Laugh Encyclopedia (2)
That sort of thing had happened since the old days. When I got too focused on one thing, I'd pay relatively little attention to everything else. Or I'd often forget about fields that didn't interest me much. It was a habit from my human days, and for some reason, even Grandmother couldn't fix it. It lingered even in this new body.
Flutter.
"…."
Flutter.
Flutter!
"Hm… Huh? What? Why?"
Flutter, flutter!
"Yeah? No, I said I'd take care of it in two hours. Just let me finish this book first…."
Fwump!
"…Huh? Already two hours have passed…?"
I panicked and pretended to check my wristwatch. Then I realized there was no watch and scratched the back of my head as I headed to the lobby.
"Ugh… It really has…."
There wasn't anything precise like a clock to check the exact time, but since the lobby was relatively close to the "outside," I could sense the flow of time. And what I sensed was… yeah, definitely about two hours had gone by.
"Already two hours…?"
Flutter!
Flutter flutter!
"Okay, okay. Sorryyy."
This could be seen as a problem, or not—depending on the perspective. The real ambiguity was that when it came to tasks requiring my full concentration, I handled them perfectly. For example… right, like the time I went to the Deep Warehouse. I was so focused on acquiring the PE textbook that I sped through everything.
But if my attention wandered even a little, I'd miss a lot. Like when I thought the Pioneer Division Chief had died.
'Still, I couldn't pass up a donation….'
I was a bit excited about it being the first donation, glancing back and forth between the book and the Pioneer Division Chief, and before I knew it, she'd collapsed.
Because of that, the books seemed quietly worried about this flaw in me.
Flutter!
"Yeah, got it. So, what was your name again… Oh, right, 'Laugh Encyclopedia.' I'll take care of you right away."
It was the book donated just a few hours ago by that patron in the weird mask, and I'd already forgotten.
Flutter!
Flutter!
Hugging the impatient book to my chest, I hurried off to manage it. Besides, it was the highlight part—I needed to finish quickly and get going.
….
A few days later, the Pioneer Division Chief visited.
"Long time no see. I've been a bit busy lately. Sorry. Some weird wind's blowing through the Anomaly Management Bureau. Like, strange memes are trending or something."
"Memes?"
"Yeah. But it's not our field, so I don't care much. Anyway, I jotted down some cooperation terms—mind taking a look?"
With that, the Pioneer Division Chief showed me a few conditions. Overall… they were incredibly lenient.
I'd seen some of the containment methods for certain anomalies she'd shown me before, and they were surprisingly dense and strict. Compared to that… this basically put me in the dominant position.
"Full cooperation with my requests, but cooperating with the Anomaly Management Bureau is up to me."
"Exactly. You can refuse if you don't want to."
"Is that really okay?"
"Well, if I had to put it bluntly… we couldn't stop you even if we tried right now. So this is just a light promise between us."
…It seemed the evaluation of me and the Shinbi Library within the Anomaly Management Bureau was sky-high. Not just high, but high enough that these people, who'd dealt with countless anomalies, admitted they were helpless against it.
"For us, it's enough that the things in this library aren't roaming free on Earth."
…Did she not know anyone could use this library? A mage had already come and read two books before she even arrived.
'Maybe she's talking about the scenario where all the books get checked out.'
The knowledge and power in each book was enough to warrant full caution from the Anomaly Management Bureau. If they all got released at once? The world could descend into chaos before the Bureau or any other forces could react.
Even one of Swamp Zone, Jijong, or Unomunoeo slipping out and flopping around would be extremely dangerous.
'I had to "write" reality because of Swamp Zone….'
That was just with a partial manifestation of its true form. If it moved in earnest… I had no idea how things would play out.
But that's exactly why the Anomaly Management Bureau valued the library's role so highly. From their perspective, the books inside could never be "checked out."
"So any cooperation from you is just a bonus. Of course, I'd love a lot of it."
Hmm.
So what kind of "cooperation" did they want?
"Capturing rogue magic books, or donating ones we're containing. Or… if a WA Scenario gets issued, lending a hand."
"WA Scenario?"
"World Annihilation. The moment one issues, every division in the Anomaly Management Bureau goes all-out to scrap it. Otherwise, we're all doomed."
Ah, I got it.
"Well, they don't issue that often. Recently, some special department called the Multidimensional Observatory issued one for some inexplicable reason, but…."
…Hearing that made me a little sheepish. From what she said, my "writing" had worked out just fine.
"Anyway, that's the vibe—I'd probably ask for that kind of cooperation. Anything you want?"
What I wanted. What could it be?
If I had to pick something I needed right now… news from the outside? Not that I needed it, but I got curious sometimes.
"Please leave newspapers with info on various countries and anomalies at the front of Goru Bookstore every morning."
"Newspapers… That'll be easy."
I didn't want to ask for a TV or smartphone. It might ruin this wonderful library's atmosphere. Plus, who knew if internet even worked here.
A retro newspaper with plenty to read would do just fine.
"That's it? Nothing else? Like desserts or something."
"No need."
"R-Really? Hmm… Okay. One of my team members was pushing for sweets, so I'll cancel that…."
What was this woman talking about?
I never liked sweets much to begin with. I preferred tea over soda. Even snacks were old-fashioned ones from the nearby market. And since this body, my sense of taste had faded, and I didn't need to eat anyway.
'Plus, no food allowed in the library.'
With that, the Pioneer Division Chief left. She was always smiley, but today her mouth was curved in amusement more than usual. Not at me, but like something kept popping into her head and making her grin.
'What's with her?'
But I soon tuned it out. Instead, I started speculating on tomorrow's newspaper articles.
"Hmm, it'd be nice if there were some special stories."
….
And the next day, the newspaper from the Bureau far exceeded my expectations.
"…?"
What kind of newspaper was full of nothing but games, trending memes, and gag comics?
* * *
I flipped through several papers, but they all covered similar content. I'd expected economic news from some country, politics, or conflicts… but no, just memes trending in each nation. Like some influencer's catchphrase leading the pack, or gag comics serializing at epic wuxia lengths.
"At that point, aren't they already buddies?"
Some memes were understandable or even amusing, but the gag comics weren't funny since I was jumping in midway. Might've been better from the start.
"Hmm… Not as good as I thought."
Disappointed with the papers, I turned to head back to the shelves.
That's when rough knocking came from outside.
Thud thud thud!
Before I could respond, the door flew open with a bang!
He was an ordinary human man, but giggling uncontrollably like something was hilarious.
"H-Hello… Mmph… Pfft…!"
Too late, he spotted the lobby rules and clapped a hand over his mouth—but even that was cartoonishly exaggerated, like from a comedy show.
'…What the?'
An inexplicable unease welled up from him. As I focused on it, the faint kekekeke… laughter echoing softly in my head began to fade.
"…?"
"I-I…! Could I read books here? Heh…!"
"…What kind of books?"
"Books with funny jokes or gags…! My friends keep hitting me with hilarious ones, so I need ammo…! I've been to every library…!"
…A case of seeking knowledge that led him here.
"…We don't have those kinds of books."
But the moment I said it, a strange feeling hit me. Come to think of it, there was a book related to jokes….
It felt like a warm hand had smothered that memory.
"A-Ah…! Then, could I laugh out loud just a little?"
The man started fidgeting like he couldn't hold it in. His face was all smiles at first, then sweat beaded, pupils dilating. Finally, his mouth twitched in laughter, but his eyes were wide with terror.
"No."
I refused his request.
With an "Aaaah…!" of regret, he bowed deeply. Then, with a "Sorry!" he burst into loud laughter.
"Euhahaha!! Euhahaha!!! EUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!"
Boom!
Crackle.
…And his body exploded.
Kekekeke….
From the spot where his corpse burst, a faint laughter echoed.