Angel said, "Whether it's the riddle itself or not, we'll know if we try."
Rabbit Girl nodded as well. Solving riddles required both imagination and practice. Besides, there was no penalty for failing a puzzle in the Echo Library.
Under such circumstances, trying more was surely better than sitting around and overthinking.
"Try? How?" The illusory puppet controlled by Gabriel wore a thoroughly puzzled expression.
"Idiot. If these two books are the riddle's clues, doesn't that make it perfectly clear?" Gray Porcelain poked its head out from behind Gabriel. "One of them is called 'Knock Open,' and there's nothing unusual inside. That means the thing most worth paying attention to is its title. Knock open, knock open—wasn't that an obvious hint?"
Knock open? Gabriel froze for two seconds before suddenly realizing. "Does it mean we need to knock something, then open a passage?"
Gray Porcelain nodded. "That's right."
As for what they needed to knock?
The answer was most likely the wall at the end.
"Then what does the other book mean?" Gabriel asked curiously, looking at Gray Porcelain.
Angel and Rabbit Girl looked over as well. Though they already had their own guesses, they wanted to hear Gray Porcelain's explanation and verify their thoughts.
Gray Porcelain had originally intended to answer casually, but seeing everyone staring at it, it swallowed the words that had reached its lips. It cleared its throat and put on a show of pondering for a moment. "If my guess is correct, then 'Knock Open' represents the 'target,' while 'If Life Lasted Only Ten Seconds' represents the 'rules.'"
"There are two clues in this book that deserve attention. The first is 'ten seconds,' and the second is the chapters circled in the table of contents."
Gray Porcelain looked at Gabriel, its tone guiding. "Think carefully.