"Lilly is busy with student council tonight," Hanako said to nobody but herself. At the moment she was planning in her head about what to do. So far the options that the introverted girl had available were as following:
 
A) Go to the roof and watch people run around campus
B) Sneak onto a computer and pray that nobody found her.
C) Go into the library and read.
 
And soon after Hanako responded, to herself, as the following:
 
A) It's winter, so it'll get cold quickly, an nobody will be outside.
B) Since it's winter, people will probably be more likely to use one, increasing the chances of someone finding her.
C) Same as before, there will be more people inside, meaning more people in the library.
 
Hanako weighed the options quickly, library it will have to be; there's more space in library and the shelves will hide her better than the chairs and desks that accompany the computers. Plus the library won't be that popular.
 
By the time she was done thinking the bell announcing the end of school had already rang long enough for all of classmates to have left the room. At closer inspection the hallways were nearly dead quiet too, which is why the sound of Mutou turning a page became deafening. Hanako qickly glanced at her teacher, who did the same, and their eyes met. She turned her head towards her bag embaressed at being acknowledged. Her shame translated into adrenaline pumping throught her veins, and made her vacate her classroom in record time. Moments afterwards her brain straightened out the events that happened, and that voice inside her head gave Hanako a performance review.
 
"Why was teacher still there?"
 
"Was he was waiting there for me?"
 
"But why would he want to stay there?"
 
"What was he thinking? That the quiet girl was holding up his time to leave, that she's too stupid to know when to leave. Why should I come if I do nothing but bother him ..."
 
Hanako was drained by the episode, and knew that all she wanted was to be alone doing something that occupied her mind. Library was the best choice...
 
She arrived at the doors to the library, after bombarding herself of reminders of how nobody ever understood her and nobody ever will. She forced herself to put on a mask resembling aloofness before entering. Gingerly opening the doorways Hanako was prepared to at least look as normal as everybody else; thankfully the only thing to welcome her was the undisturbed sleeping librarian. Amoung the shelves were other students browsing for books. Hanako could at least plot a path to avoid them, but finding a place for nobody to find her will require more time...
 
A five minutes later Hanako found a book about psychology and a place to sit; it was near the non-fiction section, between Language and Science sections she finally could rest. A chair was conveinently vacant in the Arts aisle and Hanako borrowed it after waiting to see if anybody would take it, no one did. So Hanako looked inside the book, but with each word her mind seemed to wander towards subjects such as what Lilly was doing, future coversations with Lilly, how Lilly knows the librarian, and how or why Lilly can make so many friends. Hanako found herself on page five without any recollection or understanding of what she was reading. She needed something lighter...
 
Hanako found a book in the fiction section, it was about a girl travelling across countries via a talking motorcycle, it seemed interesting so Hanako brought it back with her to the abandoned section. However when she returned the chair was missing. After finding her hideaway violated Hanako decided her dorm would be safer. So Hanako turned towards the front desk only to find the librarian still sleeping.
 
"It's rude to wake up somebody who's sleeping," Hanako justified her refusal to check out her book, "and if she was sleeping during her job she must really need it." Despite her self deception, Hanako's face felt hot. She was guilty of theft, and who knows what the librarian would think; probrably bad things, like that Hanako's a delinquent or bad person. But an idea struck Hanako, maybe she'll wait in the library until the Librarian is awake, then check out the book. So she turned on her heel and headed back towards where she came.
 
At the doorway Hanako opened the door much like the narrator of the tell-tale heart. Slowly. Gradually. Quietly. Hanako saw the librarian no longer resting but working on some unseen task on her desk, focused and irritated. Was she angry that the book that Hanako held in her arms was missing? Hanako had to run. If she was caught then she would cause more trouble with the librarian, and after what happened in class the stress would kill her. But if she ran away, then the trouble that would occur would be much more severe. Hanako gathered her strength and walked into the library, holding the book in her arm opposite of the librarian hopefully hiding it from her. The event lasted a few long seconds before Hanako dashed from view successfully avoiding suspicion. Now all that's left is to check out the book. But first Hanako would need to look busy so that it wouldn't be suspicious that she found a book seconds after arrival. So she headed towards the fiction section, avoiding the people that she saw drifting amoung the shelves.
 
Hanako kept looking long enough to avoid suspicion, and managed to find several other books that piqued her interest. Unfortuneately she didn't keep track of time, and sunlight had already faded from view. Hanako walked towards the desk, every step being one struggle after the other. When Hanako stood in line (consisting only of herself) the librarian looked over with shock, and said; "Oh! I-I can help you!" with a awkward anxious haste.
 
Hanako walked towards the desk, her legs unburdened by weight, but bound by chains pulling her towards the desk. "I-I would, um, l-like to check out th-these books..." her voice but a whisper at the end. The librarian understood what she said when the books were piled on her desk. The librarian, preformed her job with precision and ease.
 
"I didn't even notice you entering," the librarian chatted with Hanako.
 
"Y-Yeah." The attemp was in vain.
 
Hanako picked up her books and eagerly moved towards the hallways. She replayed the conversatio-
 
"Wait!" The librarian anxiously shouted.
 
Hanako was paralyzed, did the librarian see her theft earlier? Did she commit some other sin she did not realize? She turned to face the librarian who said, "Uh, there's a book sale happening on the twenty first, please come and tell your friends."
 
Hanako stood with her books in arms and stood for an awkward moment before meekly responding, "o-okay..." and then ran out into the hallway.
 
Hanako was barely holding up her tears. She replayed the conversation in her head finally. She felt stupid, she created an unnecessary plan, couldn't even carry a conversation. On top of that, she assumed that she was in trouble when somebody paid attention to her. But the worst part was the ending, "tell your friends." Hanako only knew Lilly, and she only read braille, so it wouldn't be much help for her to come. Hanako wished she could go up to the librarian and say, "I don't have any friends."
 
"Why don't you," the librarian would say.
 
"Because I don't know anybody."
 
"Why?"
 
"Because I know that if they knew me I would be a burden."
 
"Why?"
 
"Because Lilly is the only person I know, and she cares for me too much..."
 
And she continued her internal conversation until she reached the doors outside, and all she could think about is hoping to escape her life by living that of somebody who travels on a talking motorcycle...