Antique Shop?BEAR? - Chapter 41
Chapter 41 – Tortoiseshell Sunglasses
August 31st
On that day, Aiba Takashi had visited Kuma’s antique shop by himself after having a drink with his junior colleague, Hayashi Nozomi, a clerk at Kamata Estate Liquidation Company. Although it was a short walk from Hosho Station to the shop, he was drenched in sweat from the lingering heat as he made his way, and was completely sober.
The street in front of Hosho Station was quiet, and from the river, one could hear the chirping of insects and the croaking of frogs. Relying on the store’s business card that Kuma provided him, he followed the stone pavement between a liquor store and a coffee shop and arrived at a small antique shop. It was a small and stylish store. Aiba slowly turned the doorknob while observing the interior through the window, and flashed a smile at Kuma in front of the cash register.
“Good evening.”
“Aiba! Welcome.”
Kuma was preparing for the opening of the store, wiping down the cash register counter.
“Congratulations on the opening.”
“Thank you.”
Aiba glanced around the interior. “It’s quite a stylish place.”
“It was originally a coffee shop specializing in take-out, so I’m glad I was able to make the most of the small space. If the store was wider, it would have been difficult to renovate.”
Kuma took a seat behind the cash register. He was dressed in a dark green kimono, creating a strikingly different impression than usual. The interior of the shop had nothing but shelves, a cash register, and chairs, without any interior decorations, but the warm-colored lights added a glow to the store.
“Did you do the remodeling yourself?”
“No, just a coat of paint.”
“I see.”
Aiba shifted his eyes to the shelf. “Oh, some of these look familiar.”
“I bought most of them on the job.”
“Today I wanted to give something to Hayashi for the anniversary of her sister’s death and another thing for myself…”
Kuma stood up and approached Aiba.
“I see. As I recall, a few years ago…”
“Yeah.”
Aiba took out a box of flower candles, and candles from the shelf.
“How about this one? It’s a scented candle made from a flower called Angraecum, and it has a candle in it.”
“I wonder if scented candles will be a problem. Some people don’t put such things on their altars, right?”
“Angraecum is also used as a Buddhist flower, and there’s a candle in it, so I think it’s all good. This is brand new.”
“Well. I think I’ll take it. And as for me.” Aiba studied the shelves intently. “The sunglasses that you purchased before. Is it available?”
“Oh… that. Wait for me at the register.”
Kuma headed to the back of the store, separated by a curtain, and appeared with a case of glasses.
“Is this the one?”
Opening the glasses case, a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses was revealed. This pair of sunglasses was made of precious genuine tortoiseshell and the lenses were a very light brown gradation.
“This is it! But the shape doesn’t look the same as when you purchased it…”
“The earpiece was slightly cracked and the lens was broken. So I bought it, removed the thin earpieces, and replaced the lenses.”
“I see.”
” It originally belonged to a wealthy owner, so it had thick round lenses on thick earpieces.”
“How much?”
“30,000 yen. They’re kind of high-end sunglasses…”
“Kuma, do you know how much tortoiseshell glasses cost?”
“Of course.”
“The regular price is 300,000. Even if they’re used, they’re still worth a lot… This is too cheap…”
“Thank you very much. How about 30,000 yen with the candle?”
“I appreciate it!”
Kuma carefully wrapped it up with a warranty card.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be back. Good work.”
Aiba returned to the road he had taken and started on his way home.
Once Aiba left the store, he took the last train home. His hobby was to collect glasses and sunglasses, and his collection was rather vast, to say that he had bought all kinds of brand-name items would be an understatement. He immediately put the tortoiseshell sunglasses on the glasses rack in the walk-in closet.
“This is nice.”
The unique texture of the tortoiseshell earpiece was aesthetic, the round lenses were thin, and the color gradation was radiant. The result was something much more luxurious than he had anticipated and he was very satisfied. Aiba moved into the living room with his sunglasses on and lay down on the sofa. When he closed his eyes, he could picture Hayashi at the pub. She was a strong drinker, but at the end of the day, she was so cute, red-faced and tipsy. He walked her home, but parted ways in front of the entrance, acting like a gentleman.
“I couldn’t say anything else today too…”
That was when he abruptly opened his eyes. Someone had stepped into the room and startled him. The room was soundless with no sign of anyone else in it. He took off his sunglasses and inspected the room, but found nobody there.
“Did I imagine that…”
It was when he put his sunglasses back on again. On the right side of the glass, a small reflection of someone could be discerned.
“Eek…!”
Upon closer inspection, the reflection was of himself. Relieved that it was a reflection, he realized that he was staring blankly at himself in the mirror with vacant pupils. Also, he was wearing the uniform from his high school days.
“…!”
Aiba hastily removed his sunglasses and examined the glass, but all he saw was a faint reflection of the room.