The moment she stepped out of the cafeteria, Xiye hurriedly felt her chest, trying to sense where that octopus tentacle had settled in her body. However, an impassable pair of massive rice cakes stood between her hand and her ribs; the only things her palm could feel were elasticity and softness.
It was just like when she was a child and accidentally swallowed a watermelon seed, spending the entire night worrying if a watermelon would sprout in her stomach and burst through her skin.
Xiye was worried that the tentacle might also take root and sprout in her stomach, eventually taking complete control of her. Based on her understanding of Evil Gods, such a feat was well within their power and easily accomplished.
“Actually, Xiye is already dead. The one truly controlling her is the tentacle inside her body…” Sensibility whispered in her ear.
“No! I don’t want to die!” Instinct clutched its head, shrinking into a corner and trembling.
“W-what are you panicking for! You two useless cowards!” Reason picked them both up, one in each hand. “It’s just being parasitized by an Evil God’s tentacle. What’s there to be afraid of!”
“…Then why is your voice shaking?” Sensibility asked.
“Shut up!”
The three little figures argued in Xiye’s head for a long time. The final conclusion they reached was to check the school library. Arkham Academy was a century-old institution, after all; there were many records regarding Evil Gods, so there had to be a solution.
The library was a standalone three-story villa located not far from the teaching building. Its decorative style resembled a corner of a magic academy. The wooden bookshelves were piled high with massive tomes whose covers were worn to a blur. With every step she took, the bleached wooden floorboards let out a tooth-aching “creak.”
Passing the front desk and walking past the drowsy librarian, Xiye left the second floor—which served primarily as the general knowledge area—and headed straight for the Restricted Section.
The Restricted Section seemed to be a universal tradition among libraries. As long as a library existed, there would be a special area used to store forbidden books, waiting for the protagonist of a story to pay a visit and discover forbidden knowledge within.
Thinking about it that way, wasn’t the Restricted Section actually kind of erotic? Just like a heroine in a doujinshi who says “don’t come in” with her mouth, but in reality, she’s desperately looking forward to you breaking in and taking something away.
The former legendary investigator thought to herself as she went upstairs.
She referred to these strange thoughts that spontaneously erupted in her mind as the “Inland Empire,” believing they could significantly exercise her thinking abilities—a practice she indulged in with great pleasure.
Upon reaching the third floor, she saw a rusted sign hanging from a precarious chain that read: “Do Not Enter. Violators Proceed at Their Own Risk.” Its function was exactly like the hands a doujinshi heroine used for cover—completely useless.
“Can we please stop discussing doujinshi heroines? If we don’t find a solution soon, I think you’re going to become a ‘heroine’ yourself very quickly,” Reason said crossly.
“Don’t exclude yourself. You’re me too, okay?”
Xiye had grown accustomed to arguing with “herself.” Often, the process of arguing allowed her to make clearer logical judgments, so she didn’t consider it a mental disorder.
With a slight lift of her leg, she stepped over the chain and entered the dust-covered third floor. The young girl’s gaze searched the cobweb-drenched bookshelves, and she was quickly drawn to the title of one book:
—”The Untellable Secrets Between Cthulhu and His Siblings ♡!”
Hey, is this the kind of book that should be appearing in a place like this?
Judging by the title alone, it was an ancient text containing hidden, forbidden knowledge about the evil Great Old Ones, but once that heart symbol was added, everything became rather intriguing.
How could they leave this kind of thing in a library? What if a little Deep One saw it? This is too much!
Xiye reached out and pulled the book down, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Let me give this a proper critique!
As the book was removed from the shelf, a gap appeared between the remaining volumes, offering a view of the other side. Just as Xiye was about to look down, her attention was caught by the light on the opposite side.
The light fell from a skylight, carving out a distinct triangular zone in the dim room. This area seemed to form a clear personal field, cordoning off everything around it and illuminating only the protagonist within—a petite girl with long golden hair.
“Hmm…?”
Xiye rested her hand on the shelf, leaning her body slightly forward. Her crimson eyes reflected the familiar face that was rendered pure white by the halo of light.
Her pupils dilated slightly.
Huang Xiaoyi? What is she doing here?
Doubt rising in her heart, Xiye narrowed her eyes, wanting to see more clearly.
The petite girl was still wearing the black uniform from this morning. Her long, dense golden eyelashes were like stalks of wheat blowing in the wind under the sun. Her lips were bitten thin, her shoulders were hunched, and her small frame was stiff as a board.
Her hands were propped up on either side of her, and her sheer, gauzy skirt was spread across the table like unfurling waves…
Could she be…
The posture in Xiye’s imagination gradually overlapped with the person before her eyes. Xiye was like a traveler seeking secrets in a kingdom of curses, drawing closer to the truth step by step.
And Huang Xiaoyi noticed nothing. Separated by a single bookshelf, a pair of eyes was taking everything in.