Fantasy Libary 25

Title: An Intriguing Little Girl

In the end, the incident of the sudden attack remained unresolved.

The identity of the attacker was still unknown, and the method they used wasn’t particularly unique. Even if Claudia called the disciplinary committee to investigate, it was unlikely they would find anything.

In Asterisk, such incidents weren’t uncommon. Competitors in the Festas often became targets of cunning rivals or others with hidden motives. Even Julis herself didn’t seem too concerned, merely stating that she would remember Ark and Kirin’s assistance before letting the matter drop.

This also seemed to put an end to Ayato’s earlier intrusion into her room. Ayato felt as though he had narrowly escaped disaster.

Once the situation was resolved and there was no more entertainment to be had, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.

Many would have preferred to linger, considering that the Lightning Blade (ranked first), the Thousand Sights Monarch (ranked second), the Witch of the Resplendent Flame (ranked fifth), and the Wandering Star Swordsman (ranked thirteenth but considered Page One caliber) were all present. Staying might have led to something interesting.

However, Ark and the others weren’t interested in entertaining the audience. Under Claudia’s direction, they dispersed.

“I-I’ll take my leave now!”

Kirin was the first to go, almost running away in her haste.

Julis glanced at Ayato one more time before stepping back into the girls’ dormitory, her expression clearly annoyed.

“Thank you for helping me, President.” Ayato said with a wry smile, expressing his gratitude to Claudia.

“It’s just a small matter; no need to thank me.” Claudia replied, covering her mouth as she chuckled softly. “I’ve already contacted your roommate. She’ll be here soon to guide you, so you won’t end up in... strange places again.”

“...Thank you.”

Ayato laughed awkwardly, clearly embarrassed, and thanked her once more.

Seeing that the drama was over, Ark decided to leave.

“I’m heading out. See you later.” He said, waving as he turned to go.

As he walked away, Ark felt a sharp gaze on his back.

He quickly turned to look.

“Is something wrong, Ark-kun?”

Claudia was looking at him with her usual calm expression, her tone filled with curiosity.

“...No, it’s nothing.”

Scratching his cheek, Ark confirmed that Claudia’s demeanor hadn’t changed at all. Relieved but still feeling a little uneasy, he continued on his way.

Unbeknownst to him, as soon as he left, Claudia’s serene smile faded, replaced by a complicated expression.

“President?”

Ayato noticed and hesitantly called out to her.

“Ah, my apologies.”

Claudia snapped back to reality, composing herself. She smiled at Ayato and said, “Was there something you wanted to talk to me about, Ayato-kun?”

“...Yes.”

Ayato paused for a moment before speaking.

“It’s about my sister.”

“I see.”

Claudia didn’t seem surprised at all. Nodding, she said, “This isn’t the best place to talk. Let’s go to the student council office.”

With a small nod, Ayato agreed.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Elsewhere, after leaving the dormitory area, Ark noticed someone waiting for him after walking for a while.

“Senpai!”

Kirin stood in the middle of the path, looking relieved as she saw Ark approaching.

“Were you waiting for me?”

Ark found her emotions clearly written on her face, which amused him greatly. Suppressing a smile, he walked closer.

“Y-Yes.” Kirin stammered. She didn’t know what Ark was thinking. Seeing his gentle smile as he approached, she grew nervous and said softly, “Since you saved me earlier, I wanted to thank you properly.”

“You’re the one who’s right, aren’t you?”

Ark chuckled softly. “But I already said, that attack wasn’t serious for you. Even if I hadn’t stepped in, you could have handled it just fine.”

“...Even so, I’m still very grateful, Senpai.”

Kirin looked up to meet his gaze but quickly averted her eyes again, as if unable to maintain eye contact. Bowing her head slightly, she said hesitantly, “In that situation... letting it all go would have been more beneficial for you, right?”

At first, Ark didn’t quite understand what Kirin meant, but he quickly caught on.

“You mean, if I hadn’t stepped in, you might have been injured. And if you were injured, it would have given me a slight advantage when I challenged you again. Is that it?”

Ark’s words hit the mark, revealing Kirin’s thoughts.

“I-I’m sorry!” Kirin immediately apologized, her voice filled with embarrassment. “I know thinking like that is over the top...”

“It’s not a big deal.” Ark replied nonchalantly, shaking his head. “After all, I am the challenger aiming for your position. It’s only natural for you to think more carefully about everything.”

“That’s how things work in this city, right? Almost everyone is a competitor, and the number of people willing to use any means to climb higher is too many to count. The sneak attack on the Witch of the Resplendent Flame earlier proves that.”

“You’re still young. Being cautious is the right thing to do. Being too naive and innocent would be far more dangerous.”

As he said, “You’re still young.” Ark couldn’t help but glance at Kirin’s chest, where her uniform seemed barely able to contain it.

‘Yeah, this is still ridiculous.’

Completely unaware of the inappropriate thoughts running through Ark’s mind, Kirin finally showed her first smile, a hint of shyness coloring her youthful face.

“Senpai really is a good person.” she said softly.

And just like that, the little girl handed Ark the “Good Person Card.”

Ark wanted to argue.

Whether he was a good person or not was still debatable, but Kirin’s kindness was undeniable.

He didn’t think so because he knew Julis’s character from the original story or her personality in detail. Rather, it was Kirin’s earlier actions when she rushed to help Julis that convinced him.

As Ark mentioned, almost everyone in this city was a competitor.

For Kirin, the same logic applied.

Julis, ranked fifth at Seidoukan Academy, was already near the top. She was a potential threat to Kirin’s position at any time.

In such a situation, the most beneficial thing for Kirin would have been to stay on the sidelines.

Yet, when Kirin saw Julis being attacked, she didn’t hesitate to intervene.

Despite her shy personality, her reluctance to stand out, and her controlling uncle who treated her like a tool, Kirin still chose to act.

It was a futile effort with no clear benefit to her.

Yet, she stepped forward, proving the sincerity of her kind heart.

In comparison, Ark didn’t consider himself a truly good person.

But as he saw the shy smile on Kirin’s face, he realized none of that mattered.

“Your smile is really sweet.” Ark said sincerely. “You should smile more often.”

Kirin seemed surprised by his comment. She paused for a moment, then her face turned red.

“Cute? No, no!” she stammered, so embarrassed that she started rambling.

“S-Senpai is the amazing one! You’ve been so kind to me both last time and this time! And you saved me! Senpai is really, really cool...”

In the end, Kirin became so flustered that her voice trailed off into near silence.

“I-I’ll go now!”

Unable to bear her embarrassment, Kirin bowed deeply.

Her movement was so exaggerated that her shirt seemed ready to reveal more, almost causing Ark to lose his composure.

Before he could react, Kirin turned and ran away.

Ark stood there, watching her run off, before smiling wryly.

“She really is an intriguing little girl...” He murmured.