Requested by THEIDIOTPOTATOLOVER...

"... I'll give you this. Give this back to me when we meet again. Crazy enough, right? But we will surely meet again..."

~

"(F/N)-senpai, do you realize that you are in the middle of your work?"

I moved my head up, still on dazed to the sudden voice that came in the storage room. I nuzzled my eyes and squinted it to see who it was

"(F/N)-senpai, you better wake up now, manager is on his way here" I jolted in surprise to see my junior in work, Akira, standing in front of me

"Thank you, Akira-chan" I stretched my hands and yawned silently. "Good thing it wasn't the manager who caught me" I grinned at her, still sleepy and had a zero motivation to work

"Do you work late last night in your other job?" she asked while stacking the books on the table

I shook my head and made a dry laughed "My three high school classmates are currently crashing in my house"

"Crashing in?!" she shouted in surprised but closed her mouth when she realized that she shouted "What do you mean?!"

"Well three of them are working in the same company and they were transferred here. So they don't have a place to stay right now, and they are still looking for a place for the four of them" I explained and sighed

"I thought only three? Why four?"

"There's a guy with them. My friend's boyfriend who is also working with them. I don't even know him"

"Why did you let them in?"

"They are my friends, they helped me a lot when I was in high school especially when I transferred to their school" I answered then noticed the book on Akira's hand

She noticed that I was looking at it and she smiled "I love this story" she giggled

"I only know what happened on page 269 and 270" I chuckled as I asked Akira to lend it to me "I actually want to read this, but he told me not to" my face turned red when memories from when I was in High school flowed back

"Senpai, your face is turning red." she teasingly told me and grabbed the book "We better hurry up"

We hurriedly put the books back on the shelf. I work at a bookstore near my house and sometimes at night I work at a restaurant owned by my uncle

"You two what are you doing inside? Even though there are no customers today, don't just skip your work" Our manager Yoshida-san shook his head as he entered the storage room "Hurry up and put those books back on the shelves"

We hurriedly follow his order and put the books on the shelves. After putting all the books, Akira and I arranged the books on the shelves on the floor and manager stayed on the front desk

But then, in the shelf I was arranging, the books of "The Last Valentine" were there. Why of all places?

"The Last Valentine" was the book I was eager to read but I couldn't, though I had one page of that book. Page 269 to 270. I was always tempted to read the book, but because of what he said, I couldn't read

"Ah, Fukuyama-san, it's been a while!" I heard manager's voice and wondered who it was. He sounded so excited. I tried to peek but I could only see the back of the customer

"It's been a while Yoshida-san."

"I thought you would not get the books you requested"

There was a loud laughed followed by a Kansai dialect "I was busy with my work"

"I see, well then wait here, or you can go around"

"No, I'll wait here. I might see another books, it will be bad"

Wah, I wonder where he came from, since my hometown was in Osaka, hearing people speaking Kansai dialect made my ears pricked in excitement.

Though I wonder who it was. He seemed a special customer.

The bookstore was dead silence and I could hear nothing but the heater. It was then a phone call came and it seemed it came from that Fukuyama-san.

"I'll be there in a minute. I'll just get my orders"

Ah I was right, it was a call for Fukuyama-san.

"Here you go, Fukuyama-san"

"Ah, so many!" (多いやね-ooiyane)

"Well, you requested it."

The two of them seemed having fun.

"That is the man manager kept on saying" I was startled when Akira showed behind me and she was whispering "A famous person that is a regular customer here. Though he often request for books, if he likes it he will buy, if he doesn't, he will return it" she explained then again we had another peek to him

"I never heard of him" I whispered back

"I just heard from Hino-senpai. He comes time to time, I heard"

It was then he turned around, I only had a glimpsed of him and I knew that our eyes met for a moment, but why did I suddenly feel so nervous? The beating of my heart became uncontrollable all of a sudden! Eh?

Since that day, I wonder why I became curious of him. I really wanted to know who Fukuyama-san was, but I only knew 'Fukuyama-san' and I sucked at searching people on the internet

I was on my way home and it was quite cold. I really didn't like winter. Especially January and February's weather, though Hokkaido's winter is harsher than this.

Two weeks from now it would be Valentines and I could feel it since the ambiance around, it was full of hearts and couples! I felt so gloomy, and again, I wanted to read that book.

"Watch out!" I stopped walking when I heard someone shouted and the stoplight turned red. I looked around and there were lots of people looking at me. I wondered my eyes and looked to that voice. But I wonder who it was? Since I was startled, I didn't pay attention on the voice

"I shouldn't walk aimlessly from now on" I mumbled to myself.

I arrived in my house and found my friends watching movie with messy living room. It seemed they didn't notice me so I went straight to the kitchen and there I found one of my friend kissing with someone I didn't know

"Ah, (F/N), I thought you will be late today" Kaori was somehow surprised "uhm, Yuuto this is (F/N), she is the owner of this house"

I smiled forcefully trying to hide the annoyance I felt. "I'm surprised, are you guys having a party or what?"

"Yeah, actually, we finished a proposal and it turned out well" Kaori answered cuddling more to her boyfriend

"Congrats, I'll go to my room. Be sure to clean all this mess" I reminded them,

~
"But you see Akira, it happened for the whole week. Every night they have party. I had no work here and only worked at my uncle's but then every time I went home, the house was at mess" I complained to Akira who was sitting beside me. Again, today there was not much customer in the bookstore we were working.

"You should talk to them" she patted my back and then brought out a book from her side

"The Last Valentine? Why are you reading that again?" I confusedly asked

"Because it will be Valentine's Day in a week. This is a nice story, (F/N)-senpai. You must read this!"

"I told you, I wanted to but somehow I can't"

"Why?" she immediately asked with teasing smile "Is there a story behind it?" she again asked, I felt my face turning red while remembering what happened. She closed the book and made a puppy eyes "Since we don't have customers, we need something to talk about to pass time, right?"

I remained silence and I didn't want to talk about it, but she was persistent. I had no choice

"Here" I showed her a page folded in four

"Ah, it's true, it is from the book. Why did you have this?"

"Well, I should start from the beginning, right?" I sighed "I got that page from a person I didn't know, but then my first love, probably"

"You don't know, but your first love?" she chuckled but then was confused to what I said

"I saw him every day. But he was from different school. The first time I saw him was when I was in first year high school then he was walking from the other side of the railway walking with his girlfriend. At first, it was normal to cross path, but as days passed, my eyes just followed him." I chuckled then again continued "Actually when he wasn't walking with his girlfriend, I was so happy. Then, I noticed that everywhere I go those days, he was always there; library, bookstore, restaurant, railway, and just in the streets. When I was walking from the market, I saw him in a judo dojo."

"Oh, he was doing judo? Then he was strong"

"Probably. Then that same day, I was on the restaurant. I sat with my mother on second to the last table, and I was surprise, he was on the last table with his friends. I noticed that my heart was pounding so fast every time I looked at him. Even though I didn't know his name, what school he came from, like I only knew he liked reading, takoyaki, and judo, I started to like him. It was also after that day, I saw him in the railway just by himself, without his girlfriend."

"Did they broke up?"

"At first I didn't know that they broke up. But then he said they did break up"

"You talked to him?"

"I did, first and last"

"Eh?!"

~Flashback~

"(F/N), it is really too bad you are moving to Hokkaido. I'll buy you books too as my gift" my friend Luka came with me to buy book so that I had books to read on the way to Hokkaido, also the place we would be moving were far from the city.

"Yeah, I'll just go ask the saleslady, I am looking for a specific book actually" I headed to the front desk, hesitant at first, but then I asked "Uhm, do you still have the book 'The Last Valentine'? It was released just this year"

"It is in aisle 4, though I am not sure if we still have it. Recently, lots of third year students are buying that book"

"Thank you very much. I will check it" Ah, I need to have that book.

I started from the very beginning of the aisle 4, checking everything. "The Last Valentine, James Michael Pratt. The Last Valentine, James Michael Pratt, ah found it!" I was so happy that there was still one left. I grabbed that book, but at the same time there was another hand that grabbed that book. I looked at the person who also grabbed the book at the same time with me, but then my eyes just widened as the person who was standing beside me was the person I had a crush on "Sorry" I immediately removed my hand and looked away. I was nervous, my heart was uncontrollably beating.

"You should get this" he said. Woah! My heart, his voice was so hot. I didn't know. My heart, it was beating so crazy!

"Ah, no, you can have it." I answered back

"Do you need this for school stuff?" he curiously asked as he flipped the pages of the book

"I just wanted to read it. How about you?" wahhh! It was real, I was talking to him!

"Well, my English teacher asked us to read this book." He chuckled, so he was a senpai, a third-year student "Oh, but this is the first time we talk, right? Though we keep on bumping to each other, we never talked to each other"

"Eh? You noticed?" I looked at him curious to what he said

"You gave a good vibes" he chuckled "Somehow when you are near I can detect you easily. You are giving different ambiance"

I wanted to cry "Ah, no, because this place is small, right?" I felt so embarrassed did he notice that I was looking at him

"Eh, but I do like it"

"But I always see you with your girlfriend" I retorted, my voice was obviously quivering

"Ah, ex-girlfriend?" I looked at him with eyes wide open, I fixed my eye glass as I couldn't believe what he just said. "Well then, I'll read this book as fast as I can. Then I'll give it to you. See you here in three days" he patted my head as he left me dumbfounded, heart beating so wild, eyes and mouth wide opened.

"Wait, three days? Eh?!" I sighed and went to my friend Luka, she was holding three books and seemed she found another one

"(F/N)?" she called at me curiously "Your face is so red"

"Luka, I'm so stupid, so stupid, stupid, I am so stupid!" I told her and he was so startled. But it was true, why didn't I ask his name? Just to know his name was enough. "Wait Luka, I'll be back"

I ran to the cashier but he wasn't there

"Uhm, where is the student who bought the book 'The Last Valentine'?"

"Oh, he just left"

"Thank you" I immediately ran out of the store and there he was walking "Uhm!" I shouted enough for him to look behind. I ran towards him, panting while building all the courage on me "Actually, I'm moving to Hokkaido the next day, so you can have it. Do not worry about it"

"I see, that's too bad. I apologize, you ran just to tell me that"

I shook my head and smiled "No, it is fine. Actually, I wanted to tell you. I don't' know you at all, but the truth is, I like you. I just want to tell you. I didn't know but, every time I see you, my heart is beating fast. You don't need to say anything but in exchange, I just wanted to know your name" He smiled at me and then got the book from his bag. My eyes just widened when he tore one page from the book "W-wait, what are you doing?!" I tried to stop him but he gave me the page "Eh?"

"Then should we do this? Don't tell me your name, I will not tell my name, but instead, I'll give you this. Give this back to me when we meet again. Crazy enough, right? But we will surely meet again. If we meet again, then I'll tell you the story, tell me what happened on that page. Oh but, don't read the book until we meet again"

"Wait, how about your book report?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll do something about it" he held my hand and handed the page to me "I'm looking forward to see you again"

~Present time~

"And that was the first and last conversation with him" I told Akira who's eyes and mouth were also wide open "What's with that reaction?!"

"I mean, wow! So since you were in first year, you didn't read the book because of what he said? Don't tell me he was also the reason why until now you don't have a boyfriend, and you didn't even got one"

"Is that bad?!"

"EH?! SO HE WAS THE REASON?!"

"Uhm" Akira and I were startled when a customer came smiling at us "That was a cute story" she said smiling at us

"I apologized" I bowed down embarrassed in our situation "Uhm, did you find everything?"

"Yes," she gave the book and I scanned it, then Akira put it in a paper bag "Thank you very much" she said

"Thank you very much. Please come again"

I sighed and I looked at Akira and we both laughed

"Akira-chan, the manager is calling you" Hino-senpai called her then looked at me "And (L/N)-san, the manager said that Fukuyama-san will be coming today, so treat him well he said"

"EH?! Why me? Where is manager?" I nervously asked

"There was a mix-up in the order so he is working on it" Hino-senpai answered as he left

"I'll just go there. Senpai, see you later" Akira left and I was left alone in this store without any customer.

I sighed and noticed the book 'The Last Valentine' "If I can just read this"

"That is an interesting book" my heart pounded as again a voice in front of me spoke

I looked up and my eyes just widened.

There was no clear evidence since it happened a long time ago, but I felt it. My heart pounded and the beating was too noisy when I saw him

"Welcome, may I help you?" I nervously asked

"I'm here to buy these books and then return some"

"Ah, Fukuyama-san, right?" I couldn't calm down, it was no doubt, he was the senpai, his face matured, but it was no doubt, he was that senpai

"Yeah, are you alright? Your face is so red"

"I am fine, I apologized. I'll scanned the books"

I was scanning and at same time conscious since he was in front of me.

He then got the book 'The Last Valentine' and chuckled "I wonder where is that page now?"

~To be Continued~The Page Torn by Fukuyama Jun Part 2~