A Breathless Search for Clues
"Where should we go next?" We stepped into a deserted alleyway to check the documents.
"Hmm..." The list of targets wasn't particularly long. If we put our minds to it, we could easily meet everyone before sunset. On top of that, their locations were all reasonably close by.
"The library. I think this is a good place to start," I said, pointing to one of the names. A librarian working in the old wing of the municipal library. Twenty-two years old. A woman named Jerry was our next target. Ability: None. Since she was a librarian, I figured she might be a goldmine of information. I hoped she had a nice personality, but the details we had were far too sparse. We had to go see for ourselves.
"If we hit the library first, it'll be the perfect time for lunch afterward," I said, checking my watch. With that, we set off toward the library.
The walk to the library wasn't very long. The building had a clean, completely unadorned exterior. We slipped through the automatic doors and stepped inside.
We weren't the only ones using the library. People scattered here and there sat at desks, reading off thin tablets resting on the tables. E-books. Personally, I hated e-books. Fortunately, this modern area wasn't our destination.
Walking straight through the building, we came across a massive door. It was adorned with an antique design that oozed old-school charm. For some reason, it looked like it would smell of mildew. I pushed the door with all my might. Despite its ancient appearance, it must have been well-maintained, as it swung open smoothly without making a single sound.
The moment the door opened, a familiar scent washed over me, bringing a small smile to my face. The smell of paper and dust. This library was split into a new wing and an old wing. Our target was here, in the old wing. The crowds from the new wing were nowhere to be seen, making the atmosphere feel even quieter and more serene.
"Smells weird," Shine muttered, her face twisting slightly at the scent of old books.
"I like it." It brought back old memories. Back when I used to lock myself in libraries and study like my life depended on it—just ordinary, mundane memories. Why did I work so hard back then? I tilted my head in mild curiosity and walked deeper inside.
Not far from the entrance of the old wing sat the librarian. She exuded a quiet, calm aura, her short black hair swaying gently as she moved. It was no coincidence when her gaze slowly drifted up to meet ours. She had instantly sensed our presence, likely tipped off by the bracelets we wore. Her dark eyes blinked slowly. I swallowed hard. However, she simply gave us a silent, polite nod before returning her focus to her book.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I checked Shine and Rain's expressions. Shine was looking around, completely uninterested in the librarian. Rain was the same. She was busy taking selfies with her phone. At least she had the decency to keep it on silent since we were in a library, which deserved some praise. Feeling a sudden urge to tease her, I snatched the phone right out of her hands.
"Ah!" Rain let out a soft gasp, startled by my sudden move. Holding her phone, I snapped a quick photo of myself. Though it didn't make a sound, my face flashed on the screen, saved directly into Rain's gallery.
"Rain. Focus on the mission."
"Ah, right. Of course. Yep, focusing." I handed the phone back to her. Rain took it, muttering blankly as she fiddled with the screen.
I reached out and tugged on Shine's arm. Her gaze, which had been wandering around the room, instantly locked onto me.
"Shine, you focus too."
"Mm. I'm always focused on you, Jeff."
"Not on me. Focus on the mission."
"Okay." With that, I led the way deeper into the archives. Since there weren't many people around and the librarian wasn't paying us any mind, we were free to wander as we pleased.
I stared open-mouthed at the sheer volume of books. From novels I had wanted to read in the past but couldn't buy because there was no digital release, to books on etiquette laws that had long since been abolished—the variety was staggering. But none of those were what I was looking for.
After wandering around with Shine and Rain in tow for a while, I caught sight of the librarian, Jerry, walking toward us from a distance and held my breath. She was pushing a small cart. Looking at the books piled on top, she seemed to be restocking returned volumes. As she mindlessly wheeled the cart along, her eyes drifted in our direction.
"Are you looking for something?" her quiet voice drifted over. It was a lovely, soothing voice that felt like it could lull you to sleep if you listened to it for too long. I nodded blankly. Jerry stopped at my response.
"What kind of book is it?"
"T-The city archives!" I blurted out the name of the records I was searching for. City archives. Usually, municipal libraries like this published records documenting major events in the region. You could think of them as compilations of major incidents from local newspapers. While these events could easily be found with a quick internet search, physical books like these often contained unique details that never made it to newspapers or online articles.
"Those are over here." I tried to read her personality. Her eye contact was perfectly normal. Leaving her cart behind without a second thought, Jerry began to guide us. Seeing how she walked ahead without showing any sign of annoyance, she didn't seem to have a bad temper. She walked to the very corner of the room and pointed to the bottom shelf. "They're right here." Books shoved into the absolute bottom of the furthest corner. No wonder they were so hard to find. I walked over and squatted down in front of them.
"Thank you." Jerry gave a slight nod at my thanks and headed back to her cart. She seemed nice enough, but there was an unapproachable air about her. I watched her walk away before pulling out the most recent volume of the archives. A heavy weight pressed against my fingertips.
"What are we looking for?"
"For now, let's grab one each." I asked the two of them to pull out books just like I did. Following my lead, they each slid a volume off the shelf and cradled it in their arms. The thick books were so solid they could easily double as blunt weapons. After taking the books to a nearby table and sitting down, I flipped mine open.
"Let me know if you find any records about the museum." Amy had told us. She said there was something about the museum, that something important was being brought in. If so, my job was to gather information on it. Victor and Amy on the inside, and us on the outside. This was a mission Amy had entrusted to me, Shine, and Rain because she believed in us. I had to do my absolute best.
I opened the book. Perhaps because barely anyone had ever looked through it, the pages felt crisp and stiff. Feeling the paper slide between my fingers, I began searching for any information related to the museum. The pages turned rapidly. Yet, there wasn't a single mention of the museum anywhere. It could have just been that nothing special had happened. But still...
"Nothing here."
"Not here either." Shine and Rain hadn't found anything about the museum either. We brought over the rest of the archives and began combing through them. Three years, four years, five years... we kept digging further back. By the time I reached the records from ten years ago, I noticed something strange.
"This is..." A book from ten years ago felt brand new. The cover was appropriately worn and smelled of dust, but the pages inside felt completely different. They felt barely any different from the recently published books. A book recording the city's events from ten years ago. I finally managed to find a record concerning the museum. However, it was incredibly mundane. There was only a brief mention of a new exhibit arriving, followed by a short description of the display. I pulled out my notebook and jotted down a quick memo.
"Did you find something?"
"Yeah." Seeing me scribbling in my notebook, Shine slid over to my side and asked. Rain had her face buried in her book, fast asleep. She had eaten breakfast and snacks, so it was about time for her to get drowsy. I let out a yawn and checked the rest of the records. Ten years ago. Starting from this book, every single volume published afterward contained information about the museum. Something had definitely happened ten years ago.
"Look closely, Shine. See how the paper feels different here?"
"Yeah." Shine nodded as she listened to my explanation. I continued.
"This book is from ten years ago. But the pages are barely any different from the ones printed recently. That means they reprinted it to edit the contents. But why? Why keep the old, worn-out cover?"
"To hide the fact that the information was edited?"
"That's exactly what I think." I nodded. "Starting from ten years ago, all mentions of the museum vanished from the records. Just as Amy said, there's definitely something going on." I fell into deep thought. This was why I loved physical books. When you alter information, it inevitably leaves a trace. But this was too sloppy. If they wanted to hide it, they could have done a much better job.
"It's too artificial. Almost as if they wanted someone to find it..." I muttered under my breath. There were plenty of ways to make paper look old. They could have used special chemicals, or even used blank pages from other books published in the same year.
"Hmm..." I crossed my arms, lost in thought. Could this be a trap meant to confuse anyone looking for information? It was at that exact moment. *Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!* An alarm started blaring from Rain's phone. The sound of a tiny chick chirping filled the library. It wasn't incredibly loud, but it was more than enough to shatter the absolute silence of the room.
"Food!" Rain bolted upright. The alarm signaling lunchtime. It was time to eat. We quickly scurried out of the library to escape the gathering stares.
"What should we have for lunch?" After escaping the library, we wandered the streets, debating our options. Hamburgers, fried chicken, pizza, pork cutlets... I wanted to eat all of them.
"How about over there?" Just then, Shine reached out and pointed to a sign.
"Looks perfect!" And just like that, our lunch menu was decided. Grabbing the hand of a hesitating Rain, I dashed straight toward Hungry Burger.
The inside of Hungry Burger was packed with customers. I sniffed the air. The delicious aroma wafting through the open door made my mouth water instantly.
"Welcome!" A young staff member greeted us as we walked in. The young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, guided us to an empty table with a warm smile. "Let me know when you're ready to order!" The three of us immediately flipped open the menus resting on the table.