✿ BGM: MANYO-小さな痛み

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Warm autumn afternoon, Tokyo.

"So...... For this reason, not only did you skip lunch, but you also skipped your afternoon class? ”

"Of course. It's okay not to do that kind of thing in class. ”

“…… Please, we'll be punished tomorrow. ”

"Is it important for your partner to be important, or is it important to avoid punishment?"

“…… That's right. ”

Ameng let out a long sigh and walked on the path of the school with Yue Linlang.

This is the Holy Night School Park, a famous school in the capital of Dongying, which has the title of the country of a thousand islands. Not far away is the library, which is famous for its architectural craftsmanship and the number of books it holds, with its towering corner pillars and towers, which are full of Western atmosphere.

"I'm curious."

Yue Linlang, who was walking forward without changing her face, said coldly.

(What?) ）

When Ameng heard Yue Linlang's words, she was a little confused.

"If you take the punishment to heart like that, you still go with me to the library to find the kid. Your partner must be very important to you, right? ”

Yue Linlang slowed down thoughtfully, and then asked:

"You say...... She took away your buddy? I would like to ask, who is your partner? ”

Hearing Yue Linlang's extremely direct inquiry into privacy, Yameng pondered the vocabulary, and finally reluctantly found that there was no more suitable way to say it except for direct description.

"Have you ever heard of - Guardian Sweetheart?"

"It's a guardian sweetheart. The child could see it, and of course I knew it—it was the hatching of the soul egg given to people by the guardians of the world. In that case, the kid will mistake you for an enemy. ”

"-enemy?"

"Well, enemies from hostile groups. Others are inconvenient to disclose. ”

"I see...... It's all about me, okay!? My sweetheart disappeared for no reason, does your organization have to give me an explanation? ”

(With such an arrogant tone, it can be infuriating.) ）

"It's not about the organization. It's just that Yingluo caused it, and please put the charge on my head. ”

Yue Linlang lowered her eyes, and there was a faint apology in her words.

"I didn't protect her. As Yingluo's older sister, I take full responsibility. ”

"It's amazing that you can think that...... Wait a minute, what did you just say? ”

Ameng thought back to what he had just heard, and then he reacted.

"-You're Yue Yingluo's own sister!?"

“…… You didn't just think of it, Hinai-sen. It's too sluggish too. ”

"Even if that's the case, you've never said it!"

(No wonder they look so similar, and even their personalities ...... There are really what kind of sisters there are. ）

"Here we are."

Yue Linlang glanced at Ameng and spoke coldly.

Amon looked up and saw that they had reached the door of the library. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out and pushed open the door of the baroque building.

"I found a book on the top floor, and when I opened it, I inexplicably saw the attic where Yue Yingluo was......"

"The attic? If you have an attic, just walk up from here. ”

Yue Linlang stepped on the ordinary staircase around the corner.

"It's not. The stairs to the top attic were like a maze, and that was the first time I felt like I would get lost when I went up the stairs. ”

Ameng depressedly followed in the footsteps of Yue Linlang. And Yue Linlang's eyes, who were walking in front of her, were full of obscurity, and even the air around her dropped to freezing point for a while.

Up to the top floor, books that smelled rancid and musty from age slumped to the ground in a haphazard manner.

Yue Linlang looked around and frowned slightly.

"Remember where you found that book?"

"It's on the bookshelf over there."

Ameng pointed to the other end of the top floor, and Yue Linlang looked in the direction that Ameng pointed to, but the bookshelf over there was empty, and the books were all scattered on the ground.

"Looks like someone has been here."

"Is there anyone else coming to this kind of place? And make such a mess of the book......"

Aemon sighed.

(I didn't expect this kind of thing to have unrelated people to make trouble.) ）

"To hide the leaves."

Hearing Yue Linlang speak in a low voice, Yameng showed a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean?"

"The best place to hide a leaf is in the forest."

“…… Can you explain this to me? ”

Yue Linlang saw that Yameng was still confused, so she had to continue.

"If you want people to find a book, you have to hide it in the library. Books are still easy to spot on the library's neatly arranged shelves, which is why they make a mess. ”

Amon raised her eyes in surprise.

"You mean, somebody doesn't want to—pain, pain!"

With the sound of a human body falling to the ground, Amon tripped over a book on the ground and fell to the ground.

Yue Linlang glanced at Yameng with the eyes of an idiot, and then turned around seriously and planned to find the book:

"I guess who it is, I guess it."

"Yue Linlang!"

Amon sat up from the ground and called out in surprise to the brown-haired girl who hadn't taken a few steps.

"Be quiet, it's dangerous here. If something happens, I'll have to protect you, it's troublesome. ”

"I don't want your protection. The book that stumbled upon me was the one we were looking for. ”

Yue Linlang turned her head and couldn't help twitching the corners of her mouth after hearing Yameng's words:

"Are you Lady Luck's own daughter?"

Ameng rolled her eyes at Yue Linlang, and without thinking about anything more, she went straight to the middle of the book. The blood-red eyes twitched and turned to meet hers. And behind her, a faint black shadow was slowly gathering.

Yue Linlang, who had originally settled down, suddenly shrank her pupils, and a light from her fingertips shot straight behind Yameng!

In an instant, the orange light collided with the black shadow in the same way, and finally dissipated in the form of an explosion—and the Aemon on the side was pushed aside by the powerful aftermath of the two, and the nameless book broke away from Amon's hand and rose into the air in an arc.

The red light flickered as the pages flew, instantly engulfing Ameng and Yuelinlang.