"Gurgle—"
As the clock hand pointed to noon, a highly untimely sound broke the atmosphere that had just been established between the two.
Natsukawa Sosuke was stunned for a moment and looked across from him.
Shiina Hiyori's face instantly turned slightly red.
"It seems that while spiritual food is delicious, it ultimately can't fill one's stomach."
Natsukawa suppressed a laugh, closed the book in his hand, and stood up.
"Let's go, Classmate Shiina. To celebrate our 'academic exchange' this morning, how about doing me the honor of having lunch together?"
"...Mm." Hiyori nodded gently, her face red, as she gracefully packed the books on the table. "Um... if Classmate Natsukawa doesn't mind."
"Let's go to the cafeteria. It's closer."
"The cafeteria?"
Hearing this word, a hint of curiosity and a trace of imperceptible nervousness flashed in Hiyori's eyes.
"Come to think of it... I've been enrolled for so long, and yet I've never been to the student cafeteria."
"Huh?" Natsukawa stopped in his tracks and looked at her in disbelief. "Not even once? Then what do you usually eat?"
"Mostly I go to the convenience store to buy bread, or I bring my own bento..." Hiyori said somewhat bashfully. "Because... the cafeteria is always crowded, and the ordering process seems very complicated. I'm not very good at handling those kinds of situations..."
Looking at the young lady before him who seemed detached from the mortal world, Natsukawa shook his head helplessly.
As expected, clever beautiful girls are usually a bit airheaded in certain aspects.
"Alright then, today let this commoner take you to see it for yourself."
The two walked out of the reading area. Hiyori put on the schoolbag that was on the chair, but at the moment she stood up, Natsukawa clearly saw her body sink suddenly. The straps pulled taut, and she stumbled slightly.
"Careful."
Natsukawa instinctively reached out to steady her and grabbed the strap of her schoolbag.
"I'll help carry it too... Holy crap?"
As soon as he touched it, an unexpected sense of weight almost made Natsukawa lose his grip. This weight was practically like having several bricks stuffed in the bag.
"Do you play soccer too?"
Natsukawa weighed the schoolbag in his hand, looking in shock at the seemingly frail girl before him.
"What's in here? Dumbbells?"
"N-No..."
Hiyori's face turned even redder.
"It's books... books I wanted to recommend to Classmate Natsukawa."
"Books?"
"Yes..."
"Because... after that time, I haven't seen you for a long while, Natsukawa."
"Whenever I read an interesting book, I always think, 'Ah, if only I could share this with Natsukawa,' or 'Natsukawa would definitely like this narrative'..."
"So, I put all the books I'd just finished reading and found interesting into my bag, thinking that if I happened to run into you at the Library one day, I could give them to you right away."
"But... I never ran into you."
"I thought, 'Maybe I'll run into him tomorrow,' so I put in another one."
"Just like that... one by one, before I knew it..."
Natsukawa Sosuke was stunned.
He looked at the heavy schoolbag in his hand, then at the girl before him.
His heart felt as if it had been gently struck by something.
"I'm sorry."
"I've kept you waiting."
"N-No need! It was my own doing..." Hiyori waved her hands in a panic.
"But this really is heavy."
Natsukawa naturally slung the schoolbag over his own shoulder, as if he were carrying his own bag.
"As a penalty, lunch today is on me. Also, these books..."
He turned his head and gave Hiyori a bright smile.
"I will read them one by one, very carefully."
"...!"
Hiyori's eyes instantly lit up.
"Yes! Remember to share your thoughts with me after you've finished reading them."
She followed with light steps; although the weight was gone from her shoulders, her heart was full.
"Actually... there's also a book about locked-room lectures that I didn't squeeze in..."
"Give me a break, any more and I'll turn into a camel."
"Hehe... You're such a joker, Natsukawa."
In the hallway, the girl's crisp and joyful laughter echoed... A few days later, on the second floor of the Library.
This was a study area even quieter than the first floor. Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, the winter sunlight was thin and precious.
Natsukawa Sosuke and Shiina Hiyori sat facing each other, the table piled high with the books "liberated" from Hiyori's schoolbag that day.
These past few days, Natsukawa would come here whenever he was free.
On one hand, it saved him the annoyance of dealing with the clowns in Class C; on the other hand, it was to fulfill his promise to "read all the books."
Of course, more importantly, the time spent with Hiyori truly made him feel relaxed.
"I see... in this narrative trick, the author intentionally concealed the dimension of 'time'."
Natsukawa closed a work by Ayatsuji Yukito and uttered a word of praise.
"As expected of books recommended by Hiyori, the quality is very high."
"Right, right?" Hiyori's eyes sparkled as she leaned forward slightly. "I also think the handling of this part is brilliant! Especially..."
Just as the two were about to start a new discussion about the trick in the book.
"Shut up! Bring that over and let me have a look!"
"What... what do you think you're doing?!"
A noisy argument vaguely drifted up from downstairs.
Natsukawa Sosuke's hand paused while turning a page.
"It seems... even in a place like this, some people can't keep still."
Hiyori clearly heard it too. The excitement on her face gradually faded, replaced by a faint sense of loneliness and distress.
"Is it... classmates from my class?"
"Most likely." Natsukawa put down the book, leaned back against the chair, and scrutinized the girl before him.
"Hey, Shiina."
"Hm?"
"Have you ever thought about... replacing him?"
"Eh?" Hiyori was stunned for a moment, seemingly not understanding Natsukawa's meaning.
"I mean Ryuuen Kakeru." Natsukawa's fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop. "That guy who only knows how to use violence has made Class C a mess. If it were you..."
"With your intelligence, if you wanted to, you could probably do much better than him, right? Become the leader of Class C and guide the class in your own way."
If Shiina Hiyori had any ambition, even just a little, Natsukawa wouldn't mind giving her a push after dealing with Ryuuen.
However, Hiyori's reaction was unexpected.
She simply shook her head gently, a quiet and indifferent smile appearing on her face.
"I... don't have those kinds of thoughts."
Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm.
"I don't like conflict, and I'm not good at giving orders. For me, being able to read quietly like this and share my thoughts with a fellow enthusiast like you is already the greatest happiness."
She turned her head and looked at the treetops outside the window.
"Whether it's power, points, or even the qualification for Class A... to me, none of that is as attractive as a single line of text in this book."
"And..."
She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Natsukawa, a hint of worry showing in those purple eyes.
"If I became the leader, wouldn't that mean... I'd have to stand on the opposite side from you, Natsukawa?"
"I don't want that."
"I don't want class disputes or different positions to create a rift between us. I don't want... to lose my only kindred spirit in this school."
Natsukawa Sosuke looked at her.
The girl's eyes were crystal clear, without a hint of impurity. She truly thought this way and was truly worried about it.
In this school where everyone fought tooth and nail to climb higher, she was like an outlier.
"...Is that so."
Natsukawa was silent for a moment, then smiled with relief.
"True. If you became the kind of person full of calculation, perhaps... I wouldn't be sitting here like this now."
"This is fine too. Just be yourself."
He reached out to pick up the book on the table to continue reading, but his hand stopped mid-air.
"*Vibrate—*"
The phone on the table vibrated.
The screen lit up.
Sender: Haruka.
[People from Class C are causing trouble in the Library! Airi is hurt! Come quick!]
A short line of text, yet it caused Natsukawa's originally calm eyes to instantly freeze.
....
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