The Clumsy Nun and the Magician of the Ancient Library 2
After Shimiko introduced us to Ui, Sensei and I headed straight for the Library to find her. We knocked several times with no answer, so I tried the handle myself—and to my surprise, it wasn't locked. That was how we stepped inside.
A video began to play. Inside the darkened, unlit space, Hinata and Sensei were speaking in hushed voices.
"Shimiko did say, 'The Library isn't the department head's private property!' but... is it really all right for us to just walk in like this?"
"We were given access passes, so it should be fine. Don't worry so much."
"I suppose that's true... but, um, is anyone even here?"
Hinata raised her voice a little, hoping to call out to whoever might be deeper inside, yet no reply came. She was just about to venture farther in when—
"Hiiiiiiek?!"
"Wh-what the hell was that sound?"
"I didn't know a person could even make a noise like that..."
From the darkness came a bizarre cry—half scream, half groan—that echoed through the room, leaving the Sinners thoroughly startled by its strange tone. The owner of the voice, bristling with the wariness of a wild cat, began interrogating the uninvited guests.
"Wh-who are you? Suddenly barging in like this... are you thieves?!"
"W-we're not thieves! We have access passes right here. W-we came to see the head of the Library Department."
When Hinata produced the pass, the voice fell quiet for a moment, then returned in a somewhat calmer register.
"If you're looking for the Library Department head... what business do you have?"
"We heard you're an expert on ancient texts. We need help urgently."
"That sort of business... but if I may ask, who are you? One of you seems to be from the Sisterhood, but the other..."
"Ah, I'm sorry for the late introduction."
Hinata introduced herself and Sensei, and the voice's owner sounded quite surprised; the pitch rose a little higher than before.
"Sensei... that Sensei? The one who just arrived at Schale?"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than someone approached with utterly listless footsteps, then pressed something that clicked like a button. The dim Library instantly flooded with light, and the speaker finally revealed herself properly.
"Ah... hello, Sensei..."
I thought the same when I saw her through the Mirror, but she really does look like her whole body is screaming "I don't want to move."
While Dante's clock ticked away, the video ended and Hinata sent another written message.
And that was how we first met Ui.
After the short message, the video resumed. When Ui asked exactly why they had come looking for her, Sensei held up the access pass once more and inquired, "So you're the magician of this place?"
"That Sensei guy's pretty funny. I like people like that—hanging around them's a good time. Just like our Greg."
"...Is that really how I come across?"
Rodya offered her impression with a laugh, but the Ui on screen clearly did not share the amusement.
"Ugh... who keeps spreading that nickname around... That pass was definitely issued by the Great Library, wasn't it?"
When Sensei and Hinata both nodded, a shadow fell over Ui's face. She turned her head slightly and began muttering under her breath.
"Ugh... that Shimiko... sending people over like this again... How many times have I said no... If there's work, she could just come herself... Next time I see her I'm going to give her a piece of my mind..."
"Hmm... this Ui fellow doesn't seem to have much room to spare in her heart."
To Don Quixote, who lived every moment at full volume, Ui's extreme introversion was a rare specimen she had never encountered before. As the video continued, Ui seemed to realize her muttering had been audible to the others and hastily corrected herself.
"Ah, I didn't mean anything about Sensei. The Sister next to you, though..."
Ui stared hard at Hinata, who waited with a tense, uneasy smile. Then the words left Ui's mouth:
"Well, it might apply to her too..."
"Huh?!"
"Cute face, but zero social skills. From what she said before, maybe she's improved a little by now?"
Once the video ended, Rodya took the PDA from Dante and sent a message to the Kivotos side. This time Ui replied.
Anyway, back then I was even more introverted than I am now. I used to call most people "outsiders" and keep them at a distance. Looking back, it's a little embarrassing.
Rodya had sent the message with genuine warmth. Afterward, Hinata's account continued.
Back to the main story—we explained to Ui why we had come. She couldn't understand what we meant by the scripture that "used to be," so Sensei showed her the shattered scripture, and after that... um...
"Oi, why'd you cut off? If you're gonna talk, finish the damn sentence!"
The first way to make someone angry is to stop mid-sentence. When Hinata abruptly halted her explanation, Heathcliff grew a little irritated—and as if in answer, the video started again. It was the moment Ui laid eyes on the ruined scripture. Reality itself seemed to blur for her; her pupils shrank to pinpricks as she began to stammer.
"Uh... uh? Huh? Uuuugh... hieek?!"
"Aigoo, the kid's completely lost it..."
Gregor muttered with a note of pity.
"Sensei, Ui is...! Her facial muscles and arms are trembling!"
Sensei said nothing, only covering his ears with a bitter expression. Hinata was about to ask another question when—
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
Quite literally, Ui roared.
"By now they must be watching that moment... I hope they cover their ears."
"I wasn't that loud..."
As Hinata fretted over the Sinners while recalling the memory, Ui snapped back in embarrassment. As if fate itself were playing a prank, messages began pouring in at the same instant.
"So it ends up like this after all..."
"Aaagh..."
With Don Quixote's oblivious, exuberant message as the final blow, Ui hung her head in pure mortification.
"Wh-wh-wh-what in the world is this?! What have you done?!"
It was hard to believe this was the same timid girl from moments before. Ui was now glaring at Hinata with a terrifying expression, her fury blazing.
"How did it end up like this, this child?!"
"You're calling a book a 'child'...?"
"Probably means it's as precious as her own kid. Heh. I like that attitude."
At Sinclair's remark, Ryōshū evaluated Ui on her own and gave a small laugh. Dante wondered if she was praising the way someone could treasure a thing as much as their own life.
"U-Ui, please calm down first..."
Hinata tried to soothe her with a helpless look, but it only backfired. The rampaging Ui seized Hinata by the collar and began to shake her.
"C-c-c-calm down?! Caaaaalm doooown?! You show me this and tell me to calm down?! It's been completely smashed to pieces!!! Even if someone wrecked it on purpose it wouldn't look this bad!!!"
"And this child—anyone can see it's not just some old book, it's an artifact-level ancient text! You yourself said it was an important scripture earlier, didn't you?! Even at a low estimate, this has to be from the age of the ancient Council, right?! At this point isn't it a treasure of the school, this chiiiild?!"
Then, just as suddenly, she released the collar and began to sob.
"How did a child like that end up in this state..."
"To piece together so much information from nothing but the wreckage... impressive..."
That was Sensei's assessment. Of course, it did little to calm the situation.
"P-please listen to us first! We're trying to restore it somehow—"
"Restore?! Restore is a word you use for the injured! This one is deceased—deceased! What it needs isn't restoration, it's the resurrection of the dead!!!"
After pouring a second wave of fury onto Hinata, Ui sank back down and began murmuring in a sorrowful voice.
"The value of the records this child held... every single page... was truly... hngk..."
"That's exactly why we came looking for you, Magician of the Library."
"...!"
Sensei's words and Ui's reaction brought the video to a close.
"...Yeah, I think so too."
Gregor spoke, and the other Sinners clearly shared the same thought.
"Aaaah... just what kind of image have I been branded with..."
"Hahaha..."
Ui covered her face with both hands, while Hinata could only laugh awkwardly.