Sorry for the long wait - I wanted to post this before I left for vacation but then I didn't, and then I planned to write more during vacation but I also didn't, and long story short I've been a bit lazy. I think this chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones, too, which makes me feel doubly bad. But I felt that this was the only good cutoff point there would be in the story for a while, and I also wanted to update because I felt guilty, and while guilt is an effective motivator for some authors, I find that it just sucks all the fun out of writing for me. So hopefully this can assuage my conscience for a little while at least.

There's a brief switch to Tezuka's POV in the latter part of this chapter, since I couldn't think of any other way to show that section of the story. This will probably occur again. After all, he's entitled to some of his own screen time - and besides that, it's just that my inconsistency with POVs is something you can depend on by now. :P

Disclaimer: Don't own Toshokan Sensou.

Chapter 4 - Same Direction

Shibasaki arrived at her locker the next Monday morning to find a piece of paper sticking out of the crack on her locker door. Or rather, a semi-thick wad of pieces of paper, also known as a newspaper. She had a few glimmerings of why it might be there, but she wasted no time in sliding it out and opening it - it had been folded over at the front page of the Community section, at the centre of which a fairly large photograph could be seen. She herself was smiling pleasantly out of it, along with the four Tezukas from Friday night. There was also a plain yellow Post-It note stuck on top of the picture's caption. The neat writing on it was familiar to Shibasaki, the result of a week of slyly peeking over at her neighbour in English class, and it read:

My parents bought an extra copy for you. You made a good impression.

- Tezuka

Short and to the point, very Tezuka. Shibasaki smiled, her first thought being that it was just like him to stick a Post-It note on rather than simply write on the newspaper itself. She wondered for a second why he hadn't waited until English class to give it to her, when they'd see each other anyway, then remembered Tezuka Satoshi. Ah yes, the brother affair. She could understand why he wouldn't want to give his older sibling another chance to smirk.

"Huh, what's that? You read the paper, Shibasaki?" It was Kasahara, arriving in the hallway, panting. An enthusiastic member of the track and field team, Kasahara ran to school whether or not she was late (although more often than not, she was). Shibasaki generally judged how much time she had left before she needed to get to class by Kasahara's minute of appearance. Reminded, she swiftly began to pack her books into her bag.

"Good morning. Actually, I do read the newspaper," Shibasaki replied easily, surreptitiously slipping the photograph and accompanying note out of sight. She had only really answered the second question, but Kasahara wasn't one to notice nuances, a handy oversight.

"Good morning," Kasahara returned, then proceeded to ungraciously grumble curses under her breath as her lock combination refused to work. With a sigh and an indulgent smile, Shibasaki reached over and did it for her with three quick, smooth spins of her wrist. It opened with a clean click, leaving Kasahara to glower at it and mutter about when did Shibasaki learn her combination anyway, and how on Earth did she always do that?

In all honesty there was nothing to it, but the more you tried to tell that to someone like Kasahara the more she fumbled over it, so Shibasaki merely moved on to the last part of her pre-homeroom routine, examining herself in the mirror that was tacked on to the inside of her locker door. She had her contact lenses between her fingertips, ready to insert them, when she paused, reconsidered and reached into her bag for her glasses case instead. Snapping it open, she slid the spectacles behind her ears and over the bridge of her nose.

Everything came into slightly clearer focus in the mirror's surface, and she critically analyzed the long oval shape of the lenses, the dark blue rims, her own brown eyes staring back at her behind them. Then she tossed her head, patted the loose knot of her bun and ran her fingers through the long bangs that hung down strategically on either side of her face, and smiled.

"Let's go, Kasahara." She leaned down, collecting her books, and her elbow brushed a crinkling corner of the newspaper that jutted out of her bag. So far, the day was off to a good start.

She walked into her English classroom to see the two Tezukas studiously ignoring one another. Or rather, trying to look as if they were studiously ignoring one another; Tezuka was setting his pencils carefully down his desk, staring firmly down at them, but he kept darting covert glances at his older brother out of the corner of his eye. The Professor was doing a slightly better job of concealment, shuffling papers on his desk in an academic manner but well aware of his sibling's watchfulness, as shown by the tiny, hooded smirk that crept onto his face every time Tezuka looked at him.

Shibasaki slowed her pace purposefully, ambling gracefully behind Tezuka's chair and leaning in over his head, saying quietly, "Thank you for the paper."

His eyes stopped seeking out Satoshi and instead focused on her. He even angled his body a little towards her for more open communication, something which she couldn't recall ever having seen him do before while in class. She glanced back briefly at their teacher, who was subtly paying attention to them; she was sure Tezuka made himself easier for his brother to read than he ever imagined.

"You should thank my parents," Tezuka replied, seeming mildly uncomfortable - embarrassed, probably. "My mother insisted that I give you a copy."

"My mother insisted on buying one," Shibasaki said with a smile, commenting with a touch of dryness, "so it looks like I get double the satisfaction."

"You didn't have to be in the photograph, you know," he reminded her with a somewhat Irritated Frown.

"Oh, I wasn't being sarcastic," she assured him. Then she reconsidered and changed that to, "Well, not really, anyway. I honestly don't mind being in it. People tell me I'm very photogenic."

He gave her a slanted, jaded look, obviously suspecting her of fishing for a compliment. Which wasn't entirely an untruth, she had to admit, but as was her way, she was more amused than ashamed.

"Um, Shibasaki?"

A voice that definitely wasn't Tezuka's - that much was obvious from its higher-pitched timbre, slight huskiness and undercurrent of uncertainty - cut into their companionable silence. Shibasaki turned to see a young man standing in front of her desk, arms wrapped around his books just a bit too tightly - he was nervous. She recognized him as Asahina Hikaru, a recurring figure in many of her classes, a broad-shouldered but not overly tall boy with ginger-brown spiky hair.

She smiled at him, and although he smiled tentatively back, he didn't seem too reassured. Possibly because of Tezuka, who was watching him intently in that serious, frowning way of his. "Yes?"

"I...I was wondering if you wouldn't mind having a drink with me after school today?" he said, up-talking, eyes flickering to her anxiously.

Surprised, she blinked once, paused for a moment to think it over, and then accepted casually, "I wouldn't mind." Shibasaki's policy with boys was generally a carefree one, her perspective on dating them being why not? She liked trying new things and was always interested in finding out if someone could impress her, and even if they didn't, she usually had a passably good time all the same. Besides, she had plenty of experience with letting guys down gently, and was confident in her own ability to reject people without leaving a mess behind.

He relaxed a little, tugging at the bottom of his sweater. His obvious relief struck her as mildly funny; did she have a reputation as a man-eater? However, then Asahina continued with more heartiness, "Great. I'll wait for you on the front steps, then." He shifted on his feet for a moment, as if pondering whether he should say something else, but when she nodded good-humouredly to him, he merely excused himself and proceeded to his seat.

Shibasaki followed his progress with her eyes, and glanced back to see Tezuka doing the same. She willingly returned her attention to him, but the interruption seemed to have stiffened his tongue, and his brief contributions to rest of the conversation felt forced. It irked her more than she would have expected, and she smouldered in contemplation for the duration of English class, trying to figure him out.

If it were Kasahara in my place and Doujou in his, the apparent explanation would be jealousy, she thought. Over the years she had become accustomed to using her two friends as reference points for relationships, because theirs was so utterly transparent and unsubtle that it was easy to compare to. But it didn't help her much here. It was what drew her to Tezuka in her curiosity and also what frustrated her about him - when she was in her place and he in his, she still wasn't absolutely sure where they stood.

She sighed quietly, resting her chin on her palm, and Tezuka immediately looked over at her, alert. He scrutinized her for a few seconds, brow furrowed, but when she tilted her head in his direction and gave him a small smile, it smoothed out and he went back to his work. The tiny exchange calmed her for some reason.

Oh, well, she thought, dismissing the problem for the time being in favour of the sheet of questions in front of her. She'd always enjoyed a challenge, anyway.

Tezuka, the sort of person who always had a destination and a concrete route for getting there, strode down the hallway at his customary brisk pace, slowing only in front of the library as he debated whether to go in or not. He'd been coming regularly recently, a lot more often than usual, actually. It had gotten to the point where he had some difficulty in finding a worthwhile book without Shibasaki there to advise him. Not that he'd seriously tried to pick out a book on his own in a while; she seemed to know just when he needed something to read and what he was in the mood for, and he had never made a move to put a stop to her voluntary assistance.

But she wouldn't be in the library today, he remembered, thinking back to English class earlier. It rankled at him that he shared a first name with that guy who'd asked her out, although he'd never taken much notice of it before. Asahina Hikaru, Tezuka Hikaru. And hadn't she said yes a bit too, well, nonchalantly? From what he could discern of her, which he had to admit wasn't always a great deal, she didn't seem to have any particular liking for Asahina. So why accept just like that? It made him question how often she received offers from guys, to take them so naturally and lightly. But that line of thought was starting to make him feel rather uncomfortable.

He had come to a full stop in front of the library doors when they suddenly swung open and a body barrelled into him without warning. "Whoa! Oops, sorry!"

A female voice - and a vaguely familiar one at that. He stumbled backward, losing his balance slightly, but automatically reached out to steady whoever had run into him, a gentlemanlike reflex. When he'd regained his firm footing, he saw that he was holding none other than Kasahara Iku by one elbow, whereas Doujou Atsushi, apparently having had the same idea about steadying her, gripped the other one. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it struck him that he should let go fast, and he did, stepping away stiffly.

Kasahara laughed embarrassedly and rubbed the back of her head, ruffling her already messy hair. "Sorry, I was kinda in a hurry." Then she took a closer look at him and exclaimed in too-loud wonderment, "Hey! It's you!...uh...that is...you're...Tezuka, right?"

He had gleaned enough about her character by now not to be too offended by the fact that she had had to take a moment to recall his name, and he just nodded with a curt, "Yes."

"This is why you shouldn't just jump up and rush out without even checking what's in your path," Doujou reprimanded Kasahara sharply, not seeming to mind that Tezuka was present. He was probably used to lecturing her anytime, anywhere.

"Yeah, but we have to hurry or we won't be able to follow Shibasaki! We don't know where she's going with what's-his-name!" Kasahara protested, and the fact that she could remember his name but not Asahina's immediately made a somewhat irrational positive impression on Tezuka. But wait - what had she said, exactly?

Doujou looked exasperated. "Who's we? I don't see any need to trail two people on a date. For one thing it's unethical, for another it's frankly creepy."

"But aren't you curious? Maybe Shibasaki's actually found a guy she's interested in!" Kasahara balked at Doujou's sceptical expression. "Okay, so probably not, but still!" She suddenly turned on Tezuka, who was once again unnerved by her unusual height and had to fight the instinct to take a step back, and demanded eagerly, "What about you? Aren't you curious? You're the closest thing Shibasaki has ever come to really dating anybody - I mean hanging out with them repeatedly, not just once or twice." She grew thoughtful. "Maybe she's trying to make you jealous."

Doujou looked skyward as Tezuka tried to make sense of Kasahara's gravity-defying leaps of thought. Then he stated quite bluntly, "I don't think that Shibasaki would be so crude."

"Well said, Tezuka." A new voice entered the conversation - Tezuka knew him to be Komaki Mikihisa, a senior with a reputation for being perpetually in a good mood and making cryptic comments. He emerged from the library behind Doujou and Kasahara, smiling pleasantly. "I doubt that that was Shibasaki's objective. But personally, Kasahara, I'll readily admit that I, for one, am curious."

"Komaki, don't encourage her!" Doujou growled. Tezuka rather agreed with that sentiment.

"There's no need get upset," Komaki said soothingly. "Following them might be somewhat objectionable, but there's no law against casually walking in the same direction as they are, is there?" He smiled reassuringly.

"It's the same thing!" Doujou hissed.

"That's exactly how it is!" Kasahara agreed enthusiastically with Komaki, happily ignoring Doujou. Deliberating no further, she announced, "Anyway, I'm going after her. This is too good an opportunity to pass up." She set off at a roaring pace down the hall, and Doujou hurried after her, objecting all the while.

"He's a bit like a chaperone, isn't he?" Komaki murmured contentedly to Tezuka. "A very conscientious one."

Unsure of how to respond to a remark like that, Tezuka merely gave the senior a quizzical glance. Komaki promptly stepped aside and gestured politely to the library door. "Oh, were you going in? I'm sorry."

Tezuka hesitated. "No," he said decisively after a pause, "I'm not."

"Well, then," Komaki said cheerfully, "what are we waiting for, indeed?" He proceeded leisurely down the corridor after Doujou and Kasahara. Tezuka stared for a few seconds, shaking his head as if to clear it. As his feet began to move him almost automatically forward, he thought to himself with amazed wryness, Shibasaki's friends are crazy. Possibly following them wasn't the most logical choice he'd made all day.

Then again, as Shibasaki was, as he was if he were willing to own up to it, maybe they really were simply curious. There was nothing so wrong with that, was there?

A/N: Yay, Komaki finally got to say more than one sentence, and the chapter title is even an outtake of one of his statements! I feel so proud of myself for including him like this. Then again, there's still no actual reason for his presence...but who really cares about that?

Now I'm getting this really weird scenario where Komaki has fangirls...and it actually sounds kind of plausible. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is another story.