The bell rang, loud and sharp, cutting the last words of the teacher.

Chairs scraped back, and the low hum of voices rose as everyone in class started to pack up.

Y/N closed his textbook with a sigh escaping his lips without him even meaning to.

Math class was finally done.

He wasn't bad at math, he could follow the steps, solve the problems, get decent grades. But it just didn't click. It felt like a chore, something he had to do, not something he wanted to.

What he really liked was video games, and you could actually do things.

He shoved his textbook and notebook into his backpack. The classroom was already emptying out, kids eager to walk into the hallway. Y/N wasn't in a rush. He didn't really have anywhere to be.

Home, sure. Video games, probably. But no real plans, no burning need to be anywhere fast.

He shuffled out of the classroom, joining the slow movement of students in the hallway. Lockers slammed shut, a sound that was just part of the school day noise.

He was heading to the library. Not because he had to. Not for homework or anything like that. He just liked the library. It was quiet, for one thing.

To use his phone in quite, away from the chatter.

He pushed open the heavy doors of the library, the sudden quiet hitting him. The air in here was cool and still rows and rows of shelves stretched away, filled with books of all sizes and colors.

Sunlight streamed in through the tall windows, making dust motes dance in the air. It was peaceful here.

But due to his bad luck, he didn't notice that his phone was at 6%, and he couldn't afford to waste it. So, he let out a big sigh and started looking around.

He wandered through the aisles, not really looking for anything in particular, just letting his eyes drift over the book spines.

History, science, fiction He paused in front of the fiction section, his fingers trailing along the covers. Maybe he'd pick something up to read later.

He was getting a little tired of video games, lately. Or, not tired, exactly. But restless. Like he wanted something more, something outside the screen.

He turned a corner, and that's when he saw her.

She was standing in front of a tall bookshelf, reaching up, her fingers stretching towards the top shelf. She was just a little bit too short to reach whatever book she was after.

He could only see her back, but he could tell she was having trouble. Her shoulders were hunched, and she was making little frustrated noises.

Y/N hesitated for a second. This felt like a cliche start to a romance.

He wasn't really the type to interfere. He usually kept to himself, let people do their own thing. But something about the way she was struggling, the way her shoulders were set, made him move forward.

He walked down the aisle, until he was standing behind her. "Uh, hi" he said, his voice a little louder than he meant it to be in the quiet library.

She jumped, startled, and turned around quickly. Her eyes widened a little when she saw him.

She was pretty. Really pretty.

With long, dark blue hair that fell around her face and big, dark eyes that looked kind of surprised and a little bit shy.

"Oh!" she said, her voice soft. "Oh, hi. Sorry, I didn't hear you." She blushed a little, her cheeks turning a faint pink.

"It's okay" Y/N mumbled, feeling a little awkward now that he was actually talking to her. "It looked like you were having trouble reaching that book." He gestured towards the top shelf, where he could see the spine of a thick, worn looking book sticking out.

She glanced up at the shelf, then back at him, her blush deepening. "Yeah, I can't... it's just a little too high." She sighed, then gave a small, slightly embarrassed smile. "It's silly, I know."

"It's not silly" Y/N said, before he could stop himself. He wasn't usually this forward. "I can... I can help you get it, if you want." He felt his own cheeks getting warm now.

Talking to girls, especially pretty girls, wasn't really his thing.

Her eyes widened again, this time with a hint of surprise.

"Oh, really? Would you? That would be really nice." Her smile widened a little, becoming a bit more genuine now. It was a nice smile. A really nice smile.

It made his stomach do a little flip flop thing he didn't quite understand.

"Yeah, sure" Y/N said, stepping closer to the bookshelf. He was taller than her, not by much, but enough. He reached up, easily reaching the book she'd been trying for.

It was heavy, thick, bound in dark leather that was cracked and worn. He pulled it off the shelf and turned back to her, holding it out.

"Here you go" he said, handing her the book.

She took it, her fingers brushing against his for a second. He felt a little spark, a tiny jolt of something. Weird.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much" she said, her voice a little breathless. She looked down at the book in her hands, her fingers tracing the title on the spine.

It was something long and complicated, with words he didn't really recognize.

"What is it?" he asked, curious now. He leaned a little closer to look at the cover.

"Oh, it's- it's an old book of poems" she said, looking up at him again, her dark eyes sparkling a little. "I... I really like old poetry. Especially sad ones." She blushed again, looking down at the book. "I know, it's probably weird."

"Sad poems?" Y/N repeated, tilting his head a little. He didn't really get poetry. But he was curious. About her. "No, it's not weird" he said, surprising himself again. "I guess everyone likes different things."

She looked up at him, her smile widening a fraction more. "Yeah, I guess so" she said softly. "What about you? What do you like?"

"Me?" Y/N blinked. He wasn't used to people asking him that. Not strangers, anyway. "Uh... video games, mostly" he mumbled, feeling a little lame now. Poetry and video games. Not exactly a match.

But she didn't laugh, or look at him like he was weird. Instead, her eyes lit up a little. "Video games? Really? That's cool! What kind?" she asked, her voice genuinely interested.

"Uh... RPGs, mostly" he said. "And... strategy games."

"RPGs..." she repeated, thoughtfully. "Like... fantasy stuff? With dragons and magic and things?"

"Yeah, kind of" Y/N said, nodding, feeling a little surprised that she even knew what RPGs were.

"That sounds really interesting" she said, her smile still warm. "I don't really... play video games myself. But I've watched my brother play sometimes. It looks like watching a movie, but you get to control what happens."

"Yeah, kind of" Y/N said, feeling a little more comfortable now. Talking about video games was easy. "It's fun. You can escape, you know?" He wasn't sure why he was telling her all this. He usually kept this stuff to himself.

"Escape?" she repeated, her voice soft, thoughtful. "Yeah, I guess I get that." She looked down at the book in her hands again, her fingers tracing the cover. "Sometimes... sometimes escaping sounds really nice."

There was a pause, a comfortable silence settling between them.

Y/N found himself just looking at her. Her dark blue hair, the way the sunlight caught in it, making it look almost magical.

Her dark eyes, so soft and kind. Her smile, still there, faint but warm. She was really pretty.

Like someone from a dream.

Suddenly, a bright, cheerful voice cut through the quiet. "Y/N! Hey! What are you doing hiding in the library? Thought you were allergic to books!"

Y/N blinked, turning his head towards the sound.

Emi was walking towards them, a bright smile on her face. She had long, wavy brown hair and bright green eyes that seemed to sparkle with energy.

She was always like that, full of life, always laughing, always talking. She was the opposite of quiet libraries and sad poems.

"Hey, Emi" Y/N said, a small smile touching his own lips now. He was glad to see her, actually. He liked Emi. She was fun. And she always made him feel included.

Emi reached them, her smile widening when she saw the girl standing next to Y/N. "Oh! Hey, who's this?" she asked, her voice friendly and curious. She looked at the girl with bright, open interest.

The girl blushed again. "Oh, um hi" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She shifted a little, holding the book a little tighter.

"Emi, this is..." Y/N started, then realized he didn't actually know her name.

Oops. He glanced at the girl, a question in his eyes.

She seemed to understand. "Oh, I'm... I'm Rain," she said, looking at Emi, her voice still soft. "Nice to meet you."

"Rain?" Emi repeated, her eyes widening a little. "That's a really pretty name! Like... rain falling, you know?" She giggled a little. "I'm Emi, by the way. And this grumpy guy is Y/N." She nudged Y/N playfully with her elbow.

Rain giggled too, a soft, melodic sound that was like a little bell.

"Nice to meet you, Emi" she said, her smile becoming a little brighter. She seemed to relax a little, just being around Emi's easygoing energy.

"So, what are you guys doing?" Emi asked, glancing between Y/N and Rain, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Just book stuff?" She made a face, like book stuff was the most boring thing in the world. Emi wasn't really a library person.

"Yeah, kind of" Y/N said, shrugging a little. "Rain was just trying to reach a book."

"Oh, you needed help reaching a book?" Emi said, looking at Rain with a teasing smile. "You're so tiny! Like a little raindrop!" She laughed again, a bright, cheerful sound.

Rain blushed again, but this time she laughed too. "Yeah, I guess I am," she said, looking down at herself, then back up at Emi, her smile widening. "It's okay, Y/N helped me." She glanced at Y/N, her eyes meeting his for a second.

Emi's eyes widened again, this time with a knowing look. She grinned at Y/N, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh-ho! Y/N, being a knight in shining armor! I didn't know you had it in you!" She laughed again, teasing him playfully.

Y/N groaned, rolling his eyes, feeling his cheeks getting warm again.

"Shut up, Emi" he mumbled, but he was smiling a little too. It was nice, actually. Being teased, but in a friendly way. He wasn't used to it.

"Hey, you know what?" Emi said suddenly, her eyes lighting up, like she'd just had a brilliant idea. "Lunch! It's almost lunchtime, right? We should all go to lunch together! Yeah! Come on, Rain, you can join us! You haven't met Ira and Ren yet, have you? They're gonna love you!" She grabbed Rain's arm gently, pulling her a little closer.

Rain's eyes widened again, this time with a hint of nervousness? "Oh, um I don't know" she said, looking a little unsure. "I- I was just going to eat in the library, maybe." She glanced at Y/N, like she was asking him for help.

Y/N looked at Emi, then at Rain. Lunch with Emi, Ira, and Ren... and Rain.

It sounded kind of nice, actually. Rain seems lonely and that would help her.

But he also was selfish the butterflies in his mind wanted to spend more time with Rain. He wanted to talk to her more, to hear her laugh.

"Come on, Rain" Y/N said, before he could overthink it. "It'll be fun. Ira and Ren are good guys." He said, trying to make it sound casual, but inside, his heart was beating. He doesn't know why.

Rain looked at him, her dark eyes searching his for a second. Then, she smiled. "Okay" she said softly. "Okay, I'll come. Lunch sounds nice."

Emi clapped her hands together. "Yes! Awesome! Come on, let's go! I'm starving!" She grabbed both Y/N's and Rain's arms, pulling them towards the library doors. "Ira and Ren are probably already in the cafeteria, waiting for us. They're gonna be so surprised!"

As they walked out of the library, into the brighter, noisier hallway, Y/N glanced at Rain. She was walking beside him, her smile still there, her dark eyes looking up at him, just for a second.

Lunch with Rain, Emi, Ira, and Ren. Seemed nice, a little break from all the yapping.

The cafeteria was loud and crowded. Emi led them through the maze of tables, her voice cutting through the noise. "Ira! Ren! Over here!"

Y/N saw them then, sitting at their usual table in the corner of the cafeteria.

Ira was gesturing wildly while he talked. Ren was listening, nodding occasionally. They both looked up when Emi called.

"Emi! Hey!" Ira called back, grinning. He saw Y/N and waved. Then he saw Rain, standing beside Y/N.

They reached the table.

"Guys, guess what?" Emi said, her voice bubbling with excitement. "We have a new lunch buddy! This is Rain!" She gestured to Rain with a flourish, like she was presenting a prize.

Ira and Ren both looked at Rain, their eyes widening a little.

The moment anyone looked at Y/N and Rain, they could see the vibe between them. It was so obvious that it felt unreal.

"Hey, Rain! Nice to meet you! I'm Ira, and this is Ren." He leaned across the table, offering his hand to Rain.

Rain blushed again. She shook Ira's hand, then Ren's. "Nice to meet you too" she said softly.

"So, Rain, how do you know our grumpy friend here?" Ira asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Y/N. "Did he finally use his charms on you?" He laughed, teasing Y/N playfully.

Y/N groaned again, rolling his eyes.

"Ira, be nice!" Emi scolded playfully, nudging him with her elbow. "They just met in the library. Y/N helped Rain reach a book. See? Knight in shining armor!" She teased Y/N again.

"A book?" Ren said, his voice quiet but curious. He looked at Rain, his sharp eyes studying her for a second. "What book was it?"

"Oh, just an old book of poems," Rain said, looking down at her hands, her blush returning. "I really like poetry."

"Poetry, huh?" Ren said, thoughtfully. He nodded slowly, like he was considering something important. "That's... interesting."

"Yeah, Rain likes sad poems" Y/N chimed in "She was telling me about it in the library."

"Sad poems?" Ira repeated, making a face. "Who likes sad poems? That sounds depressing!" He shuddered dramatically.

Emi rolled her eyes at Ira. "You would say that" she said, with a fond sigh. "Some people actually like things that are you know emotional."

"Emotional?" Ira repeated, wrinkling his nose. "Emotions are messy. Give me a good anime or a video game. That's real entertainment!" He grinned, turning to Y/N. "Speaking of video games, Y/N, you still playing that old RPG? The one with baseball white cap guy?"

And just like that, the conversation shifted, flowing easily from poetry to video games, from books to movies, from sadness to laughter.

Y/N found himself talking, laughing at Ira's jokes, even offering his own opinions, something he didn't usually do with anyone else.

Rain was quieter, at first, listening more than talking, but she was smiling, laughing softly at the jokes, her eyes bright and interested.

Emi kept including her in the conversation, asking her questions, making her feel welcome. Ren, as always, was silent, only listening.

"So, Rain" Emi said suddenly, turning to Rain with a bright smile. "You said you don't really play video games, right?"

Rain shook her head. "No, not really" she said. "I've watched my brother, sometimes. But I don't really play myself."

"Well, what do you like to do then?" Emi asked, her eyes full of genuine curiosity. "Besides reading poems, of course"

"Oh, um... I like to bake," she said, her eyes lighting up a little. "I really like baking. Cakes, cookies, pies... anything, really. It's... relaxing."

"Baking?" Ira repeated, his eyes widening. "You can bake? Like real stuff? Like cookies that you can actually eat?" Ira exaggerated to make his words seem fun.

"Yeah, real stuff" she said, smiling. "I can make cookies. Chocolate chip are my favorite."

Ira then looked at Rain with intense eyes. "Dude, you're hired! You gotta bake us some cookies sometime"

"Ira! Don't use her! But cookies do sound good" she admitted, glancing at Rain.

Rain laughed again, a little louder this time, her smile becoming even brighter.

"Maybe" she said, glancing at Y/N, her eyes meeting his for a second, a warm, shy smile passing between them. "Maybe... sometimes."

Y/N felt that thing in his stomach again, stronger this time.

Rain. Lunch with Emi, Ira, and Ren. It was just everything felt good.

Normal. Happy.

He looked around at his friends, at Emi's bright smile, Ira's goofy grin, Ren trying to hide his smile, and Rain's soft laughter. Everything looked warm and golden.

He smiled, a real smile, a smile that reached all the way to his heart.

Yeah.

And maybe he'd even try a sad poem sometime. Just to see what it was like.