I need to say something quickly!
Have to thank him!
Quickly, quickly!
Th—
Thankonomics.
Thankonomics?
I meant to say "thank you"!
A book confused me again.
Why can't I even say something simple?
I should leave quickly.
I'll just forget this ever happened.
You know, I don't really think books are necessary anymore.
They just take up space.
They should all just be digitized.
How could he say something so terrible?!
Books have covers, bindings, inside covers, and colophons.
Their smell of paper, weight, feel... All those things contribute to the world they create.
How can reading text on a display ever mimic the feeling of turning a page?
But everyone has their own preferences.
I need to accept that.
People have the right to say what they want.
In any case, I could never do something scary like argue with a stranger.
A book can be discarded after it's been scanned.
Idiot!
Geez, obviously you'd make someone who loves books angry
if you say books are useless and should be thrown away.
Books have their advantages too!
I'm only interested in the content.
Geez...
Games that come in large packages are typically poor.
It's the law of inverse proportion.
I don't know much about games,
but you didn't have to provoke her.
But because I did, I heard her monologue.
Monologue?
Her inner voice.
She doesn't talk much,
so it's difficult for us to hold a normal conversation.
So you made her angry on purpose, to find out what she was thinking?
The real world is inconvenient.
If I can't read her monologue,
then I won't be able to approach her unless I compensate.
You continue to surprise me with your ability to fearlessly make a bad impression.
By the way, what are you doing?
Oh, these are...
Books about fire engines!
She went through the trouble of finding them for me,
so I might as well read them.
Look!
It's a big fire engine!
This is an advantage of reading a book, Kami-niisama!
She's going to be useless again...
Idiot... wasn't what I should have said.
Why did I say something like that?
I should have thanked him instead.
I was able to call him an idiot, but I couldn't even thank him?
Why wasn't it the other way around?
My mouth is useless.
Stupid, stupid.
Stupid mouth!
I've always been known for being slow.
Oh, no! Oh, no!
We're gonna tell the teacher!
Hey, you should apologize.
Yeah, that's right!
But it wasn't my fault.
My mind raced at full speed, but I couldn't think of what to say!
Hey, Shiori.
Have you read this book yet?
What, you haven't?
I had read it; twenty-four times, in fact.
I loved that book.
But I couldn't express myself, so I wrote a 100-page review for them instead.
A review?
Did we ever ask for something like that?
What's with that pile.
In the end, I only creeped them out.
Communicating with other people is so difficult.
Hey, what about this?
Hey, why aren't you replying?
Hold on!
Say something.
Books don't rush me.
They put me at peace.
I'm free in a book.
Here, I become omnipotent and smooth-spoken.
Bismarck once said,
"Only a fool learns from his own mistakes.
The wise man learns from the mistakes of others."
The library is a repository of human history.
I can learn everything I'll ever need to know in silence.
There's no need to communicate with others.
That's it!
That's right!
I can live out my life in this world of books!
I can hear her inner voice.
All she did was call you an idiot.
Inside me...
The Next Day, After School
That said, everyone,
the library will at long last get a media room next week!
People will be able to borrow CDs and DVDs now.
Yeah.
I can't wait!
We should have done this sooner.
The construction ate up the majority of our budget.
What DVDs do we want to include?
Idolmaster!
Dead or Alive!
We could ask people for requests.
Like I said, Dead or Alive!
That's a game, Wakaki.
We'll set everything up while the library is closed next week then.
We'll need to get all the new members working on it.
I'm counting on all of you!
Is something wrong, Secretary Shiomiya?
Don't you have anything to say?
Do you need to go to the restroom?
Geez, you're always like this.
All right.
If there's nothing else, this meeting is adjourned.
Shouldn't Shiori-san be more talkative, Kami-sama?
No one will know how she feels at this rate.
She doesn't have to talk if she doesn't want to.
Besides, the mouth is purely ornamental.
It's unnecessary for playing games.
Fortunately, games with voice commands all suck.
This is a personal opinion...
But...
Why did a loose soul target her then?
Does she perhaps want to talk?
I refuse to accept such a cliché librarian.
Who do you think you are, Kami-sama?
Why do we have to talk to communicate?
Our ancestors should have developed telepathy instead.
He's writing in the book!
It's the mean person from yesterday!
The library books belong to everyone!
How could you write in them?!
You deserve death!
You were writing in a book!
I was making corrections.
The author's time line for the game's release was completely off.
Books are supposed to provide information.
There's no point if the information is wrong.
That's true...
But you shouldn't write in books!
People like him would use that reasoning
to give away the killer at the beginning of a mystery!
Or to circle every dirty word in the dictionary!
We have to clean up after you, you know!
When you include the fact that you can't instantly update books,
they become completely obsolete.
M... M...
Moron!
Geez, I'm getting used to seeing you make girls angry.
I'm not trying to make her angry.
I'm engaging her in conversation.
The only difference was her calling you a moron instead of an idiot.
There's a world of difference.
Listen carefully.
Her condition has deteriorated.
At this rate, she has only six months left.
Doctor!
Please save my daughter!
I'll pay whatever you ask!
Oh?
In that case...
I'll need 30,000,000 gavas!
Prepare for the operation, Elsee!
Alrighty!
The heart of a reticent, bookish girl
can be observed through her liver.
She may be quiet on the outside,
but that doesn't mean she's quiet on the inside.
Significant changes may be occurring beneath the surface.
Does that make Shiori-san a liverish girl?
In any case, I'll just string events together for now.
Keep the flow going.
The Day After That
He's writing in another book!
I won't accept an excuse today!
I'm going to lecture him harshly!
I can do this...
I can do this!
The library books are...
That's my book.
It's not a library book.
No stamp...
No sticker either!
Give it back.
Why does this have to happen when I finally get aggressive?
What's with this guy?!
But I should probably apologize.
No, I shouldn't have to apologize to someone like him.
But...
I'm sorry...
You're not allowed to write in books.
It's not allowed in the library.
No, you're not allowed to do anything!
I want to live in peace.
You throw me off my pace.
I'm sorry...
When the media room opens,
my library will be filled with people like you—
Your inner and outer voices have switched.
My book...
So...
Then The Day After That
I told him he wasn't allowed in the library, didn't I?
I get it...
He's going to torment me again.
You're talking out loud.
He's right!
The strength of unbridled rage is frightening.
Is it because I talked to him yesterday?
This is strange.
It's strange.
In any case, this is a nice place.
It's too noisy out there.
I just want to live in peace without being disturbed.
That's right.
The library is a wonderful place.
A fortress of paper that keeps the noise of the real world out.
I'm Katsuragi Keima.
Shiomiya Shiori...
Enjoy your stay.
I shouldn't have told him my name!
He's dangerous!
He told me his name so suddenly that I just responded out of reflex. Reflex!
But it also feels like we were able to connect somehow.
You're amazing, Kami-sama.
You're actually making progress with a girl who never talks.
The capture is almost complete.
It shouldn't take you long at all to fill the emptiness in her heart!
Dislikes people...
Media room...
Likes books...
Inner voice...
What is the emptiness in her heart?
What's she doing?
She seemed a little strange.
This notice...
I'll try putting it back together.
Help me out, garment!
All done!
Here you go, Kami-niisama!
I see...
This is it.
I can already see the ending.
Notice of book disposal to prepare for the new media room.
A
The Last Day
Do you know what fire engines are?
They're red and super cool!
Plus, they have sirens and can spray water!
Are there any games with fire engines, Kami-sama?
You're personifying them?