…Why is this kid here?’
Kazein couldn’t help but feel bewildered as she looked up at Nine, who was perched on top of the bookshelf, gazing down at her.
How did she end up in the Academic Department, so far away from the garden?
Wait, before that, how did she even get into the library?
‘Why are you here?’
‘Why are you here?’
Their gazes, carrying the same meaning, collided pointlessly in mid-air.
“Hey, kitty, you shouldn’t be here.”
Kazein reached out her hand toward Nine.
But her hand didn’t reach the top of the bookshelf.
It was too high for her to touch Nine.
Instead, Nine sat comfortably on the shelf, looking down at her as if observing her actions.
Just a cat.
But even though it was just a cat, Kazein couldn’t help but feel uneasy under Nine’s gaze.
‘I’m here to do something a little sneaky… but having a cat staring at me like this is making me nervous.’
The secret archive.
She had planned to enter the secret archive to find books related to her research.
[Sec…ret…arch…ive? Hmm… I’m sure…]
Professor Luyen, who proudly declared that her favorite thing was napping, had mumbled the answer in her sleep.
‘The book I’m looking for should be there.’
The Spirit Beast Dissection Record.
A book containing the dissection records of spirit beasts that had died long ago.
Such books were rare and bordered on forbidden knowledge, so they were kept only in the secret archive.
‘I’m not sure how helpful it will be…
But if that book exists, it could be a huge breakthrough for my research.
That’s why I came to the secret archive, but now there’s an unexpected witness.
It’s just a cat, so it should be fine, right?
Just as her hand was about to touch the hidden switch leading to the secret archive…
“Senior, what are you doing here?”
“I was looking for a book and ended up here.”
“Oh, come on. There’s no way the book you’re looking for is here, right? Ugh, the dust…”
‘Too bad, but I’ll have to try again next time…’
She had planned to sneak in and search while her junior was distracted, but Nine’s unexpected appearance ruined her chance.
Suppressing her disappointment, she forced a smile.
“Can you check the top of the bookshelf for me?”
“Huh? Senior, what are you… Oh?”
The junior followed Kazein’s pointing finger and looked up, her eyes widening in surprise.
There, on top of the bookshelf, was a pure white cat that shouldn’t have been there.
“Is this the cat you were talking about, Senior? But why is it here?”
“I don’t know… I just felt someone watching me and looked up, and there it was.”
“Animals aren’t allowed in here. If the head librarian sees it…”
“…Wouldn’t he throw a fit and toss it out?”
The head librarian hated animals.
If he saw the cat, he’d probably lose his temper and throw it out.
Cats were resilient creatures and wouldn’t get hurt easily from being thrown, but she still couldn’t just leave it like that.
“I think we need to take this little one outside.”
“How are we going to hide it?”
“Maybe we can hide it under my robe?”
“That’ll be way too obvious.”
Although cats aren’t particularly large animals, Nine wasn’t small enough to be completely hidden under Kazein’s slender frame.
“If it’s just the head librarian, it might be okay…”
“This isn’t going to work…”
Suddenly, Kazein placed her hand on her chest.
Both Nine and the junior looked at her curiously as she suddenly undid her tie and unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt.
‘Is she showing off her chest out of nowhere?’
Nine and the junior tilted their heads in unison.
“Senior, what are you doing?”
“Can’t we hide it in here?”
“Senior, do you really think that’s going to work? It’s not a kitten…”
“Then what should we do?”
“Just walk out confidently.”
“Yeah, that’s probably the best option. Come here~”
Kazein, with her shirt open again, reached up.
‘Considering all the treats I’ve gotten from her, I can do this much as a service.’
Without hesitation, Nine leaped into Kazein’s arms.
“Are you going to carry her out?”
“Hmm…”
Kazein lifted Nine onto her head.
Although her head was far too small for Nine to sit on comfortably, Nine managed to find a spot and settled down, covering Kazein’s head.
“Shall we go now?”
“…You’re really bold, aren’t you?”
“The head librarian doesn’t come back to the counter often once he starts working, so if we leave quickly, it should be fine.”
Kazein and her junior quietly slipped out from between the bookshelves and headed toward the entrance.
Nine sat proudly on Kazein’s head, observing the situation.
There was nothing else for her to do.
“She’s heavy…”
“Of course she is. Why did you even think of putting her on your head?”
“Wouldn’t it look like a hat?”
“Senior, sometimes your ideas are really out there.”
The two exchanged light banter as they reached the entrance.
At the entrance, a librarian was busy filling out book checkout forms at the counter.
It seemed like they could leave quietly, but that was impossible.
It wasn’t uncommon for absent-minded people to forget to return books or get caught trying to sneak them out.
Sensing their presence, the librarian looked up at Kazein.
And then, the librarian’s pupils shook.
It was closer than usual.
“…What’s that on your head?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t know what it was.
He was just flustered because Kazein was so boldly carrying a cat on her head.
The librarian glanced toward where the head librarian was, just in case.
If the head librarian, who hated cats, saw this, he’d go ballistic.
But the soft, murmuring voice that reached his ears forced him to turn his attention back to Kazein.
“I already returned the book earlier, so I’m just going out for some fresh air.”
“Ah, okay… But that thing on your head…”
“It’s a trendy hat.”
Kazein declared without batting an eye.
She was so confident that the librarian actually looked up, wondering if it really was a hat.
But soon, his gaze was pulled downward.
It was inevitable.
There was a certain… ahem… distracting mass of flesh swaying right in front of him.
“…A hat, huh. Well, have a good time.”
He answered as if entranced, then bowed slightly.
It was a greeting, but also a defense mechanism.
It couldn’t be helped.
“See you later.”
Kazein and her group confidently walked out of the library.
“Hey, kitty, don’t come back to a place like this again, okay?”
“Meow.”
No.
I’ll come back.
But I’m curious why this kid was lurking around the secret archive.
Seeing the strange behavior of a character who didn’t appear in the original story made me realize once again that this is reality.
What was Purple Hair trying to find in the secret archive?
“Senior, let’s go back. You said you needed to find that book about spirit beasts or something, right?”
“Yeah. If we waste any more time, it’ll be too late. Let’s hurry back. See you later, kitty~”
…Spirit beasts?
I have a bad feeling about this.
Wasn’t the setting of Act 1 something about spirit beasts and potions?
…It’s probably a coincidence, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something important.
I’ll just check on Irina for now and keep an eye on Purple Hair for a while.
With a new plan in mind, I stuffed it into my 30g walnut brain and headed straight to what used to be the Hunting Department.
The Hunting Department wasn’t far from the Academic Department, so I quickly arrived at the Hunting Department’s base.
Not the main building, but the base, because…
The Hunting Department was a strange department that lived in the wild, occupying one-third of the academy’s forest.
Self-sufficiency, survival of the fittest, or something like that.
Recalling the Hunting Department’s slogan, I climbed a tree and stared at the vine-covered building.
It would cost a fortune just to repair that thing.
If Irina is the protagonist, she’ll probably win the martial arts tournament and the end-of-term exam to lay the foundation for rebuilding the Hunting Department… but is she really the protagonist?
Well.
Unlike Monster Park, to confirm if she’s the protagonist, I’ll have to see Irina in person, so I might have to stay here until night.
Good thing I’m good at socializing.
At least the night roads are safe.
This forest is a bit dangerous, though.
Since it’s not often touched by human hands, there are a lot of wild animals, so I can’t let my guard down.
I climbed down from the tree and started wandering around, keeping an eye on my surroundings.
If my memory serves me right, Irina’s camp should be near what used to be the main building.
How long had I been wandering?
I caught a delicious smell wafting through the air.
That way.
Following the scent, I was greeted by an orange glow.
Oh, the smell of meat is amazing.
Irina must have sensed my presence.
Irina, who was roasting meat at the camp, turned her gaze toward me.
We exchanged silent glances.
Irina was the first to speak.
“Want some?”
Can opener pass!
I proudly gave Can Opener No. 3 a passing grade.
It was evening.