When break time came, after drawing in a deep breath and mustering all of the bravery in my being, I stood from my chair and walked up to Aoi’s table. Standing so close to her, I couldn’t help but notice how silky her shoulder-length hair was. How her alluring scent smelled so fragrant and sweet. So sweet, in fact, that I could almost taste it in my mouth.

Luckily, I managed to keep my composure and said: “Hey there.”

It sounded stupid and awkward, I know. But I’m never good at talking to strangers, especially if it's a girl. It already took all of my courage to say those two words without shaking or stuttering.

Aoi looked up from her book and stared at me. Her eyes were hidden underneath her bangs, stopping me from trying to guess her reaction. Angry that I interrupted her reading time? Creeped out since I kept staring at her the last two days? Or maybe she felt indifferent? Nevertheless, I kept pushing forward with my plan.

“Uh, what are you reading there?” I asked when she just stayed silent.

I thought she was going to ignore me. But as it turned out, instead of answering my question with words, she showed me the book’s cover. It had the drawing of a dragon, and a knight. The title read ‘The Dragon Knight’.

“I see… Uh, you know, I’m lately starting to get into reading novels. But I don’t really know what to read next. Do you have any recommendations for someone new like me?”

That was, of course, a big fat lie I made up. I almost never read a novel before. It was just a ploy to have a reason to keep talking and get closer to her.

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To my surprise, this time Aoi answered with her voice. I was taken aback by how gentle her voice was. It was not my first time hearing her speak, but at that time, even though she said it with a cold voice, she still sounded like an angel.

“What kind of novels do you like?”

“Uh… Fantasy, and action, if possible,” I answered.

“Do you mind romance?”

“N-No! Not at all!” I said while shaking my hand.

“You can borrow mine if you want. It's short and has good pacing and plot,” she said before leaning down and putting her hands into her bag.

“T-That would be great!”

She pulled out a thin book with black cover and offered it to me. “You can return it to me when you are finished. Oh, and please keep it clean and tidy.”

“I will, thank you so much!”

As I grabbed the book, my finger accidentally touched hers. And in an instant, jolts of joy coursed from my finger to my whole body. My face became so red that I would look like I was going to explode. And I would have jumped around like a rabbit if I hadn’t kept myself composed by pinching my leg. The constant stream of pain really helped me tether myself to reality.

“Are you okay?” she asked me.

I just nodded and took the book back to my chair. After putting it in my bag, I buried my face in my jacket. I kept pinching myself until all of the sensation dissipated from my system, which, to my surprise, took almost all of my break time.

At that point, I was honestly confused and a bit scared at what was happening to me. Why did every aspect of her suddenly become captivating to me? How does so little affect me so much? My original plan was getting close to her until she felt comfortable enough to answer my questions. But now, I felt like if she just suddenly poke my cheek, I would die from joy. Literary.

But, I was also happy. I successfully established some sort of connection with her. Not the best start, sure, but it's something. I thought it would only be a matter of time before I achieve my goal.