„Bon jour!" a confident step forward, bright smile on his pretty face. A new customer looked incredible, at least when measured by all of those oh and ah made by females in store. In this scale he received something between you look like a model and please step on me.

The young gentleman didn't seem to bother, though. Combing light hair with his slender fingers, he headed to the nearest bookshelf and in no time did he disappear into this ocean of written stories. Almost surfing between racks with smoothness and grace made him look like a ice skater or dancer. Everyone in the store couldn't resist a temptation to catch a glimpse of his unplanned performance.

After an hour everybody seemed fulfilled and content, starting to ignore their previous object of interest. It didn't take long to completely forget about his existent, too. However, this Adonis was not even paying attention to the rest of the shop. No, he was entirely swollen by different kinds of books, starting from old detective stories, through classical romances and weird horror stories, newest psychological novels on a final note.

"Mon Dieu, I wish I knew which one I should start with…" a long sighed escaped his mouth, gently touch on old covers.

There was a tiny tower of books next to him, a wistful look given to it from time to time. It seemed as if he wanted to spend his entire summer in that place, sitting peacefully between bookstands, holding those unknown worlds with its stories and getting to know them all, one by one. A small clock on a wall was constantly reminding him about passage of time, making him more and more anxious. How world could be so mean to him, to making him choose only one or two from all of those beautiful works of art?

"Read this" an unknown and soft voice next to his ear, a heart rate increasing before one can say knife, causing tingles all around his body.

A small book appeared out of nowhere, gently landing on his laps. He instantly started to look around that mysterious person but no one could be seen. He was the only one in a passage, between shelves full of books.

His violet eyes turned to the minimalistic and a bit damaged cover. "Before the Law", golden letters said. Story seemed really short and it literally popped out of nowhere so he thought it would be a nice way to start with it. The youth stood up and went right to the counter, planning his night session out with said book and some good tea.

"Oh, you came back" the salesman said, seeing the handsome guy from the previous day. "You want to buy more books?"

"Yes!" he answered enthusiastically, a charming smile appearing on his face.

The story he bought yesterday was so short and yet amazingly interesting. He could not believe it ended so quickly, it was almost unfair to him, to get swollen by story's world and then got back to reality. It felt even worse than hangover.

The young man headed to the well known corner of the shop, trying to find volumes from the previous day. Luckily enough, he had plenty of time what meant no less than six hours spent on reading. He would probably spend more time there but other responsibilities were awaiting him, unfortunately.

"Okay, so where should I begin…" he was wondering, searching through heavy books on the shelves, trying to find some interesting ones. The issue was there were too many of such.

A small shiver came through his body without a warning, making him feel uncomfortable and tensed. Suddenly, his ears caught quite a loud noise of a falling item. In no time did he turn his head, only to spot a thick novel lying on the floor, just a few steps from the place he was standing. The youth seemed confused, maybe a bit freaked out, but most importantly his face was expressing pure curiosity.

"What we have here?" he muttered as grabbing the book, gently touching a hardcover. "Captain Blood: His Odyssey, huh…" voice with tint of child-like excitement, hands slowly shaking. It seemed as a beginning of a really interesting journey and he had no intention of missing it.

The sun was slowly meeting the horizon, painting the inside of the bookstore amber, gold and those cozy shades of red. All volumes seemed to magically become pieces of gems and other valuable treasures, appearing to be newer and more majestic than they probably had ever been. People had a sad tendency to judge a book by its cover what often results in undervaluing the story itself. That young man was grateful to this shy voice inside of him for letting him appreciate what's hidden, to fall in love in ugliest looking books. His gratitude for unknown force, which had shown him an amazing story second time that week, was priceless as well.

Story of today was rather simple yet amazingly absorbing. The main character had been really well written and the lady of his heart wasn't that usual weak and painfully fragile girl. The author gave her strong personality and a bad habit of holding grudge what was rather uncommon in newest literature, as far as the young man was aware. He wished he could stay in that amazing world of pirates and adventures but reality was insisting on getting back into his mind.

However, he made his mind about one thing while slowly standing up and heading to the exit. That strange invisible force needed to be knowable. It had to be. And this youngster was sure he would get to know it sooner or later.

Time was slowly passing by and the owner of the store as well as those few employees of him had already gotten used to their unexpected regular. He was kind to everyone, gentle with books and willing to help if there was a need for such so one's could say it was only natural everyone started to be fond of him. After some small talks everybody knew his name and some random info, connected to stories of course.

"Shuu, how was that novel you bought a few days ago?" the owner accosted his young patron, seeing his smile while heading to the counter.

"It was amazing!" he answered, smile becoming even brighter. "The plot seemed rather cliché in my opinion but main character's development was a true masterwork! It's been so long since I've read story like that…" voice soft, eyes dreamy.

"Is that so, huh" the old man smiled, adjusting his glasses. "I wonder how lucky you have to be to find such daisies each time you're here"

"A haphazard, I guess?" Shuu said half mysteriously, looking all around the store. "I barely have any luck but I think this place is just so magical even I could find something great"

"Ah, yes, it is special, indeed" the owner nodded, letting the young man go to his usual spot and to bury himself in yet unread stories.

He knew it was not quite an innocent coincidence that he was coming across so many good books. Those were given to him by this silent force. Sometimes his eyes caught a glimpse of a shadow of someone and there were a few times, despite the first one, when he could swear he had heard a quiet voice just behind him. It was strange. It was creepy. It was exhilarating.

Sitting on the floor, leaning against the bookcase his mind was wandering through many worlds, trying to figure out something about the person behind them. It was more than obvious somebody didn't want to be seen and yet they desperately liked him to read these, to sunk in those worlds.

What he could say about that silent bookworm, then? They were shy and distant, trying their best to remain invisible. They liked stories with interesting plot and well developed characters, that's for sure. What else… Kafka, Bulgakov, Murakami… All those positions seemed simply weird at the first glance but had a deeper meaning, a carefully hidden truth beneath a thick layer of grotesque, humor and happenstances. Based on genres, it looked as if his silent friend either had a dark past or just was feeling gloomy deep inside. Taking their behavior into consideration as well, they seemed to be… lonely? Ah… That might have been a case. An intimidated loner with a fragile mind, escaping from reality by living fictional lives.

"I don't know you so how is that you know so much about me, huh?" Shuu asked himself, putting a thick volume aside. He was aware he just made a sketchy profile about someone he had never met before and yet he felt a strong connection to them. Some things were different and some weren't but it didn't change the fact he was feeling a need to get to know them better, stronger with each passing minute.

The silence in the shop seemed enormous, both intimidating and welcoming, making a whole place cozier and perfect for relaxation, at least in Shuu's opinion. His own house was in constant hurry, everyone going somewhere to do something. There was barely free time he actually considered as such due to his requirements. Of course he was not a prince or a noble but he demanded peace and that meant silent along with calm mind. All of these could be found at the bookstore.

Shuu put back a novel he was holding, wandering all around the shop. His violet eyes were able to see, despite many books of course, unusual set-up. It didn't seem weird at the first glance but after more careful observation some uncommon things could be easily seen. In spite of the building's size, which was nonstandard itself, furnishings and overall decoration looked very… domestic. He didn't mean the owner used casual furniture and such. It was rather an atmosphere's fault. Shuu had an impression that it used to be a normal house, rearranged for a shop. He had no guts to actually go and ask the old man directly but after hearing this and that, conclusion was fairly clear. Reading too many detective stories had done its job as well.

"I wish I could meet you, mysterious reader…" he whispered, delicately using his fingers to comb hair of his.

"Are you sure about that?" a quiet voice appeared out of nowhere, making his body shiver.

"Mon Dieu, yes!" Shuu answered firmly, struggling with temptation to look around as quickly as possible. "I feel you stand behind me, am I right?"

"Yes" the same voice agreed, causing a speed-up in Shuu's heart rate.

"Will you disappear as always if I turn right now?"

A solid minute of silence took place before the other one of them said:

"I don't think so"

Curiosity finally killed the cat but not only did satisfaction brought it back but made Shuu low key astonished as well. He was not sure what he had been imagining before but it hadn't been such an average looking person for sure. This common look of the mysterious reader somehow seemed out of place and yet suited so well that the young man could not think of anything else.

Messy black hair, light eyes with tint of overawing and light skin reminded him of a shy high school girl that no one bothers to notice yet everybody craves for such kind a person in their lives. A miracle, a small blessing from heavens for this bland life of his.

"Nice… to meet you" he finally stuttered out, making the other youngster smile a bit.

"I should be the one saying that" his smile was weak but beaming with inner kindness, causing a weird feelings inside Shuu's chest. "I'm Kaneki"

"I'm Tsukiyama and telling the truth, I'm grateful to finally being able to meet you, mon chér"

After a few awkward tries did they start to talk freely and naturally, as if they had been friends since the very beginning.

Shuu never really bothered to ask his new friend about some things but after few strange occurrences he decided it needed to be changed.

He wouldn't mind odd behavior because everyone had their own habits and tics. However, vanishing into thin air in less than a minute deserved his attention. He had no clue why Kaneki was disappearing so suddenly at times, he only hoped it was not his fault. That fragile youth's way of speaking, articulating and reacting reminded him of a scared animal but he didn't have the guts to say it out loud.

"Mon chér, may I ask you something?" voice gentle, eyes even more tender because of incident sunbeams.

"What is it?"

A sudden lack in words appeared in Tsukiyama's mouth, a silent settling over them both. In no time did his mind become empty, not able to think about anything specific. What he was about to ask? Why Kaneki had a strange habit of leaving? It sounded… slightly inappropriate.

"Well, I don't want to sound mean or anything but would you mind telling me why are like hiding so much? I feel as if you are using it to avoid me…" he finally admitted, trying not to blush out of his own silliness. He was aware it was a dumb way of asking but what he could do? Being perfect prince-charming all the time was way beyond his capability. It wasn't him.

"No! No, it's not because of you!" Ken protested, lively gesturing as he spoke. "It's just, how to say it… Sometimes world is too much for me to handle"

Shuu had no idea how to respond for that so he remained silent, nodding subtly. Sometimes world was overwhelming to him as well so it wasn't like he didn't understand what Kaneki was talking about. The issue was more complex, unfortunately. He had impression that his friends was behaving this or that way because he was… afraid? How should he put it?

Was he afraid of him? If not, then what was making him so scared that running away seemed as a better option?

"I'm sorry" the other one suddenly said, confusing Tsukiyama.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a mess. Sometimes I hardly believe you actually enjoy spending time with me" hollow eyes focused on the floor, avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

"I'm sorry to hear that you think so low of yourself, mon chér" he spoke, coming closer to Ken. "I don't know if someone made you think this way or not, but please remember one thing" his hand gently touching the other's one face, lifting it up by a chin to look right into those frightened eyes. "I cannot imagine my leisure time spent better than sitting here with you, reading books and discussing about them. It's more than I could have ever wished for"

Neither of them spoke after that half emotional but honest declamation but a solid change could been easily felt. An awkward tension vanished, making a place for warmer and more gentle feelings and both of them were glad for it deep inside.

"Shuu, could you help me with those papers?" the old man asked one day. It seemed as most of staffers were on a sick leave what resulted in only one worker in shop, its owner.

The day was cold yet bright, decorating streets and sandlots with tons of colorful leaves. Luckily enough Tsukiyama had enough free time in his college to drop by few times a week, only to meet familiar faces. To be more specific, he always hoped to see only one face and almost never did he felt disappointed.

"No problem, sir!" cheerful voice, gentle smile while approaching the old man. "What should I do with those?" he asked, pointing at massive stack of paper.

"I need to get rid of those but there were some important documents. Would you mind helping me with finding those? I understand if you don't have much time, though"

"That's okay, I've planned on spending a whole afternoon here either way" charming smile appearing on his face, making the owner's face brighten a bit.

They started sorting this pile of papers at good clip but soon enough did they realize a task was more difficult than they had thought. Looking throw so many pages, some older than the others, many of them damaged and few almost brand new… It was exhausting in some way, to decide which of those were still useful.

Suddenly, those violet eyes of him spotted an old sheets filled with bolded headlines and photos. An old newspaper, apparently.

"Picture perfect? Lie. What a simple headline, really…" he sighed, looking cursorily through the page. "Single parent… A child… Death…" muttering under his nose, trying to reach the end of an article.

"Ah, yes. Horrible case. Haven't you heard of that?" the owner asked as he stopped filing papers.

"Not much to be honest…" mouth shut in a moment, eyes wide opened. He just saw in a picture something, or maybe rather someone, he wished he didn't.

No mattered how hard he tried, he could not focused on old man's words because of the article. Of course he had heard some rumors about that case. It had taken place right here he was standing, after all. He couldn't recall how exactly he gotten to know that but in the end he was sure about two things.

Firstly, his favorite place in the whole town was previously the scene of the crime, a place where horrible things had been happening. Secondly, it turned out there was a serious need for him to have a talk with his personal ray of sunshine.

"Now you know, huh?" Kaneki said with a tinge of misery, smiling in this sad way.

"I haven't said a word even"

"There was no need for you, though. I've seen your face in that time"

"Is that so…" Shuu silently nodded, coming closer to the other one. He didn't expect things to end up like that and no one probably would have ever think about such a plot twist. Maybe some authors could but not him for sure.

"I guess it's time to say goodbye?" Ken quietly asked, looking shyly at Shuu. There were no more than few inches between them and yet, both of them could feel painful gap between each other.

There was no need for Kaneki to hide his true self anymore so when Tsukiyama was so close to him, he was able to see the true form of the other one. White hair, pale complexion and an enormous amount of bruises made him realize why Ken sometimes resembled a scared animal. He literally was one. Frightened and abused, bitten up for needing basics like food.

"It's up to you, mon chér" Shuu said gently, gently brushing Ken's hair. "I think I've fallen for you, you know…"

"Oh my, don't be so cliché… It's not a romance novel" he giggled, slowly vanishing.

That's right, he did sounded as if taken out straight from a cheap fantasy-romance story. He didn't mind, though. He had never thought about something like that happening and he had never ever supposed he would fall in love with a dead person, no matter how creepy or dumb it might had sounded.

"I wish I could spend more time with you, though. Your book recommendations were a blessing, Kaneki" a smile full of melancholy showed up, making his pretty face less perfect.

"Really?" a tiny ray of hope appeared in Tsukiyama's chest, making his face brighter, smile wider. "Aren't you… I don't know… Disgust with it? With me?"

"Are you kidding me?" he chuckled, looking in his eyes. "I've already told you I adore spending my spare time with you, talking about books or just being with you. The fact you're, well, technically a ghost, doesn't change that."

"You're seriously a weirdo, Shuu" Kaneki giggled quietly, taking a small step back. "I knew throwing Kafka at you would be a good idea"

"I cannot not agree with you, Ken" he smiled at him, letting them both melt away into peaceful silent of that beautiful fall afternoon.