Chapter 7

I am so grateful that everyone is reading this! Thank you!

That day, I was in a dilemma.

I was thinking about what kind of present I could give to the head chef who always makes me delicious special lunches.

When I consulted my brother, he told me, "It's his job, so don't worry about it."

But his job is to make the set menu, isn't it? The special lunch he always makes for me is extra, right?

I really want to give him something.

Not knowing what to give, I was looking through a book for some hints.

"Miss Moniques!"

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind me, and I dropped the book, letting out a small scream.

Startled, I covered my mouth with both hands and turned around.

There stood a person with silver hair and golden eyes, covered by silver-rimmed glasses.

He is the librarian who usually sits at the counter next to the entrance of the Royal Library.

I've been caught!

My voice has been heard by this person.

My brother and sisters will find out too.

If they do, they'll be furious.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

The librarian stared at me in shock, then started to fidget and reached into his pocket with a look of despair.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have a handkerchief."

He then used the cuff of his sleeve to wipe away my tears, but they didn't stop.

"There's an error in the registration form for the book you borrowed. Could you please sign it here?"

The librarian said this calmly.

I nodded while crying.

"Please come this way. If I leave you in this state, my life might be in danger."

When I tilted my head, the librarian grabbed my hand and started walking.

He led me to a room that seemed to be a break room for the librarians.

Several other librarians who were on break widened their eyes and fidgeted when they saw me enter.

"Sir Sijal! What did you do? Why is she crying!"

"Quiet, Bahas. Miss Moniques has... hurt her hand. I'm going to take her inside to treat it."

"Oh! I see! It's magic! Got it!"

I followed him, surprised by his smooth lie, and he led me further inside.

We arrived at a small room with a desk at the back, a glass table in the center, and a two-seater sofa.

"Ah, here it is. Please take this handkerchief."

The librarian handed me a neatly ironed handkerchief from the desk.

"Once your tears have stopped, could you sign this document here?"

As I looked at the document, the librarian smiled.

"Miss Althina Moniques. Don't worry, I won't say anything. Please, have a seat on the sofa."

"…Why?"

As I sat on the sofa, the librarian took out a set of cookies and tea from a drawer while saying,

"I have my own secrets too."

He cast a spell on the teapot to magically pour hot water and make tea.

When I sipped the tea he handed me, it was a comforting taste.

"My secret isn't a big deal."

"What do you mean?"

"…I just got tired of it."

"Tired?"

The librarian, with a puzzled look, threw a cookie into his mouth and placed the rest on the glass table in front of me.

"I got tired of conversations with my brother and sisters."

The librarian froze for a moment, then laughed suddenly.

"That's a wonderful reason."

"It's not a wonderful reason at all. I'm lying."

The librarian took a sip of the tea he had made for himself and said,

"But I also find conversations tiring sometimes. I often think about becoming invisible."

He took another sip of tea.

I followed suit and sipped the tea.

It was delicious, and I felt a bit calmer, my tears stopping.

I signed my name in the designated place on the document.

"I'm good at magic, but if people knew, I'd be forced into the magic corps. So, my magic grades in school were among the lowest. I can actually use light magic, but if that were known, I'd be made a priest, so I only talk about it with a select few."

Is this something he should be telling me?

When I tilted my head, the librarian smiled.

"I am Sijal, the second son of the Margrave of Miligrit. Since you've shared your secret with me, Miss Moniques, I thought I'd share mine too."

"Why… do you dislike the magic corps and the priesthood?"

"I love books, so I wanted to be a librarian. Now, I'm even the head librarian of the Royal Library."

"…I envy you. I stopped talking because I wanted to read books all day without anyone bothering me."

The librarian laughed.

"Then we're comrades, Miss Moniques."

"We are comrades. Please call me Althina, Sir Sijal."

"…Then, Miss Althina. Don't forget how to speak. Let's talk from time to time."

"Y-Yes! Please do."

And that's how I made a friend I could be myself with.

On September 15th, my work "Of Course, I Will Demand Compensation!" will be available for purchase from Bees Log!

If you purchase it online, you can read "What Happened to Banash," and if you buy it from a bookstore, you can read "Shaved Ice"!

There are also many more additions to the main story!

I hope you enjoy it! Thank you!