COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 54 - : The Girl Wants to Take the First Step

"Sorry if this is a bit sudden, but... have we met before?"

"Nope."

"..."

The girl answered so quickly that Hikigaya was left speechless.

"But I do know you. I've been paying attention to you since the start of the school year, though back then, I didn't know your name," Shiina Hiyori said with a smile. She didn't seem like she was lying.

"You've been paying attention to me since school started?"

Hikigaya's face got even weirder. He hadn't noticed at all. And wait—did this cute girl have some kind of stalker tendencies?

"Was it because I was late on the first day?"

"Huh? Hikigaya-kun was late on the first day of school?"

"..."

"Hehe, I actually first saw you here," Shiina Hiyori said, glancing around at the bookshelves.

Hikigaya blinked in surprise, then suddenly understood. "So you were already hanging out in the library on the first day of school?"

The girl nodded shyly. "Since there weren't many students in the library back then, it was easy to notice you."

She added silently in her heart: And I kept noticing you for a long time. I just don't know why you suddenly stopped coming here.

"It can't be because of my eyes, right?"

Shiina Hiyori glanced at Hikigaya's eyes when she heard that, then suddenly let out a chuckle. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to, ugh."

She quickly covered her face with both hands, as if embarrassed by her rude reaction just now.

The truth was, she had a little secret she hadn't told anyone. She knew this was a place a certain someone often visited, so she had been hanging around this hidden corner for a while, hoping for a chance to "accidentally" run into him and start a conversation. After all, she had no idea how to talk to people on her own, so she could only rely on luck.

But whenever she picked up a book to read, she would completely forget about that plan. She would get so immersed in the book's world that everything else just slipped from her mind.

Now that she thought about it, she felt incredibly embarrassed. No one could ever find out about her little scheme. That would be way too humiliating.

Hikigaya, on the other hand, gave a bitter smile. So this was the "simple reason"? He felt ashamed of the dark thoughts he had just moments ago.

"You like reading too, right, Hikigaya-kun?" Shiina Hiyori had already recovered and was looking at him expectantly.

"Yeah, I guess."

After realizing he had completely misunderstood her, Hikigaya felt like digging a hole and hiding in it. He couldn't even bring himself to look her in the eyes.

"I knew it!" Shiina Hiyori said excitedly. "So, what kind of books do you like?"

"Well, mostly mystery novels—"

Before he could finish, she jumped in.

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"Really? Me too! My favorites are Agatha Christie's *And Then There Were None* and Raymond Chandler's *Farewell, My Lovely*! Oh, but I also love books by Japanese authors, like Seishi Yokomizo's *Kaneda* series, Miyuki Miyabe's *The Endless Killing* and *Fire Train*... Ah, sorry, once I start talking about books, I just can't stop."

Shiina Hiyori quickly apologized in a small voice, realizing she might have overwhelmed him.

Hikigaya could clearly tell how much she loved books. Unlike him—who just used them as a way to pass time alone—she genuinely enjoyed reading. That passion was written all over her face.

"It's fine. I understand what it feels like to want to share something you love. It's hard to find people who truly get it."

It was like hearing an amazing song, stumbling upon a great movie or anime—you just couldn't help but want to share that feeling with someone else.

Unfortunately, Hikigaya had always been alone. He never had the chance to share the things he liked with anyone. In fact, he was even afraid of hearing someone casually dismiss his interests with a simple "not interested."

"Wait! So you feel the same way?"

Shiina Hiyori's eyes lit up with surprise. "It feels so good to be understood. I've loved reading since I was a kid. Every time I read, I get so absorbed in the story that, before I realize it... I have no friends left around me. I always work up the courage to talk to people about my favorite books, but in the end, I never go through with it. I guess I'm just not good at talking to others."

Her expression darkened slightly, but then she smiled, looking genuinely happy. "That's why I'm really glad I met you, Hikigaya-kun."

Hikigaya stared at her bright smile, feeling a little moved. But... wait. You're bad at talking to people? Girl, are you sure about that?

From there, their conversation flowed naturally. Well, mostly, she did the talking while Hikigaya quietly listened, occasionally nodding or sharing his thoughts.

As they chatted, they realized they had read many of the same mystery novels. In other words, their tastes in books were surprisingly similar. That discovery made Hiyori's smile grow even brighter.

After a while, Hiyori suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, Hikigaya-kun, have you ever heard of an author named Kiku Meichui?"

"Kiku Meichui?" Hikigaya thought for a moment, frowning slightly. "The name sounds kind of familiar..."

"Really? You actually know this author?" she asked eagerly, eyes full of excitement.

"Uh... was it *The Mystery of the 100-Yen Coin on Wind Hill* or something?"

"Wow! Hikigaya-kun, you really do know about them!"

Hiyori clapped her hands together in excitement, letting out a little squeal—then quickly covered her mouth, realizing they were still in a library. But the joy on her face was impossible to hide.

"Uh..."

Hikigaya scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. The truth was, he barely knew anything about that author. If it weren't for a random memory surfacing in his mind at the right moment, he wouldn't have even recognized the name. As for the book itself, he had absolutely no idea what it was about.

After a brief silence, Hikigaya finally spoke. "Shiina, to be honest, I don't actually—"

"Oh, I see... You just happened to come across the name once, huh?"

Surprisingly, the girl didn't look disappointed or upset like one might expect. Instead, she seemed relieved, as if saying, "Ah, I knew it."

"Excuse me for asking, but what's your relationship with this author?"

"Hehe, I bet you already guessed from Hikigaya-kun's reaction. He's my dad, a completely unknown mystery writer. His books never sell!" Hiyori stuck out her tongue, pretending to be embarrassed about her father, though it seemed more like she was hiding her own disappointment.

"Whoa! So your dad really is a writer?"

To Hikigaya's surprise, he seemed genuinely excited and interested.

"Do all writers have beards, smoke hand-rolled cigarettes while writing, and go days without eating or drinking when they hit an emotional high point?"

"My dad does have a beard, but he doesn't smoke at all. Instead, he likes..." Hiyori paused for a moment, then started explaining to Hikigaya. As she spoke, she didn't even realize that the gloom on her face was fading away, and her smile was growing brighter.

"Oh, Hikigaya-kun, how about we exchange books? We can recommend our favorite books to each other! Doesn't that sound fun? I've always wanted to try something like this!"

Her smile and the anticipation in her eyes were like warm winter sunlight, bright and comforting, enough to melt even the coldest heart. It was only then that Hikigaya suddenly realized how close they were. The warmth of her breath, the faint scent coming from her—it all made his heartbeat speed up.

This was an impossible-to-dodge, direct hit!

"Awesome!"

Hiyori cheered and raised her arm, but then her face turned red as she realized how overly excited she had just acted.

"Hikigaya-kun, let's exchange email addresses."

"By the way, does your nose still hurt? Are you sure you don't need to go to the nurse's office?"

"Next time, I insist on treating you to something as an apology."

"I'm really glad I met you at this school, Hikigaya-kun."

"Bye-bye~ See you tomorrow~"

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