CHAPTER 8
The morning sun was out, slowly rising from the east. Birds were chirping, and the early morning wind was graceful, gently blowing past the curtains of his window while the gaze of the horizon danced through them.
He slowly got up from the bed with a yawn.
Megumi flipped the blankets off his body and quickly made his way to the door of his room. He got ready for the day, had his breakfast, and after a few hours was now standing at the back of the mansion with his hands slightly held up.
He was performing a few stretches, having completed his daily training montage, and was ready to set out any time soon. He really didn't have any reason to leave since everything he had was right inside the building behind him.
'How good it feels to be born wealthy.'
But he had told someone yesterday that he was going to do something for them. He really wasn't obligated in any way, but after seeing her sad face in the temple yesterday, the thought had remained in his mind.
'Damn it, it's not like she would remember anyway.'
He gritted his teeth as he slowly went back inside, dragging his feet across the floor. This was going to be troublesome since he felt he would be basically wasting his time, but he could still salvage what he could.
All he had to do was sit at the opposite end of a table with a five-year-old girl. What's the worst that could possibly happen?
Back in his room, he quickly got changed. He had picked out one of the plainest outfits he could find: a black shirt with almost inconceivable vertical red stripes. It had a left pocket and, slightly above it, a perfectly placed red bowtie.
On his leg were red shorts that stopped just shy of his knees, black socks that stopped just past his kneecap, and a pair of black shoes with red soles. The clothes certainly weren't plain, but compared to the standards of what he had, they were quite the simplest he could offer.
Picking up a few books from inside his drawer and his journal as well, he began his journey. Cutting through alleyways and roofs, it took him many breaths and minutes to finally reach his intended destination, Yuki's house.
He knocked lightly on the door, and as usual, someone had quickly rushed over to open it for him. However, this time it wasn't Yuki's older sister; it was Yuki herself who had opened the door for him.
She was sweating profusely with a towel hanging around her neck. A bright smile appeared on her face as soon as she saw him, and without a moment's hesitation, she quickly led him in.
The house was just the same as he remembered it, remarkably simple. Once again, he had to make himself at home while he waited patiently for Yuki to be done with whatever it was she was doing and come back to meet him.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally came downstairs dressed in a red floral dress and black jacket, with a few books calmly resting in her hands.
"These are a few books I took from the library. They're all due today, so I intend to return them. Since we're going there anyway, I might as well take them with me."
She kept smiling as she spoke, gazing intently at him. At this point, Megumi felt like she probably had him under a spell; her cute eyes, the melodic voice, and the hypnotic gaze she was throwing at him—she was the little sister you just couldn't say no to.
Yeah, that's right, that gaze. There was something about her gaze that had made Megumi interested in her the moment he laid eyes on her two days ago. It was a look that was strangely similar to his, like she was aware.
Of course, that was it; that was what had drawn him to her that day. Compared to her fellow aspiring sorcerers, Yuki possessed a great level of mental capacity even by this world's standards.
Immediately, the last words she had said before their awakening had begun the other night began flooding his mind, and with it a new realization dawned on him.
This trip to the library wasn't going to be as useless as he thought…
******
Soon they arrived at the premises of a building in the residence of the clan. Unlike the residential houses in the central area, which all had similar designs and were made of wood, this building was different.
It was made of a concrete-like material with marbled stone walls. The surrounding area was rather quiet and peaceful, with people going inside the building every so often.
Unlike Yuki, though, Megumi was a tad bit awestruck. It was difficult to believe, but this was his first time seeing a building that wasn't made of hardwood and tile roofs since his rebirth in this world.
They walked into the library side by side, and the first thing that caught their gaze was the long row of books carefully placed along long wooden counters. There were a few tables and chairs in between them, with about a dozen reading quietly at them.
Just further in front of them was a table with a young man seated behind it. He was currently going through a few books that were placed on the table and only stopped after he finally took notice of the children in front of him…
More like they were standing beside him… Both of them were so short that had they stood in front of the desk, then he wouldn't have seen them unless he stood up and looked down.
He immediately recognised the children before him, smiling intently at Yuki as he dropped the book he was holding and stood up from his seat, and as he turned toward Megumi, he bowed his head slightly.
"Lord Megumi, it's a pleasure to have you here."
The five-year-old boy could only muster a smile while nodding his head in refusal of the young man's act of respect. He was basically a celebrity around here, so almost everyone knew who he was. Anyway, they came here for something.
Yuki was the first to speak:
"I wanted to return these books. They're all due."
With that, she brought the books she had with her forward and handed them to the young man.
"My friend and I would like to check out a few books in the library, the history section to be more specific."
The gleaming smile on the man's face instantly widened after he heard her words. He got down on one knee, bending slightly until he was almost at eye level with the girl while gripping her shoulder lightly.
"It always brings me such joy to know that the past will get to live on in the hearts of our future generations. You can take as many books as you want, and then, after that, you can tell all about the great tales you read about."
He quickly let go of her and got on his feet once again. He looked around the library a few times, and then he mouthed a word, just loud enough for the three of them to hear.
"Gekka."
A slight gust blew past their faces, and in the next instant, a young woman dressed in a black outfit was standing before them.
She was tall and slender, possessing such graceful features. Her ivory skin seemed as if it was radiating, and when she spoke, all he could hear was a melody.
"How can I help?"
"Take these two to the history section of the library, and if you could, please help them get hold of all the books they need."