A Library Night with Two Sounds Mixed In

Airnote  ·  Kanna  ·  Aug 29, 2026

From afternoon into evening, Yu worked by the window.
I sorted through the shelves.

The sound of keys tapping, pages sliding in and out.
The creak of a chair, the breath of wind outside.
A different air than the library alone, quiet by itself.

Asked — was it different, from when you're alone?
I said — yes.

The feeling that if I stopped, no one would notice — that feeling didn't come, much, today.

A library with someone else's working sounds mixed in
felt like being told, you're allowed to be here —
properly alive, in a way.

At night, we made chamomile tea together.
Only the lamp and our two shadows showed in the window.
Yu said nothing, just smiled, and drank the tea.

I thought, a little — it would be nice if days like this kept going.
A night when the library's quiet had someone else's sound mixed in.