A Chance Encounter at the Library

When Kiryu Yume arrived at the library on Sunday morning, the window seat was empty.

He took out his notebook and sticky notes from his backpack. The corners of Mashima Tomoya's notebook cover had already frayed.

He had gone through the history material twice from beginning to end, marking the most easily confused era names in red during the second pass.

After finishing the last self-test question, he closed his notebook and stretched.

He went to the shelves to look for a Japanese language reference book, his fingers running along the rows of spines. A hand beside him reached for the same shelf, its fingers slender and long.

Kiryu Yume turned his head. Shiina Hiyori stood beside him, her silver-gray hair falling over her shoulders, an open hardcover book held in her arms.

"You go first." She withdrew her hand.

"Which one do you want?"

"The one on the far right, Edogawa Ranpo's short story collection."

Kiryu Yume pulled it out and handed it to her. Shiina Hiyori accepted it with both hands, flipped to the back cover to read the synopsis, then turned it back and held it to her chest.

"I wanted to borrow this before, but someone got to it first." She looked up at him. "You're Kiryu Yume from Class A. We met before."

"You're Shiina Hiyori from Class C."

"Mm."

Kiryu Yume returned to his seat with the reference book. Shiina Hiyori was already seated at the table opposite him, with two detective novels beside her and a third in her hands.

Kiryu Yume read two pages of the reference book, then his gaze drifted toward the book in her hands.

Shiina Hiyori looked up. "Do you read detective novels too?"

"No, I'm reading a Japanese language reference book."

"Then you can't focus on it anymore."

The tips of Kiryu Yume's ears warmed slightly. "Why?"

"You looked over here once just now, then looked again. The first time, you noticed the cover. The second time, you wanted to ask what I was reading."

Kiryu Yume closed the reference book and leaned back in his chair. "So what are you reading now?"

"A collection of short stories about alibis. You can guess the central trick by page three, but the author's writing feels very comfortable." She flipped to a page and showed him two lines before closing it again. "I won't show you the contents. Spoiling a detective novel makes it meaningless."

"What do you think makes a good detective novel?"

Shiina Hiyori placed the book on her lap and tilted her head slightly.

"When you reach the last page, you realize your guess was wrong, but looking back, every page had hinted at who the murderer was. The author didn't deceive you—you deceived yourself." She paused for a moment. "I like authors who scatter clues throughout the entire story. Every clue is fair, but the reader's mind unconsciously filters them out."

"Do you guess the culprit every time?"

"Every time, and I'm wrong every time. The last time I guessed wrong, I was especially happy, because the final line said—the real culprit was the cat sitting on the sofa." Her lips curved faintly.

"Do people in Class C know you come to the library to read detective novels?"

"They don't, and they don't need to." Shiina Hiyori turned a page. "People from Class C rarely come to the library on weekends. But I've seen people from Class D here several times. It seems they're preparing for exams."

Before Kiryu Yume could reply, the library door was pushed open.

Kushida Kikyo walked in carrying several notebooks. Hirata Yosuke, Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji, and Yamauchi Haruki followed behind her. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka came in last, his hands in his pockets.

They chose a long table against the wall. Kushida Kikyo handed out the notebooks. "Today, we're reviewing the first three units of English. Sudo, start with vocabulary."

Sudo Ken dropped his notebook onto the table.

"I memorize the words, then forget them. Forget them, then memorize them again."

"Vocabulary isn't something you can handle in a day or two." Hirata Yosuke sat down beside him.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took the seat at the very end of the long table. His gaze occasionally drifted outside, then settled on a window seat in the corner of the library.

Horikita Suzune was sitting there, an English exercise book spread open before her.

Kushida Kikyo stood and walked to Horikita Suzune's table. "Suzune, come join us too. Sudo's English foundation isn't very good."

"I told you last time. I study on my own."

"We can ask each other questions if we study together."

"I can study here too."

Kushida Kikyo stood there for a moment, then turned to glance at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood and walked over to Horikita Suzune's table. "Sudo's English is probably at the level of a third or fourth grader. By himself, he can't even understand the textbook's table of contents. If you don't help him, he'll definitely fail English on the midterms. If he fails, he'll be expelled."

"That would be his own problem."

"Yes, it's his problem. But you sit in front of him." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's tone sounded less like persuasion and more like he was stating a conclusion. "Last time, Sudo said he wasn't like you, someone who didn't need help from others. He admitted it. Someone who admits they're weak needs to be taught, and you happen to know how."

Horikita Suzune set down her pen and looked up. Her violet eyes met his for two seconds.

She stood, hugged her English exercise book to her chest, and walked to the long table. Sitting down, she opened it beside Sudo Ken's notebook. Sudo Ken glanced at her and pushed his English textbook half an inch toward her.

"This word, apple. Do you know it?"

"Duh. I learned that in elementary school."

"Then keep going. There are twenty words in the first unit. Memorize those twenty first."

Sudo Ken glared at the word list. "Twenty words? Can I finish memorizing them in an hour?"

"Then take two hours. If you can't memorize them, don't do math."

Sudo Ken lowered his head and copied the words. Three minutes later, he shoved his notebook across the table. "I still can't remember them. How do you spell beautiful again? I copied it twice just now, but I can't remember."

"You didn't say it aloud while copying."

"Then tell me how to spell it."

"B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l."

"Could you not say it one letter at a time? It just makes me more confused."

Horikita Suzune paused, then placed her pen on the table. "Then read it yourself once first. Copy it after you're done."

Sudo Ken set down his pen. "Can you stop using methods for teaching children? I'm not an elementary schooler."

"The way you memorize vocabulary now is worse than an elementary schooler's."

Sudo Ken stood up, his chair legs scraping across the floor. He glared at Horikita Suzune, breathing heavily twice, then grabbed his notebook from the table and headed for the door.

"I'm not memorizing anymore."

Hirata Yosuke stood up. "Sudo—"

"I said I'm not doing it! She thinks everyone can learn just because she's good at studying. I just can't remember!"

Kushida Kikyo quickly walked toward the door, but she did not grab him. "You can come back after a ten-minute break. There are cold drinks at the vending machine over there. I'll go buy one with you." Her voice was low and even.

Sudo Ken clutched his notebook and glared at her for several seconds. A muffled grunt squeezed out of his throat, and he walked around her out of the library.

Ike Kanji shrank into his seat. Yamauchi Haruki buried his face in the word list. Horikita Suzune picked up her pen again, gripping it a little tighter than before. Without looking up, she turned a page in her exercise book.

Hirata Yosuke glanced toward the door, then turned to Horikita Suzune. His lips moved, but he said nothing.

Kushida Kikyo pushed the door open and left.

Kiryu Yume withdrew his gaze. Shiina Hiyori was still sitting across from him, and she turned another page in her detective novel.

A few minutes later, Kushida Kikyo pushed the door open and came back, with Sudo Ken behind her.

He still had that notebook clenched in his hand, its cover wrinkled from his grip. Without looking at Horikita Suzune, he went around to the other side of the long table and sat down, with Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki between them.

He opened the word list again and lowered his head to copy. After three lines, the force of his writing gradually eased.

Hirata Yosuke pushed his English notes toward him. Horikita Suzune turned a page in her exercise book, paused, then started organizing things again from the first page.

Shiina Hiyori closed her book and stood, stacking the two detective novels and holding them against her chest.

"I'll stop here for today. I'll return this short story collection next week. If you want to read it, you can write your name on the reservation card." She took a few steps toward the library entrance, then looked back at him. "Next time you study, choose a time when there are fewer people."

She pushed the door open and left.

Kiryu Yume looked down at the reference book that had been open in front of him all morning, though he had only finished three pages. He closed it, stuffed it into his backpack, and stood up.

As he passed the long table, Sudo Ken was still copying words with his head down, muttering under his breath.