Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/1177354054922823111/episodes/1177354054934206552
“…….”
I walk through the quiet space surrounded by books, looking at the spines.
Today, five days after Sakurae came home, I was alone in the library.
(Even though it’s summer vacation, I’m not here as much as I thought I would be. …….)
To be honest, I had imagined that there would be more students using the library for studying, or parents and children coming to look at picture books, etc., but at this time of year, when summer vacation is still in its first half, it seems that there are not many users.
Of course, this is a good thing for me.
Smelling the distinctive smell of books and feeling the somewhat unusual flow of time, I picked up a few titles that caught my attention and sat down to read.
(The last time I was there, the book was a no-show. …….)
I generally don’t look up advance information about a book before I read it.
I read what I see and what interests me, so when I buy a book at a bookstore, I naturally tend to buy the hottest titles and new releases.
Perhaps because of this, half of the four novels I bought recently were not to my personal liking.
Well, it happens all the time, and I don’t mind because the essay book was interesting.
However, since Sakurae’s arrival, I have concentrated on books as if to get rid of miscellaneous thoughts, so its consumption has been faster than I expected.
I read some of the books I own, but I wanted to read something for the first time, and that’s why I came here.
“Now…….”
I picked up the top of the stack of books on my desk, opened a page, and was immediately able to concentrate.
———————————–
“It’s so hot~”
“Don’t tell me, it’s even hotter than it already is. ……”
“Even if I don’t have to say it, it’s still hot you know?”
“It’s a matter of mood. Especially if you’re lazy like Akane.”
Akane complained about Serika’s complaint, saying, “Eeeh…”
“Aren’t you hot, Sana?”
“Of course it’s hot, you know?”
“….. doesn’t look like much to me.”
I said, “Really?” I said with a wry smile to Akane, who was walking with a hunched back.
“We’re almost there, Do your best”
Serika encouraged Akane, but Akane was still complaining.
“Because we still have more than half of the summer vacation left, why don’t we just do our homework later?”
“You know, …….”
Serika replies in a slightly lower voice than usual, probably due to the heat.
“Akane’s schedule is pretty busy, so we decided to do it now, okay? If you don’t do this a little bit, it will really be too late. ”
“Umm, yes, but …….”
Akane has a lot of travel and other plans for the second half of her summer vacation, and her parents have advised her to do it as soon as possible.
Akane didn’t say anything more, as she seemed to know that we were adjusting to her own convenience.
“We’re almost there, so let’s just hang in there, okay?”
“Ugh…Sana…”
And so we arrived at the library near the school.
——————————————-
“…… hmmm.”
Finishing the first novel, I stretched lightly.
I checked the time and found that it had been about two and a half hours since I came here.
That’s a reasonable pace for reading a book.
(Well, that was okay. …….)
The loneliness that comes to my mind after reading a book comes over me.
I lingered in the aftermath for a bit.
(…… I should go get a drink or something.)
There’s plenty of room in the seats, so I should be able to leave the book there for a little while.
I grabbed my bag and returned the book I had finished reading, then headed to where the vending machines were for a change.
“Huh? Sho…..Kokonoe-kun?”
The vending machine was located outside near the entrance, and as I was choosing a drink there, a familiar voice read me.
For a moment, Sakurae’s eyes lit up, but her expression quickly returned to a natural smile and she called me by my last name.
“….. Sakurae?”
I was also like, ‘Why are you here? ‘ I had a strong question and gave a suspicious look, but soon realized that Sakurae was with two of her friends, and did her best to make up for it.
“Really, it’s you, Kokonoe-kun. Did you come here to do your homework?”
“No, I’m not…….”
A girl who often hangs out with Sakurae speaks to her from beside her.
I’m sure she was called ‘Akane’, but I don’t know her last name.
“That’s right. If Kokonoe-kun had come to do his homework too, I would have asked him to teach me… What a shame.”
Sakurae said, looking seriously disappointed.
Another girl reacted to that.
“Sana wants you to teach her. …… Kokonoe-kun, are you smart?”
Was this one ‘Serika’ ……?
I was thinking that the girl was asking Sakurae rather than me, so I didn’t answer her and turned my attention to Sakurae.
“Yes, that’s right. Kokonoe-kun, he got single digits on both of his tests in the first semester.”
(So how do you know that!?!!)
From the other day, I was astonished by Sakurae’s mysterious power of information about me, but I desperately suppressed it so that it wouldn’t show.
“Ehhh! That’s amazing, isn’t it? So you’ve already finished your homework?”
I answered Akane-san, who was in high spirits, shaking my head.
“No, he hasn’t finished all of it yet.”
I’m not sure why Sakurae added to my answer, which was not a lie at all.
“All that’s left to do is to do some research, right?”
This time, I gave Sakurae a suspicious look without hiding.
“Why, ……, do you know?”
“I’m just guessing. Was I right?”
“…….”
This girl …….
Sakurae happily replied to my question, and since it was the correct answer, I couldn’t say anything, so I pressed the button on the vending machine.
(Any more than that and you’re out of the realm of ‘greetings’ …….)
As I was thinking this while taking out my drink, Sakurae seemed to understand and did not go beyond that.
“Well then, Kokonoe-kun. See you later.”
Following Sakurae, the other two also said, ‘See you later.’ After giving a slight nod, I entered the library.
I let out a small sigh as I saw them off and said, “With those two around, she is not going to force her way into my life, right?” I took a sip of the drink I had bought.
(…… Huh? Did Sana call me Shota-kun?)
I never thought I would meet Shota-kun in a place like this.
I was in such a good mood that I wanted to hum, because it was really a coincidence that we met here today.
Since these two …… are here, I’m not going to show it.
“But then again, Kokonoe-kun is so serious about coming to the library even if it’s not for homework.”
Serika said as she filled out the application form for permission to use the study room.
“That’s so true. I can’t imitate him.”
Akane agreed admiringly.
Seriousness is certainly one of Shota-kun’s good qualities, so I nodded without saying anything.
(Of course, that’s not all, though. He’s kind, cool, and cute. ……)
“Sana? Your hand, it’s stopping, right?”
“Ah ……!”
“Is there somewhere you don’t understand?”
I was just thinking about Shota-kun’s good points when Serika called out to me and looked at my paper.
I hurriedly filled out the rest of the form.
“N-nothing. I’ll write it down in a minute, so why don’t you go ahead and check in?”
“…… Really? Then, Akane, let’s go ahead.”
“Hmm. I understand!”
Somehow, I managed to make it through without being too suspicious, and when the two of them separated, I let out a big breath.
I should not have done that, I was careless.
I quickly finished filling out the form and thought about whether or not I could somehow contact Shota-kun without their eyes on me.
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