Chapter 2
While working in this library, I kept getting goosebumps from the unnaturally quiet silence.
After thinking long and hard about those goosebumps..
‘No wonder I got goosebumps..’
I realized why this silence frightened me.
Why was silence so quiet that it raised goosebumps frightening?
It was simple.
Inside this library...
There was no sound of nature whatsoever—the sound of the wind blowing, birds chirping, branches striking the windows in the wind, and so on and so forth...
The only thing that existed was ‘silence.’
‘Now that I know that, I feel a little better.’
Wasn't it said that humans are creatures of adaptation?
Once I came to my senses, I worked here for roughly five hours? (I hadn't actually done anything, but staying at my post counted as work, too.)
Once I realized why this creepy silence was frightening, it didn't seem quite so scary anymore-
Thud..
‘Ah.. this is fucking terrifying..’
The sudden sound of something falling.
The moment I heard it, I immediately checked the rule sheet, but...
Then I realized there was no rule about things falling, and started to wonder if I should just ignore it..
when I saw a book lying on the floor by Shelf 32 in the distance.
‘..As the librarian, am I supposed to pick up that book and return it to its place..?’
I decided I should organize the books quickly while no one was around..
Swish..
I carefully stood up and walked toward Shelf 32, where the fallen book lay.
When I reached the shelf marked with the number ‘32,’ I felt a little proud, as if I'd accomplished something major—but only for a moment.
Just as I bent down to pick up the fallen book and put it back on the shelf...
Step.. step..
“..!”
Realizing that I could hear footsteps coming from somewhere...
I hastily shoved the book into the empty space before me without a thought, then immediately hurried back toward the librarian's desk.
Thump..thump..thump..thump..
In truth, the reason we are frightened when we read Napolitan ghost stories is because of humanity's ‘imagination.’
When confronted with details that aren't explained precisely, humans, blessed with limitless imagination, unconsciously conjure up frightening images.
That's what makes Napolitan ghost stories inspire fear in so many different ways..
And now I was in a situation where the reality of that Napolitan ghost story was looming right before my eyes..
‘Ah.. please.. let nothing happen.. Pleeease..’
Step.. step.. step.. step..
I did my best not to look toward the sound of the footsteps.
Wanting to keep them from realizing I was afraid, I silently kept my head down and continued reading only the rule sheet..
Step.. step.. step.. step..
Along with the sound of someone gradually drawing closer to me..
Thud..
Step.. step.. step.. step..
The owner of the footsteps put something into the basket in front of the librarian's desk, then left just like that.
‘..Did they just come to return a book?’
Who the person returning the book was.
Whether they were a man or a woman.
No. I didn't even know whether it was a person at all.
‘What the hell. That was all?’
Since I began to think that the librarian's work here wasn't as difficult as I'd expected..
I decided to just grit my teeth and endure one week here.
‘It's a relief there aren't any patrons.’
Feeling somewhat relieved, I found it a little foolish that I was reassuring myself despite having been kidnapped.
‘They say humans are creatures of adaptation, so.. yeah..’
Was it because I was left alone out here?
What a sight I made, relying on the rules because there wasn't even anyone I could depend on..
‘..What if these rules are all lies? Seriously.’
Indeed, I didn't even have proof that these rules told the truth and nothing but the truth.
The rules numbered 9 and 10 alone were proof enough.
They served as evidence that not everything written in this rule sheet was true.
‘Please, I hope there aren't any patrons tomorrow, or the day after.. I hope there aren't any for the whole week..’
As I thought about this and that, I picked up the book that had just been returned and checked its back cover.
For the moment, it was clear I had to do what needed doing.
‘Number 17.’
I stood up to put the book marked with the number 17 on Shelf 17.
‘I've got about an hour left now.’
Since my first day working as a librarian was due to end in an hour..
I decided to organize the information I'd gathered in the notebook in my room with a ballpoint pen, and just as I approached Shelf 17...
‘I can put it in here.. Huh? What the?’
I realized the book that had been in my hand was gone.
Had I somehow dropped it without noticing on the way here?
Wondering how I could have failed to notice dropping the book because I was focused on other thoughts..
I turned around to see whether the book had fallen somewhere along the path I'd taken..
There..
“...”
There was someone—or rather, something—reading a book that looked exactly like the one I'd been holding.
“...”
It was a person.
It definitely looked like a person.
It had two legs and two arms.
So, although its outward appearance was unmistakably human..
Flip..
The fingers of the something turning the page to read the next one numbered only three..
And although the thing clearly appeared to be standing, at the ends of its two legs, where feet should definitely have been..
I could see that there was nothing there at all.
Thump-thump-thump-thump
It was my first time coming face-to-face with something that wasn't human, so my heart pounded like mad.
I wanted to scream and run away at any moment, but..
Since quiet was fundamental in the library, I decided not to cause trouble by screaming for no reason..
And chose to consider it a stroke of incredible luck that the something whose face was hidden behind the book had no interest in me.
‘It wasn't.. it wasn't.. it wasn't that bad.. ..Yeah.. I guess not.’
That was fortunate, at least.
‘When I first thought of the word ‘monstrous creature,’ the beings I imagined were..’
They had eight legs, or three heads, or were over three meters tall, and so on.
I'd imagined something with an overwhelming appearance, but the monstrous creature before me wasn't as bizarre-looking as I'd expected.
‘Still, the face.. the face.. ..Let's not look for now.’
I decided to take comfort in the fact that it was about as tall as an ordinary person and had a similar shape..
Afraid our eyes might meet, I kept my gaze lowered as much as possible and returned to the librarian's desk.
When I reached my seat and discreetly glanced at the clock..
‘Thirty minutes left.’
I confirmed that there were about thirty minutes left until my shift ended..
I decided to take that as a consolation and let myself feel a little happy.
‘What could it be about?’
At the sight of the patron standing still in the same spot and concentrating on their book for several minutes..
I began to think that perhaps I didn't need to be afraid of the patrons here—but wait a second..
‘..I'm pretty sure I didn't hear footsteps earlier?’
Let's retrace what happened on the way to Shelf 17.
I definitely didn't hear anyone approaching me then.
Also, that patron didn't have any feet.
In other words, something floating in midair as if it were flying clearly wouldn't make footsteps..
And I remembered that I had definitely heard footsteps from the patron who had come to return Book 17.
‘There must really be all kinds of monstrous creatures.’
I reached the conclusion that monstrous creatures existed in all sorts of varieties.
‘..Still, they don't attack the librarian..’
…
Ding~ Ding~ Ding~
The alarm clock rang out.
Seeing it ring the moment it became 8 p.m...
I realized that the alarm clock served as a kind of schedule, telling me whenever my shift ended.
‘It's finally over.’
Starting work did require me to check the clock myself, though.
But ending work had the modest convenience of letting me rely on the alarm clock—what a kind place this was.
It would have been even better if this place had shown a little more kindness and asked for my consent before kidnapping me.
“Huaaah.. It's over..”
I hadn't really done anything tangible, but I felt as though I'd gone through a lot.
When I returned to my room to shake off the day's fatigue..
“..When did they take it?”
The lunchbox I'd eaten from and left sitting there at lunchtime was gone, and a new lunchbox had been placed on the desk.
“The menu is, hmm.. the same as lunch.”
Seeing that it was filled with exactly the same contents as lunch..
I did get a slight shiver, though it wasn't quite goosebumps, but I was so hungry after eating nothing but rice at lunch..
I naturally opened the lunchbox, shoveled rice into my mouth, and began sorting through what had happened today in my head.
“I followed the rules.. encountered a monstrous creature..”
There wasn't really much to sort through.
Still, I felt like I wouldn't be able to keep my mind straight unless I did at least this much, so I quietly continued muttering to myself..
“Haaah.. What am I even doing?”
For some reason, I started to feel doubtful about what I was doing..
“Haaah.. At this rate, a status window will show up too.”
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Mental State: 76 / 100
[Available Return Count] : 1
Input:
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It appeared.