“Eh?”
“Hmm?”
The two stared at each other for a moment.
“Ah, um, that’s not…”
In that instant, Xiao Chun Miura had no idea what to say.
“——I just saw this here…”
What the heck!
“…Is that so.”
Kanzaki Sou’s gaze moved between the manga and Xiao Chun Miura’s face, a subtle smile flickering in his eyes.
“Isn’t that fine? I read manga sometimes too.”
“Having a genre you like is a good thing.”
The teasing tone made Xiao Chun Miura’s cheeks burn instantly.
No… I’ve never read a shoujo romance manga before.
Don’t define people on your own!
“It’s not— I, I just looked at it casually… It’s not like I’m interested or anything…”
Xiao Chun Miura hurriedly closed the manga and shoved it back onto the shelf, almost knocking over the books beside it with her flustered movement.
Seeing her panic, Kanzaki Sou’s smile deepened.
But he kindly didn’t pursue the topic further. Instead, he lifted a thick hardcover book in his hand.
“Well, I did find a book I want to buy.”
Following Kanzaki Sou’s movement, Xiao Chun Miura instinctively glanced at the cover of the book in his hand— “Modern Architectural History Studies”.
…Uh.
——Eh.
The girl’s expression died a little inside.
What, reading a book like that?
It feels weird.
There was an indescribable sense of dissonance. Kanzaki Sou’s image in Xiao Chun Miura’s mind suddenly felt a bit out of reach.
What kind of high school student goes to a bookstore on a Saturday to buy “Modern Architectural History Studies”?
Normally, she never thought Kanzaki Sou was so hardcore in his interests.
…It’s a bit distant.
“Well… that’s great.”
Not knowing how to respond— or rather, not knowing how to react to Kanzaki Sou holding a hardcore book with a proud expression— Xiao Chun Miura could only dryly echo him.
“Miura-san, do you still want to look around?”
Kanzaki Sou nodded, following the topic.
“Eh…”
Xiao Chun Miura felt like she was suffocating.
She was caught between the urge to run away and the stubborn refusal to do so.
Wanting to run was a social anxiety instinct, not wanting to run was awkward stubbornness.
Kanzaki Sou said he found the book he wanted, so he was probably planning to pay and leave now.
If she answered “I want to look a bit more” and stayed in the bookstore, their conversation would end.
…The initial hope that Kanzaki Sou wouldn’t notice her had quietly shifted into a wish that he wouldn’t just leave.
But what else could she say?
In the school library, with work and colleague identities as a shield, it didn’t feel strange to be alone with Kanzaki Sou.
The reason for interaction was legitimate, the environment was comfortable, and she could maintain a surface calm.
But here, in the narrow aisle between bookshelves, meeting as purely private individuals made her feel unprecedentedly awkward and unnatural.
——The questions in her heart, what happened between him and Kondo Haruka, she couldn’t find a way to ask, and the faint sense of distance that had lingered these past days couldn’t be directly addressed to Kanzaki Sou.
She had gone out to organize her feelings before facing Kanzaki Sou, but before she was ready, she bumped into him anyway.
…Is this storyline messing with me?
“……”
As a result, several seconds passed after Kanzaki Sou’s question, but Xiao Chun Miura still couldn’t take that step.
Even if she said she “didn’t plan to keep looking”, once she walked out of the bookstore with Kanzaki Sou, she’d have no reason to keep following him.
In the end, this accidental encounter only served to disrupt the stability she had just found, with no other positive effect.
Xiao Chun Miura felt utterly discouraged.
It was as if everything in the world was conspiring against her, refusing to let her have peace.
“Um… about the previous poster.”
Just as Xiao Chun Miura stared blankly, wallowing in her misery, Kanzaki Sou spoke again.
His tone was casual, as if chatting, but warmer than before.
“I handed the final version to Sakura-sensei.”
“It was modified slightly from your version according to Sakura-sensei’s suggestions.”
“Sakura-sensei seemed very satisfied and said she plans to give me similar work in the future.”
“At that time, I told Sakura-sensei—”
“——That the design was Miura-san’s work, and it was thanks to you that Sakura-sensei was pleased.”
“……”
“……Eh?”
Kanzaki Sou’s gentle words left Xiao Chun Miura stunned.
The sudden compliment, the unexpected praise… like a warm breeze, it soothed her anxious heart a little.
“Miura-san?”
“——I’m not that amazing…”
Xiao Chun Miura finally came back to her senses.
“I just made a few casual changes…”
“Ah, but those weren’t just casual changes.”
Kanzaki Sou’s expression turned serious.
“Sakura-sensei said that from the perspective of highlighting key points, it was already a very high standard.”
“——I don’t really understand the detailed differences, but I could tell it was well done.”
“But if Sakura-sensei praised it that much, does that mean you’re actually a professional, Miura-san?”
His gaze was clear, his tone sincere, and the genuine admiration in his words made Xiao Chun Miura freeze in place.
A second later, she instinctively looked away.
“Being praised that much…”
“……”
“Thank you. I’m happy to be complimented like that.”
Xiao Chun Miura lowered her head slightly, her voice soft as if it might leak away on the wind.
…Unbelievable.
She didn’t feel embarrassed.
Normally, she thought she would.
But.
Xiao Chun Miura pressed her lips together.
…She just felt happy.
Purely happy.
It didn’t feel bad.
“Speaking of which…”
Kanzaki Sou seemed to remember something, a hint of helplessness in his tone.
“I apologize again for what happened with Haruka in the library.”
“……Eh?”
“That day, Haruka dragged me away forcefully, and I didn’t communicate with you properly on her behalf.”
“That person… It’s hard to deny that sometimes she’s a bit too impulsive.”
Xiao Chun Miura looked up and saw the apologetic expression on Kanzaki Sou’s face.
“Even so, it’s a bit much for her to be so harsh with you.”
“I actually talked to her about it on the way home that day, so—”
“…That’s enough, Kanzaki-kun.”
Xiao Chun Miura interrupted.
…Kondo Haruka again.
Bringing her up in a situation where Kondo Haruka wasn’t present, when the atmosphere had just calmed, gave Xiao Chun Miura a strange feeling.
Not exactly anger.
But.
Hmm, maybe a little annoyed.
It felt like her bad mood was all Haruka’s fault…
Xiao Chun Miura knew she didn’t actually have anything against Kondo Haruka.
Still, at this rate, it was only a matter of time before she’d have to confront Haruka head-on.
Her hostility couldn’t be hidden anymore; as long as Xiao Chun Miura continued to interact with Kanzaki Sou, Haruka would watch her like a police officer watching a thief.
Such things were uncomfortable to begin with— and she would never get used to them.
If that’s the case…
“Kanzaki-kun, about Kondo-san…”
This time, Xiao Chun Miura didn’t speak softly or hesitantly like before.
Though her volume was still low, her tone held a clear determination.
Like a stone at the bottom of a rushing stream, gentle but steadfast.
“…If I get the chance, I’ll talk to her properly too.”
“I wonder if Kondo-san has a misunderstanding about me— I’d like to clear things up with her… That’s what I think.”
***
——She said it.
Xiao Chun Miura’s heart thumped wildly.
…She’d spoken her true feelings to Kanzaki Sou.
——The girl regretted it the moment she spoke.
…If Kondo Haruka were present, she’d probably take it as a declaration of war.
Driven a bit by emotion, she said something she normally wouldn’t.
Maybe it was the courage she gained from Kanzaki Sou’s gentle attitude… Anyway, it was something she wouldn’t have done before.
…But.
Xiao Chun Miura’s eyes shone a little brighter.
——Yeah.
…Even after saying that, it didn’t feel bad.