On a lovely winter day.

The broad afternoon light seeped through the narrow windows embedded within one side of the library. The clouds of dust hovering over the mighty shelves housing thousands of stories and wisdom revealed themselves as the light passed through each corner of the room.

Over the course of each day, the silence embracing the heart of the library breaks depending on the time. On cold winter mornings, the library is at its calmest, excluding moments where it's closed or there aren't any classes, of course. At this time of day, students only ever go to the library to return a book they had borrowed, pick up a book to read later or take their time to relax and take a nap. Its busiest hours, however, happen when the blazing sun is at its highest point, in the afternoon.

Usually, students would spend their time hanging out outside their classrooms, talking to friends, or, you know, eating lunch. However, the library is like a hidden domain you can only unlock by exploring the school and its secrets at a certain time. Basically, the library's afternoon atmosphere is the real deal.

Comforted on a seat surrounded by the dusty shelves, a lone boy whose eyes resembled the bronze statue of Hachiko reflected the text of the book in front of him. His concentration was immense. If anyone were to just look into his eyes right now, they could easily understand the book's contents as if they were reading it themselves. The pages would flutter at the gentle touch of his fingertips as the cold air conditioning caressed his brown locks, and then, he would continue to live in his own world.

Whenever you enter the library at this time, you would see him at a different corner of the room, reading a different book, a different story each time. The dull conversations he's had to listen through over and over again must've been quite an annoyance that he's decided to find solitude within these thousands of pages. Or perhaps he just likes books.

But neither of those two cases might be the reason at all.

Compared to the dead-silent atmosphere in the mornings, the library during the afternoon is like a festival on New Year's. Well, if it is actually that loud, no one could really focus on reading.

Replacing the joys of New Year's were the waffling whispers of girls' talk, the grinding of printers coughing out never-ending pages, the tapping made by cheap keyboards, and the hissing of the librarian lady silencing said girls' talk.

In any case, the library wasn't all that silent during lunchtime. But it didn't bother the bronze-haired boy. After all, he's not one to stay silent either.

"Good afternoon, Ayanokouji-kun."

A girl with silver-white hair and eyes that remind you of amethysts appeared with a waving hand. The boy, revealed to be Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, turned towards the young lady. She greeted with a smile as bright as the rising sun but, at the same time, as gentle as the glowing moon that guides the night.

"Afternoon, Hiyori."

Apparently, she was Hiyori.

Hiyori took a seat beside the bronze-haired boy. The metallic legs of the chair crackled as she pulled.

Yes, the library often is where you can have fun while also being in solitude, reading books, or writing love letters. However, it's the only place for these two friends to talk about the different stories they've read with another person without needing to worry about their classes.

Hiyori and Kiyotaka would ask each other questions about the most recent novels that took their full attention and give heartfelt replies with a smile (well, at least one of them does)

Each time, the same bronze-haired boy and silver-haired girl sit beside one another, living inside a world with enough space for the two of them alone.

Each afternoon with a different story.

Each afternoon with a different vibe.

And on one faithful day, an afternoon with a whole new adventure.

The two reading buddies were on their regular routine in the library when Hiyori broke the silence with a small question.

"Ayanokouji-kun, have you heard of the bookstore that recently opened in Keyaki Mall? I think it was called Lectio?"

"I have. Though, I haven't taken my time to visit it yet. We've been busy lately, after all."

"Yeah, me too. Actually, today, I was able to luckily free up some time. It'll be my first chance to go explore the bookstore. Would you like to come with me later?"

A faint thud followed the short pause as Kiyotaka closed the book he was reading to focus on Hiyori. The latter did the same.

"I think I can free up some time as well. I'll have to ask Horikita first."

"Ah, if it's too much a problem, you don't have to go."

"It's fine. I also wanted to go anyways. I'll convince her later. If not, I could always escape."

Hiyori let out a faint giggle. Even then, she still warned Kiyotaka that he shouldn't force the situation if there's something more important to attend to. Though he just shrugged it off.

"Contact me then if you're able to go, alright?"

"Yeah."

A few hours soon passed, and the school bell began ringing outside the hallways, signaling yet another end of a day.

Focusing on the mission at hand, that is, to go on a date with Hiyori, Kiyotaka wasted no time and picked up his feet. Of course, already having several matters that needed attention, he was stopped right in his tracks by a certain black-haired girl.

"Where do you think you're going, Ayanokouji-kun?"

At this point, Kiyotaka's mind was just filled with repeating words like "Troublesome."

Of course, this person was none other than the representative of Class D herself, Horikita Suzune.

With her slender figure blocking his way, Kiyotaka could only confront her. Gradient-ruby eyes filled with questions met his. Suzune has always been blessed with charming characteristics. Several students have already pointed this out many times before, especially those in her class. She's intelligent, pretty, elegant, and has enchanting red eyes that would keep you at the moment every time you stared at them. If she was less cold, she might just become this school's next idol. Though, her icy stares have their own charms. A topic for another day.

"So? Where are you going?"

"I have a few things to attend to. I've already done most of what you asked me to do. I'll send you the details later."

Suzune let out a sigh of disbelief. Still, it's not like she can do anything about it or can't be bothered to. She just left Kiyotaka with a fair warning and set him free. After all, whatever he's handling can only be done by him.

Having conquered perhaps the only obstacle to his mission, Kiyotaka set course towards Keyaki Mall at a gradually increasing pace. He sent a text to Hiyori, signaling that he was on his way.

"Sorry, Hiyori. I made you wait."

"It's fine! It's fine!"

The two of them gave their greeting, Hiyori putting on an extra bright smile.

At the moment, the time had just ticked to 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Arriving at Keyaki Mall, many students have already made their way inside the different facilities. Turning left. Turning right. Students from all three years could be seen spending their Friday leisure time with a smile on their faces. It makes you wonder why Suzune and the gang are so busy.

"Let's head straight there, then. Is that alright?"

"Yeah."

Kiyotaka and Hiyori passed by several booths and restaurants while they strolled towards the recently opened bookstore. As the two of them got closer, Hiyori began leaving Kiyotaka behind. Her two feet moved as if they had a mind of their own, picking up speed as the distance between her and the entrance of the bookstore gradually closed. Her face as bright as ever, Hiyori began humming a flowery tune that you would often hear alongside children's songs. The gentle melody was calming, like listening to the drizzling of rain. Even in such a crowded place like Keyaki Mall, his soothing voice of hers still found its way into Kiyotaka's heart, despite him not recognizing the tune at all.

"Wait up."

Moments passed, and soon enough, they reached their destination. They arrived in front of a well-lit entrance with a decorated sign that said "Lectio" written in fancy lettering. Beside the entrance was a showcase of Best Selling books within glass frames. Although they were written by familiar authors to Kiyotaka and Hiyori, the specific series or stand-alone novels were those that you won't find inside the school library.

Just the sight of this was enough to get Hiyori's heart rate racing. And, of course, Kiyotaka was excited too. It's just that he wasn't showing it on his face.

After making eye contact, they finally walked through the entrance. A pair of anti-theft sensors were placed there, acting alongside Mr. Security Guard at the right.

"I remember thinking that these were just here for decoration."

"The sensors?"

"Mhm. I have a lot of books at home collected by my parents, so there really wasn't a need for me to visit bookstores. Not until a few years later after I started becoming curious of other genres I haven't explored yet."

Actually, the same goes for Kiyotaka. Although he was held captive, the White Room houses a wide variety of books in its libraries and facilities. The vivid memory of a pure white world full of shelves crept into Kiyotaka's head. There was no shortage of literature from where he came from.

"Anyways, let's start looking around, Ayanokouji-kun!"

Hiyori could no longer hold herself together and started tugging on Kiyotaka's sleeves.

The bookstore held itself in a well-lit room filled with "Must Reads" posters and ribbon-like decoratives. It definitely gives off that "Just opened" vibe, like during anniversaries or events. Shelves could be seen on each corner of the store. Also, the center had this small attraction showcasing the more popular books like the ones near the entrance. There's even a section for manga and light novels.

"We could easily get lost in a place like this, Hiyori. It's crowded too."

"Well, it did just open, you know?"

The two explored the bookstore for a bit, not taking anything from the shelves yet, though. They just simply admired the store they could imagine themselves frequently visiting together.

After a while, they stopped at the light novel section.

Hiyori looked around the brand new shelves with sparkly eyes. In some time, a question mark began growing off her head. She turns to Kiyotaka.

"Ayanokouji-kun, have you ever read these kinds of books?"

"I can't say I have. Although, I've heard of them and what they're about from a few of my classmates. Apparently, most of them are aimed towards teenagers around and just below our ages."

Kiyotaka shifted his head over Hiyori's shoulders, catching a glance at the stupidly long title pasted on the book's front cover.

Instead of breaking down a laugh (as if he even could), Kiyotaka seemed to have a few questions.

"I wonder how they sell so well."

"Mhm. Maybe having a flowery title like this one is the reason why. If the concept is interesting enough, you'll end up picking it up. After reading through the synopsis, you'll suddenly find yourself at the counter with your wallet at hand."

Kiyotaka looked at Hiyori, his eyebrows frowning.

"Has that happened to you before?"

"Yep. Not on light novels, though."

Silence filled the air around them as Hiyori's eyes traveled across the front and back cover of the novel she took off the shelf.

"Is the summary exactly like how the title says it is?"

"Yeah. I'm a bit interested, Ayanokouji-kun. Though I'm not really expecting much from the story and its development, the concept is intriguing. It raises a few questions too that might be a good conversation topic."

"May I see?"

"Sure!"

Hiyori lends Kiyotaka the book, letting him read the summary and possibly get himself interested as well. As he goes through the back cover, Hiyori raises a question.

"How would you feel if you were suddenly transported into a whole new world, Ayanokouji-kun?"

There were quite a few light novels under the concept of going to another world. Having been surrounded by books of similar ideas, the question of what they would do in these fictional scenarios would eventually cross their minds.

"Well, that's a hard question to answer. If there's no way to get back, I think I'd feel curious and just explore."

"Oh, really? I was thinking of the same thing! It's just interesting to think about. A whole new world brings whole new different experiences that you would only ever see in your dreams. But, thinking about it realistically, I'd probably find myself feeling lonely all the time."

That'd be just natural. Having spent a lot of time in the care of your parents, you'll inevitably grow accustomed to knowing that there will be people to greet you when coming home. Of course, that doesn't apply right now that they're studying in a high school that cuts off all outside communication. Still, their existence remains. However, if you were just to be transported to another world, with no way of going back—you'll be alone.

"Ah...Now I don't feel like taking this book home anymore. How about you, Ayanokouji-kun? Did it pique your interests?"

Clouds have formed above Hiyori's head after thinking deeply about the question she was just excited about a moment ago. On the other hand, no signs of change could be seen in Kiyotaka's state. Perhaps to him, being sent to another world is the only way to escape the chains of the White Room.

"I'll buy it."

"Really? Alright. I think I'll buy a copy of a different book while I'm here, too. Let's see...How about this one—"

Thud.

"What's wrong, Hiyo...ri?"

Kiyotaka turned around at the sound of something falling on the floor, assuming that Hiyori had dropped a novel she was trying to reach. However, he was only met with the sight of shelves and nothing else; Hiyori wasn't there anymore.

Picking up his feet to find her, he makes contact with a half-open book on the floor.

"..."

Kiyotaka bent his knees and slowly reached for the book beneath his feet. In a short moment, his fingertips made contact with the smooth surface of the page it was opened to.

Thud.

Two half-open books lay on top of each other between two shelves—the people who picked them up—nowhere to be found.