Fresh out of the bath, Shiina, wrapped in a towel, tread carefully across the floor.
She was terrified of slipping and taking a fall. Once, a while back, she'd taken a nasty spill right after a bath, and the pain had lingered for what felt like ages.
Sure, part of it was the water dripping from her skin, making the floor slick. But Shiina was more inclined to believe the real issue was her own unbalanced proportions.
Top-heavy and bottom-light, she'd lose her balance at the slightest shift.
'Aww, feels like I've gotten even heavier,' she sighed to herself.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, she let out a helpless breath.
It had gotten to the point where even moving around felt like a chore.
She really envied Ibuki-san. She didn't have to carry around this… burden. Pulling out her hairdryer, Shiina started drying her hair.
Just then, her phone lit up with a notification.
Shiina was a little puzzled.
It was a day off. Nobody should be looking for her to hang out.
While she was considered one of the leading girls in Class C, compared to Karuizawa from Class D, Shiina kept a much lower profile.
So much so that even the girls in her own class often seemed to forget she existed.
Not that Shiina minded. Everyone had their own way of living. She wasn't alive just to please others, and she felt no pressing need to force her way into their little cliques.
She was perfectly content reading a book by herself, enjoying some sweets, and having a nice cup of afternoon tea.
To Shiina, that was the pinnacle of a comfortable life.
If only the constant squabbling between classes would stop, things would be absolutely perfect.
Then everyone could just relax and enjoy their lovely school days.
Musing on this and that, she opened her phone.
When she saw the sender was Amane, she paused for a second.
If she remembered correctly, ever since they'd exchanged contact info, the two of them hadn't spoken a single word to each other.
So why was Amane suddenly messaging her today?
Tapping the message, she read:
"Hiyori, Hiyori! I found a super interesting book! Wanna read it together?"
A super interesting book?
Something about this felt off, no matter how she looked at it.
Shiina pouted.
Did Amane think she was a child?
Did she really think such a simple lie would trick her into coming out?
She wasn't going to fall for Amane's tricks.
"I'm sorry, Miyako-san, I have some things to take care of today. I won't be able to read with you."
Send.
A slight smile touched Shiina's lips.
That should do it, right?
Now, what should she do next?
Maybe she could try baking those cookies she'd seen at the bakery last time?
Their flavor had lingered in her memory for so long.
She had some free time for once; why not try making them herself?
Just as she was about to gather the ingredients, another message came through from Amane.
"That's such a shame! I finally managed to find a novel about humans and youkai going on adventures together."
Reading those words, Shiina's eyes lit up.
Humans and youkai adventuring together.
It sounded… genuinely fascinating.
Even with her extensive reading experience, Shiina couldn't immediately recall any book that matched Amane's description.
And that, ironically, sparked a feeling in her—a real 'I want to read that' kind of urge.
Most adventure stories followed the same old pattern: a main character leading a party of fellow humans, fighting monsters and leveling up.
At most, they might include a few human-like elves, or animal companions that were palatable to a general audience.
It all fit neatly within the standard human understanding of adventure.
But once that kind of story flooded the market, it just led to oversaturation.
You always knew the protagonist would end up recruiting a party full of things comfortably within the public's imagination.
But if someone told you about an adventure novel where the main character's companions were goblins, minotaurs, treants, or even giant bugs…
Well, wouldn't that make you want to take a look? To see a truly different kind of adventure story?
That was exactly how Shiina felt right now.
A tantalizing itch in her heart.
She wanted to say yes to Amane, but she was still afraid this was just a setup for Amane to tease her once she got there.
To be safe, it was better to ask for a few more details.
"Miyako-san, where did you find this book?"
"In the library! I was just planning to go there. If Hiyori wants to read it, you can come join me!"
Seeing that the invitation was to the library, Shiina felt a wave of relief.
Surely, Amane wouldn't try anything too outrageous in the library.
Her mind almost made up, she was just about to agree when a nagging feeling crept in.
What if Amane was luring her to the library with a book that didn't even exist?
"Miyako-san, could you please tell me the name of the book?"
She decided to try and pry a little more information out of Amane.
"Oh? Hiyori wants to know the title?"
"Yes, I'd really like to know."
Shiina felt her cheeks grow warm. Every time Amane called her 'Hiyori,' a flutter of embarrassment washed over her.
Their relationship hadn't nearly reached the stage where first-name basis was appropriate, yet Amane acted with such easy familiarity.
Being naturally gentle-natured, Shiina found it hard to correct her.
"I'm not telling! If I give you the name, I know you won't come. So it's a secret!"
Amane's reply made Shiina bite her lip.
Amane really was a tricky one!
"Then, let me try another way. May I ask three small questions?"
A sly smile spread across Shiina's face. If Amane wanted to play secretive, surely she was allowed to use a little cunning of her own?
"Of course you can~"
"Is this book very famous?"
Reading that question, Amane couldn't stop a wide grin from spreading across her face.
It seemed Hiyori still wasn't ready to give up.
She was trying to guess the title.
"The book is extremely famous."
Extremely famous?
Shiina ran through the list of books in her mind that fit the criteria once more, but she still couldn't pinpoint exactly which one it was.
Time for the second question.
"What are some of the key elements in the book?"
"Romance, youkai, adventure, legends."
Seeing those keywords, Shiina immediately narrowed down the possibilities in her head to a handful of books whose themes matched.
"One last question. Was the book written by a domestic author?"
Shiina hit send.
Then she waited quietly for the answer.
She was already getting close.
If even the author's origin matched up, she had a pretty good idea which book, or at least which small group of books, it might be.
"Yes, it is!"
Seeing Amane's affirmative reply, a smile finally returned to Shiina's face.
She knew it.
In that case, there was only one possible answer!
As a devoted fan of mystery novels, her analysis of the multiple clues led her to lock onto the works of Natsuhiko Kyogoku.
Humans, youkai, legends, adventure, romance.
You could find all of that in Kyogoku's works.
Sure, some hardcore mystery circles labeled his books a 'disgrace to the genre,' but they were still quite readable.
She never would have guessed Amane also enjoyed that kind of bizarre, unconventional style. Now she absolutely had to go see it for herself.
After agreeing on a time with Amane, Shiina headed out, her spirits high.
Nothing was more exciting than meeting a fellow enthusiast.
The moment she stepped into the library, she spotted Amane over by the window.
She hurried over, a light jog in her step.
But the moment she reached Amane and saw the book in her hand, Shiina froze solid, as if hit by a petrifying spell.
She stood there, completely motionless, rooted to the spot.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.