It was a massive hall, its walls, floor, and ceiling all painted white. The whiteness made it impossible to gauge the exact size of the space, but at the very least Rintaro could tell that it was unlike anything he had seen before. The ceiling was as high as a school gymnasium’s, and the walls seemed to go on forever.
The hall was filled with neat rows of white-painted display cases. Each of these glass-fronted cases was taller than Rintaro and arranged in what must have been around twenty rows, all perfectly aligned. But even though the start of each row was visible, they stretched farther back than the eye could see.
However, what amazed Rintaro more than anything wasn’t the size or the number of these display cases; it was their contents. Every single case was filled with books. Every shelf of every case was stuffed full. He couldn’t tell exactly how many of these giant bookcases there were, or the total number of books being stored here, but one thing he knew: the figure must be mind-boggling.
“Wow!”
He began to walk down one of the rows of cases. It was breathtaking. There was a huge variety of books from all different periods. Literature, philosophy, poetry, collections of letters, diaries—every genre you could imagine. The quality and the number were overwhelming.
And yet every single book appeared to be brand new. There was not a mark to be seen on any of them—they were beautiful.
“I’ve never seen such an amazing collection,” said Rintaro.
“I’m delighted to hear that.”
The voice resounded from somewhere deep among the display cases.
Rintaro followed the source of the voice through the room from bookcase to bookcase, and finally came across a tall man sitting in a white chair.
He wore a suit in the exact same bright white as the polished floor. Sitting with crossed legs in a small swivel chair, his eyes were fixed on the thick book open on his lap. The cases on the far side of his chair had no books in them yet. In other words, they had come to the farthest point of the collection, deep inside the storeroom.
“Welcome to my study.”
The man glanced up at Rintaro.
He had a gentle smile, but a keen gaze, revealing a man of great sophistication.
Rintaro recalled that the woman had mentioned appearances on television and radio. This man looked like someone you would see on TV.
“He looks really smart,” muttered Rintaro to the cat.
“Are you that easily intimidated? Stay strong!”
The man’s gaze switched from Rintaro to the cat.
“Are you the ones here to discuss ‘book matters’？”
“Well, um . . .”
The man’s eyes flashed coldly at Rintaro’s tepid response.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m rather busy. I really don’t have the time to sit around idly chatting with some boy—particularly one who turns up unannounced, doesn’t even bother to introduce himself, and then just stands there like a deer in the headlights.”
“Oh, sorry. My name’s Rintaro Natsuki.” Hurriedly readjusting his posture, Rintaro gave a deep bow. “Please excuse us for intruding.”
“I see,” replied the man with narrowed eyes. “Now what is this vital information you have for me? If it has to do with books, then I suppose I’d like to hear it.”
Rintaro had been put on the spot, and he had nothing to say. The vital information had never existed. He looked desperately at the cat.
“We’ve come to free your books.” The cat’s white whiskers twitched as it spoke.
The man’s eyes narrowed farther as he looked down at the cat. There was something menacing in his gaze.