Chapter 18: Chapter 18 - The Girl in the Library

The library after school was a serene place.

So very calm.

The calmness would have been something that Kuro Kurogane truly respected.

There wasn’t loud yelling. Mina wasn’t publicly playing or being a general nuisance. Akari wasn’t climbing on his shoulder. Aoi wasn’t suddenly materializing behind him like a ghost.

It simply was empty.

Because of this is why Kuro became suspicious of Rika Saionji as she walked over to his desk with a pile of books in hand.

"Kurogane-kun."

"President."

"I need your help."

Kuro instantly narrowed his eyes.

"Every time I’ve heard those words it’s always resulted in me suffering."

Rika took a moment to calmly adjust her glasses.

"The storage area of the library is in need of reorganization."

"Why did you pick me to do it?"

"You appear to have a natural affinity for dusty books."

"That’s kind of insulting."

"Was I incorrect?"

Kuro stopped and was silent.

"Go on."

Rika then nodded once as though she had anticipated that it would be the answer.

The storage area behind the library was colder than he anticipated.

Old bookcases lined the walls, as there were cardboard boxes filled with books on the floor left untouched.

Dust floated through the beams of light given off by the sunlight from the small window above.

Rika flipped her hair back a little and then knelt down next to a stack of books.

"We will be sorting the books by category."

Kuro knelt next to a different box in a lazy manner.

"Why do you have so many romance novels stored in the library?"

Rika froze.

OK, maybe a little less than frozen.But he noticed.

"President?"

" Hmmm . "

"...those aren’t mine."

"Suspiciously quick to reply"

Rika quickly grabbed one of the manga volumes before he had the chance to touch it.

Too late.

He already saw the title.A very popular shoujo romance manga.

Silence. Rika looked away from him slightly.

"...You didn’t see anything."

Kuro blinked once.

Then suddenly—

"...Volume 7 had the best arc."

Rika completely froze.Slowly.Very slowly.She looked back at him.

"...You’ve read them?"

"...Quality dropped after Chapter 60."

Rika stared at Kuro quietly.

And for the first time since meeting her , her expression brightened.

"...So you picked up on that too?"

Kuro shrugged indifferently.

"The confession scene made the series."

Rika now sat down completely.

"...No one gets romance manga right at school."

"That’s a little dramatic."

"True."

Kuro looked at Rika quietly.

This version of Rika was completely different than the perfect student president that everyone knew.

So much more comfortable to be around.

So much more real.

And to be honest kind of adorable.Dangerous thought.Very dangerous.

One hour passed surprisingly fast.

Kuro and Rika found themselves sitting next to each other sorting manga and light novels while leisurely chatting about the stories.

And somehow Kuro realized he was really having fun.

No yelling. No mental warfare.

Just relaxing dialogue.

Kuro observed, "You must really enjoy romance novels," as she carefully added yet another title onto the shelf in front of him. "I like romances that show how people grow to know and understand one another," she said.

He looked up at her in response. "That’s a very precise definition of romance." "Most romances are loud," she said quietly.

After a brief pause, she continued. "I prefer subtler romances." Light from the sun, now dipping low in the sky, shimmered briefly off of her glasses.

Kuro suddenly noticed how close they were seated together. Not touching, but close enough to be aware of each other.

She continued speaking softly. "Many people misunderstand romance manga. "In what way?" he asked.

"Many think the main point of romance manga is the dramatic confessions," she replied.

She turned toward the books and continued. "The most significant moments are usually very small."

"Small?" Kuro asked.

"A person who remembers your favorite drink," she answered, pausing slightly while the two of them sat there together.

"Walking home from school together often," she continued.

Another brief pause before the third.

"Feeling safe or comfortable sitting next to someone without saying a word." A quiet calm settled in between them. Kuro understood everything she said because lately, he had been noticing those small moments as well.

With the twins, with Mina, and now.

Here,Rika suddenly turned to him and spoke. "What type of person do you feel comfortable with?" Kuro paused momentarily and did not respond to Rika’s question.

Kuro felt that it was simple; however, he found it to be far from simple.

For the first time,he did not have an immediate answer.Kuro’s thoughts drifted to moments with others.

Akari had laughed next to him.

Aoi had quietly held an umbrella over him.

Mina had made fun of him on the train.

Rika was now sitting calmly next to him.

Those had been warm times. Natural times.

Kuro looked slightly frowny.

"I don’t know."

Rika looked to him with wide eyes.

"You aren’t the type of person to think that much."

"Very uncommon."

A tiny smile began to show on Rika’s face.

"Very."

Kuro sighed quietly.

"I used to think it was easier to be alone."

Rika was not saying anything.

"Recently..."

He stopped.

"My life has started to feel less empty."

Kuro had shocked himself with what he said.

Rika’s face did not lose any of its softness.

"That must feel nice."

Kuro’s attention was almost completely diverted from Rika.

"Don’t analyze me."

"Too late."

Then, all of a sudden , Rika laughed softly.

Not the polite laugh that is produced by student representatives.

A really, truly, laugh. A soft, quiet, gentle, student representative laugh.

Kuro’s looking at her a little too long left him feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Rika saw him looking.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Nothing."

"Usually, that means you have something to say."

"Changed my mind; conversation closed."

Rika gave Kuro another soft smile.

"Coward."

Eventually, sun began to set, creating an orange glow outside and almost all of the room had been organized.

After leaving the stooping position caused by organizing all of the books, Rika stood and stretched.

"Thank you for the help."

"You emotionally bribed me to help you by talking about manga."

"That was an effective way to bribe me."

Kuro picked up the last stack of books.He changed his mind to say something.

"President."

"Yes?"

"Earlier question"

Kuro was awkwardly shifting his gaze over to the shelf.

"Comfortable person..."

"Uh-huh? And what about it?"

"...You’re much easier to talk to than most."

Rika blinked once and slowly averted her gaze.

"Yeah, I see" her ears were turning slightly red under her hair.

Realization hit Kuro at how he had just accidentally communicated something to Rika.

Danger... very much danger.

Without hesitation Kuro grabbed another box from off of the shelf.

"He interrupted," he informed Rika, "we need to keep cleaning."

"Are you going to run away again?"

"Yep."

Rika laughed softly again.

That quiet library felt much more like home now than before.