On Saturday morning, there were few people in the library.
Since he had messaged Shiina Hiyori in advance, Kaoru quickly found the girl at their usual spot.
However, there was an unexpected figure there this time.
"Miki, what are you doing here?"
Yamamura Miki was sitting beside Shiina Hiyori.
Hearing Kaoru's voice, she looked up, equally surprised by his appearance.
"I, I originally wanted to find some books to read, and then Shiina noticed me."
Kaoru was even more surprised.
He remembered Yamamura Miki always had her phone in hand all day.
If not for Hasebe Haruka and Sakura Airi, he suspected Yamamura Miki would immerse herself in the online world every day, never imagining she would read books.
"Yamamura sometimes comes to the library too. I often recommend novels to her."
Shiina Hiyori seemed somewhat embarrassed, feeling like she might have been too enthusiastic with her recommendations.Kaoru then remembered—it was he who had introduced Yamamura Miki to Shiina Hiyori.
At that time, Shiina Hiyori had lent her novel to Yamamura Miki, likely because of this connection that the two had an opportunity to get to know each other.
Without his knowledge, their relationship might have been gradually improving.
"At first, it was hard to calm down and focus, but the more I read, the more interesting it became." Yamamura Miki spoke softly.
To a large extent, it was because Shiina Hiyori didn't dislike her, which made her feel favorably toward this literary girl and willing to accept Shiina Hiyori's recommendations.
Just like Sakura Airi, Yamamura Miki was also slowly opening up to the kindness of others under Kaoru's deliberate guidance.
Although Kaoru still didn't know about her past, and she hadn't told him, if things continued this way, it was likely to change.
Or perhaps she had already changed—otherwise, she wouldn't have come to the library.
Kaoru thought for a moment and wanted to sit next to Yamamura Miki, but at that moment, Shiina Hiyori gestured for him to sit beside her instead.
"About what you mentioned before, I've written a short story. Would you like to take a look?"
As soon as he sat down, Shiina Hiyori handed over a notebook from beside her, her cheeks flushed red, clearly a little shy.
Yet, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"You finished it so quickly?" Kaoru was surprised.
In less than two weeks, Shiina Hiyori had already completed a short story.
What was even more surprising was that she seemed to have written it by hand.
"I-Is it really that fast?"
Shiina Hiyori felt even more embarrassed. "I kept thinking about what you said and couldn't help myself, so I started writing. I thought a short story would be easier, but I ended up revising it many times."
Kaoru opened her notebook.
The pages were filled with elegant handwriting, with traces of corrections here and there, showing just how seriously the girl had taken the task.
"Before you came, I asked Yamamura-san to take a look."
Shiina Hiyori gazed at Kaoru expectantly. "It might not be very good, but I'd like to hear your opinion."
"I think it's really well-written. Even I could follow the reasoning process, and the ending was very touching."
Yamamura Miki chimed in from the side. "Shiina-san, you should be more confident. Someone like me could never write something like this in a lifetime."
"P-Please don't say that. I'm too embarrassed."
Shiina Hiyori felt her cheeks burning. "I didn't write it that well."
Listening to their conversation, Kaoru quietly flipped through the notebook.
The story was simple: the protagonist's boyfriend had passed away, and while sorting through his belongings, she unexpectedly discovered a puzzle game he had left behind.
The protagonist knew nothing about reasoning at first, but since her boyfriend had loved it, she had picked up a little knowledge.
Driven by curiosity about the answer, she began searching for clues.
Along the way, she recalled things her boyfriend had said and pieced together the clues of the game. In the end, she discovered a line of code.
After decoding it, she found a digital scrapbook on his computer, filled with memories of their life together—her boyfriend's most treasured possession.
Kaoru closed the notebook. This short story, just over ten thousand words, must have taken Shiina Hiyori a long time to write.
"What do you think?" Shiina Hiyori watched Kaoru with unease, his calm expression giving her an inexplicable sense of tension.
"I thought you would write something like a murder mystery. Why did you write this?"
Kaoru found it rather strange—it didn't seem like the kind of story Shiina Hiyori usually read.
"I did try, but I wasn't confident I could write it well. It felt awkward, and when I finished, Yamamura-kun couldn't understand it."
Shiina Hiyori said, "So I was thinking if I could keep it as simple as possible, that would make it easier to write."
It seemed the relationship between the two was much better than he had imagined.
"Murder cases and such sound really scary."
Yamamura Miki shook her ponytail as she spoke.
She had read the mystery novels Shiina Hiyori recommended, but for her, it was like watching a horror movie.
Especially the more hardcore novels that described the victim's physical condition in detail and what they had endured before death.
Yamamura Miki couldn't help but imagine the scenes, which left her face pale with fear.
"Have you had any writing experience before?" Kaoru thought for a moment. "It feels very smooth, with no obstacles to reading."
"I've written a little before... I have some slight experience..."
Shiina Hiyori became hesitant. "But compared to others, I'm just a beginner."
Actually, she was too embarrassed to say that her father was a writer.
Although not famous, he had at least taught her a few things.
Kaoru could tell she was hiding something, but he didn't mind.
Every literary girl had her own desire to express herself.
After reading so many books, they were always receiving the author's confessions, and they would accumulate their own full belly of desire to confess.
Many thoughts were hidden in their minds, wanting to be shared with others, wanting to pour them out—this was the instinctive desire to express.
"Is Shiina's writing very good?"
Yamamura Miki was curious about Kaoru's opinion.
"For a beginner, it's certainly good, but it's too rigid. The story has no ups and downs; you can guess the ending from the beginning."
Kaoru said calmly, "Simply put, it's boring.The expectation in Shiina Hiyori's eyes gradually dimmed. She bit her lip lightly, and when she heard his final words, her face turned pale.
"It's not that exaggerated, is it? Is Kaoru being too strict?"
Perhaps noticing Shiina Hiyori's reaction, Yamamura Miki mustered the courage to glare at Kaoru.
Kaoru shook his head. "As a beginner, Shiina's writing and content are simple and easy to understand. There's nothing awkward about it, so it's good."
"Isn't that enough?"
Yamamura Miki was puzzled; she felt she couldn't write that well herself.
"It's not enough, because the story and characters have no memorable points."
Kaoru patiently explained, "The reasoning is too simple—readers who like reasoning won't enjoy it."
"And the story is too bland—other readers will find it boring. Although everyone's subjective feelings are different, the public aesthetic is fairly similar. Why do people enjoy watching Hamlet? Because it's engaging and has many memorable aspects."
Halfway through listening, Yamamura Miki felt completely lost.
It seemed like Kaoru had said something, yet it also felt like he hadn't said anything at all.
Seeing this, Kaoru simply reopened the notebook, pointing out each of its shortcomings one by one, and then offered his suggestions on how to make the story more compelling.
"You're amazing."
Yamamura Miki began to admire Kaoru, her youthful gaze making him feel somewhat lightheaded.
Kaoru was about to modestly decline the praise.
He had previously received rewards related to writing—while not a master, he was at least a top student.
At this moment, he finally remembered Shiina Hiyori beside him. Seeing the girl biting her lips, his heart sank.
Although he had considered her feelings and avoided saying anything too harsh, it still inevitably hurt her somewhat.
After a moment of thought, Kaoru spoke up.
"Actually, Shiina-san has written quite well. Even Miki could..."
"Thank you, Kaoru-kun."
Shiina Hiyori suddenly interrupted him, offering him a smile.
"I originally thought of writing something simple, but overlooked that the essence of a story lies in whether it's engaging. Perhaps because it's my own writing, I couldn't see it clearly."
After saying this, Shiina Hiyori gently pressed a hand to her chest.
"It's indeed not as simple as I imagined."
She seemed to be murmuring to herself, then noticing Kaoru's gaze, she grew somewhat embarrassed.
"I'll carefully consider all of Kaoru-kun's suggestions. Thank you for reading my novel so seriously."
"Though that may be, don't underestimate yourself. Initially, I thought Shiina-san would enthusiastically write a bunch of cryptic reasoning content, nothing but reasoning after reasoning."
Kaoru's expression turned peculiar. "Unexpectedly, Shiina-san is actually writing a novel."
Shiina Hiyori was momentarily stunned, then flushed bright red with embarrassment, glaring at him angrily.
"Kaoru-kun, your impression of me is terrible. I'm not that obsessive."
"My apologies, my mistake."
Kaoru couldn't help but chuckle.
Though it was rare to see her angry, she still looked utterly adorable, not appearing truly upset at all.
"I won't hold it against you."
Shiina Hiyori wasn't really that angry to begin with, ultimately letting out a soft sigh.