A solitary set of footsteps echoed through the halls of the university. Most of the students were in class, and those who weren't were probably catching up on sleep or homework somewhere else. At least, that's what Haruhi figured must be why there wasn't a soul to be found as she walked toward the library. She did her best to walk quickly, for today was her first day as librarian here, and she didn't want to disappoint. Besides, with a library that size, the others could probably use the extra help as soon as possible.
Before long, Haruhi found herself standing outside the doors to the library. Quietly she opened them and slipped inside. She made her way over to the main desk where a young woman with long, dark hair sat and typed away at her computer.
"Excuse me," Haruhi said awkwardly. The woman looked up.
"Yes?" she asked with a polite smile.
"My name is Haruhi Fujioka. I'm the new librarian."
"Oh! Yes, hello! I'm Mikumo Ayasato. Please, come with me, I'll show you the ropes."
Mikumo got up and motioned for Haruhi to follow her. They walked around the library for roundabout an hour, and by the time they had finished, Haruhi felt remarkably familiar with the place.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Mikumo said suddenly. "Watch out for Professor Kyoya Ootori."
"What?" Haruhi asked quizzically.
"Trust me. When Ootori walks in, just put on a brave face and call someone to help. He's a nightmare, but you can do it."
"Okay, but how will I know it's him?"
"Oh don't worry, you'll know. He'll be the one asking why he can't just place our entire collection on reserve for his students. And he'll look down his nose at you while he's asking. I usually hide from him somewhere amongst the books when I can."
Haruhi sighed.
Great, he's that professor.
"I'm sure I'll manage. Thank you for the help."
"No problem! You'll take over the main desk here, and I'll go put away these books before moving to the desk at the far end of the library. Remember to be wary of Professor Ootori!"
Mikumo grabbed the cart of books and wheeled it away into the depths of the library, leaving Haruhi a bit nervous and slightly confused. She shrugged and got to work cataloguing the recently returned books into the computer system.
Haruhi couldn't be certain how long she had been working, nor could she have pinpointed the moment where she had stopped paying attention to the occasional hushed whispers of the library. All she knew was that a figure was suddenly looming over the desk. She glanced up from the computer to get a proper look at the person in front of her. He was tall; his hair very dark and cut short. A pair of thin-rimmed glasses accented brownish-grey eyes and a finely tailored suit.
"Good afternoon, miss," he said, a small, charming smile gracing his features. "You must be the new librarian. Where is Miss Ayasato?"
"She's not available at the moment," Haruhi replied. "Can I help you?"
"Perhaps, but I was hoping for Miss Ayasato's assistance."
"Ah, you must be the Professor Ootori I've heard so much about."
"Indeed. I'm looking for someone to give my class a lecture on how to properly research. I was hoping to be able to persuade Miss Ayasato to do it."
"Well, unless you can find her hiding place in this vast expanse of shelves, you might have some difficulty doing that."
Kyoya blinked in surprise, and Haruhi could have sworn she saw an amused expression flash across his face for a brief moment.
"Then I'll come back later when she has resurfaced. Thank you for your time. I really must be getting back to my classroom." He turned to leave.
"You know, Mikumo isn't the only librarian here," Haruhi said as Kyoya made his way towards the door. "I'll give the lecture if you want." Kyoya paused mid-step.
"Oh?" He turned and looked at Haruhi with a curious expression on his face. Much like that of a scientist finding an interesting piece of data. "Are you certain?"
"Yeah, why not? Research is an important thing. Besides, it'll make my job easier. There'll be less kids asking me dumb questions." Haruhi shrugged nonchalantly, meeting Kyoya's gaze easily. Kyoya raised his eyebrows and subtly scrutinized her with his eyes. Haruhi just smiled pleasantly at him.
"All right, Miss…"
"Haruhi Fujioka."
"Miss Fujioka. Come by my classroom the day after next at four in the afternoon. You can give the lecture then.
"Sure. I'll see you then, flash drive in tow."
The corners of Kyoya's mouth turned up slightly in an almost imperceptible smile.
"Good bye, Miss Fujioka."
"See you on Friday."
With that, Kyoya left the library, the door swinging shut silently. Haruhi sighed and pulled out her laptop from her messenger bag.
Time to put together a PowerPoint.