened book. Next to the table was a brown satchel which had a small keychain on and had been left opened; it's content being shown to whoever desired to see. A long brown coat was strewn across one chair clearly indications someone else was here. However this earned little attention from megumi as all he intented to do was look at the non fiction books and find one he liked, maybe he'd sit on the other table and read for a brief moment but staying for longer than 30 minutes was not on his agenda.

After browsing a couple books and taking photos of the ones he was interested in megumi grabbed the one he wanted to read the most, a sequel to another book he had finished the day before, and began to walk over to the table closest to the balcony. Only on his way a loud bang of a door on the back wall made his head turn right around. Landing on a h/c haired girl, dressed in baggy brown trousers and large oversized turtleneck. Her eyes had bags and her face looked tired but also excited maybe a little insane. However, what megumi was more focused on was the small grade 4 curse atop her shoulder.

After the girl had made such an abrupt entrance to the quiet bookstore most would
think she would utter an apology or be shocked by her hopefully unintentional loudness but no. She leisurely drifted back to her table, the cluttered one, and was straight back into reading. Failing to notice a slightly concerned and agitated megumi who was staring at the curse and the poor unsuspecting girls face. She seemed completely calm now and engrossed in the book, oblivious to her surroundings and the curse. well of course she's oblivious to the curse,she can't see it thought megumi as he tried to think of an excuse to take the curse off her.

Megumi sat for a while trying to think up a plan.Should he introduce himself and then say she has something on her shoulder? or just walk past and try to quickly grab it? maybe he could pretend to fall over and then grab her shoulder?

Sadly all these plans would have failed as megumi's internal monologue had distracted him from the girl who was now finishing her drink and finishing her book, closely it with a large, exaggerated slam and a sigh from her. Then picking up her stuff and putting the book away.

This display by the girl did however break megumi free from his thoughts and now also start to stand from his seat and place his book back.

The two teenager now headed for the exit. The girl walking loudly and humming to herself. Until she stopped and turned to a shelf then gasping and grabbing a book. All while megumi watched from a neighbouring bookshelf.

But then she turned to the curse and whispered?! something to it then placed the book into its hands?!

She then placed money on counter yelled thank you and left the store while also leaving a shocked and intrigued megumi.

She can see curses?!