Chapter 12 — Second Floor Library Girl

The "Ten Minutes with a Book" contest enters its final round with a new rule: no one can read the same genre more than twice.

After listening, Bao asked if "bread" was a genre. Ms. Hanh said no. Bao said that the competition was unfair.

Ngoc is in charge of the reading room, while Phuc is assigned to check the sound. He brought along an old speaker borrowed from the group room, but the speaker only played clearly when placed close to the window. Mark the location with tape.

“What if someone passes by?” Ngoc asked.

“Speakers will be kicked.”

“Do you have a second option?”

“Don't let people pass.”

“That's not an option, that's a hope.”

Phuc looked at her. “Did you learn from your father?”

"No. I'm hard on myself."

The final round has six teams. One team read poetry, one team acted out family scenes, one team presented science books, one team told stories with pictures, one team used audio recordings because members stuttered, and one team did not want to stand in front of an audience so they displayed reading notebooks.

Bao was assigned to introduce the last team. He stood in front of the board, held the microphone, and said:

“This is a group that doesn't want to say much, so I'll speak for you.”

Ngoc pulled down the microphone. “You just introduced yourself by name.”

“I'm warming up the air.”

“The air is hot enough.”

Phuc turned on the speaker, the sound was crackling. A 10th grader laughed. Phuc unplugged the wire and checked the connector. He was not confused, just asked if the team member could wait two minutes. They nodded.

Meanwhile, Ngoc invited the audience to read the messages on the board. A friend found the sentence "The first time I borrowed a book without being afraid of being asked", then whispered that he also didn't dare to ask. Ngoc asked if she wanted to tell. She shook her head. Ngoc does not force.

Phuc was able to fix the speaker. The competition continues.

The poetry reading team forgot the background music, but the leading member said there was no need for music. The picture storytelling team was missing one card, so they used the back of an old poster. The recording team's voice is uneven, but the story is clear. The audience did not laugh, because Ms. Hanh had previously reminded everyone to respect the way each person entered the story.

Ngoc observed Phuc scoring technical points, not performance points. She asked him if he thought the competition was fair.

“To be fair, not everyone has the same stage,” he said. “Anyone can choose how to stand on it.”

Ngoc wanted to write down that sentence, but was afraid of turning his words into a slogan. She just remembered.

After the competition round, the jury awards prizes. The notebook display team won the idea prize, the audio recording team won the courage prize, and the picture story telling team won the creativity prize. There is no overall first prize.

Bao objected because he did not receive the prize. Ms. Hanh said his role is to coordinate, not compete.

“You coordinated very conscientiously,” Bao said.

“I dropped two microphones.”

“That is to create an opportunity for Phuc to correct.”

Phuc turned to Ngoc. “I can put him in the incident book.”

"Take note."

In the evening, Ngoc and Phuc stayed behind to arrange books. He asked her if she participated in any reading competitions when she was young. Ngoc said that at her old school, competitions often had a large stage, uniform costumes and sponsors. She once won an award but doesn't remember how she felt.

“What do you remember?” Phuc asked.

“Remembering my mother gave me flowers after the stage.”

“What about the competition?”

“Don't remember.”

Phuc placed a book on the shelf. “So maybe you miss the person more important than the event.”

Ngoc thought of the people on the second floor. She remembers Bao dropping the microphone, Lam taping the arrow, Phuc fixing the cord. She remembered a friend standing outside the door and then walked in enter.

“Maybe,” she said.

Phuc checked the loan book. “Do you have any books you remember?”

"Yes. A children's book about a girl lost in a museum."

"Why?"

"Because she didn't find her way out right away. She read each sign, then understood where she was."

“Are you doing that too?”

Ngoc leaned against the shelf. "Maybe."

Phuc smiled, but did not ask further.

Late that night, a student returned a book that was late. She put the book on the table and apologized for the water stains on the cover. Jade checked, small water stains, does not affect the page. Phuc recorded the new payment date.

“I thought you would scold me,” she said.

“We need to know the condition of the books, no need to embarrass you.”

“I work at a car wash, it rained that day.”

Phuc asked if he needed a waterproof bag next time. He took a clean plastic bag from the drawer. She thanked me, then asked if I could borrow another book.

Ngoc gave the card. "Okay."

When you left, Phuc said: "You didn't ask why I didn't have a bag."

“I don't need to know everything.”

“You are answering my question.”

“I know.”

Phuc smiled softly. Ngoc felt that there were questions between the two of them that didn't need to be finished, they just needed to understand what level to stop.

The competition is over but the library is more crowded. The school asked the group to write a report, including the number of attendance, number of books borrowed and feedback. Ngoc wanted to add each friend's story, so Phuc asked for permission.

“I know.”

“You say this a lot.”

“Because you mention it a lot.”

Ngoc reports in two parts: aggregated data and anonymous messages. She clearly stated that her name, class or situation would not be published. Lam checks the language, Minh Chau checks the data, Phuc checks the interpretation.

Report to the board of directors. A day later, the vice principal responded that the reading room had exceeded expectations, but the funding source needed to be clarified if it wanted to be maintained.

Ngoc looked at that sentence. She knew this question would come back again and again.

Phuc asked: "Are you afraid?"

"Have."

“Because of your father?”

“Because I don't want people to think that if I just speak up, everything will be kept.”

“So don't just speak up.”

Ngoc looked at the group member board. There were Ms. Phuc, Lam, Bao, Minh Chau, Ms. Hanh and twelve supporting students.

“I will invite the whole group to a meeting.”

“Don't turn it into a conference.”

“Do you have any other way?”

"Yes. Bring the cake."

“That is Bao's solution.”

“I learned from the salesman.”

Ngoc smiled. The second floor was lit, and the question of the future entered the room with them. This time no one can pretend they haven't seen it.

On the third day of the survey, the group switched from asking "who comes to the library" to "what do people come for?" The new question makes the chart more confusing. A 10th grade student needed a place to charge his phone, a cleaning lady wanted to find cookbooks, two soccer team members needed a meeting place, and a security guard just stopped by to read old newspapers during break time. Bao said that if he wrote it all down, there would be no more space on the paper.

Phuc took a lined notebook and divided the page into three columns: purpose, duration, obstacles. He said there was no need to ask too many questions; Just capture what makes people come back or not come back. Ngoc saw that the way he looked at the problem was different from hers. She often wants a complete board. Phuc looked for a sign trustworthy enough to start repairing.

Minh Chau tried asking a few friends in the hallway. Some people refused because they were afraid of being evaluated, some people talked for a long time and then forgot to fill in the class name. Ngoc suggested removing the name box, just keeping the grade and time. It's easy for a girl to say something like that than. After listening, Ms. Hanh nodded: "Good data is data that makes people not have to sacrifice privacy to be heard."

In the afternoon, the group hung a small sign outside the door: "What did you come to the second floor for?" Passersby can stick a piece of colored paper. The answers began to appear: read the outline, stay out of the sun, wait for a friend, find a book that isn't in class, sit still. A piece of paper with only two words "breathe a bit". Ngoc held it for a long time and then stuck it to the highest corner.

Hoang Duy calculated the total for each group of purposes, but did not include "sitting still" with "other". He said that if you combine them, what people need most will disappear in an unnamed box. Ngoc agreed. Isolate additional index "time spent without study tasks". Phuc looked at the board and said that was probably the reason the reading room needed to exist the most.

That evening, Ngoc sent a test report to his father. This time he did not ask "how many people". He asked: "If we have to reduce the area, what needs cannot be eliminated?" Ngoc asked a question to the group. The group debated until the school gate closed, then settled on three things: quiet seating, free books, and someone who could ask questions when they didn't know where to start.

Ngoc wrote those three lines at the top of the document. Phuc changed the last sentence to "a person who listens". She looked at the new word and saw that it was shorter but more precise.

The next day, Ngoc tried to turn those three lines into a decision table. Each need is juxtaposed with the questions: who uses it, when, what happens if it is missing, and how to check if it costs more privacy. The table was so long that Bao said it was like a restaurant menu without the main dish.

Minh Chau pointed out a box that was written too generically: "suitable books". She asked who it was suitable for and according to what criteria. The group debated comics, career guidance books, and old books with outdated content. Ms. Hanh suggested inviting teachers of each subject to review, but not turning the review into a door that makes students afraid to make suggestions.

Phuc suggests placing a “under consideration” shelf near the door. Readers can view newly submitted books, but cannot borrow them until a conclusion is reached. Ngoc likes the idea because it maintains transparency: books don't disappear just because they haven't been approved. Bao asked to put up a sign saying "don't bring it home without permission", then write himself "even if the cover is beautiful".

In the afternoon, a student placed on the shelf a book about how to care for pets. No one in the group thought about this topic. Hoang Duy asked if there were enough users. Ngoc suggested trying with an interest registration form, without promising to buy more. Three days later, there were seventeen signatures, of which four people wanted to learn the profession because their family had pets.

Ngoc sent the results to Ms. Hanh. Ms. Hanh said the library does not need to guess for readers, but also cannot meet all needs immediately. Ngoc wrote another line on the board: "Not today doesn't mean never."

That evening, Phuc texted her asking if the survey had changed her mind about keeping the second floor. Ngoc replied that she changed her view on the reason for keeping it. Not because the room has a beautiful history, but because every day it still receives questions that have no place to be asked.