Polaroid | Suna Rintarou

04: A Memory?

As I sat in the library, struggling to keep my eyes open and focus on Newton's Law of Gravitation, the tranquil atmosphere threatened to lull me to sleep. Despite [Reader] being deeply engrossed in her reading, and the room temperature being just right, fatigue crept over me. With a tired yawn, I laid my head on the table my lidded eyes finally close shut and I drift off to sleep.

Why did I have to accompany my mom to a shrine visit? She could've managed on her own. I found myself growing restless, longing for the comfort of my bed.

With impatience gnawing at me, I wandered away from my mother's side, seeking solace in the quiet embrace of nature. The gentle breeze played with my hair, and the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees offered a fleeting sense of tranquility.

But my solitude was interrupted by the rustle of leaves and branches behind me. My curiosity piqued, I turned to investigate, could it be a fox? It would be quite the sight to encounter a wild fox here.

Instead, I discovered a white fluffy bunny trapped behind a bush, a branch wedged between its delicate foot. Without hesitation, I approached and gently removed the branch, freeing the bunny.

As I attended to the bunny, a voice pierced the silence, calling out for its lost companion. I looked up to see a girl, tears glistening in her eyes as she searched frantically for her furry friend.

"Bunny! Where are you?" Her sobs echoing through the quiet surroundings.

Moved by her distress, I offered a reassuring smile, the corners of my lips lifting despite myself. With a gentle pat, I coaxed the bunny into my arms, presenting it to its relieved owner.

"Oi," I called out to the girl, my voice breaking the stillness of the forest. Startled, she turned to face me, a small squeak escaping her lips as she stumbled backward.

"That scared me," she confessed, her hand pressed against her chest as she wiped away her tears. Despite her earlier distress, a nervous giggle bubbled from her lips, her cheeks still damp with the remnants of her tears.

Her relief at finding her bunny was palpable, her eyes lighting up as she thanked me with a warm smile. And as she gazed at me through thick glasses, her toothy grin revealing a missing tooth, I couldn't help but return her smile, a sense of connection blossoming between us in that fleeting moment.

"Rin-kun!"

Someone was prodding my cheeks, calling my name, pulling me out of my reverie or perhaps a memory. I couldn't quite discern.

Wake up Rin-kun!" I grasped her finger before it could prod me again and opened my eyes, causing her to jump back in surprise with a small squeak.

"Why do I feel like I've heard that before?"

"What?" she asked, confused.

"What? Are you done studying?" I asked as I stretched my arms, ignoring her question.

"Studying?" she replied, confusion evident on her face for a moment before she hastily corrected herself. "Ah! Yes... yes... I am studying." But her side of the table was littered with Shoujo manga, contradicting her claim.

"What do you want?" I asked, my interest dwindling.

"We have to go back to the mall. I forgot to buy the last volume!" she exclaimed, earning a few shushes from nearby.

"You just convinced me that we were here to study for exams. You even dragged me along," I pointed out, observing her pouting expression. Like a spoiled child. Oh wait, she is.

"Buuuut! I need to know if they end up together!" she exclaimed, referring to the heroine in the manga she's engrossed in. Does she even care about the exam? Not that I care either.

"Suna? What'cha doin' here?" Ugh, great! The stupid twins just show up. "Who's this?" Atsumu asked, staring at her.

"This is [Reader]. Hi [Reader], studying for the test?" Osamu introduced, taking the seat beside me.

"Hello Atsumu-kun, Osamu-kun! Yes. You too?" She hummed in agreement, Atsumu taking a seat across from her.

"Nice to meet you, I'm the good-looking twin." He winked at her, eliciting eye rolls from both Osamu and me at his obvious flirting.

"You literally have the same face, Atsumu-kun," she deadpanned.

"Don't be ridiculous," he retorted, displaying his typical obnoxiousness.

"I'm nothing like him," Osamu sneered, causing Atsumu to narrow his eyes in annoyance.

"Anyway, this is great! We could have a study group for every upcoming test!" She beamed, and the twins quickly agreed.

"Why are the two of you even here?" I finally asked, displeased at their sudden appearance.

"What do ya' mean? We're studying for the exams, of course." Surprisingly, Atsumu pulled out one of our textbooks and laid it on top of his side of the table.

"He failed a quiz, and his adviser told him if he couldn't pass the upcoming exam, he'll be stuck with supplementary lessons and couldn't go to our summer training camp." Osamu snorted with laughter at his irked brother.

"Shut up, Samu!" the irked twin barked.

"Not my fault yer a dumb blonde," Osamu calmly replied, eliciting a chuckle from her.

"[Reader]-chan, don't laugh! Ya know Samu?" But that only made her burst into laughter even more, forgetting that we were in a library.

"What?" he answered with a poker face.

"You should introduce yer upper lip to yer lower lip and shut up," Atsumu gave him a condescending smirk, provoking his brother to ball his fist, heat emitting from his nose. She seemed to be having an awful lot of fun just watching the two.

"I'll punch that smirk off yer fuckface."

The twins continued bickering, [Reader] joining in, earning shushes from the people actually using the library. I wouldn't be surprised if all of us were kicked out of here. God. How did I get stuck with these idiots?