Yukari took a deep breath before entering the library. Just her luck. There were several people inside. She started walking towards the librarian’s desk but swerved towards a bookshelf. She looked behind her and saw IA, who waved at her.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHXOfxgCA7
Oh god, she waved at her.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRVNVtVSur
Yukari just started nodding with the exaggeration of a bobblehead. After almost half a minute of this, she turned her head and focused on the bookshelf. 532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRrOsxtpoN
She wasn’t looking for any book in particular, but she needed to do something to stop herself from staring at the librarian. The more she stared, the more the memory of the previous week’s fantasy would be able to crawl into her brain.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohjvlxNZDP
After a minute of staring into space, she realised she was in the mathematics section. She scrunched up her nose. If anyone were to say that being good at something makes you like it, she would throw these hefty books at them. 532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmjsnx62Im
She looked down at the book in her hand and remembered the main character’s struggle to talk to the ghostlike woman.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8ubTDYOiL
She turned around and lurched towards IA, debating whether to walk like she usually did or in a casual, breezy way.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsjozrCer8
IA smirked at her. “Do you like maths?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3LbcIyYHE
Yukari snorted like a horse. “Of course. I love me some numbers. Trig is seriously underrated. Yeah.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyWNkc7XDs
IA chuckled. “Calm down.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZs97lFgOj6
Yukari held her head. IA eyed the book in her hand and reached for it. Yukari bit back a gasp when cold fingers brushed against her hand.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtF3R7rEBQ
“Did you like it?” IA asked. Yukari, still looking down, nodded. “Who was your favourite character?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltzOQYJzfj
“Why make me choose?” Yukari replied. “Tsukino Shion is a really relatable main character, but Kanbara Sora is a lot like… hey, how did you know my name? My name’s a lot like Shion’s.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfGgfjWz4d
“It is?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ600kgaKIwP
Yukari stepped back. She squinted her eyes at IA, who had her head tilted like a dog again.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdGxjd7mlp
“I’m Yuzuki Yukari. You… didn’t know?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8B14cGmXyz
IA stood up and bowed. “I’m sorry for not asking for your name earlier. I keep getting…distracted whenever we talk.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTcIB1Kn5C
I keep getting distracted whenever we talk.
I keep getting distracted.
Distracted.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsl0orPCzU
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOClHNIQdWG
Yukari felt like something exploded in her head, sending a blast of heat that reached from her neck up to her ears.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxGyr35XpP
She coughed. “So, uh, books. Gotta love ‘em. And music… music’s pretty… dope. It’s like oxygen. Everyone needs it in their lives.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4M97BCd3Iu
She mentally kicked herself.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDapInzTy9b
IA sat back down and typed into the computer. “Are there any good books here?” She covered her mouth. “Forget I said that,” she said with her hand still on her mouth. She took it off and sighed. “Yuka… Miss Yuzuki, do you like jazz music?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1xewhHRm1
“I haven’t really listened to it. Why?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek1tTvlQrS
“Well, you mentioned music and I remembered this lesbian romance novel about a spoiled pop star who meets a struggling jazz musician. The descriptions of the songs are really good. It’s like you can actually hear them, even though they’re just words on paper. Would you be able to come to my place again to pick it up?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzO5qEApsI
IA’s eyes widened in realisation. “Oh, is it okay to recommend you new books? You’re probably sick of reading lesbian romance novels since you’ve got a boyfriend.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPgqividJ8
Yukari bit her lip. “What’s my boyfriend got to do with it?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVmt6Nfy8P
IA scratched the back of her ear and looked away, frowning. “Never mind.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfR1HezfZ6
“I’m fine with reading that sort of stuff. Recommend away.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4Y1JfuYgX
IA beamed at Yukari, who, under her powerful gaze, started fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftBuJiQY3G
Yukari asked, “Do you like jazz?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiE34Ss2ct
“I didn’t care much about it at first, but after reading the book, I started getting really interested in it. Isn’t it amazing how books can do that? It’s like every book is a new interest or hobby waiting to be discovered.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeZQQ3gmSE
The sky turned indigo and IA locked up the library, once again taking Yukari to her car. 532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFPEUdODoN
At the apartment, IA handed her a book with two women holding hands, one kissing the cheek of the other. In one woman’s remaining hand was a microphone and for the other woman it was a trumpet.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEPk0opOjC
IA turned on a CD player in the room. The notes of a trombone and double bass filled the room.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhM4qLLq3Q3
“Do you have anywhere to be? Would you like to read here for a bit?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AZhST2hOf
“What are you going to do?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbIrua1MMw
IA picked a book from one of the piles called ‘Club Majesty’. “This will do for me.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x0vtOX9D1
Yukari sat on the one couch in the apartment, taking off a pile of books that rested on it. IA slumped into the couch, opening her own book while existing in the grey area between sitting and lying down.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLm3m5pJ4O
The language of the romance novel in Yukari’s hands was a bit more intricate than the previous novel IA gave Yukari but it wasn’t too difficult to read.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgg158DFz4u
The jazz music in the background lulled Yukari into a trancelike state as she let the story envelop her. She felt like she was sleep-reading and yet she was able to take in the story as if she had the concentration of a lawyer looking for holes in a witness’ story.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRqTGT2aMe
She was eventually broken out of her trance when IA rolled onto her back and raised her legs up against the couch’s back. IA bit her lip and stared at the book like it was written all in the most difficult of kanji characters. Yukari had to force herself to breathe, something she forgot to do as she watched her. She blushed as she stared at her lips.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqlQyBnsAG
She chuckled as she looked at the page IA was on. “I thought a librarian would be able to read the furigana.” She almost pointed out that furigana was usually in books for kids but didn’t want to get kicked out of the apartment.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWAfdGWeJ7
IA said nothing, turning the page. It took her only half a minute before she turned the page again. 532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMBsC1zhi3
Yukari took a closer look at the new page before IA once again turned it. It was a bizarre chase scene involving a car chasing a pig with a sack full of cash on its back. It was-532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6sqKC897q
IA turned the page. “Hey, it was just getting good,” Yukari blurted out. She held her head down. “Um… sorry.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTemkbeMpx
IA turned her head and lightly poked Yukari’s forehead. “Silly girl. No need to apologise. Maybe you can borrow this one from me next time.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8tI6In2By
Yukari smiled. She took a few moments to gain the courage to poke IA’s foot.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiW3xph8wVG
IA kicked the air, cackling like a middle-aged woman after one too many glasses of Syrah. 532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8FDhanTUA
She dropped her book and pounced on Yukari, tickling the underarms. This developed into a bonafide tickle match.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPgDWS79CB
Yukari laughed so hard she snorted, which caused both women to laugh even harder. After they stopped, they stared at each other silently. IA leaned in closer.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljxHD55IOw
Yukari felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. A mysterious shiver swam down her body and her cheeks were as hot as newly toasted bread. She breathed in and out slowly.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQWr4ttuWH
IA’s eyes grew before she shut them and backed away.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZTPTFTq5W
“Um, sorry, I… uh… you should go back to… whatshisname… your boyfriend.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfYe5XhgPk
Yukari stood up and bowed. She grabbed her book and gave IA one last small smile before leaving the apartment.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9Hv673b7Q
She went straight home instead of Roro’s place. There was no way she was going to read a book with that kind of cover in front of him.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYiJytte7S
Her phone buzzed and she frowned when she saw the message.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3FejD8eRs
How’re you doing, beautiful? Wanna hang out?- Roro row your boat532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4ImCJBOqR
She didn’t reply. Her fingers tingled, yearning to tell him about everything, but she put her phone back in her pocket to prevent herself from oversharing. This was her battle to fight.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2VmEfBhWj
She read the book she was lended on her bed, hiding it under the covers whenever she heard her parent’s footsteps close in on her. Her parents never opened the door.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdo7z7OB2Vm
The book was a lot longer than the previous one so she stayed up until 3 A.M finishing it. When she finally finished it, she started pulling at the roots of her hair.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4S1oRanQT
She hadn’t done any homework.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvtT3GyyFb
She managed to complete her homework after a few hours and went to school with bags under her eyes. Her hands shook whenever she used them and she jumped out of her skin when Roro put a hand on her shoulder.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtedQNGwpRe
“Are you okay?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopo61AAnCa
Yukari nodded and looked away from him.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkYkLt9VcF
Life began to form a pattern. Go to school tired, avoid Roro’s queries, return IA’s book to her, go to her place to find a new one, read it until the early hours of the morning and for god’s sake don’t let your parents know, do homework, get two hours of sleep at best, repeat the cycle. This happened for a good three weeks.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsZJySg1aQ
Each time Roro kissed her during lunchtime, Yukari felt the magic a little less. She started reminiscing over the days when the two of them were friends.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnANv0j3STg
Yukari began to notice a few things about IA. Her apartment had an unplugged microphone and a keyboard. Her fridge was covered with sketches of monsters with crowns on them, ranging from medusa to demons and all from the same artist. The magnets that held them up were souvenirs from Greece. She had a to-do list with the most basic of functions such as ‘brush your teeth, you dingus’ and ‘if you don’t eat breakfast, you will starve to death before you get to meet a cute girl’. In the latter one, a line went through the words ‘before you get to meet a cute girl’. Yukari felt as if she had been split in half, one side uplifted and the other brought down to the depths of wherever the demon in that drawing came from.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvS87ev280O
After those three weeks, Roro took her aside after class and brought her to the empty music room.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiq8WyHW3sT
He coughed an ‘ahem’. “Now that I have your attention, I want to ask you something. What the hell is going on with you?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHUcyvLInF
Yukari looked at the door behind her and stepped backwards but Roro grabbed her arm. His grip was gentle. 532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fpmUi5jnP
“Please… whatever’s going on, please let me know. Did I do something wrong?” Yukari gulped, saying nothing. “Please, just talk to me.” 532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlBLy0mV1Q
Yukari rubbed her eyes with her forearm. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiFPNKAdtF
“Then is there anything I can do to help you? You’re not yourself anymore.” He said that last sentence with the face of a rabbit seeing a buzzard and his voice was hoarse, as if it was a struggle to say anything.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3Yk0Pr4RV
Yukari took her arm away from her face and allowed tears to just fall down freely.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHTC0WyO0p
“It’s something I have to figure out on my own.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluUkgs649w
“But I can-”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcVrhax2Aa
“Not when the problem’s got to do with you!”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGmKOByHa6
“But you just said it’s not my-”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7uZeXbvsq
“It’s my fault. If only I wasn’t so selfish.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4nNPL5xt4
“What’s going on with y-”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgswPl4peGD
“I like someone else!” 532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2qto6KSL5
Roro let go of her and stepped backwards, his hands quivering. Yukari sat on the piano chair and held her head in her hands. Her body shook as she cried. Roro sat next to her, trying to ignore the discomfort of sitting on the corner. He held his hand in the air for a while before placing in on her head and stroking her hair.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5lMFnWcA1
“Who’s the lucky guy? Is he in our class?” His voice was slow and ponderous, as if he was trying to hold in his own tears.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjljyrhdhq
“It’s… a girl. You know the new librarian?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUZEYw4DrY
Roro took his hand off her hair, recoiling from shock.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cnRRMFKg3
“Wait, so did you… I don’t know… pretend to like me so you don’t have to admit you like girls or something?”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mlar0m5WN
Yukari shook her head, still looking down. “I liked you. Liked. Past tense. I’m…” She took a deep breath. “...bisexual. I’m really sorry. I should still like you, but… this girl’s just taken over my emotions and… I feel like there’s no room in me for any romantic feelings for anyone else.” She kept repeating the word ‘sorry’ in between sobs.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKcG3yUInl
Roro was silent for a while. He stood up and wiped his tears away, looking down at the ground and silently wishing the floor would collapse and take him with it.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCOcCBbAOC
“I… never pegged you for one of those girls. It doesn’t seem like the type of thing you’d be into.”532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xjf8IJfxC
Yukari looked up and saw Roro silently leaving the room.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wu82FdeKY
He didn’t talk to her for the rest of the day. When she returned another book to IA and they headed to her apartment, she burst into tears in her car.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQbNN9Pakw
She told her about the breakup but didn’t explain the reason for it. IA stopped the car in a parking lane and reached over to hug her, stroking her hair much like Roro did, though this time Yukari actually noticed it and felt her cheeks heat up.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Z7IoSGOyk
The two stayed there for a few moments, the only sounds being their breaths. It was just her and the ghostlike librarian who seemed more real with each passing day.
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