CH 20

Mob Highschool Student’s Unexpected Encounter

“Then assign X here……FINALLY, I’M DO–NE! …..o-n…….”

“Fugyah! …….Oww, why did you suddenly stop walking? Reika…..ah.”

When I raised my head up to celebrate after I solved a math problem I was stuck at, Eihashi-san and Ichinose-san walked in from the corridor that connects the library to the reading room.

I froze since it was unexpected but to think that someone would visit this library, not to mention, it has to be these two.

Even though Eihashi-san stopped calling me out after Ichinose-san managed to do something about her, I never thought that I would meet her in a library where I have never met any of my acquaintances here before.

Perhaps it was the same for Ichinose-san and Eihashi-san……….After a moment that both of us froze at the sight of each other, it was Eihashi-san who broke the silence first.

“G, Good afternoon, Hiura-san. Are you self studying?”

“No, you must have the wrong person. My name is Geppyo Yokya.”

(TLN: Reminder, Yokya = Extroverts)

“…….”

Eihashi-san’s expression turned blank while Ichinose-san was astounded.

In desperation, I turned to escapism. Complete escapism. The silence was as painful as when you got called out by the teacher to write the answer on the blackboard and got it wrong.

So strange, why is it so chilly here even though we are in the middle of summer. Is it the airconditioner’s fault? I guess I will tell Sensei about it later.”

“…….?”

…..alright, let’s pretend that didn’t happen. All is good.

“…..wait wait wait wait! Isn’t that pushing it too much!”

How terrifying, to think that she would immediately say that right after I decided to pretend it didn’t happen……..was she planning a follow up for me? Even so, I have no choice but to ignore it.

“Hello, Eihashi-san. I was studying here but what are you two doing here today?”

“Eh? You are going to pretend that it didn’t happen? Geppyo-kun!?”

“……Ichinose-san did you mistake me for someone else? Who’s that anyway?”

“DIDN’T YOU JUST CALL YOURSELF THAT!?”

“Akari-chan.”

“YOU HEARD HIM RIGHT REIKA!? HE DID SAY GEPPYO RIGHT!”

This is bad, if Eihashi-san confirms it then I can’t pretend like it didn’t happen……when I thought so, Eihashi-san raised her index finger to her mouth.

“You need to be quiet in the library you know?”

“〜〜〜〜〜〜!!”

Being admonished by Eihashi-san, Ichinose-san’s face turned bright red as she stomped her foot on the floor………I never thought that Master Geppyo’s existence could be erased so easily.

Farewell, Geppyo Yokya….. You shouldn’t have been born.

Ichinose-san seems to be trying to hold herself back to not let her emotions explode. How admirable.

……rather, Eihashi-san chose to not affirm her friend’s words and let what I said slide…..?

“So, why are you two in the library today?”

“Akari-chan told me that she wants to borrow a book so I came here with her……come to think of it, we haven’t visited the library ever since the orientation day right…..”

“Yeah, Reika followed me here. It was written on the printout that the romance novel that became popular recently just came in. But this library is surprisingly large isn’t it. I can’t find it at all!”

Before I know it, Ichinose-san revived.

One of Librarian Sensei’s efforts to increase the number of visitors here is the library printouts. There is a synopsis of the newly arrived book and her recommendation on it.

No matter how prestigious a school is, there is no way that the school library would only have academic books. More than half of the books in this school’s library consist of novels and light novels.

No, according to what I heard, the more prestigious a school is, the broader the range of genres of the book their library will contain.

The book that Ichinose-san came to borrow today was the one I requested from Librarian Sensei, and it arrived just the other day……..

“…..is this the book you are looking for, Ichinose-san?”

“Nn? Ah, that’s it! I was looking for this. But why does Hiura-kun have it?”

“…….I was the one who requested this book so I borrowed it right away you know…..”

She asked me with a confused expression on her face but since I requested it because I want to read it, there’s no way that I wouldn’t borrow it once it arrived.

……In the first place, I borrowed this book on Friday, and I was thinking about returning it since I already finished reading it during today’s lunch break though.

“So Hiura-san can read a book like this too huh.”

“Nn? Why is it surprising?”

“No, rather than surprising…..I rarely read books so I thought that it is amazing that you can read so many genres.”

“Y, Yeah. is that so…..”

I felt a little ticklish when she praised me so honestly. I thought that she would find it strange for me to read such a book. Anyway, it will be bad if I leave it like this so I will change the subject.

“By the way, how far have you read the book I lent you, Eihashi-san?”

“Uhh….actually, I don’t have the time to read it yet……”

“I see….so you haven’t started reading it huh?’

“….yes. I’m sorry, you went out of your way to lend it to me.”

For some reason, isn’t Eihashi-san a little gloomier than last week? Is she tired? I kinda get that kind of impression from her.

In fact, since this is the first time Eihashi-san read a light novel, I guess it is understandable that she takes this much time.

Personally, I think that what takes the longest is the time before you decide to start reading. After all, you would think that you can’t stop reading before you finish it.

The novel I lent to Eihashi-san is a novel that is famous for the fact that you can’t stop reading after you are 10 pages in.

That’s why there’s no helping it if she starts reading it and quits but if she hasn’t started yet, there’s a good chance that Eihashi-san will become addicted to it.

“I am planning to head home soon, and I’ve already finished reading this anyway so I can finish the returning procedure and Ichinose-san can use your library card to borrow it out you know?”

“Eh? Really? Then after we are done with that why don’t we walk home together?”

“Eh?”

I thought that Ichinose-san wanted me away from Eihashi-san but did I misunderstand her?

No, seeing the look on her face, Ichinose-san is probably trying to get back at me for the Geppyo incident earlier.

“Uhh, are we troubling you……?”

“…..it’s okay. Let’s go home together…….”

I am not troubled by it and I am worried since she is completely different from last week too. It is at the level where I am worried if I’ve done something to Eihashi-san.

After that, I went to Sensei to return the book and after Ichinose-san finished the borrowing procedure, we were ready to go home.

If Eihashi-san asks something of you with little upturned eyes, most people would immediately comply with her request right……… By the way, I am on the side that would immediately do so.

I thought that Ichinose-san did something to keep Eihashi-san from approaching me in the past week but rather than Eihashi-san, it seems like Ichinose-san is the one who tries to push us closer together now.

Did she only ask me to walk home together just because she tried to get back at me? Or perhaps she has some kind of objectives?

I don’t know which it is but since I am worried about how Eihashi-san is acting, I decided to accept her invitation.