Prompt: Immortalilty

Tsunemori was reading during her lunch break again. One hand held the book open, while the other twirled chopsticks through her half-eaten noodles.

He set his tray on the table, before pulling out the chair across from her. "Yo."

Her eyelashes lifted, and she immediately straightened. "Kougami-san! Um, I thought you went out to collect books."

"Kagari took over. I suspect he wanted to stop by the game store on the way back." He unwrapped his burger and dug in.

The library base's cafeteria was bustling and unsurprisingly, the new recruits were the loudest. Well, except for one new recruit. Tsunemori hadn't said another word, opting instead to finish her lunch.

Tsunemori Akane. Already, she was cultivating a reputation. Karanomori had raved over her sweet, kind disposition at the front desk. Gino liked her efficiency in the shelves, though he wasn't forthright about it. And from his standpoint, she was physically strong. Swimming discounted, she had earned excellent scores in the mandatory combat drills. He had paid particular attention to her marksmanship. She was consistently dedicated to disarming, aiming for the dummies' legs or shoulders, and she was good at it.

Pops had singled her out as a promising one for the elite Task Force. "Why don't you talk to her outside of training? See if she's interested."

To be honest, he didn't need to be prompted. Two weeks ago, during the induction ceremony, he had already been scanning the new recruits. She was in the first row, and as the group recited the declaration of library responsibility, his gaze fell upon her. It wasn't something as ridiculous as love at first sight. No, what had caught his eye was…

"Kougami-san, you're part of the Defense Force, right? Um, would you please tell me what it's like?"

Oh. He was pleasantly surprised that she brought it up first.

"You don't want to be a traditional librarian?" Kougami was in the minority, of those who took up arms to protect the books from censorship. A hypocritical stance for the so-called peace-loving librarians, but to be fair, the Sybil Censors were to blame for initiating violence.

"My entry assessment results showed that I have a high aptitude for the Defense Force."

"Aptitude doesn't determine everything. In the end, you decide on where you want to be placed. Plenty of trigger-happy rookies would want to be in your shoes."

She sipped her water. "Aptitude may not determine everything, but for me, it helped to know. In my hometown, I'm the only one who qualified for the Defense Force. I figured there's something only I can do, something I was meant for."

"You want a purpose. Well, we can certainly give you that. A Defense Force member is a guardian, not only in good physical shape but also quick-witted. Most of our encounters don't proceed to bullets; the censors like to use the law on their side, but we have legal support on ours as well. Everything we do, it's to protect something greater than ourselves, like Proust's In Search of Lost Time." He nodded at her book. "That one's a favorite of mine."

"Oh!" She glanced at the cover. "I'm not very far into it. I didn't know this was a genre you liked."

"Hmph. I read a lot of things. What would I be here for, if I didn't love books? Books hold a writer's thoughts. Dreams, theories, emotions. Proper and inappropriate, compassionate and vengeful, repentant and hopeful. In those pages, they become immortal. The censors think the same way, only they equate immortality with perfection and that isn't true at all. When you look across the ages, people have always been flawed and struggle with themselves. To pretend otherwise would be a rejection of humanity. A little critical thinking on the censors' end would go a long way."

She'd been listening attentively, and tilting her head, she inquired. "Then, what about books that spread chaotic ideas? Should they be censored?"

"Critical thinking applies to readers too. Do you disagree?"

"No. People have free will. But I can see Sybil's perspective on restricting hateful words, in order to maintain peace in society."

He conceded that, with a curt nod.

She lowered her voice to a murmur. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Go ahead."

"When I was in high school, I entered a short story contest. I worked hard and agonized over it, and I was so nervous when the submission date approached. I didn't win anything but I was proud of the little story, even if it wasn't the best. So, I understand what you mean."

Melodious chimes sounded the end of lunch, and they stood to leave.

On their way out, he said offhandedly. "By the way, I'd like to read your short story. What does the immortalized high schooler Tsunemori think?"

She blushed. "She isn't as eloquent as you'd think, Kougami-san!"

He laughed. Indeed, she would be a perfect fit for the Task Force. After all, what had caught his eye…

What had caught his eye was the purity in her expression. This girl would defend the written word without taking a single life, and she was someone he would like to walk beside.