The Clumsy Nun and the Magician of the Old Library 1
Anyway.
Ui wrote in the book. The little commotion over Hinata’s clothes had pushed back what she had originally wanted to show the bus team.
I called Hinata-san not only because I want her to keep joining us on this exchange-diary journey, but also because she is important to my story.
If it hadn’t been for Hinata-san, I would have stayed shut inside the Library forever, never wanting to meet anyone except the department members.
“Ui-san… thank you so much.”
When the deeply moved Hinata leaned her face in close, Ui scrunched up her expression and drew back, though she did not look entirely displeased. In the middle of that, a reply arrived from the Limbus side; the tone made it clear the writer was Outis.
A reliable comrade—no, a friend… Such things are always welcome. So, what is the first story you will tell us?
The day Hinata-san, Sensei, and I first met. For now I will hand the pen to Hinata-san. She is the beginning of this story, after all.
Receiving the pen from Ui, Hinata began to write, in her round, soft handwriting, the tale she and her friend had lived through.
Wakaba Hinata, pen received.
First of all, our Sensei likes to give every incident a name after this or that has happened. He says it makes the day easier to look back on once it is summarized. To quote him, the title of this story is “The Clumsy Nun and the Magician of the Library.”
That day was a truly historic one for Trinity General Academy. A new scripture had been unearthed in the excavation district. The contents alone were enough to force a revision of the Sisters’ entire course of study; we had found a relic of genuine antiquity.
A ceremony was planned to commemorate the discovery, and Sakurako-sama, representing our Sisterhood, was to read the opening passages. Until then I had been charged with safeguarding the relic scripture, and that was when I first came face-to-face with Sensei, who had accepted the invitation.
“This Sakurako person seems to be the representative of the nuns. And judging by the fact that Hinata-san was entrusted with safekeeping, she is no ordinary sister either.”
Ishmael voiced her thoughts. At that moment the PDA screen brightened, shifting from its usual pitch black to a fresh, lively palette. And what appeared was—
“Thank you so much for coming, Sensei!”
“No, I should be the one thanking you for inviting me.”
“This thing can play videos too?”
…No.
It was Hinata, and a clean-cut man none of them had ever seen. Not merely still images—they moved as if alive, and even their voices could be heard. For the first time the Sinners learned what the girl and the man sounded like.
“Your voice is higher than I expected from your appearance, Hinata-san.”
“So this is the teacher from another world… He looks far too ordinary.”
While everyone was still trying to grasp what was happening, Sinclair and Outis offered remarks of little help. Through it all the screen continued to show Hinata and Sensei. When the video ended, Yi Sang took the PDA from Dante. Hinata had already written another message and seemed flustered by the lack of reply.
Um, the replies suddenly stopped… Did something happen?
It is I, Yi Sang. Worry not; we are unharmed. More to the point, Miss Hinata—does the one you call “Sensei” possess black hair parted to one side and wear a gray suit?
How did you know? I don’t remember describing that…
The moment you set down the pen, something akin to a moving picture began to play upon Dante’s PDA—much like a television. It is a phenomenon we ourselves have never before witnessed.
So that is why you missed Hinata-san’s message…
This time it was Ui who wrote. Faust addressed Dante, who was still trying to make sense of the event, and offered her hypothesis.
“Faust believes the Mirror incident of yesterday may be the cause. At that moment the two worlds became ‘connected,’ and this function appeared as a result.”
Hmm… is that so. At any rate, this won’t cause some major disaster, will it?
“I cannot be certain, but that appears unlikely.”
“Well now, this exchange diary’s going to be lively as hell.”
Heathcliff laughed. Dante took the PDA back and reassured the girls on the other side.
It’s the first time we’ve seen anything like it, but it probably won’t cause any real trouble. Maybe when we tell our stories, something strange will happen on your end too.
That’s a relief… Then I’ll continue the story.
Just reading the words, one could almost hear Hinata’s deep sigh of relief. The voice that did not match her stature, the timid air—Dante found himself thinking she might be a rather shy sort of person.
While I was chatting with Sensei, I noticed dust on the scripture. Thinking nothing of it, I decided a few taps would clear it away—and that was the beginning of everything.
The moment Hinata’s message ended, a video began to play as if it had been waiting.
“Dust like this just needs a good pat-pat…”
Dust fell from the book. The problem was that the pages fell with it, fluttering down in a sudden cascade.
“…Oh dear.”
“To handle a relic of that caliber so carelessly… That empty head of yours, I’ll—”
“Ryōshū-san, please calm down!”
While Sinclair tried to restrain the enraged Ryōshū, Dante still failed to understand the severity.
Wait, books are that fragile? They just crumble if you tap them a little?
“That is—”
Faust began to explain, only for Outis to cut her off.
“Manager, that is no ordinary book. It is an ancient relic written long, long ago. Paper decays slowly with the passage of time. A volume excavated after such an age is naturally extremely fragile, and if one treats it like a common book…”
As if to confirm her words, the poor girl on the screen was clearly panicking and flailing about.
“I-it’s fine! If I just gather the pages and put them back together…”
Yet the more she tried to pick up the paper, the more it crumbled into ever-smaller fragments, until even the cover itself shattered. Against the backdrop of Hinata and Sensei staring blankly at what had once been a scripture now reduced to powder, Meursault finished Outis’s explanation with the finality of a stamp.
“It disintegrates into powder like that.”
We’re in trouble…
Did a video appear?
When the video ended, Hinata sent the message. Just as Dante was about to reply, Ryōshū snatched the PDA.
You. Empty-headed nun. The moment I meet you I’ll—
…Pardon?
“That is enough.”
Vergilius reclaimed the PDA and returned it to Dante. Only then did Dante, noticing Sinclair looking as though he had something urgent to say, have no choice but to hand it over.
Hello, I’m Sinclair. Um, Hinata-san?
Yes? What is it?
You may already know this by now, but next time you handle an ancient relic, please be a little more careful.
I learned that lesson the hard way after this incident. I’ll keep it in mind. But why tell me that right now?
Because Ryōshū-san is one step away from flying into a rage and promising to take your head off…
Ui had already shown her the earlier pages of the notebook, so Hinata had a rough idea who Ryōshū was—yet she had never imagined the woman would be this serious. While Ui heaved a sigh deep enough to sink into the earth, Hinata stood frozen in flustered helplessness. That was one of her shortcomings, though Sensei had always called it part of her charm.
“Wh-what do I do? I’ve been threatened with murder by someone I’ve never even met!”
“This is awkward… Still, if we show her the Hinata-san who comes after this, maybe her temper will cool a little?”
The residents of Kivotos possessed remarkable durability—bullets and bombs were things they could laugh off. They were not invincible, however, and whether they could withstand the weapons of the City, where Singularities of every kind ran rampant, was another question entirely. No—Hinata-san would probably be fine. Ui thought so privately.
When Ui offered comfort to the downcast girl, Hinata closed her eyes as if to steady herself and returned to her usual self.
“Yes! Then maybe she will forgive me after all!”
With that, Hinata took up the pen once more.
I’m sorry about earlier. I’ll continue the story.
After my mistake left the book in ruins, Sensei and I carried the remains to the library, hoping something could still be done. There we asked Shimiko-san of the Library Department for help.
A video appeared, this time showing not only Hinata and Sensei but a girl with twintails they had never seen before. That must be Shimiko, Dante thought. She, too, was radiating pure dismay.
“Ah, by the way—what about the box the scripture was in?”
“I left it on the cathedral altar.”
“So the box is empty?”
“Don’t worry. I happened to be carrying the Kama Sutra, so I put that in instead. Same size, same weight—no one will notice from the outside.”
Sensei’s casual reassurance was so natural that Shimiko failed, for a moment, to register what was wrong.
“Ah, I see. You happened to be carrying the Kama Sutra… Wait, what?”
“Kama Sutra? What’s that?”
“I should like to know myself!”
Heathcliff and Don Quixote asked the other Sinners, but most of them wore expressions that said the topic was awkward. Even Faust held her tongue. Meursault, utterly unaffected, supplied the explanation.
“The Kama Sutra is an ancient text concerning sexual practices. Portions of it also address the act of intercourse itself.”
“Ah, so he put that in the box… Huh?”
“Wh-wh-what did you say?!?!”
Heathcliff, speechless as his situational awareness short-circuited, and Don Quixote, who had toppled over in shock, made for a rather comical spectacle. The excited Don Quixote seized the PDA from Dante and sent a message.
Miss Hinata! Why in the world was that fellow you call Sensei carrying such a book?!
Well… among our academy’s students there is a rather unique person named Hanako-san. Sensei had confiscated the Kama Sutra from her and was carrying it. He was about to return it to the library, but when the scripture broke he panicked and just…
In short, he had shoved it in because he felt he had to do something.
Aigoo, at this rate that sister-superior lady is going to end up reading erotica in front of the whole audience.
Gregor sent the message on the PDA. Hinata, recalling the situation of that day, replied.
Yes. It would have been an absolute catastrophe. Just when we were in despair, Shimiko-san said, “If it’s that person, there might still be a way,” and introduced us to someone.
The video began again, picking up from the moment Shimiko shushed the increasingly loud Hinata. Soon she spoke to Hinata and Sensei about “that person.”
“She’s far more amazing than you’d expect… despite how she looks.”
“Despite how she looks?”
Sensei pressed at the uneasy aftertaste of the words, and Shimiko hedged.
“Ah, well, among us she’s called ‘the Magician of the Library,’ that’s how incredible she is. She doesn’t actually cast magic, but she solves every problem that comes her way without breaking a sweat.”
Having said that much, Shimiko’s face clouded as if an unpleasant thought had surfaced.
“There’s just one problem, though… um…”
“She’s a bit shy around strangers… wary of people she doesn’t know… hates sunlight… and once she shuts herself inside the Library she simply refuses to come out…”
“Just listening to that is enough to make me feel claustrophobic…”
Ishmael muttered. Every negative trait of an extreme introvert had been packed into this “Magician of the Library,” and every Sinner could already guess who it was.
That’s Ui sitting right next to you, isn’t it?
Yes. Head of the Library Department at Trinity General Academy—Kozeki Ui-san.