Hiding behind the bookshelf for who knows how long, Xiao Chun Miura was jolted awake only when the faint sound of the end-of-lunch bell drifted in.
She hurriedly stood up, brushed the dust off her skirt, and took several deep breaths, trying to make herself look normal.
When she returned to the lending desk, Kanzaki Sou was quietly sitting there, reading a book he’d taken from a nearby shelf.
He looked up at her as he heard the movement, his gaze calm.
“Ah, Miura-san, did you finish organizing?”
His tone was as gentle as ever, as if nothing Miura Xiao Chun did out of embarrassment could shake his composure.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“No, n-not really……”
Miura Xiao Chun replied softly, eyes darting away.
She returned the now-empty cart to its original place, feeling awkward and unsure where to put her hands and feet as she walked back to the front desk.
“Lunch break is almost over.”
Fortunately.
Whether it was because he noticed Miura Xiao Chun’s awkwardness or the timing was just right, Kanzaki Sou closed his book and stood up.
“See you after school, Miura-san.”
“Ah…… Mm, goodbye, Kanzaki-san.”
Watching Kanzaki Sou’s figure leave the Library, Miura Xiao Chun let out a long sigh once more, this time filled with a complex, indescribable sense of relief.
Throughout the afternoon classes, Miura Xiao Chun was completely absent-minded.
The scrutinizing, hostile gaze of Kondo Haruka, and Kanzaki Sou’s seemingly casual words, “Miura-san seems afraid of Haruka?”
Kept flashing through her mind.
This feeling of passivity and loss of control made her very uncomfortable.
“No way……”
She slumped over her desk, hiding her face behind her Textbook, and screamed inwardly.
“I can’t go on like this!”
Passive defense and improvisation were too prone to mistakes!
She needed a more proactive, more Systematic plan.
With this in mind, Miura Xiao Chun started frantically recalling every plot node related to Kondo Haruka in the game.
If the story followed the original design, what were the key events?
Besides these initial days and her interactions with Kanzaki Sou, what other critical events did Kondo Haruka have early on?
School Festival?
That was mid-to-late game.
Sports Day?
Still some time away.
As for daily life……
Hmm…… Going home together?
Miura Xiao Chun’s expression shifted.
In the game, the male protagonist usually went home with Kondo Haruka after school in the early stages.
Encountering stray cats on the way, discussing studies, even getting teased by other classmates—these were all processes by which the male lead and Kondo Haruka steadily increased their affection.
Although now, Kanzaki Sou seemed to have his after-school time partly occupied due to his Library part-time job……
But working late every day, there would eventually be a chance to go home together with Kondo Haruka.
According to what Kondo Haruka said before, once both finished their respective duties, they’d agree to meet—so going home together afterward was pretty logical, too.
“Go home together……”
Miura Xiao Chun also found herself wanting to “monopolize Kanzaki Sou for an entire afternoon”…… to preemptively probe and avoid negative influence from Kondo Haruka, and for future activities.
But, what reason could she use?
She wasn’t in their class, let alone their friend.
How could she suddenly approach and say she wanted to go home with Kanzaki Sou?
If it wasn’t a reason Kanzaki Sou couldn’t refuse, Kondo Haruka—upon hearing—would probably explode on the spot.
She needed to think carefully……
Sitting at her desk in the Classroom, ignoring the teacher’s lecture, Miura Xiao Chun’s eyes flickered with thought.
***
After school, when Miura Xiao Chun arrived at the Library again, Kanzaki Sou was already there, skillfully processing some returned books.
“Good afternoon, Miura-san.”
“G-good afternoon.”
After a simple greeting, work proceeded steadily.
Thanks to their experience at noon, their teamwork became a bit more coordinated.
Kanzaki Sou mainly handled reception and System operations, while Miura Xiao Chun was mostly responsible for shelving and organizing books.
During this, Miura Xiao Chun kept secretly observing Kanzaki Sou, trying to find the right moment to invite him to “go home together,” but no matter how she tried, it always felt awkward.
Just as she struggled internally, Kanzaki Sou’s phone screen lit up.
The bespectacled boy glanced at the screen behind his lenses, picked up his phone, and quickly replied with a few words.
Though it was just a fleeting moment, Miura Xiao Chun still caught the sender’s name—Haruka.
Her heart immediately leapt.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Kanzaki Sou spoke with a slight hint of apology.
“Miura-san, sorry. I have something to take care of, so after work, I might need to leave first. If there’s still unfinished sorting……”
“No problem! Leave it to me!”
Miura Xiao Chun almost answered instantly, her voice a bit shrill from urgency.
Kanzaki Sou seemed slightly surprised by her quick response and looked at her.
Miura Xiao Chun hurriedly explained.
“I-I mean, there’s not much left anyway, I can handle it alone……Kanzaki-san, you go ahead.”
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
Kanzaki Sou paused, then smiled.
“As compensation, I’ll cover the lunchtime shift tomorrow—Miura-san, please rest well then.”
“N-no need to be so polite……”
Miura Xiao Chun laughed awkwardly.
But inside, she wasn’t nearly as calm.
—The opportunity!
The opportunity was slipping away!
Her heart pounded, her mind racing.
She couldn’t hesitate anymore!
Just as Kanzaki Sou was about to return to work, a trembling call reached his ears.
“T-that! Kanzaki-san!”
Almost as if she was risking everything, Miura Xiao Chun mustered all her courage to speak.
“Hmm?”
Kanzaki Sou looked up.
“S-since you have to leave early today……then, um……”
Miura Xiao Chun felt her cheeks burning, her words stumbling from nervousness.
“Tomorrow! After school……if you’re not in a hurry to leave……”
“Uh, I mean, after school……would you like to……go home together?”
She finally said it!
After finishing, Miura Xiao Chun immediately lowered her head, not daring to look at Kanzaki Sou’s expression, feeling like a prisoner awaiting judgment.
……It really was too direct.
She felt so shameless, it wouldn’t be surprising to be rejected.
Ah, he hasn’t replied—must be a rejection—
……Even though countless guesses flashed through Miura Xiao Chun’s mind, only two or three seconds had actually passed.
“Huu……”
Kanzaki Sou seemed to freeze for a moment, then a faint trace of surprise appeared in his voice.
“Is Miura-san inviting me to go home together?”
“N-no! Ah, yes……well, that is……”
Miura Xiao Chun fumbled her words even more.
“Because we’re both Library staff now! If it’s on the way……colleagues can discuss work, right? Hahaha!”
By the end, Miura Xiao Chun was practically throwing all dignity away.
God, what a terrible excuse!
She wailed inwardly.
Kanzaki Sou looked at the girl in front of him, who seemed to want to shrink her head into her collar, his gaze behind the lenses flickering.
“Sure.”
Then, just as Miura Xiao Chun thought she’d been rejected, he answered.
“If not, that’s totally fine——Eh?”
Miura Xiao Chun raised her head sharply, halfway through her sentence to ease the awkwardness.
The boy’s lips curved in a faint, slightly unsettling smile.
“After work tomorrow, if Miura-san doesn’t mind, we can walk together.”
“R-really?”
“Mm. Like Miura-san said, we’re ‘colleagues’ now.”
Kanzaki Sou nodded naturally.
“Also, I’m curious about why Miura-san is interested in Astronomy. Maybe we can talk about it on the way.”
“Ah……mm……”
Miura Xiao Chun’s feelings were an absolute mess at this moment.
Success! Mission accomplished!
But……why did she feel even more nervous?
Especially that last smile from Kanzaki Sou—it was different from his usual warm, gentle atmosphere, making her feel as if he’d seen through everything, yet still played along with her obvious “trap.”
And.
Astronomy! Again with Astronomy!
She’d almost forgotten about that book!
She knew nothing about Astronomy—when the topic came up, how was she supposed to avoid related questions?
“Then it’s decided.”
Kanzaki Sou said, glancing at his phone.
“It’s about time. I’ll take my leave. Thank you so much today, Miura-san.”
“N-no problem! See you tomorrow!”
Watching Kanzaki Sou leave, Miura Xiao Chun slumped against the lending desk.
The first step……was taken, right?
Though the process was convoluted and her feelings complicated, at least she’d created a chance to disrupt the after-school alone time between him and Kondo Haruka.
She instinctively summoned the System Interface.
Kanzaki Sou’s favorability toward Kondo Haruka: 50.
As steady as ever, as if it would never change.
As the only thing that gave her comfort, that quantified favorability felt like an achievement Miura Xiao Chun had earned by playing the game herself.