The eighth shelf
[Narration]I'm at the eighth shelf. "Pineapple Instructor" is a novel, so it should be on a shelf with literary works... Found it! It's the damaged green dust jacket!
[Mai Aihara]Master, Miss Onodera said she remembers which books she just sorted.
[Mai Aihara]Eh?
[Narration]I quickly find the "Garden Files," but just as I'm about to take it from the shelf, Mai and Nanaha walk over suddenly.
[Nanaha Onodera]Although PLAYER said I didn't need to recall which ones, there weren't many anyway. If I remember correctly... Oh? It looks like you've found it.
[Narration]I didn't expect them to come here too. They can both see the "Garden Files" in the green dust jacket.
[Nanaha Onodera]PLAYER... so you like this type of book? You have good taste.
[Mai Aihara]It's a book that even Miss Onodera would recommend? I'm looking forward to it even more.
[Mai Aihara]...Huh? Um... Is that... Eh?
[Narration]Mai's innocent expression suddenly becomes stiff due to embarrassment. The corners of her mouth twitch slightly, and her eyes glaze over like she is trying to escape reality.
[Narration]Without a doubt, she has recognized that this is the "Pineapple Instructor" she lost. I can already imagine the ensuing desperate situation...
[Nanaha Onodera]This doesn't seem like a book from this library.
[Narration]Nanaha Onodera will first wonder why there is a dust jacket, and she might find traces left by Mai in the book when she flips through it. Mai is an honest person, so I wouldn't be surprised if she wrote her name on the book.
[Nanaha Onodera]Is this Mai's book? "Pineapple Instructor"... Hiding it in a dust jacket? That's a nice trick.
[Narration]Mai is incredibly embarrassed and can't understand why the book is here. But she will soon realize the fact that I was looking for it and misunderstand my intentions...
[Mai Aihara]Master, are you bullying me on purpose? Do you dislike me so much?
[Nanaha Onodera]PLAYER, you're using books to bully others? That's such bad taste.
[Narration]In my imagination, the two look at me harshly...
[Narration]Stop right there. I'm exaggerating too much. Instead of worrying about it wildly, I should be thinking of how to fix the situation.
[player]I'm really sorry!
[Narration]I can only avoid the worst situation by keeping Mai's secret, so I decide to take a desperate measure by bowing my head to Nanaha Onodera and apologizing.
[Nanaha Onodera]PLAYER, I'm a librarian, not a banker. I don't like people bowing their heads to me in apology.
[player]I'm sorry, this is my book. I wanted to take it back secretly, but you found out about it in the end...
[Nanaha Onodera]...Your book?
[Narration]As soon as I say this, the two people in front of me show a look of surprise, as if they don't quite understand what I'm talking about.
[Nanaha Onodera]You... are into this genre?
[player]Yes, I love this book so much! I can't stop reading it after I bought it, and I carry it everywhere with me.
[player]I accidentally brought it into the reading room when Mai invited me to come to the library today. I'm really sorry for violating the library's rules and causing you trouble.
[Narration]I bow my head and apologize again in front of the screen that reads "Library Regulation No. 3: It is forbidden to bring your own books into the reading room!" Even I have started to believe the nonsense I'm spouting.
[Narration]But for some reason, the astonished look on their faces is still there. They don't look convinced at all.
[Mai Aihara]No... that's impossible. How can this "Pineapple Instructor" be yours, Master?
[player]It's true! I love this book! I love "Pineapple Instructor!"
[Nanaha Onodera]How surprising... I didn't realize PLAYER liked this type of taboo friendship.
[Girl Passing By]Mom! What's a taboo friendship?
[Girl's Mother]Shush! Don't look at that weirdo. Let's go.
[Narration]So this is what committing social suicide feels like... But this shame is nothing as long as I can help Mai keep her secret...
[player]Anyway... I brought this book to the library by mistake. Mai, you haven't seen it before, right?
[Mai Aihara]Eh? No... Well...
[Narration]To convince Nanaha Onodera, I keep winking at Mai to get her to support my story.
[Mai Aihara]Master... Master, do you really like "Pineapple Instructor?"
[player]Y-Yes!
[Narration]However... the way she looks at me becomes even weirder after that. She doesn't look moved like she is being protected. Instead, she looks happy like she has found someone who understands her.
[Mai Aihara]Um.. M-Master, do you only support One True Pairing or multiple pairings? What... What do you think about rival pairings?
[player]... One True Pairing? multiple pairings? rival pairings?
[Nanaha Onodera]Sorry, let me interject... PLAYER, can you check again that there isn't a barcode at the back?
[Nanaha Onodera]I won't be able to explain myself to my boss if I let you treat the library's book as your own book by mistake.
[player]Why would there be a barcode on my own book...
[Narration]How could there be a library barcode on Mai's "Garden Files?" However, when I opened the dust jacket to check the last page...
[player]There really is a barcode?! T-That's strange... Why is this book the only one that has a dust jacket?
[Nanaha Onodera]Some of the older books are wrapped in dust jackets before they are put on the shelf. Only the cover of this "Pineapple Instructor" has been damaged, so it has been placed in one.
[Mai Aihara]But why is this dust jacket the same as the one I use?
[Nanaha Onodera]Did you forget that you recommended this type of dust jacket to me? I thought it was great, so I got the head librarian to buy some and try them out.
[Nanaha Onodera]What a shame. People have still managed to damage it even though it is quite sturdy.
[Narration]The library also uses dust jackets? And they are the same type as the one Mai uses? If this is all true, could it be... that everything is just a misunderstanding?
[Mai Aihara]Then this book really is the library's property... Master, do you also use the same dust jacket?
[Narration]It has a similar dust jacket and just happened to fall onto the ground behind Mai, causing me to mistake it for the "Garden Files."
[Narration]All the questions in my heart have been solved. After all, someone as serious as Mai would never bring her own books to the library, let alone a book that will make her feel embarrassed.
[player]...To tell the truth, I also use the same dust jacket at home, so I got it wrong by mistake.
[Nanaha Onodera]Hehe... In that case, PLAYER, are you still taking this book out?
[player]Okay... No, no! I have this one. Ahahahaha... D-Do you have the next volume? I'll take that one out.
[Nanaha Onodera]Hehe... I'll get it for you in a moment.
[Narration]Nanaha looks at Mai meaningfully before she walks off. Could she have seen through my act...?
[Mai Aihara]Master, did you say this book is yours because... Thank you.
[player]Why are you thanking me?
[Narration]Mai seemed to be mumbling about something, but I was still feeling relieved after the false alarm that I didn't hear her properly.
[Mai Aihara]No... I-It's nothing.
[Mai Aihara]Master, please leave the books anywhere you like.
[player]Okay, I'll leave them on this coffee table then. Ahaha...
[Narration]We are both out of breath when we get back to the shrine. I didn't expect books to be so heavy. Even though we both carried half, we still had to rest several times on the way back.
[player]I can finally relax. This trip to the library ended up being so complicated.
[Mai Aihara]It must have been hard on you, Master. It was all because of me that you were misunderstood like that...
[Narration]Maybe it's because of her training as a priestess, but Mai isn't as weak as she looks. On our way back, she kept asking me about the truth of the library incident despite the fatigue from carrying the books. The lame story I came up with at the beginning couldn't fool anyone... In the end, I confessed everything to her.
[Mai Aihara]Master, I was completely oblivious even though you did so much for me... Thank you.
[player]You've been thanking me the entire way back. Let's just forget it. This was a misunderstanding, and instead of being helpful, my actions caused a commotion.
[Mai Aihara]That's not true. Master, you've helped me a lot. If you weren't there, I would have...
[player]You would have?
[Mai Aihara]N-Nothing... I just want to know. When you... When you thought that book was the "Garden Files," did you make fun of me?
[Narration]Mai keeps hesitating. Suddenly, her face turns red when she thinks of something. She lowers her head vigorously and tries to look up at the same time, revealing a timid expression that makes her look like a little rabbit.
[Narration]My heart immediately softens, and I can't help but respond to her in a more serious and gentle way.
[player]Don't worry, I'll never make fun of Mai.
[player]Just like that collection of romantic poems. Even if "Pineapple Instructor" isn't for everyone, as long as it was written with heart, some readers will definitely be moved by it.
[player]So when I thought it was your book, I just hoped... that you won't feel embarrassed because the book was exposed in front of everyone.
[Mai Aihara]Ah... Thank you, Master! I'm... really happy to hear you say that...
[Narration]Mai looks even more embarrassed after hearing my words. She is smiling happily, but she doesn't dare to raise her face to look at me.
[Mai Aihara]Oh... I'll make you some tea now. It won't take long... Ah!
[Narration]It turns out that walking with your head down and not looking ahead really is dangerous. The shy Mai tries to escape to the kitchen, but she bumps into the bookshelf at the door when she turns around and is about to fall.
[player]Watch out!
[Narration]I reach out to pull her in a hurry, only to pull her in right in front of me because I used too much strength.
[Mai Aihara]Eh?
[Narration]I quickly support her by the shoulders to prevent her from directly colliding with me. After that, I recall the scene in the library. I remember that she isn't very used to being touched by other people.
[player]Are you okay? Um...
[Narration]Oh no! Although I didn't really have a choice because of the situation, I still got too close to Mai. She jumped up in fright when my finger touched her before. Now that we're in this position... I can't imagine how big her reaction will be.
[Mai Aihara]...Thank you, Master. I'm... okay now.
[Narration]Just before I decide to let go of her, Mai stands up on her own and thanks me.
[player]Ah, as long as you're okay.
[Narration]To my surprise, she doesn't have any reaction. She just walks past me slowly and adjusts her clothes silently.
[Mai Aihara]I'll go and make some tea then. Thank you, Master...
[player]O-Okay...
[Narration]Only the blush on her face has not dissipated.
[player]...How strange... Is she no longer afraid of being touched?
[Narration]When we were at the library before, Mai panicked when I touched her hand. How can she be so calm now? The only thing that happened since then was the "Pineapple Instructor" incident...
[player]Hmm... That shouldn't be the reason. I already explained that it was a misunderstanding. I should just sit down and wait for her to come back with the tea.
[Narration]I start to pick up the items that fell off the bookshelf and return them to their places. However, when I bent down to pick up the items on the ground, I see an opened book on the ground... The header of the paper says: "Pineapple Instructor, Volume 3."
[Narration]I pick up the book and flip through it. It has that familiar cover and green dust jacket. The events that just took place in the library are revived in my mind again.
[Narration]Why did a book fall to the ground where Mai was walking? Why did she look so panicked? Why did she keep asking me about my attitude towards "Pineapple Instructor?"
[Narration]All these questions in my head lead me to the truth—
[Narration]Volume 4 of "Pineapple Instructor" is the sequel to the "Garden Files" that Mai wanted to borrow from the library but accidentally dropped on the floor. Mai likes "Pineapple Instructor" but doesn't dare to tell others, which is why she was so nervous when she saw me take out the book and kept testing me on what I thought about the book.
[player]Everyone, what do you think? I, PLAYER, made the above deduction based on one book that fell on the ground.
[Narration]After playing a reasoning game in my head for a while, I figure the tea is almost ready, so I put the scattered books back on the bookshelf and pretend that nothing happened.
[Narration]The "Garden Files" is Mai's secret. I'll keep this secret for her until she wants to talk about it herself.
[player]The truth isn't really that important sometimes.
[player]...Speaking of which, One True Pairing, multiple pairings, rival pairings... What do they mean? Should I learn more about this type of thing to understand Mai better?
[Narration]I turn on my computer and enter those curious keywords in the search engine...
[Narration]I opened the door to a new world on that night.
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