The Aquinas in the Library

Elizabeth's lunch today is sliced bread, bacon, peas, and cream soup.

Nancy's lunch was similar to hers, but she had an extra serving of honey pudding.

Elizabeth sensed that Nancy was acting strangely today.

She seems to be... intentionally distancing herself from me.

Unless Nancy suddenly decides to eat off-campus, he always sits with her.

But this time, after Elizabeth sat down, Nancy sat at a table away from Elizabeth.

Elizabeth picked up her plate and followed Nancy, sitting down next to her.

Nancy looked somewhat surprised when she sat down.

"Are you angry?" Elizabeth asked. "Did I make you unhappy?"

Nancy looked at her blankly, Elizabeth felt as if she were looking at a stranger, almost saying, "Why are you sitting next to me?"

A few seconds later, Nancy finally came to her senses.

"Elizabeth...?" she asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, it's me."

"You... you didn't make me unhappy, why are you asking this?"

"Because you look angry with me," Elizabeth replied.

"No, I don't think so." Nancy denied it. "Maybe... I might be too tired, and a little distracted."

"Real?"

"Yes, really."

"Then remember to take a good nap at noon," Elizabeth instructed.

Nancy nodded.

What Elizabeth didn't tell Nancy was that this wasn't the first time Nancy had ignored her today.

Nancy must be really tired, Elizabeth thought.

A cat walked towards them.

"It's One-Ear!" Nancy said, looking at the cat. "Come here, I have some meat."

Elizabeth knew that "One-Ear" was the name Nancy had given the cat.

Actually, the One-Ear doesn't have only One-Ear; it's just that the cat's entire body is black, except for One-Ear.

Nancy loved cats. She held One-Ear on her lap, took the bacon that had been sandwiched in the bread, tore it into small pieces, and fed it to One-Ear.

"It's so beautiful," Nancy said. "It must be a prince of the cat clan who was framed and forced to become a stray."

"It... maybe." Elizabeth didn't intend to refute, and casually agreed.

One-Ear was very well-behaved, lying motionless on Nancy's body, quietly waiting to be fed.

"Oh!" Nancy exclaimed softly.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"One-Ear is losing hair."

"Relax, Nancy, cats shedding is perfectly normal."

"It's hair on the ear."

How did you know it was hair on the ear? Elizabeth wondered.

Oh, right, One-Ear ears is white.

Elizabeth looked at the few white hairs Nancy had picked up.

"It fell on you?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, I dug it out from under its claws."

How did cat fur end up in its paws?

Elizabeth leaned closer to look.

Nancy looked closely too. "Its fur is so long!"

"The texture and thickness..." Elizabeth looked at the few white hairs, "They look like human hair."

"How is that possible?" Nancy shook her head. "How can hair grow on One-Ear body?"

"Didn't you say you found it in its claws?"

Nancy grabbed One-Ear by the throat and shoved One-Ear's face against her own. "Did you hurt someone?"

With One-Ear squinting, he showed no fear of Nancy.

It was put down not long after, but as punishment, Nancy pressed it hard on the forehead a few times.

Someone was sitting on the other side of Nancy.

She's a senior librarian.

Elizabeth and Nancy greeted the librarian.

The senior student responded affectionately to Nancy, and then politely to Elizabeth.

"Nancy, do you know what I found out?" the senior student said as soon as she sat down.

"Is he the ugly but charming Beast Prince?" Nancy asked.

"It's not him. And actually, I don't really like the book ' The Beast Prince '..." the senior student replied.

"But it's very close. It's another character who stepped out of the novel. Here's a hint: he has white hair."

From this point on, Elizabeth could no longer understand much, so she focused on eating and just listened to the two of them talking.

"It's the fallen angel Brodie!" Nancy said.

"It's not him either." The senior student shook her head. "Brodie is indeed one of the best-developed characters I've seen in recent years, but what I see is Dylan Myers' Aquinas, the wandering nobleman."

Elizabeth understood what he meant. She had also read Dylan Myers's "The Wandering Noble" and remembered that after becoming famous, Dylan Myers was very reluctant to admit that "The Wandering Noble" was his work.

"It's been far too long since anyone has bothered with Aquinas's appearance, and a true gentleman never learns to wash his own hair," Nancy recited.

"You actually memorized it!" the senior student exclaimed excitedly. "But to be honest, hair that hasn't been washed in so long doesn't look very good... well, actually it looks terrible."

Nancy didn't care about that. "So you really met him?"

"It's in the library," the senior student replied. "Actually, this is the second time I've seen him, but it's the first time I've clearly seen his face under that messy hair... Let's just say, it doesn't look like a human face."

"Just like Aquinas's face!" Nancy said.

"Just like Aquinas's face," the senior student replied. "And do you know who he's standing with?"

Aquinas should stand with his servant, the "Mini Dragon".

"But it was actually Dr. Morgan."

"He's Mark from 'The Apprentice Teacher'," Nancy said. "Unfortunately, when I went to ask him a question last time, he sneezed at me several times; it wasn't elegant at all."

"But that would fit Mark's character better."

Elizabeth leaned closer. "Is that person named Love...?"

Nancy and the librarian both paused for a moment, which annoyed Elizabeth; she felt that the two of them were deliberately ignoring her today.

The senior student said, "I think his name is Love."

"Isn't that the person in the school newspaper?" Nancy asked.

"That's him."

"Jeffrey actually reported the truth this time!" Nancy exclaimed in surprise.

No, his appearance doesn't prove Jeffrey's report is true... Elizabeth thought.

After all, the report barely Love's appearance.

But since Dr. Morgan is with him...

Elizabeth became increasingly convinced that "Love" and "Hope" were likely the same person, especially since she remembered Hope's hair being messy.

Elizabeth thought, "I have to see him."

"Is Love still in the library?" Elizabeth asked.

"He should still be there," the senior student said uncertainly. "He went to the library with Dr. Morgan, and they hadn't left when I left. Are you looking for him?"

"Um... I wasn't thinking clearly that day, I think I lent him my pocket watch."