Staring at the Wall

Chapter One (Part One)

"I'd like to search for a book about fate, please!" A teenage girl with medium-length reddish colored hair, topped with an ahoge announced to the library clerk man. Behind her was a girl who looked oddly identical. The only visible differences were that the latter possessed a green bunny-ear shaped ribbon, while the former wore a pair of star-shaped hairpins near her eyes. Not to mention the different hair lengths.

"Of course! I believe I have just what you're looking for!" The man left out from behind his desk and began scanning down the many aisles of the library. Not even a minute after, he came back with a hard cover book in-hand.

"Oh? This looks like it will do well! Thank you very much." The girl accepted.

"It's no problem, Nakano-san." He proceeded to scan the book and handed it to her.

"That was quicker than I expected, Itsuki!" The teen with shorter hair and ribbon spoke in awe. The clerk let out a deep, subtle chuckle.

"That's because your sister here tends to ask for the same book every time she comes." He informed her.

Something in the girls' pockets began to vibrate. Itsuki reached into her pocket with her free hand and brought out her phone. "Let's go, Yotsuba. It's almost dark. Dinner is ready."

"'Kay!!!"

As the girls began to leave, they paid their respects with a simultaneous bow. "Thank you again, Shoseki-san." The clerk nodded. As they rose upright, Yotsuba bumped her head on a book cart causing it to spill it's contents.

"Oww!" She cried out in pain while rubbing her head. Shoseki ran over to help her pick up the books. "You can go on out and wait for me outside, Itsuki! Just give me a sec..."

"Okay..." The youngest of the two placed the book she had just gotten into her bag and walked out the door. As she stepped out, she looked around. Gradually admiring this Friday evening atmosphere.

"This is nice..." She thought to herself. "There are so many delectable aromas in the air. There's a fruity scent. Probably from that market down the street. Oooh! Then there's the smell of barbecue! Not to mention the bitter smell of paint!" 

She paused. Paint? She looked around even more, in search of the source of this vile odor. Not far from her, the sounds of spraying could be heard. Itsuki's curiosity led her to the corner of the library building. From there, she saw a figure in the alleyway spray painting a mural on the wall, while listening to music from his smartphone. It was a male. Though she couldn't really make out his face. The only noticeable aspects were his blonde hair, silver hoop earrings and respirator mask.

All she could do was stare. She didn't want to cause any trouble, nor did she want to interrupt the guy before he finished. The art was fascinating thus far. It was like it caught her in a trance. Before she knew it, the guy directed his attention towards her. When Itsuki noticed, her expressive ahoge stood erect in shock. He slowly put his index finger up to where his mouth would be, in a 'Shhh' manner. The girl nodded and he went back to put the finishing touches on his art piece. 

"There you are Itsuki! Thanks for waiting." Itsuki turned to see her sister running out of the library towards her. "What're you looking at?"

The sudden loud voice shocked the graffiti artist causing him to make eye contact with Yotsuba. They stared at each other for about thirty seconds before Yotsuba pointed at him, shouting "VANDAL! STOP TAGGING THE LIBRARY!!!" 

The sudden outburst caused everyone to look into the alleyway. He'd been caught red-handed. "Dammit!" He cursed aloud. The delinquent quickly stuffed the spray can into his duffel bag and ran the opposite direction to make his escape. Many of the spectators took out their phones to take pictures. Yotsuba noticed the boy was trying to escape.