Yukari took a deep breath before entering the library. Just her luck. There were several people inside. She started walking towards the librarian’s desk but swerved towards a bookshelf. She looked behind her and saw IA, who waved at her.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXd5A3vAfFw
Oh god, she waved at her.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYYYM3MCPq
Yukari just started nodding with the exaggeration of a bobblehead. After almost half a minute of this, she turned her head and focused on the bookshelf. 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADnxGWVHBX
She wasn’t looking for any book in particular, but she needed to do something to stop herself from staring at the librarian. The more she stared, the more the memory of the previous week’s fantasy would be able to crawl into her brain.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalSspZgUDC
After a minute of staring into space, she realised she was in the mathematics section. She scrunched up her nose. If anyone were to say that being good at something makes you like it, she would throw these hefty books at them. 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwOrCqNCou
She looked down at the book in her hand and remembered the main character’s struggle to talk to the ghostlike woman.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMCASRgqjW
She turned around and lurched towards IA, debating whether to walk like she usually did or in a casual, breezy way.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauXA9QG9Jq
IA smirked at her. “Do you like maths?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IcJNTxxEB
Yukari snorted like a horse. “Of course. I love me some numbers. Trig is seriously underrated. Yeah.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOPqr2blxE
IA chuckled. “Calm down.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomfuxYVou8
Yukari held her head. IA eyed the book in her hand and reached for it. Yukari bit back a gasp when cold fingers brushed against her hand.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrHkReE9Bd
“Did you like it?” IA asked. Yukari, still looking down, nodded. “Who was your favourite character?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnQkgE9iTB
“Why make me choose?” Yukari replied. “Tsukino Shion is a really relatable main character, but Kanbara Sora is a lot like… hey, how did you know my name? My name’s a lot like Shion’s.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6kQ0Q3Tb0
“It is?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjd1aazZqA
Yukari stepped back. She squinted her eyes at IA, who had her head tilted like a dog again.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡri2dBahmor
“I’m Yuzuki Yukari. You… didn’t know?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwk8Ai4GaWG
IA stood up and bowed. “I’m sorry for not asking for your name earlier. I keep getting…distracted whenever we talk.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSrb3sCwqx
I keep getting distracted whenever we talk.
I keep getting distracted.
Distracted.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVqnn6X5h7
689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06fRvpB1aj
Yukari felt like something exploded in her head, sending a blast of heat that reached from her neck up to her ears.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwRmCvBLi4
She coughed. “So, uh, books. Gotta love ‘em. And music… music’s pretty… dope. It’s like oxygen. Everyone needs it in their lives.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tLJfv77MS
She mentally kicked herself.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJ034LmdVi
IA sat back down and typed into the computer. “Are there any good books here?” She covered her mouth. “Forget I said that,” she said with her hand still on her mouth. She took it off and sighed. “Yuka… Miss Yuzuki, do you like jazz music?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zALlwkoVR
“I haven’t really listened to it. Why?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5sDNDTnFS
“Well, you mentioned music and I remembered this lesbian romance novel about a spoiled pop star who meets a struggling jazz musician. The descriptions of the songs are really good. It’s like you can actually hear them, even though they’re just words on paper. Would you be able to come to my place again to pick it up?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorm5hJkrOA
IA’s eyes widened in realisation. “Oh, is it okay to recommend you new books? You’re probably sick of reading lesbian romance novels since you’ve got a boyfriend.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsUTpReQmL
Yukari bit her lip. “What’s my boyfriend got to do with it?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15J4r8dtYi
IA scratched the back of her ear and looked away, frowning. “Never mind.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh47q7DU3L1
“I’m fine with reading that sort of stuff. Recommend away.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA91lyCFDin
IA beamed at Yukari, who, under her powerful gaze, started fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzes0wUi67
Yukari asked, “Do you like jazz?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ALdxaW8jg
“I didn’t care much about it at first, but after reading the book, I started getting really interested in it. Isn’t it amazing how books can do that? It’s like every book is a new interest or hobby waiting to be discovered.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrshK6IwCx
The sky turned indigo and IA locked up the library, once again taking Yukari to her car. 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiOoMIjVw0
At the apartment, IA handed her a book with two women holding hands, one kissing the cheek of the other. In one woman’s remaining hand was a microphone and for the other woman it was a trumpet.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMPzYjwMts
IA turned on a CD player in the room. The notes of a trombone and double bass filled the room.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4t0kU5MRX8
“Do you have anywhere to be? Would you like to read here for a bit?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hlYA0qzhJ
“What are you going to do?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Z6Ix95a0H
IA picked a book from one of the piles called ‘Club Majesty’. “This will do for me.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3vlvhaT58
Yukari sat on the one couch in the apartment, taking off a pile of books that rested on it. IA slumped into the couch, opening her own book while existing in the grey area between sitting and lying down.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuglWiBmUyF
The language of the romance novel in Yukari’s hands was a bit more intricate than the previous novel IA gave Yukari but it wasn’t too difficult to read.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BjJ8AfTKO
The jazz music in the background lulled Yukari into a trancelike state as she let the story envelop her. She felt like she was sleep-reading and yet she was able to take in the story as if she had the concentration of a lawyer looking for holes in a witness’ story.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpK8SyJHaqf
She was eventually broken out of her trance when IA rolled onto her back and raised her legs up against the couch’s back. IA bit her lip and stared at the book like it was written all in the most difficult of kanji characters. Yukari had to force herself to breathe, something she forgot to do as she watched her. She blushed as she stared at her lips.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmJzaT9GM1
She chuckled as she looked at the page IA was on. “I thought a librarian would be able to read the furigana.” She almost pointed out that furigana was usually in books for kids but didn’t want to get kicked out of the apartment.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9BqrIIoq8
IA said nothing, turning the page. It took her only half a minute before she turned the page again. 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyChfBSBXS2
Yukari took a closer look at the new page before IA once again turned it. It was a bizarre chase scene involving a car chasing a pig with a sack full of cash on its back. It was-689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSaWrXboys
IA turned the page. “Hey, it was just getting good,” Yukari blurted out. She held her head down. “Um… sorry.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4PBE1stz9
IA turned her head and lightly poked Yukari’s forehead. “Silly girl. No need to apologise. Maybe you can borrow this one from me next time.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCoLfSBdWr
Yukari smiled. She took a few moments to gain the courage to poke IA’s foot.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDh69Xj01ei
IA kicked the air, cackling like a middle-aged woman after one too many glasses of Syrah. 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH83Ge3igy
She dropped her book and pounced on Yukari, tickling the underarms. This developed into a bonafide tickle match.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRu9M9HpuT
Yukari laughed so hard she snorted, which caused both women to laugh even harder. After they stopped, they stared at each other silently. IA leaned in closer.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvplp5iyaWx
Yukari felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. A mysterious shiver swam down her body and her cheeks were as hot as newly toasted bread. She breathed in and out slowly.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6Os0HK7Ou
IA’s eyes grew before she shut them and backed away.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADatBiVYV6
“Um, sorry, I… uh… you should go back to… whatshisname… your boyfriend.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIBXxPeYB5
Yukari stood up and bowed. She grabbed her book and gave IA one last small smile before leaving the apartment.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKhh6xdnFc
She went straight home instead of Roro’s place. There was no way she was going to read a book with that kind of cover in front of him.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvq7ddHpqGy
Her phone buzzed and she frowned when she saw the message.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrUW2Q2VTq
How’re you doing, beautiful? Wanna hang out?- Roro row your boat689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2xXQFirxv
She didn’t reply. Her fingers tingled, yearning to tell him about everything, but she put her phone back in her pocket to prevent herself from oversharing. This was her battle to fight.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MwUeqrsLF
She read the book she was lended on her bed, hiding it under the covers whenever she heard her parent’s footsteps close in on her. Her parents never opened the door.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYm1j21oqK
The book was a lot longer than the previous one so she stayed up until 3 A.M finishing it. When she finally finished it, she started pulling at the roots of her hair.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ6otCTNJr
She hadn’t done any homework.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOqLg6i6Tu
She managed to complete her homework after a few hours and went to school with bags under her eyes. Her hands shook whenever she used them and she jumped out of her skin when Roro put a hand on her shoulder.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhZWHDFmIN
“Are you okay?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRC46Ixl9Qd
Yukari nodded and looked away from him.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNxIazvj6a
Life began to form a pattern. Go to school tired, avoid Roro’s queries, return IA’s book to her, go to her place to find a new one, read it until the early hours of the morning and for god’s sake don’t let your parents know, do homework, get two hours of sleep at best, repeat the cycle. This happened for a good three weeks.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9ejg6uukz
Each time Roro kissed her during lunchtime, Yukari felt the magic a little less. She started reminiscing over the days when the two of them were friends.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dSZlMd9L8
Yukari began to notice a few things about IA. Her apartment had an unplugged microphone and a keyboard. Her fridge was covered with sketches of monsters with crowns on them, ranging from medusa to demons and all from the same artist. The magnets that held them up were souvenirs from Greece. She had a to-do list with the most basic of functions such as ‘brush your teeth, you dingus’ and ‘if you don’t eat breakfast, you will starve to death before you get to meet a cute girl’. In the latter one, a line went through the words ‘before you get to meet a cute girl’. Yukari felt as if she had been split in half, one side uplifted and the other brought down to the depths of wherever the demon in that drawing came from.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTBTYudVjC
After those three weeks, Roro took her aside after class and brought her to the empty music room.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIiBb8nXAx
He coughed an ‘ahem’. “Now that I have your attention, I want to ask you something. What the hell is going on with you?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLREzgBMrqL
Yukari looked at the door behind her and stepped backwards but Roro grabbed her arm. His grip was gentle. 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8n8Zb5weJ
“Please… whatever’s going on, please let me know. Did I do something wrong?” Yukari gulped, saying nothing. “Please, just talk to me.” 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMCugrwgG8
Yukari rubbed her eyes with her forearm. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43meqn0Yfn
“Then is there anything I can do to help you? You’re not yourself anymore.” He said that last sentence with the face of a rabbit seeing a buzzard and his voice was hoarse, as if it was a struggle to say anything.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxFkHmGkeu
Yukari took her arm away from her face and allowed tears to just fall down freely.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYT4ogadpjm
“It’s something I have to figure out on my own.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUueUqfEmG
“But I can-”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx825wvVlP6
“Not when the problem’s got to do with you!”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTgMynf4jO
“But you just said it’s not my-”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYE1VwXt8e
“It’s my fault. If only I wasn’t so selfish.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtehfcYPVnr
“What’s going on with y-”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0vhrWczMe
“I like someone else!” 689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtMYgEm21Y
Roro let go of her and stepped backwards, his hands quivering. Yukari sat on the piano chair and held her head in her hands. Her body shook as she cried. Roro sat next to her, trying to ignore the discomfort of sitting on the corner. He held his hand in the air for a while before placing in on her head and stroking her hair.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UAGdBuz4k
“Who’s the lucky guy? Is he in our class?” His voice was slow and ponderous, as if he was trying to hold in his own tears.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgnIALsY1n
“It’s… a girl. You know the new librarian?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxu6hTVPoJ
Roro took his hand off her hair, recoiling from shock.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDMb6U7yyI
“Wait, so did you… I don’t know… pretend to like me so you don’t have to admit you like girls or something?”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZURwEgrw5Y
Yukari shook her head, still looking down. “I liked you. Liked. Past tense. I’m…” She took a deep breath. “...bisexual. I’m really sorry. I should still like you, but… this girl’s just taken over my emotions and… I feel like there’s no room in me for any romantic feelings for anyone else.” She kept repeating the word ‘sorry’ in between sobs.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTaa0FR0oR
Roro was silent for a while. He stood up and wiped his tears away, looking down at the ground and silently wishing the floor would collapse and take him with it.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4YuKq3SEp
“I… never pegged you for one of those girls. It doesn’t seem like the type of thing you’d be into.”689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4DO9UXpA0
Yukari looked up and saw Roro silently leaving the room.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpXGv500ef
He didn’t talk to her for the rest of the day. When she returned another book to IA and they headed to her apartment, she burst into tears in her car.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeXJ7BEbpi
She told her about the breakup but didn’t explain the reason for it. IA stopped the car in a parking lane and reached over to hug her, stroking her hair much like Roro did, though this time Yukari actually noticed it and felt her cheeks heat up.689Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cf7cPuyoC
The two stayed there for a few moments, the only sounds being their breaths. It was just her and the ghostlike librarian who seemed more real with each passing day.
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