……The next morning, Xiao Chun Miura woke up early.
Outside the window, it was still a hazy blue.
She sat up and glanced at the clock on the wall beside her.
It was just 5 a.m.
——Speaking of which, when does this high school even start classes?
She stared at the yet-unfolded dawn outside, squinting.
The tips of her long hair brushed against her neck and cheek, making her itch, and Xiao Chun Miura couldn’t help but scratch at it.
……The moment she woke up, she was always reminded of her current situation.
And she still felt uneasy from that surreal sense of unreality.
She still didn’t have a clear answer about what kind of attitude she should have toward her new life.
Every minute she spent in this body, her emotions shifted with it.
She looked at the unfamiliar bedroom in front of her, her gaze drifting to the tall buildings outside the window she’d never seen before.
The room was silent.
There were no sounds from the corridor or the other rooms in the Home.
Xiao Chun Miura got up and left the bedroom, wandering aimlessly down from the second floor to the first.
All the rooms in the Home were dark, with no sign of anyone else.
She stood at the entrance to the Living Room, unmoving.
How long would it take to get used to this unfamiliar Home?
Staring silently at the Television that no one was watching, Xiao Chun Miura sighed.
“……Might as well go to school.”
In the end, she went to school as if she had no other choice.
***
She seemed to have arrived at school much earlier than the official start time.
After following the navigation to the school gate, Xiao Chun Miura hadn’t seen a single student on the way.
She’d delayed for quite a while before leaving the Home, too—maybe tomorrow she could come to school later.
Although today she’d gone out early because she couldn’t sleep and had nothing to do, she didn’t mind having more alone time.
Or rather, once you arrived at school, it meant the day’s life had begun.
Kanzaki Sou’s story would also move forward—interactions with the other heroines would follow one after another as time went on.
Her own survival safety would become more precarious as a result.
Not to mention the special events that could trigger at night—for now, daytime for Xiao Chun Miura was a battlefield where she couldn’t let her guard down.
“……Stay focused.”
Cheering herself up, Xiao Chun Miura stepped through the school gate, where the duty teacher was stationed.
“Student, you’re here early.”
“Don’t doze off in the morning, okay?”
The female teacher at the gate looked completely ordinary, and her words made her seem so real—it was hard to believe she was just a string of code if not for her current situation.
If not for her current predicament, Xiao Chun Miura would have believed such a proactive and friendly teacher was real too.
She looked so real, yet was nothing more than a string of numbers filled in by code.
“……Good morning, sensei.”
As she passed by, Xiao Chun Miura tried to greet her.
“Mm, good morning!”
The bright, friendly smile on the woman’s face showed no sign of being just a product of code.
Xiao Chun Miura felt a heaviness in her chest, avoided the teacher’s gaze, and quickly walked past her.
***
At lunch break, Xiao Chun Miura nervously followed the instructions on the Announcement Board and arrived at the Library of Starlight Academy.
——During the morning break, she’d also thought about whether to go find Kanzaki Sou.
But that was just a random impulse; in terms of events to watch out for, Kanzaki Sou was probably just chatting normally with Kondo Haruka this morning—there was neither a reason to interfere nor an excuse for Xiao Chun Miura to intervene.
So until noon, Xiao Chun Miura didn’t take any real action.
But remembering the Library she’d originally intended to visit yesterday, and thinking it was a good way to pass time anyway, Xiao Chun Miura decided to use her lunch break to check it out.
……If there were requirements to become a Librarian, it wouldn’t hurt to find out early, so she could adjust her plans accordingly.
The Library was on the top floor of the Teaching Building.
As soon as Xiao Chun Miura entered, she saw the familiar front desk bookshelf.
She couldn’t help but walk over.
In the game, the Library’s background art focused on this shelf connecting to the front desk Librarian’s workspace.
The massive floor-to-ceiling windows let sunlight pour in, and Xiao Chun Miura was enveloped in the light and the scent of ink from the books.
“Hello, sensei——”
Behind the front desk sat a teacher she didn’t recognize.
The Work Badge on her chest read Sakura—since the name matched the game, this must be the Library supervisor without a character portrait.
“Mm?”
The middle-aged woman with glasses lifted her gaze from her book.
Before seeing who had arrived, she already wore a professional smile.
“Student, can I help you?”
That gentle demeanor eased much of Xiao Chun Miura’s tension, letting her calm down.
Facing this kindly-looking middle-aged woman, Xiao Chun Miura explained her purpose—she wanted to work part-time as a Librarian.
“Oh my.”
After listening, Sakura-sensei smiled and adjusted her glasses.
“The Library just happens to be short-handed. We were planning to ask students to help out during club recruitment anyway.”
“I didn’t expect someone to volunteer before we even started.”
Xiao Chun Miura’s eyes lit up.
It sounded promising!
Just as if confirming her feelings, Sakura-sensei continued,
“The main duties are organizing returned books and helping students locate books. We need someone to work an hour each at lunch and after school every day while at school. Can you do it, student?”
“Y-Yes, no problem!”
Xiao Chun Miura hurriedly nodded.
The schedule avoided class time perfectly, and it didn’t sound hard at all.
Most importantly, she’d gotten the opportunity almost instantly, without any cost or effort.
This was luckier than she’d dared hope for.
“Excellent.”
“Then, come over here.”
Sakura-sensei beckoned Xiao Chun Miura closer.
“The system is simple—you can search by book number, and returning or borrowing books also updates the status under the book number……”
After explaining the management system, Sakura-sensei had Xiao Chun Miura try it out herself.
……For someone who’d worked as a corporate drone for years, this wasn’t even worth calling training.
Just looking at it was enough to understand.
This was one of the few areas Xiao Chun Miura felt confident in—she even found Sakura-sensei’s detailed explanations a bit funny.
“You did great!”
Sakura-sensei praised.
“Come again after school. I’ll be here waiting for you. Since it’s your first day, I’ll supervise, so don’t feel any pressure.”
Saying that, Sakura-sensei rummaged through the sliding drawer under the desk.
“Got it—here, take this.”
Sakura-sensei smiled.
“Wear it when you come to work.”
It was a temporary Work Badge identical to the one she wore around her own neck.
And so, Xiao Chun Miura’s part-time job at the Library began naturally.
To prepare for meeting that boy, Xiao Chun Miura did her best in her own way.