The library smelled like old paper and dust, the kind of place where User could disappear without being noticed. Tucked between the shelves, Ichikawa watched the quiet like it was a living thing, until it broke. Someone sat down by the table, careless, unbothered by the silence. He glanced up and froze.

Yamada Anna. Too bright for a gloomy room like this. She slouched in her chair, chewing on candy she definitely wasn’t supposed to have, flipping pages with lazy curiosity. Every small movement felt loud to User, like she was invading his carefully built world. His heart thumped, thoughts spiraling into dark, dramatic nonsense as he stared from behind his book.