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Item Three: Buy a Book From a Bookstore

"I must say I feel an awful lot like Rintaro Okabe walking around like this," Shouto sighed. His phone was in his lab coat pocket, camera facing outward, so that Izuku could watch as he roamed the city. He still hadn't gotten special permission from the higher-ups to get Izuku out of his cell. But, he would eventually, in order to accomplish fulfilling the list.

"Rintaro Okabe? Who is that?" Izuku's voice asked quietly in his ears. Headphones and skype calls weren't exactly the most classy thing but Shouto didn't have a bluetooth earpiece.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Do you know what book you'd like to buy?" Shouto asked, changing the subject quickly.

"Hm, well, not really. I suppose the next Plus Ultra!!! volume would be nice. Oh, I've been enjoying Bungo Stray Dogs and Durarara!! too," Izuku huffed. Those didn't work at all. He couldn't ask his psychiatrist to buy him manga, not when people already thought he was crazy for thinking he had superpowers. So, what then? What was a good thing to have?

Shouto walked into the bookstore. So many people crowded in a small place. Izuku listened to Shouto's breath hitch awkwardly as he tried to avoid touching them all. Hm, did he have a slight problem with germs too? How fitting. "Shouto," he began, "do you not like being in crowded places?"

"I, uhm," Shouto sighed. "It's not so much that I dislike crowded places. It's more of, hm, well, people touching me is troublesome for them. They get really cold and shoot me unnecessary glares."

"Your skin is a bit cold," Izuku remembered the handshake fondly. It was a good thing Shouto couldn't see him blush.

"Have you thought of a book yet?"

"No, it's too hard, there are so many books that I want," Izuku ruffled his hair. Why was this so hard?! He should just think of a title already! He had to get Shouto out of there before he got even more uncomfortable! "I know!" Izuku smiled, even though no one was there to see his smile. "Why don't you just get me a book that you enjoy? I want to know more about you, Shouto!"

"I had a feeling you would say that," Shouto examined the bookshelf currently in front of him. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to read much lately. The first thing that comes to mind is a book I read for a university literature course. I hope that isn't too troublesome for you."

"Hm? What was the assignment?" Izuku's interest was piqued.

"I had to write a paper on how an author's life is reflected in his or her writing. Naturally, I picked Osamu Dazai. And so, I read the book No Longer Human," Shouto picked up the book off the shelf. He flipped through it, absentmindedly checking that it was in good condition, and went over to the counter.

"Dazai! Yes! I accept! My little suicidal smol bean! I forgot he was a real person," Izuku, an avid anime watcher, loved the character and wanted to know more about the human he was based off of. It reminded him of himself. As, well, people thought he wasn't being serious when he said he'd met All Might. But, if Bungo Stray Dogs could be inspired by real life, why not the other way around too?! Couldn't real life be inspired by fiction? Besides, Plus Ultra!!! was just like Bungo Stray Dogs! All Might was real! Why didn't people see that?

"Ah, I'm not sure if 'suicidal smol bean' accurately describes him. The book is tragic and I found myself relating to it a bit...too much," Shouto sighed. He'd made it to the register and bought the book. It was slipped into a nice little plastic sleeve and handed to him. No, he didn't need the bag. No, he didn't need the receipt either. Ah, no, sorry, thank you for your service.

Shouto sighed again, placing his hand over his chest, and taking a moment outside the store to calm down. That was a lot to handle. He hated buying things in person. It made him feel like such a bothersome individual. Now, time to walk back and get this book to Izuku.