It was Wednesday afternoon. Shikime Natsu glanced briefly at the time, then gathered the books off his desk and slipped them into the drawer.
"Natsu, are you heading to the library after this?"
Kamuro Masumi, sitting beside him, had caught the motion and asked in a quiet voice.
"Yeah."
Shikime Natsu gave a small nod, his gaze settling softly on the girl at his side. He reached out and gave her head a gentle pat — and he had to admit, it was remarkably pleasant to the touch.
"Then let's walk together for a bit."
Kamuro Masumi stood and looked at him. The hand resting on top of her head felt comfortable in a way she couldn't quite put into words.
"Sure, of course."
Shikime Natsu nodded, and the two of them packed up their things and left the classroom. Once outside, the hallways seemed oddly spacious — some students had already made their way to Keyaki Mall, others were off to club activities, and still others had retreated to the dormitories.
Either way, Shikime Natsu barely passed a soul on the walk.
When it came time to part ways, Kamuro Masumi cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his — taking the initiative herself. No matter how many times you kissed someone you loved, it never got old. And every single time... it felt like happiness made tangible.
"See you, Masumi."
Shikime Natsu gave her a gentle squeeze, feeling the warmth of her in his arms. It really was the kind of thing that could make a person dangerously attached.
"Mm."
Kamuro Masumi nodded, and the two of them headed off in opposite directions.
She went back to the dormitory. Shikime Natsu, meanwhile, made his way to the library — because Wednesday afternoons were the time he and Shiina Hiyori had set aside to read together.
There was no way he'd skip out on that. Standing someone up on a whim simply wasn't his style.
Besides... for the past couple of days, Shiina Hiyori hadn't come to his room to practice cooking like she usually did. It wasn't as if she came every single day, but she hadn't even sent him a message in all that time — which was a little unusual, even by her standards.
Of course, Shikime Natsu had a pretty clear idea of why. Word had gotten out about him and Kamuro Masumi — practically everyone knew they were together now.
As for Sakura Airi, no one had caught wind of that yet. Or rather, only Kamuro Masumi and the gyaru trio knew. The day he and Sakura Airi had walked to the academic building together, there hadn't been anyone around to see them. So that particular secret had stayed safely buried.
Shiina Hiyori going quiet on him was something Shikime Natsu could more or less figure out. It was that classic "I don't want to get in the way of someone else's relationship" kind of thinking.
Not that there was anything wrong with that line of thinking, of course. Even with the Item Card: Harem Permit in his possession, all that card really did was make others feel like his situation was perfectly normal — it didn't mean anyone was obligated to step into his love life of their own accord.
Which was exactly why he absolutely had to go to the library today and see this literary beauty in person. Because... he had no intention of letting Shiina Hiyori slip away. A good thing, once found, shouldn't be wasted.
If he could see her at the library today, all the better. If not... then he'd just have to find another way to track her down. Either way, even if Shiina Hiyori tried to pull back out of some overcautious hesitation, Shikime Natsu had no intention of letting go that easily.
Before long, he arrived at the familiar library. He pushed open the outer door and walked straight toward the spot where he and Shiina Hiyori usually read — the library was quiet, with only a handful of people inside, so finding her wouldn't be difficult. As long as she was actually there.
As he drew closer, a familiar silhouette slowly came into view.
She was sitting there, head bowed, a book spread open in front of her — but her slender fingers had stilled at the edge of the page.
She heard the approaching footsteps. Very familiar footsteps.
Shiina Hiyori lifted her violet eyes — and her gaze met a pair of amber-gold ones, warm with a faint, quiet smile.
"...Natsu."
Shiina Hiyori's lips parted, her voice barely a breath, audible only to herself.
In that instant, the faint anxiety and unease that had been lingering in those violet eyes of hers visibly dissolved — replaced by a flash of pure, undisguised relief.
He came.
Shiina Hiyori felt the heart she'd been holding in her chest all day finally settle back into place.
And in the same moment, the resolve that had been quietly hardening inside her throughout the wait took root completely.
Since Shikime Natsu had come...
Then this was fate's answer.
Following the conclusion she had just arrived at — if he came, she would not let go. Not this time.
She had given herself an escape route. She'd told herself that now that Shikime Natsu had a girlfriend, he would naturally pour most of his energy into nurturing that relationship — so it would be perfectly understandable if he didn't show up. And if he didn't, she could step back with a clear conscience and tell herself it was fine to let go.
But... he had come anyway. He had walked right in and sealed off every exit she'd left herself. There was no retreat left inside her now. Only one path remained — and it was the one where she didn't let go.
Shikime Natsu crossed the room unhurriedly, pulled out the chair across from her, and sat down with the easy naturalness of someone who had done it a hundred times. He had no way of knowing just how much her emotions had shifted in those brief moments — he wasn't a mind reader, after all.
"Good afternoon, Hiyori."
He greeted her with a smile, his voice soft and unhurried, the kind that made people feel a little lighter just hearing it. Shiina Hiyori thought exactly that.
"Any book recommendations for me today?"
Hearing that familiar opening line.
Shiina Hiyori blinked, momentarily caught off guard — then quickly recovered.
She nodded, and the quiet, peaceful smile returned to her lips.
"Of course."
As she spoke, she gently slid a hardcover book she had already set aside across the table toward him.
"This is today's recommendation."
"I think... Natsu will like it."
"Thank you."
After thanking her, Shikime Natsu picked up the book, opened the cover, and began to read in silence.
He didn't rush to explain anything, didn't bring up the fact that she'd been absent for the past few days. He simply settled into the quiet posture of reading — exactly as he always did when he came on Wednesday afternoons.
Sitting in comfortable silence. Savoring this rare pocket of peace.
Across the table, Shiina Hiyori sat with a book in her hands as well.
Her attention, however, was clearly not on the words in front of her.
Those violet eyes kept drifting up over the top of the page, stealing small, sidelong glances at the boy across from her.
He was absorbed in his reading.
His profile was clean and quietly striking — the amber-gold lashes slightly lowered, casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes.
Genuinely handsome. And genuinely captivating.
But...
A tiny flicker of puzzlement rose in Shiina Hiyori's chest.
Why wasn't Shikime Natsu saying anything to her?
Wasn't he going to ask why she hadn't come to find him these past few days?
Or maybe...
He simply didn't mind.
Even so.
Since Shikime Natsu clearly had no intention of breaking the silence — choosing instead to read in peace — there was no way Shiina Hiyori was going to be the first to say something either.
After all, this was their sacred reading time.
And besides...
As the minutes passed and she watched him there, reading quietly across from her — Shiina Hiyori noticed something odd: the restlessness and turmoil that had been twisting inside her all day began, almost miraculously, to ease.
She found herself able to focus on the book in front of her too, slowly sinking into the world of the words on the page.
And so.
The two of them sat facing each other, each holding a book, neither saying a word — the only sound between them the occasional soft rustle of a turning page drifting through the air.
It wasn't awkward in the least. If anything, there was something in it that was difficult to name — a quiet warmth, a sense of effortless harmony.
Time passed without either of them noticing.
Outside, the sky was gradually darkening.
Reading time was over.
Shikime Natsu closed his book, set it back in its place, and looked up at the girl across from him with a smile.
"Well, that wraps up today's reading session. Hiyori, would you like to come back to my room? I was just about to start making dinner — if you don't mind, come along."
Hearing those familiar words.
Shiina Hiyori's hands, in the middle of packing her bag, paused.
She looked up at him, those violet eyes carrying something complicated as she hesitated a moment — then spoke before she could stop herself.
"Um... Natsu."
"Aren't you... already dating Kamuro-san?"
Her voice was quiet, carrying a faint trace of uncertainty.
"If I go to your room now... wouldn't that be a little... strange?"
"After all..."
There was nothing pointed or passive-aggressive about the way she said it. She meant every word.
She was genuinely thinking of Shikime Natsu.
After all, he and Kamuro Masumi had only just started dating — they were still in the honeymoon phase.
As a couple, they should be spending as much time together as possible.
The fact that Shikime Natsu had carved out an entire afternoon from his busy schedule just to keep their reading appointment — she was honestly already touched by that.
To then push further and intrude on his private space...
Shiina Hiyori had at least a little confidence in her own looks.
A girl of her caliber frequently visiting the dormitory of a boy who already had a girlfriend — that could very easily stir up needless complications and misunderstandings for Shikime Natsu's relationship.
Watching her wear that earnest, conflicted expression.
Shikime Natsu couldn't help a soft laugh.
"It's fine, Hiyori."
He waved a hand, his tone easy and certain.
"Don't worry about any of that."
"You won't be causing any trouble, and you won't be creating any complications."
"As for Masumi — I'll make sure to spend time with her too. You have nothing to worry about on that front."
Saying that, Shikime Natsu quietly sent a mental thank-you to the system.
If it weren't for the Item Card: Harem Permit, saying something like that out loud would have had him nailed to a wall of shame as a scoundrel, condemned by everyone who heard it.
But things were different now.
With that card backing him up, even words that sounded vaguely... "generous with his affections" didn't register as the behavior of a lowlife. Instead, they came across as perfectly reasonable — as if this was simply how things were supposed to be.
"And besides..."
Shikime Natsu looked at Shiina Hiyori, his expression turning just a shade more serious.
"Actually... there are a few things I'd like to talk to you about, Hiyori."
"..."
Shiina Hiyori looked at him.
When he spoke of Kamuro Masumi, the smile on his face was so open and unguarded — so genuinely happy.
That easy confidence, that unhurried certainty — Shiina Hiyori found herself feeling a small, involuntary pang of envy.
Envy for Kamuro Masumi, who got to have him.
In the end.
Under the steady, gentle weight of Shikime Natsu's gaze — or perhaps driven by something in the depths of her own heart that could only be called selfishness —
Shiina Hiyori quietly nodded.
"Then... sorry to impose."
The two of them walked side by side along the path toward the student dormitories.
It was the after-school peak hour, yet strangely, wherever Shikime Natsu walked, the area around them seemed to empty out — as though he carried some invisible barrier that kept strangers at a distance, like a rule of nature bending to accommodate him.
Shikime Natsu had long since gotten used to this phenomenon, strange as it was.
He slowed his pace to match the girl beside him. Looking at Shiina Hiyori, who consistently kept herself half a step behind, he broke the silence.
"Now that I think about it..."
"The reason you haven't come to my room to practice cooking these past few days — it's because you heard about me and Masumi, isn't it?"
Though it was phrased as a question, there was little doubt in his tone when he said it — more like a statement of fact.
Shiina Hiyori blinked faintly, then gave a small nod.
"Mm..."
Since Shikime Natsu had asked so directly, there was no point in pretending otherwise.
Besides, she had already more or less given him the answer back when he'd invited her just now.
In Shiina Hiyori's eyes, Shikime Natsu was an exceptionally perceptive person. He had surely been able to read her reaction just moments ago and connect the dots on why she'd been avoiding him.
Without either of them noticing.
They had arrived at the door to his room.
Shikime Natsu took out his key, unlocked the door, and stepped aside to let Shiina Hiyori in first.
"After you."
Shiina Hiyori stepped into the familiar room.
It had only been a few days since she'd last been here.
But...
Looking at the familiar layout, the familiar furnishings, even the faint, distinct scent in the air that she had come to associate with Shikime Natsu —
Shiina Hiyori felt a strange sense of displacement, as though she had stepped into a different world entirely.
As though this place had somehow become somewhere else in her absence.
"Go ahead and sit for a bit, Hiyori."
Without asking what she felt like eating, Shikime Natsu walked straight into the kitchen.
"Just give me a moment — dinner won't take long."
After all, after more than a month of spending time together, he had long since learned exactly what this literary girl's palate favored.
Watching his back as he moved around in the kitchen.
Shiina Hiyori sat in her chair, hands folded on her knees, a flicker of something unnameable passing through those violet eyes.
She couldn't deny it.
No matter how firmly her reason told her to keep her distance —
Watching this man cook for her, right here in front of her... Shiina Hiyori truly could not pretend that what she felt for him was anything ordinary.
That feeling — the one called longing — was slowly, steadily eroding the walls her rational mind had built.
People are complicated creatures.
The feelings one person holds for another are nothing like a light switch — they can't simply be flipped on or off at will.
At least right now...
Shiina Hiyori had no way to change anything about what was in her heart.
Especially not after the agonizing wait she had endured that afternoon.
The moment she saw Shikime Natsu actually walk into the library.
The moment she decided she wasn't going to let go.
All of this had already been decided.
And besides...
Even now that he was dating Kamuro Masumi, his attitude toward her hadn't changed at all.
He still remembered their appointment. He still came to the library to read with her. He still invited her over. He was still... making the dish she loved most — tamagoyaki.
Shiina Hiyori found her hand drifting, almost of its own accord, to the side pocket of her bag. She drew out the book.
She opened it.
Looking at the bookmark — the chibi illustration of herself.
This feeling he'd given her... it really was something terribly weighty.
Too weighty to throw away. She simply couldn't.
Before long.
A tempting aroma drifted out from the kitchen.
Shikime Natsu carried two neatly arranged plates out and set them gently on the table in front of Shiina Hiyori.
Golden tamagoyaki, still steaming faintly, accompanied by light side dishes and a bowl of miso soup.
"Here you go, Hiyori. Eat up."
Shikime Natsu sat down across from her, smiling as he said it.
Shiina Hiyori looked at the meal in front of her, a quiet wave of emotion moving through her eyes.
Just as she'd thought...
Tamagoyaki. Her favorite.
And on top of that — Shikime Natsu's special version, more delicious than any tamagoyaki she had ever tasted before.
Shikime Natsu had also caught the little look on her face just now — the way she'd been gazing at that bookmark. She had looked quietly happy. He smiled.
"Oh, right — Hiyori."
"I've actually started brainstorming a new bookmark to make for you."
"Feel free to look forward to it."
Hearing that.
Shiina Hiyori's head snapped up, and those violet eyes instantly filled with a bright, surprised radiance.
"Mm — I'll be looking forward to it very much."
She met his gaze and gave a small, earnest nod.
Even if he had only said "brainstorming" and "planning" — even if there was no telling when she'd actually receive it —
To her...
That simple promise was already more than enough to make her feel a happiness so complete it was almost overwhelming.
Looking at Shikime Natsu right now, Shiina Hiyori could feel it with perfect clarity — he was exactly the other half she had always imagined. The most ideal partner she had ever dreamed of was him.
If only... she had shed her girlish hesitation a little sooner — if she had confessed to him back when he gave her the bookmark — would things have turned out even a little differently?
But this wasn't some gal game. She had no Save/Load method at her disposal. What was missed was missed — she was not his first girlfriend.
Still... the moment that thought settled — the thought of his first girlfriend — Shiina Hiyori slowly opened her mouth.
"Natsu... when you and Kamuro-san started dating, who confessed first?"
Shiina Hiyori admitted to herself that this was a little nosy. But... she still wanted to know. Because... if it was Kamuro Masumi who had confessed first, then — if she herself had been the one to confess in time, she might have had a chance too. But if it was the other way around, if Shikime Natsu had been the one to confess... then she was probably just a loser looking back at a door that was never open to her.
____
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