The library was my safe place, especially the archives upstairs where no one ever went. I could just be Hoshino Kazuya, a regular second-year student who liked to be forgotten. My parents were away for work, so I kept our apartment perfectly clean and my life perfectly planned. I liked things neat and simple.
So, when everything came crashing down, I was completely surprised.
It started with a soft sound, like a fast whisper, from the end of the shelves. I looked up from my textbook, annoyed by the noise. Then I saw her.
Aizaki Himari.
The school's "Ice Queen." She got the best grades, was beautiful, and was the Vice-President of the Student Council. She moved so smoothly that everyone else seemed clumsy. Her name meant respect. I'd seen her many times, always calm, her dark hair shining, her face polite and distant. She was the kind of person you could only look at from far away. The kind of person who never messed up. And also my neighbour.
Now, she was on a wobbly library ladder, reaching for a book on the highest shelf. Her slim fingers, usually so sure, seemed to be shaking. A tiny shiver went through her arm as she stretched, showing she was having trouble.
"Be careful," I whispered, too quietly for her to hear.
But she must have moved, or maybe the old ladder just gave up. There was a loud groan of metal, a high squeak from the wheels, and then, a scary, long CRACK.
My quiet world tipped over.
She let out a caught breath, a sound that made my skin tingle because it was so unlike her. Her hand slipped from the book and then from the shelf support. Instead of catching herself, she seemed to pull down the whole metal shelf unit.
Books, lots of them, fell like rain. The heavy shelf itself, making another loud SCREEEE, pulled away and started to fall. It was heading right for her, and also toward my corner.
My mind went blank for a second. Then, I just reacted.
"Watch out!" I yelled, dropping my book.
I threw myself forward, not to hug her or anything, but toward the shelf. I wasn't trying to be a hero; I was just trying to stop a disaster. If that heavy metal hit her, it wouldn't just be an injury, it would be a huge mess that would embarrass the whole school. And I didn't want to get crushed either.
I pushed the corner of the shelf hard enough to change where it landed, taking the crash of a smaller stack of books on my left shoulder. A dull THUD hit me, followed by a sharp pain. I stumbled back, grabbing my shoulder.
Books tumbled around us like a broken waterfall. A cloud of old dust filled the air.
When the last book settled, leaving a strange silence, I looked at Himari-san.
She stood frozen in the mess, her perfect uniform a little crooked, a thin layer of dust on her hair. But I only saw her face.
Her eyes, those famous, calm eyes, were wide and wet. A single tear, like a small, clear drop of water, ran down her dusty cheek. Her mouth was open in a silent gasp, and her hands were clearly shaking. She looked not like an "Ice Queen," but like a scared, very normal girl who had just broken something big.
Her perfect act was completely shattered.
The librarian, Tanaka-sensei, rushed into the aisle, her face confused and worried. "What happened here?!"
Himari-san jumped. She quickly wiped the tear away, and her face snapped back to her usual calm look. The "Ice Queen" was trying to put her mask back on.
But I had seen it. The break. The real fear.
Before Himari-san could speak, I spoke first.
"Ah, Tanaka-sensei! I'm so sorry! I was rushing to get a book and wasn't looking. I accidentally hit the ladder, and... well, this happened." I pointed at the mess, trying to sound truly sorry. My shoulder hurt, but I ignored it.
Both Himari-san and Tanaka-sensei stared at me. Himari-san's eyes were wide with surprise, then a quick understanding, and a tiny, almost invisible nod of thanks. Tanaka-sensei, however, looked confused.
"Hoshino-kun? You? But you are always so careful."
"Just a clumsy day, I guess," I said, forcing a weak smile.
Tanaka-sensei sighed. "Well, this is a huge mess. You need to help me sort these books, Hoshino-kun. And write a report about the damage. Aizaki-san, are you okay? You look pale."
Himari-san, now back to her elegant self, gave a small, polite smile. "Yes, Tanaka-sensei. Just shocked. I'll help Hoshino-kun clean up."
"No, no," I cut in fast. "It's my fault. You don't need to worry, Aizaki-san." I wanted her to leave, to keep her image safe.
She gave me a long, serious look. A silent promise passed between us: Thank you. I owe you.
"Perhaps you're right," she said, her voice smooth. "I have Student Council work. I'll leave it to you, Hoshino-kun. Please be more careful next time." She bowed perfectly and walked away, leaving me in the broken aisle.
But as she left, I saw one more thing. Her uniform jacket, just below the shoulder, had a small, hard-to-see tear. It was a tiny crack in her otherwise perfect surface. And for some reason, that small flaw meant more to me than the pain in my shoulder.
That evening, the smell of burnt food or maybe something worse came strongly down the hall of my apartment building. I had just finished carefully cleaning my own kitchen after making a simple soup. My shoulder still ached, reminding me of the library crash.
What is that awful smell? I thought, pinching my nose. It smelled like a burnt fire mixed with hot plastic.
Curiosity, or maybe that weird new sense of duty pulled me toward the smell. It was coming from... my next-door neighbor's apartment.
Apartment 203.
The door was slightly open, letting out a thick cloud of gray smoke. Then I heard a soft cough.
No way.
I pushed the door open carefully. "Hello? Is everything okay in here?"
The apartment was nice, clearly cleaned by professionals. It screamed "rich family," except for one huge problem:
The kitchen.
It was a mess. A white stove was covered in dark, burnt smears. A saucepan, still on the heat, was smoking wildly, its contents turned into a black, sticky lump. A bag of instant ramen was spilled open, noodles scattered across the counter.
And standing in the middle of this cooking war zone, desperately trying to fan the smoke alarm with a dish towel, was Himari-san.
She wasn't in her uniform. She wore a too-big, faded T-shirt that looked like an old zoo souvenir, printed with a sleepy panda. Her perfect hair was tied back in a messy knot, and her face was smudged with what looked like flour or soot.
Her wide, scared eyes met mine. This time, there was no calm act, no perfect cover. Just pure embarrassment.
"Hoshino-kun?!" she gasped, holding the dish towel to her chest. The smoke alarm, finally giving up, let out a loud, painful shriek.
"I... I was just trying to boil some water," she stammered, her voice thin with shame. "For instant noodles. It seemed... easy."
I looked at the smoking pan, the spilled ramen, and back at her. The "Ice Queen" of beauty and brains couldn't even boil water for instant noodles. My shoulder still hurt, but a small, quiet smile started on my face.
She was a problem. A monumental, confusing, and utterly baffling mess that had just moved in right next door. My life of solitude was definitely over.
"Well," I said, reaching for the fire extinguisher that was hanging on the wall. "It looks like we should probably start with a lesson on the proper use of a saucepan."