Write me a Love Letter Pt. 3

The sunlight had softened by the time we stepped out of the stationery shop, the warm glow spilling across the cobblestone plaza like a golden blanket. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees lining the square, carrying the faint scent of roasted chestnuts and sweet crepes from a nearby stall. It was the kind of lazy, idyllic afternoon that made you forget time even existed.

Alice walked beside me, a small paper bag of stationery goodies swinging from her wrist. She looked far too satisfied with herself for someone who'd just emotionally torpedoed me with a single scribble in a notebook. I was still recovering, honestly. My heart hadn't quite decided if it was supposed to calm down yet.

"You know," I muttered, stuffing my hands into my pockets, "normal people don't turn a visit to a stationery store into emotional warfare."

Alice giggled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh? But you looked so cute when you were flustered. I think it was worth it."

I sighed. "Of course you do."

We wandered aimlessly beneath the shade of the trees, the afternoon crowd weaving around us in gentle waves. Kids chased pigeons near the fountain, couples strolled hand in hand, and somewhere off in the distance, a street performer was playing an acoustic guitar. It was all so… peaceful. Calm.

Naturally, that peace lasted all of five minutes.

"Oops~"

I felt a sudden tug on my arm as Alice staggered forward, nearly tripping on absolutely nothing. She caught herself by clutching onto my sleeve, nearly dragging me down with her.

"W-whoa! Hey!" I blurted, carefully holding her up.

She looked up at me, eyes wide with an innocent sparkle that was obviously fake. "Oh dear… how clumsy of me."

"...You did that on purpose."

"Did I?" she asked, her smile blooming far too sweetly.

"And here I was thinking you were actually gonna fall... I'm too nice sometimes."

She leaned in closer, voice dropping just enough to make my ears heat up. "Maybe I just wanted an excuse to hold onto you, darling."

I stared at her in disbelief, completely unsure how to respond. Again.

She laughed, twirling slightly on her heels as she resumed walking ahead, carefree as ever. "Come on, Aikami. If you walk too slowly, I might trip again. And then who knows where my hands might end up~"

"Please don't say things like that in public."

"Why? You embarrassed?"

"Oh, I wonder."

She chuckled again, skipping a few steps ahead while I followed with a sigh, burying my face deeper into my hoodie's collar. Just another normal afternoon… well, as normal as it could get when you're being dragged around by a flirtatious goddess who treats teasing like a hobby.

And yet… I didn't necessarily hate it.

"Oh, look," Alice said. "A library. Wonder what old records we'll find buried there."

"It's just a library," I scoffed. "Not like it'll have some kind of secret document exposing political corruption."

"You never know. Come along, Aikami."

The moment we passed through the arched entrance of the plaza's old library, the world outside seemed to hush into stillness. The wooden doors creaked softly behind us, closing out the noise of the city and replacing it with the faint scent of parchment, old wood, and the soft shuffle of pages being turned.

It wasn't a particularly large library, but it had this quiet charm to it—like a place untouched by time. Sunlight filtered in through tall windows, casting warm stripes across the rows of bookshelves and worn reading tables. Somewhere in the distance, a clock ticked softly, accompanied by the occasional sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Hello and welcome to my humble library," said an extremely bland voice.

We both turned to see a woman sitting behind the front desk, not even looking up to acknowledge our presence. She had short gray hair with a straight bang falling at an angle. In front of her sharp silver eyes was a pair of circular glasses.

Alice raised a brow as she stepped over. "...Athena?"

The woman peered up from her textbook, casting a seemingly perturbed gaze upon Alice.

"It's 'Amelia' in the mortal realm, Alice. Hmm... And it seems you brought a guest."

Athena took off her glasses, glancing past Alice to study me.

"Don't worry about him," Alice said. "He knows."

"Indeed, he does. Looks like one of Anna's outrageous gossip turned out to be true for once."

"Hah. So she really did go around spreading rumors. That snitch..."

Athena sighed, slipping her glasses back on. "You know her. Always running her mouth in places it doesn't belong. Lucky for you, I'm different. Carry on, Alice. Whatever you decide to do with that mortal has nothing to do with me."

"Pfft~ Thanks, Amelia."

"Mhm."

We left her and continued further into the library, but my curiosity had not yet been satisfied.

"That was... Athena," I whispered in awe. "The Goddess of Wisdom, right?"

"Yeah," Alice replied. "She's rather monotonous compared to, say... Aphrodite. But, she knows how to mind her own business. I respect that."

She walked a few paces ahead, her pace slower now, almost reverent. I watched as she ran her fingers lightly across the spines of the books, pausing every now and then to peek at a title or pull a volume halfway off the shelf.

"I didn't expect you to be the type to like libraries," I said, keeping my voice low.

She glanced over her shoulder at me with a faint smile. "Why's that?"

"Dunno. You just seem like the kind of person who'd get bored unless something's constantly happening around you."

She tilted her head. "Mm… maybe that's true sometimes. But I've always liked places like this. It's quiet. Peaceful. And… I like watching how people behave when they think no one's really paying attention."

"That's a little creepy."

"I said watch, not stalk, Aikami."

We both chuckled under our breath.

Alice slowed again near a cozy reading nook by the window. She gently pulled a random book from the shelf, flipping it open as she lowered herself onto one of the cushioned seats. I joined her, settling into the chair opposite hers.

"Back home," she said quietly, eyes scanning the pages, "our libraries weren't like this. Everything was grand and ceremonial. Lots of gold trim and giant pillars and furniture you weren't even allowed to sit on unless you were someone important."

"Sounds fancy."

"It was. But it didn't feel like you were meant to read anything there. Just… admire it." She shut the book gently and looked up at me. "But here, it's different. It's nice. Humble. Real."

I leaned back slightly, arms crossed over my chest. "You're surprisingly sentimental."

"Surprisingly?" she grinned. "I'll pretend that's a compliment."

We sat in silence for a little while, the kind of silence that didn't need to be filled. Just the two of us, surrounded by shelves of stories written by people long gone, and others who just wanted to leave a piece of themselves behind.

Eventually, I glanced at her again. "Hey… Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"That thing you said earlier… about liking to watch people. Do you do that with me, too?"

She paused for a second, then gave a soft chuckle. "All the time."

I blinked. "You say that like it's normal."

"It is normal. I'm just more honest about it than most people." She gave me a gentle look—nothing teasing or mischievous this time. "You're interesting to watch, darling. Not because you do anything special… but because you try so hard to live like you're not meant to stand out."

"…What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that sometimes, I wonder if you even realize how much you matter."

"Hah. And who do I matter to? Someone like me… someone without a thread of fate?"

Alice crossed one leg over the other, then raised three fingers. "Three girls. That's who you matter to. So don't go thinking you're alone in this world—because you're not anymore."

For a moment, I didn't know how to respond.

So I didn't.

Instead, I turned my gaze to a nearby bookshelf, pretending to study the titles—because her words, calm and sincere, echoed louder than any teasing ever could.

Not flirty. Not playful. Just honest. And somehow… that made them stick even more.

"…Oh, by the way, Aikami."

I glanced back at her—only to realize I had completely misread the moment. That soft sincerity had vanished, replaced by a sly, knowing smirk.

"I still owe you that favor, don't I?" she said, her voice curling with playful mischief. She winked. "Anything you want from me. That's not an offer I'd give to just anyone. So… tell me—how can I be of service?"