He lowered his gaze so as not to see Lucy walking away.
Then, a book caught my eye. The book placed next to Lucy's seat had been forgotten by her.
"Ah."
Lucy was moving away from him, heading towards the Academy's main building. Felix hurriedly picked up the book and followed after him.
"Roo… … !"
Felix tried to shout Lucy's name, but quickly shut his mouth. Three or three students gathered and were walking around the campus.
Calling out one of the girls' names out loud was like throwing chunks of meat at students like a flock of wolves who like to inflate even small rumors.
Instead, he accelerated. With a wide stride, he strode after Lucy.
Now she was climbing the stairs of the Academy's main building. Felix, who was running quickly to catch up, suddenly stopped. His eyes narrowed.
what.
His gaze turned to a male student with a suspicious behavior, who was walking a little behind Lucy.
shrunken shoulders. Eyes looking around constantly. crooked gait.
Still, the boy kept a certain distance from Lucy and was sneaking up behind him. As soon as Lucy entered the building, the male student disappeared inside as well.
Felix raised an eyebrow.
What kind of bullshit is that guy?
These days, whenever he was alone with Lucy, he was already very nervous because of the first-year book club who suddenly appeared and interfered with him. When he saw the boy secretly chasing after Lucy, his forehead wrinkled even more.
Soon he moved the foot he had stopped on again. Then, following the direction where Lucy and the boy had disappeared, they entered the main building of the academy.
Felix entered the room and looked around. Lucy was climbing the stairs to this floor. Then I saw the suspicious male student hesitated from below, and then tried to climb the stairs as if he had made up his mind to something.
Soon the boy took a step on the stairs. But it was faster for Felix to walk behind him than it was for him to climb the stairs.
"for a moment."
He called the boy and stopped him. The boy turned around at the sound of his calling.
The male student looked at Felix's face through his long bangs that covered his eyes, astonished. He stepped back with a pale face in an instant.
It was definitely dubious.
"Why the hell… … ."
Just as he was about to ask, 'Are you following Lucy secretly?', the boy turned his body to go up the stairs. He hurriedly ran towards the hallway on the first floor instead of the stairs.
"Don't stand there!"
Felix quickly followed after.
The boy was able to get through the students like a loach. In order not to miss him, Felix ran through the students with wide open eyes.
What the hell were you trying to do to run away like that?
Even in the midst of a frantic pursuit, Felix was busy rolling his head.
There were only two reasons why a boy could follow a girl's back with a suspicious look.
Either there's something resentful, or it's a stalker.
However, no matter how much you think about it, Lucy was by no means a person to be vindictive to anyone. Then there was only one answer.
When he thought about it that far, Felix started chasing after the boy with even more fierce momentum.
Suddenly, the male student reached the end of the hallway. The distance has narrowed considerably. No matter how fast he ran, he couldn't be faster than Felix. All the fish were caught.
A male student at a dead end hurriedly opened the door and ran outside. At the same time, the eyes of the students flocked to the small commotion in the hallway.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, a strong shock was felt on Felix's forehead. The wind slammed into someone and staggered as he grabbed his forehead.
He managed to focus and leaned against the door. But the opponent who collided with him fell backwards altogether.
"Ugh… … ."
Noel Roman was on the floor, clutching his forehead, just like Felix.
"Seniors! What if it suddenly pops out? … ."
He looked up at Felix and wept. They bumped into each other so hard that tears welled up in their eyes.
"Oh, I think my head is going to break!"
"Who will say it!"
He didn't fall, but Felix, who had blinked in front of his eyes for a while, shouted with a heavy expression on his face.
"Did you have a stone in your head?"
At that, Noel exclaimed with an unhappy face.
"Yes? You shouldn't say things like that!"
"Well, why! What's wrong!"
"I heard it all in the classroom back then! What Lucy-senpai is saying!"
Suddenly, Noel raised his fist, imitating Lucy's sassy gesture.
"Ko, last escape! I could!"
"This child."
With Felix's momentum that seemed to rush at any moment, Noel got up from his seat and prepared to take a step backwards.
But Felix took his eyes off Noel and looked around. Then Noel, who was in a defensive posture, lowered his arm and asked.
"What are you looking for?"
Felix strode towards Noel.
"Do you know who the kid who just came out of here is?"
"Just? Well, I didn't see... … ."
"Are you kidding me? I followed right away."
"Oh, I really didn't see it!"
He was a guy who couldn't even help. Felix frowned and looked in the direction the boy had run. I pulled it out so quickly that I couldn't even see a single hair.
"why? Who are you?"
Noel asked. But Felix waved his hand with a disappointed expression.
"I don't know. Go your way."
"I was going well on my way, but my senior ran into me… … Ah! Go, go!"
When Felix shot him harshly, Noel glanced at him and went straight into the academy. Felix stared at the ugly back to the end, then swept his head in annoyance.
I almost got them!
It wasn't that he had witnessed the boy doing anything impure to Lucy. But it was very uncomfortable to send it like this.
For a long time, Felix couldn't let go of his regrets and looked at the side where the boy had disappeared.
Don't miss it next time.
He groaned firmly in his heart and took a reluctant step.
* * *
When she returned to the front of the stairs to return the book, Lucy was already gone. Perhaps Felix didn't notice the commotion behind him.
After finishing all afternoon classes, Felix decided to bring the book Lucy had left behind.
In fact, the book was an excuse.
As time passed, Felix regretted not having asked for the necklace.
It was because it was very difficult to grunt while imagining the worst situation as much as facing the truth that he wanted to avoid.
His anxious mind was just imagining and inflating Lucy's mind over and over again.
At the same time, Adrian's vague and enigmatic answer to 'the party asked to keep it a secret' echoed in my head.
At this rate, I felt like I would be up all night again and not be able to sleep.
In addition, he was worried about the boy who was secretly following Lucy, so Felix naturally went to the library.
As usual, the library was completely full. Perhaps everyone felt a sense of crisis as the exams were only a few days away.
Meanwhile, in front of the book return desk, only Lucy was busy organizing the returned books.
Felix sneaked up to her. She, who was writing the return date on her book loan card, found him and widened her eyes.
"Elder? What are you doing here?"
"this."
Felix held out the book Lucy had left behind. Lucy accepted the book with an expression that she had completely forgotten.
"Ah! I didn't even know it was gone."
As if to prove that, Lucy looked busy. Felix's gaze turned to the return desk where the returned books were piled high. There seemed to be more books to organize than usual.
There were teachers who gave homework without notice during the exam period. In order to finish their assignments in a hurry, the students constantly pulled out books that could be used as materials from the bookshelf. Then, after checking only the necessary parts, they immediately piled it up on the return table.
Books were piled up like a mountain on the cart and the return table with books from all over the place.
Lucy's neatly braided hair was all crumbly from how frantic she had been to organize the books.
Even though you are a book club member, isn't it too much to have to work until the exam period?
Felix was all worried about me that there might be a setback in Lucy's ability to secure her senior position.
Meanwhile, the books continued to pile up.
Felix knew how to organize books according to their classification codes. Without hesitation, he held the book on the return table tightly. Lucy stopped cleaning the book cart and looked up at Felix.
"Elder?"
"It's too much. I will help you."
"However… … ."
Felix took the book and walked towards the bookshelf despite Lucy's insistence. It seemed that people's gazes didn't matter. After all, no one would think of Berg, who organizes books in the library, as Felix.
As expected, the students didn't even care if they thought it was Adrian who was organizing the books.
As time passed, the books piled up in the return counter were found one by one.
"Senior, thank you for your help."
Felix turned around at the sound of words behind his back. Lucy was standing there looking up at her.
Felix was proud and satisfied. He completely forgot what he had come to Lucy for, and immersed himself in just organizing the books.
It was not long after that a voice that broke the peaceful atmosphere flew in.
"… … What are you doing there?"
Felix turned his head toward the sound. At the end of the aisle, Adrian was standing with an absurd face.
__________________________
EPISODE 30
___________________________
Felix abruptly stopped the motion of inserting the book. The smile on his face gradually faded at the unexpected appearance of his younger brother.
"… … Are you organizing your books?"
Felix, who soon came to his senses, answered. Adrian tilted his head.
"Why are you?"
There was an even deeper embarrassment on his face. His older brother had never helped out with the library business, so it was a natural reaction.
Soon, Adrian slowly approached him. Walking through the floating dust, twinkling in the sunlight, he looked like a demon who came to ruin Felix's happy hour.
Adrian came closer and asked in a whisper.
"What happened to you?"
"no?"
"But why are you suddenly helping me?"
"You're not helping."
"Then you were organizing your books here for no reason?"
Adrian's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Felix avoided his gaze and began to insert the book again. I didn't want to explain anything. even more for him.
Adrian looked at him and shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah, then."
He turned and walked over to Lucy, who was nearby.
"Lucy, Felix insists on helping you here, so let's leave it to us."
Adrian took the book Lucy was holding and placed it on top of the pile of books Felix was holding.
"Then please."
"Wait, you want to be here too?"
Felix asked.
He wanted Adrian to go. But mercilessly breaking the wind, Adrian answered.
"Are there many people today? It will be difficult for Lucy to handle it alone, so I have to help."
He tapped Felix on the shoulder and added.
"Anyway, thank you for helping me. But don't put the book in the wrong place. It's a pain in the ass to find them again later."
When Adrian had finished speaking, he turned around.
"Let's go, Lucy."
He was about to leave the aisle with Lucy. Before being pushed by Adrian's hand and disappearing over the bookshelf, Lucy's gaze turned to Felix for a moment.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but it disappeared from Felix's sight.
Felix, who suddenly had to leave alone to organize the returned books, stared blankly at the place where Lucy and his brother had disappeared.
Standing in front of him, a pile of unfinished books piled up on a cart.
I came here to resolve the question about the necklace, but it ended up helping Lucy and Adrian to spend time together.
this isn't it
In a tangled situation, I felt like I was going to leave behind the books that were left like a mountain. Felix ruffled his hair with an annoyed look on his face.
But if he didn't do it, it would all be Lucy's job. He began to organize the book with a dissatisfied expression on his face.
It took quite a while for all the books on the cart to return to their places. As I walked through the bookshelves, I saw Lucy and Adrian sitting side by side at the return table.
The two put their heads side by side and talked as if they were discussing something. Their touching shoulders and their eyes looking towards each other seemed very friendly.
Andamoon Felix's chin was flanked by tendons.
"Are you done?"
Adrian found Felix and asked, raising his head.
"uh."
"thanks. Now we'll take care of it. You must be busy too, so I don't have to help you any more."
It was clear what he meant to stop. Felix bit his lip, holding back his annoyance. Ogi, not wanting to back down like this, raised his head in his mind.
Without hesitation, he went back to the return table where they were sitting. Lucy and Adrian looked up at him as he suddenly broke in with surprise.
"Why are you here?"
"There are no vacancies."
Felix beckoned to the table full of students.
"So you want to sit here?"
Adrian asked with a puzzled face.
Felix ignored his words and pulled up an empty chair. Then I took a seat in front of the return desk, a little far from Lucy and Adrian. He opened the bag and started taking out books one by one.
"what are you doing. go somewhere else This is a place only book clerks can enter. Lucy is uncomfortable."
The moment he heard Lucy's name from Adrian's mouth, Felix felt his heart boil. He ignored Adrian's words once more and opened the book.
"You can go to your room and do it."
"no."
By then, Adrian's expression, which he had been trying to say in a good way, gradually darkened. He frowned as he saw his older brother, who was obsessed with useless, different from usual.
He sighed and said to Lucy, as if he had given up on further dealings.
"I'm sorry, Lucy. Don't worry about Felix."
Lucy, who was sitting anxiously between the two brothers, rolled her eyes with an embarrassed expression.
Felix shrugged his chin in a crooked posture, and casually turned the book in front of him. Power entered my hand.
His actions were too childish to even think for himself. It was a look that he would never have shown if he had been a normal person.
I didn't come here for this.
Felix turned over the bookshelf roughly for nothing with a ribbed face.
Either way, Lucy and Adrian got busy again with the library's chores. The two had too much to do to take care of Felix's mood.
Even Lucy, who had glanced at Felix as if consciously, seemed not to open her eyes from one moment on, as she was frantically organizing books.
Felix's presence seemed to fade away as much as the place he sat alone with them.
In addition, the conversation between the two, which he did not want to hear, kept flowing into his ears.
They talked about library work that Felix didn't understand, or about another librarian he didn't know.
Even if I wanted to participate in the conversation, I had no choice but to listen because they were only talking about why the books I applied for a few months ago were still not coming in, or why a first-year student I had never heard of suddenly wanted to quit my secondary activities.
Felix tapped the book with a pen. At some point, the ink oozing from the nib began to stain the paper.
He, who had been quietly listening to the conversation that had been chirping in his ear, finally tapped the pen and put it down. The sound was so loud that it echoed around the book return desk.
Adrian and Lucy looked around at once, as well as some students who were sitting at a nearby table looked up to find the source of the sound.
"what's the matter?"
Adrian asked with a surprised face.
"There are things I don't understand even after reading."
Felix tapped the book in front of him with his finger.
"What?"
Adrian got up. But before he could even approach, Felix spit it out first.
"Not you."
Felix pointed to Lucy, who was looking at him with bewildered eyes from a distance.
"Lucy, tell me."
At Felix's words, Adrian stood up with a dissatisfied face on his back.
"Are you really like this?"
"what."
Felix asked with an uncomfortably crooked posture. Now, he showed his feelings of being uncomfortable to plant openly.
Even though he knew how childish his little pony would look now.
Adrian, who was about to retaliate, shut his mouth as if he had changed his mind. It seemed that he had decided not to respond to Felix's words. He turned to Lucy and said.
"Do not worry about it. I don't know what it is, but it's because I got a goal and I'm doing that."
"However… … ."
Over Adrian's shoulder, Lucy tried to say something with a troubled face. But then, the return book came in again. Lucy hurriedly got up and looked for her loan card.
Felix looked down with a sullen expression. The mottled ink marks spread even bigger. It's like a grumpy grudge that is rising in his heart.
He looked down at the stain with meaningless eyes for quite some time.
For the past few weeks, she had had a glimmer of hope that she might be able to turn Lucy's heart to herself.
And I actually had a good time with her. At least for him, they were incomparable happy times.
But as soon as he faced Lucy with Adrian, that confidence leaked out like a bag with a hole in it. Instead, all that springs up in his mind is jealousy accompanied by childishness.
"Adrian-senpai, I can't see the loan card for this book."
Lucy, who was digging through the box, asked Adrian for help. Soon, the two put their heads together and began to scan the cards in the box together.
Felix stared blankly at his back.
Although he knew that the time the two of them had been together longer than the time he began to recognize Lucy. Maybe there are more pleasant memories between the two of you than the time that you have created so far.
It felt like a wall had been erected. There seemed to be no gap between Lucy and Adrian that he could intervene. Seeing it right in front of me, it touched me even more.