" so... that means no coffee for me? "
KAORI was planning on doing what she does every single day. Until fireworks and a strange blackout brought her onto a place where she would have to play some twisted games to survive.
" i don't know who's in ch...
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KAORI GASPED at the view displayed right beneath her eyes.
In the morning, and after drinking an entire coffee pot, the girl was bored and didn't feel like spending her time waiting by the pool and watching people getting drunk so she decided to explore the compound a little more.
After all, the place was huge.
And that is how she found herself standing in front of an actual library, a large room filled from floor to ceiling with endless shelves of books. How could I find out about this only now? Holy fucking shit, get me some coffee and I swear I could stay here for ever.
Three hours later, Kaori was sprawled out on the floor with a big pile of books next to her as she was already halfway through the first one she had picked up. And she was so focused on escaping her current reality through a fictional one that she didn't even hear someone walking in the library.
A shadow obstructing her reading caught her off guard and she let out a tiny shriek before recognizing Chishiya. She sat up on her knees and slapped the man's leg with the book, "Holy shit, Chishiya! You scared the hell out of me!"
He let out the tiniest chuckle, the sound was so stealthy she could've almost missed it, just like the genuine smile that flashed on his lips for a split second. Did I... make him laugh?
"What are you reading?"
She closed the book to show him the cover, Convenience Store Woman written by Sayaka Murata. She had read it back when it had been published and it became a favorite of hers.
"Genius writing," Kaori said with a smile, "I've read all of her work, she is out of this world."
Chishiya's eyes were glued on the girl who was now on her feet and organizing the books in nicer piles —probably because she was planning on bringing them to her room, noticing the sparkle in her eyes. It was obvious that she was thriving in an environment like this and that literature was her thing.
"Which one would you recommend?" Chishiya asked with a certain interest laced in his voice.
Internally, Kaori was screaming with joy and excitement. Back when she was still working —before ending up in this world, she absolutely loved when customers would come in her bookstore and ask for her personal recommendations.
Often, to find the perfect book, she would ask them a bit about their lives, favorite authors or genres to pinpoint what could fit for them. In a way, it made her feel appreciated.
Kaori looked at the book in her hand and smirked, making eye contact with the man and throwing it his way, "This one."
Chishiya was reading the back cover and his attention was actually very occupied, when Kaori's heart missed a beat at the sight. Wait... I swear I've seen him before. I can't fucking remember where... or when... but I'm sure I did.
