Our Dearest Librarian
Amane had woken up to the sunlight in her eyes. One of the artificial lights mimicking the movements of the sun had cast its awakening rays right at the reception table that had earlier been her bed. Arms still crossed before she'd realized what time it was.
The library was a culmination of all her hard work until now. A place meant to help others and preserve the memories of those who've been left behind. And help others it did. Not only was the library a second home to her, but to other cursed ones as well. Those who harbor demons within. Broken people vulnerable to fall had they not known of the occult means to live with their infernal soul-neighbors.
Amane stretched her arms while seated in the comfy, old reception chair she had constructed. The hat that had fallen off as she slept, returned to her by Kerry. The man sitting right next to her, whose other hand held a freshly brewed cup of tea that poured right through his rib cage as he drank. "Thanks, Kerry." she said, still rubbing away her late night reception work.
Amane had returned to her usual duties. Casting a few cantrips to restore some of the used books back to their original conditions, though still returning and rearranging misplaced copies by hand. Stepping through the second floor, she had gone on to clean up the multimedia room. The insulated study room was as simple as it gets. When she turned on the aging incandescent bulb, its warm glow revealed a rather messy room, still showing evidence of a late night play session. The old black couch peeling away with powdered sour cream lightly dusted on the armrest. The offending discarded, empty bags of chips sitting in the static glow of a corrupted signal. Amane could only shake her head and sigh. "The newer generation of demon hunters nowadays really can't clean up after themselves" she thought, patting the humming CRT as though it were a loyal dog after waiting so long for its master. "At least they didn't permanently damage anything."
With her duties done, the rest of the tenants rose just in time for her to return to the reception desk. A warm greeting here and there as they began their morning routine, though there were far fewer occupants than normal. That, and the fact it was a weekday at least meant that her work load would be much lighter than before.
One of the few regulars who did stay the night was none other than Lem. Lem was not typically the type to stay in the library the whole day. Amane could only recall so briefly, but he said something about recording a video live for an audience. As the library itself was not exactly part of the normal world, technologies such as Wi-Fi, or phone signals did not work. It was quite surprising to Amane that one could actually sustain a living of sorts remotely through a smartphone alone.
Anyway, Lem had walked up to the counter in the same brown coat he's had ever since both of them met.
"I greet thee, Cursed One. I am Amaryllis, the Grand Librarian of the place, keeper of ancient wisdom. So long as you treat my Library with respect, the door will remain open to you." Amane said with a smile and a slight tilt of her head. It was the same old greeting she had used for everyone.
"Uh, well... Do you have any more books on game development? Or anything on social media presence, maybe something on satiety?" Amano said, while not making any eye contact and rubbing the back of his neck. The ragged look, and slow way of speaking was benefiting the TV show host that he claimed he was.
Amane pondered the request. The words he used were familiar, but they weren't exactly things she knew much about, much less know if there was somehow a book in the collection for such a modern topic. Satiety was at least something that didn't rely knowledge on cutting edge technology. But before she could make her answer, a chime would ring that would catch both of their attention.
The tune came from the main entryway of the library. Normally, such fanfare would not accompany most patrons of the library. Only those with VIP access cards would have such a privilege, and there was only one person that Amane could remember having such a card.
A pale girl in a black frilly dress quietly enters the library. She had learned her lesson before. The first time she had arrived, she made her entrance very well known to all the readers. A rare situation where Amane had to scold her friend. Akari immediately beelined her way to the desk, despite another patron clearly being there first. Her eyes were beaming with delight as she looked at Amane, before looking at the other recipient with surprise.
"Oh, do my eyes deceive me? You're the..." Akari snaps her fingers for a bit before recalling his name. "The Lemon guy! A pleasure to be of your acquaintance, I happen to be quite the fan of your 'earthly' videos."
"Streams? Is that what broadcasts are called now?" Amane thought to herself. "Well, she always was the more hip of either of us."
"A fan? Of me?" His eyes widened at the word. For him, it felt like nothing was working out. His content creation career had been filled with nothing but frustration with his output. To finally find a fan live really put a damper on his recent struggles.
"Indeed. Though it's clear that one such as yourself has no sense of topic, nor charisma."
The comment grounded Amano back to earth. If even a fan would consider his best efforts uncharismatic, then what hope is there for him to succeed? The thought welled within him until he couldn't hold it back. "I-I'll just try to find it on my own." He said quickly before speed walking towards the closest shelf that would break away the gaze of both girls.
Akari could only sigh at his immediate departure. "Such a shame. If only he had followed the current trends on the front page, he would be vastly more popular than he is right now."
Strange interaction aside, Akari was another patron she needed to attend to. "How may I help you, Crimson Vermilion of the Night?" She tried to make a smile, but her eyes weren't exactly smiling with her.
"Ah, yes. It has come to my attention that author Rei Egusa will be holding a lecture at the Book Town in Chigawa Technopark! I must implore you to come, oh companion of mine." Akari said in delight while presenting a crumpled up flier of the event.
Amane's expression faltered ever so briefly "Well, I-"
"And not only that! Plenty of like-minded individuals are sure to come for the post-event discussion and Q&A. Is that not unbelievable? Finally, other horror fans to finally talk with!"
It's as though Amane's life flashed before her eyes. Other people. Other normal people. While she was fine interacting with the outside world occasionally, she did not exactly enjoy having to put up a front to seem normal to people who wouldn't understand her.
"A-as I was saying. It'd be great if I could go to that event, but" really trying to emphasize her counterargument. "the library would be busy at that time of the day. I can't just leave Kerry to do all the work."
Akari furrowed her brows at the retort. "What of those other times when you had left the library for our book discussions?" Akari leaned over the wooden counter to inspect her friend's face much more closely.
"Like I said, there'd be too much work for Kerry to handle the phone, the reception, and everything else." Though she tried to say it with conviction, she couldn't help but break eye contact with Akari.
"Hm... It does not confound me that you would fall to such conclusions. Even I can understand how important this place is to you."
"Nevertheless, an opportunity such as this does not come by often. If I may, may I borrow your copy of Mirror Hall?"
Amane was a bit surprised at the question. She didn't expect her to suddenly perk up despite her rejection. "What for?"
"If my kin is incapable of attending such an event, it may be best to bring a part of that event to you instead." A brilliant idea that only a creature of the night would think of, Akari thought. She would finally get a copy signed, and not only that. She could probably get other attendees to sign as well. Or have the margins of the pages filled with various notes of people she won't be able to meet. "Oh, and I must record the whole experience. To hell with privacy! Such laws are only applicable to mortals!"
Amane herself was almost carried by her friend's passion, but had to at least calm her overactive side. "Just an autograph would be enough."
"If that is what the Grand Librarian herself wishes!"
Akari then left towards the main entrance with a little jump in her step, and all Amane could do was slump down her chair after defusing the situation. A bit of guilt followed with her towards the middle of the day.
[Afternoon]
Amane had her head on one of her arms as another fiddled the pen in front of her, pondering about what the event would be like if she had attended. There was not much at this particular time of the day. Most of the demon hunters would still be in class by now, while the rest of the adults would be busy with work, errands, or even studying unlike her. Most of her tasks were already done. The only book she was in the middle of reading was lent out to her friend for the event. Rarely did she ever have to experience boredom like this. How many weeks had it been? Months of learning about the other side, catching latent soul energy to finally preserve her wonderland after so long. She could barely remember any hobby other than reading. And now that she thought about it, there was rarely a day that she ever dedicated solely for herself, not that she could be bothered to-
Before any other thought could progress, the sound of the main entrance handle being turned jolted Amane to sit up straight in a presentable for her latest library patron. "I greet thee, Cursed One. I am Amary-"
Lo and behold, a petite girl with short, black pigtails walks into the library with a surprisingly modest outfit. A pair of short pants and shirt both cropped too high for her body, with her top mostly covered by a leopard print jacket. Yoru was one of the regulars that used the library more like a home rather than a library. Rarely did she ever bother with the books, so there was no need to complete the spiel.
"Did you have something to take care of last night?" It wasn't uncommon for Yoru to spend the night out somewhere else, but she always showed concerns for her fellow cursed ones.
"Haaah~ Not really. Place was a bit steamy, and the little thing couldn't even handle a bit of back and forth." Yoru said as she flopped over the nearest cushioned reading bench, rubbing her temples to get rid of the lingering effects of last night's hunt. "she couldn't even keep up the dom act..." she muttered under her breath.
Though Amane tried to welcome as many people as possible, she could never get used to Yoru's type of crowd. Socialites and party goers were at opposite spectrums, but what really grouped them all together was just how... pushy they could be. She couldn't be bothered to keep answering questions about herself, nor would she bother remembering all the different boasts they would make. There was barely any point in investing the energy to connect with strangers you'll never meet ever again. But maybe how many connections Yoru had made were more important than the duration or quality of those connections?
Breaking away from her thoughts, she realized that Yoru had gotten out of the bench and stood right in front of her.
"-need someone like you with a magic touch for the mixer tonight." Yoru said with one palm flat on the desk to emphasize her statement.
"A-ah. No, thank you. I'm sure you can find someone better for the task." Amane said while leaning back and trying to reject her proposal.
"Oh? what's wrong?" Yoru leaned in a closer. Torso fully over the counter and face directly in front of hers "I'm sure everyone can make good use of your assets. No need to be shy just 'cause you're a little well-endowed~" Her smile contorting into a wide, shit-eating grin as her eyes glowed pink with lust.
Amane didn't even have the time to become fully flustered. Yoru immediately slammed a fist onto her other hand causing her to jump back down and nearly shout expletives while wincing in pain. She waved around the hand that once acted as her support in order to shake away the pain she'd inflicted on herself. The pink glow still lingering in one eye before finally subsiding.
"I-it's really nothing major. You'll just be a plus one for a meet up at an izakaya." Yoru tried to apply pressure onto the sore area with her arm, slightly thanking herself for not holding a knife at the time. "I just thought you might want a little change of pace for once while I take care of-"
"I'm busy." Even her own response was a shock to herself.
"...That's fine. Must have a lot of books to sort through, huh, Ne-chan? I'm sure the others are free enough take the empty spot." Yoru broke away from the conversation. She saw her thoughts clearly, but couldn't bring herself to change her mind.
[Evening]
It's pretty late, and most patrons who would've visited are home by now. Kerry hadn't answered a single call once. It doesn't matter. Maybe having a slow day to rest for once isn't so bad. Still, those invites kept to her mind. Echoing in her head when there was nothing left to think of. She couldn't help but let her sloth hold her back, or maybe it was something else. She was so used to the predictability of her daily routine that she could tell how the day would unfold, how much traffic the library would receive even before the day started. But this time, there was an unexpected arrival.
A purple haired girl whose stand out feature was still tied in a bun from work. The uniform she refitted was without a single crease even if it had been folded.
"Isn't it a bit too early for you to be done with cafe duties?"
"I had insisted Hina-chan that I could handle clean up and inventory, but she said her 'friends' could handle it."
Usually, Amane would be watching Haruhi very closely as she arrived to the counter. Both had very different outlooks on how the library should continue forward. To Amane, her technology was fleeting and frail. Just a set of electrical signals that would eventually burn out. Those disks would stop writing eventually after the metal wears out. The pins will oxidize, and those ones and zeroes will corrupt. In ten years time, those formats would become obsolete. And what then? Transferring them from one ephemeral storage to another isn't a lossless process. She could never understand the timelessness of a physical copy, but this time, Amane couldn't be bothered to be so guarded around her. Maybe it'd be nice to have her company around for once.
"That's very unbecoming of you to let the Dollmaker to finish the chores alone, Rasalhague."
"Hmph. As if the words of a hiki-loser even matters. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't need something." Haruhi didn't need to bother with appearances in front of an ideological rival. It even felt relaxing in a way to speak without fear of your reputation being ruined.
"Then what is it you seek from the library, oh cursed one?" Amane asked in a somewhat joking tone.
"I-I'd like to know what Akari-senpai is interested in!" Haruhi quickly bowed while making her request.
It was perplexing. Why did she need to know that? "Other than the vampires?"
"Yes." Haruhi remained bowed.
"Why?"
"What does it matter to you, old timer?" her was a bit red when she raised it up.
"Hmm... She has always been interested in fashion. If you wear something frilly, I'm sure she'll notice you one way or another."
"That's all you have?!"
"Are you interested in reading horror novels?"
"Hah, if I could easily read start charts with a blink of an eye, then your typical schlock is like a speck of dust compared to a red giant!"
Amane scrawled a few codes on a pair of library cards with a slight smile and handed them to Kerry who returned with a handful of books. Each pile containing one of the same books in the opposite pile.
"I hope you don't mind me reading along with you before you go then?"