Endless Silver Machine

The daily classes at Shuoyue Academy are very easy for Ling and Wei Xi. They have practiced controlling magic power since they were children, so they are naturally familiar with it. Aika and Luoluo can barely keep up with the progress of the course, but Luoluo's acceptance ability is obviously much better than that of his brother.

In her spare time, Aika will visit Professor Cocona's research laboratory at the agreed time. General courses in the morning and afternoon cannot be skipped, and freshmen can only officially specialize in magic mechanics when they reach the second grade, so now he can only use his spare time to strengthen his abilities.

"Luoluo, Luoluo, this way!"

Several girls waved at the classroom door to Luoluo, who was about to say something to Aika.

As time went by, Luoluo had become close to the girls in the class, so after receiving an invitation during lunch time, she could only be separated from everyone for a while.

"How does it feel as a brother when your sister is taken away?"

Qiu Ke came over with his lunch box. She had already obtained Luoluo's consent before, so she put Luoluo's desk and Aika's desks together.

Wei Xi spread the tablecloth decorated with cloud patterns that she bought from the business district on the tabletop made of four desks, and fixed the four corners well.

"The other parties are all girls, so it's nothing."

"If it were a boy, would you care?"

"I will not limit my sister's life."

"But if Luo Luo is not here, you will feel a little lonely, right? Where are Ling and Wei Xi?"

"If you are lonely, you will still be a little bit..."

Ling whispered back while curling her blond hair with her fingers.

"Um……"

Wei Xi just expressed her feelings like this.

As he spoke, a faint sadness really spread in the small space.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have joked about this..."

Seeing the three people who were getting more and more depressed because of the topic he raised, Qiu Ke apologized with some embarrassment.

"No need to apologize, it's not Qiu Ke's fault." Aika opened her lunch box, which contained the rich dishes prepared by Luo Luo in the morning. "Like this, I feel like she is by my side."

"Don't say that Luoluo seems to have gone somewhere far away!"

"What do Luoluo and them usually talk about?"

Wei Xi tilted her head, while Ling spread her hands to show that she didn't know. The relationship between the two of them and those girls is also good, but they were not called this time, so they must have a complicated mood.

"Probably because they have something they need to confirm with Luoluo alone."

Now that Qiu Ke said so, maybe that's true.

As the monitor of the Twin Class, Qiu Ke is well aware of all major decisions and gossip about the class and even Shuoyue Academy.

Although he still looks unreliable at ordinary times, after spending such a long time together, everyone deeply felt that this monitor should not be underestimated.

"If it's something that must be confirmed with Luo Luo, it probably has something to do with you." Ling glanced at Aika, who looked nothing like a blood relationship with the perfect girl like Luo Luo, "You finally made something that will be recognized by everyone. Is it a stupid thing to take collective revenge?”

"How can it be!"

…………

On the other hand, on the roof of the teaching building, the girls' secret conversation is going on.

"Luoluo, how's it going? How far has it gone?"

"I've said it many times before, nothing really happened..."

"Isn't it possible? The atmosphere between the two of you is obviously not an ordinary relationship!"

"That's right!"

Surrounded by a group of girls who have awakened their gossip souls, Luoluo always sticks to his principles.

"That's your misunderstanding...My brother just needs me to be by his side to take care of him..."

"What about Ling and Wei Xi? Remember you said before that you met on the way here, right?"

"Um……"

Luoluo did not fully tell the truth, but simply explained their encounter with Ling and Wei Xi, and deliberately concealed the various twists and turns they experienced.

Fortunately, the girls who only cared about the complex relationship between the four people did not dwell on those details.

"As for Ling, I feel like there is still some distance between her and Aika based on her attitude."

"Yeah, I agree. As for Wei Xi, she sticks to Aika just because of the... paternal nature he exudes?"

One girl felt doubtful about the words she spoke. She put her finger to her lips and thought for a long time, but could not think of a more suitable adjective to replace "fatherly".

"F-fatherhood?!"

Luoluo was shocked by what her friend said. She had never even noticed this kind of thing.

"So in summary, Luoluo, you have the best chance!"

"No...I haven't thought about that kind of thing..."

"No need to say more, we all understand."

"Yeah, well, Luoluo, we will definitely support you with all our strength!"

"Blood relations and other things have long been an idea of ​​the old times."

Luo Luo didn't know what to say anymore and could only smile vaguely.

His eyes inadvertently glanced at the lunch box on his lap.

Now, my brother should be enjoying the lunch he prepared.

Just thinking about it, she felt a warmth in her heart.

But what exactly is this feeling?

Is it just a heart-to-heart connection and mutual dependence, or is it the emotion beyond that?

Why did I suddenly think of this question...

Probably they were brought into the rhythm. If you were a normal person, you would never be troubled by this kind of problem.

Well, that's it. So, just be the "Lolo" you usually are.

"Yes, yes, do you know? During the practical class yesterday..."

In order to take control of the topic, Luoluo took the lead in starting a new topic.

…………

After school, Aika walked alone in Shimozuki Academy.

Professor Cocona needs to go back to the Holy See tonight. The three girls living together also have their own personal matters and left the classroom early after school.

Speaking of which, the three of them seem to be discussing things in secret lately, and they often find excuses to leave early during free time like this. But they also went home well in the evening, and Ling was there, so there was no need for him to worry too much.

Aika walked aimlessly along the main street of Shigetsu Academy, thinking that she would just go back in time for dinner.

I had heard Wei Xi say before that they had already visited the interior of Frost Moon Academy with the girls in their class. However, Aika had started intense after-school tutoring when she first entered school, so she no longer specifically spent time visiting Frost Moon Academy. .

Whenever he has free time, Aika would wander around the academy like this. Now he is basically familiar with the surface layout of Shigetsuki Academy.

The reason why I say it is the superficial layout is because I heard some little-known secrets about Shimozuki Academy from Professor Cocona. If there is a chance, Aika plans to visit the so-called "Li Academy", but as an ordinary student now, he probably won't have the opportunity to come into contact with it.

When he raised his head, the magnificent library located at the end of the main road came into Aika's sight.

I've passed this place several times but never been inside.

I don't know why I suddenly became interested in it today, and Aika walked towards the stairs leading to the big library.

The axially symmetrical structure perfectly embodies a stable and rigorous atmosphere. In the reception hall, a thick tree trunk that looks very old stands in the center, and the registration desk is built around the trunk.

The librarian who was supposed to be on duty at the registration desk is now nowhere to be seen, and it has been some time since school. There are not many students lingering in the large library, and unused desks are neatly arranged deep in the hall.

Spiral staircases on both sides lead to the higher floors of the Great Library.

Looking up, I roughly estimated that the large library of Shimozuki Academy was about five stories high.

The elegant staircase should be just a decoration. Probably no one would leave the convenient lift platform unused and choose to climb slowly.

Now that we've come this far, let's borrow a few books and go back and read them.

Aika's PDA has been registered with the server of Shuoyue Academy. As long as it is verified at the registration desk, it can freely borrow materials here, which is very convenient.

"Well, let me take a look...magical mechanics..."

Aika found the floor where the required information was located on the navigation map.

…………

All the books had been sorted into categories, and it didn't take much time for Aika to find her target.

This should be attributed to the serious work of the librarian. When you go back to register, you should say thank you to the other person.

Having said that, the librarian doesn't know if he's back now, and he can't register if he's not back yet.

With this in mind, Aika pressed the button for the elevator to the first floor.

At this time, the reception hall was different from the previous tranquility. Aika heard the voices of several people arguing, which was particularly harsh in the empty hall. And one of the voices seemed familiar.

He walked towards the registration desk where the sound of arguments came from, and the view obscured by the thick tree trunks gradually opened up.

It seemed that a strong boy wanted to leave the library, and another girl stood in front of him regardless of her physical disadvantage.

At this time, as long as you stand far away, the fire of the incident will not be drawn to yourself. But Aika had a reason why she couldn't just sit on the sidelines.

"Isn't it enough to just turn a blind eye?"

"As long as there is a first time, there will definitely be a second time. I must do what a librarian should do!"

"Don't be so rigid in your life. Can't you just deal with work and stuff?"

It seemed that the boy was not someone who resorted to violence casually. He was stopped at the exit just hoping to persuade the girl who was insisting on something. But the other party did not compromise easily, and the result was such a stalemate.

The girl's shoulders were shaking slightly, and tears were already seeping out of the corners of her eyes. But she didn't lower her head to cover it up, she just glared at the boy in front of her from beginning to end.

Probably because he thought it would be embarrassing if someone came in suddenly and saw this situation, the boy finally extended his hand impatiently. He probably just wanted to push the girl away, but the difference in physique between the two was difficult to grasp, and the girl was pushed to the ground.

Aika couldn't help but intervene to stop the development of the situation.

The boy's attack happened too suddenly. Although Aika could roughly guess the cause of the incident, the actual solution had not yet considered the feasibility.

Now that I have stood up, I can only bite the bullet.

Aika reached out and pulled up the girl who was pushed, and the other girl showed a surprised look. The look in her eyes showed that she still remembered herself.

Aika returned her attention to the boy in front of her.

"Senior, if you take books out of the library without registration, and the committee finds out, it will leave a black mark on your final grade point and affect your graduation."

There was a cold sweat on his back, and Aika didn't know if such bravado would work on him.

Judging from the uniform, the other party is a third-year student, so even a first-year transfer student will not leave much of an impression on them. He should not recognize himself.

Moreover, if it is a repeat offender, the method will not be so gentle. Aika could tell he was on the verge of wavering.

At this time, all you need to do is push him behind his back.

"Tsk!"

I don't know if the threat of affecting graduation was too powerful for the third-year students. The boy reluctantly threw the materials that exceeded his borrowing permission on the registration table and left the big library angrily.

It wasn't until his back completely disappeared that Aika felt his whole body go limp, and the back of his uniform was soaked with sweat.

"That, that..." the girl who was protected behind him said softly, "Thank you for coming to help..."

"Senior?"

"I'm sorry last time, I ran away without properly apologizing to you..."

They collided at the door of the principal's office. Although their eyes only met for a few seconds, both sides remembered each other's faces.

She lowered her head deeply, and the pale yellow ribbon tied to her short purple shoulder-length hair also hung down.

"It didn't matter what happened at that time, and the senior also apologized properly at that time."

"But it was so out of control at the time!"

"Are these books important?"

Aika organized the books that the boy had thrown carelessly at the registration desk and handed them to the senior sister. She took the folded book and held it against her chest.

"I don't know all the books here, but there is a rule that books starting from the fourth floor cannot be borrowed. That person doesn't seem to know about this rule."

"I see."

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." The senior girl tucked her hair behind her ears slightly, "I am Lilith from the second-year maiden class, and I am also the librarian of this big library."

Her smile was as warm as spring rain.

…………