I have pure love with them

Shaking his head, Quan walked into the library.

'Want to sing The Three Little Pigs?'

When he walked into the library, he didn't see Goto Ichiri in his field of vision. From what I knew about her, he knew that she wasn't sitting at the spacious desk for others to use, probably because the desk was facing the door. As expected, she was hiding in some dark corner.

At this moment, if he were to sing the song "The Three Little Pigs" that Johnny sang in "The Shining", and then look for Goto Ichiri among the rows of bookshelves, and when he saw that she had taken out a book, and then put his face in front of her, I wonder what her reaction would be.

Without deliberately lowering his footsteps or revealing his identity, with a little mischief in mind, he walked to the bookshelf and began to check where Goto Ichiri was.

'who? ’

Entering the library and hiding deep in the second-to-last row of bookshelves, Goto Ichiri was preparing to have a meal alone as usual when he suddenly heard footsteps in the quiet library.

This made Goto Ichiri, who liked to be alone, hold his breath and shrink his body. He looked through the gaps between the layers of bookshelves, trying to observe the person who entered the library and what he was going to do.

Generally speaking, not many people would come to this library. Even the administrator of this library would only come here after school.

But today, someone suddenly came to the library during lunch break like her, which made Goto Ichiri worried.

"Could it be that you came to the library to avoid other people like me? But... I'm already here, and if another person comes, it won't be that safe."

Although she wanted friends in her heart, but if conditions permitted, she still hoped to make normal friends. If they were as dark as her... she doubted whether the two of them could say a word to each other for a long time.

'Should I imitate animals and use threats to scare the other person away? But which animal's calls should I imitate? What if I scare the other person and make him faint?'

I was hesitant in my heart, but the footsteps were getting closer and closer.

Goto Ichiri could not help but hug his snow-white knees tightly, curled up like a woodlice, squatted in the corner, and observed the direction where the sound came from through the gaps in the bookshelf with nervous eyes.

"Don't... don't go any further. Don't find me—"

Goto Ichiri prayed silently in his heart and couldn't help but close his eyes, hoping that the footsteps would gradually fade away, or that she would not be discovered hiding in the shadows.

But unfortunately, the footsteps stopped very close to her, as if there was only a bookshelf between them.

"What are you doing, Goto-san?"

The sudden sound in the quiet library made Goto Ichiri's heart stop, but in the nervousness that almost made her faint, she suddenly realized that the voice seemed quite familiar, and the chill that had just swept over her back suddenly receded like a tide.

The tense and trembling legs stopped shaking.

She was confused and not sure if she had just misheard the voice. She hesitantly opened her right eye and looked towards the other side of the bookshelf.

A pair of familiar eyes met her gaze. Goto Ichiri then opened her left eye and looked at the familiar face across the gap in the bookshelf. Her expression gradually became one of surprise and astonishment.

"Chi-Chihaya-san?!"

There was no trace of uneasiness in her ice-blue eyes. She just looked at Quan in confusion, wondering why Quan, who usually spent noon with her friends, would appear in the library today.

"W-Why is Chihaya-san here?"

"Wait a mininute."

Izumi, who was separated from Goto Ichiri by a bookshelf, chuckled softly, asked Goto Ichiri to wait for a moment, walked around a bit, and came to the bookshelf corridor where Goto Ichiri was. Looking at Goto Ichiri sitting on the ground, he also sat down on the clean floor.

The two bodies were very close to each other. Goto Ichiri, feeling nervous and uneasy, hesitated and moved his body slightly to make some space for Izumi.

"Thank you."

Noticing Goto Ichiri's actions, Izumi smiled and thanked her.

"No need...Chihaya-san, aren't you going to meet your middle school friends for lunch?"

Goto Ichiri looked puzzled. In the past, Chihayazumi would be invited by his middle school friends to have meals together every day. Everyone in the class knew this.

But today, it seems that this is not the case?

"Hmm? Shun and Akatsuki and the others? I was originally with them, but today I was curious about where Goto-san had lunch, so I didn't go with them today. Instead, I secretly followed Goto-san and came to this place together."

"Follow me?"

Goto Ichiri, who was leaning against the cold wall, was stunned. She looked at Izumi beside her with surprise. She didn't notice that Izumi was following her at all.

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you and just followed you like this. Goto-san always leaves the classroom alone every day, and no one knows where you go. So, I was a little concerned. I was worried that Goto-san would be alone and lonely, so I followed you."

Facing the gaze that Goto Ichiri was looking at him, Izumi looked apologetic and apologized to the girl.

"Did you make things difficult for Goto-san?"

"No, that's not the case!"

Goto Ichiri quickly shook her head and denied it. She ate lunch alone in the library every day. She was naturally lonely and isolated inside. She really wanted someone to accompany her, but she never expected that Quan would come to accompany her.

In her heart, she had hoped more than once that Izumi could accompany her at noon, but Goto Ichiri, who knew that Izumi had his own social circle, always felt that this was just a luxury.

She didn't want Quan's original interpersonal relationships to be affected because of her, so even though she had desires in her heart, she never showed them.

but……

Looking at the person next to him, Goto Ichiri pursed his lips and his mood became complicated.

"But... Is it okay at Chihaya's friend's place?"

"It's okay. They both have a lot to talk about. Compared to them, I think Goto-san might need me more."

After hearing Goto Ichiri's concern for him, Izumi, who was taking off his furoshiki, stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at the pink-haired girl beside him. Noticing the other's worried but evasive gaze, he put on a gentle smile.

"As lifelong friends, right?"

61. Intimacy in the Library

In the quiet and peaceful library, Goto Ichiri and Izumi sat in the aisle between the bookshelves, their bodies pressed very close.

The low-key and soft piano music lingered in Goto Ichiri's mind. In the quiet atmosphere without being disturbed by outsiders, she felt the faint fragrance coming from Izumi's body. She couldn't help but recall the day she stayed at Izumi's house.

My friend, you smell so good.

The tip of his delicate white nose moved slightly, and Goto Ichiri couldn't help but want to look at Izumi beside him, but he was worried about attracting Izumi's attention, so he lowered his head and held the lunch box, feeling a little nervous.

Sitting down next to Goto Ichiri in the shadow of the library was not something Izumi was quite comfortable with. In such a quiet atmosphere, he would rather eat at a table in the sunshine. But he couldn't sit at the table alone and leave Goto Ichiri sitting in the corner.

'Being closer like this doesn't make people feel too cool.'

Glancing at Goto Ichiri beside him out of the corner of his eye, he gently opened the lunch box. The lunch box he prepared himself in the morning was still a little warm at noon due to the heat preservation effect of the lunch box. The unique aroma of the dish made the nervous Goto Ichiri calm down, and she looked at Izumi's lunch box.

It is not particularly luxurious. In the simple lunch box, the only ingredients are blanched vegetables and fried meatballs. It looks very simple.

Goto Ichiri hesitated for a moment and opened his lunch box.

The food in the bento box, which is about the same size as Izumi's, is much richer than that in Izumi. In addition to the blanched broccoli, there are also octopus sausages, teriyaki chicken nuggets, and a boiled egg. On top of the white and plump rice, there is also seaweed and pickled plums.

Compared to Izumi's bento, Goto Ichiri's bento seems to be richer.

"Did Goto-san prepare his own lunch box?"

A soft voice whispered in his ears, and Goto Ichiri quickly shook his head to deny it.

"It's not me. My lunch box has always been prepared by my mother."

"Mrs. Goto?"

"Yes."

Although she gets up very early every day, Goto Ichiri actually doesn't want to get up so early, and sometimes she even has the urge to stay in bed. Preparing her own lunch box after getting up is even more troublesome for her, so her mother Goto Michiyo always helps her prepare it.

"My mother has always prepared my lunch box for me since elementary school. Did Chihaya prepare her lunch box... yourself?"

After responding to Izumi and looking at Izumi's lunch box, Goto Ichiri, who never ate in the classroom, had no idea what Izumi's lunch boxes looked like before. She just felt that Izumi's lunch box was a little simple. Combined with Izumi's question just now, she had some guesses and asked softly out of curiosity.

"Well, my family had something to do this morning, so I made my own lunch with the remaining ingredients in the fridge."

"Okay, great."

Looking at Izumi's bento, although simple, it is better than Goto Ichiri who has never prepared his own bento, he couldn't help but sigh.

In response, Izumi just smiled and praised Mrs. Goto's craftsmanship.

"Mrs. Goto's cooking skills are also great. Last time I was a guest at Goto's home, I was warmly entertained by Mrs. Goto. I wonder if Mrs. Goto has any gifts she likes. Next time I visit Goto's home, I can prepare in advance."

'A gift for mom?'

Goto Ichiri was a little surprised as she listened quietly to Izumi praising her mother, but when she heard that Izumi was going to prepare a gift for her mother, her expression froze on her face.

Recalling the last time she returned home and asked her father Goto Naoki why he agreed to let her stay overnight at Chihaya's classmate's house, her father and her mother standing beside her stared at her with a slightly regretful expression, which made Goto Ichiri realize a little bit of her parents' thoughts, and her mood suddenly became subtle and complicated.

Now, when she heard that Izumi was preparing gifts for her parents, she suddenly became nervous and wanted to stop Izumi from giving a gift to her mother. However, she couldn't think of any suitable reason. Instead, in her mind, there emerged a scene of her and Izumi in a church on an island, with the gazes of many relatives and friends, and herself wearing a pure white wedding dress and being held by Izumi's hand.

Suddenly, Goto Ichiri's face turned red.

"Well, it doesn't seem so bad..."

It was not clear what Goto Ichiri was thinking about beside him, but looking at her rosy cheeks, Izumi could still tell that she was probably thinking about something strange.

The two sat together and had lunch. Goto Ichiri shared some of his food with Izumi, and Izumi accepted Goto Ichiri's kindness with a smile. After lunch, Goto Ichiri and Izumi were still sitting in the library and were not in a hurry to return to the classroom.

"Chihaya-san's sister, is she studying in England?"

"Well, after going abroad, it became difficult to contact her. When it's daytime here, it's still nighttime there. At this time, it's still late at night there... No, it's almost midnight."

Seeing Izumi becoming talkative and excited when talking about her sister, Goto Ichiri felt complicated. She recalled the photo frame she had opened and the girl in the photo frame who looked somewhat like her. She couldn't help biting her lip.

'Do they look like him?'

Even though Quan had given the answer that day, Goto Ichiri still found it hard to let it go.

"Chihaya-san and her sister have a very good relationship..."

"Is the relationship good?"

After hearing what Goto Ichiri said, Izumi looked at Goto Ichiri beside her. The figure of Chihaya Aine seemed to overlap with hers, as if she saw Aine when she was in a bad mood.

The warm palm fell on Goto Ichiri's head, which made Goto Ichiri, who was in a depressed mood, raise his head involuntarily. His eyes followed the arm and looked at Izumi who was looking at him with gentle but somewhat absent-minded eyes beside him.

He was distracted for a moment, and when Izumi came to his senses, his hand had already fallen on Goto Ichiri's head.

Facing Goto Ichiri's gaze towards him, he came back to his senses and gave the girl a soft and gentle smile.

"Isn't my relationship with Goto-san also very good?"

"……Um."

Goto Ichiri did not deny it, but just lowered his head and responded softly.

He placed his hand on the soft long hair and stroked it gently, then he silently withdrew his hand. The action just now seemed a little too intimate for their relationship.