Although several days have passed since the earthquake, the aftershocks and other accidents that have followed have caused some trepidation.

But what can be done?

I could only pay attention to the disaster warnings that popped up on the TV from time to time, while lying to myself that those who bowed in suits did not lie this time. In this way, they can barely continue to live along the usual trajectory.

At least that's exactly what happens at this bookstore in Tokyo's Suginami district.

Behind the automatic glass doors, the warm atmosphere of a spring afternoon makes the clerks guarding the cash register a little drowsy. Inside, half-height bookshelves are neatly arranged, separating several customers who are holding books in their hands.

One customer seemed to be tired of the book in his hand and put it back on the shelf. After walking a few steps, he took out another book and spread it out in his hand, but he didn't turn the page for a long time. Her gaze was the same as before, sneaking into the depths of the bookstore.

There, Toru Shimizu was sitting behind a desk writing something. As for the half-meter-high stack of books in his hand and the banner behind him that read "Night Hiking Book Release and Signing", no one cared about it at all.

Man is a creature that is sensitive to the gaze. Even from a distance of several meters, the gaze from different angles was noticed by Toru Shimizu. Although he was under the pressure of sight, Qing Shui Toru was calm, after all, he was not the one who completely suffered.

Stopping the pen in his hand, Toru Shimizu looked up to find the person he had been paying attention to before. found that she had moved her position, but it made Qing Shui Toru see more clearly.

After looking at it for a few seconds, Toru Shimizu picked up the pen again and wrote a few more sentences on the page in front of him.

“… The dark brown balls have a snow-white and delicate back of the neck, and the neckline of the dress draws a soothing arc on the thin back, like a casual stroke on the white sand..."

At this age and dress, I think I am a college student in the neighborhood who can come to the bookstore leisurely on a weekday afternoon. Qing Shui Toru speculated in his heart, and raised his eyes to change his target.

Toru Shimizu calls this behavior "taking materials". Although he had published a few short articles in magazines and serialized novellas, he barely earned him the title of "writer", but compared to famous writers, whether it is Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Natsume Soseki in history books, or the current famous Haruki Shugami and Keigo Higashino, Toru Shimizu thinks he does not have the talent to see through the essence of things at a glance.

And if you want to improve your writing level, you can only increase your knowledge and keep accumulating. And this kind of "material" of the appearance of the characters is naturally one of the ways to accumulate writing materials.

Recording another image, Qing Shui Toru noticed that there were a few more glances in the corner, but the height of the book in his hand still did not decrease.

This is also normal, after all, it costs 1,500 yen to buy an unknown new book written by an obviously new author, and you can only exchange it for dozens of seconds of conversation. In comparison, a movie ticket is 1,800 yen, and Genesys' single is only a little over 1,000 yen, and it is obvious that the latter two bring a better experience.

After complaining about these in his heart, Toru Shimizu looked for the next target, but saw Masaaki Kishida, who was his editor, walking over with a bag.

"Hey, you want oolong tea."

"Thank you." Toru Shimizu caught the jar he threw with one hand.

Masaaki Kishida shrugged and sat down next to him.

"Did you sell it?"

"Nope." Those previous sights briefly disappeared.

"Ah," Masaaki Kishida took a sip of herbal tea and leaned back in his chair casually, not caring at all that the suit on his body might be crumpled, "Then I told the bookstore that it would be better to shorten the time, anyway, someone will buy it at the beginning." ”

"I don't care," he said, setting aside the vapour-covered jar, Toru Shimizu picked up the pen and planned to continue collecting materials.

"I said, you kid should find a girlfriend quickly."

The tip of the pen moved, and Toru Shimizu didn't bother to pay attention to Kishida's sudden words from time to time. Sure enough, he couldn't help but tell the reason right away.

"Although you are very good at this kind of young and ignorant emotion, but when it comes to formal relationships, you can also deceive middle school students who have little emotional experience."

He picked up the book he was selling and flipped through it, still chattering on his lips.

"If you have a girlfriend, you can write something more or less realistically. What do you think? Would you like me to teach you some tricks? ”

"Nearly forty years old and still unmarried, Kishida-san, do you really have such a thing?"

"Marriage and dating are two completely different things."

"Spending all of your salary on a wine lady in a Ginza nightclub can also be considered a relationship?"

"You can learn more by dealing with those people," Kishida Masaaki looked disapproving, "Why don't I take you to see it tonight?" With your kid's appearance, maybe you can give me a free one today. ”

"Kishida-san," Toru Shimizu flipped through the pages of the notebook he had used to draw from, his tone still lacking fluctuation, "at least legally, I'm not at the point where I can go to that kind of place." ”

"Don't say who knows."

Toru Shimizu didn't pay attention, "Someone is coming." ”

There was a girl standing in front of the display board outside the glass door. Her hair curls slightly at the top of her chest, and the combination of a gray-blue hoodie and denim trousers is not in line with the current trend in Tokyo.

But the slender body with extremely delicate facial features, especially the exploratory gaze on the straight nose bridge that instantly attracts people, dwarfs the rest of the store.

She walked into the store. The sound of the automatic door working made the napping clerk reflexively, "Welcome." ”

"Ah, excuse me." She actually stopped and saluted in return, nodding her head a little restrained.

At this age and dress, considering the behavior, it should be a newcomer who has just arrived in Beijing and has not had time to adapt to life in Tokyo. Qing Shui Toru secretly speculated.

The girl was pacing around the store, her eyes swaying from side to side, and when she noticed this, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had found a target. Then she walked briskly.

Glancing to the side, the drink can on the table had been put away by Kishida Masaaki, and he himself smoothed out the folds on his suit, standing with his hands hanging to the side, playing his role with a straight face.

When he looked back, the girl had picked up the book from the side and stood in front of him.

"Shimizu-san... Right? ”

"Yes." Toru Shimizu responded with a smile, took the book in her hand, skillfully wrote the content that had been prepared on the title page, and handed it back with both hands.

"Thank you so much for your support."

She carefully put the book in her shoulder bag, but she didn't leave immediately, her hand on the zipper of the bag, and her movements were a little hesitant.

"Is it a magazine?" Toru Shimizu took the initiative to speak.

"Huh?"

"Is it a magazine you want to sign?"

Faced with her slightly open expression of surprise, Toru Shimizu smiled again and explained, "After all, most of the people who come to sign the sale have learned the news from serialized magazines. ”

She nodded lightly and took a well-kept magazine from her bag.

The same process followed. When she returned it, she was visibly relieved, her smile of gratitude had lost her previous restraint, and her steps were much lighter when she left.

"It's hard to find such a beautiful person in Ginza."

Retracted his gaze at the door, and found that Kishida Masaaki was sitting next to him again, and let out an incomprehensible sigh. Ignoring him, Toru Shimizu picked up the pen and planned to record the image of the girl on paper.

"Especially those eyes. If I were a scout, I would definitely go out of my way to sign her. ”

"To that extent?"

"You kid, don't look down on us ordinary people because of your looks."

Qing Shui Toru shook his head, noncommittal. Putting away the pen, I looked at the time on the wall again.

"It's almost time to go back to the publishing house, right?"