Chapter 1 – I'm Not an Outside Person
Another quiet day.
I sat behind the counter, flipping through an old fantasy novel. Not that I was actually paying much attention to it—the words blurred together after a while. I'd read this one before. Twice. Maybe three times. But in this sleepy bookstore where nothing ever happened, even rereading books was better than staring at the dust floating in the air.
Rustle.
The sound of the door opening snapped me out of my daze.
Huh? Someone actually came in?
I peeked over the top of my book, trying to keep my face calm, uninterested—even though I was actually curious. Customers in this place were rare. Like, extinct dinosaur rare.
And there they were.
Three girls.
Probably around my age... maybe high schoolers? One of them had short hair with a bright hair clip. The other two were laughing about something as they stepped into the store, their arms linked like best friends in some drama series.
For a moment, they stopped near the entrance and stared.
At me.
Of course.
I could already feel their eyes poking at my face, my body, my everything. Ugh. I could practically hear their thoughts.
"What's a girl like her doing in a place like this?"
I sighed inside my head. Here we go again. I knew that look. I knew that whisper.
No, girls. I'm not a girl. I'm a boy. A real boy. Not that anyone ever believes me at first glance.
Well… who cares. I shrugged and turned a page of my book, pretending I wasn't watching them from the corner of my eye.
They started moving slowly, whispering to each other and giggling as they browsed the shelves. One girl showed a book to the others and laughed. They weren't being noisy or annoying, though—just the usual excited chatter of friends.
Still... their eyes kept drifting toward me.
Seriously. I could feel it.
I slumped deeper behind the counter. My book almost covered my whole face now.
Yes, yes, I know. I'm "pretty." I'm "cute." You think I'm a girl running this store alone, don't you? Maybe you're wondering if this bookstore is my family's. Maybe you think I'm some shy daughter helping out while my parents are away. I get it. You don't have to stare.
It's 2025. Boys, girls—anyone can run a bookstore if they want to. And my parents? They gave me full control. I manage this place now.
Nothing weird about that.
Right?
One of the girls—probably the leader, judging by how confidently she walked—stepped toward me.
Oh great.
Here it comes.
"Um, excuse me…" she said, her voice gentle but clear. "Do you have any light novels?"
I slowly lowered my book and pointed lazily to the far left shelf.
"The light novel section's over there," I said simply.
"Ah, thanks!" she smiled brightly and walked off, her friends trailing behind her.
I raised my book again, but my eyes weren't really reading anymore. I was watching them out of the corner of my vision.
They giggled again. Showed each other more books. Whispered things.
Probably talking about me.
I sighed silently. I should be used to this by now.
After a while, they seemed to have picked all the books they wanted. One of them held three volumes of something brightly colored—probably romance. Another had a stack of shoujo manga. Figures.
They finally made their way to the counter.
"Um, how much for these?" the short-haired one asked sweetly.
I glanced at the books, quickly calculating the price in my head. "Two thousand four hundred yen," I replied.
She handed me a bill. I gave her the correct change, smooth and automatic. Like always.
Then the next girl stepped up. Same deal.
Finally, the last girl approached. She put her books on the counter… but instead of staying quiet like the others, she spoke.
"I've never seen a girl as pretty as you around here before," she said with a curious smile. "Do you live nearby? I don't think I've ever seen you outside."
...Here we go.
I forced a small, polite smile and answered flatly, "I'm an inside person. I don't like going out much."
"Oh, that's too bad…" she said, her eyes sparkling a little. "You're so pretty... you'd be super popular if you went out more, you know? Like, really popular. All the boys in this town would lose their minds."
Hah.
I let out a quiet laugh under my breath. If only you knew.
"I'm fine in here," I replied simply. "Going out isn't really my thing."
Besides... what would I do outside? Get stared at even more? Have people calling me "miss" every five minutes? No thanks. I'd rather stay here with my dusty books.
I finished packing her books into a small paper bag and handed it over. "Here you go."
"Thanks!" she said brightly.
The three of them waved as they left the store, the bell above the door jingling softly behind them.
...And then silence again.
Peace.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the door they'd just walked through.
"Well... looks like they totally thought I was a girl," I muttered under my breath. "Whatever. It's not like I have to explain I'm a boy to every stranger who walks in here."
They'll probably be gossiping about the "mysterious pretty bookstore girl" at school tomorrow.
Let them.
I don't care.
Really.
...Probably.
I sighed, picked up my book again, and stared at the same page for the hundredth time.
Another quiet day in the life of Nio Isagi—the pretty boy who never goes outside.
And so... the peaceful boredom continued.