The appearance of that girl with date-red curly hair, like a flame, was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly shattering the tranquil atmosphere of the Library’s front desk.
She strode over to the borrowing counter in a few steps, her gaze skipping right over Xiao Chun Miura and locking firmly onto Kanzaki Sou.
“Haruka? Why are you here?”
Kanzaki Sou was a little surprised.
“Of course, to find you!”
Kondo Haruka naturally tried to reach for Kanzaki Sou’s arm, but noticing Xiao Chun Miura beside them and the quiet environment, she reluctantly restrained herself, lowering her hand and simply stepping closer.
She leaned in, lowering her voice in complaint.
“Really, Sou-kun! Why didn’t you tell me you were becoming a Librarian? I only found out from a Classmate!”
Her eyes swept over Xiao Chun Miura, seemingly unintentionally, but the complicated emotion in her gaze left Xiao Chun Miura at a loss for how to react.
She quickly shrank her neck, subconsciously trying to lessen her presence.
“It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
Kanzaki Sou explained.
“I thought the environment here was nice and wanted to help out.”
“Help?”
Kondo Haruka pouted.
“This kind of work is so boring, isn’t it? And… won’t it get in the way of studying? I was planning to…”
“It won’t. The schedule is well arranged. And besides…”
Kanzaki Sou paused, glancing at Xiao Chun Miura, who was quietly organizing files.
“I’m not alone. We can look out for each other.”
Xiao Chun Miura’s body stiffened.
Kondo Haruka’s gaze instantly focused on her like a spotlight, her tone turning slightly strange.
“Oh~? So there’s another Classmate working a Part-time Job here too.”
Then, as if realizing only now, she exaggeratedly stared at Xiao Chun Miura for several seconds before suddenly whispering in realization.
“Sou-kun, isn’t this the one who came to our class yesterday—”
“Yes. What a coincidence, right?”
Kanzaki Sou smiled lightly.
—What are you smiling at!
Feeling Kondo Haruka’s predatory stare from up close, Xiao Chun Miura nearly squatted on the spot.
“Ah… then what about Club Activity?”
Kondo Haruka stared at Xiao Chun Miura for a while, then turned back to Kanzaki Sou.
“And our lunch break…”
“I still have free time during lunch, I just need to be on duty here for an hour. It doesn’t interfere with anything else.”
Kanzaki Sou was gentle even with Kondo Haruka, not at all put off by her fiery personality.
“Besides, Haruka, you have your own friends and Club Activity. You don’t always need to accommodate me.”
“Ugh…”
Kondo Haruka was momentarily speechless, but her face clearly said “unhappy”.
“How can it be like this…”
The passionate childhood friend muttered softly, obviously dissatisfied with this arrangement.
She crossed her arms, her gaze flickering between Kanzaki Sou and Xiao Chun Miura, full of undisguised displeasure.
Xiao Chun Miura felt as if she was sitting on pins and needles; she could sense Kondo Haruka’s nearly tangible suspicion and wariness.
From now on, it seemed like even approaching Kanzaki Sou would have to happen right under Kondo Haruka’s watchful eyes.
“Um… Kanzaki-san,”
In the end, she gathered her courage, her voice as tiny as a mosquito.
“It’s fine with just me here… If you have plans with your friend…”
She tried to appear generous, hoping to quickly send away this powerful figure and ease the suffocating pressure.
“It’s alright.”
Kanzaki Sou shook his head, his tone gentle but firm.
“Since I’ve taken on this Part-time Job, it’s my responsibility.”
He turned to Kondo Haruka.
“Haruka, if you’re free, do you want to wait for me here? Or should I contact you after I finish?”
“Huh? Wait here?”
Kondo Haruka was taken aback by his words, a hint of grievance flashing across her face.
She shot Xiao Chun Miura a fierce look, then finally stomped her foot.
“Forget it!”
Her tone was stiff.
“I’ll go to Club Activity. Contact me when you’re done. You promised we’d go home together today.”
With that, she didn’t wait for Kanzaki Sou’s response, turned around angrily, her curls tracing a beautiful arc in the air as she quickly left the Library.
The invisible pressure weighing on Xiao Chun Miura’s heart vanished the moment Kondo Haruka left. She let out a long, silent sigh, feeling cold sweat soaking her back.
However, before she could fully relax, Kanzaki Sou’s calm voice sounded again, making her freeze in place.
“Miura-san, are you afraid of Haruka?”
Xiao Chun Miura jerked her head up, meeting Kanzaki Sou’s eyes through his glasses. His gaze was still clear, but it seemed to pierce through all her forced composure.
“No, not at all!”
She denied it hastily, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
Why ask that kind of question now… Is he worried about me?
At this moment, Xiao Chun Miura found she couldn’t handle Kanzaki Sou’s concern. Kondo Haruka’s intense scrutiny had already maxed out her stress levels… Even though the childhood friend had left, she still felt extremely uncomfortable.
For someone with social anxiety, nothing is worse than direct, targeted hostility.
She was reaching her limit and needed time to process.
Even though Kanzaki Sou wasn’t pressuring her at all, his gaze was still as gentle and accepting as before… But just the occasional glance made her restless.
“Um… I’ll go organize the bookshelves over there!”
She hurriedly found an excuse, pushing the book-laden cart as she practically fled from the borrowing counter.
Hiding behind a tall row of shelves, Xiao Chun Miura could still faintly hear Kondo Haruka’s persistent voice and Kanzaki Sou’s gentle but firm replies.
She leaned back against the cold bookshelf, slowly sliding down to the floor and hugging her knees.
As expected… It wasn’t that simple.
Kondo Haruka’s vigilance was even stronger than she’d imagined. From now on, every second she spent with Kanzaki Sou would probably be under surveillance.
And she realized she couldn’t predict Kanzaki Sou’s thoughts at all. His actions always seemed to catch her off guard.
What was supposed to be a straightforward Survival Game to prevent Kanzaki Sou’s romance flag was becoming more complicated and unpredictable.
Almost subconsciously, she summoned the System Interface only she could see.
Kanzaki Sou’s Goodwill toward Kondo Haruka was still displayed as 50.
The number remained perfectly steady.
It was probably the only thing that gave her any peace of mind.
But as she stared at that number, a thought popped up uncontrollably:
Then… what about Kanzaki Sou’s Goodwill toward me?
Can the System display his Favorability Value toward me?
The moment the thought surfaced, Xiao Chun Miura shook her head vigorously.
…No, no, no, no, no.
What’s the point of knowing Kanzaki Sou’s Goodwill toward me?
Hahaha.