Blossoms of the Dark

CLXXI Shouto: Facade

Just for fun, identify the names of the manga and light novels described in the fifth paragraph.

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After my visit with Mom, I recall that I need to stock up on new manga.

There is a bookstore near my home that I frequent.

I wonder if they have anything new there.

And I'm not disappointed.

The new volume to a series I am currently reading is out, so without a doubt that goes into my tote bag. There is a new light novel about a girl who can control the weather. Seems intriguing, so I add that, too. Another light novel about a boy and a girl from different backgrounds who switch bodies by the same author. A manga series about a dysfunctional but comedic family amongst a cold-war setting. My eye also falls onto a volume about a human doctor who cures vampire patients of supernatural maladies, and another about a young lord who makes a pact with a demon. I wonder if Selene would like these ...

By the time I finish perusing only one aisle, my bag is half-full. Do I regret it? No. The bill of my add-on credit card will be paid by my father, so why should I?

I find more interesting stuff in the second and third aisles. Slowly and steadily, my bag becomes heavier and heavier with the weight of paper. I should have brought another bag with me. By the time I reach the sixth aisle, I debate between requesting a delivery at the front desk or hauling this megaton of reading material by foot. Would be a good workout if I did the latter ... Or I could turn into a hunchback.

But all these thoughts fade instantly when I come across an unwelcome face: Miyamoto Akutenshi. I would think he was here for the same purpose that I was, but when I pay attention to the grimace on his face, I think otherwise. He hates this place, just as I hate him. So why are you even here? I want to ask. However, he's not worth my time or patience. He has not spotted me yet, so surreptitiously, I creep around the previous aisles to reach the front desk.

If only luck were on my side. The crash of my bag against the wall as I swivel around makes my presence clearly known. His head whips in the direction of the source of the sound just as mine turns the other way to huff before controlling my features.

"Hey," he says unabashedly.

Oh, are we on friendly terms now all of a sudden?

"Hello," I reply coldly. With a quick bow, I try to get out of there.

Yet again, luck decides to sit back and savor the inevitable drama. Miyamoto closes the gap between us in three strides. "I wanted to apologize."

"Don't bother." If you wanted to apologize, you would have done so the day that you insulted Selene and I. You wouldn't have waited for us to cross paths by chance days later.

The guy is awfully persistent. "I'm actually sorry. What I said that at the competition was harsh, and simply me venting my frustration."

I've had enough. My mouth might just open if I have to hear any more of the fake bullshit that spews out from his. I am almost out of the aisle when another disappointing face appears. Kurosawa Inei. The girl who so hypocritically shouted at Selene and I for our audacity. From the spine titles of books in her hands, I figure that she is the reason why Miyamoto is in the bookstore. She looks between me and the chauvinist who followed me, gauging the situation, before leveling a glare at me. "What is he doing here?" she asks as her eyebrow rises critically at my tote bag.

"I wish I could say I am doing the same thing as you, but that is beneath me. For one, I do not read content of an author who romanticizes abuse and assault." I gaze pointedly at the stack of books she holds. Each book is from the same author who is widely known to be involved in many controversial scandals. Kurosawa's fury emerges as a vein pulsating in her temple. If she has even an atom of smartness inside her head, then she knows that she cannot cause a scene in a public place without getting in trouble.