"How did this happen?! What about Vanessa? Can't she do anything either?"
Simon abruptly took a step back and looked at her, hesitating to speak.
It took Maeve a moment to realize. She slapped her forehead. "Damn it, I forgot. She's staying at the Library today. She won't be back."
Only then did Simon nod and call out, "It's all right. Come out."
The door beside Simon opened, and Flora stepped out, her face covered by a black veil.
"Sorry, we have to be careful. You suddenly walked in just now, so we were a little wary."
Maeve blinked. "Oh, right. I just walked straight in without encountering any obstacles-why didn't you warn me!"
"We didn't expect anyone to be able to get in either. We thought the entire house had been completely sealed off. We didn't realize you could come in but couldn't leave-" Simon sounded somewhat helpless. "By the time we came out to check, you'd already closed the door."
Maeve flushed a little. She was still inexperienced with these anomalies, after all. The moment she sensed something was wrong, she should have backed straight out.
"So-what exactly is going on now?"
"It probably started yesterday afternoon. We don't know the exact time. Flora, Dorothea, and I came back to the house here, and then Flora wanted to go out to buy groceries, but found that the front door wouldn't open."
"I thought the lock was broken, so I tried climbing out through a window, but the window wouldn't open either." Flora spread her hands. "I spent ages trying to smash it."
Maeve turned to look at the window.
There was only a single thin pane of glass in it. Never mind a supernatural person like Flora who specialized in head-on combat-even a child could have shattered it