I just recovered from really bad writer's block (and still struggling with it) which was the main reason for my unplanned hiatus so this'll probably suck big time but the best way to get better is to write as much I can so have chapter three after a huge delay. Yes, I'm back for now! I own only OCs.


She wasn't in the library this time. The third-year boy found himself a bit embarrassed by his own disappointment but skimmed his books regardless, casting an occasional glance up to that empty seat across the table. It made sense. She couldn't be there every single time...Though the pet care books had caught his eye at first, he couldn't focus on the words like he always had been. Even though it had only been a few times, she'd always been there when he was reading. It just felt off without her now.

Stoic as ever, Morinozuka Takashi returned the books without saying a word. The only one who noticed his change in mood was his relative and best friend Haninozuka Mitsukuni. But the short boy didn't say anything; he had an idea of what was going on, but it was better if his cousin found out for himself.


Test scores came out the next day. No big deal; he was confident that he did well. Regardless, he decided to check. As expected, he had scored well. What he hadn't expected, however, was to run into that girl as she rushed down the hall, a big grin on her face. Well, actually, it wasn't him who ran into her; it was his teacher.

She apologized profusely, bright pink spreading across her cheeks as she franticly gathered her scattered flyers. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn't hide her excitement. "Sorry, Sensei! I wasn't paying enough attention!" The kind teacher laughed, helping her.

"Doing favors for the drama club?" Ishikawa-sensei asked casually like he'd known her for years. "Tsukada forget to print them off again? Honestly, that girl would forget her own head if it wasn't attached to her neck." Yuri laughed too, softly. "By the way, I heard you scored in the top five first-years, Yuri-chan! Congratulations!" Yuri returned his smile but it didn't feel as genuine as it had before.

"Thank you for your help, Sensei. I should get these to the club quickly." Mori watched the exchange curiously and noted Yuri's change of mood as well as—though he wasn't sure why he found it important—her hair style. With her straight, black, shoulder length hair down and brushing against the back of her neck the younger girl continued to walk down the hall with a downcast gaze. Oh, he thought, is she in the drama club?


When he got to the library for the second time this week, she was there as usual. Her hair was pinned up, a smile on her face, and a worn book in her hands. The spine itself was so worn out that the title was barely legible. The corners had been dogeared and bent over several reads. No way was it one of Ouran library's books, all kept in pristine condition. Which means….it was her own, a personal copy of an obviously beloved book. From the cover, it seemed to be a historical fiction. With a warm smile, she continued to flip the pages at a much faster speed than she had with any other book.

He almost smiled as he watched her. Last time…it had been too boring without her. Relaxing slightly, he turned his attention to his own book. The time flew by and before either of them knew it, it was already time to leave. Yuri smiled and nodded politely at her upperclassman as she packed her bag up and left. Once again, the two didn't say a word to each other but the boy was still satisfied. He got to see her after all.


The next day, he recognized one of Mitsukuni's guests right away. Oh, he thought, that's her friend. "Hani-senpai! What should I do? I think he's going to get a girlfriend!" She whined with tears in her eyes. Every couple club days, Tsukada Mio would come to the club, request Mitsukuni, and get his advice. "I've liked senpai for years—I even followed him to this schools instead of going to Lobelia like my mom—but he says he's going to confess to the girl he likes soon!"

Mitsukuni munched on cake as she cried, and the other girls consoled her. Tsukada continued, tugging on the bangs of her short hair, "He says he likes her because she's sweet and lady-like! It's not like I can help being a tomboy; it's part of who I am! But he'll never like me as me no matter how close we are. I thought he might finally be seeing me as more than a friend! He does; he sees me as a brother!"

The girls flinched, not sure how to reply to that. Despite having no experience in love, even Takashi knew that was a painful way to be rejected.

"Even worse, he wants me to wish him luck, so he can get with the girl of his dreams! That boy's driving me crazy! Should I just confess already?" The girls around her started to voice their opinions and give her their own advice but the short, blond boy just smiled. Rarely did he ever do this when at the club, but Takashi allowed his mind to wander, thinking of the girl in the library.

Did that girl have the same worries? Or did she prefer to immerse herself in the world of books instead? Yuri seemed to read a bit of everything; her interests were vast. If they talked, which would he ask her about? Could he maybe make her laugh? It was a nice sound; he'd like to hear it again.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice the knowing smile his cousin looked at him with as Tsukada started to talk about how she fell in love. "We were kids; at first, I just thought he was interesting, ya know? We became friends, but I'd always be thinking about or looking at them, getting disappointed that I didn't get to see him…Somewhere along the line, I just fell in love with him without really being aware of it." She groaned. "And now I feel like an idiot for it!"

"Don't worry about it, Mio-chan! That's just how love is!"The shortest host grinned, patting her on the head with a cute smile, perhaps knowing how much better it made the short haired girl feel to have someone reassure her that her feelings were perfectly normal. "Right, Takashi?" The stoic young man, having been distracted all through the conversation, didn't know what to say so he just nodded his head instead.

Needless to say, the girls were very curious about Mori's love life after that.


Sorry this isn't good. Still getting myself back to my former mediocre glory.