Chapter 17
A loafer who shirks responsibility, drinks crates of liquor, and sleeps on the floor.
It was true that Anita had a limited social circle, but that didn’t mean she lacked social skills. That’s why she simply shut her mouth and focused on what she was doing.
“Isn’t he seriously your stalker?”
“…He’s not.”
“Then why are you avoiding him?”
Finding the thin sheet of paper on the floor by touch alone wasn’t easy. Frowning and sweeping her hand across the floor, Anita gave a vague response.
“Is there some rule that says you can only run away from stalkers? Then why were you hiding?”
“Because he’s obsessed with me.”
“…What?”
Anita was horrified. She knew Rutger had a complicated history with women, but she never imagined he might also be into men. And Edmund, of all people—someone he’d barely met? Since when…?
Could it have been that day?
The day Rutger had followed Anita, and Edmund had helped her—when all three of them had been together. If that were the case, then what was Rutger’s relationship with Liliana?
“We’re from families that are discussing marriage. Not that I’m in favor of it.”
When Edmund continued, Anita finally realized she’d misunderstood. Of course. There would be no talk of marriage between Rutger and Edmund. The person Edmund had been referring to all along was clearly Liliana.
Once that clicked, Anita’s face flushed bright red.
She had almost made a very serious faux pas.
“…I see.”
Anita responded as if she had known it all along.
Something warm brushed against the back of her hand, which had been resting on the floor. Instinctively, she shifted to pull her hand away.
“Caught you.”
“…What?”
“Isn’t that the hand that’s been slacking off this whole time? Weren’t you the one who said we should clean together?”
Edmund suddenly lifted her left hand into the air and dangled it lightly. Anita let out a soft, incredulous laugh just imagining her hand awkwardly suspended midair.
“Why are you laughing? This isn’t the time.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t slacking off that long.”
“If you’re sorry, then buy me a meal.”
“……”
“I’m broke.”
Anita regretted sincerely apologizing. At this point, she began to wonder if Edmund had dropped the documents on purpose just to get to this point.
“Oh. I forgot about that.”
He let go of her wrist. Her arm flopped limply to the floor.
“What?”
Standing up, Edmund pulled open a curtain that Anita hadn’t even realized was there. Light immediately poured in through a window that covered over half the wall, brightening the storage room in an instant.
Anita squinted at the sudden brightness.
“…There was a window? Then why were we in the dark all this time…?”
She muttered in disbelief.
“You didn’t say anything. I thought you didn’t need it.”
Anita’s mouth opened to say something, then shut again. She had realized there was no point in expecting common sense from him.
“Come on, let’s finish up and get out of here. Looks like those two are gone now.”
Only then did Anita fall silent and strain her ears. As Edmund had said, the voices of the other two could no longer be heard. It seemed they had left while she and Edmund were goofing off in the dark.
With a noticeably lighter expression, Anita stood up, picked up the scattered papers, and resumed walking.
At Aberdeen University, the buildings are numbered. It’s a cold, bureaucratic system—but easy to remember. Starting from the central fountain, the building on the left is Building 1, then Building 2, and so on.
“I promised myself I’d never go near the art department again…”
“…Agreed.”
“Should we just go back? I could probably talk Professor Evan around.”
“You can go back, senior. I’ll go alone.”
Anita didn’t want to turn back after coming all this way.
Besides, with Edmund so obviously reluctant to enter the stone building, she found herself feeling unusually calm in comparison.
And to be honest, she was a little curious about what Rutger was up to.
Wait… curious?
Anita, who had been walking along steadily, suddenly came to a halt. That wasn’t a good sign. Just a few days ago, she had vowed to let go of any lingering feelings and move forward without looking back. But what if she saw him again and wavered?
When Anita froze like a statue, Edmund quietly reached over and took the papers from her hand.
“There’s no monster in there or anything. So what? Let’s go.”
He gave her a gentle push on the back with his finger. The force was barely more than a tap, but Anita stumbled forward helplessly.
The building was dim and chilly, with little natural light. Like a transplanted wing of an art museum, the hallway was lined with marble statues and student artworks, likely from alumni, hung on the walls.
“I really hate cold places.”
“Uh-huh.”
Not particularly useful information. Yet despite her lackluster response, Edmund continued babbling on. In Anita’s mind, his image was growing more and more ridiculous.
The hallway was lined with doors, none of which had nameplates. All she had been told was that Professor Evan’s office was in Building 4, leaving no real clues.
While Anita led the way, scanning aimlessly for any sign of where to go, Edmund seemed relaxed, looking around like a tourist.
As if trying to deter outsiders, every door was firmly shut. Just as Anita was about to try opening one at random, she spotted a door wide open near the corner.
She raised her hand to knock.
But before she could—
“What the hell?!”
