Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Ah, Ms. Hoshikawa! Have you seen Master!?”
“Haven’t seen her. What’s wrong?”
“She was with me just a moment ago, but I lost sight of her!!”

While I was wandering through the castle in search of Master, I happened to bump into Ms. Hoshikawa, who was out for a walk.

Since she had caught the king’s favor, Ms. Hoshikawa had been allowed to stay at the castle for a while under VIP treatment.

If things went on like this, she’d probably end up being drawn in by the king, but I wondered if Ms. Hoshikawa had realized that.

“Oh dear, she’s still recovering, isn’t she? Want me to help look for her? I’m worried.”
“No, there’s no need for concern! I have a rough idea where she went!”
“I see, as expected of Master’s number one disciple. Stell was praising you, you know?”
“She was?”
“Mhm… I’m here.”
“Whoa, Stell, you were with her this whole time?”

Stell’s face suddenly popped out from behind Ms. Hoshikawa’s back.

Back at that ruin, the girls had nearly suffocated, but after being rescued they received treatment just like Master.

Fortunately, the damage to their bodies had been minimal. Taking advantage of the king’s words—“It was my responsibility for pushing you into danger”—they had been allowed to stay at the castle until their full recovery.

“Teach ran away? I’ve got handcuffs, if you want.”
“I don’t think we’ll need those… Master could probably slip out of them anyway.”
“Fair point…”

Stell bit her lip in disappointment as she put away the handcuffs she had taken out.

Did she always carry those around? Students these days were something else.

“Hmm, where would Laika head off to? Somewhere with a lot of books, maybe?”
“I checked the library a few times already, but she hasn’t returned. And it’s lunchtime, yet she’s not in the kitchen either!?”
“Teach… eats little…”
“R-right…!”

I had been thinking based on my own standards, but Master ate so little that just bread, cheese, and dried meat was enough to last her through an entire day.

On top of that, she often got so absorbed in her work that she forgot to eat altogether. Just because it was noon didn’t mean she’d necessarily stop by the kitchen.

For the record, I had ten helpings of curry. It had been very delicious.

“If she’s not in the castle, maybe she already went outside? The town… while still recovering… a girl all alone…”
“I’ll go look for her!!”
“I—I think it’d be better to get the castle staff to help if you’re that worried…”
“First disciple… too overprotective… Teach is strong.”
“Of course I’d be overprotective! Because…”
“…Because?”
“No, sorry, it’s nothing!”

The words nearly slipped out of my mouth, but I swallowed them back.
Before telling Ms. Hoshikawa and the others, I needed to check with Master herself first. If it turned out to be a lie or just a joke, that would actually be the best outcome.

“Do you need a raincoat? Looks like it’s going to rain. I can whip one up real quick if you want?”
“I’ll be fine! I’ll zoom out and zoom right back! See you!”
“First disciple… we’re on the second floor…”

Leaning out of a nearby window, I leapt with all my strength, bounding from rooftop to rooftop.

Just as Ms. Hoshikawa had said, though it was midday, the clouded sky looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. Master probably didn’t have an umbrella, but I couldn’t waste time waiting around for Ms. Hoshikawa to make me a raincoat.

“Master—! Where are you—! If you don’t come out soon, I’ll search the whole town yelling at the top of my lungs, you know—!!”

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“…This one’s a bust too, huh.”

I closed the nearly crumbled book and carefully returned it to its proper place so it wouldn’t fall apart.

Its ink and paper had degraded with age, and its contents were nothing more than home-cooked recipes still recognizable even today.

It might hold some historical value, but it wasn’t the kind of information I was after.

“Finding a medium that hasn’t deteriorated, and on top of that, one that actually contains the information I want… huh.”

Just saying it out loud was enough to make me weary. It really was like panning for a single grain of gold in the desert.

The underground ruin was already a maze of roots and branches, and thanks to Theo’s destruction, large sections had collapsed and become even more tangled and bizarre. Just finding a safe route through was exhausting in itself.

“I’ll have to give her a piece of my mind next time we meet, seriously…”

Maybe it was a sad habit born from spending a thousand years locked away, but words spilled out of my mouth even with no one to hear them.

Still, putting things into words eased the loneliness and pain—like the futility of running into a dead end and having no choice but to backtrack.

“…It’s started raining.”

When I finally emerged from the gloomy ruin, scattered raindrops tapped against the tip of my nose.

Looking up, I saw the sky shifting into a full-blown squall. Unfortunately, I had nothing on hand to ward off the rain.

Either way, a downpour of this strength in the desert was dangerous. I decided to give up the search for today and come back another time.

“Master! It’s started raining, let’s head back!!”
“…Oh, Momo. You actually came all the way out here. That’s quite the effort.”

And there she was—standing at the ruin’s entrance as if she had been waiting for me to emerge.

Judging by her dust-stained clothes, she must have searched all sorts of places before finally tracking me down.

“Geez, you snuck out here on your own, didn’t you? You’re still recovering—stop overdoing it!”
“It’s fine. I couldn’t wait any longer. It’s not like I’m stealing valuables. Even that king would turn a blind eye to this.”
“…Why are you in such a rush?”
“Call it an irrepressible curiosity. When a mystery is right in front of me, I can’t help but want to solve it…”
“Liar. It’s because your life won’t last much longer, isn’t it?”
“――……So, you noticed.”

Momo’s eyes locked onto mine, unwavering. It wasn’t a guess—she truly knew.

Every excuse I’d prepared became useless. That she could be sharp only at a time like this… what a troublesome girl.

“Pest told me. Is it true? She said you’re already falling apart, Master…!”
“So meddlesome… but, well, I’ve no reason to deny it.”

The rain fell harder, pelting down in heavy drops that stung against the skin.

And yet, somehow, it didn’t matter. Between us, our voices carried clear as day.

“You’re right. My life won’t last much longer. Before too long, Laika Galactica will be completely dead.”