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 distraught because their Private Points had long since bottomed out, leaving them in debt.

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

Then there were those like Ken Sudo, who wore a look of irritable resignation, finding fault with everything around him.

Linmu Fujimiya, however, maintained his own lifestyle, completely unaffected by the surrounding tension.

He appeared in the classroom on time every day, sitting in his seat, letting 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 somewhere on campus.

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

On this particular afternoon, the sun was perfect 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 his uniform pockets 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 pursue his studies—that would be entirely superfluous for him.

He just suddenly felt that, even though he held the title of Divination Immortal, he should occasionally flip through books related to the occult.

Even if he didn't have a use for them, it would 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 dome 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, there was that unique, slightly musty yet charming smell of old books.

The library was extremely quiet, with only the occasional sound of pages turning or footsteps, as if even breathing had become 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 via his Psychokinesis, he headed straight for the relatively secluded "Occult, Folklore, and Supernatural Phenomena" section deep in the library.

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

Some even featured gold-leaf or embossed patterns, standing in stark contrast to the modern feel of the other sections.

As his fingertips brushed over the rows of spines, he felt 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 the gold-stamped title Tarot Symbols and Deep Interpretation, then leaned against the nearby bookshelf and flipped it open to read.

Mostly, it was because he was too lazy to find an empty 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 by quietly, didn't seem so bad.

Time slipped away, and just as his gaze was drifting lazily over the complex symbolic interpretations on the pages, his mind had already wandered to what flavor of pudding he should eat tonight.

Out of the corner of his eye, he inadvertently caught sight of 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 soft, 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.

Her fingertips traced the book 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 on its own, keeping strangers at a distance.

At a glance, she was clearly "one of his kind"—someone who, like him, was not good at or unwilling to socialize and was accustomed to being alone.

Linmu was not a meddlesome person, especially when it came to strangers.

After all, that helped 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, the small amount of "helpfulness" left in his heart stirred slightly.

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

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

Then, he softened his footsteps and walked over slowly, stopping about two steps away from the girl without getting too close.

"Looking for a book?" His voice lowered instinctively, softening, sounding clear yet unobtrusive amidst the silent bookshelves.

He even tried to curl the corners of his mouth into a faint, what he assumed was a friendly smile, though the effect was likely mediocre.

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

Hiyori Shiina pulled herself out of her focused search upon hearing him and looked up.

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

She was slightly taken aback, a flicker of imperceptible surprise flashing quickly through 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 trace of 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 was light, like the first snow falling onto 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 found 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 her search.

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

He nodded calmly on the surface, as if 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, the seventh book from the right.

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

He pulled out the booklet with the gold-stamped title on the spine and handed it to Hiyori Shiina.

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

(Event duration: May 1st to May 5th)