Kanzaki Sou, who hadn’t realized that Koharu Miura was right inside, was focused on browsing the books on the shelf, his fingertips occasionally gliding lightly over a book’s cover before moving on.
The boy’s steps were slow and steady, sometimes pausing for a few seconds in front of a book title that caught his interest.
But to Koharu Miura, those slowly approaching footsteps felt heavy and oppressive.
She knew Kanzaki Sou wasn’t intentionally tormenting her with his footsteps, but objectively, the situation was indeed tormenting her hard-won calm.
What should she say after running into him and recognizing each other?
Just say hi and run away… That was an option too, of course.
But if she tried too hard to leave, what would Kanzaki Sou think…?
She was already worried about what was said between Kanzaki Sou and Kondo Haruka, and she still hadn’t sorted out her feelings about facing Kanzaki Sou.
And yet, at the exact moment when she wanted some alone time, she ended up running into Kanzaki Sou.
Koharu Miura knew that even if she ran away, nothing terrible would happen.
But right now, she felt a subtle sense of frustration.
—If they really acknowledged each other, she wouldn’t know what to say.
Was that really a reason to run away?
There would probably be countless times in the future when she’d have to talk to Kanzaki Sou.
This morning, she was so troubled simply because she didn’t know what to message him on LIME, which is why she went out to clear her head.
The person making her this flustered was also him.
The one making her unable to escape was also him.
If she ran away just because she “didn’t know what to say,” she’d end up fleeing countless times in similar situations from now on.
“—Ah, this one…”
“!”
While Koharu Miura was fiercely battling the urge to flee in her mind, Kanzaki Sou’s muttering made her body jolt.
Almost by instinct, she held her breath, shrinking into the farthest corner of the book aisle and pretending to be engrossed in a book she’d grabbed at random.
She had no idea what was on the page; her mind was in chaos.
The lines and text, which looked meaningful, now seemed like meaningless color blocks.
Her vision blurred, her sense of smell dulled, and her hearing… in a noise-filled haze, all she could perceive was the sound of footsteps drawing closer.
All of Koharu Miura’s senses were focused on that approaching figure.
The girl unconsciously pressed her lips together.
Don’t look over here… Don’t look over here…
Please, just pretend I don’t exist…
Turn around, leave, don’t come any closer…
I really don’t know what to say, Kanzaki-kun, what a coincidence, why are you at the bookstore?
Ahaha—oh, you came to buy books—wait, what else would you do at a bookstore, what am I even saying—
Her prayers turned into muttered fragments inside her mind, her body stiff as a statue.
She even entertained an absurd thought: if she kept radiating a “don’t look over here, don’t look over here, don’t look over here” aura, maybe Kanzaki Sou would, by some strange force, really avoid her and leave.
—Of course, such a thing wouldn’t happen.
Even in the reality of a game world, it was just as unforgiving as real life.
You always end up falling into your childhood friend’s arms when you least want to, always find no options when you want to do something, and always meet the male lead when you hope to relax.
Even in a game world’s reality, it’s cruel.
***
Kanzaki Sou’s steps stopped about two or three paces to Koharu Miura’s left.
Her heart leapt into her throat.
…W-w-what is he doing.
Did he stop because he finished looking at this shelf?
Is he finally leaving?
That would be perfect.
Yes, just ignore the person in front of you and walk away!
—That can’t be!
How bad would his eyesight have to be not to see me!
Koharu Miura felt her shoulders trembling.
She faced the bookshelf, back to Kanzaki Sou, head down, staring vacantly at the book in her hands, her gaze wandering everywhere but the page.
“Excuse me—”
It’s happening!
Instinctively, Koharu Miura raised the book higher, almost burying her face in it.
She still kept her back to Kanzaki Sou, the air frozen.
The silence stretched on, so long that Koharu Miura felt beads of cold sweat forming at her temples.
“Could I ask you to move a little… I wanted to check the books on that shelf.”
A gentle, apologetic voice came from behind, stirring the stifling air.
“I’ll move over a bit too… Please, sorry for the trouble.”
“……”
…It’s over.
Koharu Miura shut her eyes in despair.
At this point… pretending to be deaf wasn’t possible anymore.
She knew she couldn’t keep playing ostrich.
Still covering her face with the book, she slowly turned around.
“……S-sorry, I was blocking your way, wasn’t I… I’ll move…”
She whispered, shifting aside and still using the book as a shield to give Kanzaki Sou space in the narrow bookstore aisle.
“Mm…”
“Thank you.”
Koharu Miura watched as he stepped past her toward the deeper part of the shelf—then immediately spun around, intent on leaving.
“……Miura-san?”
“—”
Koharu Miura froze.
…How did he recognize me?
Wasn’t my face covered?
“Ah, I thought so. It is Miura-san.”
With that, Kanzaki Sou’s footsteps approached from behind again.
—I’m so dumb.
If I had just kept walking, it would’ve been fine.
Stopping when someone calls your name just makes it obvious you recognized it.
Really… not smart.
Koharu Miura lowered the book from her face and turned around stiffly, a matching awkward smile on her lips.
“Eh… Eh… Isn’t this… Kanzaki-kun…”
Kanzaki Sou stood inside, a “I knew it” expression on his face.
“What a coincidence.”
Koharu Miura felt her tongue twisting.
“Y-yeah—W-what a coincidence… Haha…”
Even she felt how awkward her laugh was.
“Sorry, I was too focused on finding a book and didn’t realize it was you.”
Kanzaki Sou stepped back a little, giving Koharu Miura more space, his face full of genuine apology.
—Should I run?
That was the only thought in Koharu Miura’s mind.
“—By the way, Miura-san, I figured you’d do something like this on your day off.”
To Koharu Miura’s surprise, Kanzaki Sou just started talking on his own.
“Did you come here to buy books? What are you reading?”
“Ah—Ah, haha! Um…”
She had no idea what she was saying anymore.
Flustered, Koharu Miura instinctively handed him the book she was holding, using it to answer his question.
“……Ohhh—”
“Miura-san, you’re interested in this kind of manga too.”
“Should I say, as expected, you give off that vibe?”
Kanzaki Sou glanced at the cover and gave his impression.
“But it’s a little surprising—the genre—I thought you’d read more literary works.”
“You seem just like a regular girl.”
…Eh?
What.
Manga?
What does he mean, just like a regular girl?
And what’s with the surprise?
…That kind of vibe?
Confused, Koharu Miura looked down.
The book she’d grabbed without thinking—the one she’d used to hide her face as if she were engrossed in it.
—It was a manga.
On the open page, the male and female leads were kissing…
Judging by the art style, it was obvious.
It was a Romance Manga.