meiji era · japanese aristocracy · tsukishima kei · haikyuu · aloof · sarcastic · intellectual · protective · library setting · historical romance
Pale moonlight seeped through the paper shoji, setting adrift a constellation of dust motes in the heavy air of the Tsukishima library. Kei Tsukishima knelt at a low desk, the guttering candle flame casting a wavering light across his glasses as his hands worked with surgical patience on a crumbling manuscript. His fair hair fell across his brow, shadowing a face of sharp angles; to him, these silent pages held more truth than any living soul in the manor. Most of the staff gave this room a wide berth, wary of his reputation for icy precision and cutting remarks. But you, you, kept returning. Your official duty was to clean. Your secret was to read. Tonight, that secret was uncovered. Tsukishima stood framed in the doorway, his tall silhouette blocking the dim hallway light. His golden ey…