The next day, Klein was awakened by excruciating pain in his leg muscles, feeling as if his upper and lower body had been completely torn in two, the agony unbearable.
He should have let Alice help him last night…
No, no, he'd be mortified in front of her! He
had to avoid that embarrassing situation no matter what!
Reaffirming his resolve, Klein struggled to get out of bed, only to gasp several times in pain.
"Today's a make-up day off from yesterday, no work, but unfortunately I still have to get up as usual to visit my professor at the university…" The thought of that long and arduous journey made his forehead throb.
Fortunately, his upper body, including his arms and lower back, was perfectly fine, so much so that he felt an urge to cry. He even limped to the corner of the room after getting up, pulled out the full-length mirror covered by a dust cloth, and looked at himself in the mirror.
After comparing himself to his memory of himself several times, Klein sighed in disappointment, realizing he hadn't suddenly developed abs and biceps overnight. He could only straighten his shirt and shake his head, lamenting,
"If only I could shape my body quickly... But if I really could, wouldn't I be all muscle on top and skinny on the bottom... It's so weird, I'd be mistaken for a hairy baboon who'd shaved all his body hair!"
He chuckled at his own imagination, shaking his head with a wry smile, gritting his teeth against the muscle aches in his legs as he slowly made his way outside.
After going downstairs, having breakfast, and watching Benson and Melissa leave for work and school, Klein finally felt a slight relief from the excruciating pain. He planned to rest on the sofa for a while longer before heading to Hoy University.
But then he suddenly realized something, something he had deliberately ignored for a long time, only surfacing in his mind today when he had some free time to think.
Alice had missed breakfast at the Moretti family's house for three whole days.
One or two days could be considered accidental, but three consecutive days of absence—couldn't that suggest something?
Thinking this, Klein peeked into the entryway and noticed the pair of high heels that clearly belonged to Miss Witch still sitting on the shoe rack.
Benson and Melissa, based on this, assumed Alice had adopted a late-night, late-morning schedule after changing jobs, so they both insisted that her rest shouldn't be disturbed in the early morning, and even the noise from the siblings getting up and opening the door had become quieter.
But Klein had a vague intuition that things might not be as they thought.
Perhaps he should go upstairs to check on her…
After hesitating for a few seconds, he dragged his aching legs to his feet and laboriously walked back upstairs to the closed guest room door, simultaneously pulling a gold coin imprinted with a dragon and lion design from his pocket.
"There's no one in the room in front of me right now…"
Using a simplified dream divination method, Klein tossed a gold coin, caught it again, and unsurprisingly saw the seal pattern facing up—as long as the question didn't explicitly point to Alice, but was generally related to him, he could get the answer to the divination like this.
He initially wanted to be reserved, perhaps knocking symbolically on the door, or reconsider the consequences of trespassing into a girl's room, but recalling her unreasonable "ambush" last night, he suddenly felt there was no need to be polite with this wicked witch, and confidently pressed the doorknob.
Creak—
the unlocked door opened easily, gradually widening inwards.
Klein cautiously glanced around, confirming that there was really no one there, before stepping inside with peace of mind.
Compared to when he had accidentally barged in before, this room appeared much cleaner and tidier.
The desk was free of clutter, the chair neatly pushed under it, and the wardrobe doors were free of women's accessories.
The bed was made perfectly, and the blanket that had once been transformed into a robe using her magic was now folded into a small square and placed in the center of the bed… Wait
a minute. Klein suddenly froze.
The room was indeed much tidier, but it seemed… it lacked a sense of home.
He approached the bed, staring at the flat, wrinkle-free sheets for a long time, feeling that if he hadn't known beforehand that Alice was indeed staying here, he would have thought this room had never had any guests.
After thinking for a few seconds, Klein went to the window, pulled back the dark gray curtains billowing in the wind, and glanced out through the half-open window. He saw that the window overlooked a small garden surrounded by several residential buildings on the other side of the street.
Seeing this, a guess began to form in his mind.
That witch didn't sleep in her room last night; instead, she went outside through the window… Perhaps she encountered some emergency that required immediate attention?
Klein was absolutely certain she hadn't slept in the bed—after all, he knew her slovenly…cough, unconventional manners, never making her bed.
But thinking about it more carefully, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
…No, he wasn't worried about Alice being in any danger. Really not!
He was just a little worried that he and his family might be dragged into events related to her and end up in danger.
He hoped this was just overthinking… If he possessed greater power than her, perhaps he wouldn't be so passive, and could proactively learn about what she was doing, the problems she was facing, and naturally, he wouldn't be so hesitant about the unknown.
"With great power comes great risk, and great responsibility…"
Klein sighed, deciding to ask Alice about her situation the next time he saw her; he couldn't let himself continue to be ignorant about her.
Of course, now he needed to get back on track with his life.
Klein adjusted his top hat, picked up his cane, and, regaining his composed demeanor, descended the stairs, slowly stepped out, and boarded the public carriage to the university.
...
It was summer vacation, and the Hoy University campus was filled with a peaceful atmosphere.
Under the guidance of Mr. Azik, a friend of his mentor Cohen Quentin and a faculty member, Klein borrowed the academic monograph related to the main peak of Hornachis.
As a graduating student, he couldn't take the book out, so he began reading in the familiar yet unfamiliar history department office, frequently pausing to turn the pages and jot down key information in his notes.
Seeing his focused reading, Azik didn't disturb him, quietly bringing coffee and a small dish of milk and sugar, smiling as he waited until Klein closed the book before sitting down opposite him.
*"So, did you find anything useful?"
"Quite a bit. Look, I've taken so many pages of notes."* Klein flipped through his notes, the pages filled with writing flashing before their eyes. (*Note: Chapter 98 of the original text)
"I don't know when you became interested in this kind of knowledge." Azik sighed and stopped probing, instead giving him a thorough once-over.
Klein felt a little strange being stared at, especially after the initial greetings upon entering. He had even worried that his attire might be inappropriate…
But after checking, he confirmed that he was dressed normally for work—of course, not in that ridiculously expensive tuxedo, but simply with a jeweled tie clip, which he wore as decoration between the fourth and fifth buttons.
The new suit, purchased with reimbursement, was respectable enough, and there shouldn't be anything impolite about it…
Just as he was thinking this, he glanced down and noticed that, perhaps due to his posture, the jeweled part of his tie clip was sticking out, giving it a somewhat ostentatious look. So he straightened his back and smoothed out the wrinkles in his tuxedo jacket.
Seeing this, Azik smiled gently:
"Hehe, don't mind it, Klein. I just feel that you've changed quite a bit since I last saw you. If you don't mind my presumptuous guess… I think you might be in love?"
*Pfft.* Klein nearly choked on his own saliva, coughing twice, his expression becoming quite awkward.
"Mr. Azik, you...you're quite the joker."
"I'm not joking. If it weren't for love, why would you only wear one earring? It only reminds me of a romantic little agreement between lovers to each wear one earring...and that tie clip, judging by how carefully you treat it, it must be your token of love." Azik smiled with the magnanimity of an elder, implying, "And isn't your current reaction the best proof?"
...How could this be? Although it's far from the truth, the Soul's Breath earring and this tie clip could indeed be considered a secret between us...
Am I being that obvious?!
Klein awkwardly twitched the corners of his mouth, subconsciously raising his hand to touch the leaf-shaped earring.
"Isn't it good for young people to have a vibrant romance? There's no need to run away like that. I think you can try to bravely face your own heart." Azik pointed to his chest, his expression calm, but his eyes unconsciously revealed a hint of confusion. "This is probably… the experience of someone who's been there? Well, maybe. Having had such an emotional experience is a valuable asset in life…"
"But, but I feel that my relationship with her hasn't developed to the point you're imagining…" Unable to notice the other's slight unease, Klein couldn't help but sketch the girl's image in his mind, while defending himself, "I don't know how she sees me, but as for her… this may be hard to describe accurately to you, but my feelings for her are influenced by many external factors, to the point that I'm not sure if my feelings for her are really romantic love…"
—It was less of a defense and more of a confession.
Perhaps because he didn't have to pretend to be a couple with Benson and Melissa like he did with Benson, or act like an outsider in his conversations with Leonard, Klein, unusually, shed the burdens associated with the witch and confided his troubles to Azik.
"External influences? You think that without these external forces, you wouldn't have feelings for that girl?" The bronze-skinned Azik touched the inconspicuous mole below his right ear and asked with a smile.
"...I'm not sure, that's what confuses me the most. Plus, I know so little about her. Without knowing what kind of person she is, can this feeling really be called liking? Maybe I'm just... just somewhat concerned about the side she deliberately shows, rather than truly liking her." Klein shook his head.
Listening to the anxieties unique to these young people, Azik chuckled and said,
"It seems the girl you're interested in, Klein, is quite charming, but her personality is rather unpredictable. Actually, as long as you're willing to persevere, her mystery and the enigma surrounding her will gradually fade and be revealed over time. When you understand her completely, you might find it boring, or you might develop feelings for her as your understanding deepens. Of course, other things might also happen... No one can be certain about the future. Before knowing the outcome, at least you should grasp what's real in front of you to avoid regrets."
No, Mr. Azik, you don't understand. I even think that my current wavering is entirely due to that witch's bewitching power... Perhaps if that deadly bewitching influence were removed, I could be completely indifferent to her...
Of course, Klein couldn't voice these thoughts aloud. After all, the teacher with the peaceful smile in front of him was genuinely concerned for him, so he could only smile insincerely and change the subject.
Seemingly sensing that he didn't want to continue the discussion, Azik smiled, shook his head, pondered for a moment, and then brought up another matter.
"Klein, although this change of topic is a bit abrupt, I've noticed something about you... there's something incongruous about your destiny."
...
My destiny is incongruous?
Back home, Klein shook his head and sighed softly, thinking to himself that he was a "diviner," and if a divination enthusiast like Mr. Azik could see something, there was no reason why he shouldn't be aware of it.
But just to be on the safe side, he still sat down at his desk and listed the coincidences he had recently encountered one by one on a piece of paper.
"During an afternoon walk, I happened to run into Alice, and she happened to 'choose' me and rob me…"
"The room opposite the kidnapper happened to be the very place where 'I' had delivered the Antigonus family notebook…"
"After Riel Bieber obtained the notebook, he happened to fail to escape Tingen City and was tracked down by the sealed artifact '2-049'…"
"Alice happened to bump into Leonard when she went out, and he fell in love with her at first sight…"
"Selena tried to use the magic mirror for divination at her birthday party, and I happened to stop this dangerous incident. Moreover, after the incident, her teacher, Haynes Vancent, suddenly died in his sleep…"
After eliminating the events related to Alice, the coincidences with accidental elements were reduced to three, two of which were related to the strange Antigonus family notebook.
—Perhaps it really wasn't just a coincidence?
Klein seemed to have a premonition and took out his pendulum to divine the above questions.
Aside from the two incidents related to Alice, the other three coincidences seemed to have no hidden supernatural guiding force—
but watching the pendulum spinning counterclockwise, Klein suddenly felt a distinct disconnect and unease, as if he had seen a 1+1 equation with the answer of 3 filled in.
Something's wrong…
He quickly made a decision, took a silver knife from his desk drawer, sealed the room with an invisible spiritual wall, and prepared to go to that mysterious gray fog world to divine these coincidences again.
Fifteen minutes later, Klein fell back to reality from the palace above the gray fog, opening his eyes to look at his bedroom, his eyes revealing a clear mix of lingering fear and wistful joy.
"A house with a dark red chimney… and clues about the 'Clown' potion…"