However.
Even though she had somehow managed to make an after-school promise with Kanzaki Sou, Miura Xiao Chun spent the entire morning in a state of anxious anticipation, both looking forward to it and dreading it.
Naturally, she was excited about the time after school, but she was also afraid of all sorts of possible mishaps—like whether Kondo Haruka would storm into the Library again… or if Kanzaki Sou would suddenly change his mind.
This uneasy feeling only began to subside a little after Miura Xiao Chun started her lunchtime shift.
During the Library’s lunch hour, Kanzaki Sou, just as he had said, took on most of the work, making things much easier for Miura Xiao Chun.
And though their conversations were limited to necessary work exchanges and the atmosphere wasn’t particularly lively, it also wasn’t awkward.
In fact, Miura Xiao Chun found this a comfortable way to interact.
Whenever Miura Xiao Chun stole glances at Kanzaki Sou, he remained calm, focused on his tasks.
It was as if the unsettling smile he showed her yesterday afternoon had been nothing but her imagination.
Also, whenever she thought about walking home with Kanzaki Sou after school—and possibly having to discuss the baffling —her scalp would tingle all over again.
The afternoon classes passed in another daze, and when the final bell rang, Miura Xiao Chun’s heart thudded like a drum.
She dawdled as she packed her bag, took a deep breath, and headed for the Library.
At the front desk, only Kanzaki Sou was there.
He sat quietly behind the lending counter, reading, the golden sunlight of evening outlining him in a soft halo.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up and closed his book.
“Miura-san, you’re here.”
“Mm… Sorry, did you wait long?”
Miura Xiao Chun replied offhandedly.
“—Ah, not at all. I just got here myself.”
Kanzaki Sou widened his eyes, and Miura Xiao Chun realized belatedly that her reply might have sounded a bit off.
She hurriedly waved her hands.
“No… that’s not what I meant. I just didn’t want to hold up too much work, that’s all.”
Hearing Miura Xiao Chun’s flustered explanation, Kanzaki Sou, who had seemed surprised, gave a gentle smile.
“It’s nothing. Didn’t I handle things alone at lunchtime too?”
“Or… is it that you don’t quite trust my work skills, senpai?”
“—”
Miura Xiao Chun twitched at the teasing, unsure if it was meant to be mean-spirited or not.
What’s going on… This atmosphere feels different from usual…
“—Hopefully, there’s not much to do today, so we can go home on time.”
While Miura Xiao Chun was still complaining inwardly, Kanzaki Sou had already started skillfully tidying up the desk, speaking as he worked.
“O-Okay.”
During their shift, the two of them maintained the orderliness of the front desk in silent teamwork.
All the while, Miura Xiao Chun was so nervous her palms were sweating, her movements even clumsier than on the first day.
Kanzaki Sou seemed to notice her tension but didn’t mention it.
Whenever Miura Xiao Chun fumbled, he would naturally take over the tasks near her, helping her finish organizing—assisting seamlessly with her workflow, as if quietly supporting her.
Miura Xiao Chun could only follow his lead, unsure how to react to his help.
Finally, in this delicate atmosphere, the two of them saw off the last student and completed all their work for the day.
“All right, let’s go, Miura-san.”
As the bell echoed within the Library, Kanzaki Sou shouldered his bag and looked over at Miura Xiao Chun.
***
Stepping out of the Library, the cool evening air rushed over them, easing Miura Xiao Chun’s nerves a little.
Kondo Haruka hadn’t appeared all afternoon; whether Kanzaki Sou had warned her in advance or there was another reason, Miura Xiao Chun didn’t know.
In any case, at this moment, she was walking side by side with Kanzaki Sou along the Campus Path bathed in sunset; for a while, neither of them spoke.
The silence made Miura Xiao Chun’s heart, which had only just calmed, start pounding again.
I have to say something… Anything!
This silence is too awkward!
“Uh, um! Kanzaki-san!”
She spoke up, almost forcing the words out.
“About that astronomy book…”
“Mm?”
Kanzaki Sou turned his head, his gaze extra gentle under the sunset.
After a moment, he looked forward again, eyes following the dusk-lit street.
“Was there a reason you became interested in astronomy, Miura-san? Like the constellations? The basic laws of celestial movement? Or… perhaps the zodiac?”
“Uh… that…”
Miura Xiao Chun’s mind spun as she desperately tried to dig up anything to talk about from her meager store of astronomy knowledge.
“Actually… I-I’m pretty interested in the constellations!”
In the end, it was the only “safe” topic she could find.
“Ah, so it’s the constellations after all?”
Kanzaki Sou seemed to smile.
“It really is a romantic subject. Greek Mythology gave the stars many stories; a lot of legends became attached to the constellations.”
“Y-Yeah… Like the tale of Dioscuri—the origin of Gemini, right?”
Miura Xiao Chun echoed dryly, inwardly thankful she at least knew something about the twelve zodiac stories.
“My favorite is the story of Sagittarius.”
Kanzaki Sou continued in a gentle tone.
“Do you know it, Miura-san?”
Miura Xiao Chun’s shoulder tensed.
—She really didn’t.
“Um… Is it about some legendary archer?”
“That’s not wrong.”
Kanzaki Sou replied.
“But in fact, Sagittarius should be called Centaurus—that way, the stories won’t get mixed up.”
“Centaurus is tied to a centaur in Greek Mythology named Chiron…”
Listening to Kanzaki Sou’s mythological tales, Miura Xiao Chun felt a cold sweat break out.
With her limited folklore knowledge, this was as far as she could go.
“…By the way, Miura-san, what’s your sign?”
A few lines later, Kanzaki Sou naturally shifted the topic.
“Me? I’m a Gem—”
Halfway through, Miura Xiao Chun suddenly stopped herself.
She did know her own sign.
The problem was, she didn’t know what Miura Xiao Chun’s sign was!
There would never be such detailed settings for a background character in the game!
How could she possibly know Miura Xiao Chun’s birthday?!
“—Ah… Kanzaki-san~ Why don’t you guess?”
Thinking quickly, Miura Xiao Chun grinned.
“Based on your impression of me, take a guess! If you’re right, I’ll tell you.”
—Haah?!
What’s with “guess based on your impression and I’ll tell you if you’re right?!”
What am I saying?!
She was already roasting herself inside, but kept a straight face on the outside.
Kanzaki Sou paused in his steps and glanced at her.
There was a faint, curious look in his eyes, but it quickly faded.
“Hehe, wouldn’t it be rude if I guessed wrong?”
He didn’t answer, just smiled gently, then changed the subject.
“By the way, Miura-san, you seem to really enjoy working in the Library. You always look so focused when you’re organizing books.”
“Ah… W-Well…”
Still tense, Miura Xiao Chun let out a breath of relief and followed along.
“Because it’s so quiet… Places like the Reading Room always make me feel calm and comfortable.”
That, at least, was her genuine feeling.
“Indeed.”
Kanzaki Sou nodded.
“The Library is a place where people can settle down. That’s one reason I chose to work here part-time.”
The two chatted idly, mostly about the Library, school, and other harmless daily topics.
Kanzaki Sou was gracious, never letting the conversation go cold but never being overly enthusiastic either.
Miura Xiao Chun gradually relaxed.
She’d prepared herself for the worst, but the reality was less intimidating than she’d feared.
If this sort of arrangement worked, maybe she could invite Kanzaki Sou to do things together more often in the future?
Anyway, anything to reduce the time he spent stuck with Kondo Haruka would be good. If it worked, that would be great…
“—Miura-san.”
But just as Miura Xiao Chun was feeling relieved, Kanzaki Sou’s voice broke the silence.
Yet his tone had changed from the casual, weather-chatting air of before.
“Are you… afraid of Haruka?”
“…!”
Miura Xiao Chun nearly froze mid-step, feeling the blood in her forehead congeal.
He noticed!
But why would he notice—and ask directly at this moment?!
Panic seized her, turning her mind blank.
“I… No…”
She denied reflexively, her voice trembling with nerves.
“Is that so?”
Kanzaki Sou stopped walking and turned to face her.
The sunset was directly behind him, his features softened by the light, yet the eyes behind his glasses were unreadable.
“Judging by your reaction…”
“—I guess I was right.”
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Wonder if this is going to be a story where the ML is a returner. I’m imagining like “This Life, I’m a Heroine”