Chapter 2 – Thanks for the Compliment
Three days had passed since those three girls came into the store and mistook me for a girl.
After that small incident, life went straight back to normal.
My normal.
Which meant... no customers. None. Zero.
Perfect.
I sat behind the counter, lazily scrolling through my phone with one hand, head resting on the other. News, memes, online manga... all kinds of things to kill time while the clock slowly ticked by.
Honestly... this was heaven.
No one staring at me.
No awkward conversations.
No weird compliments about my "pretty face."
Just the silent hum of the air conditioner and the dusty smell of old paper.
But of course, like all peaceful moments in life... it couldn't last forever.
Clack.
The soft sound of the door opening reached my ears.
"...Hm?"
I glanced up—only to see Mom walking in.
Oh. Just her.
"Hey," I greeted simply, waving my hand for a moment before my eyes went straight back to my phone screen.
She didn't say anything at first. She just walked past the shelves and leaned on the counter.
"Nio," she finally said.
I hummed without looking up.
"Can you go buy some groceries for me?"
Ugh. Grocery shopping. Outside.
I paused my game and sighed softly.
"Why? You tired from work?" I asked, still not raising my head.
"Yeah… I took today off because I've been feeling sick. You know that."
Oh... right. She had been coughing and complaining about headaches last night.
"Okay, okay," I muttered, finally pocketing my phone and sitting up straight. "What do you need?"
"I'll message you the list," she said. "Just check your phone."
"Got it..." I replied, standing up and stretching my arms lazily.
"Oh, and Nio…"
"Hmm?"
"Why do you always come back so fast? You can take your time, you know."
I smirked a little. Guess I was always in such a hurry to run away from public spaces that it made her notice.
"Well... actually, I might come home a little late today," I said.
Her eyebrows lifted. "Why?"
"There's this café nearby... I heard they've got really good chocolate cookies. I want to try them."
Mom laughed softly. "Fine, fine. Go spoil yourself. But don't get carried away, okay?"
I chuckled. "No promises."
I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.
"I'm off!" I called.
"Be careful," she replied from behind the counter.
And with that... I stepped out into the bright world.
---
The street outside was quiet.
It was only 10 AM, so most people were probably at work or at school. Which meant fewer eyes to stare at me.
Good.
I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets and walked down the road, trying to ignore every glance I felt from the rare person who passed by.
People always stared.
Even when they tried to hide it. Their eyes always lingered.
Maybe they thought, "Is that a girl or a boy?"
Or maybe they just thought, "Wow, she's pretty."
Hah.
Whatever.
A buzz came from my pocket. I checked my phone. Mom had already sent the list.
Vegetables.
Beef.
Simple enough.
She'd been craving beef since last night. Said she wanted a proper dinner tonight.
Guess that was fine.
The market wasn't far. I turned the corner and headed inside.
Immediately, I felt it.
Eyes.
Even in the market.
A few housewives. A grandpa sitting near a tobacco stand. A delivery guy unloading boxes.
They all looked at me.
Ughhh. Seriously?
I opened Mom's message again.
Vegetables first.
I headed to the veggie section and carefully picked through the piles. Carrots. Onions. Cabbage.
I crouched a little, poking the vegetables like I'd seen Mom do. I wasn't about to bring home old, squishy ones and get scolded.
As I stood up, holding a basket full of greens, the man behind the counter—an old shopkeeper—watched me closely.
Uncomfortably closely.
I felt his stare burning a hole through my skull.
Then... he spoke.
"Hey... you new around here?" he asked, squinting.
"Huh?" I blinked. "No. I've lived here since I was born."
His eyes widened slightly. "Really? Never seen you before. Especially not a pretty girl like you... no way I'd forget."
...Here we go again.
I forced a small smile. "I'm an inside person. Don't go out much."
"Ahh... no wonder. I thought maybe someone new moved in. You'd be famous around here with a face like that."
If only he knew.
He'd freak out if he found out I was actually a boy...
I smiled politely, said thanks after paying, and quickly moved away before he could ask more questions.
Next: Beef.
There was a stall run by a middle-aged lady. The beef looked fresh—bright red and neatly cut.
Perfect.
I approached quietly.
But even before I could reach out for the meat, the lady started talking. Instantly. Like a switch flipping.
"Oh my, oh my! I've never seen you here before! You must be new in town, right?"
I sighed inside my head.
Same conversation. Again.
"No... I've lived here forever. I just don't go out much."
She gasped softly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Really? But you're so pretty and cute! How could I not know there was such a beautiful girl like you in this tiny city?"
Because I'm not a girl, I wanted to say.
Instead... I giggled. A quiet, fake little giggle to make her stop talking.
It worked.
She smiled warmly and wrapped up the beef.
I paid, thanked her quickly, and left.
Finally... freedom.
---
Next stop: the café.
The one with the famous chocolate cookies I'd heard about online.
When I entered, the smell of coffee and sugar filled my nose. It was busy—lots of couples, some office workers, and a few high schoolers in uniform.
High schoolers...
I'd stopped going to regular school in 8th grade. Homeschool ever since.
Why?
Because I hated it. The stares. The whispers. The teasing.
Even the teachers would slip up sometimes and call me "Miss Isagi."
Ugh.
No thanks.
I went straight to the counter, avoiding all the eyes on me.
"One chocolate cookie, please," I said quietly.
The guy behind the counter nodded, smiling like every other person today. Probably thought I was some shy girl treating herself.
Whatever.
I waited near the window. I could hear the whispers behind me.
"Who's that...?"
"She's cute, isn't she?"
"Never seen her before..."
I ignored them.
Soon, the cookie arrived—warm, sweet, perfect. I grabbed it and left.
Finally... home.
I pushed open the bookstore's door.
"Welcome back," Mom said softly, peeking from the side door behind the counter.
"Got everything." I handed her the groceries.
She smiled but winced a little.
"Want a cookie?" I asked, holding up the bag.
She shook her head. "My teeth are killing me today. No sweets for me."
"Too bad," I said with a small smile.
I took my seat behind the counter, pulling out my phone again as Mom went back inside to rest.
Peace and quiet returned.
Everything was normal again.
...Even if I got complimented like a girl the whole trip, at least no one figured out the truth.
Yet.
I sighed, biting into the chocolate cookie.
...Thanks for the compliment, I guess.