A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy - Chapter 10.1

…August 14. I was studying with Kenji at the library as promised. We were sitting side by side at a large table that could fit about ten people.

For me, it was just homework, but Kenji was studying seriously. He said he wanted to get a head start on the second semester material since he had already finished his homework.

The air conditioning was nice and cool, but everyone was silent, reading books very seriously or studying like us, which made me feel uneasy. I tend to get fidgety and nervous in such quiet places, so honestly, I couldn’t concentrate much on my homework.

“Ahhh…Kenji, I’m already bored with my homework.”

I placed my pen on the desk, slumped forward, and complained to Kenji, who was next to me.

“Let’s just stop studying already.”

“Huh? We’ve only been at it for 30 minutes!”

“Thirty minutes is good enough, right? Come on, let’s go play, Kenji.”

“What did your mom tell you again?”

“…She said if I don’t finish my homework, I can’t play.”

“Yeah, I agree with her, you know? Let’s finish it first and then play a lot!”

“Who cares about homework! I won’t die if I don’t do it! Come on, let’s play!”

“Come on, Kana, let’s work hard together, okay? I’ll study next to you.”

“Ugh…”

“Don’t you want to finish your homework quickly and then enjoy playing without any worries? Isn’t it much better to finish it nicely and not have to deal with your mom’s nagging?”

“Well…I guess.”

“Right?”

“Then let me copy your homework, and I’ll finish it right away.”

“That won’t help you at all, Kana.”

“Geez, you’re so mean, Kenji.”

I pouted and buried my face in my arms on the table. I pressed my left cheek down and tilted my head, flipping through my math homework with my right hand.

“By the way, Kenji, are you good at studying?”

“Well, I guess I’m okay.”

“Oh? What rank do you usually get on final exams?”

“Uh…I usually hover around 2nd or 3rd place.”

“What!? Really!? You’re that smart!?”

I was so surprised by Kenji’s words that I jumped up.

Kenji fidgeted with his hair by his temple, looking a bit embarrassed.

“I’ve never gotten first place, so it’s not something to brag about…”

“No, no, that’s definitely something to brag about! Are you a ‘studying is my favorite thing’ kind of guy?”

“Well…it’s not that I love it or anything.”

At that moment, Kenji smiled sadly.

“My family is pretty poor. It’s a single-parent household, and my mom is sick.”

“Oh…I see.”

“Yeah. I want a scholarship to go to college.”

“Oh, so you want to get good grades for that?”

“Exactly. That’s why studying is very important for me.”

“……………………”

“Sorry for sharing such a strange story.”

“No, no, don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks, Kana.”

Kenji smiled gently at me, then looked down at his notebook and began studying diligently.

Seeing him like that made me feel a bit embarrassed for complaining about my homework, so I decided not to bother him and to do my homework too.

The sound of my mechanical pencil scratching softly echoed in the library.

“…Sigh.”

After a few hours of continuing my homework, I was starting to get tired, so I decided to take a break.

I glanced over and saw that Kenji was still quietly solving problems.

Not wanting to disturb him, I quietly stood up and wandered around the library.

There were tall bookshelves that easily exceeded my height, filled with novels and dictionaries I didn’t really understand.

(I get sleepy reading text. How can other people read this stuff? I wonder if there’s any manga?)

Thinking this, I tried looking for a manga section. I did find a place that seemed like that, but the titles were all things like “Learning World History through Manga” and “Explaining Taxes with Manga,” which wasn’t quite what I was looking for.

As I wandered around looking for something else, I found a bookshelf with children’s books. It had books suitable for preschoolers to elementary school kids, and I whispered, “How nostalgic,” as I looked at the shelf.

“Oh! This…”

While I was browsing, I found a book that I loved when I was in second grade.

“The Witch’s Cake Shop…I wonder how many years it’s been since I saw this. Wow, it looks just like it used to.”

I flipped through the pages, recalling old memories. Oh right, I loved the illustration of the witch carrying the cake.

The only novel I had ever been truly absorbed in might have been that one.

“What are you looking at, Kana?”

“Whoa!? Kenji!”

I let out a loud voice when Kenji suddenly spoke from behind me.

“Sorry, Kana, I didn’t mean to scare you. I realized you weren’t next to me and wondered where you went, so I was looking for you.”

“Oh, sorry, I was just taking a break.”

“Okay, got it.”

“Hey, Kenji, look at this book!”

“Hm? What is it? Children’s literature?”

“I loved this book when I was in elementary school. I think my mom gave it to me as a Christmas present.”

“Oh, ‘The Witch’s Cake Shop’…”

Kenji took the book from me and flipped through the pages.

“I see, it’s a lovely piece. The illustrations aren’t overly flashy; they’re very simple, gentle, and have a warm touch.”

“The art is really nice, right? I think so too. Look, the page we just saw, where the witch is carrying the cake. I really love that part!”

I leaned in close to Kenji, almost touching shoulders, showing him my favorite page in the book.

At that moment, for some reason, Kenji stammered, saying, “Eh, uh, Kana…”

“Hm? What is it, Kenji?”

“Um, well…”

“…? What’s wrong?”