REINKED-I Met A Man In A Print Shop Who I'm Forced To Refer To As Uncle, and Have A Heartwarming Moment With My New Girlfriend

"Ugh, Samiii, how far do we have left to gooo? It's been 5 miles." I complain, panting heavy.

"Just another mile or two, you can tough it out! Now, march forth!" She declares, pointing her way forward. Kei slows down to match my slowing pace. He offers me some of his water.

"Don't worry about not catching up. She's a monster when it comes to stamina." He pities me warmly, and the warmth in my chest wants to transfer to him for just a moment.

"Ah, I'll be fine." I assure him I'm speaking the truth with a smile. He sighs and goes with it, and we both turn our focus to the continuing sidewalk.

The time? Just a little past 12. We were out on the city streets, having just finished a filling breakfast, making our way to the printer’s. The only real issue is just the amount of distance we were having to cover. If I had known, I probably would have pretended to have gotten a cold or something. Well, maybe not. After all, it’s really nice out. The sun is out but the wind is just strong enough to keep things from getting too warm. A perfect day for a walk regardless of the reason. If I was less sleepy I would probably enjoy it more, though I don't know if there's any getting over this distance.

Well, there was admittedly something else also making this walk uncomfortable. That would be my new girlfriend.

Yes, it's true. Somehow I managed to score myself a girl. We had a moment of true understanding, we said we loved each other, it all felt amazing. The issue, however, is that things ended there. She's acting like it didn't happen at all, and that bothers me to no end.

Yes, it's fine if we have nothing to talk about, but I mean, we definitely do. I mean, we didn't even agree on being an actual couple. Maybe I'm just assuming she wants this love to go further than she really does. Or maybe I'm being paranoid and of course she wants to be a couple. I'd love to talk to her about these things, but she's moving so much faster than me, and only responds to me when I'm complaining. It's making me feel like crap. Still, I bite my tongue.

The thought of ruining things even further terrifies me.

…

"Ahh, we arrived! Finally!!" I celebrate as Sami finally stops in front of a small building. The large window is blocked on the inside by cardboard boxes. The sign above reads "Taroguchi's Ship And Bind". On the nose, but not too bad. It actually seems pretty cozy looking at it from here.

“Uncle Taro!” Sami opens the door and calls out for someone. Both me and Kei take a moment to breath before walking inside. The building is crowded with boxes and appliances, the walls so stacked and covered I can hardly make out even one patch of the wall behind them. Sami goes ahead, making her way further into the maze of stuff. Us boys slowly follow behind, trying our hardest not to trip over anything.

“Ahhh, figured you’d be coming pretty quick. That's my favorite customer for you.” After some maneuvering, I find my way to a counter, where a man is standing, twisting a straw between his fingers. His face holds a gentle warmth toward the girl standing in front of him. He turns his attention from Sami to me, and an eyebrow raises. “Now, uh, Sami, mind telling me about this fellow?” He asks, folding his arms. I feel a chill suddenly fill the atmosphere.

“Ah, he’s..." The words, whatever they are, seem to catch in her throat, leaving us all in an uncomfortable silence. She can't even say what I am to her. I don't know if that makes me upset or sorry to put her through this. Probably both. Well, don't worry love, I got this.

"Hello sir, I'm Yuta. I'm helping Sami in making her recent one shot. It's a pleasure meeting you." I bow as deeply as I can.

His eyes seem to scan harshly over me. I can feel him taking in every inch of my clothes and hair and the exact angle of my bow. I've never felt like such a slaughterhouse animal before now. I pray silently for something kind to come out of his mouth.

“Not really all that good looking for a partner of yours, Sami." His brutal honesty stabs me through the chest.

“U-Uncle Taro, please.” I feel my soul die as Sami gently tries to defend me.

"Well, anyways, I actually wanted to talk to you about that new one shot. Now, Sami, I know not everything has to be tasteful, but-" The man pulls a paper out of his pocket. Unfolding it, he reveals the cover we created for the manga. "-what exactly am I looking at?"

What this man is referring to is the image of a man's face violently twisting in agony and despair. The title is written out in a horror movie poster font to the covers top left, and has our names sitting in the bottom right. For something made in 10 minutes while at the height of caffeine high, I'd still argue it's good. Or maybe I'm biased.

"Ahh. Well...I only had a day to sketch and ink the thing, so that should explain why it came out that way." Sami bows.

"A DAY?! Forget what I said, you're amazing! Oh, my niece is so talented!"  He reaches forward and squishes his cheek against hers, rubbing them together.

"Uncleeee, come on, that's itchyyyy!" She complains while laughing, creating a nice moment. Maybe this guy is pretty cool.

"The only thing that really stands out to me is the writing. It feels so off the wall crazy. It's certainly different to anything I've ever read." His words lift my heart. That doesn't sound like he hated it at all! Did he really like it?!

"Well, you can thank Yuta for all of that!" Sami grins wide, holding her hands out to give me a little pizzazz.

“Ah, really now? Not bad boy. I'd say it was a 3/10. A good first attempt at writing. I'm sure you'll figure it out as you learn." My heart explodes and I wish I would too.

"Ahh...I see..." Sami laughs awkwardly, flashing me eyes of sympathy. "Anyways, uhm, can we move on to payment?" She asks. He makes an O face before walking over to the computer.

"Alright then. Usually the cost for your brothers stuff comes out to 30 copies for 210. Yours is 1/3rd the size, so I'll charge you for...hmm...120, so...310 is your total." He says, crossing his arms as Sami pulls out a credit card and pays without a second thought.

“We get a discount for letting him make a copy each. He’s a collector.” Sami explains.

"Ahhh, nothing better than celebrating my niece and nephew with a bookshelf full of their work." He says.

"A bookshelf? How much stuff have you two made?" I ask. Sami taps her chin before shrugging her shoulders. How do you not know?!

"Ah well. I'll call you when they're ready for pick up. Go have fun or whatever it is you kids do." He laughs a hearty laugh.

"Okay Uncle. Team, to someplace fun!" Sami leads the way, moving forward into the maze.

"Augh, I'm not gonna get any time to myself am I? Whatever." Kei grumbles to himself as he follows close after her. I begin to move forward when I hear the man behind me say my name. Stopping, I slowly turn around. He's staring me down with a worrying look.

"You two are a couple, aren't you?" He asks. I bite my tongue.

"...we love each other." I respond.

"Love, huh? That's amazing. I never thought she'd ever find a guy she could like. She was a bigger fan of girls, especially after what boys did to her brother. I'm gonna guess you've heard this story before?" He asks. I nod "Well, you're clearly special then. Maybe I should start asking you to make me your best man before hand." He laughs again, gentle and friendly.

"I don't know...it feels like she doesn't even wanna acknowledge that we said what we did to each other." I say to him. In response, he makes a few sounds of understanding.

"My niece isn't one to open up to people. You know how many friends she has at your school?" The man makes a zero with his fingers. "She's probably not sure what to do herself. If you want this to go further, you have to suggest it. Just be you and be honest. She clearly fell for you for a reason." He winks. "Clearly you're an interesting guy." He finishes.

"...I gotta go." I say, turning toward the maze and running after the siblings.

Thank you, Uncle Taro.

…

"Your uncle is a cool guy." I say as the three of us walk down the sidewalk

“He really is.” She admits, taking us around a corner. "He's been there for me more than anyone else I've known. Heck, he's the guy who introduced me to web novels." She says before laughing. "We wouldn't be walking together right now if it weren't for him." She continues.

"Heh, something else I have to thank him for." I sigh. She cocks her head, but doesn't ask me to elaborate. Eventually, on a whim, we stop at an indie bookshop, basic looking, but probably filled with hidden gems. Heading inside, the large shelves stand tall, the top shelves so close to being out of reach. Walking along them, spines of many different works colorfully show off to us. My hand runs over the spines of the manga, all coming together like some horrifying rainbow. I pull out a volume of Mach Rider. Looking at the cover, I immediately decide it’s worth buying. Nothing cooler that a biker with a sword.

Somehow, me and Sami arrive at the doujin shelf at the same time. The variety of used fan-comics makes a beautiful combination all together. One book catches me by surprise. The art on the spine looks so familiar, and I easily put my finger on it. I pull it off the shelf. It’s a doujin about Lilly’s Garden. A really good light novel series, if anyone needed to hear about it. The writer and artist on the thing are a sibling pair, or I can assume so from the names. Ones I know. I show it to Sami, and she sighs with a warm smile.

“Now this is a good memory.” She says. “I have one at home but…it’s weird to see it in a place like this. A real bookstore…if I was still a kid, I’d be giddy. Now though, it’s all just a warm melancholy. It’s still nice, though. It’s still really nice.” She holds the book tight, so happy.

“You really love making manga, huh?” I ask.

“I couldn’t put it into words.” She whispers. I put my fingers on the cover.

“One day, all our work will be just like this.” I say.

“Y-you think so?” She asks, starting to blush. I smile gently.

“Of course. There’s no doubt.” I say it without room for doubt or convincing otherwise. She seems convinced.

"Hey Sami?"

"Yes Yuta?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?" I ask.

"..." she looks down.

"I don't care if you say no."

"...what?" She mumbles.

"Because I'll always be your friend, if that's all you want. Nothing, not even love, will change the fact that I just wanna be around you." I say. "So, lovers, friends, partners, I'll be any or all. Just now I have no intentions of leaving out of pettiness." I assure her.

"...you dummy." She whispers, tears starting to leave her eyes as she smiles.

"Of course I wanna be your girlfriend." She answers. I feel my heart stop, but I don't let it show.

“I’m happy I met you, my artist." I say, taking her hand over the book

“I…I’m happy I met you too, my writer.” She whispers.

…

“Welcome back! You got a wheelbarrow?” Uncle Taro asks as we walk in, carrying bags of cheap books. “Bookstore huh? Good choice my man.”

“Hehe..heh…” I look away.

“Alright!” Sami prances forward, grabbing a copy of our one shot out of the box. I walk up next to her and freeze.

There it is.

My first piece of printed work.

I grab my own copy and feel the weight of it in my hands.

I did it…we…we did it.

“We did it.” I whisper.

“Yeah, we did it.” She looks at me. “We’ve made our first masterpiece.”