chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Why Are So Many People Coming Here?

After those two little girls left, I let out a long, slow breath and leaned back in my chair.

"...Well. That's probably the last customer for today."

As usual.

I reached for my phone, sliding back into my peaceful routine of tapping on my game, enjoying the empty silence of the bookstore.

Yep.

Quiet. Boring. Perfect.

At least that's what I thought.

Ding-ding!

The soft chime of the bell broke the silence again.

Huh?

I lazily turned my eyes toward the door.

...A boy.

With three girls following behind him.

Harem protagonist?

Seriously?

Wait, what?

My brain paused for a second, processing the scene in front of me.

One boy—probably high school, messy hair, pretty normal looking. And behind him... three girls. All cute. All sticking close to him like they were his personal fan club.

Is this guy building a real harem? Like one of those lame rom-com anime MCs?

For a moment, I couldn't help but stare.

What is this? Real life anime? I could almost hear the opening theme playing in the background.

But then I sighed and shook my head.

Well... whatever. Not my business.

If this boy wanted to collect pretty girls like trading cards, that was his problem. Not mine. I'm just the bookstore guy—the quiet, forgotten NPC in this weird slice-of-life story.

I returned to my phone, pretending to play my game while secretly listening to the chatter of the so-called "harem squad" as they wandered the store.

But then—ding-ding!

Another ring.

I froze.

Wait... again?

I slowly glanced at the door.

A group of college girls walked in, laughing to each other, their bags slung over their shoulders.

...What?

Before I could process that—ding-ding!

The bell rang again.

And again.

And again.

Customers kept pouring in like someone had announced a 90% off sale—or maybe the apocalypse was coming and everyone suddenly wanted to read before the world ended.

What. The. Hell.

My peaceful, empty bookstore—the one no one ever cared about—was suddenly full of people.

I stared in shock as the quiet room transformed into a small sea of moving bodies, the sound of shoes on the wooden floor, pages flipping, giggles, whispers, the occasional cough or sneeze...

Was there some kind of event outside?

A festival? A parade? A weird social media challenge?

Did someone make a viral post like, "Let's all visit the old bookstore by the station today!"?

What was happening?!

My phone slipped from my hand and dropped onto the counter with a soft thud.

I blinked slowly.

Is this real? Am I dreaming? Did I fall asleep again while playing games?

"Excuse me, where's the mystery section?" someone asked.

"Do you have the latest light novel volume?" another said.

"Can I borrow these or are they for sale?" someone else piped up.

Voices came at me from every direction.

I stood up slowly, still half in shock, and began helping them one by one.

Pointing out shelves. Explaining prices. Answering questions. Running the register. Giving change. Smiling politely.

Over and over.

One after another.

Like some kind of overworked convenience store clerk in a city during New Year's rush.

And the customers kept coming.

I felt like crying.

Why... why now of all times?! Why this bookstore that's always dead and forgotten? Did the universe suddenly decide to play a joke on me?

But even as I panicked inside, my face stayed calm. Unbothered. Like always.

"Thank you. Come again."

"Enjoy your book."

"Don't forget your change."

I said it all automatically, like a robot, like a human bookstore machine.

In my head, though?

I was screaming.

After what felt like an eternity... the tide finally started to slow.

One by one, the customers finished their browsing. They bought their books. They borrowed their novels. They left the store, chatting and smiling.

The last door chime rang.

Silence returned.

I collapsed into my chair behind the counter, face first into the desk.

"...What the hell just happened...?" I muttered into the wood.

I glanced at the cash drawer.

It was stuffed.

I'd made more money today than I usually did in an entire month.

...That was good, right? I mean, I should be happy, right?

But all I felt was tired.

And confused.

And slightly terrified that tomorrow might be the same.

I slowly sat up, rubbing my face.

"What the hell... Did a secret book club just move into town? Did aliens land and make everyone read books? Did some celebrity tweet about my store or something?"

I checked my phone for news.

Nothing.

Weird.

Really weird.

Still... at least the store wasn't bankrupt anymore. At least I could afford some extra snacks for once.

I let out a long, exhausted sigh and leaned back in my chair.

"...Well, thanks for the money, universe. But please... never again."

I picked up my phone... and went back to my game like nothing ever happened.