A Rising Star of the City

Ch.10: Floor of History Opened

Y/N: It should be down these stairs.

The librarian serving as Angela's unwilling assistant led the way down the stairs, showing the way to Roland who took a good look around. There wasn't much to observe, just the regular sight that they would often see on the higher floor.

All around them, golden pages were flying like butterflies, following them with the behaviour of small and curious fairies. The only sound echoing for the longest time was their footsteps as they ventured deeper into the place they were trapped in. The Fixer slowly turned his focus to his guide.

Roland: Are you sure that you're alright? Especially after what happened a few days ago.

Y/N: ...It's fine.

He softly mumbled the most blatant lie possible. The one nicely dressed was not one to focus on small details but even he couldn't ignore the visible signs. He proclaimed that he was in good condition but his hands were still trembling and his eyes moved around with paranoia plastered on his face.

He still wasn't informed of what caused him to have a mental breakdown but its trace was still visible on its victim. Both Angela and him were not able to get a single word out of the librarian about that matter.

The scene was still vivid in Roland's memories. He was completely taken aback and confused about what was happening and these emotions persisted for a while. After the initial shock, the panicked ex-agent would scream for no reason, avoid corridors and run away from dark corners like he was about to be murdered if he didn't escape fast enough. The last 2 ones were learned the hard way after receiving a punch that knocked him out for at least a full hour.

Thankfully, his mental state slowly was able to recover but still, his first words only came out 2 days after the incident. During this whole ordeal, the AI living alongside them refused to acknowledge Roland's words and would silently ponder to herself, often visiting the mentally unstable worker.

As for the other assistant librarian?

"...Don't bother asking me, I'll just make everything worse."

The girl dug deeper into her depression and would sit in the corner of the room she woke up in. The lack of cheerful people greatly worsened the atmosphere. Roland was the only one still trying to converse with the other residents, only to be met with a failure each time.

Roland: I can find it by myself, you don't need-

Y/N: I'm fine.

He cut him off with a sharp voice. Yet, even his words were not able to carry the same weight as they used to. His arms were clinging to a book that he has yet to look at and his body actively remained as close as possible to the lights around them.

The uninvited guest wanted to ask him more details about what caused all of this mess but his time ran out. The both of them were at the bottom of the stairs and setting foot in a completely different area of the Library.

Roland: Just as Angela said. We really got another floor to the Library.

He mumbled in wonder to himself. The entire place was completely illuminated, temporarily calming down the stressed ex-employee. The duo walked further until Roland raised his voice.

Roland: Hello~ My name's Rolan-

However, he was abruptly stopped by his guide with a silent movement of his hand before pointing in a direction. Immediately afterwards, a voice erupted.

???: Angela... I still can't forgive you...

Without saying nor making a single noise, Roland and Y/N peeked around the corner. The former stood at the peak of his height while the latter was leaning against the Fixer. using him as support.