What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

Thirty-five-year-old Ryo Urase found a silver spoon at the antique shop Enmokuya when he was in high school. He was taken by the spoon and decided to buy it, even though it was expensive and he didn’t need it. After this first visit, Ryo started frequenting the shop and became friendly with the owner, Mr. Ebigawa. Mr. Ebigawa taught him about antiques, and Enmokuya gave him a place to go when he felt stressed out at home. He liked imagining the past lives of all the objects at the store and became “infatuated with the antique world” (63). After high school, Enmokuya closed as Mr. Ebigawa unexpectedly disappeared. Ryo told himself he would open an antique store of his own some day in the future, but years later, Ryo still doesn’t have his store.

Ryo has been working as an accountant for a furniture manufacturer since he finished university. His boss, Mr. Taguchi, often asks him out for after-work drinks, but Ryo always declines because he prefers to spend time with his girlfriend, Hina. He also works long days, as he’s frequently picking up his coworkers’ slack. He wishes he could quit the job and open his shop, but he doesn’t have enough savings and can’t imagine where to begin.

After work one day, Ryo picks up Hina from her parents’ house, where she lives. He and Hina met three years earlier at Yuigahama beach when Hina was collecting sea glass for her online jewelry business. He liked how she talked about the glass and thought she saw the world the same way he did. They started seeing each other and discovered they both had “a passion for old things” (70).

The couple attends a minerals lecture at Hatori Community House. While Hina talks to the teacher after the lecture, Ryo explores the community center library. The library assistant, Nozomi, suggests he talk to the librarian, Komachi, if he needs book recommendations. Komachi, working on a felting project, asks Ryo what he’s looking for. Ryo imagines everything he could say but finally tells her that he wants to start his own business. She gives him a list of titles, including How Do Worms Work? When he notices the Honeydome cookie box on her desk, they chat about the company’s flower logo. Before Ryo leaves, Komachi gives him a felted cat as a gift. On his way out, Ryo grabs a copy of the Hatori CH Newsletter, which features a story about Cats Now Books, a local bookshop.

Ryo and Hina have dinner with Hina’s parents. Her parents like Ryo and ask him about his work, reminding him to take care of Hina. Ryo doesn’t know how he’ll keep his promise if he quits his stable job to open his shop. That night, he starts reading How Do Worms Work? Then he reads the newsletter, in which the owner of Cats Now Books talks about working two jobs. The idea of a parallel career intrigues Ryo.

At work the next day, Ryo gets into an argument with his coworker, Miss Yoshitaka, about an expense report she didn’t finish. He feels annoyed having to wait around for her to finish her job. Later, he attends an antiques fair and runs into Mr. Nasuda, a former Enmokuya customer. Mr. Nasuda tells Ryo that Mr. Ebigawa closed his shop because the police were after him. He also tells Ryo about all of the jobs he’s been working and encourages Ryo to contact him if he ever wants to meet up.

Ryo gets into another altercation with Miss Yoshitaka about a mistake she made on the expense report. Shortly thereafter, his boss informs him she filed a complaint against him for mistreating her and is threatening to quit. Ryo feels on edge and doesn’t know what to do. That evening, Hina comes over for dinner. She’s excited because she reached a sales goal on her online shop, but Ryo feels annoyed that she can devote time to her hobby and doesn’t have to work a real job. He’s ornery throughout the night, and Hina decides to leave. Ryo spends the rest of the weekend alone, feeling upset. He reads his books and becomes particularly engrossed in How Do Worms Work?

Ryo visits Cats Now Books the next day to chat with Yasuhara about his work. Yasuhara has an office job and maintains the shop, which gives his life balance. The shop also lets him meet people and have unlikely conversations. His wife, Misumi, encouraged his bookshop dream and helped him open the shop. Ryo then tells Yasuhara about his own dream. He then returns to Hatori Community Center and thanks Komachi for leading him to Cats Now Books. Komachi insists she had nothing to do with it, but she encourages Ryo when he tells her more about opening his own shop.

Ryo visits Hina and apologizes for getting upset with her. He congratulates her on her success, and they make amends. Meanwhile, he is holding his silver spoon in his pocket for courage. He shows Hina the business plans and budget spreadsheets he made for his future business, and Hina is thrilled that he’s thinking of opening the shop before quitting his office job. She suggests they get married and start the business together and Ryo is elated.

On Monday, Ryo’s boss tells him that he isn’t in trouble anymore because Miss Yoshitaka admitted her responsibility for the expense report error. Ryo feels better. After work, he declines Mr. Taguchi’s drinks invitation because he’s meeting up with Mr. Nasuda to discuss real estate options for his shop. He feels his dreams are coming together.