Only Uituba and Csendez remained in the Sun Classroom.
Csendez leaned against the wall beside the door, quietly watching the elf restore the classroom to its original layout.
Uituba's face was expressionless. She looked serious, yet strangely indifferent.
She really is difficult to read.
This meeting was more productive than I expected. Still, I need to investigate much more.
The discussion was short, yet several students had already discovered so much. I never imagined the entrance examination itself might have been part of a deception. They really made us believe such a convincing lie.
I'll think about everything once I'm back in my room. Right now, I should focus on Uituba.
By the time Csendez finished organizing her thoughts, the elf had almost finished rearranging the classroom.
"Are you satisfied with today's meeting?" Csendez asked without moving from the wall.
Uituba didn't answer.
Instead, she carefully checked every desk, making sure each one had returned to its proper place. Apparently, every desk had its own assigned position.
Seeing no response, Csendez raised an eyebrow.
"Are you angry? Was my intervention not good enough?"
Still nothing.
The elf continued checking the classroom as though she hadn't heard a single word.
So she has moments when she becomes completely silent.
I think I like her more when she's saying nonsense.
Csendez simply shrugged. She took out the same book she had been reading earlier that morning.
[How to Raise a Plant — by ________. ]
A few moments later, Uituba walked toward the door and left the classroom. After thinking for a second, Csendez followed her. Neither of them spoke.
Although they walked side by side, it felt as if an invisible wall separated them. Instead of returning to the dormitory, they took a different path through the forest. Toward the library.
It was Csendez's first time visiting it.
The library had several entrances because of its enormous size, but once inside, she immediately forgot about everything else. Books. Everywhere.
The entire library had been carved into the heart of a mountain. Countless rooms, corridors, and multiple levels stretched endlessly in every direction.
Towering bookshelves filled nearly every wall.
Thousands of crystals illuminated the cavern. Some were embedded in the walls. Others hung from the ceiling. Some grew directly from the floor. Others rested on tables or inside carved stone pillars.
The cave felt brighter than daylight itself. For a long moment, Csendez simply admired the architecture. Only then did Uituba finally speak.
"What do you think?"
Csendez looked at her innocently. "About what? The library? It's amazing."
"Don't play dumb." Uituba sighed quietly. "It takes two people to play that game, and right now you're the only one playing." She hesitated for a brief moment before adding, "...Please answer my question."
Wow... Straight to the point.
Csendez looked around until she found a nearby table with two empty chairs.
She gestured toward them. The two girls sat down across from each other.
"You've stopped pretending now, haven't you?" Csendez asked. "I don't think today's meeting was a failure. Honestly, it could have ended much worse. Considering our classmates, I'd call this a decent outcome."
Uituba lowered her eyes.
"I wasn't pretending. My attitude simply changes depending on the situation. If my tone offended you… I'm sorry."
Inside, Csendez was already organizing several possible responses while keeping the same calm expression on her face.
"Yes, some of our classmates are hopeless. But some are interesting. The fairy. The werewolf. Shu Mo, that dark eye boy. And maybe that vampire. They all caught my attention." She leaned back slightly, "so don't be too hard on yourself. The ideal outcome was impossible. If things didn't become worse... then today's meeting was already a success."
Uituba slowly shook her head.
"You may think today's meeting was a success because you only look at the outcome. But for me… It was clearly a failure."
She rested both hands on the table.
"Our classroom is probably the most divided, the most diverse, and the hardest to control in the entire Academy. If we don't manage to work together..."
She suddenly stopped. Csendez had quietly raised one finger to her lips.
"Shh."
Uituba frowned.
Only then did she notice that Csendez's attention was no longer on her.
The phoenix girl's crimson eyes had narrowed slightly.
For a brief second, they glowed.
She was looking toward one of the bookshelves.
Hidden against the stone wall stood a student. His body blended almost perfectly with the surroundings. He belonged to one of the Beastfolk races, a species gifted with natural camouflage.
Uituba's expression immediately darkened.
The boy, however, looked far more terrified than guilty. The moment Csendez's gaze met his, he froze. It was as if every thought disappeared before he could even act on it.
Csendez calmly walked toward him.
She casually brushed two fingers through the air, as though wiping dust from an invisible surface. The boy's body immediately went limp.
He collapsed without making a sound.
Uituba quickly stood up.
"Don't be so obvious, Csendez. This is still the Academy."
"Don't be so nervous," Csendez replied calmly. "I know what I'm doing."
She looked at the unconscious student.
"He wasn't sent by the Academy. I saw him this morning. He's from Class A."
She paused for a moment.
"Someone probably asked him to keep an eye on me. I can handle this."
Uituba stared at the unconscious boy for another second before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Let's leave."
Neither of them touched him.
Instead, they quietly left the area and walked deeper into the library until they reached one of its private reading rooms.
Unlike the open halls outside, this chamber had only one entrance.
Large crystal windows overlooked the cavern below, making it impossible for anyone to approach unnoticed. Only after the door closed behind them did Uituba finally relax a little.
Even so, the heaviness surrounding her hadn't disappeared.
"What exactly did you do to him? And… How much did he hear?"
Csendez smiled mysteriously.
Instead of answering normally, she leaned closer and whispered something into Uituba's ear.
The elf froze. For only a single second.
Then… her entire expression changed.
The tension vanished. Her shoulders relaxed. A bright smile appeared as though nothing unpleasant had happened.
Csendez blinked.
I really have a lot to learn from her.
Just watching how quickly she changes her expression is impressive...
Not to mention her communication skills.
"You're really good at acting," Csendez admitted.
Uituba immediately looked offended.
"I'm not acting. I already told you. I'm being honest."
Really? Is that actually possible? The change was simply too fast...
Even though Csendez's face remained almost expressionless, Uituba somehow understood exactly what she was thinking.
"I'm serious. When someone says exactly what they're feeling, people assume they're pretending."
"If you say so..."
Uituba didn't seem bothered by the doubt at all. Instead, she simply continued the conversation as though nothing unusual had happened.
"I'm disappointed. But perhaps things will improve later. For now, there isn't much else I can do."
"You accepted that rather quickly," Csendez observed. "Are you sure you weren't pretending after all?"
Uituba suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
Csendez stared at her.
"Why are you laughing?"
The elf only laughed harder.
"Hahahaha..."
"Did I say something funny?"
Little by little, Uituba managed to calm herself.
"No… You simply reminded me of an old memory. "
Before Csendez could ask more, the elf had already walked toward another bookshelf.
Forget it.
Right now, it's time for 'an information hunt'.
...That sounds embarrassingly childish.
Good thing nobody can hear my thoughts.
While watching Uituba search through the shelves, Csendez took 'How to Raise a Plant' out of her inventory once again.
This book makes a decent cover.
Although... If she asks me anything about plants, I'll probably regret choosing it.
For a while, silence returned. Both girls remained in the same reading room.
One searched through countless shelves for useful books. The other quietly read while occasionally observing her companion.
After several minutes, Csendez spoke again.
"By the way… There were four absent students this morning. Did they refuse to cooperate? Was that one of the reasons you were upset?"
Uituba's back was still turned toward her. She didn't freeze. She answered almost immediately.
"No...Well, yes. Probably." She pulled another book from the shelf before continuing. "Two of them never replied. They read my messages...but ignored them."
She placed the book back.
"One simply sent me a question mark. When I tried to explain...I discovered that I'd already been blocked."
Interesting.
"And the fourth one?"
This time, Uituba actually paused.
"...That one replied. With an incredibly long message." She sighed. "It was so strange...that I decided never to reply again."
For the first time since entering the library, genuine curiosity appeared on Csendez's face.
"You've made me curious. Can I see it?"
Uituba hesitated for only a moment. Then she walked back toward the table.
A communication window appeared between them. It was enormous.
The message was so long that it couldn't even fit on a single screen. Csendez quietly read through it. Her expression barely changed.
...This really is unique.
I don't completely understand everything this person is talking about… But I recognize some of the ideas.
'Scenario.' 'Mission.' 'Hero Agency.' 'Earth's survival.'
These concepts only appear in the memories I've seen.
This person must be that being called human.
She finished reading.
"What nonsense… Our class really is something else."
Uituba closed the message window with a tired sigh before returning to the bookshelves.
Csendez watched her leave.
Then she reached for another random book resting in a nearby corner. The two girls spent the rest of the day inside the library.
Reading. Studying.
And occasionally discussing whatever subject happened to catch their interest.