Bookshelves.

2006/12/10 14:25

It was two years ago that I met Y-ko.

She was my boss at the job I was working at the time.

I was a student, and I had no idea what I was doing.

In order to learn how to do my job properly,

I had no choice but to speak with her regularly in the workplace.

After a time, we ended up becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.

It turned out she was a fujoshi.

Not only that, but a hidden fujoshi, one who didn’t show any inkling of her nature around other people…

But as a general rule, she never hides this around me.

In fact…

It seems more like she’s intent on dragging me down that path with her.

… And I’ll be honest.

It’s slowly but surely seeping into me.

This story is from a day when she came to visit me at my house.

At my house.

Y-ko stares intently at my bookshelf.

ME:	… What are you looking at?
Y-KO:	Hmm? Oh, I was just checking to see if My Girlfriend’s a Geek is really in here.
ME:	… Didn’t I tell you I would put it on my shelf?
Y-KO:	Yeah. Well, at least you’re a bit more otaku-ish now.
	Of course, you’ve got a long way to go.
ME:	… Long way to go?
Y-KO:	I mean, come on.
	Shouldn’t a normal college student’s bookshelf have way more manga on it?
ME:	That’s quite a weird stereotype to hold…
Y-KO:	Where’s the Strawberry 100% and the Love Hina and the Negima?
ME:	That’s ridiculous! Where do you get these ideas?

Those are all manga that have a ton of girls in them!

If you were going to imagine a college student’s bookshelf packed full of manga, at least throw out some titles like Dragon Ball or Slam Dunk!

Y-KO:	And all these novels… Haruki Murakami and Takayoshi Honda.
	I know they’re good and all… but don’t you have anything a bit studentlike?
ME:	Well, I do have Twelve Kingdoms… and Angel’s Egg. They made a movie out of that.
Y-KO:	That’s not what I mean! I’m saying, throw some light novels in there!
	The kind of stuff I can read when you’re too busy cooking to pay attention to me!

Light novels…? Oh, those young adult novels.

True, Y-ko strikes me as more of a NisiOisin person than Yuka Murayama.

And come on, Y-ko.

ME:	… And there’s no option for helping me cook…?
Y-KO:	How can I? Your kitchen’s too small.
ME:	Okay, good point…

So, you would help if it was bigger?

Then why am I always the only one cooking at your place, too?!

… Of course, being a student, I’ve got a lot more free time to spend cooking than Y-ko.

Y-KO:	I mean, like the Haruhi Suzumiya series.
	I want you to get light novels that I would like.
ME:	Oh, I was thinking of buying that. It sounds like it’s a huge hit.
Y-KO:	Really?!
ME:	Yes, I actually went to the bookstore to buy it.
Y-KO:	So did you buy it!? I… I don’t see it on your shelf.
ME:	The first volume was sold out, so I couldn’t.
	So I bought a different book instead.

Haruhi sure is popular.

It makes me jealous.

Y-KO:	Hmm… So what did you buy instead of Haruhi? The Zaregoto series?
	Or maybe a BL novel? Heh-heh, then I’d forgive you.
ME:	Let’s see… It was… aha. Here it is.

* Zaregoto series: NisiOisin’s debut work, starting with the Kubikiri Cycle (winner of Kodansha’s Mephisto Award). Spans nine works collected into six titles.

I pulled out the book I bought on that trip and handed it to Y-ko.

Y-KO:	Hmm, let’s see…
ME:	It’s pretty good. Want to borrow it?
Y-KO:	… The Definitive How to Truly Understand Economic Analysis…?
ME:	Yep. I found the concept of net-operating profit to be really interesting.
Y-KO:	Okay… but what happened to the light novels?! This is a textbook!!
	How can you possibly consider this to be a replacement for Haruhi?!
ME:	Well, that kind of depends on how you see it.
	Think of it as a light novel. You’ll burn through it in no time.
Y-KO:	No I won’t! And how can you put light novels and textbooks on the same level?!
ME:	That’s a strange question… Anyways, this is all thanks to you.
	If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have discovered the option of buying light novels.

That and this isn’t a textbook.

If anything, it’s a how-to book.

Y-KO:

… Are you saying that if you weren’t going out with me, you wouldn’t even have considered the choice of light novels?!

It’s not the “reading” part as much as the “buying” part…

… Yeah, I’m guessing I wouldn’t.

So it does all come down to her influence.

ME:	Yeah, I guess that’s right…
Y-KO:	And when you buy books, you would have always bought books like this?!
	Y-you’ve gotta be joking!!

Y-KO:	And of all things, net-operating profit?!
	—I’ve got it!
	You’re into that net-operating profit moe, aren’t you?!
	If you’re getting turned on by abstract concepts, then there’s nothing left for me to teach!
ME:	Don’t talk about that like it’s some natural conclusion!!
	It’s not like I have some kind of extraordinary sexual taste!!
Y-KO:	Oh, really? Too bad…

	I guess we’ll just have to work on developing that together!!
ME:	Uh, would you stop trying to run in the wrong direction?!

… Answer me.

—To exactly what kind of world are you trying to take me?!