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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqXmRu4dhc
Oh god, she waved at her.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUU2SiO3B7
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. 720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24i8gElDp6
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEb2DBE5Er
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. 720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj56dlrtija
She looked down at the book in her hand and remembered the main character’s struggle to talk to the ghostlike woman.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0W1GZHFnNw
She turned around and lurched towards IA, debating whether to walk like she usually did or in a casual, breezy way.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqhkFRUCcZ
IA smirked at her. “Do you like maths?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8lMFqsDFs
Yukari snorted like a horse. “Of course. I love me some numbers. Trig is seriously underrated. Yeah.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWuAT1BAyq
IA chuckled. “Calm down.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB81vuP9uT4
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3aL7JJSKU
“Did you like it?” IA asked. Yukari, still looking down, nodded. “Who was your favourite character?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEzEnlCkJM
“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.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2wptzRH8N
“It is?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2UlNv9hBn
Yukari stepped back. She squinted her eyes at IA, who had her head tilted like a dog again.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqzItsMiWn
“I’m Yuzuki Yukari. You… didn’t know?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzhieqr2VU
IA stood up and bowed. “I’m sorry for not asking for your name earlier. I keep getting…distracted whenever we talk.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7r7iXegYVv
I keep getting distracted whenever we talk.
I keep getting distracted.
Distracted.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMw6Nt6XmPr
720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmT3EEhN87
Yukari felt like something exploded in her head, sending a blast of heat that reached from her neck up to her ears.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IPkxg9mQi
She coughed. “So, uh, books. Gotta love ‘em. And music… music’s pretty… dope. It’s like oxygen. Everyone needs it in their lives.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSU603hlCmK
She mentally kicked herself.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3OTxILG2v
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?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNU9LziC2Dq
“I haven’t really listened to it. Why?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhBh05qsiX
“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?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNaDgippS1
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.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIfxAouQiQ
Yukari bit her lip. “What’s my boyfriend got to do with it?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhillWsews
IA scratched the back of her ear and looked away, frowning. “Never mind.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nyVmozeya
“I’m fine with reading that sort of stuff. Recommend away.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjvuYm1UEY
IA beamed at Yukari, who, under her powerful gaze, started fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvkUnl7LDe
Yukari asked, “Do you like jazz?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKTkwkcDPZ
“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.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFgKomjqoF
The sky turned indigo and IA locked up the library, once again taking Yukari to her car. 720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLKLyMEh8y
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4iLfR2cPZ
IA turned on a CD player in the room. The notes of a trombone and double bass filled the room.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuy0VDIna8E
“Do you have anywhere to be? Would you like to read here for a bit?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvNFefcurF
“What are you going to do?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjoskiZRDF
IA picked a book from one of the piles called ‘Club Majesty’. “This will do for me.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpesyr1N9y
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUn3onIUz1
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7QEIe7uiZ
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsAEmoY5vv
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSWCQgHomP
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sy75UeqMO
IA said nothing, turning the page. It took her only half a minute before she turned the page again. 720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevwqlea5Un
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-720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSj1ggfsWM
IA turned the page. “Hey, it was just getting good,” Yukari blurted out. She held her head down. “Um… sorry.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocE4nHvepX
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.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1RK7cvh3A
Yukari smiled. She took a few moments to gain the courage to poke IA’s foot.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOd8HeuvET
IA kicked the air, cackling like a middle-aged woman after one too many glasses of Syrah. 720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtyQXHilAl
She dropped her book and pounced on Yukari, tickling the underarms. This developed into a bonafide tickle match.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbwpzwn4VS
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzLKFgjMaV
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLW896WTp2O
IA’s eyes grew before she shut them and backed away.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rURAjBUyI
“Um, sorry, I… uh… you should go back to… whatshisname… your boyfriend.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGA5Uo7srH
Yukari stood up and bowed. She grabbed her book and gave IA one last small smile before leaving the apartment.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2SUQoJgnS
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFgIlI70Zr
Her phone buzzed and she frowned when she saw the message.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamiKGfLZ8K
How’re you doing, beautiful? Wanna hang out?- Roro row your boat720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxE6TTqC16T
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXsFUG2GMz
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpshGpnONMc
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrmXrNTiw2
She hadn’t done any homework.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMDNwYafYM
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZRtGCf9RC
“Are you okay?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXAgRvwP5l
Yukari nodded and looked away from him.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xstwgVpjR
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpre7D1ldSU
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwIqQSZbJa
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzcdRAmLGy
After those three weeks, Roro took her aside after class and brought her to the empty music room.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcYTdaprsj
He coughed an ‘ahem’. “Now that I have your attention, I want to ask you something. What the hell is going on with you?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pJjHcM67j
Yukari looked at the door behind her and stepped backwards but Roro grabbed her arm. His grip was gentle. 720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAr7sKl0gV
“Please… whatever’s going on, please let me know. Did I do something wrong?” Yukari gulped, saying nothing. “Please, just talk to me.” 720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBo9OlxP186
Yukari rubbed her eyes with her forearm. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZqsrcVvbV
“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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgKuEHKOXv
Yukari took her arm away from her face and allowed tears to just fall down freely.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRTC1d6Ksh
“It’s something I have to figure out on my own.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUG8uuNrCn
“But I can-”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2WLFxJxS2
“Not when the problem’s got to do with you!”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1504TipTr
“But you just said it’s not my-”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfrP4oDSKC
“It’s my fault. If only I wasn’t so selfish.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8UlOMoezj
“What’s going on with y-”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxVqPrrNtJ
“I like someone else!” 720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYQCN84yO0
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBz9mWZz9vN
“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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUf4NJC5bg
“It’s… a girl. You know the new librarian?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJ2S0jYMtB
Roro took his hand off her hair, recoiling from shock.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPzLaA9EpJ
“Wait, so did you… I don’t know… pretend to like me so you don’t have to admit you like girls or something?”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWtayotcjQ
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6lPlnu1j2
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDNzUdGEbt
“I… never pegged you for one of those girls. It doesn’t seem like the type of thing you’d be into.”720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpap3yaaau
Yukari looked up and saw Roro silently leaving the room.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLvQKQgXAk
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkoGRm7FB0
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.720Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJDbD0z1pN
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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