Chapter 5

Wednesday afternoon, from two to four. The time after lunch but before dinner had the occasional guest wander in, but nothing his sister couldn’t handle. While it was Amaya who hired her to work at Starbeach, Kenji also needed occasional help in running his shop.

“Since the cafe isn’t crowded, I’ll teach you how to run the shop.”

Tsukiko stood before him, mimicking a salute. “Yes, Captain!”

“So, how much do you know about it?”

“Not the slightest bit, Captain!”

“Weren’t you supposed to inherit this place?” Kenji asked, perplexed. He thought Tsukiko would at least do a bit of research.

“My grandfather probably forgot that I suck at business, Captain!”

Tsukiko acted weird, but Kenji figured out the reason immediately.

“Did my sister say something weird last night?”

“Umm, no-”

“What did my sister say last night?”

Tsukiko got her own room, but he saw Amaya barging into Tsukiko’s room last night. The two must have talked about something.

“... She said you like being treated as the boss-”

“That girl…” Kenji clicked his tongue. “Anything else?”

“And you… used to fantasize about owning a warship… even calling your boat the SS Wingwinger.”

“Please ignore everything she said,” he sighed. Her sister could be really annoying sometimes.

“So… you don’t call your ship Wingwinger? I thought that was a ridiculous name.”

“That’s the part you found most unbelievable?” He didn’t even have a ship in the first place.

And while he, admittedly, found the idea intriguing, he had no plans or money to buy one. He wouldn’t know what to use it for in the first place. Fishing?

Kenji massaged his forehead. His little sister needed some good scolding.

“Anyway, no, I do not fantasize about owning a warship called the SS Wingwinger. Even if I owned one, I’ll name it SS Starlight or something.”

Tsukiko stared at him. “... That doesn’t sound that much better. For a ship, I mean.”

“Just… shut it. We’re getting off topic.”

He didn’t have the chance to guide her through the inner workings of the antique shop when she first arrived. Unlike a cafe, antique shops were much rarer, and not the kind of place most people visit in their spare time. It would be unsurprising if she had never seen one before.

“So, the rear is where we do our transactions. Since we also do online shipping, we pack our stuff here.”

A large space sat behind the counter, with cardboard boxes and bubble wrap arranged on its side.

“We have wooden crates stored in a different room when needed.”

“Wooden crates? I have never actually seen one before.”

“... You didn’t? How about when you buy a large piece of furniture? Like an air conditioner or a fridge?”

“I leased a fully furnished place.”

“I see…”

The two then headed to the front of the shop.

“The front part here is that of a typical shop, the display. As its name suggests, it displayed the items we have for sale.”

They had many items for sale. They stored the smaller items inside glass cabinets to protect them from dust, while larger items, such as furniture, were displayed in front of the cabinets. Each item had its own paper tag, featuring the item’s name and price.

“Wow… some of these are expensive.”

“Those are antiques. They’re one of a kind, rare, and no longer produced.”

“Don’t those three statements refer to the same thing?”

“Something can still be in production but rare, although I guess one of a kind is automatically rare.”

“Are these fragile as well?”

“Very, but not always.”

Tsukiko looked at him in confusion. He walked to one of the watches on display. Kenji inserted a key and unlocked the cabinet door.

“This watch, for example.” He opened the cabinet to show her. “Without its case, a watch is a fragile thing, right? Drop it, and you risk shattering its glass or damaging its internal parts.”

Tsukiko nodded, her eyes glued to the small watch.

“But when you protect it with its case, then it can survive a fall or two. I don’t recommend you try it, though. There’s always a risk with these things. It’s not about eliminating them but reducing them. Oh, and not all items have their original boxes, hence why some are more fragile than others.”

He returned the watch to its place and locked the cabinet. While thieving was uncommon in a small city like this, as many people know each other, that didn’t mean risks didn’t exist. All cabinets must remain locked when not under the supervision of a staff member.

“Speaking about protection-"

Tsukiko giggled for some reason. 

"What is it?"

"No, sorry. Please continue."

"Well... we also have a second floor.”

Kenji guided her to the rear of the shop. Next to the counter, attached to the side of the shop, was a set of stairs leading to the second floor.

“Does this second floor connect with the cafe?” Tsukiko asked as she followed him.

“No.”

Most of the time, Kenji and Amaya stood on the first floor. If someone entered the antique shop through the front door, Kenji would know. But, since they had no one to watch the second floor, a door there would make people coming in and out too easy, hence why Kenji blocked off access from above the cafe.

“That reminds me… Shouldn’t the cafe be owned by someone else?” Tsukiko asked.

“It used to be owned by Grandpa Takao.”

“Ah, right.” Tsukiko nodded.

She must have forgotten about the place. It had been a long while since she last visited it. Back then, the cafe looked very different. It had a brick wall interior, with old wooden tables and chairs. They purchased it from him, and Amaya managed to obtain permission to renovate the place. Well, Amaya didn’t need permission exactly, but the cafe used to be part of someone’s life. She wanted to respect Takao’s wishes.

“Well, I guess Grandpa Takao can no longer take care of the cafe.”

“He still shows his face here time-to-time. Maybe you’ll meet him sometime.”

More glass cabinets filled the second floor, storing a large variety of items.

“Some items are more fragile than others, with varying conditions.”

He walked over to the window on the second floor, protected by a curtain.

“Some items have no problem in the sunlight. Others… suffered.”

He pulled the curtains up, letting the sunlight come in. It was a cloudy day, so not too bright.

“Different antiques have different ways of storing them. Luckily for us, we don’t have that many in terms of numbers, so we can keep the place clean and tidy most of the time.”

“... Can I sit on this?” Tsukiko asked, pointing at an old wooden rocking chair in the corner, away from the sunlight. 

The rocking chair had a bright brown wooden frame and a white cushion decorated with flowers. It came from a faraway foreign country. Kenji remembered researching it before he made the purchase. A large resort in the west used it in their lobby, with a picture dating to the year 1904. It was among the shop’s older collections, albeit still not the oldest.

“Sure.”

She carefully rested her back on the chair and her hands on the handrest, then pushed it with her legs. The chair began rocking back and forth with a slight creak. She wouldn’t rest her head on the headrest, though.

“This is scary.”

“On one hand, these things survived decades, or sometimes even centuries. On the other hand, the fact that they survived that long means they’re not as strong as when they were first built.”

Tsukiko carefully got off, then looked back to make sure she didn’t damage the rocking chair.

“How do you even find stuff like this? Surely not around the city, right?”

Kenji brought his index finger to his mouth. “I got my sources.”

“Impressive.”

“Well, some were your grandfather's.”

Tsukiko rolled her eyes. “Now that just makes me envious. Although I guess it's a good thing he didn't end up giving it to me. I feel like I'll ruin everything.”

“Just take your time. I mean, you're going to mainly be helping my sister anyway.”

“Even so, it kinda feels way more complicated than my old job.”

“I don't get everything in a day, either. Experience takes time. You don't have to pressure yourself to understand.”

If she pressured herself, she might end up burned out. It was a cozy, friendly antique shop. She didn’t want her to have terrible memories here.

Even if Kenji had bought it, it was still an important place for her. The place where her grandfather used to live. He wanted her to be comfortable.

“Also… are all these things this expensive? I feel like a walking hazard.”

“Well, they’re antiques. I assume there’s only one left in the world, and that there’ll be one person who will be willing to pay to get them.”

Of course, that wasn’t to be taken literally. In truth, some of these items might have hundreds or even thousands of items left in varying conditions. However, when one considers the number of samples left and the number of people who wanted to buy them, the high prices become more understandable.

“That said, you can't go too high either. Not everyone has unlimited money, and there's always a risk of no other second buyer coming for the item. That's what haggling is for. Sometimes, you have to let go.”

“So, there's another layer of complexity to it?”

“This place is admittedly more of a side job for us. We don't really think too much about it.”

Kenji had gotten decent at guessing the proper price. A gut feeling, in a way. After years of experience, a glance could tell him the item’s value. He tried to research as best as he could anyway, just to make sure he didn’t make a mistake.

“Sales are relatively rare, but most of them make good money.”

The ones that he didn’t sell, he left there, as a personal collection of sorts. That said, most items ended up being sold eventually. It may take years, though. 

Kenji then guided her to the third and last floor.

“This is our repair room.”

A huge desk with a green cutting mat occupied the center of the room. Many tools were hung on the wall. A cabinet was placed next to the table, containing all kinds of spare parts. Kenji glanced at the locked door near the front side of the shop. He didn’t go there, hoping to pull Tsukiko’s attention away from it.

But maybe… No, I doubt it’s time.

Tsukiko murmured, “It’s like another dimension… inside another dimension.”

“Well, I guess you can call it that.”

Kenji approached the table, his eyes on one of his unfinished projects. An old, broken, white, handheld gaming console. An old model, famous for its two screens and folding model. A unique and popular entry into the market.

“Some items come in like this, damaged. These are both great and not great. It’s great because for the seller, they can get rid of their trash easily while making some money back, and for us, it’s great because we get something for cheap.”

"But isn't that...?"

"Yeah, this one I had for long. I mean the condition is similar."

Kenji sat in front of the console. The top part had snapped off, and cables jutted out of the hinge like blood vessels. This one had been in the operating room for a long time, but the doctor hadn't found time just yet. 

“The not great part is… well… you don’t exactly know just how severe the damage is, or how much work you need to put in.”

“Wouldn’t the spare parts be expensive, though?”

“That as well. That’s why we buy at the lowest price possible. Prices that, assuming we cannot do anything, we can still sell the item at base cost.”

Like how most places would still make a slight profit with a discounted item, Kenji buys items he could sell in their current state, assuming he couldn't fix them. Sometimes, he would buy stuff for spare parts.

“But… what happens if you cannot sell it?”

Kenji shrugged. “You’re taking a risk with every transaction. It’s just like any other business. Just slightly more because you’re taking in old items that cost a lot. You know how it is. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.”

He fiddled with the buttons, smiling.

“But… I do love these old things. Every one of them has their story. They’re just waiting for someone who will listen.”

“... How about this?” Tsukiko approached a small wooden box placed above the cabinet. It was unlike anything else in the room. A simple, bland wooden box the size of a palm, yet that box had a combination lock sealing it shut.

“Oh that. That one also has a deep story.”

Tsukiko turned to him, then back to the box.

“It feels… familiar. I must be seeing things.”

Kenji let out a small smile. “Maybe you’ll understand its story one day.”