Lin Qiye, clad in a white coat, pushed open the door to the Director's Office.
The moment he stepped inside, he froze.
"Bragi..."
"Shh!!"
Bragi, hiding behind the curtains in the Director's Office, vigorously gestured for Lin Qiye to be quiet.
He crept over to the door, cautiously peeked outside, and after confirming that no one had followed him, immediately shut it and let out a long breath.
"Bragi, why are you in my office?" Lin Qiye asked in confusion at the sight.
"I really have nowhere else to hide." Bragi smiled bitterly. "Lately, the monkey and the king charge into my room every morning, drag me into the courtyard like bandits, and force me to play music for their fights...
For the past few days, I've been terrified even in my dreams, afraid they'll burst in the next second and carry me off. I-I haven't slept well for several nights in a row!
They're utterly unreasonable brutes. Devils!"
Seeing Bragi's aggrieved expression and his panda-like dark circles, Lin Qiye's mouth twitched slightly.
"So you slept in my office last night?"
"That's right."
"..." Lin Qiye pondered for a moment. "Have you considered why they keep targeting you?"
"Because I play the lyre too well." Bragi answered without hesitation.
Lin Qiye pressed a hand to his forehead. "...Other than that?"
"What else could it be?"
"Maybe they want you to fit in with them this way?"
Bragi froze. "Fit in with them? Why?"
Then he recalled the time Lin Qiye had gone to speak with the two of them, as though he had thought of a possibility.
"You mean... they did it on purpose? So I could take part in their... um... 'daily activities'?"
"You should be glad you're a musician who can't fight. Otherwise, they would probably have dragged