Archive of Our Own

It was a day like any other, when I first met her.

I had left my office to stretch my legs and get some fresh air on one of my routine afternoon walks, accompanied by the newest book I'd borrowed from the local library and a rendition of Für Elise playing in my earbuds. Usually I wasn't one to listen to much classical music, but something about this particular piano performance had drawn me in when I'd first heard it, and it quickly became a staple of my music playlist - a somewhat spontaneous choice, I had noted, but such was the case with many new additions to said playlist, so I didn't think much of it.

Following my usual route while enjoying the book, I ended up in a park I frequented often, my legs automatically taking me to a specific secluded bench that I had gotten very acquainted with ever since I first started coming here. After cleaning some stray birch leaves - yellowed by the steady approach of winter - off the bench, I sat down with a satisfied sigh and returned my attention to my book, quickly becoming engrossed in the story again as Für Elise continued to quietly play on repeat. The only other sounds that reached my ears were the rustle of leaves in the wind, the crinkle of paper whenever I turned a page, and the rare crunch of gravel as a jogger ran past me on this secluded spot in the corner of the park. The peaceful atmosphere caused a light yawn to escape from my mouth, and I briefly pondered taking a short nap, when something suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

"Great book choice." A sudden feminine voice coming from right beside my ear and the exhalation of warm breath that accompanied it made me jump in surprise, and I snapped my head to look towards it source, freezing in place when I found myself face-to-face with the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Her piercing yellow eyes seemed to stare right into my soul, and her pale, porcelain doll-like face was framed by two-tone black and white hair as she leaned on the backrest of the bench to be at eye level with me. I don't know how long we stayed still in that position, but eventually her face cracked into a smile and she spoke again. "Did I spook you?"

"Ah, no, I..." My words trailed off as I found myself unable to form my thoughts into something coherent, instead continuing to stare dumbly at the girl who had suddenly appeared by my side. She giggled, evidently finding amusement in my reaction, then circled around the bench to stand in front of me, moving her hands behind her back as she looked down at me.

The first word that came into my head when I saw her fully was 'goth', due to her dark clothes and accessories, all adorned with chains and decorative spiked studs. My gaze roamed her form in wonder, from her exposed shoulders down to the curiously-tailored hem of her dress and mismatched stockings, but eventually returned to her eyes, which had remained fixated on mine in a manner that felt somewhat unnerving, yet alluring - a description that I readily applied to the girl as a whole, based on first impression. After a few more seconds of silence, I realized I hadn't yet responded to this mysterious girl, and quickly cleared my throat while pulling out my earbuds.

"S-sorry. I... thanks? It's... a good book, yeah." I finally managed to speak again, slipping a bookmark between the pages of the book and shutting it close in my lap, a finger idly tracing the letters on the front cover that spelled out the book's title, Of Mice and Men.

"What made you choose to read it?" The girl asked from me with a somewhat excited expression while leaning closer, her eyes briefly flicking down to the book in my lap before meeting mine again.

"Well, um... I... don't know, really. I saw it in the library the other day and it just... caught my eye, I suppose. It was a very... spontaneous choice, sorry there isn't a bigger reason than that." I replied to her and scratched my head awkwardly. The girl didn't seem to be disappointed by my answer in the slightest, however, as she nodded approvingly.

"Don't be sorry. A bit of spontaneity is good in life - you never know what kind of good things a choice like that might lead to." The girl smiled mysteriously, then moved to sit down next to me on the bench, sliding herself closer as her voice turned into a whisper. "Like a book you picked from the shelf at random turning out to be one of your new favourites, or... speaking to a stranger at a park because of a book they're reading leading to..." By the time her words trailed off, the girl was right up next to me, her breath tickling my ear again and causing a light blush to spread across my cheeks. My mind and heart raced as I remained completely still, utterly perplexed by what was happening, but before I could react in any way, the girl had pulled back away and instead extended a hand out towards me. "My name is Shiori Novella. I'm an archiver. Nice to meet you." I blinked in confusion at the sudden change in demeanour, then awkwardly shook her hand, still in such a state of shock I forgot to even introduce myself.

"L-likewise..." Shiori's smiled widened when I shook her hand, and an unfamiliar feeling welled up in me at the sight.

I would only realize it much later, but that was the precise moment I fell in love, something which I had by this point in my life convinced myself I wasn't capable of.

"Do you read a lot normally? Or was doing so also a spontaneous choice?" Shiori asked from me after pulling her hand back, her eyes finally leaving me as she looked forwards while leaning back into the bench.

"No, I do... read quite a bit. Just, usually not literature like this, from like, this time period or these kinds of authors." My gaze also moved away from Shiori as I spoke, landing on the book in my hands again. "I read more... modern literature usually, or books by authors from other parts of the world. This is my first time reading something like this." I heard Shiori 'hmmm' thoughtfully, and snuck a glance at her, only to find my gaze suddenly meeting hers again as she now looked straight at me with her chin leaning against her hand. For a moment, I got lost in her eyes, but quickly shook myself from my reverie and continued. "W-what about you, Shiori? Do you... read a lot?"

"Oh yes I do. All the time when I'm not busy with archiving things, basically. I read all kinds of things, but the stories I tend to enjoy the most are ones that involve mystery or... romance." Shiori's voice dipped lower at the final word, and her eyes became half-lidded as she looked at me. The expression made the odd feeling from before return, and I had to forcefully tear my eyes away from her. "That book you're reading now happens to be one of my favourites."

"I... see. I-I like a good mystery myself as well, and... I'm enjoying this book so far, so I'd say it's pretty good." It had been a long time since I had talked to someone about books, so I was struggling a little to find things to say to Shiori regarding the subject, and the things she was making me feel did not make it any easier. Thankfully, if she noticed my awkwardness, she didn't bring attention to it, and merely nodded to me with a smile.

"Hmm... That's good to hear. But, what about romance, then?" Shiori asked, but I didn't quite understand what she was referring to and cocked my head in confusion. "In books and stories! Do you enjoy it as well?" She then clarified somewhat excitedly when I didn't respond to her.

"Oh, well... It's... alright." I replied evasively, which must have been obvious to Shiori, as she raised an eyebrow at me, then gestured for me to continue. "I... used to read it more when I was younger, but not so much any more." Hoping that Shiori would not press further with this line of questioning, I spoke curtly and averted my eyes from her. At the edge of my vision, I could see Shiori quietly scrutinizing me for several seconds, before she finally spoke again.

"I see. Hey, would you like to help me with my archiving work?" Shiori leaned closer to me again, looking at me with upturned eyes from a slight downwards angle.

"Eh? How... would I exactly help you..?" The sudden question caught me completely off-guard, and I turned to look at her again with confusion likely written all over my face.

"Don't worry, you won't need to do anything special. You're an interesting person, and I'd like to hear what you think of that book when you finish it. And... maybe some other things as well." Shiori winked at me, then suddenly stood up. "Come on, just say yes! It won't be difficult, I'm not going to break you or anything..." The girl extended a hand out to me again, looking at me expectantly.

A silence fell upon us for a moment as I pondered what to do. Shiori was a pretty - albeit very odd - girl, and while she seemed like a good person so far, we were still essentially strangers, so I was hesitant in accepting her offer. However, when I looked up at her outstretched hand, and then at her expectant face beyond it, I felt something deep within myself urging me to take her hand.

And, in a moment of spontaneity, I did just that.

"...Alright, I'll help you, but-" Before I could finish what I was saying, Shiori suddenly tugged on my arm with unexpected strength, pulling me onto my feet. The suddenness of the move made me lose my balance immediately, but before I could fall, Shiori wrapped her other arm around me and pulled me close to her, our faces almost touching as she stared deep into my eyes.

"Good. I'm expecting great things from you." I froze in complete shock, staring back at Shiori wide-eyed as I felt my heartrate increasing steadily due to our close proximity. She held me in her half-embrace for a few more seconds, before letting go of me and taking a few steps back. "I'll see you again soon! Don't keep me waiting..." With those as her parting words, Shiori offered me a small wave and turned to leave.

"...Ah, wait..." Dumbfounded at what had just happened, I only managed to speak when Shiori was already out of earshot. "...I didn't even get to give you my name..."

And so ended my first - but certainly not my last - encounter with Shiori Novella, the mysterious archiver.

The day I met her the second time was also as normal as could be - but it didn't remain so for long.

I'd gone to the library to check out some more books, having recently finished the last one I'd borrowed. As I was perusing the shelves, I heard footsteps behind me, and was about to step to the side, thinking that I was in the way of someone, but jumped in surprise when I suddenly felt a hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

"Did you finish it?" A sense of déjà-vu washed over me at the familiar voice, and I turned my head to see Shiori leaning past my shoulder, a soft smile set on her face.

"...Are you going to scare me every time we meet?" I asked her with a small sigh, and Shiori's smile turned into a grin.

"Do you want me to?" Shiori kept grinning as she leaned her chin on my shoulder, the contact and her close proximity causing my cheeks to suddenly feel hotter.

"...Not particularly, no. Anyway, what happened to 'see you soon'? It's been over a week, you were the one who kept me waiting." I turned my attention back to the bookshelf, letting some of my annoyance at her sudden disappearance after our previous meeting leak into my voice. A part of me thought the whole encounter had been a dream, given its suddenness, but it felt too real with how vividly I could recall it in my mind. Another part of me had also felt somewhat... giddy about the whole thing. In those few short short minutes, Shiori had made me feel more things than any other person had made me feel ever before. I still wasn't quite sure what to think of it, but it had made me want to spend more time with her to see if I could better understand things - especially myself.

"What, did you miss me? Even though we only met once? Awww, I didn't peg you as the needy type, but that's adorable." Shiori replied to me with a small giggle, then moved away from my shoulder. "I told you I wanted to know what you thought of the book after you finished it, right? It's only natural that I'd have to give you some time to do so." She explained to me, then leaned her body forward to look up at me, her next words containing a hint of excitement in them. "Speaking of which, to repeat myself, did you finish it yet?" The angle only made Shiori look cuter - a deliberate move on her part, I thought - so I was momentarily caught off-guard by it, but managed to regain my senses quick enough to reply.

"Ah, y-yes, I did. It was... an enjoyable read. Some of the themes... resonated with me a little as well. Specifically the, um... loneliness of many of the characters." I turned fully to Shiori as I spoke, having picked out a book from the shelf that I thought looked interesting. Shiori's eyes were fixated on mine, and her smile seemed to widen when I told her my impressions of the book.

"Did it make you feel... emotional?"

"Not... really. Sorry, I'm not a very emotional personal in general..." I replied, then quickly amended my statement, not wanting her to think I didn't like the book. "I-it was still a good book, I'm just... not easily moved, I guess."

"That's fine. This is perfectly acceptable as well. I'm glad I reached out to you." Shiori replied to me with an understanding smile and pulled out a notebook and pen, proceeding to write something down in it. Was this what her archiving consisted of? "So, is this what you're planning on reading next?" She then asked from after putting the notebook away, pointing at the book in my hands, and I nodded to her. "Let me see!" Acquiescing to her request, I handed the book to Shiori, who accepted it eagerly. "Hmmm... Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, huh... Do you like bugs? I think they're fascinating. I enjoy photographing them when they're dead." Her words made me blink in surprise, but Shiori offered no further context and simply handed the book back to me with a smile - though combined with her words, it looked almost creepy. "Well, come on, then! Don't leave a good book unread!" Before I had a chance to question her, Shiori was already on the move, making her way towards one of the more secluded tables in the library and gesturing for me to follow her.

I wanted to say something to her, but all that left my mouth was a sigh, and I shuffled after her. When we reached the table, Shiori stopped and spun around to face me, seemingly waiting for me to sit down. I'd been planning on going straight back home from the library after picking my next read, but Shiori seemed to want to stay, so I abandoned my previous plan and sat down, with Shiori taking the seat opposite to mine. At first I thought that she might want to read something as well, but instead Shiori simply leaned on the table with her elbows and rested her chin atop her hands, piercing topaz eyes locked with mine from across the table. Being stared at so intently made me feel a bit awkward and embarrassed, so I averted my eyes from her and spoke to break the silence before it got too suffocating.

"So, uh... What exactly did you want me to do to help with your... archiving? Just my opinion on that book, or..?" I asked from her, and Shiori tilted her head to the side while raising an eyebrow.

"Hm? I said I'd want your help with some other things as well, didn't I?" She then asked in turn, and I met her gaze again with my own.

"Well, yeah, but... I don't exactly know what you mean by 'archiving', or how I'm supposed to help you with it. You... didn't exactly give me much in the form of instructions last time." After I finished, Shiori closed her eyes for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought, before she opened them again and responded.

"Archiving is just what the word suggests. I... record things. Jot down knowledge. You don't need to know how I perform my duties, you just need to cooperate with me on some things. There are many subjects that require acquiring multiple perspectives in order to form the full picture, and others that call for the involvement of more than one person to properly experience and thus, archive." She explained to me, and I was somewhat surprised at how unexpectedly comprehensive her explanation was, given that so far she'd primarily been mysterious and cryptic.

"Alright, that makes sense. So, when you say something needs the involvement of more than one person, you mean subjects such as..?" Shiori's smile widened at my words, and I watched as she lifted herself from her chair to lean closer to me over the table, until her face was as close to mine as was physically possible. The remaining distance between us was closed by her cupping my face with her hands and bringing it close enough to hers that I could feel her warm breath on my skin when she spoke.

"Love."

The word left Shiori's mouth in one long, deliberate breath as she stared deep into my eyes, and I felt my heart starting to beat faster. She had to be doing all this... teasing on purpose, but I couldn't quite understand her motives for doing so - perhaps this is simply the kind of person she was.

"L-love..?" Dumbstruck, I repeated the word back to her, and Shiori's smile widened into a grin.

"Yes, love. Romance, companionship... intimacy. Not something you can experience just on your own, wouldn't you say?" The girl tilted her head to the side in a cutesy manner, then let go of my face and leaned back. "That is what I need your help with."

"Well, you couldn't have picked a worse person for it..." A sigh almost followed my words, but I held it in, instead idly rubbing my left cheek with a hand, noting that it felt slightly warm. "I'm not exactly... experienced with romance. Like, at all."

"Hm? That's not a problem at all. In fact..." Shiori leaned closer to me again, laying her entire upper body on the table and resting her cheek against her crossed arms as she looked up at me and whispered her next words. "...I'd love to be your first." The sight left me speechless for a moment, but I managed to tear my eyes away from hers long enough to collect my thoughts and reply.

"N-no, you don't get it. I've never even... fallen in love with anyone, and I..." ...don't think I even can. The words remained unsaid, and I closed my mouth to swallow them back down.

Avoiding Shiori's curious gaze, I hung my head low and looked down at my lap, my hands on the table balling up into fists. I'd told myself that I had already accepted it as a fact, that I was different - that I was broken - but even so, every time I was reminded of it, my chest tightened and stomach turned.

Just as I was about to fall back into the familiar swamp of self-loathing, I felt a soft hand enveloping my own, and I slowly lifted my head to find Shiori looking at me with a gentle smile.

"It's okay." The words that left her mouth were quiet, and her hand gave mine a reassuring squeeze. I let myself relax a little, but turned my head away, slight shame now welling up in me at having shown my weak side to Shiori. "Hey, I want to show you something." The sudden sound of a chair scraping against the floor rang out as Shiori stood up quickly and moved to my side of the table, bringing my attention back to her.

"What..?" Before I could say anything more, Shiori smiled widely and grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. "Ah- Hey!"

"Come. It will be worth it."

Not allowing me even a moment to protest, Shiori began to pull me after her, leaving Kafka's Metamorphosis alone on the table we'd occupied just moments ago.

As soon as we were out of the library, Shiori began to sprint, forcing me to run with her. I didn't know how long we ran for, but by the time I had to stop to catch my breath, we were somewhere I didn't recognize. The buildings in the area around us seemed to be older than in the other parts of the city I was familiar with, but the numerous twists and turns Shiori had dragged me through had completely wrecked my sense of direction, so I didn't know where exactly we were. When I was finally able to speak again, I asked Shiori where she was taking me, but she simply smiled at me and said that I would "see soon enough". With very little options, I continued following after her, though now at a much slower pace - thankfully.

We passed by only a few people as we walked through the old streets, with Shiori tightly holding onto my hand the whole time. The only times she let go of me was whenever we passed by a flock of birds, when she would stop and pull out a bag of birdfeed that she apparently carried with her. Each time, I'd watch in silent awe as she crouched down to feed the birds, which didn't seem afraid of her in the slightest, with one particularly vocal raven practically eating out of her hand. The bird even allowed Shiori to pet it, and it in fact seemed to relish in the attention the girl gave to it. With some help from Shiori, I also got the opportunity to pet the raven, which was when I noticed that the feathers on its right wing seemed a bit ruffled. Shiori explained to me that this particular bird had injured its wing in the past, and she had helped it recover.

"It was so downtrodden when I first found it - broken, isolated, and scared." She told me. "Even after it healed, the damage was permanent enough that it would never again be able to fly as well as its brothers and sisters, but despite that... It was so happy being able to find new joys in the world that was once so gloomy and dark."

Shiori's words had made it seem like she was talking about a human being rather than just a raven, but I knew they were very intelligent birds and didn't question it further.

The raven followed after the two of us for some time, but eventually went its own way after we - presumably - left its territory. However, not too long afterwards, it was replaced by another animal when a stray cat began to walk with us - and unlike the raven, it wasn't alone. After I first noticed the cat, it seemed like every time I turned my head or blinked, a new one had appeared from somewhere and joined our ever-growing entourage, with the amount of strays quickly approaching a dozen. I felt a little overwhelmed about the amount of cats following us, but since Shiori didn't seem to pay much attention to them, I didn't bring it up either, and we continued walking in silence.

"I come here quite often, and these little ones have taken a liking to me." Shiori suddenly spoke out as she turned to an alleyway, her hand still clasped onto mine and pulling me along. "At first it was probably just because I'd feed them, but now they've come to genuinely like spending time with me. At least, I like to think so." The girl glanced over her shoulder and winked at me, then came to a stop as we had reached what looked like a dead end.

"So, um... is this what you.. wanted to show me?" I probed carefully, Shiori's goals and motives still very unclear to me.

"Hmmm... Yes, but also no. I am hoping that this will allow you to see what I want to show you." Shiori's response was cryptic, but she didn't seem eager to elaborate, instead squatting down to greet the assembled stray cats, which congregated around her. "I'm sorry, I don't have any food for you with me today. Didn't think I'd come to visit." The cats meowed at her is if they understood her, and a few began to rub up against her affectionately. "Have a look at these cats. Do you see anything that stands out?" Shiori suddenly asked, looking up at me as she gently stroked one of the strays. I took a moment to glance around, looking at each of the cats surrounding us. Most of them had their attention on Shiori, but a few looked at me with curious eyes, and one was warily circling my feet, as if appraising me.

"...Not really? I can tell they're all strays..." I replied after a few silent moments, continuing to cast my gaze all over the alleyway and the cats, until I stopped at one of them. "...Well, that one seems a bit... shy?" I pointed towards a cat that stayed further away from us than the others, hiding halfway behind a corner as it gazed at us with suspicion. Its dark coat was quite shaggy and long-haired, which, combined with its size, made me think it was likely a Maine Coon.

"Oh, him. You would be correct in that assumption, he is a bit shy. Or, more like, he actually somewhat avoids people." Shiori replied to me and turned towards the large cat, reaching out with a hand and attempting to attract it towards her. The cat in question noticed her efforts, and slowly began to move towards her while giving me a wide berth. "He's a bit unusual for his breed, as Maine Coons are usually very social and like to be with people. I don't know if this oddity in his personality led to him becoming a stray in the first place, or if he developed to be that way after becoming a stray. Regardless, he's been the hardest for me to get close to, and, as you can see, he is still the most wary of me." The Maine Coon finally reached Shiori and carefully gave her outstretched hand a sniff, then, perhaps realizing that she did not have food with her, it quickly retreated again, though it remained close by and observed us. "...Still, despite the fact that he is different from the others, he deserves my love just as much as they do." As Shiori finished, she turned to look at me with a wide - and somewhat knowing - smile.

Her words just now and the smile that accompanied them, combined with her words about the raven before and the sudden nature of her bringing me to see these cats, were now giving me an inkling of what it was that she wanted to show me.

"Then there's also..." Shiori continued speaking, glancing around until her eyes landed on another cat, this one an American Curl, based on the shape of its ears. Like the rest of the strays, its fur was a bit messy, but otherwise it seemed healthy. "Oh! There she is. Come over here..." I watched with light amusement as Shiori crawled towards the cat on all fours, extending a hand out towards it while trying to get it to come to her. For a while, the Curl simply stared at her curiously, but eventually it came over to Shiori, walking somewhat unsteadily. "There you go... Come here, I want you to take a closer look at her." Shiori gestured at me with rapid hand movements, and I obliged, squatting down next to her and looking at the cat currently rubbing its body against her hand. "Notice anything?"

"Hmm... She... seems to walk a bit funny." I replied to Shiori's question after a few moments of observing the cat. "Doesn't seem like there are any injuries on its legs or anything, though."

"It's not just how she walks, this little one is a bit... wrong in the head. I know that's a bit of a mean way to put it, but it is how it is." Shiori replied as she gently pet the cat's head, the feline leaning into her touch when she scratched it behind its curly ears. "I once saw her with another cat, and-"

"Thank you, Shiori." I cut off the girl mid-sentence, and she turned her head to look at me, the cat meowing in disapproval as her hand stopped moving. "I... get what you're trying to do. I'm sorry for souring the mood at the library earlier. But... thank you." I gave the girl a smile, and she returned the gesture, pulling her hand away from the cat and turning her body fully towards me.

"It's alright. I believe love is one of the things you should never give up on. Don't lose hope just because you missed out on it in your youth, and keep on dreaming. And if it really does turn out that you're a bit different... what does it matter? I don't think you should think less of yourself because it. After all..." Shiori stood up, then leaned her body forwards slightly as she grinned. "...We're all a little broken, aren't we?" A light chuckle escaped my mouth, and I stood back up as well.

"...Maybe. The two of us are, at least." Shiori giggled at my answer, then spun around so she was in front of me, her piercing yellow eyes staring deep into my soul.

"So, you'll help me do my archiving job then, right? It shouldn't be too difficult. All you need to do is be receptive, so that I can..." Shiori moved closer to me as she spoke, her voice dropping to a whisper while she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and brought her face close to mine. "...make you fall for me." Once again, her teasing made my cheeks feel hot, and Shiori smiled triumphantly, before pulling away. "See? Easy. You're reacting to me, so we're already halfway there~!"

"...I suppose it won't hurt." I replied after releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "The results will speak for themselves."

With a nod from Shiori, we settled on an agreement to help each other - Shiori with her archiving, and me with finding more about myself.

Over the next few weeks, my encounters with Shiori became more and more frequent, but remained unpredictable as ever. Often she'd disappear for several days, only to sneak up on me while I was buying groceries or ambush me in the midst of a group of people while going to watch a film. Usually, we'd talk about whatever book I was reading at the time, with Shiori meticulously writing down all of my thoughts and impressions on them, but just as often she'd take me for a walk to the most interesting places I never knew existed so close to me - a secluded used bookstore ran by a kindly elderly couple, a small alleyway cafe that served a kind of coffee I'd never tasted before, or an overgrown park on the edge of town, to name just a few. All the while, she'd regale me with fascinating tales from her youth or of things she'd encountered in her duties as an archiver, each one more crazy-sounding than the last, but still believable.

With each story she told, I felt like I understood Shiori just a little bit better, and yet she still remained as mysterious as ever no matter how close I felt we got. Every new side to her that I got to see and every query I got an answer to only awakened more questions in me, as a desire to know more and get closer to her grew in me day by day. I started greatly looking forward to each of our encounters, and I found that I'd always be in a generally better mood after we'd spent time together. I was even getting back into reading romance novels, as Shiori had managed to almost completely rid my heart of the dark clouds that would always appear whenever I'd picked up such a story. Whether or not the things I was feeling were love, however... I still couldn't say, and we hadn't brought the subject up since that day she took me to see the stray cats. I still had plenty of doubts, but whenever those doubts turned to fears, Shiori's reassuring words would banish them. All I knew for certain was that each new encounter would bring me closer to the answers.

Little did I know that I was already closer than I thought, as was evidenced by our most recent meeting.

It had been a couple of days since I had last seen Shiori, and I'd just returned home from a walk. As I was about to settle down with a hot drink to continue the book I'd been reading on my walk - Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express - I was suddenly interrupted by my doorbell ringing. There weren't any deliveries I was waiting on, and the few people outside my family who knew where I lived weren't ones to appear unannounced, so I was initially very confused as to who the unexpected visitor could be. That confusion quickly morphed into suspicion, but it melted away when I went to take a look through my front door's peephole and saw the familiar figure of Shiori standing outside. Now feeling a little excited, I quickly unlocked and opened the door to let her in.

"Hi hi! It's me, Shiorin~" The girl greeted me as I opened the door, waving her hand in a wide arc even though I was right in front of her.

"Heya. This is... kind of a surprise. When did I tell you my address?" I asked from her, not recalling the subject having come up in any of the conversations we'd had recently.

"Oh, just the other day. More importantly, are you going to let me in? Or will you make me stay alone out in the cold?" Shiori smiled at me as she wrapped her arms around herself and acted as if she was shivering. It had started to get colder recently as autumn slowly progressed into winter, but it was still warm enough that it shouldn't have been an issue. Of course, I knew Shiori was simply teasing, so I stepped to the side and let her inside.

"You'll probably be fine for now, but you'll soon need to start covering your shoulders." I said as I closed the door behind her, with Shiori kneeling down to take off her boots. "Or, well, you should, at least. It's not like I'm forcing you to do anything..." Shiori giggled at my attempt to amend my statement, then looked up at me with a soft smile on her lips.

"Are you worried about me? That's very sweet. I suppose a scarf would probably not ruin my style entirely." She said with a wink as she rose back up. "Sadly, I don't own one."

"You don't own a scarf? Well... do you want to go buy one?" Shiori 'hmmmm'd' thoughtfully at my question as I lead her into my home, gesturing for her to sit on the couch in the living room.

"We could go on a little date I suppose, but... We might as well go even further with it, right?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion at Shiori's words as she took a seat and started to shed off her coat. "I could just take one of your scarves. Do you have a spare one you could give me?"

"Eh? Why would I... give you my scarf?" My confusion only rose with Shiori's suggestion.

"Hm? Because... I asked nicely?" The girl smiled at me and cupped her own cheeks with her hands while tilting her head in a cutesy manner, then let out a light giggle. "You don't have to if you don't want to. What did you say just now..? It's not like I'd force you to do anything for me. Unless you want me to..." Shiori's smile turned into a grin, but I elected to ignore her little tease and instead turned to go towards my room.

"Let me go check my wardrobe..."

Since it wasn't winter quite yet, any winter clothes I owned would still be somewhere within the depths of my wardrobe, but it would soon come the time to move them into the entryway. Sifting through the organized chaos of my wardrobe, I eventually found a black scarf I remember my family had bought for me years ago. It was far too large to be worn practically, so I'd only used it occasionally, and I doubt my family would come asking if it went missing - or even remember the scarf's existence in the first place. With the scarf in hand, I returned to the living room, where Shiori was waiting for me, the Agatha Christie novel I'd been reading in her hands. She seemed to be reading a part of the book further in than I had gotten, but lifted her gaze to meet mine once she noticed I'd returned, then closed the book and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Don't worry, I didn't mess up your bookmark or anything. Just wanted to remind myself of the ending." Shiori said with a smile as I approached, her eyes drifting to the scarf in my hands. "Oh! You're actually going to give me your scarf?"

"Well, this one's too big for me, so I've not really worn it much anyway. Might as well see if you'll get more use out of it." I replied, and Shiori held out her hands to receive the scarf from me. "It's... black, at least, so it won't clash with your current style... or something." I awkwardly scratched my cheek as I saw down on the couch as well, keeping a respectable distance from Shiori.

"It's not like I only own black clothes... The colour black just happens to be best for blending into the background and is thus optimal for observing." Shiori said while unfolding the scarf, then held it up in the air in front of her. "Okay, dang, you didn't lie when you said it was big. Let's see..." I watched in silence as Shiori began to experiment with the scarf. Noticing my drink still remained on the coffee table, I reached for it and took a sip, the liquid having cooled a little but still being drinkable. "...There we go. How do I look?" After a minute or so, Shiori seemed happy with the scarf and turned to fully face me. Her face was half-hidden beneath the oversized scarf, and there was enough fabric to cover her shoulders in addition to her neck, so at least it would provide adequate protection against the cold. As I looked at her golden eyes peeking from behind the dark fabric, though, only one word came to my mind.

"...Cute." The word slipped from my lips without my own input on the matter, and I quickly averted my eyes in embarrassment. I'd acknowledged that Shiori was very pretty since our first meeting, but this was the first time I'd said anything that suggested I thought so directly to her. My gaze was drawn back to Shiori when she giggled at my reaction, and I saw a somewhat coy smile on her lips as she pulled the edge of the scarf covering her face down slightly.

"Why, thank you. I am glad to hear you find this appealing. I take it you won't be opposed to me keeping this scarf, then?" The smile remained on Shiori's face as she pulled the scarf back up, covering slightly more of her face than before and hiding what I thought for a moment was a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

"Y-you can keep it, yeah. Like I said, I found it cumbersome because of its size." I replied and took another, longer swig of my drink in hopes of hiding my own warming cheeks.

"Hmm... Have you ever thought of being more... forward?" Shiori suddenly asked, her eyes focused on me like I was some kind of test specimen under a microscope. "I did say that all you needed to do was be receptive towards my charms, but why not turn the tables a little?"

"Huh? What... brought this on all of a sudden? You know I've got no experience with that sort of thing."

"Yes, precisely so!" Shiori exclaimed and leaned closer to me. "Isn't this the perfect opportunity to get some? It might even help you figure out what might be rattling around in that delectable brain of yours. Come on, won't you try... complimenting me a little?" The girl pulled up the edge of the scarf again, and sent shy glances my way while edging closer to me on the couch.

"A-alright, fine, I'll try." Caving into her request, I placed my drink back on the coffee table and cleared my throat. I turned my gaze forward as I thought for a moment and then began to speak. "W-well, Shiori, you're... quite b-beautiful, I've thought so from the first moment I saw you. Your eyes especially are very... alluring, easy to get lost in. Your stories are always interesting, and I could listen to your voice for hours on end. It's also... kind of a-adorable how into it you get when you're talking about books, and your recommendations are always great." I'd started off without much confidence, but as I kept going, the words began to flow out of my mouth perfectly naturally.

"Your excitement when talking about topics you like is contagious, and whenever we talk, I'm always left feeling happier afterwards. Your sharp wit and sudden comments often surprise me, but they make me laugh just as often. You appeared out of nowhere, but now... I almost can't imagine a life where I don't get to talk with you like this. Each time we part, I find myself looking forward to our next meeting more and more. To put it shortly... you make me feel things I've never felt before." I could feel a wide smile on my face when I finished, and turned to look at Shiori, who in turn stared back at me with wide eyes, completely unmoving. Suddenly realizing all the things that I said, I began to feel bashful and averted my gaze again. "H-how was that?" In the corner of my eye, I saw Shiori blink when I spoke again, and she dropped her gaze down while fiddling with the edge of the scarf covering her face.

"It was... passable, at least. I wanted to see if you could make me flustered in order to record the feeling down, and..." Shori's words trailed off and she looked to me again, a wide smile on her face and a light blush colouring her cheeks. "Hehee, what do you think? Did you succeed in doing that?" The expression on Shiori's face made my face feel warm again, and my heart began to beat faster. Was this truly love? Even now, I still couldn't tell.

"W-well, like you said, I think it was... passable at least." Shiori giggled at my answer, then stood up from the couch.

"How about we try something else next? There's something I've always wanted to... experience, and it requires two people." The girl said to me, her smile now seeming somewhat mysterious as she brought her fingers together in front of her chest and looked down at me.

"...Sure? What exactly is it?" I asked from her and stood up as well, and Shiori averted her eyes from me in what seemed like a genuine act of shyness - a first for her, as far as I could tell.

"Well... I was hoping you could maybe try to... bridal carry me?" Shiori's words were more hesitant than what I was used to, and her cheeks now sported a genuine blush on them. A few times I'd gotten to see Shiori slightly embarrassed, but the sight before me was completely new to me.

"B-bridal carry..?" Me repeating the words caused Shiori to smile in an embarrassed manner, and she hid her face behind her scarf again.

"I've witnessed it many times while archiving, but never experienced it myself... Even I am still a maiden at heart, you know?" Shiori met my eyes again, the embarrassed smile on her face also making me feel embarrassed.

"W-well... I-I guess I could give it a try..." I replied quietly, and Shiori's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Do you want me to do it... right now?" Shiori nodded to me with no hesitation. "A-alright, if you don't mind, then..."

I swallowed down my sudden nervousness and moved closer to Shiori, ignoring the hammering of my heart in my chest as I looked her up and down. I'd seen what a bridal carry looked like before, but never would have thought I'd one day get to try it, so I wasn't exactly sure how to proceed. After visualizing it in my head, I squatted down and carefully placed a hand at the small of her back, and another behind her knees. Shiori flinched slightly as I touched her, but didn't protest, instead wrapping her arms around my shoulders and bending her knees to facilitate me lifting her. I paused for a moment, meeting her eyes with my own, but neither of us spoke a word, so I swallowed again and began to slowly lift her off the ground. Shiori was by no means heavy, and I wasn't exactly a stranger to regular exercise, but my legs shook slightly as I straightened up, not used to performing any kind of heavy lifting.

"T-there..!" I exclaimed when I finally managed to lift Shiori all the way. Our faces were so close I could have felt her breath against my skin, but she must have been holding her breath as the only thing I could feel was my own face getting hotter from the exertion - which was very quickly becoming too much for me. "S-sorry, Shiori, I don't think... I can hold you for much longer..." Hearing my words, Shiori blinked, as if broken out of her reverie, then nodded to me, and I gently put her back down before collapsing down onto the couch. "Haah... Sorry, I don't... quite have the upper body strength for that."

"It's fine, you did admirably. I'm proud of you for managing to lift me, even if you couldn't quite carry me." Shiori replied to me, her hands clasped behind her back while she looked down at me with a smile. A light blush remained on her cheeks, but otherwise she seemed to be back to normal. "How about we make that your goal for the next time we meet?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" When I asked that, Shiori leaned over me and moved close to my ear, then whispered in it.

"The next time we meet, I want you to be able to bridal carry me properly."

The meaning behind her words was not lost to me, and a part of me felt a twinge of sadness, knowing that this was not simply something I could do overnight.

Still, when Shiori pulled back away from me, I smiled to her and nodded with confidence.

Yesterday marked four months since I had last seen Shiori. The mysterious archiver had become such a staple of my life during those few weeks that her complete lack of presence had felt extremely alien to me in the first weeks that followed. Now, in the middle of winter, a part of me even wondered if I had somehow managed to dream the entire thing, but each time that thought entered my head, I swatted it away like an annoying fly. Those memories were all too real to have been merely a delusion.

The feelings I still carried with me were far too real to be a mere figment of my imagination.

Shiori had showed me that it was still too early for me to lose hope, and that even if I was different from others, I could still find colour in the world I had previously thought to be nothing but grey.

Meeting Shiori had not been a dream, quite the opposite - it had been my awakening.

During the first month, bittersweet feelings had filled me, but spurred on by her words and our promise, I had powered through.

By the second month, I'd fully rekindled my passion for the romance genre, and was consuming it even more than I had in my youth, when I'd had hopelessly yearned for the things I read about.

In the middle of the third month, I had a realization about that fateful day in the park, and the emotion that had coursed through me then, banishing any doubts once and for all.

And the fourth month... I'd spent searching tirelessly for the girl who had made me realize I could still love, by making me fall in love with her.

And finally... my efforts had borne fruit.

"Found you, Shiori."

The girl swiftly turned to face me upon hearing my voice, her two-tone black and white hair swishing with the motion. Her piercing yellow eyes looked deep into mine, and with one hand, she reached up to pull down the edge of the black scarf she wore, revealing a wide smile on her porcelain doll-like face.

"You did indeed. So..."

...Are you strong enough now?