第２５４堀：子供の頃、毎日が冒険だった。 (Part2)
In particular, I could never say anything sexually suggestive to my wives.
Because I’d be dragged straight to the bedroom.
There’s no cute, customary reaction of "Eek!" or "No way!"—they just welcome me and devour me whole.
I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about that...
Well, that’s beside the point right now.
To be honest, Taiki and I were excited.
Exploring the school.
I think everyone has done that at least once in their early elementary school days.
In my case, it was part of a class assignment where we were given a simple map and had to fill in the names of the rooms.
We talked about movies and hidden rooms, but for us, those were just excuses to go on an adventure.
Yes, when we were kids, every day was an adventure.
I feel like I’ve come a long way since those days.
Well, physically, I’ve come a long way, that’s for sure.
That’s exactly why coming to a place like this, which resembles a school, brings back a sense of nostalgia.
And it reminds me of the days when I was a student...
"Yuki-san. I’m starting to get excited."
"Yeah. I can feel my heart, which had grown accustomed to life in another world, starting to stir."
Searching for secret rooms.
It’s like verifying school rumors.
Back in the day, we avoided it because we’d get scolded by teachers, but here, we can explore under a legitimate pretext.
"So, where should we start? Looking around, there are at least three places in this library alone that look like hidden rooms."
Whoops, I need to stay calm.
Even though it’s evening, there are still quite a few people using the facility.
I can’t just go digging up a hidden room near the entrance right away.
We need to do this discreetly so the principal doesn’t find out.
That’s part of the reason we used the excuse of researching the library’s collection; it’s a much more plausible reason to be walking around than just saying we’re touring the school.
"Well, it wouldn’t be good to find a hidden room right by the entrance. Unless it’s a public secret room that everyone knows about, I can’t exactly ask around for it. Let’s check the two spots in the back, and once the people are gone, we’ll handle the one near the entrance."
"Agreed. Let’s head to the back, then."
With that, Taiki took Airi’s hand and headed toward the back of the library.
"Let’s go, too."
"Yeah."
Ria and I held hands and walked toward the back of the library.
...They’re my wives, but calling them my cute girlfriends wouldn’t be wrong, would it?
Yeah, I suppose this is what you’d call youth.
"Is this the place?"
While I was savoring the feeling of youth, we had arrived at the location from the adventure stories.
Time to quickly snap out of being a "youthful guy" and return to a child’s heart filled with the spirit of adventure.
Ah, no, this is an investigation. An investigation.
"Yeah, this is it. ...Wow, that’s a mountain of books."
I understood why Ria asked that question.
Before we even get to the hidden room, the passageway is buried in books.
I guess they haven't organized the collection.
"So, where are Taiki and the others?"
It’s a one-way path, so it’s impossible to lose them, but I don’t see them anywhere.
Well, there haven’t been any loud noises, so I assume there’s no trouble.
"Over here, Yuki-san."
Just as I was thinking that, a voice called out from the side.
Taiki popped his head out from behind a mountain of books.
"Look closely. It’s hard to tell because of all the books, but they’ve used the books to build walls, creating a passage."
"Hmm? Oh, you’re right."
Following Taiki’s advice, I looked closer and realized there was indeed a path just wide enough for one person to pass through.
You could call it a hidden path that utilizes the camouflage of a mountain of books and the psychological deterrent of people not wanting to get near them.
However, I didn’t step into the passage, choosing to talk to Taiki from where I stood.
I pulled Ria, who was about to follow, closer and held her.
"Uhehe... Yuki-san’s scent..."
"...Taiki, if we pull the wrong thing here, won’t the whole thing collapse?"
I ignored the fact that Ria was grinning and voiced my concern about the passage.
With this many books, if it collapsed, a person could be buried in an instant.
Books are no joke; there was even an incident in Japan where someone died after a bookshelf fell during an earthquake and they were buried under the pile of books that spilled out.
"Ah, about that. If you try touching the books, you’ll see, but they don’t show any sign of moving. I mean, if I used my full strength, it wouldn’t be an issue, but an average person couldn’t even budge them."
"Oh, you’re right."
I tried to take the top book from the pile at the entrance, but it was as if they were all glued together with superglue—they wouldn’t move, and I couldn’t even flip the pages.
As Taiki said, if I put my strength into it, I could probably force it, but the books would likely be destroyed in the process.
Like that party trick where you tear a magazine in half with both hands.
...I was surprised at myself for thinking of something like that out of the blue.
"...Yuki-san, what’s wrong? Did you find a fun book? Or rather, you have such a gentle smile on your face. I’m jealous, so please do that for me, too."
"Ah, no, it’s just... I found a memory from a long time ago. That’s probably why I was smiling like that. It was unconscious, so I couldn’t do it on purpose."