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Chapter 11 Part 1

Spring Break (8) ~LADY NAVIGATION~

In this world, the Hirose family lived in a city called Saiou City in Saitama Prefecture.

In the world old man Yuu used to be, there was no such city name.

It seemed to be a young city with a short history created through a large-scale municipal merger equivalent to 「the great municipal mergers of the Heisei era」, in which Higashimatsusaka City and three surrounding towns were merged together.

Located almost in the center of Saitama Prefecture, it boasted the second largest area among the municipalities in Saitama Prefecture. Saitama city, which in terms of size alone was on equal level with it in Japan of the Heisei era, had not yet existed.

Most parts of the city were hilly areas, and it was also rich in nature.

Including the former Higashimatsusaka City, which had a private railway station from the beginning, Saiou Station was established soon after the merger.

With the announcement of a plan to extend another private railway company’s line from the southern part of the prefecture and connect it to Saiou Station, the area around the station was undergoing a construction rush and had seen remarkable development.

The condominium where the Hirose family lived was located in the new town, about a 5-minute walk from Saiou Station.

Incidentally, the Saiou General Hospital, where Yuu was hospitalized, was located on a hill away from the new urban area.

These were a retelling of what he had from Martina.

The view from the hospital was richer in nature compared to the apartment in the southern part of the prefecture where Yuu used to live before, and it seemed to be closer to the mountains.

Even after the transition to a new city, the budget was not spent lavishly, and many of the public institutions that represented the city were located in the former Higashimatsusaka City.

The city library was one of them.

20-minute drive after departing the hospital.

A beige box-shaped building with horizontal lines came into view.

It was the Saiou City Library, formerly the Higashimatsusaka City Library.

The Mercedes Benz carrying Yuu, Kanako, Touko, and the driver, a middle-aged woman, drew closer to the parking lot.

A security guard was standing at the entrance, and there was a sign that said 『Full』 on the gate.

「Tch, today is Sunday, so as expected it’s crowded, huh.」

Hearing the murmur of the driver, Yuu, who was in the back seat, also noticed that the library was full.

「Eeh…. Even though we’ve come all this way. What to do now?」

They did not realize that the parking lot would be full in the afternoon because although they did not usually go to the library, people would visit on Sundays because special events were held on that day.

「It is all right, Yuu-sama. Please wait a moment.」

Kanako, who was sitting in the passenger seat, said so to reassure him.

Then, opening the window, she beckoned the security guard and said in a voice that could not be heard by others.

「A man is visiting the library. There should be a priority space, right?」

「Certainly! I will go check at once.」

The security guard rushed in a fluster to check the priority space that was just further from the parking lot.

Apparently, it was available.

Fortunately, it seemed to have enough space to accommodate a Mercedes Benz, which sported a large frame, and the driver deftly parked the car in reverse parking.

I guess being a man is advantageous in times like these.

Yuu immediately experienced the privilege of being a man.

When he got out of the car, the tall Kanako assumed herself in front of him, while Touko guarded his back.

They said they had called for two reinforcements, but so as to not be too conspicuous, they seemed to be keeping a distance and watching over them, so Yuu could not tell who they were.

Like during the medical checkup, Yuu was dressed in a white hoodie and jeans. And then, he was putting a cap on deeply.

His hair was fairly long, to the point of hanging around his neck, so from a distance he did not not look like a boyish girl.

However, even though he was hiding in the shadow of Kanako right in front of him, if they looked at him from the diagonal front, they would know that he was a young man.

Or rather, from the fact that he was accompanied by two male security personnel in suits, they could pretty much guess that he was a young man.

As such, by the time they boldly entered the lobby through the entrance, the women who got a glimpse of him began to get abuzz.

「A, a man? F-f-f-f, for real?!」

「No way! Moreover, such a young and beautiful boy is….」

「Say, do you think he is an idol that is going incognito? But was there such a boy?」

「Haa~. I wonder how many years has it been since the last time I saw a young boy in person.」

As expected, as they were in a library, they were refraining from making much noises, but even so, it was perfectly clear that those surrounding them at a distance were talking about Yuu in a whispering voice.

There were even a lot of women who were giving Yuu a sticky gaze, thoroughly and stickily ogling him from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, as he made a straight beeline from the horizontally long lobby to the front automatic door.

There are really only women here!

Women, women, and women looking at Yuu without reservation.

In the lobby, there were mothers and daughters looking at the bulletin board, a gathering of elderly people in kimonos who were chatting in a circle. Students sitting on chairs eating and drinking.

And then, even when they entered the main building of the library, the people there were all surprised and gave Yuu heated gazes as soon as they noticed him.

All of them were women, without exception. There was not even a single man there.

The vibe was akin to a teacher who was newly assigned to an all-girls school… No, if it had to be said, perhaps it was more like a top idol who suddenly appeared among the general public.

Yuu did not not feel like he had turned into a spectacle.

As expected, I wonder if directly coming to a library was a mistake? Thinking as such, Yuu began to regret it, but now that he had come this far, he strove to put on a poker face.

Kanako, who was walking in front of him, carrying herself in a bold manner with her back straight was incredibly reliable.

Yuu did not notice it, but like butterflies lured by the nectar of flowers or moths lured by the night light, the women were approaching from behind, closing the distance step by step, but Touko was keeping them in check with her sharp eyes.

Briskly and without hesitation, Kanako walked over to the borrowing counter and called out.

「A man wishes to browse the books. Please make arrangements as soon as possible.」

「Huh? … Y, yes!」

A woman who seemed to have been writing something stood up as if she had been shot up when she noticed Yuu’s figure.

And then, she hurriedly walked around the counter and came in front of Yuu.

Wearing gold-rimmed glasses and braided black hair, the woman in her, who seemed to be in late twenties, was probably the librarian.

She was wearing a white blouse, a plaid vest, and a long tight skirt, also navy blue, that covered her down to her knees.

She gave off a neat and clear impression, which would be suitable for formal occupations such as female teacher or female doctor, but asserting themselves as if to overturn this were the pronouncedly towering twin mounds.

A, a neat and clean type woman with glasses and huge boobs. Ir, irresistible!

In the world Yuu used to be, she was definitely the kind of a woman who would become a model in the adult media.

When she saw Yuu up close, she ended up freezing with her eyes widened.

However, as soon as Kanako coughed, she seemed to reboot.

「E, err, do you have a user card?」

「User card? No, I don’t… I guess.」

He had no recollections of ever making such a thing.

「As expected, do I need to make one first?」

「Y, yes… Since for better or worse, that is the rule. As long as you are a resident of the city or commuting to school or work in the city, anyone can make a user card. It does not take much time, so would you like to have it made right away?」

「Yes, please.」

He simply smiled and bowed his head lightly, but then she let out a strange word like 「Fwoh… How noble」.

It seemed that the person in question meant to mutter it quietly, but Yuu’s ears heard it clearly.

Maybe she was unexpectedly an airhead, but Yuu’s favorability for her had increased within him.

◇ ◇ ◇

「W, well then, please come this way.」

After having the newly made user card handed to him, Yuu climbed up the stairs to the second floor under the guidance of the librarian.

As they climbed the stairs, he nonchalantly took the liberty to observe the large buttocks of the librarian who was walking in front of him.

When they made it to the second floor, the place seemed to be a spacious reading room as well as closed stacks.

The reading room was lined with tables for four, many of them occupied by students who were doing their best in their studies.

As soon as Yuu appeared, they simultaneously turned toward his direction with a unified movement, opened their eyes wide, and even repeatedly called out in a small voice, 「Man!」, as in the first floor.

Yuu walked past them, trying not to pay it any mind.

To attract so much attention, as expected he felt embarrassed.

The librarian opened the door to a room in the corner.

「Here is the men’s reading room. Miss escorts as well, please come in.」

The inside boasted a space about as large as a small conference room, and there was a long table that could seat about eight people.

Yuu could more or less tell that the pipe chairs lined up against the wall were specially arranged for male security personnel.

However, no one was there.

「Err, do we have this whole room for ourselves?」

「I suppose so. We do have this room arranged, but it does not seem to be used very often. The elderly sometimes use it, but they mostly come on weekday mornings when it is empty, so….」

The librarian floated a sweet smile.

Yuu found that gentle smile of hers likable.

Physical age-wise, she was more than 10 years older than him, but mental age-wise, she was much younger than him.

It was on the level that if he did not attract so much attention, he would love to commute to the library to see her.

「Err, now then, what kind of books would you like to browse today?」

「Let me see. I’d like to know about the history of the world and Japan, respectively. Since my time is limited, I don’t need to know them in detail. So I would prefer a book that can be read as a digest, or rather an overview of history.」

What Yuu wanted to know was whether the world ending up becoming different from the one he knew was because it was like that from the beginning or because some particular event occurred at some point in time.

「Understood. Now then, I will bring the book to you, so please wait a moment.」

The librarian left the room and returned after only about five minutes of waiting.

Behind the open door, he saw several student-like girls trying to peek inside, but were stopped by people who appeared to be other staff members.

The librarian who entered the room seemed to be breathing heavily, probably because she had looked up the books and came back in a great hurry.

Moreover, she had brought four thick books with her. They must have been very heavy.

Yuu stood up and tried to help her carry them.