After school.
Shuu was in the library.
He wasn't studying. Not really.
He had a literature book open in front of him, but he hadn't turned the page in ten minutes.
He was thinking.
Not about math. Not about homework.
About Kouno Sakura.
And Motoko Iura.
Things were progressing. That much was clear.
Sakura had started waiting for him by the classroom door after the final bell. She smiled more. Laughed more. Sometimes she even initiated the conversation.
All the signs of a route unfolding.
And yet...
Motoko kept showing up.
Every time he and Sakura got a little closer, she'd appear—joking, teasing, throwing curveballs like she was the heroine of a completely different genre.
And that's what bugged him.
She wasn't supposed to be part of the narrative.
She wasn't even in the original source material.
So why was she so effective at stealing scenes?
As if summoned by that very thought, a voice whispered beside him:
"Thinking about me, aren't you?"
Shuu nearly jumped out of his seat.
He turned—and of course, there she was.
Motoko, crouched beside his chair like some mischievous spirit haunting the school library.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed. "This is a quiet zone."
She held a finger to her lips. "Then whisper."
"I mean it. You're not supposed to just appear out of nowhere like a jump scare."
"Sorry," she said, totally unapologetic. "I saw you staring into space like a brooding light novel protagonist. Thought I'd check in."
Shuu frowned. "You don't have club activities?"
"I'm in the observation club."
"That's not a real club."
"Exactly."
She pulled up the chair next to him and sat down without asking, propping her chin in her hand.
"Can I ask you something serious?"
Shuu blinked. "...What?"
Motoko's voice softened slightly.
"Do you like her?"
Shuu stared.
"...Who?"
Motoko rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb. Sakura."
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he looked out the library window at the fading sky.
Then said, quietly:
"I think… I like the version of her that doesn't hide anymore."
Motoko didn't tease him.
She just watched him in silence for a moment.
Then, with a small smile, she leaned back.
"You're a good guy, Shuu."
He blinked, caught off guard.
"You're not going to make this a love triangle, are you?" he asked cautiously.
Motoko laughed. "Relax. I'm not here to compete. I just enjoy stirring the pot."
"That's somehow worse."
She grinned, hopping up from her seat. "You better keep being interesting, or I'll have to start rooting for Sakura instead."
Shuu watched her walk off.
Still unpredictable. Still intrusive.
But something about that conversation felt...
Real.
Even a little heavy.
He looked back down at his untouched book.
Motoko Iura wasn't the heroine.
But she wasn't just comic relief either.
Side characters… could be dangerous, too.
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