Everyday Life in the Library

Having gathered his thoughts, Wang Xun left the training ground and headed for the Shin'ō Academy library.

The library stood on the eastern side of the academy, a building with an old-fashioned charm.

Inside, the space was wide and open, with towering bookshelves arranged in neat rows. The air was filled with the scent of old books.

This was where Wang Xun and Nanao met most often, and where they had first met.

He made his way through the entrance hall with practiced ease and headed for a seat by the window.

A petite figure was already sitting there.

Nanao Ise was leafing through a thick tome. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow over her.

Whenever Nanao caught sight of that familiar white hair out of the corner of her eye, she always felt inexplicably reassured.

"Am I late?"

Wang Xun sat down opposite her with a book.

"No, you're here at the usual time."

"What are you reading?"

"On the Composition of Reishi, Third Revised Edition." Nanao pushed up her glasses. "I want to understand why some souls naturally have stronger Reiatsu than others."

"Found an answer?"

"No."

Nanao closed the book and sighed.

"It's all basic theory. I'm afraid the real core knowledge is only in the Great Spirit Book Gallery or the libraries of the Four Great Noble Clans."

"Those aren't places you can just go to whenever you want."

"True."

Wang Xun opened the book in his hands, On the State of Soul Society over Three Hundred Years.

He was more interested in miscellaneous books than academic papers.

The book described Soul Society's flourishing development, but certain passages were sharply critical of nobles being exempt from punishment and the noble monopoly.

It made veiled references to certain nobles killing commoner Soul Reapers without cause and receiving no punishment, then continuing to seize the dead Soul Reapers' family property...

Wh-who put this book in my hands?!

Wang Xun checked the front pages. The book bore no name, and as for the author, he was probably nowhere to be found by now.

A moment later, Wang Xun noticed Nanao making a small movement.

She took a small paper bag from the cloth pouch she carried and pushed it toward him.

"Here, take a look."

Wang Xun opened the paper bag curiously. Inside were more than a dozen fresh, deep-purple fruits, each about the size of a thumb and marked with fine lines.

He picked one up and examined it closely.

At first glance, there seemed to be nothing special about it. Only when specks of familiar light appeared within did Wang Xun find it somewhat hard to look away.

That's the light of a fragment.

Fruit containing Reiryoku? How did Nanao get her hands on it?

Wang Xun suppressed his surprise and looked at Nanao, whose lips were curled upward.

Well, well. This little girl might as well have "come on, ask me" written on her face.

Wang Xun put the fruit back in the paper bag, muttered that it was good stuff, and went back to his book.

When Nanao saw his reaction, her expression stiffened for a moment.

After a moment's silence, Nanao puffed out her cheeks slightly. She felt an itch inside, as though a whole crowd of tiny Wang Xuns were crawling around.

She reached out and quietly pushed the paper bag of fruit closer to Wang Xun.

Wang Xun caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and laughed inwardly, but kept his expression unchanged.

"Aren't you curious?"

Nanao finally couldn't hold back, a trace of dissatisfaction in her voice.

Only then did Wang Xun look up, just the right amount of puzzlement on his face.

"Hm? What kind of fruit is this? It certainly looks fresh."

Seeing his smiling face, Nanao seemed to deflate and pursed her lips.

"You're so annoying..."

Seeing the "come on, tell me" look on Wang Xun's face, Nanao gave him a few gentle kicks under the table before slowly explaining.

"I bought them on my way here. A middle-aged man who'd brought his child here to take the entrance exam had set up a little stall outside the academy. He said he'd picked them on the mountain behind his home and wanted to earn some money for the trip back."

"Outside the academy? Are stalls allowed there?"

"Technically, no."

Wang Xun looked through the bag. Only two of the fruits gave off the light of fragments.

"May I try one?"

"Go ahead!"

Nanao waved her little hand.

Under Nanao's expectant gaze, Wang Xun picked up a fruit containing a glowing fragment.

The instant he touched it, a system notification popped up.

[Obtained a tiny Reiryoku fragment. Spiritual Might experience +1]

Sure enough, it really could provide him with experience.

Wang Xun popped the fruit, which was no longer glowing, into his mouth.

It was full of juice, pleasantly sweet and sour, and tasted very good.

In Soul Society, Reiryoku grew mainly through absorbing Reishi from the atmosphere or eating food that contained Reiryoku.

But he had occasionally come across things like this that could increase his Spiritual Might experience. They were usually expensive, and most were controlled by the nobles.

They were rare things he had no way to get his hands on, even with money.

If this fruit really came from Rukongai, it would mean a great deal to Wang Xun.

"It's much tastier than ordinary wild fruit, and it contains a lot of Reishi."

Wang Xun marveled sincerely.

"Right~?"

Nanao's expression visibly brightened.

"You know I have a talent for Kidō, and I'm very sensitive to Reiryoku too."

Nanao lowered her voice a little.

"The moment I saw them, I knew these fruits were special. But I didn't have enough money, so I only bought a few."

Wang Xun's heart stirred. That meant there were plenty more.

"Is he still outside the academy?"

"He should be. Why?"

"How much did he bring, and what's the price?"

"About twenty jin or so. He was asking a thousand per jin."

A thousand kan would have been about fifty yuan in the currency of his previous life.

By Rukongai's standards, it wasn't cheap, but to Wang Xun, it was worth the price.

Besides, the fruit itself was secondary. He was more interested in seeing where it grew.

He could dimly see a great many fragments glimmering.

"All right, I'll go back to the dormitory for some money, then head over. Want to come?"

Nanao stood up and quickly gathered her books. She was also curious about what Wang Xun planned to do with the fruit.

As far as she could see, the fruit had no other use besides being rich in Reiryoku and tasting good.

In her impression, Wang Xun was fond of pleasure, often skipped classes and slacked off during training, and she didn't even know how he'd gotten into the elite class...

But he rarely seemed to show great interest in anything.

"Why do I have the feeling someone's talking about me behind my back?"

Wang Xun rubbed his itchy nose.

"Huh? A-are they...?"

Nanao's eyes darted everywhere.

Wang Xun: ?

Well, caught her red-handed.

"Little girl, it's rude to speak ill of people behind their backs."

Nanao felt a large hand press down on her head. She tried to pull away, but her guilty conscience kept her from succeeding.

"I wasn't, I didn't..."

Wang Xun patted Nanao's little head.

"All right, I'll use Shunpo to go back and get the money first. We'll meet halfway. Sorry to trouble you with my book too."

With that, Wang Xun vanished from the spot, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

"Hey, Shunpo is forbidden in the libra-"

Nanao watched Wang Xun's retreating figure and lowered her arm helplessly.

She returned the books on the table to their places, then hurried after him.

Fortunately, she was almost used to Wang Xun's impulsive nature.