I have to say something fast!
Have to thank him!
Principles of Economics
Quick! Quick!
Th-
Thankonomics.
Principles of Economics
Thankonomics?
Th-That was supposed to be thanks!
I was thrown off by a book again...
Why can't I say a simple word?
I should leave...
Relegate this incident to the back of my memory.
I have to say that books aren't really needed anymore.
They just take up space.
Might as well digitize them all.
How can he suggest such an awful thing?
Books have covers...
Bindings...
Inside covers...
Colophons...
The smell of paper...
Their weight...
The feel...
They're all part of the world that's been created!
Can text on a monitor ever emulate the excitement of turning a page?
But everything is subjective...
I have to accept that.
People have the right to say what they want.
Besides, I could never do something as scary as arguing with a stranger.
Once a book has been scanned, it can be discarded.
St-Stupid!
Geez, if you talk about books being useless and throwing them away,
you're going to make book lovers mad.
Vermouth
Are you here to borrow a book?
Books have their merits!
Hmph.
I'm only interested in the content.
Really...
Games with big boxes tend to be crap.
It's the law of inverse proportions.
I don't know much about games,
but you didn't have to pick a fight with her.
But as a result, I was able to hear her monologue.
Huh? Monologue?
Her inner voice.
Since she doesn't talk much,
it's unlikely that we can have a normal conversation.
So you deliberately made her angry, to find out what she's thinking?
Since the real world is an inconvenient place,
if I can't read her monologue,
I have to compensate, or I won't be able to approach her.
I'm always impressed by how unafraid you are of making a bad impression.
By the way, what are you doing?
Huh?
Oh, these are...
books about fire engines!
Since she went to the trouble to find them for me,
I thought I should read them.
Look!
It's a big fire engine!
This is the merit of a book, Divine Brother!
Keima
" . . . . . . "
(She'll be useless again this time . . . . . .)
Stupid... Wasn't right...
Why did I say that?
I was supposed to thank him...
Sigh...
I managed to call him stupid, but I couldn't thank him?
Why wasn't it the other way around?
My mouth is useless.
Stupid, stupid.
Stupid mouth!
I was always known as someone slow...
Uh-oh! Uh-oh!
Gonna tell the teacher on you!
Say, you should apologize.
Yeah, yeah!
But it wasn't true.
The wheels in my mind turned at full speed!
I just didn't know what to say.
Hey, Shiori.
Have you read this book before?
What? You haven't?
In fact, I'd actually read it twenty-four times.
It was a book I loved.
But I couldn't express myself.
So I wrote a hundred-page review and took it to them.
Huh? A review?
Did we ever mention anything about that?
What's with all the paper?
I just ended up creeping them out.
Oh, it's so difficult to communicate with other people...
Hey, what about this?
Hey, why don't you answer?
Hey.
Say something.
Books never rush me.
They give me peace of mind.
When I'm in a book, I'm free!
Here, I become an omnipotent person, with a comprehensive vocabulary.
Bismarck once said...
"Only a fool learns from his own mistakes.
The wise man learns from the mistakes of others."
And the library is a tower of human history.
I can learn all I need to know, without ever uttering a word.
I have no need to engage other people.
Yes!
That's right!
I can live out my life in this world of books!
I can hear her inner voice.
All she's done is call you stupid.
Inside of Me...
Next Day, After School
Well then, everyone.
At long last,
the library will get a media room, next week!
Now people will be able to borrow CDs and DVDs.
Uh-huh.
I can't wait!
We should have done this sooner.
Construction ate up most of our budget.
What DVDs do we want to include?
Idolmaster!
Dead or Alive!
We could ask everyone for requests.
Like I said, Dead or Alive!
Wakaki, that's a game.
Well, we'll set everything up next week, while the library's closed.
So we'll need to mobilize all the new members.
I'm counting on all of you!
Secretary Shiomiya, is something wrong?
Don't you have anything to say?
Do you need to go to the restroom?
Geez, you're always like this...
Okay.
If there's nothing else, this meeting is adjourned.
Divine One, shouldn't Shiori talk more?
This way, she won't be able to let anyone know how she feels.
If she doesn't want to talk, she doesn't have to.
Besides, the mouth is purely ornamental.
". . . . . ."
Keima
(Unnecessary for playing games.)
(And fortunately, games with voice commands are all crap.)
This is a personal opinion . . .
But...
Then why was she targeted by a loose soul?
Maybe she wants to talk?
I refuse to accept such a clichéd librarian girl.
Who do you think you are?
Why is conversation required for communication?
Our ancestors should have developed telepathy instead.
He's writing in the book!
Ah!
He's the mean person from yesterday!
Books in the library belong to everyone!
How could someone write in them?
You deserve death!
Ah, you were writing in a book!
I was making corrections.
The author's game release timeline was completely wrong.
Books provide information.
Incorrect information serves no purpose.
Th-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!
Don't you realize that we end up having to clean up your mess?
When you factor in the lack of instant editing,
books are seriously dated.
I... I... I...
Idiot...
I'm getting used to watching you make girls angry.
I'm not trying to make her angry.
I'm engaging her in conversation.
The only difference is her calling you an idiot instead of stupid.
There's a world of difference.
Listen carefully.
Huh?
Her condition has worsened.
At this rate, she only has six months left.
Patient: Shiomiya Shiori Birthday: Gender: F Blood Type: Height: Weight: BWH: Occupation: Librarian
D-Doctor!
Please save my daughter!
I'll pay whatever it takes!
Oh?
In that case...
I'll need 30,000,000 gavas!
Elsie! Prepare for the operation!
Okie-dokie!
The heart of a reticent, bookish girl
can be observed from the liver.
She might be quiet on the outside,
but that doesn't necessarily mean she's quiet on the inside.
Significant changes may be taking place, unseen.
Which means that Shiori is a liverish girl?
In any case, for now,
I'm just going to combo events together...
Keep the flow going.
The Next Day After That
He's writing in another book...
I won't accept any excuses today!
I'm giving him a stern lecture!
I can do this...
I can do this!
Books in the library are...
That book is mine.
It's not a library book.
No stamp...
Or sticker!
Give it back.
Why does this happen when I'm finally being aggressive?
What's with this guy?
But...
I should probably apologize...
No, there's no need to apologize to this person.
But...
I'm sorry...
You're not allowed to write in books.
Not allowed in the library.
No, you're not allowed to do anything!
I want to live in peace.
You're throwing me off.
I'm sorry...
Once the media room is finished,
my library will be swamped with people like you, and...
Your inner voice and outer voice are flipped.
M-My book...
So . . .
The Next Day After That
I said that he wasn't allowed in the library.
I understand...
He's going to torment me again.
You're talking out loud.
Huh?
He's right!
The power of unbridled anger is frightening.
Is it because I talked to him yesterday?
This is strange...
Very strange...
In any case, this is a nice place.
It's too noisy out there.
I just want to live in peace, without any disturbances.
That's right.
The library is a wonderful place.
A fortress of paper that keeps out the noise from the real world.
I'm Katsuragi Keima.
Sh-Shiomiya Shiori...
E-Enjoy your stay.
I-I shouldn't have told him my name!
He's dangerous!
He suddenly told me his name...
So I just responded out of reflex. Reflex!
But it feels like we were able to connect, somehow...
Divine One, you're amazing.
You're actually making progress with a girl who never talks.
The conquest is almost complete.
And it shouldn't take you very long to fill her heart's emptiness!
Dislikes people...
Media room...
Likes books...
Inner voice...
Where is her heart's emptiness?
What's with her?
She seemed a little odd.
This flyer...
I'll try to put it back together.
Help me out, raiment!
All done!
Here you go, Divine Brother!
I see...
This is it.
I can see the ending.
Notice of book disposal to prepare for new media room.
The Last Day
Do you know what fire engines are?
They're red and super cool!
Plus, they have sirens!
And they can spray water!
Divine One, are there any games with fire engines?
Anthropomorphism, huh...