Conversation · Shelf of Romance Stories

The shelves are littered with romantic tales from across time and space.

Does anything more real, more you stand out?

As you focus on the overwhelming mass of colourful novels, a discrepancy catches your eye -- one of the books is not like the others.

A grey book has lost itself between all the romance. The title reads: 'Sixteen Days of Coldest April.'

Turn away, this is a bad idea.

What's this all about?

You'd have to buy the book to be sure. But the book cover is a wall of concrete buildings, with a black-and-white rainbow covering them. It's written by someone from a country where even the rainbows are black-and-white. So it does seem like it'll be a downer.

Why is it out of place?

Someone thought this was a romance story, but it's actually a thoroughly excruciating work of psychological realism.

Help, I don't want to do this...

You focus on the overwhelming mass of colourful novels to find anything of note, but it only ends up with your eyes aching from the strain.

[Leave.]

"I want buy the 'Sixteen Days of Coldest April' book."

"Huh, it's in the wrong shelf... Annette's been moving things around again, has she! That girl..." She shakes her head. "No matter, I hope you enjoy... this."

"Storekeep, what's on this shelf?"

"Oh, such wonderful, beautiful stories. Stories of love!" She sighs wistfully. "You should definitely buy these."

"To be honest, I'm looking for something more real."

"No-no, sir, you don't want that. That's not proper romance... romance is about overcoming adversity and finding that single millionaire who wants to take care of you until the end of days."

Look through the display of books.

You see a foamy mass of pinks and reds... colourful covers filled with risqué imagery. These books are most oft adorned by women in skimpy clothes, thighs revealed... a few roses and sometimes even some pistols.

They also tend to feature chisel-jawed men in dark suits. It's all such... glitzy garbage.

I think I'd enjoy reading a few of these.

No, you wouldn't. Being a rough, hard-boiled detective, you hope for something more real... more authentic.

Is there anything here that calls out to me?

Being a rough, hard-boiled detective, you can only be pleased by something more real, more authentic.

On the cover of the book there's a wall of concrete buildings, with a black-and-white rainbow over them. It's written by someone from a country where even rainbows are black and white.