Chapter 4

Even though I had memorized Nagito's face from a brief look at his profile, the sight of him still made my breath hitch and muscles stiffen. He wore a small, placed smile on his pale face under dull green eyes – his wild hair noticeably white and curly at the tips. His clothes were simple, yet looked expensive: a beige trench coat on top of a black turtleneck was enough to tell me this man had money. Despite the freezing air, my cheeks began to redden and heat as I stared, transfixed, on drinking in every detail of his face. As he came closer to the window, I noticed a few wisps of brown on the tips of his hair, as if the white had only recently grown in.

"Uh, hello?" A loud tapping on the window woke me from my daydream, stumbling slightly as Nagito's face appeared directly in front of me. "Can I help you sir?" he said, slightly muffled. His usual smile became questioning as I managed to stammer out a few words.

"Oh, err…j-just looking, sorry," He suddenly looked concerned.

"It's freezing out there! Please, allow me to invite you inside my store so you can warm up," he then disappeared from view. Surprised at his kindness, I graciously opened the door leading inside. A flood of warmth filled my body inside and out, shocked at how I never realised just how cold I was. I looked sideways to see Nagito bowing graciously to me, that smile never once leaving his face. Somehow, this comforted me. His eyes traced down to my shaking lips, instantly coming closer to me and placing an equally cold hand onto my forehead. Flinching away from this sudden contact, Nagito crossed his arms.

"You don't appear to have a fever, but you really need to be more careful in this weather," he said, "And, ah, I'm sorry if I crossed a boundary by feeling your temperature – my customers experience comes first at Hope's Peak," I forced a small laugh.

"No it's fine, I shouldn't' have been so careless," I paused, suddenly seeing an 'Help Wanted' sign out of the corner of my eye. That was one way I could get closer to him, I suppose.

"Actually, I'm here for the job I saw advertised," Joy and surprise gleamed in his eyes.

"Oh, how wonderful! I've already had two girls come in here saying they saw the offer too, so this is far more than I expected," He extended his hand. "My name's Nagito Komaeda, the owner," I took off my glove, our skin colliding for the second time that day.

"Hajime Hinata. I've just moved here, actually," An emotion I couldn't quite read shone in his eyes, then as soon as it came, it disappeared.

"A pleasure to meet you, Hajime. Now, I have to ask this, but have you worked in a bookshop before?" I shook my head, silently praying he doesn't ask any more questions about my job history.

"Ah, I see. Well that's fine," He beckoned for me to follow him, travelling up a few small steps and into an 'employees only' room at the back of the shop.

"This is where we get the new shipments of books. You're main task is to restock or find the books when the customers ask for them, ok? It's a simple task for such a small shop like mine," He laughed slightly, beginning to step towards the door.

"Sorry if this sounds strange," I lay a hand on his shoulder, "But aren't you rushing into this a bit? I mean, you don't even know anything about me…" I trailed off, embarrassed. When I met his eyes again, he had a dumbfounded expression on his face, eyebrows turned up.

"That doesn't matter, does it?" Nagito smiled, "I can trust you, I think," At those few words, I felt my entire body stiffen, suddenly feeling that overwhelming nausea from earlier. I can trust you. Such powerful words to use for someone you've only just met. An assassin like me had learned to never trust anyone – so much so the word felt foreign on my tongue. And yet, the very man I was to kill said the word so freely, so carelessly, that I couldn't help but wonder why the boss wanted him dead. Of course, I hadn't asked any questions. I'd learnt to keep my lips tightly sealed.

"Well…I'll show you the rest of the shop, which isn't much, and the cash register, of course…" As Nagito carried on talking in that soft, cheery voice of his, I followed with blind complacency round the shop. It was small yet quaint with a certain calmness radiating through it. There were a few seats – even a sofa – dotted around the place, with rows and rows of bookshelves lined up round the walls and in the store. The paint was glossy and fresh; almost as if it were new, I could still smell that slight tinge in the air that I had always loved. It reminded me of the little amount of childhood I had when I was with my parents – the constant moving house, the new painting…

"And that's basically all of it. I'm glad you've picked everything up so quickly, Hinata," As Nagito turned back around to face me, I raised an awkward hand and scratched the back of my neck.

"Aha, thanks," I paused, "When do I start, then?" Nagito pulled out a small-looking diary from the back of his pocket and flicked through the pages. In careful, precise actions, he tucked the diary away and rolled up his sleeve to look at his watch – coloured a deep silver that gleamed under the yellow lights.

"Well, I have Chiaki and Sonia coming in tomorrow, so would you like to start with them? Then you three can help each other out if you wish," Komaeda said. I nodded quickly, pleased to be having something to do instead of mindlessly wondering around the town.

"Yes, thank you so much," I replied, suddenly feeling giddy. "I'm sure it will be great," Nagito's usual smile grew even bigger.

"I'm sorry this job couldn't be more fulfilling for you. I can see that you are a man of great talent…you deserve a job that allows your true potential to shine, Hinata," although Nagito's smile stayed, his eyes now glimmered strangely – almost as if hope and despair had been crudely mixed together. The sight of him thinking like this took me aback; the Nagito that stood before me now was nothing like the one earlier. However, even though his face shocked me, his words had once again shocked me even more. 'I can see that you are a man of great talent' – I almost laughed. As if I hadn't been thinking the exact opposite my entire life.

But he had still said it. Believed it, even. As Nagito began apologising for his sudden words, I couldn't shake the bemused expression stitched into my face. Just who was this guy? At first glance he seemed perfectly cheery and normal. But then that was that face…and those heartfelt words that shook my entire being to the core.

Whoever this guy was, he wasn't to be messed with. I sighed deeply. And yet…I was to kill him. The realisation came to me again, but this time, I wasn't as confident that I could indeed end his life as I was instructed. But if I couldn't, it would be my life that would be taken away. That was my harsh reality – and that was how it would stay.