Entertaining a Small Thought

2nd Arc Part 3: Ghosts, Greed, and Lust

We went up the stairs, expecting the 4th floor to be similar to the other floors, but what we saw was much different than the other floors.

"What...is this?" I asked out loud.

The atmosphere changed drastically. Instead of the academy design of the other floors, this floor looked like the inside of an old abandoned Japanese temple or something. It was straight out of a horror film. Even the floor was made of old wooden boards and some of the wooden beams in the walls and ceilings are exposed.

"This is...super creepy." Kaede whimpered a bit while nervous sweat dripped from her face.

'N-No point in daling. Let's check out this floor, creepy though it may be." Shuichi said.

He grabbed Kaede's hand and held it tightly. He nodded to her with a reassuring smile, causing her to smile too.

"Aww! Aren't you two just the cutest." I teasingly said as I continued walking.

"Wh-Wh-What!?" Kaede stuttered as she began to blush brightly.

"Th-That's not it at all!" Shuichi said as his face turned a bright shade of red.

"Sure, sure." I said while motioning my hand in a 'yeah yeah' motion. I soon hit a fork in the road and my eyes were drawn to traditional Japanese sliding doors. "Is this a lab? Hey, lovebirds! I think I found Kiyo's lab."

"W-We told you, i-it's not like that!" Kaede argued as they walked towards me. "A-And what's this about Kiyo's lab?"

"There's a pair of traditional Japanese sliding doors. Considering the look of this floor and these doors, I feel it matches all too well for our creepy Ultimate Anthropologist." I explained.

"Is that how you perceive me? Kehehe...how fascinating." Kiyo opened the door to his lab with his signature chuckle. "You are right though. This is my research lab. Would you like to come in and see it for yourself?" Kiyo offered us.

"So it is the Ultimate Anthropologist's lab! Awesome! I wonder what cool stuff is in here!" I exclaimed as I entered the room.

I say room, but it was more like a library. The lab was MASSIVE, having multiple stories, each filled with shelves of books and ancient texts. It would probably take a person a lifetime to read them all. There were also various objects that were stored on shelves and display cases. It all seemed ancient and rare. I was absolutely amazed by the wealth of knowledge the lab held.

"Kehehe...I see you are also pleased by my lab, Rin." Kiyo said, his mask not fully able to hide his smile. "I am extremely pleased as well. This place is so wonderful that my face contorts with glee. Not even university labs are so well-stocked."

"If that's the case, then who brought all this stuff here?" Shuichi asked as he and Kaede entered. "...I suppose that's a pointless question though. This place doesn't really make any sense."

With that, the three of us began to examine the things in the lab while Kiyo gave us many insightful lectures on the artifacts. I can't speak for Shuichi and Kaede, but I find all of this extremely interesting.

"Hey, what's with this book?" Kaede asked as she pointed to a lone hand-bound book on display.

"Oh, that! I couldn't believe it when I first saw it!" Kiyo said with an alarmed look of both excitement and a little concern, which was far different from his usual calm demeanor. "This is an extremely precious document. This book is a history of the fabled Caged Dog Village, said to have been destroyed long ago."

"The village had a reputation for using many dark arts and spells; however, the village was destroyed at the hands of a feudal lord who feared their power. But one girl, the lone survivor, risked her life to write this book. And since this is the genuine article, this is all her handwriting. This book in particular is an extremely precious one-of-a-kind relic that has been soaked in her bitter grudge. There are a few copies of the book, due to its reputation, but this is the real one. I'd never thought I'd be able to see it with my own eyes. Fate surely is strange, isn't it." Kiyo explained.