Arc 5: Break - Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Arc 5: Break - Chapter 6

Man, this Leng Peng is unbelievably stubborn. Not even the looming threat of permanent death seems to faze him, as he keeps finding ways to bother us—though his focus on pestering Octavia is far more intense than the rest of us.

It feels like five hours have passed, or at least that's my guess, since we returned to the cafeteria for a second lunch. Throughout this time, Leng Peng has shamelessly bombarded Octavia with pick-up lines. Most of them are just recycled versions of what he's already said, slightly rephrased to sound "new."

So yeah, it's been a one-sided spectacle of Leng Peng trying—and failing—to court Octavia, clearly aiming to add her to his collection of lovers.

"No. I've said no many times. Get it through your thick skull—I do not want to be in any kind of relationship with you." Octavia snaps, her voice sharp and icy. Her fingers twitch as glowing demonic runes spiral into existence, wrapping around them ominously. The air around her practically radiant restrained power, a clear warning that her patience was running dangerously thin.

"But my heart yearns for you, wishing only to hold you in my arms so you may feel the rhythm of my heart beating solely for you." Leng Peng declares with dramatic flair, completely oblivious to—or perhaps just outright ignoring—the ominous demonic runes surrounding Octavia's fingers. The heat emanating from her demonic magic is hard not to pay attention to now, creating heat waves in the air around her.

You know, crazy voices. For some reason, Leng Peng's declaration just translates differently for me. It's as if what he really said was: I desire you and want to trap you in a cage forever, where the only thing you can feel is my obsessive desire.

No clue why I'm hearing it like that, but something about it feels... off. Do you guys think it could be the Heart of Eldritch doing this? Might be. If I had to place a bet, that's where my money's going.

"Oh, hey, someone's shouting about how they could be a better young master of the Peng Clan," I said in a purposefully dull tone, pointing in a random direction. To sell the lie, I subtly used Glitching to tweak Leng Peng's mental state, making him believe every word I said—no matter how nonsensical it might have sounded to anyone else.

"They're courting death!" Leng Peng bellowed, immediately rushing off in the direction I pointed. He didn't even hesitate, going so far as to activate his travel method reserved for high school, streaking straight ahead like a missile chasing its target.

"Couldn't you have done that sooner?!" Octavia exclaimed, glaring at me with wide, incredulous eyes. "Hours! Hours of his endless nonsense about trying to make me his lover—ugh, just one of his many forsaken harem members!"

I shrugged, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "Honestly, I thought you'd have blasted him into the next dimension by now. I mean, you've got the patience of a saint to let him keep running his mouth like that." I paused and tilted my head. "Couldn't you have just cast a spell to shut him up? Like, something to literally seal his mouth or keep him from talking?"

"I did." Octavia shot back, crossing her arms in frustration. "But nothing worked. I've been subtly trying to make him leave all this time, but every spell failed. It's like he's got some innate resistance to getting a clue! I was this close—this close!—to resorting to just burning him away long enough to enjoy a few blessed moments of peace and quiet. At least until he resurrected." She sighed, flexing her fingers as faint embers still flickered around her hands.

"So, when can I fight you guys?" Taejin asked, her grin brimming with fighting spirit as her eyes glowed excitedly.

"Eh?" Weiss glanced at Taejin briefly before shifting her attention back to her nails, examining them with exaggerated disinterest. "Wouldn't it be better if I finished learning Renewal Taekwondo first? Also, don't you have any other hobbies? You know, besides fighting?"

"Sorry, I'm not really into fighting... well, not really sorry." Ruby said with a playful smile, sticking her tongue out at Taejin.

"Don't even think about looking at me." Octavia rolled her eyes dramatically when she noticed Taejin glancing her way. "I'm not in a good mood." She taps her fingertips onto the table with a clear warning written all over her face.

"I'm a lover, not a fighter." I said, flashing a disarming smile at Taejin when her gaze inevitably landed on me.

All the girls, including Taejin herself, scoffed at me in perfect unison, their synchronized disbelief almost comedic.

"That's a lie, no matter how you spin it." Taejin retorted, squinting at me suspiciously, her tone dripping with disbelief.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feigning offense at her words, my expression a picture of disbelief. "If I were a fighter, do you think I'd have earned the titles Caretaker and Home of the Eldritch Pantheon? Those don't exactly scream 'fighter,' you know." I gave Taejin my most serious look, channeling every ounce of conviction into my voice. "If I'm wrong, then strike me with lightning—"

My sentence was cut off as I was actually struck by lightning. Indoors. In the cafeteria, of all places.

Taejin smirked, crossing her arms as she tilted her head at me. "Seems like you are a fighter." She teased, her grin as smug as it was thriving.

The other girls burst into giggles, their laughter echoing through the room.

Sighing, I snapped my fingers, activating Boundary Manipulation. Instantly, my body returned to peak condition, completely unscathed, as though I hadn't just been fried like a human lightning rod. My clothes were perfect, my hair was excellent, and not a scorch mark remained.

"Happy now?" I muttered, giving them all a flat look while they continued to laugh at my expense.

"Alright, let's head back to the library. I'm full now." Ruby patted her stomach with a satisfied smile, clearly ready to move on.

"Ugh…" Weiss frowned but eventually sighed in resignation as she got up from her seat. "Let's just get this over with. Hopefully, I can find a book that'll actually teach me more about fashion."

"Why would you guys want to go to a boring place like the library?" Taejin asked, staring at all of us in disbelief. "As part of the Action Genre, wouldn't it make way more sense for us to fight each other? We'd find our weaknesses, fix them, and improve ourselves to become better! That's how it's supposed to work!"

"Exactly." Octavia replied without missing a beat, slowly blinking at Taejin as though explaining something painfully obvious. "That's what the library is for."

Taejin's confused expression only deepened, so Octavia elaborated. "Oh, right, no one told you yet. Each genre has its own version of a library. Don't expect the Action Genre's library to be the same as, say, the Drama or Romance Genre's library. Sure, you can just read the books like normal, but you can also use your library card to transfer your mind to the book and experience it firsthand, like a virtual reality world. It's way more immersive and effective than any sparring match could ever be."

The sheer absurdity of the concept made Taejin pause; her fighting spirit momentarily dimmed as she processed Octavia's words. "...Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I didn't know that was a thing either until we got our library cards." Ruby nods toward Taejin. "There's a test you have to pass to get one, along with some rules you'll need to follow. You can tag along with us to the library, and the Action Genre's Librarian can explain everything to you. Oh, and that's literally its name—Action Genre's Librarian." She shrugs.

"Unless, of course, you'd prefer to stay here and keep eating at the cafeteria?" I teased, glancing at Taejin before instinctively ducking as a contractor zipped past me, narrowly missing me in their haste. "Ruby, the portal." I said without missing a beat.

Ruby nodded and pulled out a Gold Ring, twirling it skillfully to open a portal leading to the Action Genre's library.

Without further ado, everyone, including Taejin, stepped through the glowing gateway. A split second later, we found ourselves back in the familiar yet imposing library, its towering shelves stretching endlessly into the distance.

"All right." I said, motioning toward Taejin as I took the lead. "We can take a moment to relax before grabbing our next books to read. In the meantime, I'll show you where the Action Genre's Librarian hangs out so you can get started on earning your library card."

With that, I began walking toward the librarian's designated area, the others following behind as the echo of our footsteps filled the grand, almost otherworldly silence of the library.

"Is the library supposed to be this quiet? I kind of expected to at least hear some pages flipping or whispers between readers." Taejin remarked, her frown deepening as she glanced around the eerily silent space.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Octavia replied flatly, barely sparing a glance at Taejin as she walked alongside us, her tone making it clear she had no answers to offer.

Before any of us could respond further, a new voice echoed through the stillness.

"Greetings, everyone. Oh! I see there's someone new in your group." The calm, authoritative tone of the Action Genre's Librarian came into their presence, commanding attention the moment they spoke. "So, it seems another person desires to obtain a library card." The Action Genre's Librarian continued smoothly. "Well, come over here to take the test. And remember." The glasses shine from the lights, and invisible eyes sweep over the rest of us, warning. "You cannot assist her. This is something she must accomplish on her own."

Taejin blinked, momentarily caught off guard, but quickly regained her composure, her usual confident smirk returning as she stepped forward. "Sounds like my kind of challenge. Bring it on."

"Alright, now that Taejin's busy, we can go get our books to read." I glanced at the girls before activating the River of Time. As the faint ripple of temporal awareness washed over me, I checked for any disturbances or anomalies, ensuring everything was safe before leading the girls to the shelves containing their chosen books.

As we walked, Weiss suddenly broke the silence. "You know, I just remembered something important, Jin." Her tone caught everyone's attention, making us pause mid-step. "When do you think the representatives from the Hell pantheon and the Heaven pantheon will show up to help you with your mental health?"

I blinked, momentarily thrown off by the unexpected question. "No idea. Why the sudden interest?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her, genuinely curious.

"Yeah, why the sudden interest?" Ruby echoed, mimicking my expression as she turned to Weiss with her own raised eyebrow.

Octavia stayed silent but clearly shared the sentiment. Her eyebrow rose in unison with Ruby's, and she fixed Weiss with a questioning stare.

"Because don't they usually send the next two, like, right about now after the previous two left?" Weiss countered with another question, tilting her head slightly as if this was the most logical follow-up.

"Good point…" I admitted with a slow nod, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "Still, no idea. But honestly, we can just go on with our lives, and maybe they'll show up at some point."

Ruby shrugged and chimed in, "Yeah, why stress about it? It's not like they're on a schedule we know about or anything. If they're going to show up, they'll show up."

Octavia gave an unconcerned wave of her hand. "Probably better that way. Less time spent worrying about when they'll barge into our lives and more time enjoying some peace and quiet."

Weiss simply nodded and turned her attention back to the shelves. "Fair enough. Let's get back to picking out our books, then. The library waits for no one."

The conversation drifted away as we resumed walking; however, this is a good question. When will they show up?