"You doing library duty today?"

   "Yuppers! Gonna head over now, actually."

   "Yeah? You free tomorrow then?"

   "Ahh... I think I'm on then as well..."

   "That right..? Well I shouldn't be keeping you, so."
   "Yeah, no worries! Catch you tomorrow, Marin!"

   Lately, that was the sort of conversation I've been having with my rambunctious best friend. I wasn't about to hate her for having a life... but it did make me a little left out. And it wasn't like I was surprised either. When something caught her eye, you couldn't make her part with whatever it was. As my general demeanour conveyed, this sort of thing happened regularly. In fact, our first encounter in primary school was the result of Ro following her curiosities. I had no idea what made me so intriguing to her though, even after all this time.

   That being said, it wasn't usually good things that followed after Ro got interested in a person. Usually, she got bored after a short while, and there were two responses to that:
   A) "Finally, she was so damn annoying!"
   B) "What, so you were just leading me on or something..?"

   Since then, I'd become just a tad bit concerned whenever this happened. Thankfully, I could count the times it had just barely on two hands. The unusual part was that Ro usually lost interest in people after a week or two. As of now, it'd been a month and a little bit since she started talking my ear off about Sara Komiya. It was nice to think that she'd finally made another friend but... This was a Prince we were talking about! I didn't believe one word of what any rumours said but it was a trend that popular kids tended to revel in their status and use it to their advantage. I'd seen it firsthand.

   In other words, I was curious and a little worried. And so I secretly followed Ro to the library.

   I didn't come here much. I could use the lunch breaks if I wanted to study and my home was relatively close by so staying after school wasn't something I ever felt the need to do. With my glasses off and hair let down, I sat within earshot. I normally kept my hair in a loose, low ponytail so from the front, it was difficult to see that it ran down to waist length. I'd also done up my blazer just to change my appearance that little bit more. An open book stood in front of me so I could quickly hide my face it I needed to.

   From the corner of my vision, I saw Ro jump up from her seat then carry a couple of books towards the aisles. She was goofing off mid-shift, I guess..? Then, as I saw the Prince stand as well, I started paying attention to their hushed voices.

   "No look, I've got this one no probs!"

   "Huh. Look who's actually prepared."

   I craned my neck to get a better view of the scene. Ro had produced a small step stool from.. somewhere. Ah. It was then I noticed that she had parked her book trolley a little bit out of the way. I guess it would be difficult for her to get to the higher shelves.

   "Hnnn..!" But even then, she needed to reach for the very highest one. Was this not just a giant hazard..? It took a moment, but she got there in the end.

   "Hehe, see? No probs at all."

   "Still looks like you need some help..."

   "Nah nah nah. I can't rely on you forever now, can I? Plus with last time~~" Ro's voice turned mischevious.

   "I'll kill you if you finish that sentence."

   ??? What happened "last time"???
   As Ro reached up for the high shelves again, Sara walked up right behind her. She blocked what I could see but I did make out her hand on Ro's back. It was likely to help her keep stability but as I was already a little suspicious of her, I couldn't get possible ulterior motives out of my head.

   I felt the urge to pry the two apart. Before Ro had to smile through another reprimand. With how attached she was now, it would surely hurt her much more than the last times. But I wouldn't act before I had a fuller picture. One-sided knowledge could ruin relationships and I wasn't about lash out like a kid. As much as I wanted to at the moment.

I just needed to know more.

   After watching for a little while longer, I left the two to their own devices. It wasn't that something happened to alleviate my worries, but rather that my conscience had caught up with me. Hearsay was never reliable and so I took the side of first-hand experience, but of course, I couldn't like the idea of spying on my best friend.

   I scowled as I heard a distant rumble. Sure enough, the sky was packed with stormclouds when I looked up.
   "Crap..."

   I knew there'd be no way I'd make it all the way home before rain started coming down. Even so, I ran to the front gate. For some reason, it felt wrong not to feel a sense of urgency in the moment. I didn't even make it halfway from the library to the gate when it started pouring, though I was spared from the weather by the rooves above the main footpaths. The kiss and ride was sheltered like how some bus stops were so I decided to hunker down there.

   After a short while, I heard someone's annoyed groaning as they stepped into the shelter.
   "Gahh, fuck."

   Of course, when I turned my head, who else could it have been but Sara Komiya, staring off into the rain? I had sat myself on the closest edge of the shelter's wooden bench, and Sara stood leaning on the brick wall just nearby. Not that there wasn't a healthy amount of distance between us though.
   "Might let up in a minute." I said, my tone a bit more annoyed than I meant it to be.

   "Hm?" She froze when she realised I was here. "A- ah, yeah..."

   ...

   ...

   That's it...? No follow up, no nothing...? 
   I kept my gaze on the girl beside me. She kept hers firmly on the ground as she shuffled her feet and said nothing. For the next 10 minutes.

   As we waited in dreadful silence, the rain had lightened up significantly. If I really wanted, I could now run the way home and not be 100% drenched, but the thought of washing up afterwards was exhausting. Not to mention that my clothes might not even properly dry overnight. I sat on the bench with my legs crossed, my temple rested on my fist. Sara stayed standing this whole time.

   Don't think we'll be together like this again.. I'll just rip the band-aid off quickly.

   My brow furrowed as I continued scrutinising her. What I saw before me wasn't some skirt-chaser or delinquent at least... but I sort of wished she was. It'd be easier for me if she was the argumentative type.

   "Oi. Sara Komiya."

   "Huh???"
   Hearing her name called out, Sara flung her head in my direction. With how violently she looked up, it made me feel for her neck. I made a point to make eye contact, to which she stammered out some vowels as she broke it.

   "So, Ro Lyons is my friend", I started. "She goes on and on about you."

   "... Huh..?"

   The surprise in Sara's eyes gave way to bashfulness as I spoke, and she turned her entire body to face me now. Noting the difference in our body language and becoming aware that my relaxed posture might come off as passive-aggressive, I stood up. Something must've clicked when I rose to my feet, because she steeled herself and hid away her sheepishness as I faced her. 

   "Are you Marin, then..?"
   I was a little surprised to hear such a response... but thinking about it, of course Ro would share bits and bobs between those she cared about. She'd been so obsessed with Sara lately that I had mentally accepted that she was all Ro's mind would be full of for the time being. 

   "I am."

   Why does this feel like an interrogation...?

   "I'm just curious. Of what you think about her." 
   I tried not to let any worry for my best friend leak out of my words, but I wondered if I failed when Sara stood with her mouth agape for several moments.
   "I, um..." Her eyes darted around as she searched for the right words.
   I scoffed, seeing how troubled she was. "Honestly, you can be completely frank. I won't hold it against you."

   "...Honestly?" She repeated my words.

   "Honestly." I asserted.

   "Ro is... She doesn't know when to stop." she dug her hands into her blazer's pockets. "She gets excited about literally everything, and doesn't stop rambling."

   This was all true, I had to admit.

   "But it's not a bad thing, I think." she continued. "It was kinda weirding me out at first but.. y- yeah.. not bad."
   I saw the smallest semblence of a smile form on Sara's face, but it faded as she reverted back to her previous, awkward stammering. She looked somewhat radiant when she looked me in the eye, but that also dimmed as her eyeline fell back to the ground.

   "I've actually never seen her get that excited over one thing before." I said.
   "Huh?"
   I gave Sara another once-over.
   "I'm not talking about her mood or anything. Ro's default state is 'energetic', so technically she's always excited."

   Fine. I could accept that this mega introvert wasn't actively trying to seduce my best friend. But this was still an uncommon situation that could go anywhere. Those involved should at the very least, know their standing within it.
   "She started volunteering at the library just to see you."

   "Well... yeah. She said I couldn't just shoo her away if she was a volunteer."

   "She's never done that before. Not even with her best friend." I placed a hand on my chest to enunciate my point. "Honestly, she just comes and goes whenever she wants. So you better feel lucky you have her attention right now."

   I gave Sara a second to take my words in. Her eyes wandered again in silence, most likely a habit that rose when she thought of the next thing to say.
   "I do." she finally said. Her gaze faltered when she tried to look me in the eye, but it didn't go straight to her feet this time. "Not too many people give me the time of day. Not without the whole.. 'Prince' thing, anyway. So it's nice that Ro doesn't really care about all of that."

   Ah. I never thought of that...

   It absolutely wasn't unthinkable, now that I'd talked to this girl. Though she tried to feign confidence, Sara looked as if she was one harsh word away from bolting. It'd make sense if her popularity made her uncomfortable.

   "Um, but! You know!"

   I jolted a little when Sara raised her voice, bringing me back to the present.

   "Even though Ro basically just volunteered to hang, she's real hard working when it comes to it, yeah? Fuckin'.. you know. She does all the shit she needs to do properly and all that..!"

   "...Yeah."

   All this could just be an act. A complete lie just to get me on my side. It was a possibility... But it being an honest truth was one that was far easier to believe. 
   This one's harmless. Relatively.
   She wasn't completely out of my sights though. Just in case, I always left some room for scrutiny. I exhaled through my nose and let the tension out of my body. I didn't know for how long, but the rain had cleared up as we were talking.