Prologue : In a dull rainy evening, she speaks her mind.
The protagonist saves the princess after defeating the evil demon lord.
I am surprised at how unsurprising the ending was. I thought these vanilla epilogues were too predictable for any modern story to adopt the same but guess I was proven wrong. I kind of knew this light novel would be like this in the back of my mind yet I decided to go with it anyway. Even though every loose end was addressed and the plot was brought to a conclusion that would justifiably satisfy every reader, I am unsatisfied at how 'within the box' all of this turned out to be. Well, it was a decent story spanning an entire nine volumes. I can't complain after sticking to it for so long.
I close the book and look at its cover depicting the typical protagonist and the main female lead looking at the sunrise on a cliff after a tough battle. A tired and unsatisfying sigh escapes my lips as I go on to keep this novel away. The cup of tea in front of me seemed to have cooled down considerably. I take in a cold sip and proceed to ponder upon the memorable moments that happened in the novel. I like to think of how things in the story would have turned out if I were the author; a sort of day-dreaming, if you would say so. Speaking of stories, I need to buy some new novels that have recently been released. I am sort of collecting several novel series and I think there are three volumes I would have to buy to stay updated. I think I have enough in my savings to-
"Would you perhaps like another serving?"
Her question brings me out of my thoughts. I look over at her. As usual, she is seated by the window addressing me after putting down her book. It was raining quite heavily and thus the window was closed. The quotidian commotion that is accompanied by the club activities outside now cease to exist. The rain drops hitting the window glass made a constant hum of serene noise that enveloped the silence. The silence which would otherwise be not present if it were not for Yuigahama being absent for today's club session due to her fever. As much as I enjoy her company, this tranquility is also something I appreciate. Reminds me of the days back in my second year before she joined the club, when it was just me and Yukinoshita here.
"Yes, that would be nice."
She proceeds to bring over her light blue porcelain teapot sporting her beloved Pan-chan the Panda on its cover. I present my, now empty, cup on the desk. She gracefully pours the tea after tucking her hair behind her right ear. I start to unconsciously focus on the bright red ribbons tied just above her shoulders. They have no practical function in aiding her hairdo in any way. Functioning as a mere accessory, it has become quite an iconic part of Yukinoshita's look. But the important question here is, does it add an extra touch to her already captivating appearance? I would like to think that it does but that's entirely a subjective opinion.
Yukinoshita notices my stare. She eyes me casually and while I was expecting a snarky quip as a response - it never came. She just finishes filling up the cup and goes back to her seat.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Do ask if you want some more."
That's really generous of her. I check the temperature of the beverage I requested - it's still moderately hot. To pass time till it cools down a little bit I return back to the topic I was originally pondering about - restocking my novel collection. I have more than enough in my savings to afford to buy all the three volumes at once. In fact, I could treat myself by buying a new volume of another light novel series. Or I could buy some other books - like the trending Kyoichi Katayama's Socrates in Love or Sayaka Murata's Life Ceremony. I have been having an itch to read these books which I usually don't indulge myself into - but after I went over their synopsis over the internet, they seemed-
"The tea's going to get cold again, Hikigaya-kun. Or do you prefer the same even on a rainy day like this?"
Again, my thoughts were broken by Yukinoshita's interruption. I looked over at her to see that the book she was reading earlier was closed and kept away on her desk. Maybe since she isn't reading anything at the moment - her attention is being directed at me a lot more than usual. I touched the teacup and after ascertaining it was cool enough - I went ahead and took the first sip. I relaxed a little as the lukewarm beverage entered my being.
"You look even more lost in your thoughts than usual, Hikigaya-kun. Did Hiratsuka-sensei give you an earful again?"
"Ah, she did, but that's almost a customary thing now. Almost. We had considerably lengthy lectures today, so I'm just tired." - I answer in my usual monotonous tone. She just nods and turns to gaze out the window while drinking her tea. I was expecting some verbal retort but I guess even she is in the same situation. Comes with the nearing of university entrance exams.
I can hear faint murmurs of students outside, who are probably waiting for the rain to subside. Yukinoshita places her teacup down with a muffled thud. She is probably bored right now, I can somehow sense it - I guess she has also finished reading her current book and has nothing particularly interesting to do? - Might be, probably. In that case, we both are in the same situation currently.
The rain outside continues to pour down quite consistently. The constant pitter-patter along with the palpable wetness in the air brings with it the ambience that mellows down any mood and every emotion. I don't think we'll have any clients today, so the next hour - possibly more judging by the rain, is going to be spent doing nothing here in the clubroom. Not that I care, I have nothing interesting to do anyways. I can buy those books some other day.
"You finished that book you were reading?" - I chimed in continuing our conversation. I subtly signaled the closed book on her desk with my teacup. Yukinoshita eyed the brown book on her desk. It has a hard cover and golden-colored text printed on its spine. I can't quite make out what exactly is spelled on it but it looks like - and most probably is, a customary classical literature book.
"Yes. It was quite a good read. Assuredly much better than your usual so-called light novels."
Ah. There it is. That's much better. I have become so used to her sarcastic remarks and tenuous but sharp insults that it feels weird conversing with her without them…
That sounded kinda masochistic, huh.
"Which book is it?" - I inquire.
"Norwegian Wood by Murakami."
That is one of the books that was showcased in the trending section of the bookstore I usually visit. My last visit was over a month ago, so I don't remember reading the synopsis of this book if I did at all anyway. Might as well ask more about it.
"Tell me more about it. I was planning on buying a new novel anyway."
"Is that so," she answers while she adjusts her seating position to marginally face my way. I do the same, while taking another sip from the teacup. She continues - "Well, isn't that a surprise."
I give out a grunt to show my apparent irritation. She smiles smugly as intended but that lasts only for a few seconds. She goes on to add, "Do you want my opinion or just a general brief about it?"
"An outline would have been enough but I can't say I am not interested in hearing your opinion also."
She hums gently accompanied with a soft nod and a cursory smirk. I feel my lips involuntarily curving upwards. The constant thrum of the downpour varies slightly - indicating that it is also particularly windy in addition to this wet weather. She adjusts her hair by tucking it behind her right ear again. There is something so delicately captivating about that gesture that I find especially charming - it's along the similar lines of how a person adjusts their glasses. I notice how she is taking her time to answer. I was expecting a casual comment but this is Yukinoshita we're talking about, so I'm not surprised. A fleeting moment of quietude later she lightly directs her coral blue eyes over to me -
"It's about this person, named Toru, reminiscing about his past love affairs and trying to grow as a person… The writing, as you'd expect, is good," She pauses for a moment - "I would say I had a satisfactory time reading it - it is a good book overall. It is definitely worth a read."
I nodded slightly. I couldn't help but notice how her tone carried with it a heavy undertone of uncertainty. She has mixed feelings about the book, I presume. I wanted to address it, but for some reason I felt she'll not appreciate it. Perhaps, because she has just finished reading it that she hasn't had her thoughts about it in place. Well anyways, I'll check out the book just for the sake of it afterwards.
Yukinoshita continues her review with a subtle tilt of her head while turning behind to look at the window, "Interestingly, the weather kind of complements the atmosphere this book sets up."
I hum in acknowledgement. A brief pause later Yukinoshita murmurs softly, almost as if talking to herself, "It gives a feeling of pleasant sense of nostalgia with a strong longing for something that we don't quite know."
Was that something I was meant to hear? I was taken aback a little. I didn't expect she would share something that felt so, dare I say, intimate. I didn't know how I should respond. Meanwhile, she looks totally unaffected. Continuing to gaze out the window she seems preoccupied with herself totally looking over what she just uttered. Quite uncharacteristic of her, actually. I just waited a few seconds then added -
"That's.. nice… I'll make sure to check it out later, I guess."
A short pause later she concludes - "Yes, definitely do so. It's about time you upgrade your reading preferences."
What followed was a long period of silence. I continued to consume the tea as if I had all the time in the world at my disposal. Yukinoshita was looking out the window observing the water droplets dribble down on its surface. She was preoccupied with her thoughts, I suppose. I didn't want to disturb her so I remained silent. The weather doesn't seem to be improving at all. While relaxing, it was starting to get mildly tiresome. It had become quite dark in the clubroom, so I switched the lights on and returned to my place absent-mindedly.
The rain just continued to pour down without break. It's as if a week's worth of rain is being given at once. After what seemed like eternity, Yukinoshita broke her short-lived vow of silence -
"This may seem quite irrelevant, Hikigaya-kun, but I have a question to ask -"
It took me some time to direct my focus on her words. I meekly nodded to signal her to continue. But what she uttered after is something I never expected her to ask. I was thoroughly caught off-guard and was rendered totally speechless. I am completely clueless as to what to make of it, if at all.
"... What do you actually think of me, Hikigaya-kun?"
Writer's Notes :
An idea that I had - brought into fruition. I hope you all review, it compels me to write more. I do have to mention that updates will be sporadic, if any.
