Shikamaru woke up from his alarm and his half-opened eyes glared at the clock on the table beside his bed.
"7 am? I cannot believe I'll wake up at 7 am on Saturday" He exhaled and starts getting out of his bed. His feet still feel numb from his sleep and his vision was blurred following the path outside his bedroom. He wanted to throw himself back into his bed.
He meets his mother in the kitchen and his senses began to surge in his body. Yoshino cocked an eyebrow at his son, she was curious why he was up this early on Saturday morning.
"Where are you going? Why are you up this early?"
"Uhm..I-I Have school works" He lied, Shikamaru knows he will undergo a deadly battle if he revealed to her the penalty that the school gave to him.
"School works? On Saturday?" She shrieked.
"Uhm yeah, I need to add some school work for my college application. Besides, I'll just for like 4 Saturdays" His cold sweats began forming in his temples.
"Alright, just make sure to grab breakfast before going" she said while giving him an icy stare.
Shikamaru wore his black turtle neck long sleeves and dark pants then he rushed his way outside their house. He reached his school at around 8:20 am, Temari was waiting outside the principal's office waiting for him. She was wearing a shirt, hoodie, and jeans. It's not the usual short skirt and fitted blouse she was wearing at school. Although, her face still has loud and thick makeup.
"You're late!" she said while tapping her feet on the ground with crossed arms.
"Troublesome, you're lucky I was able to get out of my bed today. You robbed me of my Saturday self-time" Shikamaru replied while reaching the door, and attempting to knock.
The door opened on their third knock and Shizune welcomes them.
"Finally! You're both here. Come inside" She assists the two inside and offers them a seat. She reached for the folder on one of their shelves and pull the paper inside, she hands it to Shikamaru.
"What is this?" He asked, Temari peeked at the paper he was holding.
"That's your task for today. We actually have a little problem with the suppliers of books for our library. These are the list of books that we need for the inventory. Please find a copy in the bookstore"
The two read the list of books written on a short white paper.
From: Konoha book distributor
Message: Apologies, the books listed below were out of stock.
The Adolescent - Fyodor Dostoevsky
From The City, From The Plough By Alexander Baron
The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar - Edgar Allan Poe
Hard-Boiled Wonderland & End Of The World - Haruki Murakami
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
"Alright, is that all Lady Shizune? If we complete this one that means we can go home after?" Temari asked
"Yup, sure! That'll be all for today. I hope you could find an available copy of these"
"That's easy" Shikamaru chuckled.
They walked their way out of the campus, the two were silent while walking. Temari didn't want to talk to him or even attempt to talk, she was still mad about the situation they were in right now. And the fact that her father was mad because of the incident. She follows the path outside the gate when Shikamaru called her.
"Where are you going?" He spoke.
"Uhm outside? Going to the bookstore? Where do you think I'll go?"
"Get your ass here woman, I'm driving us to the bookstore" Shikamaru commands her, he saw Temari's eyes rolling at him while walking.
When they reached his car, Shikamaru offers her the front seat while he positions himself in the driver's seat. They were still silent during the trip.
The first bookstore they went was the oldest in Konoha, they saw the floor-to-ceiling books, hanging old posters, and succulents in each corner. Inside smelled coffee and old dusty books. They were able to purchase the three books on the list, The Adolescent by Fyodor Dostoevsky, From The City, From The Plough By Alexander Baron, and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.
The second bookstore was modern and posh, they were greeted with cold air from the AC system. Shelves were filled with books, comics, mangas, and board games. This time, they were able to purchase two books on the list, The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe and Hard-Boiled Wonderland & End Of The World by Haruki Murakami.
The last one was hard to find, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
They went to four different bookstores but failed to find a copy. Shikamaru and Temari were now frustrated. It was already 12:30 noon when they decided to stop by for a lunch. After eating, they proceed to go to the last bookstore.
"Okay this is the last one" Shikamaru said while pushing the door of the bookstore. They were greeted with different paintings displayed on each wall, vinyl records on separate shelve, antique toys displayed in a glass cabinet, and books on the other side of the room.
Temari widened her eyes when she saw the book displayed in a glass cabinet, a hardcover with gold paint detailed on the leaf-bearing the title Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
"This is what we're looking for!" Temari place her palms on the cold glass panel and Shikamaru walked beside her. He turns around to look for someone who can assist and an old woman walked in front of them.
"Uhm, Hi. We would like to get that one" Shikamaru placed his fingers on the glass, pointing at the book.
"Oh sorry, that's a display. We're not selling this one" The old lady responds.
Shikamaru and Temari gasped and spilled "Huh?" in unison.
"Why? I'm sorry but we need that. Do you have any copy?" Shikamaru frustratedly asked.
"Well, we have a delivery at around 3 pm. I think we order 3 copies of softbound of it. Are you willing to wait for it?"
"Yes! We only need one" Temari exclaimed.
"Alright, I'll reserve one for you. Want to stroll around our shop while waiting?" The old lady offered.
"Yeah of course, you have a cozy and homey store. Thank you" Temari answered, she returned her gaze to the glass panel, looking at the book.
The lady gave them a smile, bid farewell then returned to her previous position. Shikamaru observed Temari, it was his first time seeing her fascinated by one thing.
"Excited?" He said while raising one of his brows.
"What?" She replied with a sassy look.
"You're looking at it too much"
She returns her stare at the book "Have you read this one? It's a work of art!"
"You like that one? Typical, you love novels that are scandalous"
"Huh!? You just don't know how to appreciate a well-written novel, I forgot you're still a kid"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes "Tell me about it, what do you see about that book?" He was curious and saw her now in a different light.
"I like Tolstoy's writing, he's brave, realistic, how he portrays the characters, and how's provocative his novels were"
"Yeah, He's very much like you provocative, and is it that novel about adultery?"
"Do you want me to continue? Or do you just want to mock me?"
"Continue" He clears his breath, Shikamaru was now interested in what she was saying.
"And you're correct, it's about adultery. But people fail to recognize that it's more about what happiness is and what's the true meaning of living" She stated.
"I thought it's about morality?" Shikamaru spilled some words to initiate a discussion, see if she could bite, and peek more at how she viewed it.
"Morality changed over time you know, what's right before could be wrong by now. Finding your true happiness and how you want to live without the idea of morality will make it more, human"
"So, you agree with her? Leaving her husband and escaping with her younger lover?" He asked
"I didn't say I agree with her but I understand her situation. See? You see her as worst by cheating on her husband but failed to recognize that her brother also cheated on his wife. You men view it differently when it comes to women committing adultery"
She's smart. Shikamaru said in his mind. Temari caught his attention now.
"You're right, who are we to judge her? Leave the sins to the sinners"
There's a sudden silence after his statement.
"Do you think Vronksy really loved Anna?" Temari turned her head at him with a curious gaze, her teal eyes prying for an answer.
"Her younger lover?"
"Yeah, I mean. All the sacrifices she made, she's not the only one to be blamed"
"It—It's actually not stated but I think Tolstoy wanted to leave it to the reader's imagination"
Her eyes were still focused on him, observing, and digesting what he said. Shikamaru felt nervous and a cold sensation touched his body. He scratched the back of his head to remove all the tension.
"But you failed to see another story in that novel" he said
"Huh? What story?"
"Konstantin Levin and his sacrifices in order to marry the one he truly loved. It's a good contrast between the downfall of Anna's marriage and the rise of Levin's journey in marriage"
She returned her gaze to the book. How can she have missed that? Levin is a side character but Shikamaru was right, it showed in the novel the two contrast of marriage.
"I guess you only focused on your Female protagonist and failed to recognize that there's a man in the story that is willing to sacrifice to get what he wanted. And he treated his wife Kitty so much better, better than Vronsky did to Anna"
Temari chuckles, she's amazed how Shikamaru catches that in the novel. "You're right"
It was Shikamaru's first time seeing her smile, something inside him was churning. He was trying to shake it off.
"Are you always like this? I didn't know you were this smart?" He asked
"What? Do you always see me as a dumb bitch on campus!? Did you really hate me that much?"
Shikamaru snorted and start walking to the other side of the store, hiding his smile.
They both walked outside the bookstore with one copy in hand for the school and another copy for Temari, she decided to re-read it again after what Shikamaru shared that she failed to recognize.