PowerStone bonus chapter from last week! I did not forget ;)
Keep the powerstones coming!
From the moment they entered the room, Kyle had sensed the presence of someone else.
But at that time, their breaths were calm and rhythmic, meaning they were fast asleep, so Kyle ignored them.
There was no reason to ruin the perfect atmosphere he and Himiko were enjoying after all, and he figured they was just another staff member.
But now, the person had woken up and crept up to them, holding two questionable items.
A gun, and a long stick.
If it was any other group, then they would have been on their knees, begging for their lives.
But Kyle just stared at them blankly, while Himiko yawned tiredly.
Although they were standing in the shadow cast by the flickering fire, Kyle could easily see them perfectly well.
A woman, probably in her thirties with long purple hair, dark circles surrounding her eyes and a confused expression on her face.
She was quivering as she pointed the gun forward. Her eyes glazed over in fear.
"W-who are you?"
Himiko placed her hand on Kyle's chest to prop herself up. "It's me Anika! Didn't I tell you to throw that fake gun away?"
"Himiko?" The woman's eyes widened as she watched her. "Himiko!" She began to sob as she fell to her knees.
The fake gun fell, sliding underneath the couch, while the wooden staff landed just in front of her.
"I thought it had finally come for me…. I thought I was going to die! Uwahhh!"
As the woman cried, Kyle and Himiko shared a look, Kyle raising his brows in a silent question.
Himiko just shrugged, then leaned towards him to whisper in his ear.
"She was this way when she hired me…"
"I see…"
'What would make a fully grown woman bawl out her eyes like this? Or is she just plain crazy?' Kyle wondered.
"What is the 'it' you're taking abou—"
Klye was about to ask when Himiko placed her hand on his lips, silencing him. Then she slowly shook her head. "Don't even ask—"
"Do you really want to know?"
The head librarian was suddenly right in front of them, floating just above the couch like a ghost.
Her expression had shifted, the fearful look twisting into one that seemed greatly exaggerated, her voice growing colder as she stared right into his eyes.
Kyle suddenly had a bad premonition…
"Ahhh— now she won't stop until she is done." Himiko covered her eyes with her hand and relaxed her back on him.
"At least I won't have to suffer alone this time…"
The librarian chuckled and began floating around them, while Kyle took a moment to analyze her quirk.
'Her quirk is actually pretty useful…'
But Kyle could already fly so it wasn't of use to him.
"Pay attention." The woman said, bringing back his attention to her. "It happened about five years ago…"
As though the sky was cooperating with the weird woman's fairy tales, lighting stuck, a resounding boom causing the windows to tremble slightly.
The woman smirked.
"Kagura Central Library has been around since the late 1900s, established by my fore fathers and passed down from one heir to the next."
"For decades, there have been strange occurrences occurring in the library, things that no one could fathom…."
"Sometimes, books would just vanish into thin air, other times, food wrappers would be found in between the shelves, and sometimes…"
She paused for dramatic effect.
"There was a body."
"Uhum…." Himiko cleared, and stared at her.
Anika began twirling her hair in her fingers, avoiding her gaze.
"Well… it was only once—"
"Uhum!"
Anika's shoulders dropped and she nervously began tapping her index fingers together.
"…it was one of our ancestors that passed away from a heart attack…"
"B-but that's not the important thing here!" She quickly added, her face turning red from embarrassment.
"Couldn't the missing books simply be stolen?" Kyle asked, unimpressed by her story.
"Exactly, and people sneak food into the library all the time." Himiko added, a bored expression on her face.
"I told you last time Anika, you need to come up with better points if you want anyone to believe your story…"
Anika frowned then angrily flung her arms down, acting like a child throwing a tantrum.
"I'm telling you, it's true! There is a vampire or something in this library!"
Kyle chuckled. 'Well, she's not wrong…'
Seeing him laugh, Anika got even more frustrated. She floated closer to them and poked Himiko's cheeks.
"Back me up here Himiko! He probably thinks I'm crazy, you heard the sounds too didn't you?!"
Himiko rolled her eyes. "Rats, birds, it could be anything playing up in the ceiling. You should forget about these things and get a good night rest…"
Anika glared at her and floated back, pouting as she folded her arms across her chest.
Even as she was floating in the air, Kyle could see the signs of fatigue all over her. From the way her eyes were dropping closed, to the bags underneath them.
It was clear that she was truly afraid, albeit paranoid.
"The weather is perfect for a nice long nap, and the atmosphere is just right." Kyle said, picking up his book from the side.
"You can sleep, Himiko and I will look out for any 'ghosts….'"
There was no point in trying to convince her that there was nothing up there.
People who held onto these kind of beliefs made it their identity, persuading them was like trying to teach a duck to bark.
Anika took some time to think about it, her arms shaking just from the thought of what could happen when she closed her eyes… completely vulnerable to whatever was lurking through her shelves.
"The monster is more active during thunderstorms…" she muttered.
Yet, the thought of good sleep was far too alluring. She floated to the ground and relaxed her back on the couch, but not before picking up her staff.
Then she faced the fire and sighed.
"A…lright… but… few… minuit…"
Just a few seconds after lying down, Anika fell asleep, her quiet breaths filling the room.
Kyle turned his attention to Himiko "She must be quite a handful..."
Himiko smiled. "She is, but she's also very nice. Anika is pretty lonely managing this place herself and other workers left because of obvious reasons."
Kyle nodded. "By the way, you know I could have given you a job if you needed it right?"
Himiko was one of the closest persons to him right now, and so he didn't want it to seem like she couldn't count on him for anything, especially considering her past.
"Mmhm, but you've already been a great help just by being here." Himiko said, turning to face him. "I don't want to rely on you too much you know?"
Then she smiled mischievously. "Plus I get to experience you missing me… I wouldn't have that if I was in the cafe now would I?" She asked teasingly, leaning in a little closer.
Kyle smiled, his eyes moving from her to peachy face to her approaching lips.
"Is that so…"
Their lips drew closer, Kyle's fingers already brushing back her hair when—
BAM
BAM
BANG!!
Anika's jolted, her eyes shot open and she flew right to the ceiling, clutching her staff in her hands.
"It's the monster, it is here!!"
Meanwhile, Kyle stared up at the ceiling, watching it with a curious gaze.
'That sound…'
There was something strange about it.
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