"BOOM!"
A deafening roar echoed through the mansion.
In the courtyard, Natsuki Subaru, who was busily narrowing the distance between himself and Emilia, jerked his head up and looked toward the manor.
"Ah, there they go again."
Emilia followed the direction of the sound, her expression hesitant. "Um... is Satoru really going to be okay acting like that?"
"Should be fine, I guess," Subaru said, scratching his head. "Anyway, last time I went in, Betty seemed... well, pretty energetic."
"Really? But that didn't sound like the sound of someone being happy..." Emilia said skeptically.
Before she could dig deeper, Subaru waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine! Satoru is a good guy; he won't actually hurt Betty. More importantly, Emilia—I heard from Rem that she's going to the village tomorrow to buy groceries. Why don't we go for a stroll together? Staying cooped up in the mansion all the time will make you go stir-crazy..."
While Subaru and Emilia were chatting, a one-sided bout of "cold violence" was erupting inside the Forbidden Library.
"Get out!"
"Get out!"
"Who gave you permission to come in again?! Get out, I suppose!"
The little girl's voice, sharpened by fury, rang through the library. Yet, faced with her outburst, Gojo Satoru paid her no mind at all. He sauntered through the aisles as if he owned the place, casually browsing the titles on the shelves.
Beatrice stared at Gojo, who was treating her like thin air, and felt her blood boil. The problem was, she didn't have a good way to stop him. This fellow—she had no idea what kind of trick he was using or what special Divine Protection he possessed—but whenever she tried to use magic to physically eject him from the library, it had absolutely no effect.
If she used higher-tier combat magic, it might be a different story. But she wasn't some cold-blooded psychopath; she couldn't bring herself to kill someone over a minor annoyance.
Trapped by her own conscience, Beatrice was utterly miserable. Not only could she not kick him out, but she couldn't even hide from him. Between Gojo Satoru and Natsuki Subaru, these two treated the Forbidden Library like their own backyard. They came and went as they pleased, and she was powerless to stop it.
"You know, loud shouting is prohibited in a library," Gojo said, rubbing his ear with a look of feigned helplessness. "Even if you're a Spirit, Betty, you should try to be a cultured one."
This "guest-acting-as-host" attitude pushed Beatrice even further over the edge. "An intruder like you has no right to say that, I suppose!"
"Yes, yes. But since you've already labeled me an intruder, I might as well do whatever I want, right?"
"Anyway, I'm just reading. It's not like I'm bothering you."
Looking at Gojo's thick-skinned indifference, Beatrice felt a massive headache coming on. When Puck had first brought this man here, she never imagined it would evolve into... this.
"When exactly are you going to stop pestering me, I suppose?"
"Actually, I think we can coexist quite peacefully. After all, I'm really just here for the books. Why are you so insistent on me leaving?" Gojo adjusted his collar, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Betty does not like outsiders staying here," she stated, emphasizing every single word while glaring at him.
"It's fine! You'll get used to it soon enough."
"I will not get used to it! Absolutely not...!"
As they bickered, a sudden patter of hurried footsteps sounded outside. The doors to the Forbidden Library were slammed open, and Natsuki Subaru's voice boomed through the room.
"Success!"
"YESSSS!"
"Now this is a proper light novel development! Hahahahaha!"
At the sound of that voice, a vein slowly throbbed on Beatrice's forehead. She hadn't even dealt with Gojo yet, and now this other clown had barged in.
"Oh! You guys are here too?"
"Looks like you and Satoru are getting along famously, Betty!" Subaru strolled over, grinning widely.
"Are you blind? How on earth did you conclude that I am getting along with this man, I suppose?" Beatrice snapped, crossing her arms.
"Aiyee, it's fine, it's fine! Tell you what—I'll tell you some happy news, and it'll put you in a better mood."
Subaru didn't seem to care about her tone at all. On the contrary, his face was radiant; his good mood was visible to the naked eye.
"What happened to make you so happy?" Gojo asked, sounding curious. He pulled Subaru over to the small table where Beatrice usually had her tea. He picked up the teapot, refilled Beatrice's cup, and then, producing a cup of his own from who-knows-where, filled it to the brim for himself.
Beatrice rolled her eyes at Gojo's audacity but didn't say anything. She knew by now that complaining was useless.
"Emilia agreed to go on a date with me!" Subaru announced to Gojo, his excitement overflowing.
"A date?" Gojo took a sip of tea, his tone sounding a bit skeptical.
"That's right! A real date!" Subaru was so pumped he started doing a little victory shimmy on the spot.
"Wait a second. If I remember correctly, you've only known each other for a few days since that first meeting, right?"
In a modern society, "one-night stands" weren't rare. But in this era—and specifically with the vibe Emilia gave off—Gojo felt that a "date" seemed a bit... unlikely.
"True! But that doesn't stop my sincere feelings for Emilia—"
"You're just entertaining yourself, I suppose."
Beatrice's mocking voice cut in. She sat in her chair, holding her teacup with a faint, cold smirk. "From what I know of that girl, it's impossible for her to open her heart that easily and agree to some strange request."
Subaru wasn't offended by Beatrice's jab. He continued to grin. "Well, it's basically a date. Rem is going to the village tomorrow to buy groceries, and I invited Emilia to come along for a walk."
"Heh."
Beatrice let out an ambiguous chuckle, her face wearing an "I told you so" expression. "That 'agreement' is simply because that girl feels she owes you for helping her earlier. That's the only reason she decided to go, I suppose."
Beatrice poured a bucket of cold water over his head without mercy. However, her words had zero effect on Subaru. At this moment, he was so high on adrenaline that he couldn't hear a word of reason.