For superdeductive.

[tigerpoet]

[Yokohama's library is home to the effort to restore literature, but besides that, it functions as a normal library. While literature is disappearing, there are so many books in the world that a library can still provide a decent number of books for loan, and nonfiction seems to have been spared entirely.

While not delving into tainted books, Atsushi likes to wander around the library. It's nice to see libraries are still an important resource in this day and age, and won't be disappearing any time soon.

He's far too nervous to approach normal people, of course, but there are exceptions to every rule.]

Ah - sir? Y-you're not allowed to eat in the library.

[And one of those exceptions is what if he messes up the books?! That's enough for even Atsushi to swallow his shyness and speak to a stranger.]

Comments

[tigerpoet]

[Atsushi doesn't think of himself as particularly flashy, but - the fur might be a little much, he'll admit if pressed.

Whatever that sounded like, it definitely did not sound like a polite agreement to stop eating.]

But... you're getting crumbs on the library books. Please be a little more considerate...?

[Accusing other people of being rude is difficult even when they're very clearly being rude. Atsushi kind of wants to curl up and hide.]

[superdeductive]

[ Ah, this guy is still talking? Now that he can get a better look at him, he can identify nervousness. What would make a guy with that kind of disposition to feel compelled to approach a stranger. . . ? ]

Why're the books important to you?

[tigerpoet]

Ah - well - I'm a writer, so... it's sort of ingrained in me to treat books well?

[It's not a lie - he certainly would have been unhappy with this stranger's behavior while he was alive - but there's something about being literally held together with ink and magic that makes him especially sympathetic towards those poor books.

Of course, he isn't going to say that, but it no doubt shows to Ranpo's keen eyes that he isn't sharing the entire truth.]

[superdeductive]

[ The answer earns an owlish head tilt. ]

Really? That's the best answer you could come up with?

[ He doesn't believe it; he's plenty of writers that could easily torch their own writing if the mood struck them. But okay, let's humor the fluffy tiger man. His chair rocks on its back legs, steadied by his feet pressing on the edge of the library table. ]

What've you written?

[tigerpoet]

[This was a bad idea, because normal people, if they recognize any of his stories, are going to recognize that they were written by a person who is very dead now, or so he assumes.

But Atsushi is a terrible liar and knows it.]

"Light, Wind, and Dreams" is my only major novel - I mostly write short stories. "Tiger Poet", "The Moon Over the Mountain"...

[superdeductive]

[ To Atsushi's relief (or maybe disappointment), the titles don't earn much recognition from him. ]

Name?

[tigerpoet]

[...Maybe this person doesn't read much? It'd explain the treatment of the library books, at least...]

Nakajima Atsushi.

[superdeductive]

[ He reads, but the BSD world gets kind of weird with anything written by the authors associated with the characters, but oh, that name is familiar. ]

Well, that's kind of interesting. Two points. I'm feeling generous today.

I happen to know someone by the same name.

[tigerpoet]

[That's certainly not the reason Atsushi expected him to recognize the name, if he recognized it.]

R-really? We could be distant relatives, I suppose...

[He did have three children, it's not unreasonable to think that there could be another Nakajima named after him down the line.]

[superdeductive]

[ Distant relatives? Really? That earns an eyebrow raise. ]

So how old are you?

[ Because that's totally not an impolite question. Or it is, and Ranpo honestly doesn't care much. ]

[tigerpoet]

Thirty-three.

[Which he does not even remotely look like.]