Chapter Text
Tsuzuru’s strongest suit is juggling his university workloads and part-time jobs. Hard work somehow became second nature to him at this point that he grew accustomed to the consequences: exhaustion, sore muscles, and having little-to-no-sleep. Despite all that, he still wakes up every single day and takes a step forward towards his dreams.
Every Wednesday, he proceeds to the library right after his three-hour afternoon classes to fulfill his duties and responsibilities as a student library assistant. His shift starts from 5 p.m. until closing, including a dinner break.
The job wasn’t easy, but the benefits are worth it. Besides the allowance that he gets from being a student assistant, he also gets access to a lot of books which puts him at an advantage as a literature student.
Upon arrival, he placed his bag under the table and started his work at the circulation desk. The first few minutes were quiet, so he took a book under the Literature section and read it to pass the time.
“Excuse me~”
He looked up from his book and saw a guy with dirty blond hair and bright green eyes at the front of the desk. Tsuzuru put his book down and greeted his schoolmate with a small smile. “Hello. How can I help you?”
“It’s a bit embarrassing but I don’t frequent here a lot, y’know~” The guy scratched the back of his neck. “Y’see, I’m working on an art piece for my class and it’s reaaally important. You know how professors have high expectations and standards? Yeah, me too!”
Ah, why do I have to listen to this guy’s story. Can he just go straight-to-the-point?
“Hmm, so are you looking for some sort of reference book? An inspiration, perhaps?” Tsuzuru asked.
“Oooh, you get me! Yup, I came here exactly for that.”
“I see. You should be able to locate them on this floor, in the middle section. Arts and Recreations should be right before the Literature section. Are you looking for anything specific?”
“Hehe, so you know your stuff, huh. That’s really useful! But since you asked, maybe books about Japanese painting or Japanese culture will help.”
“Ah. There’s a whole section for that.”
The university library is huge so oftentimes, he needs the library computer’s aid to look for specific types of books or titles. However, Tsuzuru fixes and checks the Arts & Recreations and Literature sections a lot so he pretty much had it almost memorized. He stood up and left the desk.
“Please follow me.”
They reached the Arts section and showed him the shelf filled with books about Japanese art, ranging from traditional art like paintings, sculpture, origami, and calligraphy to modern art like manga and animation. The section has reference books, art studies, zines, and researches — heaven for students majoring in Japanese art. For a moment, Tsuzuru felt proud since he was the one who organized this section a few weeks ago.
“Woaaah, thank you!” The blond’s excitement was practically emanating in the library, especially with how much his eyes sparkled.
“Please be quiet…” Tsuzuru frowned. To his horror, he watched as the guy took one book after another, which slowly piled up on his arms. Nothing wrong with that, except he prayed that the art-loving guy will return it properly after use.
“Do you… need some help…?” Concern was written all over his face.
“There’s no need! I got it!” He carefully scanned the books on the shelf and then stopped after collecting eight books varying in thickness.
“Okay… Well, I’ll be back. If you need any kind of assistance, I’ll be at the desk.”
After that, the next hours had been slow. He took a break to eat, processed some books to be borrowed, assisted some students who are looking for specific books, and continued his reading. Fortunately, he has no classes and jobs every Thursday so he can at least take it easy. He organized his schedule in his mind and decided to start working on a short story assignment tomorrow so that his works won’t pile up, and that he’d have enough time to revise.
Tsuzuru glanced at the clock on the wall. Ten minutes until closing. He watched as the students staying in the library thinned out, saved for those who are doing last-minute studying, reading, and researching. He stood up to return the book he read when he noticed the same guy who asked him for Japanese art-related books earlier at one of the tables.
Books messily piled up on his table, along with an unruled notebook and a short pencil. Beside him, his bag was widely opened and… well, he was slumped on the table, sleeping.
Good grief. Didn’t he notice the sign not to leave your valuables unattended? It’s not the library staffs’ responsibility if ever one of his things got stolen. Judging from the books he borrowed and his overall (weird) presence, the guy must be an art student. Aren’t they carrying expensive art materials all the time?
Tsuzuru approached him and lightly tapped his shoulder. “Senpai? We’re closing in…” He checked the clock again. “...six minutes. Please wake up.”
He stirred a little but did not fully wake up.
“Hey. Wake up. Seriously...” Tsuzuru glanced around. Other students are packing their things, returning the books, and leaving the library one by one. “C’mon, everyone is leaving. You still have to return the books you took from the shelf.”
While waiting, he couldn’t help but take a peek on the guy’s notebook which is just lying open. Usually, whenever he glances at tables and notebooks, he sees handwritings, both neat and messy, but in his case, the opened page is filled with sketches and small writings containing notes and details. It was pretty much random — doodles of birds, butterflies, flowers, mountains, and waves, but he drew them in many styles with just a pencil. Amusement filled his eyes that he didn’t notice the guy waking up.
“Ah. What time is it?”
Tsuzuru immediately looked away. “It’s already 8:56 p.m. We’re closing at 9. You’ve been asleep for some time now...”
The guy closed his notebook and shoved it in his bag, then placed his pencil on the holder inside. “Haha, sorry for troubling you. By the way, you saw my sketches, right? I’m still compiling elements for my design so it wasn’t really anything yet~”
Tsuzuru’s cheeks turned bright red. “I don’t think that was nothing…”
He stood up and wore his backpack. Together, they carried the books and returned them to their proper shelves. “Have you read all eight of those? You can always borrow them and bring them home for a specific amount of time, you know.”
“I kinda scanned and took note of anything that caught my attention~” The guy replied. “I’ll probably borrow books some other time. But for now, I’ll just visit the library from time to time.”
After returning the art books, they went to the Literature section to return the book that Tsuzuru borrowed. To his surprise, the guy followed him.
“So… you’re an art student?” He didn’t know why exactly he was striking up a conversation but for some reason, it felt natural.
“Yup! Major in Japanese painting! It’s easy to tell, I guess~?”
“I don’t think any science or liberal arts major would ramble about arts or their project as you did earlier… Besides, your overall personality screams that you’re an art student.” When they arrived, Tsuzuru returned the book on the top shelf.
“Dude, are you stereotyping~? Haha, well, that’s fair. How about you?”
“M-me? Well, I study literature…”
“Oooh, it suits you! You look like you’re going to be a great storyteller in the future! Or maybe you already are? Heh, you should show me your works sometime! By the way, I’m Kazunari Miyoshi, a 3rd year student~”
“Miyoshi-san…” He was speechless. Out of everyone he talked to, he’s the only one who showed interest in his major outside his department. And to think that he just met him today… “Um, I’m Tsuzuru Miyagi. 2nd year.”
“Tsuzuroon, are you free tonight~? I haven’t eaten yet, so I could use a companion.”
“Tsuzuroon!? W-well…” Quickly, he thought about the things he needed to do and his expenses for the week so far. In normal circumstances, he would decline but since he doesn’t have to worry about classes, an early part-time job, and older brother duties (since he started staying in a dormitory this semester), he decided to go along. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with loosening up and socializing. “Yeah, I am.”
“Great! It’s my treat. I wanted to thank you for your help. Besides, I troubled you, right~? It’s already past closing time and I kept you here.”
“Are you sure!? I guess that’s okay… Thank you.”
Once they got back on the circulation desk, Tsuzuru signed and checked out on the logbook, closed all the air-conditioners and lights, and made sure the library was locked before leaving.
“It’s totes hard being a student library assistant, huh. So, should we go, Tsuzuroon?”
“And whose fault was it that I ended up doing extra work? Seriously...” He dramatically sighed. “After you, Miyoshi-san.”