Naomi couldn’t describe what he felt in that moment very well. Putting it into words would have cheapened the feeling somehow, or even destroyed it. But there was one thing he could say for sure.
It was the happiest he’d ever been in his sixteen years of life.
As they prepared to resume their trek, one book on the cart caught Naomi’s attention.
It was a novel with a striking cover, although it looked like an older book. Its corners were rounded and worn, and there was a big stain on it, too.
He picked it up and examined it. The illustration on the cover suggested that a huge, complex world awaited him inside. His curiosity was piqued.
“I think I might want to read this one.”
“You’re welcome to take it, if you want.”
It was a nice offer, and it made him happy. But this was a book she was donating to the sale, and it hadn’t been put on sale just yet.
“I’ll just have to buy it once the sale starts, I think.”
Hopefully it won’t be too expensive.
Wondering how they would set the prices, Naomi flipped through the book idly…and found something unexpected at the very back.
“Oh, look. It’s an old library book.” On the inside of the back cover, there was a paper pocket with a yellowed card inside. These cards had been part of the Kyoto Library’s lending system at some point in the past; you wouldn’t find them in any books in active circulation now. Sometimes you’d spot one in an old used book, though.
“He must have gotten it from a branch that was trimming its collection,” said Ruri, leaning over to take a look. She pulled out the card, with its list of dates in the past and handwritten names—more than ten entries in total.
When you borrowed this book, you wrote your name on the card, then the next borrower did the same. It had probably seemed normal in an era without computer databases, but…
“That’s kind of nice, isn’t it?” Naomi said vaguely.
Ruri nodded with a small smile. “The first person to check it out got to write their name at the very top. That must have felt really good.”
Naomi nodded in agreement. Maybe any booklover would understand the appeal of those cards.
By the time they made it to the front gate of Nishiki High, the sun was already setting. Breathing heavily, Naomi slowly lowered the handcart’s front bar. His legs quivered with fatigue.
He double-checked the time just to be sure, but as expected, the trip had taken them over two hours. One trip today really was the most they could hope for, and it would likely be the same deal tomorrow. He might not even have the stamina for trips several days in a row.
For now, though, they needed to find a place to stash all these books. Lucky for them, a familiar group of people was just emerging from inside the school grounds.
“Ruru! Where did you get all of those?!” Kadenokouji Misuzu and a few other library committee members gathered around the handcart, wide-eyed with surprise.
Naomi found himself looking down at the ground. No one else had worried much about the book sale, but now they knew how seriously he and Ruri were taking it. It was honestly embarrassing. Working hard was nothing to be ashamed of, sure, but it took some courage to act so differently from everyone else.
Ruri didn’t seem the slightest bit embarrassed, of course. She never did. She explained where the books came from without a hint of hesitation or shyness.
Misuzu flashed a big, brilliant smile and clapped her hands together.
The next afternoon, there were more than a dozen people crowded into the little storage building. A chain of teenagers passed along boxes and bags full of books bucket-brigade style. A big, muscular third year carried huge boxes of oversized books all by himself.
Once they’d emptied the shelves, they all trekked back to school together. With the rusty old handcart in the lead, they formed a convoy of sorts, with carts and wheelbarrows they’d borrowed from the school following close behind.
With so many more people around to help, the handcart moved a lot faster than yesterday. A few of the boys took shifts on the handcart, including Naomi.
At one point, as he was shoving the thing along, Misuzu trotted up and whispered, “You went to Ruru’s house, huh?” in a voice only he could hear. When he asked her what that was supposed to mean, she just smiled enigmatically at him like a goddess of love.
The group cleared out a space behind the school building, near the rear gate, and piled up their enormous haul.
They’d managed to move everything over in a single long afternoon. It had seemed like a hopeless job to do in three days, but they’d finished it entirely in one. That was the power of numbers.
“Think we should lug ’em all up to the library?”
“Seems like a waste of time. Why don’t we get the teachers’ permission to leave them out here for the next two days?”
As the chairman and older students talked it over, another upperclassman came trotting out with a flagpole and stand. The wrinkled flag had the words Library Committee Used Book Sale written on it.
“Oh wow, haven’t seen that in a while.”
“When was the last time we used it?”
Apparently the flag had been gathering dust for years. It didn’t inspire any nostalgia in the first years, of course, but it did add a touch of festival atmosphere to everything.
“Ruru!” called Misuzu, trotting over with her arms outstretched.
“Stop calling me that, please,” Ruri replied automatically for what had to be the thousandth time.
“This is amazing! I feel a little bad, though—you donated an entire library, and we barely chipped in at all!”
“It’s fine. They were just lying around gathering dust, anyway. They’ll be happier if they end up with someone who wants to read them.”
“Aw, Ruru…”
“Cut it out.”
It was genuinely hard to tell if the two girls liked each other or not. But while Ruri did look a bit annoyed about her nickname, she didn’t seem to mind the conversation itself. People who didn’t know them would have assumed they were friends, and Naomi was inclined to agree.
Ruri could probably get by fine all on her own, but maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe this miniature festival would help her open up to the others, at least a little.
A group of three girls had now formed around Ruri, chatting cheerfully.
Naomi felt as happy as if he’d made a new friend himself.
9.
THE DISASTER THAT FOLLOWED was pure bad luck. They’d piled up the books by the rear gate, where neither students nor teachers went very often. They’d left that flagpole in its stand. Nobody had seen a reason why that might be a problem. They’d covered up the books that weren’t in boxes with sheets of newspaper, to protect them in case it started raining. And the rear gate had a newly installed, motion-activated security light. The teacher who’d given them permission to leave the books back there didn’t know about it either.
That night, the wind picked up.
The flag blew over, covering up the light, which turned it on automatically. Soon, the fabric started to smoke.