Chapter 8: The Study Camp of Temptation

The old Sakuragaoka library smelled faintly of dust and forgotten homework. Rows of tall bookshelves towered like silent guards while moonlight slipped through the windows, drawing silver lines across the floor.

Yuuto Kanda stood in front of a table stacked with notebooks, snacks, and energy drinks, his hands on his hips like a proud teacher preparing for battle.

> “Alright! Our weekend study camp begins now!”

His voice echoed dramatically, but the three girls in front of him didn’t share the same enthusiasm.

Rika Saginomiya, the science prodigy, adjusted her glasses and yawned.

> “You’re way too excited about voluntary education. Are you sure you’re a high-schooler and not a fifty-year-old cram school teacher?”

Akari Nishina, the athletic whirlwind, leaned over the table with a grin.

> “Hey, if we’re staying all night, does that mean we can have midnight snacks?!”

Meanwhile, Mizuki Koyanagi, the literary girl with hair like black silk, fidgeted nervously while arranging her pens.

> “I-I just hope we can keep quiet… we’re not really allowed to stay after hours.”

Yuuto coughed. “The librarian gave me permission. Technically. Mostly.”

He didn’t mention that Sensei Amamiya had winked at him and said, ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’

The “camp” began harmlessly enough. Rika buried herself in physics problems, muttering equations under her breath. Akari couldn’t sit still for five minutes without doodling mustaches on Yuuto’s math worksheets. Mizuki tried to focus, but every time Yuuto leaned over her shoulder to correct a mistake, her ears turned pink.

---

Two hours later, the chaos began.

Akari stretched and yawned dramatically.

> “Ugh, my brain’s melting! Time for a break!”

Before Yuuto could stop her, she spun her chair backward, accidentally bumping into him. The impact sent his pencil flying—straight into Rika’s notebook.

> “Idiot! You ruined my formula!” Rika snapped, glaring.

> “Oops! Sorry, Rika-chan!” Akari laughed, not sorry at all.

While they bickered, Mizuki stood to fetch water… and tripped over a charging cable. The next second, she fell forward, landing right on Yuuto’s lap with a soft thud.

Yuuto froze.

Mizuki blinked up, their faces barely inches apart. Her breath caught in her throat.

> “S-sorry—ah, your face—so close—”

Yuuto’s brain short-circuited. Somewhere in the distance, Rika and Akari had gone dead silent.

> “Ehhhhh!?” they shouted in unison.

Mizuki scrambled to stand, but her sleeve caught the corner of the table, sending a pile of books crashing down. Yuuto caught one mid-fall—only for Akari to dive in, tripping over both of them.

In the span of five seconds, Yuuto found himself pinned beneath two girls and a mountain of study material.

> “W-wait—Akari—your knee—!”

“My bad, my bad! Who told you to be this soft, Yuuto?”

“I can’t breathe—!”

Rika stared blankly, then sighed.

> “This isn’t a study camp. It’s a circus.”

Still, when she leaned closer to pull them apart, her hair brushed Yuuto’s cheek—and for a brief second, she froze too.

His warmth, his scent of chalk and shampoo—why is my heart beating faster? she thought, quickly retreating.

---

By midnight, the group had somehow survived dinner (instant ramen) and an emotional argument over who burned the electric kettle.

Yuuto slumped in his chair, exhausted.

> “Alright, we’ll rest for a bit. Everyone brought sleeping bags, right?”

“About that…” Mizuki whispered.

> “I thought we’d sleep in the reading room…”

> “Same here,” Akari said. “But it’s locked.”

> “Locked?” Yuuto frowned. “But I had the key—oh no.”

He patted his pockets. Empty. He had left the spare key in the staff lounge. Which was now locked too.

Rika crossed her arms.

> “So we’re stuck here. With one futon. Four people.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Akari broke it with a grin.

> “Guess we’ll just have to share, right?”

Yuuto’s face turned crimson.

> “N-No way! That’s completely inappropriate!”

Rika’s lips twitched. “Then enjoy sleeping on the cold floor, tutor-boy.”

---

Half an hour later, Yuuto found himself wedged awkwardly between Mizuki and Akari, with Rika sitting on a nearby chair pretending to read.

Mizuki’s breathing was soft, her shoulder brushing his arm every few seconds. Akari, already asleep, had her leg draped over Yuuto’s. He didn’t dare move.

The clock ticked past 1 AM.

Rika glanced over her book, her eyes softening as she saw Yuuto struggling not to move a muscle.

> “Idiot,” she whispered under her breath, a faint smile touching her lips.

She stood quietly, walked to the window, and stared at the moon. For some reason, her chest felt warm—and a little jealous.

---

The calm didn’t last long.

WHAM!

A loud thump echoed through the library as Akari rolled in her sleep and knocked over a pile of books.

Yuuto jerked awake, startled—and accidentally head-butted Mizuki.

> “O-Ow!” Mizuki cried, clutching her forehead.

> “Sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

Before he could finish, Akari shot up too, hair messy, eyes half-open.

> “Who’s attacking?! I’ll protect Yuuto!”

She grabbed the nearest object—a pillow—and smacked him straight in the face.

“Akari, stop!” Rika shouted. But Mizuki, still dazed, thought it was an actual attack and grabbed another pillow.

And so began the midnight Pillow War of Sakuragaoka Library.

Feathers flew. Yuuto dodged attacks like a soldier on the battlefield. Rika joined reluctantly—then completely gave in.

Laughter filled the night. Books fell, pillows burst, and by the time the chaos settled, all four were lying on the floor, breathing hard, surrounded by feathers and laughter.

---

As Yuuto looked at the three smiling faces, something strange warmed his chest.

Maybe studying wasn’t just about books. Maybe, just maybe… it was about the people you studied with.

Rika noticed his gaze and turned away, blushing.

> “D-Don’t get weird ideas. This was just… team building.”

Akari stretched. “Team building with pillows? I’m in!”

Mizuki smiled softly, whispering,

> “Thank you, Yuuto-kun… tonight was… fun.”

Yuuto scratched his head awkwardly, heart pounding.

> “Y-Yeah. Fun. Definitely just… fun.”

But when the lights flickered off and the moonlight fell across the sleeping trio, he realized something else:

He was completely doomed.