Chapter CV - A Brief Beef (part 2)

After that, the teacher stopped the class there and let the students head back to their dorms. I quickly checked the guide book for the class schedules, and apparently that was Magic Technology class.

Dude, magic technology is actually a legit cool thing... How the hell did the teacher manage to do it so poorly?

Maybe I somehow missed the first few days, when the teacher actually showed some of the stuff about magical technologies. I do regret that, but there's nothing I can do.

After this class, it's the Magical Aptitude class. The class that Manda and Jericho told me about, and the class that I'm kind of curious about.

There's still an hour until the next class. Hmm… what should I do…?

"Hey, Rize. Want to go to the library?"

Manda suddenly asked me. I must have looked pretty shocked, because she looked quite confused.

"L-Library?"

Oh… right. This is a school. Of course there's a damn library.

I was getting bored of Mazino's public library, and I truly wished there was another source of books I could get my hands on. I forgot that this is a goddamn school, obviously there will be a library for me to visit.

"Sure. Let's go to the library."

We decided to head to the library immediately. The library is on the top floor of the class building, and it's apparently very big.

Oh dear, I'm getting excited.

After entering the library, the librarian wanted to confirm our identities by checking our cards. We placed our identity cards on the table, and he wrote down the names and checked the data from the book.

"What class are you from?"

"Class 1-E."

"… Okay, then."

The librarian stopped writing for a second when Jericho mentioned the class name. He wrote stuff again on the book of guest lists. After getting the confirmation, we took our cards and went into the bookshelves.

As we stroll down the wall of books, I can hear mutters from around us.

"Class E...? What are they doing? Are they here to study?"

"You can't be smart just because you visited the library... They are actually acting, hahah."

"Wow, are they really here? Omg, are they really trying?"

All of those mutters around us are actually loud enough for us to hear. I didn't let a single word control my emotions, but it's very different for Jericho and Manda.

I can sense the enmity coming from the two. They are pissed.

I lightly tapped their shoulders.

"Can you two help me find a book about healing magic? I wanted to know more about it."

"Oh… S-Sure."

Seeing how carefree I am simply lifted their hearts again. While they were looking, I let myself loose on the wall of books. I strolled down the alley of the library and picked up a bunch of books.

Let's see… Fire magic and their derivatives… Magic combination… Oh! Weapon augmentation. That's goddamn good.

In the end, I picked up ten books. All looking large and heavy, but I was able to hold all of them in one hand.

"R-Rize? I found your book for healing magic…"

The look on her face when she saw how many books I'm holding…

"Oh, really? Nice. Let's go find a seat."

We took an empty table at the end of the library, away from everybody else. I dropped the books on top of the table with a slam. It kind of attracts a little bit of attention, but that's okay.

"A-Are you sure you are going to read all of those?"

Manda asked me while staring at the pile of books. I simply nodded.

"Yeah. Back then I could read a whole thick book in just three hours. All this should be okay for me for… about a week."

"W-Wow…"

Heh. That's right. Feast your eyes at my amazing nerd skill.

As we were reading, a group of students approached us. I can sense enmity coming from them, and I immediately knew they are here to cause some problem.

Let me guess... It's about the table.

The first person to approach us, a female with short blonde hair, came slowly and then lightly tapped the shoulder of Manda.

"Excuse me… But this table belongs to us, you see."

She asked with a light tone, but what replied was only enmity from Jericho.

I see... So her plan was to ask nicely first, and then get into the nasty stuff later. This is so cliché and predictable...

"I'm sorry… but we already have this table first…"

Manda answered, but in her tone, she was a little bit afraid. And after she said that, the female finally showed her true colour. 

Her expression changed into a pissed off one.

"What the hell… A bunch of class E bums actually occupy a table in the library?? That's cute."

"Yeah. If you guys want to play around, I'm sure the jungle below the court will be more fun."

The lady suddenly spoke with a mocking tone, and one by one her friends came into light. 

There are five of them. Two males, and three females. And they all have the same expression worn on their faces.

"What did you say!?--"

"Jericho."

I said coldly at Jericho, and she suddenly skipped a heartbeat. Getting heated up here would only mean a loss. I must keep her from exploding.

Jericho immediately sat back down to her seat and stared confusingly at me, and I simply stood up to face them.

Seeing me standing up, they all made a slight distance. I am taller than the girls, and I am only a tad shorter than the boys. 

Obviously, they also noticed the aura I am emitting, and they also know that I'm not as simple as Jericho or Manda.

"I apologize… but first come first serve. That's how the world rolls, isn't it?"

I said with a demeaning grin, which instantly invites anger.

"W-What?"

"I'm saying these chairs are lucky that we found the seats before you guys do. I mean, imagine the chairs having to support a heavy weight like you?"

Oh yeah, she is definitely pissed.

"What did you--"

"Excuse me, but you seemed to be misunderstanding something."

The glasses guy from her left suddenly came forward and spoke out. Something tells me that he is supposed to be the 'Smartass' in the group, and he spoke out because he also knows I'm a fellow 'Smartass'.

"But a library is only for smart people. People like class E students shouldn't even be here."

He said as he placed his finger on his glasses, fixing its position.

"Wrong. Libraries are for people who wish to obtain knowledge. If you are already so smart, then you won't even be at the library. Because why would you bother learning when you're already so smart? Does it not make sense?"

"Tch. All class E just have big mouths... But when a real test comes, you all will just go shoved down!"

"Really? I'd like to see that happen. Unfortunately, it won't be possible."

"And why is that?"

Before I could answer, my gaze spotted a certain movement that was quite far away in the library. 

An idea pops into my head so suddenly, and I immediately look confused on purpose. I'm fully certain that I'm the only one who noticed it, and I decided I want to abuse this chance. 

I placed my finger on my lips and tilted my head slightly, acting dumb.

"I… hmm... I'm not sure..."

I answered stupidly and awkwardly, and as expected, the glasses guy broke into laughter loudly.

Yep. That's what I want.

I looked to the right and noticed the angry beast.

The librarian finally had it. 

The librarian immediately grabbed the glasses guy, along with the lady who mocked us, and then pulled them out of the library. Their friends simply followed them out silently, not daring to complain.

The librarian gazed at us angrily, as if warning with his glare that we shouldn't be too noisy as well. I just waved my hand at him, while Manda bowed slightly to thank him.

Afterwards, the librarian went back to his chair. I sat back down as well and returned to my books, but Manda couldn't hold back her curiosity.

"Did you purposely make that glasses guy laugh?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I… Ah, forget it."

After that, we continued reading our books in peace. Nothing had ruined us after that at all.

Still... who would've thought that the librarian would be so forceful, eh?