Mission Info:

"Kokoro. Kokoro!"

Kokoro jerked her head up from the surface of the wooden desk. Her eyes flung open, and she rocked back in her chair in a disoriented haze. "H-huh? What?" she said as she wiped her eye. A tall woman in a black jacket and a pencil skirt hung over Kokoro.

"Kokoro, you can't fall asleep behind the counter," she stated as she adjusted her glasses. "You need to help people who come to the help desk."

"Sorry. I won't happen again." The lady then walked away, disappearing among the rows of massive and cluttered bookshelves. Kokoro leaned her elbow onto the desk, pressing her fist to her cheek, and sighed. The library was as still as midnight, and it was a Monday afternoon. Kokoro, hearing that the administrator was sick with the flu and the librarians needed more staff, accepted the mission almost immediately out of the kindness of her heart. But she did not think the job would entail her doing sitting behind the desk for long periods of time. She was neither allowed to meditate nor sleep, and the tranquil and warm conditions made both very tantalizing. Kokoro sighed again and tapped her black fingernails on the desk.

Then a young woman with her son shuffling shyly beside her appeared from around the corner. Kokoro perked up. She stood up straight in her stiff wooden chair, readjusted her bright green blouse, and brushed the stray strands of hair from in front of her face. She folded her hands together and placed them on the desk. She gave a bright smile. "W-welcome to the Sunagakure Library. How may I help you?" The boy took one glimpse at Kokoro and shied away, looking at the ground and avoiding her yellow eyes. She felt downhearted inside. I should be used to that by now.

"Hi," the woman said. "Could you help find this book 'My Little Duck and Me' for my son?"

"Sure," Kokoro chimed with a smile. "I'll be right back." Kokoro grabbed a clipboard from the help desk and walked briskly towards the vast number of shelves behind the desk, disappearing from their sight.

- - - - -

The shelves were like a labyrinth; Kokoro lost her way between the walls of books for fifteen minutes. She constantly turned in the direction of where she thought the help desk was, worried about keeping the mother and son, and she soon became irritated. After a rigorous search, she found the section for the children's books. She briefly skimmed the clipboard in search of the specific book number and then guided her finger across a whole row of books before moving to the next one up. Halfway up the shelf, and she had yet to find the requested book. She tilted her head upwards to the row beyond her reach. She exhaled loudly. She gently placed the clipboard on the ground and pulled the nearby stool closer. Hoisting herself onto the stool, she extended her hand up to the highest possible row. She wobbled a bit but regained her balance. Her hands skimmed the binding of the book. She tightened her jaw, stood on her toes, and thrusted her arm upwards. She tightened her grip, and the edge of the book fit perfectly in her palm. "Yes!"

Suddenly, the stool began to wobble again, and Kokoro's right foot slipped off the surface as she tried to readjust herself. Her right foot tingle as it was suspended in the open air. She was no longer held up by anything. Her hand collided with a few books on her descent. She twisted to the right and slammed her arm onto the floor before rolling onto her back with a grunt. She gazed up at the ceiling, and her eyes widened. A dozen books were falling in her direction. Kokoro held her arms up in front of her face. The books collided off of her arms and slammed onto her stomach. Kokoro gave another grunt as she flinched. After a moment, her stomach relaxed, and she breathed out. A look of disdain was written on her face.

- - - - -

Kokoro walked to the help desk in a hurried pace. "Sorry about that. Take this to the desk out front, ma'am, and she'll check you out."

"Thank you. I hope this wasn't too much trouble for you," the woman said.

"Oh. No. None at all," Kokoro chirped.

"Okay. Well, thank you again." She turned to her son. "What do you say, young man?"

"Thank you," the boy meekly squeaked.

Kokoro smiled radiantly. "You're welcome."

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