The air turned still in the wake of Kimiko’s question. It wasn’t just the silence- Something in the atmosphere had undoubtedly shifted. Though General had remained motionless, his gaze had unmistakably sharpened like a blade half drawn, and Akako felt the change as a lurch in his stomach. Had Kimiko accidentally struck a nerve? But it was such an innocent and unassuming question- How could Kimiko have known that it would be something quite so sensitive? Quickly, Akako stepped forward, instinctively moving to place himself between Kimiko and General, anxious but ready to defuse the tension-

“Akako! You’ve really done it this time!”

The sudden reprimand caught Akako off guard, snapping him out of his nerves, and as Akako blinked and turned, he instantly recognized the familiar swish of long, pink hair. It was  Aria, Mystorica’s head librarian, striding towards him with an exasperated scowl. Aria looked as if he had half a lecture prepped and ready to throw, until his eyes landed upon General and Kimiko, and he hesitated. Then, as Aria’s pace slowed to a stop, his gaze fluttering between the two of them, Aria seemed to have come to the conscious decision that, whatever he had to say, he’d rather not say it so carelessly for just anyone else to hear. Thus, with a quiet sigh, Aria’s gaze found its way back to Akako before he muttered softly, “Akako, a word with you?”

Kimiko latched onto the implications quickly enough, “Ah- Right! I, uh- I have to get back to the workshop, anyways,” Kimiko hastily fumbled as he scratched the side of his arm, eyes darting around in panic at the shoddily made-up excuse to dismiss himself, “Orders for tools are piling up now that the snow’s been cleared!” With that, Kimiko offered a final, nervous wave before scurrying off into the opposite direction.

Aria’s attention then turned to General, his brows furrowed slightly in question, “And, this is…?”

“General- Our guest,” Akako offered swiftly, “He arrived yesterday. First visitor Mystorica’s had in decades.”

Aria gave General a long look, his gaze not exactly scrutinizing, but still appraising. After a brief moment, Aria sighed again, “Alright, fine. Both of you. With me.”

Then, Aria led Akako and General briskly down a small path that twisted behind a row of stone cottages, until they reached the warm, book-scented interior of the Enigmatic Vault. Once inside, Aria gestured towards the open reading space and called over his assistant, “Xiaoxaio!”

There was a yelp and a clatter of books, before a hunched, scraggly figure scurried forth, adjusting his thick book-reading glasses through his dishevelled hair.

Aria cleared his throat, “Xiaoxiao- Prepare the tea, please. And entertain our guest-” At this, Aria cast a quick glance, motioning wordlessly towards General, “-Find something curious to read or chatter about. Whatever keeps him comfortable.”

There was but a brief moment of hesitation to let Aria’s words sink in, before Xiaoxaio reacted, taking over with a grin and a wild sparkled in his eyes. General raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as Xiaoxiao ran to the back to grab refreshments and a few interesting things to read. Aria took the opportunity to usher Akako into one of the quieter back rooms in the meantime, closing the door behind him once they were through.

“You’ve done it now,” Aria repeated, without the slightest indication of amusement or humor, and Akako suddenly found himself feeling rather tired- Just how fast could word travel?

“It’s not like I started anything,” Akako retorted, defensive as he crossed his arms over his chest, “Kami’s the one who blew up the counter.”

He receives an annoyed, exasperated look in return.

“You think Kami cares who started it?” Aria asked, “You embarrassed him- That’s more than enough reason for him to come back at you with a vengeance, and if I had to guess?” A pause, just to hammer the point home, “He’ll do it during the celebration.”

Akako tensed, his left eyelid twitching, “He wouldn’t.” That celebration wasn’t just for Mystorica’s first visitor in over a decade- It was for the long-awaited return of spring to the village. “He couldn’t.”

Arai didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. In the end, both he and Akako knew very well that, yes; Kami was indeed petty enough to ruin the festivities for everyone because he just so happened to have lost a bit of face in their encounter yesterday. Kami wouldn’t even think twice about ruining everyone’s fun because of something as trivial and minor as that.

“Look, just… Watch your back, alright?” Aria’s voice was noticeably softer when he spoke again, “The village- The people need this. It’s been years since our last celebration. We’ve gone over a decade without anything to look forward to. We can’t let Kami ruin the celebration for everyone and twist it into yet another one of his public tantrums.”

Akako sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “...Fine. I’ll keep an eye on him.” His gaze narrowed with determination, “And if he tries anything, I’ll stop him.”

“I’ll let you know if I hear anything on my end,” Aria nodded, “But for now, let’s get back out there and prepare for the celebration, too.”

With that, they stepped out of the side room, just in time to hear Xiaoxiao’s voice drifting through the library.

“...They call it the village square- But think about it! It’s round!” Xiaoxiao recounted with vigor and urgency, "Suspicious, isn’t it? This can’t be just a simple mistake- The truth for this discrepancy must be out there somewhere!”

Pursing his lips, Aria walked towards Xiaoxiao and snapped him out of his ramblings with a flick on his forehead.

“Stop scaring our guest,” Aria scolded before turning to General, his voice turned polite again, “Ah. My apologies for the interruption. Please, take this-”

From a nearby shelf, Aria pulled down a weathered but well-kept volume.

“A brief overview of Mystorica; Its customs, history, and the like,” Aria dusted it off briefly before handing it to General, “I hope you’ll find its contents- Interesting.”

General accepted the book with a small, thoughtful nod, weighing it in his hands as if it held more than it appeared.

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer,” Aria said with a faint smile, “Enjoy the rest of your day, and I do hope we’ll meet again at the celebration tomorrow!”