“Huh?”
“Wait?”
“This situation…”
Moen felt his heartbeat quicken slightly.
Generally, in this kind of quiet environment where there were only two people alone, if one of them casually asked, "Do you have someone you like?", such words were often the herald of something significant.
That’s right—it’s that moment—a confession!
A subtle and seemingly casual question to test whether the other party already has someone in their heart. After confirming, launch into a full-scale offensive to capture the other’s heart in one fell swoop!
That’s how it always goes in the hundreds of romance mangas Moen had read in his previous life!
But wait—does Senior Anna really...?
Isn’t this a little too sudden?
Still, since Senior Anna is being so earnest in asking, he couldn’t help but return the favor with honesty and answer seriously.
“No.”
Moen straightened his back, crossed his hands under his chin, and responded with a solemn expression:
“Definitely not.”
“Is that so? That’s really a pity,” Anna sighed wistfully, her fingers resting against her cheek.
“Eh?”
Moen froze.
What did she mean by pity?
Was she feeling sorry that no one liked him?
Could it be that, for Senior Anna, this straightforward approach wasn’t satisfying enough?
Did she actually prefer the thrill of stealing someone's heart away instead of winning over someone unattached?
Wait—is Senior Anna a follower of the "Minotaur Cult"?
“Then… does anyone like you, Junior Brother?”
Still feeling a buzzing confusion in his head, Moen heard Anna continuing her questioning leisurely.
But this question only left Moen even more baffled.
“Uh… probably does,” Moen replied.
After all, with Ann around, lying entirely about this kind of thing was impossible.
“Really?”
Moen noticed how Anna’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Well, can you bring her here?”
“What?”
Bring her here?
Why?
In that instant, Moen’s mind conjured up a hellish mental image.
Senior Anna holding his hand and smugly declaring to Ann:
"The person you like tastes rather delightful, doesn’t she~"
AAAAAHHHH!
No way!
Ann would absolutely lose it!
She’d grab a sword and reduce both him and Senior Anna to fine mince!
"That… um…”
Looking at Senior Anna’s expectant expression, Moen couldn’t help but ask:
“Senior, could I know the reason?”
Although, based on Anna’s personality, she might simply be doing this as harmless mischief, Moen’s instincts told him there might be another reason.
“Reason?”
Anna turned her gaze aside, twirling the end of her braided hair absentmindedly.
She appeared to be deliberating something, but just as her lips parted to speak, her eyes flicked over to some birds perched on the treetop outside the window.
Anna’s eyebrows furrowed slightly:
“Never mind.”
“Eh?”
“Looks like I was being too hasty.”
“What?”
Moen was completely lost.
Ever since earlier, he’d felt like he couldn’t keep up with Senior Anna’s way of thinking.
“Let’s call it a day.”
Anna rose from her seat.
“There’s still a little time before class ends. I need to do some preparations; otherwise, things will pile up later on.”
“Oh, okay.”
Moen nodded blankly.
“Do you need my help, Senior?”
“Help?”
Anna glanced at him with an amused yet coquettish expression.
“Junior you skipped the class just to come to me for tutoring. So did you really still get time to help?”
“Uh…”
Moen awkwardly scratched his head.
“Actually, it’s not that I don’t have time—it’s just that, for certain reasons, I need to pass the Magic Fundamentals exam in a month's time, so all my energy and focus has to go toward that.”
“Oh? Passing?” Anna raised an eyebrow.
“For the first-year exam?”
“Second-year,” Moen replied with a wry smile. “It sounds difficult, doesn’t it, Senior?”
“Hmm, very difficult. Extremely difficult,” Anna thought for a moment and then replied seriously.
“But… it doesn’t seem entirely impossible.”
...
After Moen left, Anna gazed at the small birds perched on the tree branch outside the window, letting out a gentle command:
“Go.”
The birds startled and rapidly fluttered away.
Anna sighed lightly:
“That green-haired one from the journalism club really loves spying.”
In the vacant library, Anna rolled up her sleeves.
On her pale, delicate skin, traces of faint scales could be seen.
“Ever since the moon was banished, things have calmed down a bit, huh?”
Fixing her stare at her wrist, Anna murmured to herself, voicing comfort:
“Don’t rush, Anna. Don’t rush. There’s still time.”
“Even if it really comes to that…”
Her gaze shifted to the library door, seemingly chasing the fading shadow of someone who had just departed.
...
“Feels like I’m one step closer to hitting that 60-point target.”
Exiting the library, Moen couldn't help but stretch and take a deep breath, his mood buoyant.
Another fulfilling morning.
“Well, next…”
Moen mulled over his next steps and decided to seize the opportunity to grab lunch while the cafeteria was still quiet.
Once the crowd arrived, it would waste a lot more time.
“Hmm?”
But as he walked only a few steps, Moen’s brows furrowed.
An elusive and faint trace of attention grazed his back like sharp-edged blades, sending chills down his spine.
Like maggots clinging to bones—impossible to shake off.
“Looks like ignoring it won’t work.”
Moen’s tone turned cold.
He had no intention of putting up with some freak stalking him endlessly.
Drawing on the sharp sensitivity he had honed through countless deaths in the Black Book, Moen moved slowly, carefully pinpointing the direction of the presence.
Outside the library lay a dense forest.
Ideal cover for hiding.
Anyone with even rudimentary skills in concealment would find it easy to remain undiscovered in such a place.
However, there was no wind.
Any movement, no matter how slight, would inevitably disturb the stillness, leaving behind clear rustling sounds among the foliage.
So long as movement was restricted, even the best hiding spot was destined to give away a momentary tell-tale sign.
Moreover, the person hiding seemed rather inexperienced at staying out of sight.
Moen’s hawk-like gaze swept across the area, quickly focused on a patch of shadowy undergrowth.
Between the gaps in the brush, he could faintly make out the corner of some clothing fluttering.
“If you’re going to play the creep, at least polish your stalking skills before starting.”
Moen smirked coldly, his face now sharp and unrelenting as he approached the bush step by step, plunging his hand into the tangled leaves.
“Come out here, you damned perv!”
“Ahhh! Don’t grab me! I didn’t mean to!”
“Eh?”
To Moen’s surprise, what emerged from the undergrowth wasn’t a scar-faced muscled brute...
But a small girl?
Moen stared in confusion.
The girl was clad in the academy’s uniform, and judging by its design, she was likely also a second-year student like him. Her thick, black hair was braided into two large plaits, and her oversized black-rimmed glasses partially failed to conceal the freckles smattered across her face.
Overall, she seemed like the kind of person who could easily blend into a crowd and be overlooked—utterly inconspicuous.
Yet as Moen studied her, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she looked oddly familiar.
Where… had he seen her before?
