I accompanied Maria as I showed her around the school's facilities. Her bright laughter filled my ears whenever I cracked a few jokes.
It was obvious that she wanted to catch my attention. Well, adapting to the presence of a dazzling beauty like her wasn't exactly a bad thing. Opportunities like this didn't come every day.
The swimming club.
The basketball club.
The volleyball club.
The football club.
The martial arts academy.
The shooting club.
The tennis club.
We visited various clubs and places as I explained everything to her in detail. Eventually, we arrived at the library, where the librarian welcomed us. However, the moment she saw me, she asked,
"Tell me, young man... is there any chance that a girl named Olivia is your older sister?"
Shock spread across my face. Until now, no one had mentioned her to me.
"Y-Yes," I replied hesitantly. "Is something wrong, ma'am?"
"Well... don't tell me you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"How strange. It seems you don't know that your sister left a book with me here in the library."
"What? My sister left a book?"
At that moment, it felt as if time had frozen, and countless possibilities began forming inside my mind.
So, she left behind a book. Considering everything that has happened so far, that book could be a clue pointing to something. Of course, it might just be a coincidence. But leaving a book in the library... in the very school I attend? No matter how I think about it, it feels suspicious. Could it be connected to the killer the anonymous sender warned me about? It's possible... but maybe I'm just exaggerating things. Maybe it's simply an ordinary book. Still, there's no harm in investigating it.
Trying to remain calm, I asked,
"Excuse me, ma'am. Could you tell me what the book is about?"
"Well, it isn't about anything in particular. It's just a French dictionary."
As soon as she said that, disappointment washed over me.
After all, it was only a dictionary.
Yet I couldn't bring myself to ignore what might be the only clue leading to my sister's killer.
The old librarian handed me the dictionary.
Before leaving, I turned to Maria.
"Maria, I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry right now. I guess this is where we part ways."
"That's fine," she replied with a gentle smile. "I wish you the best of luck, Edward."
Maria didn't complain or ask any questions. She simply accepted it. She flashed me a bright smile as I walked away, waving her hand.
"Take care!"
And with that, we finally got rid of that clingy girl who had been a source of distraction.
Naturally, there was only one place left for me to go.
The person John had told me about.
I needed to meet John immediately.