Back when the class rep mentioned she came to school during summer break to lock up the library, Kuroba Akira had already guessed she was on friendly terms with the student librarian—and most likely, that girl was one of the Literature Club members.
But it wasn't until today that he learned the librarian's name: Shirai Shiori.
Although he'd spent a lot of time in the library last semester, Akira never actually borrowed books. So he'd never had a reason to speak to her. Still, Shirai had left a strong impression on him thanks to her striking presence.
Like Shiginomiya, she wore her hair long, straight, and black—though not quite as long. Hers reached just past her shoulder blades, around where a bra strap would be. She also wore a white headband, the same style made famous by Kasumigaoka Utaha and Furuhashi Fumino.
But unlike those expressive heroines, Shirai's face was completely devoid of emotion. She always looked detached, distant, uninterested.
Akira had seen how she dealt with other students too—when someone came to check out a book, she'd silently pass over the library card without so much as a service smile. Her whole vibe screamed: Keep your distance.
In fact, if Akira had once been known as the "silent guy," then Shirai was the perfect counterpart: the "silent girl." Not quite a sanmu shōjo (emotionless girl), though. You could tell she could express emotion—she just didn't care to.
Akira figured she probably volunteered for the librarian post just so she could read in peace. Every time he went to the library, she was reading. Not faking it, either—always a different book each day, sometimes even rereading the same one several times if she liked it.
She turned the pages so delicately, even wore white gloves to keep the books clean, and used hand-crafted bookmarks in various designs. It was obvious: she genuinely loved books.
Shirai Shiori is probably the most "literary" girl in this entire Literature Club.
As for why Akira paid her so much attention… well, to be honest, the reason was pretty basic:
She was beautiful.
Her facial features were delicate, with sharp lines and porcelain-like refinement—like a doll sculpted by an artisan. Her jet-black eyes held a quiet depth and mystery that drew you in.
Whenever he entered the library and saw her sitting there quietly reading, it felt less like seeing a person and more like admiring a painting. It stuck with you.
Akira wasn't particularly into glasses girls—in fact, he thought glasses were usually a turnoff—but Shirai was the one exception. Even though she didn't wear them, she looked like someone who should.
If it hadn't been for Shiginomiya Shion, Shirai would probably be the most beautiful girl Akira had seen since transmigrating into this world.
Aizono Moe sat around 85 on the attractiveness scale, the class rep hit just over 90, Shirai scored a clean 99…
And Shiginomiya?
She broke the scale with a 120. She was simply in a class of her own.
Oh, and Shirai wore black tights. Probably full pantyhose.
Bonus points. Massive bonus points.
The only downside… was her chest. A little small.
Not totally flat—there was a modest swell, at least enough to count as buns rather than a board—but compared to the class rep and Aizono Moe, she was definitely on the "petite" end.
If the class rep was a D-cup and Aizono was a double D, then Shirai would be… not a C, but a B-cup, maybe? That filled the "medium" category in their group nicely when you included Shiginomiya.
Guess the gods are somewhat fair, Akira thought. Give a girl perfect looks, take back a little somewhere else.
Then again, Shiginomiya had an incredible peach-shaped butt and long, gorgeous legs. From a bodyline perspective, being too top-heavy might actually ruin the aesthetic…
Okay, maybe the gods weren't so fair. They were just especially biased toward Shiginomiya.
Not that Akira was a breast-size purist. He wasn't that shallow. He could appreciate all types equally.
Small is cute too, isn't it?
Compared to Shirai's ethereal, untouchable air, Aizono Moe gave off that sweet, neighbor-girl charm.
Her light brown hair curled slightly at the ends, with matching ribbons tied at either side. Her face was plump and youthful, but still vibrant and expressive—every inch radiating that pure, innocent "shōjo" vibe.
Well, except for those.
Those definitely weren't innocent.
They broke the illusion—adding a thick layer of temptation to her otherwise wholesome aura. It was the kind of contrast that screamed forbidden fruit. The classic "loli with huge boobs" trope.
Crassly speaking, hers was the kind of body that made people say, "Damn, I'd do her." The more she whimpered and begged, the more turned on people got. She had that kind of appeal—someone you wanted to tease until she cried.
Sinful, sinful thoughts... What the hell am I thinking about a girl I just met?
Akira shook himself. Maybe it was because they were dressed too modestly—it left too much to the imagination and triggered his inner degenerate.
Even though summer hadn't fully passed, Aizono Moe was already layering up, wearing a beige V-neck knit vest over her uniform blouse. She looked like a delicate, sickly ojou-sama from a shōjo manga.
And unlike the class rep, who was still in summer mode with a short skirt, both Aizono and Shirai wore long skirts. Extremely conservative.
The class rep was in summer.
These two were already in autumn.
Still, even if the Literature Club had few members, they were all top-tier beauties. The quality was almost unfair. If Sumiya Ryouta hadn't warned the other guys off, the clubroom would probably be flooded with dudes trying to get close to these girls.
Even if you couldn't win the class rep, cozying up to either of the other two would still give you a rose-colored high school life worth writing home about.
And the man who blocked that dream?
Sumiya Ryouta. You're the real MVP, Sumiya-san.
"I'll leave you to chat for now. I'll go make us some tea," said the class rep, smiling as she casually stepped away.
While Akira was observing the girls, they were observing him too.
Though Anri had said she'd handle all matters related to recruiting new members, neither of them had expected her to bring in… a boy.
Aizono Moe was a rather innocent girl. She was shy—especially around boys. She got so nervous talking to male classmates that she'd start stammering.
But since Hitomi-chan brought him, it must be fine. Moe had absolute trust in Anri.
So rather than being scared, she was more curious about the relationship between Anri and Akira. Eventually, she couldn't help but timidly raise her hand and ask,
"U-Um… are you and Hitomi-chan… dating?"
Yep. Knew this question was coming.
Akira shrugged. "Nah, we're just friends."
From across the room, the class rep tossed a teabag into the pot and corrected him:
"Very close friends, right, Kuroba-kun?"
Akira sighed and relented.
"Yeah… good friends."
If these two were also the class rep's so-called "friends for life," they probably already understood her intensity when it came to friendship.
And the fact that they hadn't run away from that pressure meant they'd already accepted the weight of her loyalty.
"It's the same kind of relationship you two have with her. Though I guess I haven't known her as long as you have."
"I see… then I look forward to spending time with you, Kuroba-kun."
"Yeah, same to you."
Aizono Moe accepted it without a second thought—simple and straightforward.
But Shirai Shiori?
Her brows knit together ever so slightly.
She could smell it.
The stench of romance.