It was during lunch period when Ayase Imaizumi stepped into the campus library in hopes of finding a space to do her math homework. But as soon as she ventured further inside, she paused, scanning the room. Every table seemed to be taken by other students of the campus who were also making use of the lunch period to study.

Typical lunch… she thought to herself, clutching her sketchbook and homework a little tighter. Though finding an empty table might be a stretch, she looked around, searching for that one elusive spot where she could settle down and focus.

After a few peeks here and there, she spotted a corner that seemed less crowded. But as soon as she approached, she realized that it was just an illusion of space—as there were already a group of students that had spread their projects across the tables, occupying more room than Ayase had hoped.

Back to square one… how am I supposed to get my homework done? I need to turn this in later.

However, just before she completely resigned herself to just making do with the campus yard outside, she spotted a table that seemed promising—and only one person was occupying, a boy with dark hair and glasses, along with a few papers and a laptop by his side.

Though hesitant and anxious, Ayase fortunately managed to convince herself that she’ll get nowhere if she just stood there and not ask anyone around if she could share a table.

Besides, her college grades matter more than her personal comfort.

"Excuse me?" she asked, approaching the lone boy on the table.

No response. He remained engrossed in his screen, typing away on his laptop keyboard.

Ayase leaned in a bit, trying again with a slight wave this time, "Hello?"

This caught his attention. The boy paused, an earphone slipping out as he finally looked up, "Yeah?”

Just like that, his tone alone nearly intimidated her.

She flushed slightly, not expecting him to look at her with a gaze that slowly grew intense, "I'm really sorry to bother you, but... may I share this table with you? Everywhere else seems to be taken."

He tilted his head, peering over his glasses as if noticing the crowded library for the first time, "No tables?"

She let out an awkward chuckle, "I guess it's a bit obvious, but... it's okay if you'd rather not share. I understand."

Ayase turned, thinking that the idea of studying somewhere else might not be so bad, but before she could completely walk away, his voice stopped her.

"I didn't say no," he stated. "You're free to sit."

"Oh! Thank you, that's very kind of you," she said, her smile returning as she took the seat across him, carefully arranging her sketchbook and homework.

After settling in, Ayase's next instinct was to check the time on her phone, ensuring she could manage every precious minute of the lunch period effectively.

Yet, when the screen remained dark, her heart skipped a beat.

“Eh…?”

A long press on the power button yielded nothing but a stark, black screen briefly flashing a low battery symbol before fading to black again.

"Tsk, how did this happen?" she muttered under her breath. She was certain it had been charging overnight. "Did my charger break or something?" her thoughts raced, trying to troubleshoot the problem in her head, but the truth was inescapable—her phone was dead, and with it, her connection to the time and any incoming messages.

Her muttering, soft as it was, was noticeable enough that the boy momentarily paused in his typing to look over at her curiously.

"Something wrong?" he asked, noting Ayase's concerned face as she repeatedly pressed the power button, hoping for a different result.

"Oh, it's nothing, just... my phone's dead, and I thought I charged it," she replied with a sigh, trying to mask her frustration with a half-hearted smile. "I was just checking the time, trying to keep track of lunch period."

The boy sighed before looking at something on his screen, "The campus extended the lunch period today by an extra half hour. You've got roughly an hour and a half left," he informed her.

"Really? That's a relief, thank you," Ayase responded, yet another thought had caused her to sigh again. Wish I brought my charger with me… could use the extra time.

As if on cue, the boy reached into his bag, pulling out a cable and offering one end to Ayase. She looked at him, confused.

“Yes?”

"Plug it in," he said, nodding towards her phone.

“Your face says it all, can’t charge at all, right?”

Ayase looked at him and nodded awkwardly, "Yes, I-I mean, no it’s okay! I just wanted to know the time, nothing els—"

"Save it. Who knows when you’ll need to do a phone call,” he quickly interrupted.

Ayase, still processing the gesture, followed his direction and connected her phone. It was then she noticed him attaching the other end to a sleek power bank. As soon as the connection was made, her screen lit up immediately, and it showed an indicator that it was indeed charging.

"There, should help you get through the day," he added, pushing the power bank closer to her side of the table.

"Thank you!" she said to him, following it up with a slight grateful bow. "You're a lifesaver."

The boy simply nodded in response before slipping his earphone back into his ear and shifted his focus back to his laptop.

Now that should also serve as her cue to focus on her own business now, she returned her attention to her homework to fulfill her original purpose in the library.

Thankfully, and to Ayase's mild surprise, the homework before her proved less daunting than anticipated. She had never pegged herself as particularly academically gifted, always floating somewhere in the comfortable middle ground, content as long as her grades kept her steadily passing. So, when she found herself putting the final touches on her assignment in just half an hour, she felt a little proud in herself than usual.

With the homework completed and tucked safely back into her bag, Ayase checked the clock on her now-reviving phone, seeing that she had an ample time left.

Normally, she might have considered grabbing something to eat, especially given the extended lunch period. However, the hearty breakfast she had earlier still kept her comfortably full, her appetite content until well past the usual lunch hours.

Out of having nothing else to do, she looked at how busy the boy in front of her was.

Throughout her study session, she'd caught herself stealing brief glances his way, noticing the intensity with which he scrutinized the papers scattered around his laptop. He seemed utterly absorbed in his work, occasionally pausing to type furiously before consulting his papers.

Ayase couldn't suppress her curiosity, wondering if he was tackling some complex research project or perhaps preparing for something significant.

But alas, it wasn’t for Ayase to pry into, for now she’s content with just the fact that someone helped her get through her predicament earlier.

Well, that was until all of a sudden, the boy caught her looking at him, prompting him to take off one of his earphones once again, “Hmm?”

Caught in the act of her unintentional staring, Ayase's face immediately flushed a deep shade of pink. She waved her hand dismissively, flustered and smiling slightly as she stumbled over her words, "Oh, no, it's nothing, really! I was just... admiring how focused you are on your work. That's all!”

“I see,” the boy shrugged, seemingly unfazed. "It’s just work, and the usual college grind," he responded with a light tone, as if to downplay the heaps of work surrounding him.

“R-right! The college grind!”

Desperate to escape the growing awkwardness, Ayase quickly reached for her bag, rummaging through it for anything that could serve as a distraction. Her fingers found the familiar spine of her favorite light novel and quickly pulled it out.

Frantically flipping through the pages, she finally found the bookmark nestled between the pages she had last read. Clutching the novel close, Ayase then made a subtle attempt to hide her still-flushed face, either behind her cascading hair or the book cover—whichever offered more shelter from her sudden shyness.

Despite her best efforts, Ayase found it impossible to fully lose herself in the pages of her book because the previous awkwardness still lingered, making her eyes blur the words together meaninglessly. It was then, amidst her struggle to concentrate, that she heard his voice once again.

"You know, I'm surprised people still read that," the boy remarked. Looking at the light novel  in her hands.

Ayase's eyes snapped up from the page, a tad puzzled by his comment, "What?"

He nodded towards the book, “Run with the Wind. I'm just surprised to see someone reading it nowadays." 

"Oh, this?" Ayase held the book a little tighter as she chuckled lightly. "Yes, well, it’s not that old, but it's really good. I've always loved it."

“Do you? Good to hear, then.”

"Wait..." Her eyes darted away for a moment, realizing something, "You're not just saying that to make me feel less awkward, are you?"

The boy's eyebrows knitted together in a frown, "Heck no," he said, shaking his head. "I was just genuinely surprised. It was a rookie’s work, but a good one, and not many around here seem to appreciate it back then."

Ayase nodded in agreement, "It really is a wonderful story. I loved reading every bit of it—all twelve volumes. And I have a copy of each," she confessed proudly. "It was quite the hit, from what I remember."

"Yeah, it was. Gained a lot of traction for a while there."

Continuing, Ayase's tone softened, "I was really sad when it ended at twelve volumes. And then, Kurotsuki-sensei, the author, went on an indefinite hiatus right after. I've always hoped to see more of his work after 'Run with the Wind.'"

The boy let out a sigh, "Well, writing all twelve volumes of a slow romance in such a short amount of time can really take a toll on someone."

Ayase paused, processing his words. It was unusual to hear someone speak so candidly and knowledgeably about the pressures of writing, but then again, it can be approached like how someone would think of doing lots of school work.

"You sound like you understand quite a bit about writing," she observed.

"Yeah, well," he began. "Tried it once, so I guess I can imagine how demanding it could be."

Just as Ayase was nodding in agreement, a sudden chime interrupted their conversation. The boy reached into his pocket, retrieving his phone to check something, he then looked up at Ayase, “Table’s yours, I have to head out now. Need to get to the classroom early.”

"Of course!" Ayase responded. And without hesitation, she reached for her phone, carefully unplugging it from the charging cable. Next, she helped tidy up the cables themselves, just to show a bit of gratitude for the boy in helping her out.

As he busied himself with shutting down his laptop and organizing his papers, Ayase rolled the cables together and slid it over to his reach. When he stood, she stood alongside him, offering another slight bow filled with genuine appreciation, "Thank you so much for your help today. I…”

“Need something?”

“Ah, I just realized my manners, we haven’t exchanged names after all that,” Ayase awkwardly smiled.

“Do you have a need for it?” the boy questioned while fixing his glasses, but not keeping his locked gaze on Ayase astray. “Is it one of those friendship things?”

“W-well! Not really, but it’s just—”

“I’m kidding,” the boy smiled back slightly. "Keiyu Kurumizawa,"

“Huh?”

“That’s my name. You asked for it, you have it.”

"Kurumizawa-san," Ayase repeated quietly, smiling as she bowed again. "I'm Ayase Imaizumi. Thank you, Kurumizawa-san. You really did help me out today."

"Well, glad to help. Next time, don’t forget your essentials,” Keiyu advised, and with a final nod, they parted ways. As Ayase observed Keiyu walk away, her attention was suddenly drawn to a familiar figure.

It was one of her friends, a person she knew since middle school and whom she considers to be an older sister figure for her despite being the same age, Tomoko Sugiyama, with her chocolate brown hair unmistakable, and dressed in one of her distinctive outfits.

“Ah, Tomo-chan!” Ayase said quietly as she waved at her, and Tomoko waved back, though she had a puzzled look as she caught a brief glimpse of Keiyu before he vanished from sight.

 “Who was that? Was that guy hitting on you?” Tomoko questioned as she neared.

“Ah, no he wasn’t,” Ayase couldn’t help but smile at the question, “That was Kurumizawa-san. I just met him. He shared his table with me when the library was too crowded.”

“Really now?” Tomoko said.

“Anyways, what brings you here, Tomo-chan?” Ayase then asked.

“I’ve been texting you, and you weren’t replying, so I got worried.”

“Oh!” Ayase chuckled nervously, her hand going to the back of her neck. “My phone died, and I had to get it charged. Sorry for worrying you.”

Tomoko sighed as they settled into their seats at the table, “It's okay. Don't worry about it, I’m just glad you’re not in any trouble, have you had your lunch?”

"I'm still full, actually. But what about you, Tomo-chan? Did you eat?" Ayase returned the question.

"Yeah, I just came from the cafeteria," Tomoko responded. "I was a bit bummed out we couldn't eat together because you had homework to do."

Ayase gave sympathetic smile, because at this point, having lunch together was the norm for them both, "I'm sorry, Tomo-chan, math homework was just… there.”

“But well, it’s a good thing I looked for you anyway,” Tomoko then perked up.

"Why's that?"

With a smile, Tomoko leaned closer, "Because I have some really good news for you, Aya."