Maybe the Bookstore Has Answers?

I did wake up the next morning, thankfully. As for what I woke up to…

“Oh crud.”

A rather specific talisman weighed down my hand. You guessed it. The same talisman that I needed to keep on Peko. Why I needed to, I was clueless, but I slapped it back on anyway. Peko’s height made it somewhat harder than I last recalled.

Fortunately, a good amount of extra rice, extra plasters, and a bandage around Peko’s head seemed to keep it secure enough. My breakfast, on the other hand, ended up somewhat lighter than normal. Odd, I thought I left the fish bones on the side of the plate, but I found no bones when I went to clear the table.

Probably just lucky that today’s fish lacked any bones. Odd that I bought a fish without a head since I love eating the heads. My parents always told me that fish heads made you smarter. I suppose fish do need bones to have a head.

After washing the dishes, I changed into my librarian uniform and doubled checked that Peko’s talisman was secure. My library had practical uniform rules and my summer set were cool enough to wear even in the heat and they could be stylish enough to wear while going out, which really helped when you need to save money for books. Some people found it hard to identify who was a librarian as a result though, especially on days where we forgot to coordinate. For today, we agreed on a black skirt, a beige cardigan, and a pastel green blouse.

“Peko, be good and stay here while I go to work, okay? I’ll be back in the evening to play with you some more.”

I said my goodbye to Peko before grabbing my purse and making it out the door. It was only a single subway stop away, so I decided to walk today since I ended up waking up early. I needed some exercise anyway and the extra time

Passing by the bookstore, I stopped and looked to see if the owner happened to be in. Once I spotted him, I tapped on the window and waved. Although the store wasn’t open yet, the owner knew me well enough to let me in outside of the normal hours. The bell rang as the door opened.

“Ayaka, you are early today. How was your birthday?”

“Morning Grampa, it was great. I bought a pet, but I don’t know what it is, so I thought I’d see if you had any books that included unusual animals.”

Grampa Keiichi sometimes kept some rare books in the back room, so while I looked around the room for any new titles, I glanced at Grampa a few times to gauge his reaction. He appeared to be deep in thought for some time before he nodded.

“Yes, I do believe I may have some books on unusual creatures in the back. Feel free to take a look. You know the spot.”

“Thank you, Grampa.”

I gave a quick bow of thanks before heading to the back where plenty of tomes and handwritten books sat neatly on shelves, carefully placed to preserve their structure. A few stacks of books laid on the table in the center of the room. The air seemed somewhat musty, so I’d have to stop by this weekend and do some airing out of the room.

Looking at the shelves, I saw nothing that would help, so I looked to the table. After flipping through all the animal-related books, I found nothing. Not even a single book mentioned anything even remotely similar to Peko. As I turned to leave, my cardigan caught on the edge of a book. I managed to catch the book, but it really was a close call.

Maybe it was fate or the whims of some greater power, but I decided to open up the book. A book on cosmic horrors might not have what I wanted to read about, but I never read this book before. A few pages in, I happened to find exactly what I wanted to.

“I dare not write the true name lest someone mistakenly summon this entity, the Harbinger of the End Times, into our world. I will henceforth propose we use Nyesh when we must refer to this entity by name. This entity is responsible for the destruction of more worlds than there are stars in the sky.

“It is believed that in recent times, a grand magus of another world managed to seal this entity away in exchange for their life. The harbinger has not been seen since, but should the seal ever fail, we may very well see more worlds as casualties to the inevitable demise this entity brings.”

That seemed quite awful, but that didn’t sound like my Peko at all. My Peko was so sweet and kind and I couldn’t imagine him being otherwise. That wasn’t what I was concerned about though. Just how does one take care of these harbinger things? Ah, there was a section.

“Stories are told that the only way to delay the untimely oblivion of any world plagued by this entity is through sacrifice. This entity will consume anything that is offered. So long as the population can produce sufficient sustenance to satisfy this entity, that world and many others may be granted a stay of execution. If a sacrifice cannot be provided in a timely manner, those responsible for the care of the entity must gather items for consumption, whether organic or not.”

It seemed that I could feed Peko just about anything then. In that case, I could continue to just make a meal for two and eat with Peko. I decided to take the book out to the register where Grampa was waiting.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

“I believe so. I wanted to read a little more though, so I thought I’d buy it. You can hold onto it until this evening, right?”

“Yes, that is fine—”

As I handed the book over, Grampa paused and stared at the title for a few seconds. I noticed his eyes narrow before shifting his gaze from the book to me.

“Ayaka, which page did you find your answer on?”

“Around… I think here.”

“Is that so? Ayaka, come straight here after work. Don’t worry about bringing any money, just be certain you are here tonight.”

“Okay Grampa, I’ll see you then.”

I bowed and left the store, the bell chiming as I left. I stopped for a moment to enjoy the breeze. I’d be off to work now.