“….Shall I head home soon?” Luna murmured as she closed her book and looked out at the darkening sky. It was already past 6 PM. Normally, she would continue reading until 8 PM, when school was dismissed, but today, after giving her food to Beret, she didn’t have the energy to stay that long.
She walked down to the first floor, holding the book she had been reading and another book she planned to read at home.
Although she still had sleepy eyes, her vision was clear.
She got down without tripping or stumbling and stopped in front of the librarian’s desk.
“Oh, what’s the matter, Luna-san? Is there something else you’d like to borrow?”
“No, that’s not it. I’m heading home now.”
“… Eh? You’re already going home!?”
“Yes.”
“A- Are you sick? Should I contact your family? What should we do…”
The librarian, flustered and clasping her hands together, was understandably anxious. It was the first time Luna had left the library outside of the usual dismissal time.
“Please don’t worry. I’m fine. There’s no need to contact my family.”
“R- really? In that case, do you have something important to do…?”
“I don’t have any particular business.”
“Well then… hmm?” It was natural for the librarian to become more curious about why Luna was heading home.
Luna, with a straight face, explained to the perplexed librarian, who was understandably troubled, though not as much as Shia. “The reason is simple. Someone stole my food.”
“What!? That’s a serious matter! We need to contact someone immediately…”
“…”
Hearing that it was the work of a thief, the librarian’s composure was further shattered. Watching the librarian, who had become like a statue, Luna decided to clarify before things got worse.
“Librarian-san, I’m sorry. It’s a joke.”
“Huh, a joke!?”
“Yes. Nothing was stolen.”
“Oh, oh dear… I see. I’m sorry for panicking. I’m glad to hear that.” The librarian sighed with relief after hearing that it was just a joke.
Luna’s voice remained expressionless, like always. Her demeanor made it seem like her jokes were real. “Were you surprised?”
“Of course. Since your lunch is in the librarian’s office, I thought that perhaps some important materials from the library were also taken.”
“Ah… I’m truly sorry for such a terrible joke. I didn’t consider that. I’ll stop doing things I’m not used to.”
“Don’t worry about it, since nothing had happened.”
Luna bowed with her usual expressionless face. To those who didn’t know her, it might seem like she didn’t feel sorry. In fact, she had caused such misunderstandings before. However, if she didn’t feel sorry, she wouldn’t bow.
The librarian understood this well, which was why they had built a good relationship. “By the way… It seems like something good happened, didn’t it, Luna-san?”
“How did you know? I hadn’t said anything.”
“You said earlier you were ‘doing something you’re not used to,’ didn’t you? And it was the first time I heard a joke from you.”
“… Is that all? It’s a bit embarrassing. It feels like I’m being overly cheerful.”
If one were to point out someone whose words and expressions don’t match, Luna would undoubtedly be the prime example. Despite her iron-faced demeanor, the librarian poked at Luna as if she understood everything. “You must have been happy, right?”
“Librarian-san is grinning, so I won’t answer.”
“Oh, really… Your eyes just wandered. You’re showing a rare side of yourself today.” The librarian wasn’t being mean; she was simply expressing her genuine thoughts. But this was what was dealing the most damage to Luna.
“… Enough already. I’m not going to tell you anymore.”
“Eh, you pulled me along this far, so I’m even more curious. What made you happy?”
“Don’t raise your voice. Please get back to work quickly.”
Instead of turning her head away, Luna turned her petite back to the librarian and hid her face in dissatisfaction, ending the conversation.
The librarian tried to cling to Luna, but Luna remained silent.
At that moment, a timid voice came from the side, as if to rescue Luna.
“Um… Sorry, are you busy?”
“Oh, no. I’m very sorry. What can I help you with?” A male student with beautiful red hair asked for assistance, and the librarian quickly switched her focus.
“Um, where is the business management section…?”
“Business management, yes. It’s in the back left corner of the first floor, third row.”
“I understand. Thank you very much.” The student bowed elegantly and quickly headed toward that section.
“Phew… That student was quite elegant, wasn’t he?” After the guidance, the librarian spoke to Luna again, and the student’s details immediately came to mind.
“That’s to be expected. He’s the younger brother of Miss Elena Leclerc from the Leclerc family.”
“Oh my, that explains the jasmine scent.”
One of the Luclair family’s characteristics was their jasmine perfume.
As she watched him walk away, Luna brought up the topic. “Librarian-san, he seemed to be pushed into a corner. Since he came here at this time, he is probably planning to stay until closing time.”
“The Leclerc family has made significant progress in the restaurant industry, so he might have been chosen.”
“That seems likely.”
“Why don’t you lend him your wisdom, Luna-san?”
“Please don’t make unreasonable requests. Business knowledge from books is less useful than wisdom gained from experience. I can’t offer any advice, and if my advice led to failure, I couldn’t take responsibility for it.”
“That’s a difficult problem, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I hope it can be resolved smoothly.” There was no flattery in what she said. To prove this, she continued to watch until the student’s figure disappeared from her sleepy eyes.
“Well then, I’m going to prepare to go home… Librarian-san, could you pick out some highly recommended business management books for me? I’d like to borrow a few.”
“Fufu, you’re so kind, Luna-san.”
“That’s not it. I just wanted to take a quick look through them. I know what I said, but gaining knowledge is important.”
“I’ll leave it at that.”
“…”
The librarian was pretending to be ignorant, but it was obvious that she knew. “Well then, while you still can, go check out the business management books… Oh, Luna-san, before you enter the librarian’s office, about what made you happy-”
“Still on that? I won’t tell you. I wasn’t even happy.” With a final that, Luna entered the librarian’s office to get her things.