Kaze-makase Literature Club: 'The Bookstore'

It was a bookstore specializing in horror novels.
With a collection of both domestic and international works, the selection was quite extensive.
The shop wasn't very large, and the building's age was apparent at a glance; it was the kind of place that made you hesitate slightly before entering.
Perhaps it was the perfect setting for dealing in horror.

In the back of the shop, an old man, the proprietor, sat in a rattan chair, leisurely puffing on a cigarette.
As for customers, there was only one boy, about high school age.
He was intently browsing the bookshelves.
After a while, the boy noticed something and his eyes fixed on a single spot on the shelf.

"Huh? I feel like I've owned this book before... but I don't remember reading it. Is it just my imagination?"
The old proprietor reacted to this mutter.

"Ah, that book. I've had customers say the same thing before. When that happens, it's better not to get close to that book. It must have some kind of scheme."
"A scheme... the book's?"
"The book's... and perhaps this shop's, too."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you're a horror fan, I suppose I can tell you... This shop used to be a normal bookstore. I handled literary books, practical guides, even comics. But then, one day, a man came in and said he wanted to buy every single book in the shop. That sounded like a dream come true, but it was also unsettling. It was a small shop, but I had a decent selection. To buy it all... I thought something was wrong, so I refused at first. Then, the next morning, the shop was like this. There was a large bag on this chair, and inside was an unimaginable amount of money. Unbelievable, right? But there was nothing I could do. I had sold all the shop's stock; that was all there was to it. Since then, the shop has been in this state. Strangely enough, I'm never billed for the books that are here now. And when they sell out, they get restocked without me knowing. Creepy, isn't it?"

The boy frowned, listening with a skeptical expression, but,
"Is that... some kind of fake story unique to a shop that handles horror novels? It's certainly creepy, but..."
"I'm telling you, it's not. I have no interest in horror. Yet, the shop is like this. It's unbearable. But no matter how much I sell, the stock never decreases. I don't even know which wholesaler to contact. There's nothing I can do, is there?"
"Well, that's certainly true... So, what about the book's scheme?"
"...Ah, actually, I don't really know myself, but there have been several customers who said the same thing you just did and bought that book. If you're curious but haven't read it, well, you'd want it, wouldn't you?"
"That's true. I was planning on buying it and taking it home, too."
"However, the customers who bought that book and took it home have been disappearing one after another. When the police came and traced their steps, they found that the last place they visited was this shop. Then, poof, they vanished. It's a modern-day 'kamikakushi' (spirited away)."
"No way... are you saying that's because of this book?"
"Well, I don't know. Honestly, I could just pretend I don't know anything and keep selling books in this shop, but there are many young people who love horror. If young people like you are disappearing because of that book, I can't just stay silent. I'm giving you a warning, at least. What you do with it is up to you."

The boy looks at the old man.
He doesn't look like he's lying.
But still, could such a mystery-filled event really be true?
This is a bookstore specializing in horror novels.
Could this also be part of the shop's performance?
Even so, if customers hesitated to buy because of this, sales would drop.
I can't read his true intentions.

"I'll buy this book."
The boy walked up to the old man, held out the book in question, and said.
After looking at the book and the boy alternately, the old man said with an exasperated look,
"Honestly, you're young, but... you're stubborn."
He muttered as he put a book cover on the book.
"This is on the house. Consider it a parting gift, at least."
"Do you really believe it? That people went missing because of this book?"
"Like I said, I don't know. You'll find out for yourself soon enough. It might be too late by then, though."
"You know, I'm the captain of the high school karate club. I won't be taken away that easily."
"That's if the one taking you is a normal human... Do you think a normal human could replace all the products in a shop overnight and spirit away everyone who bought a specific book?"
"If it's not a normal human, then what is it?"
"Who knows. You should find that out for yourself. You're buying this book, right?"

Dusk was approaching.
It was the perfect setting for a horror event to occur.
The boy who had purchased the book walked through such a scene.
Watching his retreating figure intently from the shop's small window, the old man muttered to himself.

"It didn't work, then. Because he's been suffering from dissociative amnesia at such a young age, I wanted to find a way to stop him from coming to this shop every day and buying the same book, but my horror-themed strategy didn't have any effect. I thought that in this shop, which specializes in horror novels, such a supernatural occurrence might be accepted. Oh well, what kind of story should I tell him tomorrow... my poor grandson."

I have participated in this project.
Thank you for your consideration.