People bring their own maids to the training camp

The girl in front of me, who looks to be less than 1.6 meters tall, is a victim of this situation.

Chihaya decided to step forward and help. People who appear in the library at this time are likely to be book lovers, and he usually has a good first impression of book lovers.

Of course, there are also cases where you find out later that the other party is just going through the motions or simply putting on an act. In those cases, you would have blocked them without hesitation long ago.

To unilaterally "sentence" the other party to death without any communication whatsoever.

There was no way around it; after all, Chihaya had never been an extroverted person, so naturally he wouldn't casually strike up a conversation with anyone in the library.

This time, however, it was an accident.

"Do you want to take this book, Shiina-san?" Chihaya reached over the girl's small hand, took the book she wanted, and then asked softly.

"Eh? Yes, thank you, Himegami-kun!" Shiina Hiyori was taken aback for a moment, then smiled at Chihaya. "Being tall is definitely an advantage."

Chihaya's height of 168cm is not considered outstanding among boys, but it is definitely exceptional among girls.

Most first-grade girls are under 160cm tall, with the majority around 155cm.

"You're welcome, it's nothing at all," Chihaya replied with a smile. "Why didn't you ask the librarian for a ladder, Shiina-kun? That would have been much easier."

"Ah, actually, I didn't want to read this book," Shiina explained with a blink. "It's just that I saw it in a place it shouldn't be, so I thought I'd put it back on the shelf where it's supposed to be, but I couldn't reach it at all..."

"Hmm, it's obsessive-compulsive disorder," Chihaya concluded instantly.

He discovered from the last knowledge competition that Shiina was very knowledgeable about the library, and even dared to look for books on the bookshelf during the time-sensitive exam, and successfully passed the preliminary round.

It can truly be said that one is highly skilled and daring.

However, its actual strength might be lacking, and it looks a bit dull.

45. The Long Goodbye

"Ah, actually I didn't want to read this book. It just so happened that I saw it in a place it shouldn't be, so I thought I'd put it back on the shelf, but I couldn't reach it at all..."

Shiina said somewhat embarrassedly, probably because she really felt bad troubling the librarian, since it wasn't about taking books.

"Logically speaking, the library books shouldn't be misplaced, right?" Chihaya asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Logically, that should be the case, but based on my observation, it does happen occasionally that the wrong layer or the wrong position occurs. The general position is still fine."

In other words, non-fiction literature won't appear on the shelves of mystery novels, so what Shiina is basically doing is putting author B's books back where they belong in the group of books by author A.

"It really is OCD," Chihaya thought again.

“My main concern is that mixing them together would make it difficult for people interested in the series to find this book,” Shiina continued to explain. “And wouldn’t it be strange to put a Keigo Higashino book among Raymond Chandler’s books?”

I didn't really care, Chihaya thought to herself without saying it out loud, because back in her family library she wouldn't put books back in their original places, but would put them in roughly the same spot—except for series, of course, she would put them together by number, but not by author.

"Shiina-kun is really familiar with the library," Chihaya said in a very polite manner.

"It's alright. I've been spending a lot of time in the library since the first day of school, and I often have to be reminded by the librarian that it's closing time before I go back."

"You're really engrossed in your book."

"You can't stop reading a mystery novel until the mystery is solved, can you feel that way, Princess?" Shiina asked in a soft, sweet voice.

Although it sounded a bit like she was talking to herself, Chihaya decided not to take it to heart.

"You can feel it to some extent, right? Mystery and suspense works rely on this sense of suspense to attract people's curiosity."

"Ah, Himegami-kun is absolutely right! That's exactly why I love mystery novels!" Shiina exclaimed excitedly, immediately grabbing Chihaya's hand.

The incident happened so suddenly that Chihaya almost managed to grab and control Shiina's arm.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and noticed that Shiina was genuinely agitated and not taking the opportunity to attack him.

Come to think of it, who would actually assault someone in a library? It's not like they're filming some kind of Edo-era drama. They're just fooling themselves into thinking that hiding behind the bookshelves and covering their mouths will prevent anyone from noticing them doing all that.

Chihaya could only manage an awkward but polite smile.

"Ah, sorry, I got carried away." Shiina quickly realized her mistake, immediately released her hand, and apologized.

"No, it's nothing."

"After that competition, I really wanted to find a chance to chat with Himegami-san and Sakayanagi-san, but unfortunately I didn't run into you at the library," Shiina said with some regret. "Through that competition, I can confirm that you two are definitely people who read a lot."

Chihaya thought he should be modest, but Shiina didn't give him a chance to speak at all.

"If you'd like, would you be interested in reading this book, Princess? I personally think it's quite an interesting one." With that, the gray-haired girl held the book she had been hugging to her chest. "The Long Goodbye is arguably Raymond Chandler's masterpiece!"

"Speaking of which, does Princess Prestige prefer Japanese or Western works?"

"I read more local works..." Chihaya answered subconsciously. After all, the quality of Western works is sometimes affected by the publisher's translation, so Chihaya read a lot of local works when she was a child.

"In that case, reading Keigo Higashino would be quite enjoyable—Hime-kun must have read 'Journey Under the Midnight Sun,' right?"

"I have read it, but only this one." Compared to mystery novels, Chihaya reads more historical books and more traditional literary works. She did read Keigo Higashino's "Journey Under the Midnight Sun" because of his fame, and even saw the stage play (she got a live recording through connections).

"Although reading 'Journey Under the Midnight Sun' is enough to understand Keigo Higashino's writing style, I would still like to recommend 'Malice' as well. It fully demonstrates the characteristics of internal focalization narrative and provides a very good reading experience!"

Why is this kid suddenly acting like a bookstore clerk, trying to sell things? Chihaya felt like she couldn't keep up with Shiina's pace at all, and since she hadn't left immediately, it wouldn't be easy for her to get away now.

Especially since he needs to maintain his current public image.

What expression should I make now?

I think just smiling is enough, right?

Chihaya smiled and let Shiina keep talking quietly.

"If you're interested in Keigo Higashino's books, you should definitely avoid the Snow Trilogy. The titles are 'Whirlwind Rhapsody,' 'Gondola of Love,' and 'Pursuit in the Snow.' This series, well, it's not very suspenseful, and it feels like the author just wrote it because he loves skiing so much. You can feel his love for skiing between the lines."

Because Chihaya didn't stop her, Shiina poured out her heart, including a lot of her own opinions.

Chihaya accepted everything based on the principle of "just smile".

He had met quite a few girls since enrolling in school, but this was the first time he had met someone like Shiina.

Is it natural or just naive? In any case, Shiina doesn't seem to know how to maintain a sense of distance, which is evident in her ability to chatter endlessly with Chihaya, a classmate she's only met three times and spoken to twice.

That's quite rare, Chihaya thought.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I just can't control myself when we start talking about mystery novels." After rattling off a whole bunch of Keigo Higashino topics, Shiina finally realized that the beautiful girl in front of her hadn't said a word, and had been watching her with a seemingly "doting" expression the whole time.

“It’s alright. Shiina-san seemed to be glowing just now, so I don’t mind at all,” Chihaya said with a smile. She then reached out and took the book “The Long Goodbye” from Shiina’s hand. “You recommended ‘Malice,’ right? I’ll borrow it after I finish reading this one in a few days.”

"And I'll put it back in its original place, okay?" Chihaya added.

46. ​​Last day for the bounty!

"Then let's sit over there and read together?"

Chihaya extended the invitation with a beaming smile.

If he doesn't invite her now, this girl will start rambling on and on again! He doesn't want to take a course on the history of detective fiction!

"Okay!"

Shiina nodded and followed Chihaya to the empty table. The two sat down side by side and began reading.

Shiina, on the other hand, became engrossed and quickly immersed herself in the story. Chihaya, however, remained suspicious, subtly observing the girl beside her while reading.

Having learned from Sakayanagi's experience, Chihaya became slightly more wary of her classmates. Although she didn't know what Koyuu School was up to, she was certain that the students they recruited were definitely not ordinary—perhaps most of them weren't particularly special, but a small number were indeed quite remarkable.

For example, someone like Sakayanagi, or Ryuen Sho from Class 1-C, whose name I've only heard of but never seen.

Another strange thing is that Honami's application to join the student council was rejected, as was Katsuragi from Class 1-A.

Logically speaking, both of them are quite outstanding and hold leadership positions in their respective classes. There's no reason for them to be rejected without even a trial period.

It would be fine if there were other candidates to consider, but no one from the entire first year joined the student council, and I don't know what Horikita Manabu, the president, is thinking.

Perhaps this is part of the current assessment? Will new members be recruited only after this phase of assessment of students' individual qualities is completed?

Chihaya could only think of this possibility.

However, the duration of the assessment is unknown. A reasonable guess is that it will likely begin after the first formal exam, allowing for a comprehensive evaluation of the students' overall qualities. After all, even those who excelled academically in junior high might become complacent in the allure of a lavish lifestyle at a higher education institution, which would undoubtedly lower their evaluation.

As Chihaya pondered, she casually flipped through "The Long Goodbye" in her hands—she didn't particularly like the style of the book, which was why she kept getting distracted, but it wasn't so boring that she couldn't finish reading it.

It's like some people who, while reading a novel, will switch screens to social media or chat apps, only to return to continue reading a while later, instead of being fully focused on reading and only turning pages.

For Chihaya, this is a book that is dispensable. It's not that she can't finish reading it, but she won't regret it if she puts it down immediately. She also has no expectations for the plot.

You can wave your sleeves at any time and leave without taking a single cloud with you.

However, since Shiina had recommended this book to him, and she might discuss related topics with him later, Chihaya decided to finish reading it anyway.

While discussing the novel's content, subtly probe the other person to see if you can hear anything about Class 1-C.

He had recently heard that violent incidents had occurred in Class C, involving several boys, including Long Yuanxiang and a black international student, fighting each other, and not just once or twice—yet the school had not imposed any punishment or made any statement regarding this.

Generally, when a fight breaks out, the homeroom teacher should immediately talk to the students and issue a warning. However, the frequency of fighting in Class C is completely unlike what one would expect after being warned by the homeroom teacher. In any case, being warned and disciplined should at least make them more restrained. In reality, it seems they are being indulged, and the fighting continues unabated, even escalating into brawls in public.

Although she had never witnessed it herself, Chihaya had heard about it more or less during casual conversations.

What's even more amazing is that Class C only fought with their own members and didn't go looking for fights with people from other classes.

This behavior is less like fighting and more like fighting for something, isn't it? Chihaya believes that what they are fighting for is the "leader" of Class C.

The result undoubtedly shows that Long Yuan got the position, which is why several of his former enemies now obey him.

However... Chihaya couldn't help but turn her head to look at the girl beside her—the latter didn't react to Chihaya's gaze at all, seemingly very engrossed in the contents of the book.

Would this child really care about what's going on in class? Chihaya had some reservations about her plan to elicit information from him.

......

Time passed, and there were still about 30 minutes left before the time for the retreat ended.

Chihaya stopped reading and prepared to invite Shiina, who was beside her, to have dinner together.

"Shiina-kun," Chihaya called softly.

However, the gray-haired girl did not react.

"Shiina-kun?" Chihaya raised her voice slightly.

Indifferent.

"Shiina-kun." This time, Chihaya used both hands and words, reaching out to gently pat Shiina's shoulder.

"Huh? Ah! Sorry, Himegami-kun!" Shiina finally realized what was happening, and her slightly panicked expression was quite cute.