Neglecting responsibilities, Anita, a vagabond, drank alcohol straight from the bottle and slept on the floor. While it was true that Anita had narrow human connections, her social skills were not lacking. Therefore, Anita kept her mouth shut and focused on what she was doing.

“Is he really not your stalker?”

“…No.”

“Then why are you avoiding him?”

Finding the thin piece of paper stuck to the floor by touch alone was not an easy task. Frowning, Anita ran her hand over the floor, searching for the paper, and finally responded.

“Is there a rule that says you can only run away from a stalker? Why did you hide, senior?”

“Because that person is obsessed with me.”

“What?”

Anita was shocked. She knew Rutger had a complicated history with women, but she never thought he might be interested in men, especially someone like Edmund, whom she hadn’t known for long. When did this happen?

Was it that day?

Rutger, who followed Anita, and Edmund, who helped her. When the three of them were together… If that was the case, what kind of relationship did Rutger have with Lilliana?

“There is talk of marriage circulating within the family. Despite being the principal party, I am against it.”

As Edmund continued speaking, Anita only now realized that she had been misunderstanding. After all, there was unlikely to be any talk of marriage between Rutger and Edmund. The one Edmund had consistently mentioned was clearly Lilliana. Upon realizing this fact, Anita’s face turned red.

She had almost committed a great rudeness.

“I see.”

Anita answered casually, as if she had been making some kind of assumption.

Something warm touched the back of her hand on the floor. Anita unconsciously hesitated, trying to withdraw her hand.

“You got caught.”

“…What?”

“That hand you’ve been playing with since earlier, isn’t it? Let’s clean up together.”

Anita’s left hand was unexpectedly lifted by Edmund’s hand, swinging gently. Thinking about a hand hanging in the air, though not clearly visible, she burst into a bitter laugh.

“Why are you laughing? This isn’t the time to laugh.”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t been playing that long.”

“If you’re sorry, how about buying me a meal?”

“…….”

“I have a fur allergy.”

Apologizing straightforwardly to Edmund made Anita feel foolish. By this point, Anita even suspected whether Edmund hadn’t dropped the documents for this purpose from the beginning.

“Oh. I forgot about that.”

His hand, which held Anita’s wrist, let go. Anita’s arm fell weakly to the floor.

“What?”

Edmund, releasing Anita, stood up.

A curtain, unknown until now, opened. Simultaneously, sunlight poured in from the window that occupied more than half of the wall. The warehouse brightened in an instant.

Anita frowned because the light suddenly came into her eyes.

“…So there’s a window, then why didn’t I see it until now….”

Anita muttered in disbelief.

“You didn’t say anything. I thought it was unnecessary.”

Anita’s mouth, which had opened to say something, closed again. She realized that expecting a sensible answer from him was a luxury.

“Well, let’s clean up quickly and get out. It seems like those two have left as expected.”

Anita shut her mouth and checked the sounds outside. Sure enough, as Edmund had said, she could no longer hear them talking. They must have left while Anita and Edmund were doing something stupid in the dark.

With a brightened expression, Anita stood up from her seat, picked up the papers, and resumed her steps.

At Aberdeen University, buildings are numbered. It’s a rather rigid system, but it’s handy to remember. Starting from the fountain in the center of the grounds, the building on the left is number one, then number two. And so on.

“I was supposed to stay away from the art department at all costs….”

“…I agree.”

“Should we just go back? If I can persuade Professor Evan, it’ll be fine.”

“Senior, please go back. I can handle it on my own.”

Anita didn’t want to turn back at this point.

And with Edmund beside her, who was making it clear that he didn’t want to go inside the stone building, she was relatively calm.

And, if we’re being honest, she wondered what Rutger was doing.

Wait, did I just admit I’m curious?

Anita, who had been walking quite well, suddenly stopped. This was not a good sign. She had pledged to discard any remaining attachments, vowed not to look back, just a few days ago. What if she faced Rutger again and wavered?

As Anita, who had been leading, stood frozen like a statue, Edmund pulled out the documents from her hand.

“There’s no monster inside. What’s the big deal? Let’s go.”

His fingers nudged Anita’s back. It was as weak as an ant swat, but Anita was pushed helplessly forward.

The building was dark and chilly, with poor lighting. The corridor seemed like it had transplanted parts of an art gallery, adorned with various marble sculptures, and works that seemed to belong to graduates decorated the walls.

“I really don’t like cold places.”

“Ah, I see.”

It seemed like information that she might never use. Regardless of Anita’s unenthusiastic response, Edmund continued his pointless chatter. The image of Edmund in Anita’s mind was gradually diminishing.

The doors lining the hallway didn’t have plaques on them. And since Professor Evan had only said building four, she had no clue where to go. As Anita led the way, rolling her eyes and trying to find her way around, Edmund stood idly by and watched.

The doors were all firmly closed, as if to exclude outsiders. Anita was about to open one of them, when she spotted a door around the corner that was wide open. As she raised her arm to knock, someone called out sharply.

“What is it?”