"Something like that. I'm an exchange student. I just came to sign in, but I had an urgent matter this morning, so I missed the orientation."
Alistair replied casually. Just moments ago, he had used the unique properties of [The World] to vault over the railing and drop down to the floor below. Those girls certainly wouldn't expect that; they'd likely waste time searching the surrounding classrooms first. Still, he couldn't afford to dawdle. The library seemed like the perfect place to lay low.
"Is that so? That's understandable, but why jump down like that? It's dangerous... eh? Why are you running?!"
Tomomi Sakurazawa was about to give Alistair a stern warning, but seeing his absent-mindedness as he bolted away, she puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
Shortly after Alistair vanished, the bullying trio arrived on the scene.
"Nogami-san, Hinata-san, Sanada-san... can I help you with something?" Tomomi asked, tucking her books away as she watched the three girls burst in, scanning the room frantically.
"Sakurazawa-san, have you seen a cute boy with red hair?" Izumi Nogami asked. Tomomi was popular across the entire school due to her friendly nature, cute face, and high competence, so even a delinquent like Izumi wouldn't pick a fight with her for no reason.
"Ah, the redhead? He left just a moment ago. He ran off to the right," Tomomi nodded, pointing in the direction Alistair had gone.
"Thanks! Sae, Minako, let's go!" Izumi, the brown-haired leader, barked to her companions.
Meanwhile, Alistair had already made it down the stairs and reached the library. By the time they reached the lower floor, he was long gone.
"Phew... they shouldn't find me here for a while. I even swiped a hat to cover up."
Alistair took off the hat he'd snatched from a desk near the "pure" girl earlier, smoothed his hair, and ventured deeper into the library.
"Talk about a noble school. They really spent a fortune on this. This place is as big as my old university library."
He marveled at the rows upon rows of bookshelves spanning four or five floors. It was far more luxurious than necessary for a high school. It felt almost ornamental.
Speaking of which... the message from 'Grandfather' said there was something useful here. A... ring?
Alistair looked at the massive scale of the library. Tens of thousands of books per floor. Where the hell am I supposed to find a ring in here?
He double-checked his phone. Yes, it was definitely a ring. His head started to throb at the thought of spending his entire exchange month scouring bookshelves.
Wait... do they have a 'Mystic' section?
He spotted a directory on the wall. He was currently in the "General Periodicals" section. There were technical sections for photography and painting, but there was also an entertainment section. Tucked away near the Manga wing was a category labeled "Occult & Mystery."
"Occult? Interesting." Alistair rubbed his chin and headed that way. It was a needle in a haystack regardless; he might as well start with the weird stuff.
"What a load of rubbish. Most of these books are just nonsense. The 'Entertainment' classification was spot on."
Alistair snapped another book shut and sighed. He had skimmed through nearly the entire section. So far, he'd found nothing but urban legends and fake rituals. There were only a few books left on the shelf, and his hopes were plummeting.
"Let's check this one... hisss! What the hell?!"
As his hand reached for the next volume, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. A sudden surge of danger radiated through his body. He instinctively leaped back—it was a warning from his remaining 'Spirit Sense.'
No way. A real one?
Alistair channeled a portion of his stored energy to coat his left hand and reached out to pull the book from the shelf.
The book had a plain black cover with no title. He wanted to open it, but his Spirit Sense was screaming at him to stop. Even the energy he was using to protect his hand was a limited reserve he'd kept in his ring for self-disguise.
He checked his skill count for the day. He had exactly one use left. That's odd, I thought I'd used all three today. Did I miscount? Regardless, having one left was a stroke of luck. He focused on the book.
[The Corrupted Grimoire of Hypnosis]: An item that has gained powerful energy through prolonged exposure to a certain object. It possesses the power to alter the mental will of sentient beings. When the holder uses the hypnotic techniques within the book on a target, the energy can overwrite their will. The effect fades as the energy is depleted. Duration and potency scale with the amount of energy used.
Huh. Doesn't seem that godly.
Alistair pondered the description. It sounded a bit weak. Why did his Spirit Sense give him such a violent warning?
Clink-clink-clink!
The sound of metal hitting the floor snapped him out of his thoughts. Suddenly, the warning from his Spirit Sense shifted. The book in his hand now felt like a normal, mundane object. The source of the danger had moved... to the floor.
"Holy shit. The 'ring'... it was inside the book?"
Alistair looked down at a small, metallic circular band. It had no decorations and looked like a simple, somewhat strange ring. It was exactly the size to fit a finger, yet this plain-looking thing was making his Spirit Sense go absolutely haywire.
Fine. I'll gamble on it!
Gritting his teeth, he used the ring's energy to coat both his hand and the new object before picking it up. Nothing happened. He cautiously withdrew some of the energy. Still nothing. His Spirit Sense suddenly went quiet—eerily quiet.
The whole experience was baffling, but Alistair had no choice but to push forward.
"This is the 'useful' ring? It looks so ordinary. Did this thing corrupt the book? Does it have mind-control powers?"
He held the metallic band up to the light, unable to find a single marking or magical signature. If it hadn't literally fallen out of a cursed book, he wouldn't have given it a second glance.
"Aha! Found you! You're pretty relaxed, aren't you? Hiding in the library reading books... now I've got you!"
A sharp voice rang out, breaking his concentration.
"Tch. I just watched you bully someone. Is it really worth chasing me this far?" Alistair smirked, retorting sharply. Now that he had the grimoire, he wasn't afraid. These three were just ordinary girls; surely the book could handle them.
"Oh? You're talking back? Are you going to resist with that dusty old book, or maybe that little scrap of iron in your hand? Little. Boy?"
Izumi Nogami marched forward and snatched the "ring" right out of Alistair's hand before he could react, holding it up like a trophy.
Crap! It's not working?!
Alistair stared at the book in his hand, feeling cheated. He had tried to channel its energy, but nothing happened. Wait... why are they so quiet?
Alistair looked up. The three girls were standing perfectly still, their eyes vacant and glazed over like lifelike statues.