If one writes in the Notebook the specific behavior before love takes effect, the Notebook needs six minutes and forty seconds to take effect.
During those six minutes and forty seconds, Hiiragi Shuichi sat alone on the living room sofa waiting, feeling a little tormented inside.
From his perspective, he actually needed to talk with Komuro Ayumi alone.
If she came out and ran into a bunch of people, and because she couldn’t adapt to that atmosphere, wanted to go back into the bedroom again…
It wasn’t impossible.
He could only hope the others came back a little later.
As long as he could free up time to talk with Komuro Ayumi alone, even just a minute or two, he had a way to make sure Komuro Ayumi never locked herself in again.
If asked why, it could only be because Hiiragi Shuichi had argued with his parents too many times before, and locked himself in too many times.
So he couldn’t help but understand a little too well what the person inside the room was thinking.
From the bottom of his heart, Hiiragi Shuichi did not want to see a child who had locked herself away placed before him while he was powerless to do anything.
Having been through the same pain, as someone who had returned to the right track first, he ought to lend a hand.
As everyone’s Hiiragi Shuichi, he ought to succeed.
Even if he had to use the Notebook, he would pull her out.
The clock overhead ticked away minute by minute and second by second, and the silence in the air grew more irritating.
As expected, Hiiragi Shuichi could not wait any longer.
He chose to keep leaning against the door and try to talk with Komuro Ayumi.
“Komuro, what kind of things does the Classical Literature Club do? My reading list needs updating too. Do you have any good suggestions?”
His voice traveled properly from in front of the door to behind it, but there was no movement from the other side.
Hiiragi Shuichi waited nearly a minute, and then a voice clearer than before reached his ears.
“So annoying… What kind of books do you want to read? Let me make this clear first, you probably can’t understand the books I read…”
Even though it was a mocking remark, Hiiragi Shuichi was happy that she was actually willing to talk with him.
“Hey… you, you’re in front of the door, right? Don’t stay silent!”
A shout from the other side of the door reminded Hiiragi Shuichi.
“I’m here.”
“You’re Hiiragi Shuichi?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
After that, the other side of the door fell into silence again.
Hiiragi Shuichi needed to keep the conversation going.
“What kind of books are you reading, Komuro? I like reading light novels too.”
“Huh? Who said light novels… Natsume Soseki, Osamu Dazai, Kenji Miyazawa… Uh, the last one might be a bit obscure for you… Anyway, I read all of them!”
“Haha, sorry, sorry. I just saw that all the Classical Literature Club members were buying light novels, so I couldn’t help thinking along those lines.”
“So what books have you bought for the Classical Literature Club, Komuro?”
Hiiragi Shuichi deliberately steered the question toward reference books and bread.
Although he had earlier heard Manager Komuro say that Komuro Ayumi did not like bread, the manager’s opinion really could not be used as reference.
He had to hear it from Komuro Ayumi herself.
But Hiiragi Shuichi waited for a long time, and still saw no movement.
“Is there, is there anything you’re interested in? I have , , , , , … Ouch!”
From the other side of the door came the sound of something heavy falling onto the wooden floor.
So the earlier silence was actually because she had run to the bookshelf to look for books…
Hiiragi Shuichi thought about it and felt he could not say he was interested in all of them.
If he had to pick one or two, he could only pick ones he had actually read.
For example, was a book Hiiragi Shuichi had never even heard of.
His own amount of reading was actually less than hers, and Hiiragi Shuichi suddenly felt a little ashamed.
“Ah, Komuro… I’m very interested in Osamu Dazai’s , you know? I haven’t read , but I somehow feel it’s interesting? Could you lend it to me?”
Hiiragi Shuichi thought now was a good chance to lure her out.
But the problem was that right after he finished speaking, no sound could be heard from the other side of the door again.
Hiiragi Shuichi looked up at the clock.
Six minutes had passed now.
Looking through the bottom of the door gap, the bedroom was probably pitch-black, but outside the bedroom it was extremely bright.
Hiiragi Shuichi pressed against the door, trying his best to listen for movement inside.
“Hey… move out of the way! If you keep leaning on the door, how am I supposed to open it?”
“Huh? S-sorry…”
Hiiragi Shuichi hurriedly stepped back a few steps, away from the door.
Maybe Komuro Ayumi was a considerate person?
That thought surfaced in Hiiragi Shuichi’s mind.
Because the door opened inward, what she was worried about was not that Hiiragi Shuichi was pressing on the door and she couldn’t push it open.
She was afraid that once she opened the door, Hiiragi Shuichi might fall down.
With a click, the door handle was pushed down before Hiiragi Shuichi’s eyes.
A stretch of darkness slowly widened with the door, until scattered light shone in, allowing the interior to be faintly seen, until a somewhat messy shoulder-length head of black hair appeared in Hiiragi Shuichi’s line of sight.
A delicate-looking girl, somewhat unkempt, yet with a clear spirit in her eyes, wearing a white hooded pajama set, timidly raised her head.
Tick… tock…
Hiiragi Shuichi had been counting the seconds in his mind along with the clock.
From the moment she decided to open the door to when she appeared before him, exactly forty seconds had passed.
“You’re… Hiiragi?”
Komuro Ayumi asked timidly, but her tone held suspicion and a slight, defensive aggression.
Even though she had already asked the same question once, Hiiragi Shuichi did not mind.
Instead, he smiled happily.
“Hello, Komuro. I’m Hiiragi Shuichi from Class 2-D…”
Stairwell.
From upstairs, the voices of Hiiragi Shuichi and Komuro Ayumi talking could be heard.
Ms. Shiraishi deliberately stood at the corner of the stairwell, downward, in the middle of the steps.
This way, the people upstairs could not see her, she could hear the sounds from upstairs, and she could also block anyone from downstairs who wanted to go up.
Ms. Shiraishi shook the can of Guatemalan coffee in her hand.
The current situation did not seem convenient for her to pull open the can’s tab.
“That kid Hiiragi is pretty good… But why? Can just a few words like that really do it…”
Ms. Shiraishi muttered inwardly, admiring Hiiragi Shuichi’s ability while also feeling doubt.
Was it that Hiiragi Shuichi’s persona was good, and that was why he could move the vast majority of people?
But even if she wanted to find another reason, she had no idea what it could be.
Ms. Shiraishi helplessly let out a soft sigh.
After all, she felt that the more Hiiragi Shuichi could do things others couldn’t, the more he would sink into the swamp of everyone and be unable to free himself.
“Jun, what’s wrong?”
“Shh—”
Aoba Tomoyo suddenly came out from the back kitchen and saw Ms. Shiraishi eavesdropping on the stairs.
Ms. Shiraishi quickly signaled her to be quiet.
“Don’t worry. I insisted that older guy make the bread by hand, and Rishi, not wanting to be outdone, went to make some by hand too. They’re in the back kitchen and won’t be coming out for a while.”
Aoba Tomoyo said softly with a smile.
Ms. Shiraishi frowned.
Only then did she realize that Aoba Tomoyo was thinking the same as her—leaving time for Hiiragi Shuichi.
Ms. Shiraishi pointed outside the door, indicating they should talk outside.
Outside the shop.
Evening had arrived, and a wine-red filter had already covered the entire street.
“What’s with you, Jun~ So mysterious…”
As soon as they went outside, Aoba Tomoyo pressed her.
“Don’t call me Jun. I’m still your teacher, after all… Sigh, forget it. Call me whatever you want.”
Ms. Shiraishi felt it wasn’t appropriate to pull rank as a teacher, so she let it go.
Aoba Tomoyo narrowed her eyes, then broke into a smile.
“Come on, Jun~ Tell me, tell me. What did you overhear?”
“Don’t give me that… Since you said overhear, that means you know Hiiragi pulled Komuro out of the bedroom, so why ask me…”
Ms. Shiraishi popped the tab and took a gulp of coffee.
Aoba Tomoyo stretched and did not deny it.
“Do you like Guatemalan coffee, Jun?”
“Huh? Oh, this canned one has sugar added, the tobacco taste isn’t too strong, and it’s quite a bit sweeter than the coffee shop’s. I’d say it suits my taste.”
“Is that so…”
Aoba Tomoyo stared at the can absently for a moment.
Ms. Shiraishi glanced at her.
“Aren’t you surprised about Hiiragi?”
“Oh, about Hiiragi? It’s fine… I think I like him.”
What Ms. Shiraishi wanted to ask wasn’t that.
She was only asking about Hiiragi Shuichi pulling Komuro Ayumi out of the bedroom, but Aoba Tomoyo had thought of her own feelings.
Ms. Shiraishi thought for a moment, sighed, and chose to follow Aoba Tomoyo’s line of conversation.
“Probably? Is that so hard to be sure about?”
“Who knows… Jun, tell me, is it possible to fall in love at first sight with someone you originally hated?”
“I can’t say it’s completely impossible, right? A lot of things are like that—you can’t be completely sure. But there is one thing I’m sure of.”
“What?”
Ms. Shiraishi took a sip of coffee and looked at Aoba Tomoyo with a bitter smile.
“The girls around that kid Hiiragi are nothing but problem students…”
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