Chapter 44
As autumn deepened, the chill in the air seeped into the academy’s atmosphere, making it just as dreary.
Half of the students slouched under the weight of realizing their future prospects were bleak, while the other half had their nerves frayed, unable to give up their ambition for high grades.
Lanze herself didn’t have much effect on that mood, but surprisingly, she shared a goal with the latter group.
She needed to score well in the upcoming exam—and she needed to get her partner back.
As she’d already shared during their outing, there had been no progress in finding clues about the Society.
For now, she was the one who knew the most about them, and the most convenient excuse to expand her range of activities was to pair up with Lennart.
If only I could remember what questions had come up…
Lanze often found herself gripped by a regret she’d vowed to throw away.
Even if she did remember, there was a chance the questions could change like they had in the selection test—but her lingering attachment to the easy way out was hard to shake.
Still, despite what was going through her head, her hands steadily worked through practice problems.
Right in front of her, Erna and Heine sat in model posture, absorbed in their studies.
Even someone like Lanze, who didn’t care much about what others thought, didn’t want to disturb her sister and her friend.
Besides, the quiet pressure in the library worked on her too. Complaining was possible without opening her mouth.
Little by little, her thoughts slowed, complicated formulas drifted about in her head, and at last she grew drowsy.
So sleepy…
Just the fact that she had dragged herself to the library on a holiday afternoon felt like an accomplishment, so Lanze let herself nod off without resistance.
Her heavy drowsiness was broken when someone brushed past and bumped her back.
“Wh–what the?”
It wasn’t an aggressive blow, but she had been completely off guard, so she looked up in surprise. An all-too-familiar back was walking away.
The rare, memorable impression made her frown slightly as she groped for the name.
“Ve… Veronica Alacus?”
“Yes,” Heine replied. Veronica Alacus had ignored the open aisle, instead squeezing through the narrow gap between desks and deliberately jabbing Lanze’s back with her elbow.
While Lanze was still trying to make sense of the situation, Erna, who had witnessed everything from the opposite side, shot to her feet.
“How cowardly…”
Erna could be patient when it came to herself, but now that her younger sister was being harassed, she couldn’t hold back her anger any longer.
Abandoning her usual cautious manner, she looked ready to chase after Veronica right that second.
“Let’s just calm down,” Heine said quietly, holding onto her sleeve. Erna shook him off.
“How? She’s the only one still doing childish things like this, and now she’s picking on Lanze too.”
She didn’t raise her voice—this was still the library—but she was clearly upset.
Lanze wasn’t surprised, knowing Erna could sometimes flare up like this. Heine, on the other hand, lost his composure.
He had seen Erna in the selection test strike the back of a gunman’s head, but even then she had been calm and precise, focused solely on resolving the danger.
“Let’s just drop it and get some fresh air.”
Since attention was beginning to gather, Lanze tried to settle the two of them.
“She’s long gone anyway.”
Veronica had already disappeared, having mistaken the commotion behind her as Lanze coming to retaliate. She hadn’t actually run, not wanting to look like she was fleeing, but her pace was quick enough.
Once she confirmed Veronica had vanished somewhere between the shelves, Erna’s shoulders drooped.
“You’re right… I was feeling a bit sleepy anyway.”
The moment they sat on a bench outside the library, Erna vented.
“She’s been quiet lately, so I didn’t expect this all of a sudden.”
“She must be pretty stressed about the exams,” Lanze said.
In all their assignments and training so far, Veronica hadn’t managed to take first place even once.
Now she half considered the Lanze sisters her enemies.
Though Heine was just as stuck outside the top ranks and arguably more of an obstacle, she bore him less hostility—probably because, unlike the sisters, she didn’t see him as an easy target.
In fact, when it came to Erna, she merely glared these days and picked fewer fights, her confidence crushed by Erna’s untouchable theoretical grades.
She had probably gone after Lanze today because she saw her as just some muscle-bound fool.
Only after munching a few candies from Lanze’s pocket did Erna calm down.
“…I never thought the two of you were that alike, but you do have some similar traits,” Heine said with a small smile, looking at the sisters.
“Well, of course,” Lanze replied, chin up, while Erna blushed.
“We’re sisters. And Erna’s got a brave streak just like me. Well… not that it’s got anything to do with blood.”
Erna tilted her head. Lanze realized she’d touched on a sensitive subject again, but figured it wouldn’t bother Erna anymore and added lightly,
“I heard once our dad was a fool with nothing going for him but his looks.”
“Obviously. If he’d had any sense, he wouldn’t have died so young. And it’s not like Grandfather was any better,” Erna said flatly.
Lanze laughed, and Erna covered her mouth, her slightly slanted eyes showing a hint of amusement.
Only Heine’s face had gone pale. The topic was far too brutal for him. There was even something merciless about it.
Unable to laugh along or just sit there staring, he turned his gaze away—only to spot a familiar figure climbing the steps.
He reflexively stood, which was how Lanze noticed Lennart and went to greet him. It was only a few steps, but it was a definite welcome.
“Senior!”
“Mm.”
Without showing much delight, he glanced over the group.
“What are you all doing here?”
Knowing he was about to bring up studying, Lanze deliberately gave him a nonsensical answer.
“We sensed your approach. The spiritual waves matched. So we were all waiting here for you.”
“If you’ve got the energy to spout nonsense, I take it you haven’t been studying.”
“In that case, I’ll give you a less romantic answer—we were studying earlier, but came out for some fresh air.”
Erna and Heine both nodded in confirmation.
Lennart didn’t doubt the two diligent ones.
He also noticed Lanze’s messy hair and could easily picture the scene.
“I’m sure you were just dozing. Be glad the library’s got plenty of seats.”
Lanze tidied her hair while letting his nagging slide in one ear and out the other.
Lennart knew she was the type who wouldn’t budge even if people glared at her for taking up space without studying, so he let it drop.
After all, the slackers never coveted library seats anyway.
“So, what brings you here, Senior?”
Unless he had plans with Lanze, Lennart usually stayed in his private room. He had a desk there, and unless he went out, the poorly stocked library was never part of his routine.
He handed her a bundle of papers.
“Written exam questions from the year before last and last year.”
That was what he’d been looking for them to give.
After a couple of fruitless stops, he had grabbed a passing first-year to ask where they were, and had run into them right outside the library.
“They’ll be slightly modified, but the types of questions don’t change much. Should help with the exam.”
Standing a little back, Erna and Heine both leaned in with interest.
Lanze flipped through them slowly so they could see. Neatly organized questions, each with an answer and explanation below.
Recognizing the handwriting, she asked in an eager voice,
“Did you compile these yourself?”
When he gave a small nod, Lanze’s smile this time was bright and genuine.
“Two years’ worth! Guess connections really do matter. Not everyone gets to be close with a senior who’s repeated a year.”
If only her follow-up had been a bit more ordinary.
Even Erna, who still occasionally shot Lennart a glare, poked Lanze in the ribs.
Knowing she hadn’t meant to mock him, Lennart didn’t comment.
Then Lanze noticed something odd.
“But last spring semester, you were in this year too, right?”
There was no way Lennart had taken the previous year’s first-year exam himself.
And it wasn’t like he had the social skills to go get old test papers from someone—and if he had, it was strange that he only had two years’ worth.
In fact, such things didn’t really exist. With the near-nonexistent warmth in senior-junior relationships, neatly passed-down test collections simply weren’t a thing.
He had taken the test from two years ago himself, sure…
But Lennart didn’t answer her question right away.
Erna offered a more ordinary guess—maybe he’d made a friend in the current year?
But even she couldn’t picture it.
Aside from his unpleasant relatives—Lanze and her sister Erna—and those tangentially connected to them, Lennart’s circle was extremely small.
The obstacles were too many: his unchangeable situation and his unsociable personality.
When he didn’t explain his source, they began to think it clearly wasn’t due to friendship—when Lennart finally admitted, hesitantly,
“…I asked Gibelín.”
“…What?”
Lanze reacted like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her.
“I thought you were good at ignoring him!”
Up until now, Lennart had never responded to Gibelín’s one-sided attempts to talk to him.
He didn’t feel bad about making him awkward—Gibelín’s interest was obviously more than just wanting to be partners.
Gibelín himself hadn’t denied having another agenda. He’d simply never gone into details.
Lennart had no interest in those hidden motives, and the stalemate had continued.
But it seemed Gibelín had finally found a topic Lennart couldn’t just brush off.
