34. You're the one who shouldn't have expected I'd study like Mizutani Shizuku

366 44 10
                                    


CHAPTER 34

        "Hoshino-san!"

         I rubbed at my eyelids, unable to suppress a yawn. I leaned against the door as I stared past my front porch and at the frowning male posted there with a huge frown painting his face. He had a bag slung around his shoulder, but it wasn't until he rattled me with his next words did I understand why.

          "Summer vacation is nearly over! Did you finish your summer homework yet?"

          "Huh?" I yawned again. "It's summer vacation, Kouichi. Of course we don't have any—"

          "We do!" Kouichi enunciated, puffing up his cheeks. "Have summer homework," he went on. "Everyone in the Humanity Club was right. You really did forget Seisein Academy is a college prep school."

          I rubbed at my eyes. "Kouichi, I need my beauty sleep."

          "It's noon," he replied in disbelief.

          "Only?" I sighed. "No wonder I'm so tired..."

          I slouched forward but as I did, Kouichi reached for my arm. His glasses hung appropriately on his nose, but after blinking a couple times it wasn't hard to notice that he'd gotten a tan from his vacation. If I remember correctly, he went to Okinawa...

          "You're coming with me," Kouichi cut my trailing thoughts off, waking me up for good. His hazel eyes locked with mine. "We're going to the library."

———————————————————

          "Hoshino-san, we didn't come here so you can waste your time at the manga section."

          Kouichi's words breezed past my ears. I bobbed my head as I turned the pages of the book in my hands. Then, I glanced at the entire shelf of books, ranging from series I'd already read to new series I wanted to and broke out into a wide, drool-y grin.

          "I was wanting to read these series but since I wasted up all my leftover money, I'd given up," I cheered, hauling them up into my arms. "I can't believe I hadn't thought of coming to the library. Good thinking, Kouichi!"

          He had taken a seat at the table next to a rather large window where a beautiful view of a lake existed. Fortunately for us, the library was pretty much vacant today, leaving this entire area for ourselves. Positioning his palm on his cheek, Kouichi heaved a breath.

          "Hoshino-san, you haven't even started on your summer homework."

I eyed the Horimiya manga with heart-eyes. "I'll start now."

"Not that kind of homework."

I paid a glimpse behind me to find that Kouichi appeared utterly finished with me. I bit the inside of my cheek as I brought the stack to the table, flopping down into the opposite seat from him.

Picking up the first volume, I scanned the page with my eyes. "You're oddly snappy today, Kouichi," I noted, pulling the book down a bit to see his face. "Did your trip change you or something?"

         Kouichi turned his cheek, a look of discomfort consuming his features. He swerved towards his textbooks and flipped them open. "Let's get started."

          I picked up an eyebrow, perplexed. Regardless, I shrugged his confusing behaviour aside and dropped my chin onto the table, extending out my arms so I could read my manga that way. "Aye-aye."

"You could at least try to get started," he said.

"You're the one who shouldn't have expected I'd study like Mizutani Shizuku," I murmured. "I'm not that into school."

The Humanity Club | ✓Where stories live. Discover now