Bonus Story: All-Ages, No Problems

Bonus Story: All-Ages, No Problems

Bonus Story:

All-Ages, No Problems

S EIBUNKAN. FLAGSHIP STORE. A YOUNG GIRL STOOD uneasily before one of the shelves, keenly aware of every pair of eyes that might see her. She looked about high school age, and it had taken a lot to get her to stop pacing back and forth. Now, her objective was within grasp.

She stared hard at the spine. Unmoving. Then, resolved, at last she raised her hand.

“School setting. Good taste.”

Basori Tiara, first-year of Tsuwabuki High School, nearly jumped out of her own skin. It was a miracle she hadn’t shrieked. “Ts-Tsukinoki…san? Wh-what are you doing here?”

“I’m something of a regular. To this shelf specifically.” The third-year sported a knowing grin as she rested her hand on Tiara’s back. She glanced at the spine she’d been eyeing. “I think you and I’ll make good friends. Got a favorite yet?”

“I-I wasn’t…! I-I was just passing through!”

“Life’s a journey. We’re all just passing through something or other. This what you had your eye on?”

Tiara grabbed Koto’s hand before it could get far. “My interest is purely out of curiosity! I have no intention of reading this… This smut !” she rambled, blue in the face. “Tsuwabuki students ought to hold themselves to higher standards!”

“Fiction’s fiction. Consume as you please, think of it however you want. That’s the best part. No one can tell you how to feel. Also, I wouldn’t call this smut. This is the all-ages section.”

“All-ages?”

Koto nodded, her smirk unflinching. “All roads lead to the officially published stuff, when it comes to BL. What you can’t get in fanwork, you get here.”

“These are different from doujinshi?”

“Doujin’s fanwork, so it comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes your top’ll be a bottom, or it just won’t be your ship. Fanfiction’s a never-ending war, and it can be a dangerous place. Official stuff, though? That’s always safe. So long as you have a favorite author, you always have a home to come back to.”

With practiced motions, Koto pulled a novel off the shelf and handed it to Tiara. The title read, “Student Council Honey Trap ~The Icy President’s Sweet Nothings~.”

“That one’s about a frigid student council president who everyone calls ‘the Emperor,’ but in a man’s arms? Melts like a popsicle.”

“Like a…popsicle.” Tiara gulped. Trembling, she accepted.

“You’re into that kinda thing, huh?”

“What?! N- no !” she spat. “Wh-what could have possibly given you that impression?!”

Koto stopped her as she went to hurriedly return the book to its place. “What you need, Basori-san, is your holy grail. Your masterwork. That perfect piece where everything works. No bad vibes. No iffy nuances. Find it, and a world of beauty beyond imagining awaits.”

“Beyond imagining…?” Tiara gasped. “B-but who says this is going to be the one?!”

“In my expert opinion, you stan bottoms. Maybe just domination in general. If that particular novel’s not your speed, you’ll find more perfect-boy-bottoms in school settings around here.” Koto instantly provided many such volumes. “Here. To get you started.”

“U-um…”

“Would you prefer fantasy? Working adults? Voracious. I can respect that. Lemme see what I can do.”

Utterly terrified at how readily Koto started to gather yet more books, Tiara shook her head. “Th-the one will do, thank you!”

And then she bowed and hurried to the register, but quickly returned.

“Forget something?”

“Shikiya-senpai was, um, toying with the idea of a board game night a little while ago.”

“Yeah? Sounds fun.”

“I was just wondering if you’d be, er—once studying isn’t your priority, I mean—if you’d be interested in joining!”

Koto blinked in shock, but quickly recovered and smiled. “You know, that could be fun once I finally get a chance to breathe. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it! Anyway, that’s all!”

Quickly snatching one more book off the shelf, Tiara darted away again.

Koto watched her shyly check out at the counter, her head on a swivel. It reminded her of herself from a time long gone. “One of us.”