"Knowledge can sometimes be more of a curse than a blessing."
Not long after, all four of them stepped into the school library.
Karen quickly came to a realization—Albert wasn't the suave playboy everyone assumed he was.
"In the end, he's just a book geek... a perfect match for Alissa. Or... maybe for me? No—what am I doing? Don't forget, Karen. Don't forget who you are, and who he is."
Meanwhile, Alissa's thoughts spiraled too.
"How did we end up in the library? Shouldn't we be in class? And why does Albert look so excited? Don't tell me he's a book lover like me... I mean, I've seen him in here before, but... of course he loves books. After all, he's my destined one."
"So you finally returned," came a warm, aged voice.
It was the old librarian, wandering near a bookshelf.
"Hello, Ms. Philippa," Mai greeted as they walked in further.
"Hi hi!" Philippa waved and strolled past them.
They reached the center of the library, surrounded by shelves stacked to the ceiling.
Mai turned to Arvard. "What kind of books do you like, Albert?"
"Well… before coming here, I mostly read really old scientific texts and encyclopedias. And by 'old,' I don't mean a hundred or two hundred years. I mean way older."
"Wow! How did you even find books like that?" Alissa asked, eyes wide.
Arvard laughed nervously. "Maybe I'll tell you... another time."
Trying to shift the mood, Mai asked, "Did you start reading the books you borrowed on the first day?"
"Oh, yeah. I finished them and returned them yesterday."
Mai blinked. "Wait—what?"
"You mean those books we helped you carry to class?" Karen asked.
Out of nowhere, Ms. Philippa reappeared, holding a book in her hand.
"Yes, he returned them yesterday," the librarian confirmed, then handed the book to Arvard. "Thought you might like this one."
The moment Arvard read the title, his eyes sparkled like he'd found a hidden treasure.
"What book is it?" Alissa asked. She glanced at the cover. All About the Moon.
She looked back at Arvard, who wore a knowing, mischievous smile. That smile told her everything.
He loved the moon.
Arvard sat down at the nearest seat, already flipping through the pages. In that moment, nothing else mattered to him—he just wanted to see what humans had discovered about his favorite celestial body.
He opened the book and dove into its contents, completely oblivious to the others.
"Looks like he found what he was looking for," Karen said. She turned to Alissa and gently took her hand. "Let's look for something together."
"Yeah," Alissa smiled, then turned to Mai. "You coming?"
"Sure," Mai nodded, and the three walked off toward the novel section, leaving Arvard behind.
Karen browsed the shelves. "What kind of novels do you like, Mai?"
"Love stories," Mai said, picking up a book titled Demon's Love. "But I prefer tragic ones."
"Ugh. On the other hand, Alissa hates those," Karen said with a chuckle.
"Oh? Why's that?" Mai asked.
Alissa laughed a little. "I don't exactly hate them. I just... can't bring myself to read them."
Mai smiled softly. "To me, the stories we remember most are the ones that end in tragedy."
Karen nodded, still holding Alissa's hand. "I agree. In those stories where the girl dies, leaving her lover with only memories... even if the writer calls it a happy ending, we all know it would've been better if they'd lived together instead."
"So basically, you two enjoy pain?" Alissa teased.
"That's one way to put it," Karen grinned.
Alissa pulled out a book and glanced toward the center. "Shouldn't we check on Albert? He might be lonely."
Karen laughed. "The moment he touched that book, he forgot we even existed."
"Yeah... I think he'll be pretty occupied for a while," Mai said, picking up another book titled S.I.N.
"I've picked mine," Mai whispered.
Karen chose one called Last Kiss.
They turned to return—but Arvard was no longer at his seat.
They scanned the area, confused.
Rushing to the librarian's desk, they found the moon book sitting there. Ms. Philippa was now engrossed in a small Japanese novel.
Without even glancing up, she said, "If you're looking for him, he went downstairs after finishing that book. Said he wanted to see something."
Just then, the lift doors opened. Arvard stepped out with a disappointed expression.
He approached them. "Sorry. Were you looking for me?"
"You finished that book in like... six minutes?" Karen said, picking it up—it was heavier than it looked.
Arvard quickly realized he couldn't admit to using magic. "Oh, I'd already read most of it before. Just had 15 pages left."
No one completely believed him... but it was hard to argue. Reading that whole thing in five minutes? Impossible.
"Did you guys choose your books?" Arvard asked.
"Yup," Mai replied with a nod.
They had spent their first hour in the library.
Suddenly, Arvard stood up. Mai, who was sitting beside him, flinched.
"What's wrong?" Alissa whispered.
"Can we... go somewhere else now? Please?" Arvard asked, his voice unusually polite.
All three girls exchanged glances. Their expressions asked the same thing: Should we?
Alissa closed her book and stood up. "Fine by me."
Seeing her move, Mai and Karen stood up too.
They walked over to the librarian to get their books issued.
Once done, they exited the library.
Karen asked, "Where to now?"
"I was thinking... maybe you could show me around the island. I heard there are a lot of interesting places," Arvard said excitedly.
He pulled out his phone. "Let me see if I can arrange a vehicle."
"Who are you gonna ask?" Mai asked, walking beside him.
"Someone... close to my family," Arvard said with a small laugh.
"We can just call a taxi," Alissa offered, a little unsure if she'd said the right thing. "No need to trouble your friend."
"He's not exactly a family friend. Let's just say... he owes a lot to us. So he'll be happy to help," Arvard replied cryptically.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He answered. "I need a car for four. Yes—right now. We're heading to the parking lot." Then he hung up.
Everyone noticed—Arvard wasn't always this polite.
Karen moved ahead, then turned. "Shouldn't we make a plan first?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," Arvard said.
"Wanna go see that movie we talked about yesterday?" Karen asked Alissa.
Alissa hesitated, a little flustered. "Fine."
They continued walking in silence until Alissa asked, "So... where's your home, Albert?"
Arvard slowed his pace. When he reached Alissa's side, he replied, "It's a small city in Sweden. You probably haven't heard of it."
"Oh—Sweden," Mai mused.
"How many people are there in your family?" Karen asked.
They passed the garden and the reception road.
"Dad, Mom, b—" Arvard paused. He had almost said brother.
Then he smiled, almost bitterly. "Whatever. It's not like we were close anyway."
"...And a sister," he finished.
"A sister?" Alissa asked gently. "Is she younger or older than you?"
"She's younger," Arvard said with a small laugh.
"Bet her eyes are like yours," Karen said casually.
But Arvard's gaze turned distant.
"No. Her eyes are nothing like mine. In our old town, they were considered cursed. She had big, silver eyes... they shone brighter than mine ever could."