Ren wandered through the library's towering shelves, his fingers grazing the spines of countless books. He was on a mission, driven by a nagging feeling that had haunted him for weeks—a creeping sense of being watched, a prickle of fear that made his heart race at odd moments. Was it just his imagination? Or something more? He'd heard of a book that might explain it, something about paranoia or psychological quirks, and now he was determined to find it.
As he scanned the psychology section, his eyes caught a peculiar sight. A girl, moderate body with a cascade of dark hair, was hauling an absurdly large stack of books. It looked impossible, like she was defying gravity with the sheer volume of novels teetering in her arms. Ren tilted his head, curious, and sneaked a glance at the titles. His breath hitched. BattleThunder? Not just one, but five volumes of his favorite series!
"Whoa," he muttered under his breath, "she got taste."
It wasn't the girl who was strange for reading BattleThunder—it was Ren whose taste was unusual compared to most other males in this world.
He wanted to say something, to strike up a conversation about the epic space battles and twisty plots of BattleThunder, but he hesitated. You can't just walk up to a random girl, Ren. That's weird. He shoved his hands in his pockets and pretended to study a nearby shelf, stealing glances at her.
The girl reached for a book on a high shelf, standing on her tiptoes. Her fingers brushed the spine, but the stack in her arms wobbled dangerously. Ren's eyes widened. "Oh no—"
Before he could move, she stretched too far, lost her balance, and slipped. The books tumbled, and her head smacked against the shelf with a dull thud. She hit the floor with a soft yelp, clutching her forehead.
"Hey, are you okay?!" Ren rushed over, crouching beside her.
The girl's face flushed a deep crimson, her eyes wide as she scrambled to sit up. "I-I'm fine! Totally fine!" she stammered, waving her hands like she could dismiss the whole incident. "Just, uh, clumsy me, haha!"
Ren frowned, noticing a red bump already forming on her forehead. "That looks bad. You should probably see the school doctor."
"No, no, no, I'm good!" she squeaked, springing to her feet with alarming speed. She dusted off her skirt, avoiding his gaze. "Really, it's nothing. Gotta go!"
Before Ren could say another word, she bolted, leaving a trail of scattered books in her wake. He blinked, stunned. "What just happened…?"
As he started gathering the fallen books, he spotted something under a table—a small, navy-blue purse. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands. "She forgot this? Man, what a shy girl. It's a rare sight to see a girl so shy."
Ren glanced at the library's exit, where she'd vanished. He clutched the purse, his mind racing. Maybe this is my chance to talk to her about BattleThunder… after she gets that bump checked out.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Students poured out of classrooms in noisy clumps, the halls quickly filling with chatter, laughter, and the occasional grumble about homework.
Ren slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped outside, the afternoon sun casting golden light across the courtyard. He hadn't seen the mysterious BattleThunder girl again—not in the library, the cafeteria, or even in the infirmary. Weird... I wanted to return the purse directly, but maybe I'll just hand it to the lost and found tomorrow.
But just as he descended the front steps of the school, a shiver crawled up his spine. That same prickling feeling returned—the one that had haunted him before. Like eyes were boring into his back.
He glanced over his shoulder.
Nothing. Just the usual crowd.
"Ren! Ren!" a cheerful voice called out.
He turned to see Hiyori jogging up to him, ponytail swaying and backpack bouncing behind her. "Ready to head home?"
"Yeah," he said, mustering a smile.
They began walking side by side, the school slowly shrinking behind them. For a while, the streets were filled with the usual post-school hum: students, vending machines, distant traffic.
But that feeling didn't go away.
Hiyori narrowed her eyes, her tone suddenly cautious. "Hey… Ren. I think someone's following us."
Ren blinked. "Wait, seriously?"
"Yeah." She tilted her head slightly but didn't look back. "Third pole behind us, on the left. Don't turn suddenly."
Ren shoved his hands into his pockets casually, stealing a glance using the reflection in a store window.
There she was.
The girl from the library. Dark hair, modest height, looking like she was trying really hard not to be noticed.
Ren had expected Hiyori to blow up, call the girl out, maybe even threaten her. That's what she usually claim to do to anyone who so much as looked at him funny.
But instead, she clutched his sleeve and whispered, "What do we do, Ren? What if she's… you know… a killer?"
He nearly laughed out loud but held it in.
She's scared? Hiyori? The same Hiyori who claim she would punch a senior in the face for flirting with him in middle school?
He smiled to himself, finding her reaction kind of adorable. "What else do we do?" he said, stepping forward confidently. "We confront her."
"Wait, wha—Ren?!"
He ignored Hiyori's panicked tug and turned on his heel, walking straight toward the girl. She froze mid-step, wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights.
"Hey," he said, calm and friendly. "Can I help you with something?"
She flinched slightly. "Ah, I… um…" Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.
Ren tilted his head. "Wait… I know you. You're the girl from the library! You fell and hit your head."
Her face flushed immediately, and she took a small step back, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "Y-Yeah, that was… me. Sorry, I didn't mean to follow you or anything weird like that. I just—um—dropped something important in the library. And the librarian said someone found it and took it, and that someone might've been you…"
"Oh!" Ren quickly unzipped his bag. "You mean this?"
He held out the navy-blue purse.
Her eyes lit up. "Yes! That's it!"
He handed it over, and she clutched it like it was a sacred artifact. "Thank you so much. I was seriously freaking out thinking it was gone for good…"
"No problem." Ren scratched the back of his head. "Glad I found you. I didn't really know how to return it."
There was an awkward pause between them.
Then, almost too quietly, she asked, "Did you… look inside?"
Ren blinked. "Huh? Oh—no way. I'm not that insensitive. It's your stuff, not mine."
A visible wave of relief washed over her.
"But," Ren added with a small smile, "I did notice something."
She tensed again.
"It's a pretty cool purse," he said, grinning. "Official BattleThunder merch, right?"
Her jaw dropped slightly. "Y-You recognized it?"
"Of course!" he chuckled. "I've been reading BattleThunder since volume one. Wait, hold on—was that Volume Five you were carrying earlier? That one's got Commander Elex's betrayal, right? That was insane!"
Her eyes sparkled, caught between disbelief and giddy excitement. "Y-Yeah! I just got to that part! I couldn't believe what he did!"
"I know, right?" Ren leaned in, voice animated. "I thought he was going to be the main support, and then BAM! Full-on defector."
Suddenly, Hiyori yanked his arm.
"We're gonna be late," she hissed.
"Ah, right—sorry!" Ren turned back to the girl. "Anyway, my name's Ren! What's yours?"
She hesitated, then called out, "A-Annaliese!"
Ren gave her a wave as Hiyori tugged him away. "Nice to meet you, Annaliese! I'm gonna call you Anna! See ya!"
She stood there, blinking, clutching her purse like a lifeline as the two of them disappeared down the street.
"…Anna?" she echoed to herself, cheeks glowing. She looked down at the purse, then back toward where Ren had vanished.
"What an odd boy…"