Life continued at an unhurried pace, like the tree-lined path running east to west through the Advanced Nurturing High School campus. It seemed unchanged, yet the light and shadows shifted with the passing days.
Linmu Fujimiya stuck to his usual way of life, either unconcerned with the world or simply lazy.
Schoolwork? To him, it was just background scenery he had to show up for.
Socializing? He kept it to a bare minimum.
He had a clear plan for his free time: when the weather was nice and he was in a decent mood, he would take his "entrepreneurial gear" to the plaza or some other busy spot and set up shop, leaving it all to chance.
There, he played the "Divination Immortal," earning Private Points that had long since broken through the stratosphere.
But more often, he preferred to spend his time in the library.
He would flip through hefty books on the occult, filled with mysteries and ancient legends—not to study, but simply to flesh out his "fortune-teller" persona.
Every now and then, he would jot down a few impressive-sounding technical terms for his next "business venture."
He would wander over to the mystery section, pick up works by Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, or Sōji Shimada, then lean against a bookshelf and read at his leisure.
In his view, mystery-solving and divination did have a little in common. Both involved finding hidden patterns and "truths" in limited, seemingly chaotic information.
The difference was that one relied on a chain of logical evidence, while the other claimed to predict the future through symbols and intuition.
(One leaned toward reality, while the other leaned toward fantasy.)
That gave his reading a unique appeal.
After their first encounter in the library, he and Hiyori Shiina had exchanged contact information and added each other as friends.
Neither of them was the type to socialize much online, so their chat history was short.
But every so often, they would briefly share their thoughts on the murder tricks and methods used in a mystery novel one of them had just finished.
In person, they often "ran into each other" at the library. Or rather, they had both silently agreed that it was a good place to sit quietly, where seeing each other came as no surprise.
When they met, they would nod and exchange a quiet greeting. Sometimes, they would chat briefly about the books they were reading.
More often, they would each settle into a quiet corner, leaving the other undisturbed while sharing a comfortable silence.
They weren't exactly close, but Hiyori was another "friend" Lin Mu could chat with without having to make an effort, besides Kikyo Kushida.
And their interests seemed to align even more closely.
That afternoon, sunlight poured through the library's enormous stained-glass windows on the second floor, scattering colorful patterns across the floor.
Lin Mu and Hiyori Shiina "ran into each other" again by the mystery section bookshelves.
He leaned casually against a cool shelf, a newly unwrapped mint lollipop in his mouth. The coolness helped him stay alert.
(Sometimes, mint candy had a bite to it.)
Hiyori held a copy of Edogawa Ranpo's The Beast in the Shadows.
She leaned against the opposite bookshelf, quietly reading. Her short silver hair fell beside her cheeks as her violet eyes moved intently over each line.
A few steps separated them. Neither spoke; the only sound was the faint rustle of turning pages. The relaxed atmosphere felt like a scene from an old movie playing in slow motion.
Lin Mu's gaze drifted from the book about Nordic Runic Runes in his hands. Through the gaps in the second-floor balustrade, intricately carved and beautiful, he glanced down at the open reading area below.
His eyes happened to fall on a group gathered around several tables pushed together.
It was the "save Class D's struggling students" study session organized by Suzune Horikita.
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who was helping with the session, sat at the far end, with his back to Lin Mu.
All Lin Mu could see was his straight-backed yet unremarkable figure, like a quiet piece of background scenery.
Kikyo Kushida sat near the middle, turned slightly to one side with a patient smile she was clearly trying hard to maintain.
She pointed to something in an open textbook and quietly explained it to the person across from her, her voice gentle.
The three "stars" of the study session—Ken Sudō, Haruki Yamauchi, and Kanji Ike—were another story entirely.
Ken Sudō sat with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed, his face practically shouting, "I'm sick of this" and "I don't get a word of it."
Haruki Yamauchi's eyes wandered as his fingers fidgeted under the table. He was probably sneaking a game on his phone.
Kanji Ike had practically collapsed onto the table, letting out an exaggerated yawn every now and then.
At the head of the table stood Suzune Horikita, wearing the same cool, aloof expression she always did, her eyes sharp as knives.
She held a pen and occasionally jabbed it forcefully at the open notes.
Even across the distance and the quiet of the library, the strict atmosphere and the uncompromising forcefulness of her teaching were faintly audible.
Whenever the three across from her were clearly distracted, or looked confused—or, more often, annoyed—she would immediately stop.
In a cold voice, she would reprimand them, even sneering as if to say, "You can't even understand something this simple?"
(That look people gave trash.)
This high-pressure teaching style, steeped in negativity, clearly couldn't last.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes in, the already exasperated Ken Sudō slammed his hand on the table!
"Bang!"
The dull thud sounded especially jarring in the quiet library on the first floor, prompting several students nearby to look up from their books in annoyance.
"That's it! I'm done studying!" Ken Sudō shouted, his face flushed as he stood. His chair legs screeched against the floor.
"What a load of crap this study session is! I can't understand a thing! And who are you scowling at with that sourpuss face?"
Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike seemed to have found their cue. They immediately stood up too and chimed in over each other:
"Exactly! Who'd want to listen when you've got such a nasty attitude?"
"What a waste of time! We could've been playing ball instead!"
"Let's go, let's go!"
All three were furious, grumbling and cursing as they left the textbooks scattered across the table, ignoring Suzune Horikita's face as it darkened in an instant.
They turned and strode toward the library exit, leaving behind a mess and a frozen atmosphere.
Suzune Horikita stood rooted to the spot, both hands clenched around the pen until her knuckles turned white.
Her beautiful face was icy, and besides anger, there seemed to be a hint of failure she could barely hide in her eyes.
The smile had long since vanished from Kikyo Kushida's face, replaced by helplessness and worry. She looked at Suzune Horikita beside her.
(Kushida must have been overjoyed inside.)
Then she looked toward where the three had left. She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
As for Kiyotaka Ayanokoji... he didn't even turn to watch them leave.
He simply began gathering the textbooks and stationery the three had left scattered across the table.
His face remained as calm as ever, as if none of it had anything to do with him.
The "rescue" study session came to an abrupt end in an almost farcical manner, in full view of everyone in the library.
Lin Mu watched it all unfold. His expression barely changed, and he felt nothing at all—in fact, he almost wanted to laugh. It had gone exactly as expected.
It was as if he had known all along that this was how it would end.
(Activity period: May 1 to May 5)
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