Part 16: Partner for a day.

After class was dismissed, I stayed behind in class with a few friends. We have the assignment and the golden week is coming up. It's the Campbell examination week to test ourselves. Each student needs to participate in the exam, we have the choice to enter as a solo candidate or in a team. As for me, I would rather be in a group than do it solo.

"So what should we present?" asked one of my friends. She opens up a notebook and we brainstorm ideas. After she listed down the ideas, I need to take a vote and explain why we need to do it. So we decided to take a day off and just present the ideas to all the members. My group has 5 people, 3 girls and 2 boys. 

"Alright, I'll see you all tomorrow." I take my leave and head out to the library. My mind was pact with questions. I tried my best to forget it for a day and give myself a break from it. Luckily I was on the noon shift, so I can get home before dinner. I ran the stairs, heading out of the building. It was cloudy and it was a good day to restart my life again.

"Good afternoon!" I greet my co-worker as I push the staff room door.

"Mayumi-san? Welcome back." Todoroki greeted me as he pull down his begs in a locker.

"Todoroki-san, hi. You're on the same shift as me?" I asked. I close the door and head to my locker.

"Yeah, I guess. Since we're both the only ones who got a lot of free time." Todoroki put on the Library apron and close his locker. He turns away from me and went to the water replenishment, he took a cup and pour some water.

"Yeah... Anyway, I need to change, I will see you at the counter." I took out my apron from my bag.

"Alright. I'll go out first." Todoroki left me in the staff room alone, it was my first time talking to him. He really is a quiet person. Usually, his does his work without talking much and went straight home after finishing his shift. Even a few guys in here tried to hang out with him but he rejected them cold-hearted.

"Well, might as well I need to be like him. Minding my own business." I sigh, Todoroki-san and me are the opposite. I'm attracting all sorts of things and he just pushes all sorts of things. After I was done changing and tired up my hair. I locked up my locker and headed to the counter. Todoroki was already begun his work by stamping the new book.

I approached him from behind.

"Do you need help with entering the book data?" I asked. He look surprised when he saw me coming up from his back.

"Ah-yes, please. I will leave it to you. Thanks." he answered. He continued his work and put the new book in the middle between us.

"These books are huge," I said on purpose to see if he would react to it. Todoroki stops his work and stands by the middle, he was ready to carry the books and place it on the floor which is pretty convenient for me to arrange it in a trolley.

"Thanks," I say.

"No problem," he responded. He went back to his seat and start stamping. A group of girls approached him.

"Hey, I was wondering if we can make a book access pass in here?" asked one of the girls.

"Yes, you can. I'll bring the form for you in a second." Todoroki walks to my table side and looked for the booking form.

"Here." I hand it to him. He just nodded and went back to the girls, they were giggling and whispering.

"Fill out this form and bring it back to me later. I will make you an ID to get you started," explained Todoroki.

"Thanks, and how much do we have to pay?"

"It's 297.97 yen for a student fee," says Todoroki.

I was not eavesdropping but I know those girls probably wanted to flirt with him. I don't blame them at all, Todoroki is exceptionally handsome and sweet. That's explained why each time he's on duty, most girls will come up and pretend to study, borrowing a book or even making a student pass.

"Miss, it seems you have already been registered in our system," says Todoroki, he checks the names and the detail.

"Oh! It must a mistake! I never register for a student pass before. Perhaps someone used my name?" the same insisted that she never made a pass.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, I will look into it and sign you in. Give me a minute." Todoroki handles it very well. He didn't seem bothered by it.

"Todoroki Yuji. That's a great name." praise the girl.

"Thanks," he responds. He didn't take so much time to key in the detail and proceed with the payment. The girls seem happy to touch their hands while exchanging money.

"Todoroki-san, if you're free this weekday, would you like to go on a date with me?" says the girl. I wasn't surprised watching her flirting with Todoroki. She's a good-looking girl and he's a good-looking guy so they seem perfect together.

"Thank you for your invitation but I'm busy on the weekend plus next week is the golden week. I need to focus on my assignment." Todoroki rejected her.

She seems mad and she wasn't satisfied with his direct cold answer.

"How about the following weekend? We decided to go to the beach. You wanna come?" she asked again. She's so determined.

"Sorry I can't. I have to watch over my cat," he responds.

"Well how about the end of this month? A new movie coming up," she asked again.

"Sorry I can't. I was on duty that week. I hope this gives you the answer you needed. If there's nothing else, I would like to proceed with the next customer."

'Damn boy! You rejected her three times!' those were just my thoughts. The girl seems mad, she took the card and storm out of the library. She was angry. I looked at Todoroki and he seems perfectly fine.

"You such a weirdo," I say it openly after his done serving the customer.

"What?" he looked at me.

"Why did you reject her? She asked you three times, which means three chances. But you shut her down completely." I say it again.

"I have no time to waste and I have no energy to spend others than studies and work. That's why," he explained. He took a rest and lean in the chair.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking. That's totally fine to set a goal. If I were you, I would do the same thing too."

I continue my work and we keep silent after that.

"Hey, Mayumi-san. It's break time" says Todoroki. He stands up from the chair and starts putting things away.

"Oh, yea. I almost forgot about it." I stand up and stretch my body. We went to the staff room together, when we enter the room. Sakura and Denji were in there. They waiting for us to take a break. I took out my bento from my locker and made myself a cup of hot green tea.

"Yuji-san. Are you free this weekend?" asked Denji. He's the only one who can keep up with Todoroki.

"I'm not going," respond Todoroki. They seem to have something plans. I turn my look at Sakura, she was staring at me.

"What?" I asked. Sakura smirked at me.

"Why are you looking at him that way?" she tried to tease me.

"I don't understand what you're trying to say." I need to ignore this childish friend of mine.

"Is there anything happening between you two?" she asked again. Only this time she was completely grinning.

"Nothing is going on. I'm just gonna eat my meals and completely ignore you until I'm done eating." I opened up my bento and the smell of my lunch box fills the room.

"That smells good!" praised Denji, he quickly looks at my bento.

"Thanks. My mother packed up this lunch for me."

"Your mother?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, they are here in Tokyo. But they probably return to Hirazumi tomorrow morning." I explained.

"You're from Hirazumi too?" asked Denji. He looked surprised.

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"Yuji is from the Hirazumi district too," responds Denji. He quickly pats Todoroki's shoulder.

"You never told me you're from Hirazumi," I say in slang.

"Yeah, it's not important anyway," respond Todoroki in slang too. He finished up his curry bun and went to the side to take a quick power nap.

"Hirazumi resident.." I think to recall his name in my head, maybe in my memories. But nothing. I sigh and completely ignore the fact. I had enough things to think about.

I didn't say anything after that. I just focus on my bento and talking to Sakura.

After our break finished, Todoroki and I head back to the counter. We didn't say anything and it was awkward. I looked around the library and it wasn't packed.

"Todoroki-san, do you mind if I take a quick nap?" I whisper. My mind needs a break and the library made me feel at ease.

"Alright. Go ahead. Rest well." he responds. I watched him take his laptop and start doing his assignment.

"Wake me up in 20 minutes okay?" I whisper again. He looked at me and just nodded.

I took a big book and place it on top of my head and slept.