Ayanokoji analyzed the loop. If Beatrice intended to mock him, she wouldn't hide in a distant wing; she would be close enough to witness his confusion.
Based on the spatial fold, the first room after the loop begins is the most likely anchor, he calculated. He gripped the handle and pushed.
Inside, the twin-tailed girl sat on a stool, an ancient book in her lap. Her butterfly-patterned eyes held a mix of curiosity and annoyance.
"You really are a persistent, irritating human," Beatrice said, her chin tilted up in a practiced display of superiority.
Internally, she was baffled. Again? How does he pick the right door every single time? Is it luck... or something else?
"My apologies," Ayanokoji said. His voice was a flat lake, undisturbed by her spatial manipulation.
"A swift apology is an insincere one," Beatrice hopped off her stool. Her pink boots clicked sharply on the floor as she marched toward him. "You don't even know what you're apologizing for, I suppose."
"I find that apologizing early saves time," Ayanokoji replied. His eyes drifted to the book in her arms. For a split second, he saw the pages. They're blank.
Beatrice noticed his gaze and snapped the book shut, hugging it tightly.
That book is a high-priority item for her, he noted.
"Apologizing just to avoid trouble... your personality is truly grating," Beatrice huffed, her small frame radiating an oversized ego.
"I've been told that before."
Ayanokoji noted her focus on him. She was acting like a child who pulls the hair of someone they find interesting. "How do you find the door?" she demanded.
"Luck. Coincidence is a common occurrence in this world," he lied. If he told her he had mathematically profiled her personality and the manor's geometry, she would likely explode.
"Coincidence?" Beatrice's brow furrowed. "Fine. Let's see how much 'luck' you have. Stay still."
It was a command. Ayanokoji didn't resist. He was a guest in Emilia's camp; Beatrice was a neutral power within the house. He calculated that even if she attacked him, Emilia's healing magic would mitigate the damage.
In the "Blank" Room (No Game No Life Universe)...
Sora, the older brother, watched the screen with an intense, analytical stare. "He's calculating the cost-benefit of getting injured before it even happens," he muttered. "He's a monster."
Beside him, Shiro, the genius sister, nodded. "Brother... if it were us, we'd stay in the room until we rotted. We can't talk to strangers."
"Don't put it like that," Sora sighed. "But Shiro... this Ayanokoji. He has your calculation speed and my psychological reading combined into one person. I'd love to play a game against him."
Back in the library, Beatrice reached out and touched Ayanokoji's chest with a dainty finger.
A golden light erupted. Ayanokoji felt a jolt—a searing, high-voltage agony that lanced through his nervous system. It felt as if his very essence was being siphoned through a straw.
The pain was immense, but his face remained a mask of stone. Not a muscle twitched.
"Strange," Beatrice muttered, pulling back. "Did you not feel that? Did I fail?"
"It was painful," Ayanokoji said calmly. "Easily the most intense pain I've felt in recent memory."
"Then why didn't you scream? You didn't even blink!"
"Screaming does not reduce the physical sensation of pain. It is an inefficient expenditure of energy," he explained.
"You are a bizarre creature," she whispered.
"What did you do?" Ayanokoji asked. He felt a hollow emptiness in his chest, as if a battery had been drained.
"I requisitioned your mana. At the very least, it proves you harbor no immediate malice toward this library."
Requisitioned mana... Ayanokoji processed this. This meant he possessed "mana." Can I use magic? "If I have mana, can I cast spells?"
"So you really are an ignorant commoner," Beatrice smirked. "Who knows? I'm tired now. Don't waste any more of my time."
With a flick of her wrist, a violent gale blew Ayanokoji out of the room. The door slammed. When he opened it again, it led back to his own bedroom. The hallway was normal.
He felt a sudden, crushing fatigue. His head throbbed. Mana depletion affects physical stamina directly. He collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The Next Morning
Ayanokoji opened his eyes. The clock said he had slept two hours past his internal alarm.
"The guest is finally awake."
"Sleeping so long after doing so little."
"Perhaps learning a few words yesterday caused a total system overload?"
The twin maids, Ram and Rem, were standing by his bed, their voices alternating in a rhythmic, poisonous banter.
"Perhaps," Ayanokoji replied, sitting up. He didn't mention Beatrice. "Have you been waiting long? Is there something you need?"
"We are here to prepare your breakfast."
"And to inform you..."
"...that the prisoner in the cellar has finally opened her eyes."
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