[Warning 15+]
Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 62A Perfect Fit!
The Library Prep Room is, well, right next to the Library.
The Library itself is tucked away in a corner far from the Classrooms, and since it's in the opposite direction of the Cafeteria, it's pretty dead during lunch break—kind of a lonely spot, honestly.
"Haruki, where do you want this one?"
"Just leave it next to me. And take these sorted ones over there, okay?"
"Gotcha."
Both Hayato and Haruki just kept grinding away in silence. It was pretty low-key, but the air felt a little awkward, to say the least.
When Hayato stole a glance at Haruki, he noticed the back of her neck and her ears were bright red.
Looks like Haruki was replaying her stunt from earlier in her head and was dying of embarrassment.
(Seriously...)
Hayato let out a weary sigh and looked around.
The room, which you enter through the Library's front desk, was about the size of eight tatami mats—probably a standard size, since it was just like the Secret Base Hayato and Haruki usually used.
The place was a total mess: New shipments of books, returns just piled up, and old, beat-up books that needed fixing were scattered everywhere. Sorting all that and processing the checkout cards was the "job" (aka grunt work) Haruki had assigned Hayato.
There were a ton of them, and just like Haruki said, it was a tedious, boring, and time-consuming grind.
(Is this part of Haruki's "camouflage" too...?)
Hayato stole a look at Haruki and noticed she was cruising through the work like a pro. At this rate, they'd be done in no time.
Since things were cooling down, Hayato finally decided to bring up what was bugging him.
"So, what's up with you today?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, this morning, and then just now... ...how do I even put this...?"
"Oh, yeah. Not exactly like me, right?"
"...Yeah."
Looks like Haruki was fully aware of it.
Haruki stopped what she was doing and gave him this kind of troubled look.
Haruki'd definitely changed lately.
Haruki used to have this wall up, but lately, that wall's been coming down. Hayato had even seen her getting along great with the girls in class, and they all seemed to adore her. That was probably a good thing.
But the stuff from this morning and what happened just a minute ago? Yeah, that was definitely pushing it.
"Isn't it gonna be bad if your cover's blown?"
"...Yeah, about that,"
"Huh?"
"I think... ...maybe I don't really need it anymore."
"Is that right?"
"Ahaha, though after all these years, it's kind of ingrained in me as a habit, you know?"
"..."
Camouflage or cover or disguise, whatever it is.
Being the "good girl," Nikaidō Haruki.
It was something Haruki did because she had to.
But while that was exactly what made Haruki popular, it was also the very thing that kept her chained to a deep, crushing loneliness.
"Hey, Hayato."
"Yeah, Haruki?"
Out of nowhere, Haruki called Hayato's name and started twirling her long hair around her finger.
Haruki's cheeks were flushed a light pink, and you could totally tell she was hesitating and acting all fidgety.
Then, looking shy but determined to go for it, Haruki finally spoke up.
"I want... ...I want you to get to know the real me even more."
Haruki didn't say who she wanted to know her. There were probably a ton of layers to that.
One thing was for sure—it definitely included filling in the seven-year gap between Hayato and Haruki.
(...Oh, I get it now.)
Back when they walked home together the other day.
The meaning behind Haruki's words when she declared she was being selfish and that she was gonna give it her all.
Thinking back, the stuff from this morning and what just happened... ...that's exactly what it was all about.
When it clicked, Hayato couldn't help but think it was pretty sweet, and a grin started to spread across his face.
"J-Just kidding!"
Seeing Hayato look at Haruki like that made her all shy again, so she quickly looked away and started scrambling to grab the paperwork in front of her.
"A-Alright! Once we take these back to the desk, we're do—Whoa!"
"Haruki!"
Haruki must've been totally flustered and shaken up. In her rush to hide her embarrassment, she ended up tripping over a pile of books.
Haruki was about to faceplant into the floor, but Hayato jumped in at the last second, wrapping his arms around her to break her fall. But in the process, he slammed his back hard against the sliding door. Wham!
"Ow, cr*p!! That hurts!!"
"Hayato?!"
"Ugh... ...Haruki, you... ...you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!"
"Good, glad to hear it..."
That was a close call.
Right now, Haruki was tucked perfectly into Hayato's arms. It was the kind of situation where he should've been enjoying her soft feel and the sweet scent teasing his nose—but man, the price for this was steep.
Even though Hayato didn't hit his head, the throbbing pain in his back was no joke. He was in no condition to enjoy having one of the hottest girls in school in his arms right now.
"S-Sorry, my back is kinda numb and I don't think I can move. Mind if we stay like this for a bit?"
"Y-Yeah. I don't mind."
"My bad."
"Hayato, it's not your fault!"
Haruki's cheeks were as red as they could possibly get.
From an outsider's perspective, their position was incredibly sketchy.
I mean, obviously. Haruki was being held by Hayato who was leaning against the wall, and she was basically on top of him in a "girl-on-top" position. Depending on how you looked at it, it almost looked like Haruki was pouncing on Hayato, and above all, they were pressed together as tight as possible. As for Haruki, she couldn't help but feel Hayato's presence, and her heart was pounding so loud it felt like it was gonna burst.
But Hayato himself was in no state to worry about how Haruki was feeling.
'Hey, Senpai! See, toldja no one would be here.'
'You're right. Well, I guess given the location, that makes sense.'
""?!""
Right then, someone walked into the library.
Judging by the voices, it was a boy and a girl—a couple—and no matter who it was, there was no way Hayato and Haruki could let themselves be seen like this.
'Wait, are we even allowed to eat in the Library?'
'Oh, maybe not. But since no one's around, we can at least kiss, right?'
'Hey, what kind of logi—mmph.'
'Mmm... ...muach... ...mmm... ...ehehe. I missed you so much it hurt, so I'm just refilling my "Senpai" nutrients ♪'
'What do you mean "missed me"? We met this morning, and we see each other every day, don't we?'
'That's not what I meant! Stop being so mean, ugh, nnnn~!'
'Mm, hey, wait, what about lunch?'
'I think I'll have a taste of you first, Senpai~ hehe.'
These two weren't just a regular couple; They were total "love-idiots." Since they thought they were all alone, there was absolutely nothing stopping them from going completely off the rails with their PDA.
Because of that, the air between Hayato and Haruki became so awkward it was practically suffocating.
"..."
"..."
Through the door, they could hear heavy, suggestive breathing, muffled moans, and the occasional, lewd sound of clothes rustling against each other.
Both Hayato and Haruki held their breath, praying for these lovebirds to just get a room and leave, but things only kept escalating with no end in sight.
This was bad. Real bad.
As the pain in Hayato's back started to fade, he began to feel everything with crystal clarity—Haruki's weight, her body heat, and that softness so different from a boy's, all pressed right against him.
(—Urgh!)
(...Oh!)
Hayato couldn't let this keep going.
Hayato scrambled to let go of Haruki, but she let out this tiny, pained whimper. To make matters worse, she stared him down with teary eyes, looking like she was legit offended that he'd stopped.
Between the throbbing pain in Hayato's back, Haruki's softness, and her sweet scent, Hayato's brain was about to short-circuit.
Usually, Hayato didn't pay much attention to it, but right now, he was being slapped in the face with the reality that Haruki was, without a doubt, a girl.
(...Ugh, d*mmit!)
But Haruki had just poured her heart out about wanting to be known for who she really was—about wanting to change. Lighting the fuse on these kind of trashy urges felt like a total betrayal of the bestie. Hayato felt like a complete scumbag for even thinking it.
Hayato silently and frantically scratched his head, letting out a slow, shallow breath.
Then, doing his absolute best to make sure the couple outside wouldn't hear, Hayato leaned in close to Haruki's ear and whispered.
"(What should we do?)"
"('?!)"
In that instant, Haruki's entire body gave a violent flinch.
Haruki grabbed a tight handful of Hayato's shirt with her tiny, trembling hands.
"(...Sh—)"
"(Sh?)"
"..."
"..."
Then Haruki peered up at Hayato's face—which was twisted into a massive scowl—and as if she'd suddenly realized something, her face turned beet-red in a matter of seconds.
"...Mya~?!"
"""!!?"""
Out of nowhere, Haruki let out a total scream of pure embarrassment.
Haruki threw her hands up and jerked backward, her eyes literally spinning in circles from the shock.
But if we're talking about being shocked, Hayato was right there with Haruki.
"H-Hey! What the heck was that for...? They're gonna hear us!"
"B-B-B-But! I just... ...I was... ...mya~!!"
"Haruki?!"
Zzzzt! Haruki scrambled away from Hayato, covering her face with her hands while shaking her head like crazy. It was like she'd completely forgotten (or just didn't care) about the people on the other side of the door anymore.
Hayato had zero clue why Haruki'd suddenly flipped out like that.
"I-I... ...I'm so sorry!!"
"Hey, wait a sec?!"
And with that, Haruki bolted out of the library. It happened in the blink of an eye.
Luckily, the couple who'd heard the commotion had already cleared out before Haruki made her grand exit.
"...What the heck was that all about?"
Left all by himself, Hayato could only mutter the words to no one in particular.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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Donations are very much appreciated.
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The Library Prep Room is, well, right next to the Library.
The Library itself is tucked away in a corner far from the Classrooms, and since it's in the opposite direction of the Cafeteria, it's pretty dead during lunch break—kind of a lonely spot, honestly.
"Haruki, where do you want this one?"
"Just leave it next to me. And take these sorted ones over there, okay?"
"Gotcha."
Both Hayato and Haruki just kept grinding away in silence. It was pretty low-key, but the air felt a little awkward, to say the least.
When Hayato stole a glance at Haruki, he noticed the back of her neck and her ears were bright red.
Looks like Haruki was replaying her stunt from earlier in her head and was dying of embarrassment.
(Seriously...)
Hayato let out a weary sigh and looked around.
The room, which you enter through the Library's front desk, was about the size of eight tatami mats—probably a standard size, since it was just like the Secret Base Hayato and Haruki usually used.
The place was a total mess: New shipments of books, returns just piled up, and old, beat-up books that needed fixing were scattered everywhere. Sorting all that and processing the checkout cards was the "job" (aka grunt work) Haruki had assigned Hayato.
There were a ton of them, and just like Haruki said, it was a tedious, boring, and time-consuming grind.
(Is this part of Haruki's "camouflage" too...?)
Hayato stole a look at Haruki and noticed she was cruising through the work like a pro. At this rate, they'd be done in no time.
Since things were cooling down, Hayato finally decided to bring up what was bugging him.
"So, what's up with you today?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, this morning, and then just now... ...how do I even put this...?"
"Oh, yeah. Not exactly like me, right?"
"...Yeah."
Looks like Haruki was fully aware of it.
Haruki stopped what she was doing and gave him this kind of troubled look.
Haruki'd definitely changed lately.
Haruki used to have this wall up, but lately, that wall's been coming down. Hayato had even seen her getting along great with the girls in class, and they all seemed to adore her. That was probably a good thing.
But the stuff from this morning and what happened just a minute ago? Yeah, that was definitely pushing it.
"Isn't it gonna be bad if your cover's blown?"
"...Yeah, about that,"
"Huh?"
"I think... ...maybe I don't really need it anymore."
"Is that right?"
"Ahaha, though after all these years, it's kind of ingrained in me as a habit, you know?"
"..."
Camouflage or cover or disguise, whatever it is.
Being the "good girl," Nikaidō Haruki.
It was something Haruki did because she had to.
But while that was exactly what made Haruki popular, it was also the very thing that kept her chained to a deep, crushing loneliness.
"Hey, Hayato."
"Yeah, Haruki?"
Out of nowhere, Haruki called Hayato's name and started twirling her long hair around her finger.
Haruki's cheeks were flushed a light pink, and you could totally tell she was hesitating and acting all fidgety.
Then, looking shy but determined to go for it, Haruki finally spoke up.
"I want... ...I want you to get to know the real me even more."
Haruki didn't say who she wanted to know her. There were probably a ton of layers to that.
One thing was for sure—it definitely included filling in the seven-year gap between Hayato and Haruki.
(...Oh, I get it now.)
Back when they walked home together the other day.
The meaning behind Haruki's words when she declared she was being selfish and that she was gonna give it her all.
Thinking back, the stuff from this morning and what just happened... ...that's exactly what it was all about.
When it clicked, Hayato couldn't help but think it was pretty sweet, and a grin started to spread across his face.
"J-Just kidding!"
Seeing Hayato look at Haruki like that made her all shy again, so she quickly looked away and started scrambling to grab the paperwork in front of her.
"A-Alright! Once we take these back to the desk, we're do—Whoa!"
"Haruki!"
Haruki must've been totally flustered and shaken up. In her rush to hide her embarrassment, she ended up tripping over a pile of books.
Haruki was about to faceplant into the floor, but Hayato jumped in at the last second, wrapping his arms around her to break her fall. But in the process, he slammed his back hard against the sliding door. Wham!
"Ow, cr*p!! That hurts!!"
"Hayato?!"
"Ugh... ...Haruki, you... ...you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!"
"Good, glad to hear it..."
That was a close call.
Right now, Haruki was tucked perfectly into Hayato's arms. It was the kind of situation where he should've been enjoying her soft feel and the sweet scent teasing his nose—but man, the price for this was steep.
Even though Hayato didn't hit his head, the throbbing pain in his back was no joke. He was in no condition to enjoy having one of the hottest girls in school in his arms right now.
"S-Sorry, my back is kinda numb and I don't think I can move. Mind if we stay like this for a bit?"
"Y-Yeah. I don't mind."
"My bad."
"Hayato, it's not your fault!"
Haruki's cheeks were as red as they could possibly get.
From an outsider's perspective, their position was incredibly sketchy.
I mean, obviously. Haruki was being held by Hayato who was leaning against the wall, and she was basically on top of him in a "girl-on-top" position. Depending on how you looked at it, it almost looked like Haruki was pouncing on Hayato, and above all, they were pressed together as tight as possible. As for Haruki, she couldn't help but feel Hayato's presence, and her heart was pounding so loud it felt like it was gonna burst.
But Hayato himself was in no state to worry about how Haruki was feeling.
'Hey, Senpai! See, toldja no one would be here.'
'You're right. Well, I guess given the location, that makes sense.'
""?!""
Right then, someone walked into the library.
Judging by the voices, it was a boy and a girl—a couple—and no matter who it was, there was no way Hayato and Haruki could let themselves be seen like this.
'Wait, are we even allowed to eat in the Library?'
'Oh, maybe not. But since no one's around, we can at least kiss, right?'
'Hey, what kind of logi—mmph.'
'Mmm... ...muach... ...mmm... ...ehehe. I missed you so much it hurt, so I'm just refilling my "Senpai" nutrients ♪'
'What do you mean "missed me"? We met this morning, and we see each other every day, don't we?'
'That's not what I meant! Stop being so mean, ugh, nnnn~!'
'Mm, hey, wait, what about lunch?'
'I think I'll have a taste of you first, Senpai~ hehe.'
These two weren't just a regular couple; They were total "love-idiots." Since they thought they were all alone, there was absolutely nothing stopping them from going completely off the rails with their PDA.
Because of that, the air between Hayato and Haruki became so awkward it was practically suffocating.
"..."
"..."
Through the door, they could hear heavy, suggestive breathing, muffled moans, and the occasional, lewd sound of clothes rustling against each other.
Both Hayato and Haruki held their breath, praying for these lovebirds to just get a room and leave, but things only kept escalating with no end in sight.
This was bad. Real bad.
As the pain in Hayato's back started to fade, he began to feel everything with crystal clarity—Haruki's weight, her body heat, and that softness so different from a boy's, all pressed right against him.
(—Urgh!)
(...Oh!)
Hayato couldn't let this keep going.
Hayato scrambled to let go of Haruki, but she let out this tiny, pained whimper. To make matters worse, she stared him down with teary eyes, looking like she was legit offended that he'd stopped.
Between the throbbing pain in Hayato's back, Haruki's softness, and her sweet scent, Hayato's brain was about to short-circuit.
Usually, Hayato didn't pay much attention to it, but right now, he was being slapped in the face with the reality that Haruki was, without a doubt, a girl.
(...Ugh, d*mmit!)
But Haruki had just poured her heart out about wanting to be known for who she really was—about wanting to change. Lighting the fuse on these kind of trashy urges felt like a total betrayal of the bestie. Hayato felt like a complete scumbag for even thinking it.
Hayato silently and frantically scratched his head, letting out a slow, shallow breath.
Then, doing his absolute best to make sure the couple outside wouldn't hear, Hayato leaned in close to Haruki's ear and whispered.
"(What should we do?)"
"('?!)"
In that instant, Haruki's entire body gave a violent flinch.
Haruki grabbed a tight handful of Hayato's shirt with her tiny, trembling hands.
"(...Sh—)"
"(Sh?)"
"..."
"..."
Then Haruki peered up at Hayato's face—which was twisted into a massive scowl—and as if she'd suddenly realized something, her face turned beet-red in a matter of seconds.
"...Mya~?!"
"""!!?"""
Out of nowhere, Haruki let out a total scream of pure embarrassment.
Haruki threw her hands up and jerked backward, her eyes literally spinning in circles from the shock.
But if we're talking about being shocked, Hayato was right there with Haruki.
"H-Hey! What the heck was that for...? They're gonna hear us!"
"B-B-B-But! I just... ...I was... ...mya~!!"
"Haruki?!"
Zzzzt! Haruki scrambled away from Hayato, covering her face with her hands while shaking her head like crazy. It was like she'd completely forgotten (or just didn't care) about the people on the other side of the door anymore.
Hayato had zero clue why Haruki'd suddenly flipped out like that.
"I-I... ...I'm so sorry!!"
"Hey, wait a sec?!"
And with that, Haruki bolted out of the library. It happened in the blink of an eye.
Luckily, the couple who'd heard the commotion had already cleared out before Haruki made her grand exit.
"...What the heck was that all about?"
Left all by himself, Hayato could only mutter the words to no one in particular.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: