The Central Library was as it always was and as a library should be during the week of tests and assignments: very crowded. Individual study tables were scarce and only group study tables were available. Books constantly passed from the shelves into the hands of students and exchanged between them – under the judging eyes of the librarian. Despite the rushed movement, silence still prevailed.

In the study-debate area, the noise was a little more expressive. The students, some desperate and others not that much, were attentive to their reading, but no student could overcome the teacher who devoured a stack of books on a small table further away from the center. Although concentrated and composed (as the gentleman he was, thank you very much), his eyes brimmed with uneasiness and confusion, as if he didn't understand whatever the lines were trying to say.

A boy – who seemed to be a student – passed through the door, and, once the narrow path was cramped, he stumbled on the third chair he found in the way. He was carrying several books (a remarkable pile of books, actually) about summonable plants of light magic, which kind of impaired his vision and actions. There were so many books that the teacher's attention was fixed on him, already anticipating the fall of some of the books and the fierce reprimand of the head librarian, who would appear like a ghost.

And it didn't take long until the first book in the pile threatened to fall to the floor, but thankfully the teacher caught the book before it actually fell.

The person thanked him immensely, but when their eyes met... the teacher immediately recognized those pink marbles and ashy green hair. And the person recognized him back.

"You?" Mine asked, confused because he had seen the teacher in the common room earlier.

“Yes, me," Addai huffed. "Now don't bother me," and he placed the book on the top of the pile Mine was carrying.

Mine frowned in confusion and snorted. "Okay then... See you around."

When the teacher passed by Addai's side, he noticed that his tutor’s fingers seemed to ask for mercy and fought bravely to hold that tall stack of books. The worst part was that some of the books threatened new collapses, making unnecessary noise and disturbing the fragile peace.

Then, Addai impatiently started taking some of Mine’s books. "If you can't handle it..." Addai started while taking the third book from the pile, "... don't carry it all at once."

Mine looked at his "daily headache" and wrinkled his nose. "Like you care if they hit the floor," he grumbled and tried taking the books back, but Addai dodged. "Hey, give it back."

“Not after you find a place to sit,” Addai took another book from the pile and placed it in his arms. "Where will you sit?" he asked, and Mine didn't seem to understand what was happening, but, tired as he was, it was best to go with the flow.

Mine blinked and felt the fatigue catch in his fingers. “I don't know,” he began and rested the remaining pile on his leg. “All the tables are occupied. I'll probably sit in the corner there between the shelves... like...” his tired eyes searched for something in the landscape behind Addai, “ah, there,” he nodded towards a slightly dark corner between the anatomy and pathology shelves.

The place wasn't very... healthy.

The illumination? Very precarious.

The floor? It looked like it had been trampled on all day and had dust everywhere.

Anything positive? Just the fact that it was available.

"Over there?!" Addai exasperated, but didn't say it too loud.

Mine, somehow, seemed offended by Addai's disgusted face. "You don't even care! Bring me the books, and then you're free," he impatiently walked to the corner – where he secretly used to sit and read fanfics as a college student.

But he noticed that the other teacher had not followed him. Surprised, he turned confused to Addai, who was there in the same place and not moving an inch.

"Hey, are you going to stand there forever?" Mine asked.

Addai looked reticent. His eyes, always sharp, seemed a little more serene and gentle. He looked at Mine and placed the books he was carrying on the table he used. "Sit with me. The floor is cold, and it's bad for your eyesight to read in the dark," he said while organizing the table.

Now Mine was reticent. He stopped and looked at his colleague, who had just sat down.

Addai snorted and turned his eyes to the book, “ignoring” Mine’s presence.

“Come before I change my mind,” Addai huffed again.

Mine slowly approached and placed the stack of books on the table, feeling his arms feel well-deserved relief. He looked at Addai – who avoided eye contact – and sat down.

"Thank you," Mine said.

His voice was calm and sweet. Addai slowly looked at him and noticed that a small smile was forming at the corner of his tutor's mouth, who began to arrange his books in order of reading. That smile soon widened until it formed a smile of satisfaction and relief.

"Just stop sitting on the floor like a beggar," Addai said, taking another book and averting his gaze.

Mine vigorously read the "Flower Summoning and Condensing" book and added drawings of the projections that should be achieved with the invocations. The flowers he drew were very detailed and wrote down some probable variations with blue colored pencils to contrast with the black and gray ink. A true masterpiece.

Addai, on the other hand, was starting to get impatient because he couldn't process the information from the book “Energy Variations – Mortis” which dealt with energetic variations in corpses that suffered deaths due to miasma spells and other more complex energies such as the very rare “chaos” or “neutral” energy.

When Mine went to the shelves behind Addai to get a copy of “Uncomplicated Herbology,” he saw the uneasiness in the other teacher's eyes and ended up reading a few lines from Addai's book. Of course, he didn't just stand there like a ghost behind Addai, as he picked up a dubious fragile-looking stool and sat on it - very close to his colleague.

“This book is difficult,” he said in a low tone, “you have to read another one to understand this one.”

"Which book?" Addai impatiently asked and closed the book, soon rubbing his eyebrows to relieve stress.

“It's one from the Magical Medicine section. I read it once for the exorcism course," Mine informed and reopened to the page Addai had just closed. "Don't get mad over this easy little thing."

That's it, folks! Addai has already started to pack his things, feeling that terrible headache spreading across his forehead.

"... look, I put up with you enough today," Addai started to pack his things.

"Pay attention," Mine clasped Addai's chin and turned him to face the book. Addai barely had time to grumble or even protest, as Mine began dictating what he read. "Roughly, it says the energy flows, right? But it stagnates in the body as if every spell of this nature has a factor that leaves it infused in the body. So, it cannot be treated with miasma, nor with an extraction technique using the magic you master," he calmly taught.

Addai blinked a few times and seemed to understand something. And, indeed, he understood something!

“When it says to use two or more techniques, it's to prevent you from being contaminated, both by biological and energetic factors,” Mine finished the topic, “get it?”

“Hm hm," Addai nodded.

“Want help? Don't be shy,” Mine grinned.

The eagerness to help in Mine's eyes was as shiny as a seashell glowing under the sun. A smile started sketching on Addai's face, but he caught the nearest eraser to erase it... at least most of it.

Addai was still looking at him, and after two or three seconds, he made up his mind. "I do want your help if... if it doesn't bother you too much."

"You already bother me,” Mine laughed softly, “but this… this is nothing compared to your bad behavior," he teased and Addai snorted, almost like a chuckle.

Well, the dubious-looking stool really wasn't made for anyone to sit on, perhaps to hold a certain amount of books, weighing, at most, around ten kilos. Erm... Mine weighed much more than ten kilos, so the legs of the stool broke, starting with the rear support ones. Turning over backward and his arms trying to hold on to the table, Mine began to accept his fate of being expelled from the library for the noise he would make.

But when he least expected it, Addai held him by the waist, and something like smoke held the bench so it wouldn't make too much noise. His colleague didn't look very happy. In fact, he was wide-eyed with astonishment!

"You... you almost got us in trouble!" Addai exasperated almost mutely, with adrenaline intensely coursing through his entire body.

“Pfffff" Mine quietly laughed, and the other teacher looked at him confused.

"What’s funny? It’s not funny!" Addai stressed, still quietly.

"Nothing… it's just… your face…" Mine continued laughing, recovering his speech. "Ok, ok… now help me before I fall again," he smiled.

That looked like sorcery. Addai wondered how the background changed that much. Everything was normal, standard lights and classic library ambiance (low light with lamps on each table, very cozy) then suddenly... What the heck was that behind Mine? Flowers? A pink light?!

Somehow... It wasn't bad.

Addai stood still, feeling his face tingle involuntarily, and somehow he felt himself getting slightly warmer, especially in his cheeks... and the background changed again as if the meager thread of rationality was trying to turn on the lights and undo that strange filter.

What kind of sorcery was that?!

Come to think of it, that arrogant tutor's smile was… endearing…? Mine’s cheeks were a little blushed and his eyes smiled just like the sketch his mouth made- but Addai had no time to think about that.

"Be careful next time," Addai grumbled and Mine got balanced enough for Addai to release him. "Go grab your chair and come over. I'll try to fix that stool with a spell later."

“Ok, ok… I'm just going to close my books and my notes. Meanwhile, write down your doubts, and I'll try to remember something," Mine said, and again that slight smile sketched on Addai's face.

"…" Addai stared at him.

"Do I have shit on my face?” Mine chuckled. “Write down your doubts, I’ll go take some books for you."

Mine was on a tight schedule.

With the help of a small bottle of elixir and another of iced tea, he kept his pace to fulfill his appointments.

Occasionally, he would meet a familiar character (even if he wanted to stay the hell away from him) and when it happened, both stared at each other then looked away as if the other wasn't there.

As time went by, they met more and more times. In each unexpected encounter, their expressions began to change, and - before looking away - they started staring at each other in annoyance. They would glare, other times a snort and disdain in the eyes.

"For God's sake, what do you want from me?!" Mine ‘earnestly’ asked the other person, who was as unsettled as he was.

"You stole my line! I am the one who demands to know what you want from me?!!" Addai said annoyed.

They looked like the wild west movies. One on each side and watching all the movements of their "pursuer", the only thing missing was the "tumbleweed" that the wind carried in the desert fields, the classic background of the western. The weapon was two open hands in a "??" position, matching the expressions drawn on their faces.

But before their bickering started, someone approached.

"I see you guys became friends!" the person said excitedly.

"Mr. Shire, hello~" Addai waved, straightening his posture like Mine.

The professor, dressed in a long dark coat made of thick cotton (a portable inferno in summer) with light gray designs, was as bright as he always was. His blond hair with gray threads contrasted with his jovial and smiling face, mild and serene as his blue eyes with a slightly reddish pupil. He carried a brown leather bag over his left shoulder and a rather intriguing pendant necklace that he had just tucked inside his white blouse underneath his coat.

“I'm glad to see you guys getting along,” Shire smiled widely and earnestly. "Ah! My classes!" he gasped. "See you two around!"

Whenever Shire was within their sight, they stood close to each other, giving off the impression of being friends. They exchanged waves and smiles. However, when Mr. Shire eventually disappeared, they looked at each other with blank expressions for a moment. Silence... a deadly silence…

"... we are not friends," Addai voiced.

"Yes, at least we agree on that," Mine couldn't agree more.

Addai and Mine used hand sanitizer on the areas where they had touched each other.

A water droplet. They gazed up at the sky, and a powerful gust of wind tousled their clothing. Ah... the rain clouds... They looked dense, and the thunder spoke for themselves. Students nearby have already pulled their umbrellas from their backpacks and prepared for the deluge. Others stayed behind, deciding to wait for the rain to pass, and others ventured out with a (poor) notebook or coat to protect their heads from splashes.

Mine rummaged through his backpack, but no umbrella. He even gave it a shake to hear if the item was hidden somewhere, but no sign of the umbrella. Addai, on the other hand, already had his own in hand.

At least he had one, and Mine... none.

"... hey, give me a ride on your umbrella since we're, unfortunately, going in the same direction," Mine asked, already feeling the first drops of rain on him.

"Ohoho..." Addai laughed, pulling away the umbrella on purpose. "Weren't you the one who told me to be prepared for anything?"

"Ah, go fu-" Mine took a deep breath before losing his composure. "Leave it. I'll go in the rain," he grumbled, taking his coat and putting it on his head.

"Have a good rain~" Addai waved happily, and the rain only intensified.

Mine showed him the middle finger and ran out into the rain, feeling his underwear wet with the intensity of the deluge. He was sure it wouldn’t rain that day because the weather forecast was also sure that the sun would be mercilessly burning people’s heads… Well, everybody was wrong.

When he double-checked back, Mine had only one certainty that day: karma works. Addai's umbrella had turned all over, turning into a tulip with the strong wind that even interfered with Mine's brief run towards the nearest magazine stand (since it wasn't going to happen to go to the station).

He laughed so hard that his cheeks turned red, and the students who were also sheltering there, in the same situation as him, ended up seeing the struggle of man versus stubborn umbrella.

They both stood there waiting for the rain to subside, Addai as wet as Mine was. Mine teased the other teacher to his heart's content and when Addai sneezed, he laughed even more but ended up sneezing too.

A cold for fools.