In the quiet reading lounge, the soft rustle of turning pages never ceased.
"Kaede, do you think Pavel and Tonya's relationship was an ill-fated romance?"
Tennoji Kaede glanced sideways. He hadn't expected Hiyori to be reading the classic Steel Alchemy.
He and Shiina were relaxing and reading together in this lounge, with its extensive collection of books, so naturally they had plenty to discuss.
"That's hard to say. I read this book when I was a kid. Back then, the school forced every student to buy a whole set of classics. I was furious because I thought forcing people to buy things was wrong, so for a while I ignored that pile of books."
Kaede sighed. "Then one day, I was so bored that I pulled out the thickest book and opened it. And that turned out to be Steel Alchemy."
His story, wrapped around the tale in the book, piqued Hiyori's interest.
She urged him on. "Hurry up and tell me what happened next!"
"When I first started reading it, I didn't understand much. But once Pavel began his first romance, I suddenly became eager to read."
"Cough, maybe it was because I hadn't read much at the time. It was also my first time reading that kind of novel."
"Back then, I had no idea how grand and tumultuous the story would become. I was too caught up in the familiar plot of 'a country boy pursuing a beautiful heiress.'"
Hiyori covered the smile escaping her lips, signaling for him to continue.
"Looking back, maybe I'd already fallen into the trap the author had set for me. I was completely hooked."
Kaede's face grew nostalgic. "Then, when I saw the two of them break up, it hurt so much I could hardly breathe."
"Honestly, it was embarrassing. I