An Encounter at the Library

The days that followed slipped by in that same unhurried rhythm.

Anxiety continued to permeate every corner of the Class D classroom.

Some students were already bottoming out on their private points, even falling into debt, and wore expressions of deep distress.

Others were fretting over the impending midterm exams, clutching their textbooks and trying to cram at the last minute.

Still others, like Ken Sudo and his ilk, were in a state of irritable resignation, finding fault with everything around them.

As for Linmu Fujimiya, he maintained his own lifestyle, completely unaffected by the surrounding atmosphere.

He appeared in the classroom on time every day, sat in his seat, and let the lectures from the podium go in one ear and out the other.

His mind was either on the drifting clouds outside the window or calculating which dessert shop in the shopping mall he should favor for his next treat.

As for his spare time, he would either return to his dorm to play games or find a quiet corner on campus.

For instance, under a certain large tree or on the rooftop of the school building—if it wasn't locked—he would let the wind blow over him, empty his mind, and enjoy the tranquility of solitude.

This afternoon, the sun was just right, and a gentle breeze swept by.

After finishing a dull Japanese History class, Linmu felt bored; he didn't want to return to his dorm to face his phone, nor did he feel like going to the noisy playground or the shopping mall.

With his hands tucked into the pockets of his uniform trousers and a lime-flavored lollipop in his mouth, he wandered aimlessly around the campus.

Before he knew it, he had strolled in front of the school's magnificent library.

It wasn't that he had suddenly turned over a new leaf and wanted to study—that would be entirely superfluous for him.

He just suddenly felt that, despite holding the title of Divination Immortal, he should occasionally flip through books related to mysticism.

Even if he didn't need them, it could help him pass the boring time.

Perhaps he might even find some interesting urban legends or theories about supernatural phenomena to use as light reading.

The school library was spacious and bright to the point of extravagance.

The high, vaulted ceiling and massive floor-to-ceiling windows filtered the afternoon sun into soft beams, casting them diagonally across the polished dark wooden floor and creating mottled patterns of light and shadow cut by the window frames.

The air was filled with the comforting scent of paper and ink.

At the same time, it held that unique, slightly musty yet charming fragrance characteristic of old books.

The library was extremely quiet, with only the occasional soft sound of turning pages and footsteps; it felt as if even breathing had become consciously hushed.

Linmu wandered slowly through the forest of towering bookshelves, avoiding the crowded academic tutoring area and the popular fiction section.

Relying on his intuition and a quick scan of the book classification labels nearby using his Psychokinesis.

He then walked straight toward the relatively secluded "Mysticism, Folklore, and Supernatural Phenomena" section deep within the library.

The bookshelves here were slightly worn, and most of the book covers were antique and heavy.

Some even featured gold-stamped or embossed patterns, standing in stark contrast to the highly modern sections nearby.

As his fingertips brushed across rows of spines, he could almost feel the slight roughness of the paper and the weight of history.

He scanned them casually, his gaze sweeping over Introduction to Astrology, Mysteries of Tarot Cards, World Mythology Systems, Files of Unsolved Mysteries...

Finally, he pulled out a book with a dark purple starry sky on the cover and a gold-stamped title that read Tarot Symbols and Deep Interpretation, then leaned against the nearby bookshelf and flipped it open to read.

Mainly, it was because he was too lazy to find a seat; it was all the same to him where he read.

Leaning against the bookshelf like this, flipping through the pages intermittently and letting time flow quietly, didn't seem so bad.

Time flew by, and just as his gaze was drifting listlessly over the complex symbolic interpretations on the page.

His mind had already wandered off to what flavor of pudding he should eat tonight.

The corner of his eye inadvertently caught a figure in the "Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction" section not far away.

It was a slender girl wearing the standard Advanced Nurturing uniform: a deep red blazer, a white pleated skirt, and gray knee-high socks.

She had smooth silver hair that shimmered with a faint luster under the light filtering through the gaps in the bookshelves.

(Actually, when watching the animation, I thought it was blue, but the card says silver...)

She was tilting her head slightly, her delicate brows furrowed, her amethyst-like eyes focused as she searched repeatedly through the rows of spines for something.

Her fingertips traced the spines unconsciously, her face showing a mix of intense concentration and a faint, frustrated look of someone who hadn't found what they were looking for.

Her posture was upright and quiet, and she radiated a calm, scholarly aura that blended perfectly with the library's atmosphere while standing out distinctly.

Like a lily of the valley growing in a secluded valley, fragrant in solitude, keeping others at a distance.

At a glance, she was clearly a "kindred spirit" like him—someone who wasn't good at or didn't want to socialize, and was accustomed to being alone.

Linmu was not a person who liked to meddle in other people's business, especially with strangers.

After all, this could reduce unnecessary social exhaustion.

But looking at the girl's focused expression as she searched earnestly yet repeatedly failed, her lips slightly pursed, for some reason, that tiny, remaining bit of "helpfulness" in his heart twitched slightly.

Perhaps it was because of that same "lone wolf" aura she possessed?

He closed the heavy book on Tarot interpretation and gently slid it back into its original place on the shelf.

Then, he softened his footsteps, walked over slowly, and stopped about two steps away from the girl, not getting too close.

"Looking for a specific book?" His voice lowered instinctively, softening with a gentleness that sounded clear yet unobtrusive amidst the silent bookshelves.

He even tried to curve his lips into a faint, what he considered to be friendly, smile, though the effect was likely mediocre.

Attempting to break the stillness of the area, he added, "Perhaps... I could be of help?"

Hearing this, Hiyori Shiina pulled herself out of her focused search and looked up.

Her amethyst-like eyes first held a trace of confusion at being interrupted, then landed on the face of Lin Mu, which was cold and handsome, yet appeared somewhat peculiar due to the lollipop he was sucking on.

She froze for a brief moment, a flicker of imperceptible surprise flashing quickly through the depths of her eyes.

She was likely surprised that someone had taken the initiative to speak to her, as well as by the other person's striking appearance.

But soon, that surprise sank into the depths of her eyes, and she returned to a state of calm, like an ancient, undisturbed well.

Her gaze lingered on Lin Mu's face for a second before shifting away slightly, her tone light, like the first snow falling on a lake, carrying a natural sense of detachment while remaining basically polite:

"I am looking for The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe."

Her voice was soft, her words few and concise, "I've looked around, but I haven't been able to find it."

After speaking, she instinctively glanced at the bookshelf in front of her again, her brows still slightly furrowed, looking every bit like someone who was not good at social interaction and only wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible to continue searching for her book.

Edgar Allan Poe? The Murders in the Rue Morgue? One of the pioneering works of detective fiction, Lin Mu realized in his mind.

He nodded calmly on the surface, as if he were deep in thought.

At the same time, his mind stirred—his Psychokinesis spread out from him like an invisible scanning wave, sweeping over every book spine on the surrounding shelves.

Information flooded into his mind like a tide, only to be processed at high speed.

In just a moment, he locked onto the target: the third shelf from the left, the third row from the top, and the seventh book from the right.

He raised his hand and reached toward that spot quite naturally, his fingertips accurately pinching the thin volume with its vintage dark-patterned cover.

He pulled out the booklet, which had the title embossed in gold on its spine, and handed it to Hiyori Shiina.

"Is this the one?" He maintained that same unskilled, faint smile.