8: ripple

Lin Luo understood clearly; so this was where he had been seen. He kept a straight face, his mind instantly flashing back to the promise he had made to Kirisu Mafuyu in the car that morning. He smiled and brushed it off with a casual, dismissive tone, as if he didn't want to talk much about it:

"Oh, that. I just happened to run into the teacher when I was heading out this morning. Since she's such a nice person, she gave me a ride since it was on her way. It was nothing special."

He downplayed the matter, attributing it to a coincidence and the teacher's kindness.

Kato Megumi looked at him quietly for two seconds. Those eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, appeared to pierce through the concealment behind his casual words. However, given her personality, she never pried into things others were reluctant to discuss.

She simply nodded gently, lowered her head again, and returned her gaze to her notebook, responding in her usual steady tone:

"I see. You and Teacher Kirisu seem to get along really well, Mr. Lin Luo."

There was no dissatisfaction or curiosity in her voice; she simply accepted the explanation and stopped questioning him.

Noticing that the conversation had cooled down because of his evasiveness, Lin Luo didn't want the atmosphere to remain awkward, so he made a suggestion in an even more casual tone:

"By the way, are you free this weekend? Didn't you say you wanted to check out that new arcade? Want to go and try our luck? I heard the crane machines there are pretty easy to win." His tone was light and filled with a hint of anticipation.

Kato Megumi looked up, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. Her eyes remained calm, yet she seemed to look at him for a second longer than usual.

"I might not be able to this weekend." Her voice was soft, with a natural sense of indifference. "My older sister happens to be coming back, and she asked me to accompany her to the new shopping center."

She paused, as if considering her schedule, before continuing, "So, I'm sorry."

Her reason was valid, and no emotion could be heard in her voice, but Lin Luo still vaguely felt that she had declined a bit faster than usual, without that "let me think about it" pause. He wondered if it was because of his earlier brushing off that she was slightly unhappy, or if it was just his imagination.

"I see, then it can't be helped." Lin Luo scratched his head, his tone sounding a bit regretful but not pushy. "Accompanying your sister is important, so let's make it next time."

"Mhm." Kato Megumi gave a soft response, her gaze returning to the desk.

After a brief silence, she seemed to suddenly remember something and looked up at Lin Luo again, speaking in her characteristic steady but undeniable tone:

"Since this weekend doesn't work... then after school today, if you're not busy, Mr. Lin Luo, would you like to stay in the library for a bit longer?"

She paused and added a reason that sounded perfectly legitimate:

"There are a few time periods in World History that I'm still not quite sure about."

The proposal came a bit suddenly, yet it was reasonable. Having just declined his weekend invitation, she immediately offered another invitation to spend time together, even if the location was the study-heavy library.

Lin Luo was stunned for a moment, but then he immediately understood—this was probably Kato Megumi's way of offering a subtle "compensation." Because she (in her own mind) had rejected his invitation, she used this method to make up for it, while also skillfully smoothing over the tiny rift caused by his earlier evasion with the common goal of "studying."

Thinking that she might be feeling that they were "even" now with such a serious attitude, Lin Luo couldn't help but find it a bit funny and inexplicably pleasant. The corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously into a clear, warm smile.

"Sure," he agreed readily, his eyes meeting her clear ones. "No problem, I'll help you go over everything then."

Seeing his bright smile, Kato Megumi's eyes flickered slightly, and she returned a very faint but genuine smile, nodding gently.

"Mhm, it's a promise then."

(Kato Megumi's inner thoughts: This... should be enough. He doesn't seem unhappy.)

For Kato Megumi, the presence of her deskmate, Lin Luo, was gradually becoming a habit. She had long been used to being inadvertently ignored, as if she possessed a passive ability to erase her own presence, even from her close family members at times.

But Lin Luo was different. From the very beginning, his gaze always landed precisely on her, as if she had never blended into the background. This feeling of being clearly "seen" was strange and novel to her, like a landscape that had always been in soft shades of gray suddenly being illuminated by a beam of warm, focused light.

So, when Lin Luo invited her to the arcade this weekend, a tiny spark of joy had actually flickered in her heart. It was only because her sister's return was a set schedule that the conflict in timing forced her to decline. Seeing the flash of disappointment on his face, she even felt a rare sense of apology.

This was perhaps why she immediately suggested going to the library after school. It was partly out of a practical need to study—the threads of World History did indeed need his help to untangle—and partly out of a compensatory mindset that she might not even have fully realized herself.

Using study time together to make up for the regret of not being able to hang out seemed logical to her. Seeing him smile and readily agree, her usually calm heart was like a still lake into which a small pebble had been thrown, sending out very shallow ripples.

Having grown accustomed to his presence, she also began to unconsciously care about his emotions. This change was silent, yet it was truly happening.

However, when she saw him getting out of Teacher Kirisu's car that morning and he was vague about it, a more unfamiliar emotion quietly emerged. It wasn't anger or suspicion, but rather a very faint sense of exclusion or detachment. Naturally, she wouldn't press him; that was her upbringing and personality. But this slight discomfort was like a distant cloud in a clear sky, reminding her that she seemed to care more than she imagined about whether this unique "attention" was exclusive. For Kato Megumi, who always treated others with tranquility, this was an unprecedented experience.

As twilight deepened, the library lights cast a warm glow on the pages of the books.

Nothing special happened until the school bell rang. Kirisu Mafuyu seemed to have vanished from the campus, or rather, she was deliberately avoiding any chance of meeting Lin Luo—after all, she didn't have any classes on her schedule today, and Lin Luo hadn't seen his cold and aloof Class Advisor again since that one time in the early morning.

Therefore, after school, Lin Luo naturally walked to the library with Kato Megumi. Today's study session was more focused than usual, and time slipped away between the friction of pens and pages. By the time they packed their bags, the sky outside was completely dark, and the library clock was nearing seven.

At this hour, it clearly wasn't safe for a girl to go home alone. Lin Luo naturally picked up his bag and walked side-by-side with Kato Megumi out of the school gates, keeping pace with her all the way to the subway entrance.

Kato Megumi swiped her card to enter the station, and Lin Luo followed closely behind. Once they stepped into the slightly crowded carriage, Kato Megumi turned her head slightly, her clear eyes holding a faint, imperceptible trace of confusion as she asked softly:

"Mr. Lin Luo... why are you taking this train today too?"

She remembered that his home was in the opposite direction.

Lin Luo met her gaze, a gentle smile appearing on his face, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather:

"I suddenly remembered hearing that there's a very famous dessert shop near your house. Their mousse cake is said to be especially good. Since I had the chance today, I really wanted to try it."

He paused and added, "Anyway, it's on the way."

This reason sounded plausible, yet it held a hint of casualness that wouldn't stand up to scrutiny. The words "on the way" felt particularly meaningful at this moment.

Kato Megumi was slightly startled and didn't respond immediately. She turned her head to look at the city lights flashing past the train window, her and Lin Luo's figures standing side-by-side reflected hazily on the glass.

A drop of water slid into the calm surface of the lake.

At first, it was just a silent touch, but then, fine yet uncontrollable ripples slowly spread from the center, undulating into a soft wave.

She continued to stand quietly without speaking. Only her fingers, gripping the straps of her schoolbag, tightened slightly. Amidst the rhythmic sound of the train, an indescribable warmth quietly soaked into her heart along with those spreading ripples.

After seeing Kato Megumi off, Lin Luo was in no hurry to return. The "non-existent" dessert shop was naturally not his destination; since an Opportunity had brought him to this area, he intended to wander around and experience a street scene different from his own neighborhood.

He wandered aimlessly through several increasingly secluded alleys, the surrounding clamor gradually fading away. At a certain corner, as if guided by an invisible thread, he stepped out and the view suddenly opened up, revealing an unexpectedly empty area.

A building almost completely enveloped by lush trees stood there quietly. The white walls, covered in deep green vines, looked ancient and mottled, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding orderly modern residential area, like a corner forgotten by time abruptly embedded there.

Old gray walls covered in vines, a steep roof of deep carmine, and stained glass windows that faintly revealed magnificent colors in the hazy night... The overall style carried a strong exotic flavor, or rather, an ancient charm that transcended eras and regions. The entrance consisted of two thick wooden double doors, also inlaid with intricate stained glass.

But what truly made Lin Luo stop in his tracks and his expression instantly turn solemn was not this peculiar architectural appearance.

Before he even got close, a strange "rhythm" was transmitted like a silent drumbeat. It wasn't a physical vibration, but a slow and powerful pulse on an energetic level, as if the building itself were a sleeping giant with a heartbeat.

At the same time, he could clearly perceive an extremely powerful, exclusionary Exorcism Barrier enveloping the entire building like an invisible eggshell. The power of this barrier was pure and ancient, intended to dispel ill-intentioned evils. However, paradoxically, within this barrier, he could keenly capture a mix of various strange, even somewhat wild and unrestrained auras intertwining and circling.

An Exorcism Barrier coexisting with strange internal auras? This was highly unusual.

His gaze fell on one side of the entrance, where an old wooden plaque hung. On it were two Chinese characters written with a brush—

"Longevity Manor."

The name of this apartment... was a bit strange. It carried both a prayer for "longevity" and an indescribable sense of ancient simplicity and mystery.