Chapter 1: Eina (5) |
I printed a hundred of the booklets.
Though they were being distributed freely, there was a limit to how many students liked books, so it was a fair amount. But when working on it alone, it was a pretty large amount.
It was Saturday and I could hear the sports club members from outside.
I finished up in the print room and carried the printed materials to the clubroom and started binding them.
The work itself was simple. I’d fold each B4 sheet in half, pile them up, then staple them together. I hadn’t gotten enough sleep, so just carrying the materials to the clubroom was tiring.
Ruka-senpai had sent the illustration on Friday morning and I had been typesetting everything from after school until this morning. The text itself was complete, but that took until the morning.
I had a nap and then went to the print room, which brought me to noon.
I ate the lunch I bought at the store ahead of time and then began work in earnest.
I folded paper silently as music played from my phone.
“I have to do it.”
I said, purposefully pompous to motivate myself, the very image of a tragic hero.
Sort of like a late night excitement.
And then:
Vrr vrr.
My phone buzzed.
Eina: Hello, how are you?
Shuu: Alright.
Eina: What are you doing today?
Shuu: Binding the books.
Eina: You’ve got club today?
Shuu: Well, I’m on my own.
Eina: No one’s helping you!? That’s awful!
Shuu: The third-years have all retired, so I’m just the only one active.
Eina: I see… So you’re binding them alone? How many?
Shuu: A hundred.
Eina: Waa, that’s a lot. I… can’t help you, sorry.
Shuu: It’s fine. Just having someone to talk to makes it easier.
Eina: Then if it’s not a hassle, I’ll call.
The call came through practically as I finished reading and I answered it on speaker phone.
《Hello, Shuu-san?》
“Hey.”
《Do your best. I’m cheering for you.》
“Thanks.”
《…》
“…”
《I can’t actually think of anything to talk about.》
“We don’t know anything about each other. Let’s introduce ourselves or something. What kind of books do you like, Eina?”
《Hmm… I like fantasy-ish things. Like fairy-tales. Romance too. What about you?》
“I like pretty much everything, but Sci-Fi in particular.”
《What do you like to eat?》
Eina was the one to ask a question this time.
“Ramen, katsudon, stuff like that.”
《That’s typical for a boy.》
“What about you, Eina?”
《I like anything sweet! Cake, choux creams, dorayaki, anmitsu…》
I guessed that just listing sweet things would be just like a girl.
《Next question then! Do you have a girlfriend?》
“I don’t.”
《What about someone you like?》
Suddenly, the president’s face came to mind and I immediately gave a wry smile.
She was definitely beautiful, but she was out of my league. I could just admire her from afar. If anything, I didn’t really want to talk with her.
It’s tough to see her act like she hates me when we talk face to face.
“I guess I’ve got someone I look up to.”
《Eh, eh. What kind of person are they.》
“What kind of person? …Hmm, I don’t really know. I barely know anything about her.”
《Ah, so it’s one-sided…》
“Guess so. What about you then? Do you have a boyfriend?”
《Do you really think I would?》
I thought probably not and then asked.
“What about someone you like?”
《Ummm. There’s someone I look up to,》 apparently she wanted to avoid the question, 《and, it’s one-sided for me too, probably.》
She sounded kind of lonely and it made my heart ache. A one-sided love… that’s tough.
“If you need advice, I can help maybe?”
《Thank you. I’m okay for now, but please do when it comes to it.》
We carried on our meandering conversation like that, the time seemed like it flew as I talked with Eina and the sun had set before I knew it, the books were fully bound.