My Cat Girl Neighbor Is Impossible to Understand

Chapter 19: Chapter 19 - Library Hide out

Saturday morning came sunny and chilly, but in a nice way of the coming spring season.

The midterm exams were close by a few days.

For most students it meant studying all weekend.

Sui had already eaten his breakfast when his phone buzzed.

One message appeared.

Yuiko: Are you free today?

A couple of seconds later another one followed.

...If you’re studying.

Sui smiled and sent back the following message.

Sui: I was planning to.

Three dots appeared immediately.

Then...

Yuiko: Would you like to study together?

He did not even need to think about it.

Sui: Sure. The library?

A couple of minutes later...

Yuiko: Yes.

10:00?

Sui: See you there.

The public library was a stone’s throw away from the train station.

It was not big but calm.

The sun rays filtered through high windows warming up wooden floors.

The sound of the flipping pages and walking feet created the familiar environment both of them used to.

Sui arrived a bit earlier.

As he expected...

Yuiko was already waiting outside.

She had two notebooks in her hands and wore a light cream cardigan over blue dress.

The little gray cat keychain which Aki gave her gently swung from her bag.

"...Good morning."

She smiled.

"...Good morning."

"You’ve been waiting for long?"

"...Three minutes."

"I guess I’m late."

"...Two minutes earlier than agreed is not considered to be late."

Sui smiled.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

They walked into the library together.

The reading room seemed unusually quiet.

There were a few students occupying the long wooden tables.

There was an old man who read morning newspaper at the window.

And a university student who quietly typed something on his laptop.

Sui and Yuiko found their usual seat beside the tall bookshelf.

It had already quietly become their place.

Without discussing it...

They always choose the same table.

Yuiko put her books on it nicely.

"...Are we ready?"

Sui nodded.

"We are."

And the first twenty minutes passed as planned.

Mathematics.

History.

English.

There were only occasional flipping pages disturbing the silence.

But then...

Yuiko let out a sigh.

"..."

Sui raised his head.

"Problem?"

She showed him her history book.

"...Too many dates."

"They all look similar."

He smiled.

"That’s the point."

"...History is cruel."

"You said that last week."

"Yes, I still do."

He quietly chuckled.

The librarian glanced at them.

Both of them immediately lowered their voices.

"...Sorry."

Ten minutes passed again.

And this time...

Sui stopped writing in his notebook.

"Hm?"

Yuiko looked at him.

"What is it?"

He pointed at the nearby shelves.

"...I forgot something."

"What?"

"I borrowed a mystery novel a month ago."

"I haven’t returned it."

"...You forgot?"

"I think it is still on my desk."

Yuiko giggled.

"...I thought you are organized."

"Yes, I usually am."

"So books are your weakness?"

"Seems like."

She smiled warmly.

"I won’t tell the librarian."

"I appreciate that."

As Sui stood up and stretched, he glanced at the fiction section.

There was a familiar book there.

He quietly took the book from the shelves.

"...That one."

Yuiko looked up.

"You have read it?"

"Three times."

"...Three?"

"It gets better every time."

She raised her eyebrow.

"...Really?"

He gave her the novel.

"It isn’t interesting."

"It isn’t dramatic."

"...Then why?"

He thought for a moment.

"...Because it feels warm."

Yuiko looked at the cover of the book.

There was an illustration of two children who sat under the big tree and quietly read together.

"...Warm?"

"The story is not about saving the world."

"It is about ordinary people."

"...That sounds nice."

"I think you will like it."

She carefully put the book beside her notebook.

"...I’ll take it."

A couple of minutes later...

Yuiko started wandering through the bookshelves.

She stopped in front of the gardening section.

Sui looked surprised.

"...Gardening?"

She nodded.

"My grandmother loved flowers."

"When I was little..."

"...We used to grow vegetables together."

She took the book with illustrations of seasonal plants.

"...Whenever I read this..."

"It reminds me of her."

Sui quietly listened to her story.

"I didn’t know that."

"I don’t say that much."

She smiled softly.

"...I used to read stories while she was watering the flowers."

"Sometimes..."

"I forgot whether I was reading or listening to birds."

Silence fell between them.

Sui looked at the gardening book.

"...That seems peaceful."

"It was."

She looked at him.

"...Do you have a favorite book?"

He nodded.

"There was one."

"What was it about?"

"A boy who was always helping strangers."

"...Did he become a hero?"

"No."

"...Then what happened?"

"He just kept helping people."

Yuiko blinked.

"...That’s all?"

"Pretty much."

She quietly laughed.

"...You would like such a story."

"I guess I would."

"...Because it is ordinary?"

"Because it makes me remember..."

He looked at the sunlight filtering through library windows.

"...That small kindness matters."

Yuiko looked at him for a while.

"..."

Then she smiled.

"...I think I understand."

They returned to their seats.

Their textbooks were opened.

Exam notes were patiently waiting for them.

But instead...

The next thirty minutes slipped away in conversation.

Favorite childhood stories.

Books which make them cry.

Characters they liked.

Places they wanted to visit.

Each topic smoothly led to another.

At some point Yuiko looked at the clock.

"..."

"...We have studied..."

She quickly counted.

"...Thirty minutes."

"And talked for almost an hour."

Sui blinked.

"...Really?"

She laughed.

"...We are terrible study partners."

He smiled.

"...Maybe."

"But..."

She looked around peaceful library and glanced at him.

"...I’m having fun."

Sui silently closed his notebook.

"...Me too."

Both of them did not notice yet.

But somewhere during those moments...

The library quietly became not only a place to study.

The light gradually shifted over the library’s floors.

The beams slowly slipped in through the large windows, touching the corners of the wooden tables.

The reading room was as quiet as always.

Some of the students had left already, having finished their studies.

Others sat in quiet contemplation while leafing through some bulky reference books.

Sui looked into his notebook.

"...We still haven’t read half of the Chapter."

Yuiko glanced at him and laughed softly.

"...We’re hopeless."

"Are we here to study."

"...Then..."

"We’ve been talking about books."

"Almost an hour."

"...I’m sorry."

"Don’t sound sorry."

"...I’m not."

Sui smiled.

"...Neither am I."

Their following silence was not awkward.

It was comfortable.

Comfortable in a way that could happen only when there was no need to say anything.

Yuiko laid her chin gently on her hand, watching a small park next to the library.

Some children were playing there.

The little girl chased the bubbles created by her father behind her back.

"...They seem to have fun."

Sui nodded.

"...It seems so peaceful."

Yuiko silently watched them.

"...Don’t you think about your future?"

Her sudden question surprised Sui.

"...Sometimes."

"What about you?"

"...Lately."

She absentmindedly traced circles on the edge of her notebook.

"They keep asking me what I want to become when I grow up."

"A teacher."

"A veterinarian."

"A doctor."

She smiled awkwardly.

"...I still don’t know."

Sui thought for a minute.

"...You don’t have to know yet."

"...Really?"

"We’re still in high school."

"Yeah..."

She sighed.

"...But it feels like everyone knows the answer already."

Sui closed his notebook.

"...Would you like to hear my answer?"

Yuiko’s eyes shone brightly.

"...Yeah."

He looked towards the bookshelf near them.

For several moments, Sui searched for the proper words.

"...I still don’t have a certain career in mind."

Yuiko blinked.

"...You don’t?"

He shook his head.

"...Not really."

"Then..."

"What do you want?"

Sui smiled faintly.

"...A peaceful life."

Yuiko tilted her head.

"...That’s all?"

"I want to wake up every morning not being in a hurry."

"I want to be surrounded by people whom I love."

"I want to do something useful, even though it would help only one person."

He laughed softly.

"...That’s not an impressive dream."

Yuiko silently watched him.

"...I think it is."

"...Really?"

She nodded.

"...Because it seems to be true."

Sui touched his cheek.

"...Maybe."

"I’ve never desired anything impressive."

"I don’t need to become famous."

"I don’t need everybody to know me."

"If I manage to make somebody’s usual day better..."

"...I think, it will be enough."

Yuiko lowered her eyes.

These words were exactly the answer Sui would give.

Simple.

Gentle.

Not trying to impress.

She smiled to herself.

"...That’s a very Sui-like answer."

He chuckled.

"...Is that a good thing?"

"...Very."

The librarian walked past their table putting a pile of books they were supposed to return back on the nearby shelf.

The sound of turning pages filled the silence again.

Several moments later...

Sui looked at Yuiko.

"...What about you?"

"The dream?"

She nodded.

"...Probably it is a bit strange."

"I doubt it."

She put her palms one upon another on the cover of her notebook.

"When I was a kid..."

"My family used to move quite often."

"I was always a newcomer."

"The new neighbor."

"The new student."

She laughed softly.

"...At first I thought it was normal."

"But..."

"...It was lonely."

Sui listened in silence.

Yuiko’s golden eyes turned to the window again.

"I don’t care where I live."

"I don’t need an enormous house."

"I don’t even mind if it is small."

She smiled gently.

"...I just want a place which feels like home."

Sui was silent.

She continued.

"A place in which..."

"I could return every day."

"A place in which somebody would say..."

"’You’re welcome home.’"

She looked at her palms.

"And in which..."

"I could honestly answer..."

"’I’m home.’"

A gentle breeze touched their faces through the slightly opened library window.

For several long moments...

Nobody uttered a word.

Finally Sui broke the silence.

"...I like this dream."

Yuiko looked at him.

"...You do?"

He nodded.

"It seems peaceful."

She smiled.

"...That’s exactly what I want."

She laughed a little.

"...Probably I’m too greedy."

"You are?"

"I don’t want a perfect place."

"I just want a place..."

"...In which I can feel myself."

These words hung between them.

Without even noticing it...

Sui thought,

She could make any place feel like home.

This thought appeared so naturally that he did not even try to question it.

He just smiled.

Yuiko noticed.

"...What?"

"Hm?"

"...You’re smiling."

"...Am I?"

She nodded.

"...Again."

Sui touched his cheek surprised.

"I guess I’m smiling."

Yuiko giggled.

"Haru was right."

"...About what?"

"He said..."

"...You smile more lately."

"...Did he?"

She nodded.

"...A lot more."

Sui looked aside towards the window.

"...Maybe."

He didn’t know why.

Or maybe...

He just hasn’t realized it yet.

The clock struck four in the afternoon.

Yuiko closed her notebook with a soft sigh.

"...We should probably start our study now."

Sui looked at the still untouched Chapter they wanted to read.

"...Probably."

"...Will we?"

He looked at her.

She looked back.

After several moments...

Both started laughing.

"...Probably for half an hour this time," Sui said.

"...Let’s try."

They opened their books.

And this time they actually studied.

Though every now and then...

One of them looked up from the book.

The other did the same.

They smiled at each other.

Then turned back to reading.

Neither of them had noticed that their dreams seemed to perfectly match.

Sui dreamed of a quiet life spent on helping other people.

Yuiko dreamed of a place where she could feel like at home.

But none of them knew that, step-by-step, they had become parts of each other’s dream already.

The library was silent.

The only sounds were the sound of turning pages.

But somewhere among these pages...

A future that none of them could imagine yet...

Had started writing itself.