A.N: Hello, everyone! Here is my entry for Day Three of Saimatsu Week 2022. Today's prompt is "Whodunit"! I hope you enjoy reading it!
Day Three: Reading You Like an Open Book
"How many detective novels have you read in your life, Shuichi? Be honest."
The Ultimate Detective scratched the back of his head embarrassedly, putting his book back on his bookshelf. It was... rather full, to put it lightly.
"At least a couple hundred."
Kaede rolled her eyes. Yeah, how about a couple thousand...? She thought, staring at the bookshelf and deciding that counting them all would be pointless. "And which one is your favorite?"
Shuichi sat back on his chair, pensively holding his hand to his chin. This question was on the difficult side. "Hm, I know this isn't exactly an original answer, but I'd say Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles," he told his girlfriend. "May I ask why you're asking me this, Kaede?"
"O-Oh, no specific reason!" the Ultimate Pianist blurted. "I-I was just curious, is all!" GREAT lie, Kaede... He absolutely didn't see through that one... Deep down, the young woman wanted to slap herself for that pathetic fib.
In truth, the anniversary of their relationship was fast approaching, and Kaede needed to find a present to offer her beloved. One look inside Shuichi's study had given her the idea of offering him a book. Unfortunately, finding one suspenseful mystery novel he had not yet read would prove to be... challenging, let's just say.
"Hm, okay...?"
The dark-haired detective gave his girlfriend a curious look, not needing any particular lie-detecting abilities to tell that Kaede was hiding something. Hey, he had spent three whole years dealing with Kokichi Ouma's lies, so he'd learned to tell a lie from a truth!
"Anyway, I'll let you work in peace now!" Kaede said, gazing at the numerous case files scattered on Shuichi's desk. The sooner she got out of here, the less likely she was to accidentally spill the beans. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"
Shuichi smiled. "Alright, thank you, Kaede," he said, watching as his lover smiled back. "I love you."
"Love you more!"
She blew him a kiss before leaving his study, the beginning of an idea for a present forming in her mind.
"Welcome, Miss. Is there any way I can help you?"
Kaede's train of thought was interrupted by the voice of the bookseller. She turned around and noticed an elderly woman standing beside her, hands behind her back and kindly smiling.
"O-Oh, sorry, I was kinda lost in thought..." the pianist admitted, tugging a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. "A-Actually, I might need your help with a little something..."
The bookseller nodded. "What do you need, Miss?" she asked. "You seem to be staring at the mystery novel section rather intensely. Are you looking for something in particular?"
"Y-Yes... my boyfriend and I are celebrating the anniversary of our relationship soon, and I wanted to buy him a present," Kaede explained. "He's a detective and absolutely devours his mystery novels, so I thought I'd buy him one."
"I see... I must say, this is quite a romantic present," the old woman stated with a knowing smile. "Has he perhaps mentioned any books he would be interested in reading? This could be a good starting point."
Hm... Shuichi's not exactly the type to word his envies... The blonde thought with a sweatdrop. This always made it difficult for her to come up with good gift ideas for Shuichi. And every time she offered him something, he would ramble about how she shouldn't have bought him anything (while always getting her the best presents in history, of course...). "Well, he hasn't told me about any he'd like to read, but... he did tell me what his favorite one was."
"Interesting... Is there any chance you remember what book this was, Miss?"
"Yes!" Kaede said enthusiastically, recalling that specific conversation with the Ultimate Detective with absolute precision. "He said it was The Bound of the Maskervilles by Arnold Canon Dogle!"
There... was a moment of silence between the two women. The bookseller gave Kaede a surprised (perhaps even shocked) look. After some time, the pianist wondered if something was wrong with what she had just said.
"I-Is something wrong...?"
"Well... I think you... may have been referring to The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle," the old lady said, unable to hide her amusement. Kaede's eyes widened, and she immediately wanted to jump through the window out of embarrassment. "In any case, it appears today is your lucky day, Miss!"
Not after embarrassing myself like this, no... She thought, once again wanting to slap herself, ten times harder this time. "H-How do you mean...?"
"If you would follow me," the old lady said. Kaede nodded and walked behind her at a leisurely pace. They eventually reached the storage room and went in. It was pretty dusty but otherwise well-organized. "We received a special reprint of Sir Conan Doyle's work today. It is a limited edition that notably contains unique artwork drawn by the author," she explained. "We initially planned to put it on display starting tomorrow, but considering the situation, I don't mind selling it to you today."
Kaede's face lit up at the lady's words. Things were looking up now! "R-Really?! Y-You would do that for me?!"
"Of course!"
"Oh, thank you so much!"
The bookseller smiled as Kaede beamed. "Give me a moment to retrieve the book. You can wait for me at the counter if you want."
"Alright! Thanks again!"
Contently, the Ultimate Pianist walked out of the storage room and back inside the store. A few customers glanced at her curiously, most likely surprised by her excited demeanor. To be honest, Kaede now considered herself lucky. After all, stumbling upon a limited reprint of Shuichi's favorite book today of all days was a pretty fortunate coincidence.
I'm sure he's going to love it! Kaede thought, an infectious smile on her lips. She waited for the old lady to return for a few minutes, trying to imagine her boyfriend's reaction once he got his hands on the book.
"Thank you for waiting," she said, walking behind the counter, book in hand. This gave Kaede a chance to inspect it. The cover was quite beautiful. "I... forgot to say, but given this is a special edition, this book is rather pricy."
"Nah, that's okay, don't worry. My sweetheart's worth more than billions of yen, believe me," Kaede told her, taking her credit card out of her purse. "How much do I owe you?"
The bookseller chuckled. "It'll be 100,000 yen, please."
And this is where I'm grateful to be a worldwide-known pianist... Kaede thought ironically, inserting her credit card inside the terminal and typing in the code. "There."
"Thank you. I can gift wrap it for you if you want," the lady suggested.
"Oh, please!"
"Very well." With skilled hands, the bookseller wrapped the book in a cute-looking gift wrap with a magnifying glass pattern and dark blue background. Kaede smiled at how fitting it was for her boyfriend. After a minute, the gift was adequately wrapped, just waiting to be offered. "There you go, Miss."
"Thanks a lot! Have a nice day!"
Kaede put the present inside her bag and left the shop as the elderly woman smiled benevolently at her. Now, she just needed to wait a few more days to witness Shuichi's reaction, which promised to be interesting.
"Happy anniversary, Kaede."
"Aww, this is so cute! I love it, Shuichi!" Kaede stared with love-filled eyes at the gift in her hands. Shuichi had bought her a lovely necklace with a shiny musical note jewel. "Thank you so much!"
The detective's cheeks turned pink. "Y-You're welcome, Kaede... I-It's only natural..."
You're so sweet, you know that...? "Your turn now, Mister Saihara!" the Ultimate Pianist said, taking the present she had bought for him from her purse. "For my handsome boyfriend, who I love more than anyone else in the whole wide world!"
She handed him the small package with a charming smile, causing his blush to darken. Shuichi accepted it with irresolute hands. "Y-You shouldn't have, Kaede..."
Kaede pouted. "I-It's only natural..." she said, impersonating her lover's shy voice from a moment ago. "Come on, Shuichi! As long as I live, you'll get your anniversary present every year without fail!" she promised.
"T-Thanks..." Cutely hesitant, the dark-haired detective tore open the gift wrap, ensuring he didn't make a mess of it. Once he saw the cover, he gasped, staring at his girlfriend with disbelieving eyes. "K-Kaede!"
"Heh heh..."
"Y-You shouldn't have! T-This must have cost you a fortune!" Shuichi complained, although deep inside, his heart was warming up from the gesture. "I-I don't deserve you..."
"I take it you like your present?" Kaede teased. She loved that reaction. It seemed she had hit the nail on the head with that idea.
It was Shuichi's turn to pout. "O-Of course I like it! This is a fantastic present, Kaede! It's my favorite book! And this reprint looks gorgeous! Y-You really shouldn't have!"
If only you knew how I humiliated myself the other day to get it... Kaede thought, deciding this was a story better left unspoken. The pianist smiled proudly, happy she could mark this year in the 'successful gift' column once more.
Kaede was caught by surprise when Shuichi stood up and kissed her. It wasn't a hungry kiss in the slightest; rather a sweet one. The pianist smiled against his lips, softly caressing his hair. They kissed for a few moments before she eventually pulled away.
"Well, here's to another year of love, right?"
The End.
A.N: I hope you liked this short entry! Please leave a review, and I hope you all have a nice day!