For the first library committee meeting, I headed to the library alone without particularly calling out to Suzumiya Kiyoka.
Since we were supposed to sit by class, I sat in our class’s designated area and killed time on my smartphone.
After a while, when Suzumiya arrived, she sat next to me.
「Shinonome-kun, looking forward to working with you this year.」
『Sure thing. Likewise.』
「Ufufu, somehow I didn’t imagine Shinonome-kun as the library committee type?」
『Eh? Really? I joined because I like reading. By the way, I was on the library committee in my first year too.』
「Eh! Is that so… I’m sorry. I just assumed.」
『Ahh, don’t worry about it, it’s fine. By the way, what kind of image did you have of me?』
「Hmm, a cheerful and funny person? Ahh, but I thought you seemed easy to talk to.」
『Hee~ So you mean I seem frivolous and light-hearted?』
「N-No, no! I didn’t think you seemed light-hearted!」
『Fufu, well, well, I think I’m light-hearted myself, so you don’t need to deny it so strongly.』
「Uuu, I’m sorry…」
At that point, everyone had gathered and the meeting began.
When I actually talked to Suzumiya, she turned out to be a surprisingly friendly girl.
In the meeting, we divided the weekly library duty by class, deciding which day and time each class would take.
And it was decided that our class (meaning me and Suzumiya) would take Wednesday after school.
At first, we aimed for the lunch break since it’s shorter and easier, but Suzumiya lost at rock-paper-scissors and it ended up being after school.
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
「Shinonome-kun, I’m sorry it’s because of me…」
『Come on, don’t worry about it. I’m not in any clubs, so it’s not a problem for me.』
「Uuu, Shinonome-kun is such a kind person. Not getting angry at all even in this situation…」
『What’s wrong all of a sudden? Do you have something to do after school on Wednesdays, Suzumiya-san? Worst case, I can handle it alone if needed?』
「N-No! It’s not like that… I’ll definitely do my part for the library duty.」
『Got it. Well then, looking forward to working with you.』
「Yeah, looking forward to it.」
And so, it was decided that Suzumiya and I would compulsory spend time together once a week on Wednesday afternoons.
The library duty with just the two of us turned out to be surprisingly relaxed and enjoyable.
We had enough interaction to converse normally, and we discovered that we both had reading as a hobby, which created a strange sense of camaraderie.
As fellow book lovers, once we realized we both liked reading, we started lending each other recommended books, discussing our impressions during our weekly library duty, and we even started greeting each other in the classroom.
However, because I was conscious of Iizuka’s gaze in the classroom, I rarely actively approached Suzumiya to talk.
Suzumiya seemed to be conscious of others’ eyes as well.
Well, if a seemingly light-hearted guy like me and the quiet-image Suzumiya were to interact in the classroom, it would attract attention.
I think we both understand that.
In exchange, we enjoyed our time during library duty days.
Suzumiya became very talkative when it came to books she liked, talking so much it was like her character changed.
Me too, I couldn’t really talk about books with the guys I usually hang out with, so I was happy to have made a friend with a common interest, and I enjoyed watching Suzumiya like that.
At this point, I only thought of Suzumiya Kiyoka as a female friend I got along with, and didn’t have any romantic feelings.
Besides, when I think of Iizuka, it looks like it will be troublesome.