Chapter 43: At the Library
Even on the day I confirmed she was a virgin—and the day after—there wasn’t any real progress to speak of.
All I’d learned was that Hoyeon liked big animals and that divine beasts seemed terrified of her—entirely useless information.
Fortunately, she seemed to be in a better mood, but ultimately, I’d only taken one step back to take one step forward. I was back where I started.
My relationships with the other heroines remained stagnant. I hadn’t even met Camilla or Iris, so things might actually have gotten worse.
And since Hoyeon kept sticking to me, I couldn’t even talk to the other heroines.
Still, I wasn’t too worried.
The midterm exams were coming up, and I knew there would be opportunities to interact then.
Though I felt uneasy with Hoyeon as an unpredictable variable, it wasn’t something I could control, so I didn’t dwell on it.
I couldn’t interfere with the exam groupings for the physical test, so all I could do for now was strengthen my bond with Hoyeon before the midterms.
“Are you not worried about the exams, Hoyeon?”
I asked her during lunch.
There were only two and a half weeks left until the exams, and half the students were already hitting the books.
The exams at the start of the term were primarily to assess our knowledge levels, but given that most students at Amaurus Academy were nobles, the bar was set exceptionally high.
What’s more, poor grades meant expulsion, even for princes or princesses.
Hoyeon, however, spent her class time either sleeping or reading unrelated books.
“Pfft, aren’t most of them just rote memorization? A week is more than enough time to cram.”
She sounded confident, her rare look of self-assurance showing as she brushed off the exams with an air of nonchalance.
“What about you? Have you been preparing for the exams?”
“Memorization is manageable, but… math is the problem.”
Back when I took the college entrance exam, I scored in the top two tiers for everything except math, where I barely scraped by with a fifth-tier score.
The math here was at a high school level, but even that felt overwhelming. Just seeing numbers gave me anxiety.
“Math, huh?”
“Yes.”
“If that’s the case, I could teach you.”
“…Pardon?”
I didn’t doubt her academic capabilities, but she didn’t seem like someone particularly fond of math.
“I don’t know what your math level is, but I can guarantee it’s better than yours.”
Well, obviously. Her private education likely surpassed what the academy offered.
Seeing her this confident for the first time, I didn’t think she was lying.
“…Would you be willing to teach me, then?”
It didn’t seem like a bad idea—improving my grades and building rapport with Hoyeon at the same time.
While failing one math test wouldn’t lead to expulsion, better grades always felt rewarding.
“For someone seeking my teaching, you’re awfully arrogant. Call me teacher, and I might consider it.”
Her teasing smile made her look smug, but I knew how to handle this.
“Your humble student humbly requests your wisdom, teacher. Please bestow your knowledge upon me.”
“…”
The effect was immediate.
Her smug expression melted into one of embarrassment.
“…I-I was just joking. Why are you like this…”
Fortunately, no one else was around, so she let her guard down and reverted to her usual self.
“…You don’t need to call me teacher. Just come to the library after gym class. I’ll teach you what I know.”
“Got it.”
By the time I secured this promise from her, lunch was nearly over. Since she mentioned the library after gym, she likely wasn’t planning to stick with me today.
I felt a little guilty about using her trust, but I planned to finally make some progress with Exipri.
Last time, her temper derailed everything, but this time, I was determined to focus on building rapport with a heroine other than Hoyeon.
As I left for the gym, a silver-haired girl brushed past me. It looked like Anastasia, but it was probably my imagination.
Regardless, I hurried toward the gym, unwilling to catch the attention of the ever-irritable Georg.
***
Teacher, huh.
I wasn’t sure why being called that made me feel so flustered. I knew it was coming, but I still fell for it.
Is this what makes socially adept people so good at countering others?
Academically, he didn’t seem as competent as I was.
Still, I’d learned through experience that social skills were more important than academics in life. Seeing Dogeon act so casually made me envious.
I never felt anything when students called me teacher during tutoring sessions, so why did it stir me up when Dogeon said it?
I thought it would feel similar to gaming friends calling me bro, but it felt completely different.
…And apparently, Anastasia wasn’t hiding anymore.
She was blatantly trailing me from a distance. She seemed to be trying to muffle her footsteps with mana or stay in my blind spots, but…
…Yeah, no.
I could see her clearly.
I didn’t bother addressing her. I planned to wait for Dogeon and read a book in the meantime, so I ignored her presence.
When I reached the library, someone new was guarding the entrance.
“Welcome, Baek Hoyeon. I am Angelos, the librarian and manager of this library.”
Previously, there had been a man responding mechanically. Now, a woman spoke fluently.
“What happened to the previous one?”
“Oh, you mean Octavius? His time was up, so he was disposed of.”
…Disposed of?
Even if the way they spoke was odd, saying he was outright killed instead of fired?
“You mean… a person?”
“It seems you weren’t aware. All the librarians here are homunculi, myself included.”
Ah, so they were homunculi. I hadn’t realized since they looked so human.
“A homunculus… You mean an artificial human?”
“Yes. For simple tasks, employing beings like us is far more economical than hiring real people.”
So it was all about money. Somehow, that made it even more unsettling.
They looked so human, yet they were mass-produced and worked until they died.
It didn’t sit right with me.
“If you have no further questions, please enjoy the library at your leisure.”
“…Very well. Carry on.”
“I hope you find the book you’re looking for.”
On the eastern continent, artificial beings weren’t unheard of, but they didn’t mimic humans to this extent.
There, they were more like clay figures imbued with magic to perform tasks, never with the intelligence to hold conversations like this.
…It felt unsettling.
Not the existence of homunculi themselves, but the fact that they were created for money.
Honestly, if it weren’t for Dogeon, I wouldn’t have stepped foot in this place.
Suppressing the unease swirling within me, I found a quiet corner with some books.
Whatever else, I couldn’t deny that this continent’s novels were entertaining.
Back home, the books were dull—half were hymns praising deities, and another quarter was about returning to nature.
For someone with a taste honed by web novels and films, they felt painfully bland.
Here, though, novels often portrayed goddesses as flawed or clumsy, which made for enjoyable reading.
It was a wonder the church hadn’t banned them as heretical.
“Uh…”
Oh, this is good. As expected, the priest was the culprit. Seeing the protagonist publicly expose him before the villagers felt cathartic after all the buildup.
“Excuse me… um…”
Who would interrupt someone’s reading like this? How rude.
…It was Anastasia. She’d followed me all the way here. She’d never gotten this close before.
“Uh… Hello, Hoyeon? Fancy meeting you here. What a coincidence!”
Her awkwardness was so palpable that pointing it out felt cruel.
Yet I couldn’t help but feel a strange kinship with her.
She reminded me so much of my younger self in high school, when I’d realized I might die alone in my room if I didn’t make friends.
I couldn’t respond as smoothly as Dogeon might, but still, shouldn’t I try to help a fellow kindred spirit?
Having experienced the loneliness of not having friends, I decided to engage with her.
“Anastasia, isn’t it? What a coincidence indeed, meeting you here. Please, have a seat.”
I even pulled out a chair for her.
After spending time with Dogeon, I’d noticed he always made sure my seat was prepared before sitting himself.
So I followed suit.
“Uh… Can I really sit here?”
“Of course.”
As she awkwardly settled into the chair, I gave her a reassuring smile and closed my book.
“…”
“…”
…But neither of us dared to speak first.
““So then…””
When we finally mustered the courage to speak, we ended up talking at the same time, making it even more awkward.
“After you…”
“No, please, you go first…”
…This was going nowhere.
I had to break the cycle somehow.
“…Alright, then. Do you enjoy reading?”
Even as I asked, I cringed internally. It was a terrible question, but it was better than the silence.
“Not really… I’m not much of a reader…”
It didn’t take five seconds for me to realize I’d chosen the wrong topic.
Maybe I should’ve brought up swordsmanship instead?