"Bang!"
The desk rattled as Index slammed down both hands with dramatic force, leaning forward across the table as though she could no longer contain herself. Her emerald eyes narrowed fiercely at Fang Li, who sat opposite her looking utterly stupefied.
"Up until now, I've let you muddle your way through everything," Index declared, her voice full of fire. "But today… You must give me an explanation!"
Fang Li thought of only one thing in return.
"…What on earth are you suddenly talking about?"
Truly incomprehensible.
After the whole Collar incident, several days had already passed. As of yesterday, Fang Li had finally finished all his supplementary summer lessons and officially begun vacation.
Even supplementary lessons couldn't last forever. In Academy City, where 80% of the population consisted of students, if the teachers were forced to work nonstop through summer, they'd collapse before autumn even arrived. Thus, the make-up classes ran only for a single week, from July 20th to July 28th.
Which meant that today, July 29th, Fang Li was on break until the end of summer.
When he'd told Index that yesterday, she had been ecstatic.
"So that means, starting today, Fang Li can be with me all the time?"
When he gave her a definite "yes," Index had run circles around the room in joy, practically glowing. If this hadn't been a boys' dorm where she knew no one, she probably would have burst out into the neighborhood to boast to strangers about her newfound happiness.
And yet… the very same Index who'd been so delighted yesterday was now slamming tables and demanding explanations today.
How on earth was he supposed to understand that?
Then, a thought dawned on him.
"…You didn't just discover the high-grade sushi I hid away, did you?"
The instant he said it, Index's eyes widened like saucers.
Then, boom!
She exploded in fury.
"So you really did secretly hide something like that! Unforgivable! Completely unforgivable!"
Seeing her outrage flare even hotter, Fang Li felt oddly reassured. At least she still hadn't discovered that particular secret.
"…Then what exactly are you furious about?" he asked bluntly.
"It is about the sushi!" Index snapped back without hesitation. "If Fang Li is willing to hand it over right now, I… I might consider forgiving you!"
Fang Li squinted at her. "…So let me get this straight. You started out intending to bring up something important, but lost to your craving for sushi, decided to put the matter off, and now you're just gunning for my food stash? Honestly… this thought process makes me re-evaluate the so-called greatness of the 'nun' class all over again."
"I–I did not lose to sushi!" Index puffed her cheeks indignantly. "I thought about it for a long time!"
Judging by her flustered expression, that so-called "long time" had been a grand total of three seconds.
"Forget it." Fang Li sighed in resignation. "So? What were you actually planning to say?"
"Ugh… sushi…"
Even as she tried to compose herself, Index still couldn't peel her mind away from the forbidden stash. She pressed on, straightening her back and forcing herself to adopt a "serious" face.
But after that ridiculous interlude, no matter how hard she tried, the atmosphere of seriousness was long gone.
It probably had something to do with Fang Li already knowing what Index intended to say.
And sure enough,
"Now there's no point hiding it."
Index's clear voice cut through the air as she stared directly at Fang Li.
"What I want to talk about… are the originals of the Magic Path grimoires you stole."
There it was. That was exactly the topic Index had wanted to bring up.
Fang Li blinked, then put on his best poker face.
"…What are you talking about? Magic Path originals? I don't follow."
"Don't try to fool me again!" Index slammed the desk once more, leaning forward, eyes sharp and accusing. "You're the one who attacked so many Magic organizations to steal originals! Don't bother denying it, Fang Li, I won't be deceived this time!"
After all, she had seen it with her own eyes.
Fang Li's Mystic Eyes. The way he destroyed the Collar inside her body.
That was irrefutable proof. Was any further evidence even needed?
Yet Fang Li only shrugged. "Even if you say that, I never attacked the Puritans. So technically, we don't have much of a grudge, right?"
The truth of it was simple. The United Kingdom Puritans rarely emphasized Magic Path relics, they weren't like the Roman Catholic Church who flaunted originals to draw followers. Their focus was heresy-hunting, not artifact collecting. With Index already serving as their "forbidden book," they valued originals less than most.
That was why Fang Li had never struck the Puritans. His true targets were ambitious factions hoarding originals, factions like the Roman Catholic Church.
Precisely because of that, even knowing his identity now, the Puritans had not labeled him a mortal enemy. But still, allowing Index, their most priceless asset, to remain beside someone who openly stole grimoires… that was a bold gamble on their part.
Index, however, wasn't letting him off.
"That's not the point!" she snapped, her voice rising. "Those originals are dangerous! You can't just keep things like that on you!"
She stretched out a small hand toward him.
"Hand them over, Fang Li. I'll be the one to keep them from now on."
"Not a chance." Fang Li rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Seriously? I'm the thief of Magic Path originals, and you, who literally carry a library of 103,000 grimoires inside your head, are asking me for them? Aren't you even a little worried I might just pry open your head and steal that knowledge someday?"
But Index answered without hesitation, her voice firm with conviction.
"Fang Li would never do that."
Her words carried no doubt. Absolute trust. And that was precisely why she insisted. Because she trusted him, Index worried for him. The originals weren't inert objects. They were sources of danger. Knowledge that could corrupt and consume even the strongest of hearts.
She was afraid, afraid that Fang Li might someday fall victim to them.
Fang Li, however, dismissed that fear without pause.
"I'm not interested in the knowledge inside the books," he said calmly. "All I need are the originals themselves."
With that, he stood up and turned away.
"If you want them, fine, look around this whole room. If you can find them, they're yours."
Then, without another word, Fang Li bolted.
"H-hey! Don't run away!"
Index scrambled from the desk and chased after him, her furious shouts echoing through the dormitory.
And so another "peaceful" day ended in noisy chaos.
(End of Chapter)
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