sep. 9th masterpost | blue world orchestra masterpost
It happens every semester. Around finals, a myriad of fishes and other aquatic life would cram studying in at the library. Mafuyu had nearly recruited other teachers to help her during finals season, but she knew they were just as swamped as she was with test prep and office hours.
So imagine Mafuyu's surprise when Toya came in, asking if there was anything he could do to help.
"I don't have anything to do since our final performance was last week, so my class is out. I know you get really busy during this time of year, so I figured you might need some help?"
"...You're not incorrect," Mafuyu nodded. "You can help students wandering around like headless octopi to find the books they're looking for. You have a pretty good recollection of the library, as I recall." She nodded to the bubble cart behind her. "Go ahead and put those on the shelves too, if you wouldn't mind."
"It would be my pleasure," Toya smiled, grabbing the bubble cart and beginning to wander the aisles and columns of bookshelves stacked to the ceiling. Out of the corner of her eye and almost out of earshot, Mafuyu would occasionally see or hear Toya directing students where they needed to go, or giving them advice on how useful the book they'd chosen would be for what they needed it for. It lightened Mafuyu's workload a ton, especially when Toya came back around and wordlessly took the next bubble cart she'd already piled full of books to be reshelved.
When there was a small lull in reshelving and students coming in in a panic, Toya leaned against Mafuyu's desk. "Is it always this hectic here?"
"Students often don't really know where they're going. Need help finding sections, etc. etc." Mafuyu shrugged. "I've learned to deal with it. Blue World Academy is the only real school within hundreds of nautical miles of here, so we get a lot of people who are entering an education system for the first time, much less a library."
Toya frowned. "We could implement a mandatory library procedure to teach kids how to use the library?"
"You'd bore a lot of kids," Mafuyu shot back. Toya snorted.
"We already do that. It's school. We have orientation for a reason. It wouldn't be too difficult to add if you're up for it."
Mafuyu turned the idea over in her head. "...I could probably do it in an hour or so. Maybe less."
"See? You'd be the shortest activity in orientation, and it would all be indoors. They'd love you for not torturing them."
"I'm just a librarian. Torturing isn't in my job description," Mafuyu deadpanned. Toya, seemingly caught off-guard by the comment, nearly fell off in laughter. One nearby student asked if he was okay, to which he waved them off while still chuckling under his breath. "Wow, that really got you."
"I just wasn't expecting it," Toya sighed, a soft smile on his face. "Anyways, I think I've rested for long enough. Anything I can help you with?"
Mafuyu shooed him away. "Go find some more struggling kids. I'll have another bubble cart ready for you the next time you loop back here."
Toya laughed, sliding off the counter and heading to the upstairs study area. Mafuyu watched him leave, then returned back to her work.
...Having him around is kind of helpful, actually.
