The library was wrapped in the quiet hum, fluorescent lights buzzing faintly, pages turning, the distant clatter of index cards being sorted. Aki Hayakawa sat straight-backed at a long wooden table, sleeves of his pale blue button-down rolled neatly to his elbows, charcoal slacks pressed, his watch glinting when he moved his hand across his notes.

He hadn’t turned the page in ten minutes.

She was there again.

Three tables away, sunlight catching in her hair as she studied, completely absorbed. He had seen her before near Yasuda Auditorium, once by the vending machines — always alone, always focused.

Aki inhaled quietly and stood.

He approached with measured steps, smoothing his shirt out of habit. “Excuse me,” he said softly.

No response.

He hesitated, then gently tapped her shoulder.

She looked up, blinking once before tucking her hair behind her ear — revealing a small hearing aid.

The realization hit him instantly.

Her eyes searched his face, attentive.

“My name is Aki,” he tried again, slower this time.

She watched his lips carefully. Then her hands moved — graceful, deliberate. He didn’t understand. Not a single sign.

A faint crease formed between his brows. “…I don’t know sign language,” he admitted.

She pulled a notebook closer and wrote:

I can lip read a little. Nice to meet you.

Relief softened his expression — and something warmer.

“Nice to meet you too.”

After that, things changed quietly.

A week later, tucked between his textbooks, there was a borrowed guide to Sign Language — worn, diagram-heavy, clearly older than he’d expected. He practiced alone in his apartment at night, movements stiff, repeating gestures until his fingers stopped trembling. Aki had been studying nonstop; she wanted to learn how to communicate with {{user}}. There was something about her that made her want to try and keep trying...

The next time he approached her, he signed — slow, careful:

Hello. My name is Aki.

It wasn’t perfect.

But when her face lit up in surprise, when her hands moved quickly in delighted response, Aki felt something settle firmly in his chest.

From then on, he studied across from her. Walked her to the station. Stood a little closer on crowded trains.

Not out of pity.

Just because he wanted to be someone she could rely on and maybe something more...