The next day after school, Lin En Tongxue deliberately avoided the noisy basketball practice, walking along the ivy-covered corridor towards the depths of the teaching building.
The Classical Literature Club's activity room was tucked away in the most secluded corner, a faded nameplate hanging on its wooden door. Sunlight streamed through the window at the end of the corridor, casting long, slender streaks of light on the floor.
When he pushed open the door, Chitanda Eru was kneeling beside a low table, a stack of yellowed documents spread out before her.
Today she was wearing a light beige cardigan, her long hair loosely tied back, with a few strands falling beside her cheeks.
Hearing the movement, she looked up, her purple eyes, like grapes soaked in sunlight, instantly brightened.
“Lin En Tongxue, you really came.” Her tone carried obvious delight, and she gently pressed her hands on the documents. “Thank you for telling me the details of the Cultural Festival yesterday, but I’ve discovered a new problem.”
Lin En Tongxue sat opposite her, his gaze sweeping over the documents on the table. The edges of the paper were brittle, neatly written kana in fountain pen, and the date at the bottom was ten years ago.
The air was filled with the dry scent unique to old paper, mixed with the fragrance of cherry blossoms drifting in from outside the window.
“Is it about the records of past Cultural Festivals?” He noticed the words “Classical Literature Club Old Collection” printed on the document bag, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the wood grain of the table—this was his habit when thinking.
Chitanda Eru nodded vigorously, pushing one page towards him: “Look here, the Heisei 23 Cultural Festival’s special event column says ‘Nighttime Test of Courage Cancelled,’ but the reason only states ‘force majeure.’ I asked Teacher Shibasaki, who was the advisor, and he said the records from that time were lost long ago.”
She leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table. Her eyes, always filled with curiosity, now stared at Lin En Tongxue like searchlights: “The preparation meeting minutes from the day before still said ‘everything is ready,’ so why was it suddenly cancelled? And none of the post-event reports from all participants mentioned the specific reason, which is too strange—don’t you think?”
Lin En Tongxue’s gaze fell on the four characters “force majeure.” The ink was a bit smudged, as if the pen tip had paused too long while writing.
He recalled the “Basic Observation Skills (Lv.1)” he had exchanged—after much hesitation last night, he still used 50 points to exchange for this skill. Now, subtle clues indeed appeared in his mind: there were faint water stains on the edge of the document, as if it had been soaked in rain; on the back of the page, faded ink marks were vaguely visible, which, when pieced together, looked like the words “Old School Building West Wing.”
“It is indeed quite unusual.” He didn’t directly state his discovery, but instead looked up at Chitanda Eru. “The venue for a Test of Courage is usually chosen in a secluded place. Does the Old School Building West Wing fit this condition?”
Chitanda Eru blinked, clearly not expecting him to immediately pinpoint the location, then showed a look of sudden realization: “Oh right! How did I not think of that! The Old School Building West Wing was sealed off ten years ago due to aging circuits and was only renovated last year—could the cancellation at that time be related to it?”
Her fingers unconsciously twirled the ends of her hair, and her speaking speed grew faster and faster: “Could it be that someone encountered an accident there? Or discovered something? But why hide it?”
Watching her engrossed in thought, Lin En Tongxue suddenly felt that this pure curiosity might be more approachable than Kaguya Shinomiya’s sharp edge.
He cleared his throat, bringing the conversation back to reality: “If you want to know the answer, perhaps we can investigate from two directions.”
Chitanda Eru immediately quieted down, sitting up straight with her hands on her knees, like a student awaiting instruction: “Please tell me.”
“First, check the weather records from that year.” Lin En Tongxue extended a finger and lightly tapped on the table. “If there was heavy rain or a typhoon, it might lead to the cancellation of the event, but there would be no need to hide such a situation, so the possibility is small.”
“Second, find people who experienced that Cultural Festival.” He paused, then added, “The Student Council members or Classical Literature Club members from that time should still be in town; perhaps someone remembers the details.”
Chitanda Eru’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if she had found the key puzzle piece: “Right! I can go to the City Hall’s meteorological archives to check the weather records, what do you think…” She suddenly stopped, her cheeks slightly flushed. “I mean, if Lin En Tongxue isn’t busy, would you like to go together?”
Her voice grew softer and softer, the last few words almost inaudible, her hands nervously clasped together. Lin En Tongxue could see the pink blush on her ear tips—this was how she showed embarrassment, completely different from Kitagawa Marin’s flustered reaction.
【Event Triggered: Chitanda Eru’s Joint Investigation Invitation】
【Bond Progress: 3% → 5% (She regards you as a partner with whom she can explore mysteries)】
【Points Gained: 20 points】
【Current Points: 280 points】
The moment the system prompt popped up, Lin En Tongxue’s gaze met Chitanda Eru’s expectant yet uneasy eyes. He suddenly recalled the time-limited mission at the end of the first chapter—to achieve a bond of “friend” or higher with three key characters. The girl before him had clearly opened a crack in the door for him.
“Yes.” As he nodded, he noticed Chitanda Eru visibly relax, the curve of her lips as gentle as a new moon. “However, it’s too late today; City Hall should already be closed. How about after school tomorrow?”
“Mm!” Chitanda Eru nodded vigorously, carefully putting the documents into a manila envelope. “I’ll check the archive’s opening hours in advance!” As she stood up, her skirt rustled as it brushed the floor. “Then I’ll go to the Student Council to ask if they have contact information for members from that year. See you tomorrow, Lin En Tongxue!”
She ran out of the activity room like a light-footed deer, and soon the sound of her footsteps faded down the corridor. Lin En Tongxue looked at the open door; the setting sun was slowly climbing along the doorframe, casting his shadow long.
On the table, Chitanda Eru’s teacup remained, with a faint ring of water stains on the rim.
Lin En Tongxue picked up the cup, his fingertips touching the cool ceramic surface—this was the first time in the three years since he transmigrated to this world that he had been explicitly included in someone’s plan, rather than being a fleeting background character.
“Nighttime Test of Courage…” He repeated the phrase softly, his mind already beginning to plan tomorrow’s route.
【Time-Limited Mission Progress Update: Key Character Chitanda Eru Bond Progress 5% (Not yet met “friend” standard)】
【Hint: 10% bond progress must be achieved to be classified as a “friend” relationship】
Lin En Tongxue raised an eyebrow. It seemed the system’s definition of “friend” was stricter than he had imagined.
He placed the teacup back in its original spot, and as he stood up to close the window, he saw a familiar figure shooting hoops on the sports field—it was Kawasaki Saki, the basketball arcing smoothly from her hands and swishing through the net.
On the system panel, Kawasaki Saki’s avatar frame lit up briefly, her bond progress staying at 2%.
“Six more days.” Lin En Tongxue locked the activity room door, the light in the corridor gradually dimming. “It seems I need to speed things up.”
As he walked towards the stairwell, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It wasn’t a system prompt, but a text message from “Kato Megumi”—the girl he had helped pick up scattered manga books for in the Library last week.
The message was simple: “Lin En Tongxue, could I borrow your modern literature lecture notes to copy tomorrow afternoon? I was absent from school today.”
Lin En Tongxue paused, tapping out a reply on the screen: “Yes, I’ll give them to you tomorrow morning.”
When the “sent successfully” notification popped up, he could almost see the calm expression of the girl, who always wore her school uniform and had a placid demeanor, as she received the message.
【Character: Kato Megumi】
【Bond Progress: 1% → 2% (She has begun to regard you as a classmate she can ask for help)】
Lin En Tongxue put away his phone, a barely perceptible curve forming on his lips. Perhaps, there were more paths to completing the mission than he had imagined.