What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

Thirty-five-year-old Ryo Urase found a silver spoon at the antique shop Enmokuya when he was in high school. He was taken by the spoon and decided to buy it, even though it was expensive and he didn’t need it. After this first visit, Ryo started frequenting the shop and became friendly with the owner, Mr. Ebigawa. Mr. Ebigawa taught him about antiques, and Enmokuya gave him a place to go when he felt stressed out at home. He liked imagining the past lives of all the objects at the store and became “infatuated with the antique world” (63). After high school, Enmokuya closed as Mr. Ebigawa unexpectedly disappeared. Ryo told himself he would open an antique store of his own some day in the future, but years later, Ryo still doesn’t have his store.

Ryo has been working as an accountant for a furniture manufacturer since he finished university. His boss, Mr. Taguchi, often asks him out for after-work drinks, but Ryo always declines because he prefers to spend time with his girlfriend, Hina. He also works long days, as he’s frequently picking up his coworkers’ slack. He wishes he could quit the job and open his shop, but he doesn’t have enough savings and can’t imagine where to begin.