The day my husband started to resemble me.

There are times when I think my husband has started to resemble me.
It seems my reading preferences have rubbed off on him.

My husband is, for better or worse, someone who moves at his own pace and never follows trends. If he were to follow any trend, it would only be comedy. He loves history, so his bookshelf is lined with history-related books.

In contrast, I am a trend-follower, so I jump at anything new and interesting. Especially when it comes to reading, if I hear that a new book has been released in a genre I like, I can't sit still and end up heading straight to the bookstore.

Even though I am definitely the bigger trend-follower when it comes to books, recently I've started to see glimpses of that in my husband too. My husband has been completely hooked on historical dramas for the past few years, so he secretly buys the official drama books whenever they come out. It's rare for him to reach for something new. It seems a trend-following temperament has sprouted in him, and he looks lively and happy.

Lately, that husband of mine has been frequently checking my bookshelf.

Seeing him staring at the bookshelf, I felt annoyed, thinking he was going to scold me for increasing my book collection again. Since he had warned me a few times before about "buying too many books," I manage my inventory by taking old books to BOOKOFF and bringing in new ones, keeping the total count at plus-minus zero. It's true that I am adding new books, but in terms of numbers, it's plus-minus zero. I don't for a second think that this hides the fact that I'm buying books, but I pride myself on not causing him any trouble since I'm not encroaching on his territory.

However, strangely enough, my husband's checking of my books continues. Thinking he's going to nag me again, my mood sinks. Then, suddenly, my husband stops moving. He turns to me and says.

"Hey, did you have 'Manzai Kajo Kosatsu' (Excessive Manzai Analysis)?"

"Yeah. I bought it after the year started."

Expecting to be scolded, I answered while feeling annoyed. Then, my husband found another book.

"Oh, you also have Mr. Ishida's 'Kotae-awase' (Checking the Answers)."

"Ah, I bought them as a set."

Oh, it doesn't look like I'm going to be scolded today? What's going on? I was surprised by my husband's unusual behavior. Lately, he would only grumble about me increasing my books and almost never mentioned the contents of my bookshelf. In the past, he had tried to read my books without asking and I had scolded him for it, but I hadn't seen any signs of that lately. Yet, he seems to have started taking an interest in my books again.

"I've been wanting to read 'Manzai Kajo Kosatsu'. Can I read it? I also want to read 'Kotae-awase', so can I borrow both?"

"Sure, I've already read them."

When I gave him permission, my husband smiled happily.

"Yes! I can finally read them!"

Along with the relief of not being scolded, I felt a strange sense of wonder at this unexpected turn of events. I knew he liked comedy, but it's rare for him to read books by comedians. I wanted to ask him why.

"Why did you want to read them?"

"Well, they were a hot topic, right? I've been interested in them for a long time. They didn't seem like they would be in the library, and I was just wondering how I could read them, so I'm happy I can read them at home."

"See, my being a fan of trendy things comes in handy sometimes, doesn't it?"

"I suppose so."

I had thought my husband's and my reading tastes were quite different. There were times when my husband would read my books, but I never expected him to show interest in a book by a comedian. That said, I'm grateful to have more topics in common. I'd love to hear his thoughts once he's finished reading it.

"Come to think of it, I read the book you have right now, too."

My husband suddenly confessed.
What I'm holding is "Naruse Goes Her Own Way".

"Huh? Did you say you wanted to read it?"

"I didn't. But I saw it lined up in a bookstore as a Japan Booksellers' Award nominee, and I remembered we had it at home. I was curious, so I just read it without asking. Sorry."

I was happy that our book tastes aligned, but then came this unexpected confession. It's fine, but it still bothers me a little.

"I don't mind you reading them, but I would have liked a heads-up beforehand."

When I told my husband this, he looked a bit dejected.

"Yeah. I'll make sure to tell you from now on."

With this, we finally have an agreement regarding books between us.

However, I have a concern.
I feel like we've had this exchange before.
I'm pretty sure I wrote about it on note, too...

There it was.

Back then, too, we had a similar exchange over "Naruse Seeks Out World Domination." My husband tried to read my copy of "Naruse" without asking, and I told him, "Let me know next time," didn't I?

It seems our couple has no progress. I feel the possibility that we will repeat a similar exchange again someday. But perhaps that can't be helped.

Because we are two of a kind.
We will likely deepen our history as a couple while repeating the same kinds of exchanges.