Chapter 41: White Day in the Library

Chapter 41: White Day in the Library

✿———✦———✿

“I love you... even in the midst of the intoxication of this narrow world of my own little book.”

White Day arrived with a sudden, quiet grace—exactly one month since I had surrendered those anonymous chocolates into the void. I never expected that I would spend this afternoon tucked away in the corner of the campus library, seeking refuge in a worn copy of Beauty and the Beast.

Classic fairy tales have always been my sanctuary. They make me feel like Belle—a girl who prefers the company of stories to the noise of the crowd, someone who feels more at home in a world of ink and paper than in the complicated reality of being a nineteen-year-old. But unlike Belle, who was destined to cross paths with a Prince, I have always been content as the observer. I am the girl in the background of the village scene, the one whose name is never spoken by the narrator.

I was deep into a description of the Beast’s library when the chair beside me pulled back. I froze, my breath catching in my throat as a familiar shadow fell across my page.

It was him. Kazuaki.

He didn't look at me, but his presence was an electric current that made the fine hairs on my arms stand up. He was multitasking with the terrifying efficiency I had always admired—a stack of heavy textbooks to his left, a laptop open to lines of intricate, cascading code, and a tablet where he was sketching character designs for the university’s latest manga project. He even had a copy of The Prince and the Pauper tucked under his elbow, glancing at it in the brief seconds his code took to compile.

I watched him from the corner of my eye, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm that felt entirely out of place in the silent library. In my mind, I was the "Heart" of Evenfall, the one who kept the tempo steady for Genki and Ageha. But here, next to him, my rhythm was chaotic and broken. I was a secret admirer watching a hero who didn't even know I was in the same room. I was Belle reading about a castle I would never be invited to enter.

Suddenly, Kazuaki’s phone vibrated against the wooden table. The sound was like a thunderclap in the silence. He paused, his focus shifting instantly as he answered. I saw a rare, fleeting smile touch his lips—a glimpse into a world where he was happy and at ease. Perhaps he was talking to Yorishiro or someone else in his circle.

He packed his things with a casual, fluid grace and stood up. I quickly lowered my head, hiding behind the pages of my novel. I didn't want him to see the longing in my eyes, nor did I want to look like the "strange character" Kiriha had accused me of being. I whispered a silent thank you to the air he left behind as he walked toward the exit.

I waited a few minutes, exhaling a long, shaky breath before deciding to leave. My heart felt heavy with a familiar, bittersweet disappointment. I was halfway to the door when the librarian, an elderly woman who had seen me hide in these stacks for over a year, waved me over.

“Oh, Fuyu-chan,” she whispered, her eyes twinkling. “Someone left this for you. A gift for White Day, perhaps?”

She held out a small, elegantly wrapped box. My hands trembled as I took it. “For... for me?”

“A young man left it at the desk earlier,” she said with a soft laugh. “He didn't leave a name, but he seemed quite sure it was for the girl who always reads the classics in the east wing.”

My face felt like it was on fire. My mind immediately raced through the possibilities. Some boys on campus had tried to approach me before—members of the "popular" circles who thought a quiet bassist was an easy target—but I had always avoided them. They weren't my type. They didn't understand the silence I lived in.

But this gift... could it be? Could Kazuaki have noticed me?

No, that’s impossible, I told myself, clutching the box to my chest. He doesn't even know my name. We’ve never spoken a single word.

Then, a sharper, more realistic thought pierced through the fantasy. Kiriha.

Kiriha-senpai knew I loved this specific brand of chocolate. She was the only one who knew about my secret history with White Day and Valentine’s. After her dramatic entrance at the studio yesterday, this felt like exactly the kind of thing she would do—a playful, cryptic gesture to keep me on my toes, to remind me that she was the "Red Thread" connecting my two lives. She was probably watching from somewhere, laughing at my confusion.

I walked out of the library and into the crisp afternoon air, holding the chocolate close. Part of me wanted to believe it was a miracle, a page from a fairy tale coming to life. But another part of me—the part that belonged to Evenfall—knew that life was rarely that simple.

Whether it was a gift from a hero or a tease from a rival, it didn't matter. For the first time, I wasn't just a reader watching the story from the outside. I was holding a piece of the narrative in my hands. I walked toward the rehearsal studio, a small, hopeful smile playing on my lips.

Maybe Kiriha was right. Maybe I couldn't stay in the library forever. But if this was the start of a new chapter, I was finally ready to see where the story leads.

✿———✦———✿

The transition from the quiet sanctuary of the library to the high-energy chaos of the Evenfall practice room was always a jolt to the system. But today, with the mysterious box of chocolates clutched against my chest like a holy relic, the walk down the hallway felt like a march toward a firing squad.

As I pushed open the heavy soundproof door, I tried to look as small as possible, hoping to slip into my corner and hide the gift behind my bass amp.

I failed.

“Oh! Look who’s back from the ‘Library of Secrets’!” Genki’s voice exploded the moment the door clicked shut. She didn’t just speak; she practically teleported from behind her drum kit to my side, her eyes widening until they looked like sparkling saucers. “Wait... Yuki-chan... what is that in your hands?”

My heart did a frantic somersault. I tried to pull my sweater sleeves over my hands, but it was too late. “I-it’s... nothing! Just... a snack!”

“A snack? In that wrapping?” Ageha stopped mid-scale on her keytar, her sharp, elegant eyes narrowing with the precision of a hawk. She walked over, crossing her arms. “That looks suspiciously like a White Day return gift, Yukifuyu. And considering the way your face is currently the exact shade of a ripe tomato... I’d say it’s not from your parents.”

“I-it’s really not... I mean, I don’t know!” I stammered, my voice going up three octaves. I felt the heat rising from my neck, blooming across my cheeks until my ears felt like they were vibrating. I looked down at my feet, my hair falling forward to form a desperate curtain of privacy. “The librarian just... handed it to me. Someone left it.”

“Someone?” Michaella tilted her head, stepping closer with a soft, curious smile. “A secret admirer? That’s so romantic, Yuki-senpai. It’s like the climax of a shoujo manga.”

“It’s not a climax! It’s probably a mistake! Or a prank!” I squeaked. I was trembling so hard the box was actually rattling against my ribs. “Kiriha-senpai! It’s probably her! She’s just trying to mess with my head because of yesterday!”

Suddenly, Rui leaned in from the DJ booth, her voice cool and steady, though her eyes held a rare glimmer of amusement. “Kiriha is many things, but she doesn’t waste money on high-end chocolates just for a prank. Those are from the chocolatier near the Engineering building.”

The Engineering building. Where Kazuaki spent all his time.

The realization hit me like a physical wave. My knees felt like they were made of jelly, and I had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing. “N-no way... that’s... impossible...”

“Is it?” Genki teased, poking my shoulder. “Yuki-chan is so cute when she’s malfunctioning! Look at her! She’s literally steaming!”

“Stop it, Genki!” I cried, burying my face in the box. I could feel my pulse throbbing in my fingertips. The thought of Kazuaki—the protagonist, the hero of 2020, the silent genius of the lab—actually walking to the desk and leaving something for me was too much for my brain to process. It felt like a system error. I was a side character! I wasn’t supposed to have a plot twist!

“Well,” Ageha said, a small, proud smile tugging at her lips. “Whoever it’s from, they have good taste. But Yuki, if you don’t start breathing soon, you’re going to pass out before we even hit the first chorus.”

“I... I’m breathing!” I gasped, though I was actually hyperventilating. I scrambled toward my bass, nearly tripping over my own cable. “Let’s just play! Please! Music! No more talking! Just... loud music!”

I strapped on my bass with shaking hands, using the heavy instrument as a shield to hide my torso. I could feel their eyes on me—Genki’s playful grin, Ageha’s protective watch, Michaella’s dreamy gaze, and Rui’s silent observation.

For the rest of the session, I didn’t look at any of them. I stared straight at my fretboard, playing with a desperate, frantic energy. But even as the loud chords of Evenfall filled the room, I could still feel the weight of that box sitting on my amp.

Every time I hit a low note, I thought: Engineering building. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw: Kazuaki’s smile.

I was the heart of the band, but today, that heart was beating so fast I was afraid it might actually burst right there in the studio. I was Hayashi Yukifuyu, the girl who preferred the safety of the margins—but the story was moving forward, and for the first time in twelve years, I was terrified of what the next page might hold.