“Every time I went, there were less and less books available. And then I realized it was because I was buying all the books.”
As a child with little money, Kojima read every book he bought cover to cover, and when he ran out of cash he raided his parents' and his brother's rooms for more books. He could not buy several at once: when he finished one he would take his bike and ride straight to the bookstore to buy the next — a large shop carrying everything from Hayakawa to essays. He noticed that each time he went there were fewer books on the shelves until he realized he was the one buying them all.
“I didn't have much money, so when I bought a book, I made sure to read it, cover to cover. When I ran out of cash, I would go to my parents' or my brother's room to get more books. […] whenever I finished reading one, I'd take my bike and go straight to the bookstore to buy another one.”