The next morning, I woke up, showered, and changed into my exploration gear. Finally, I threw on the long coat I’d received upon joining the clan.
"...Does this actually look good on me?"
I studied my reflection in the full-length mirror, but I honestly couldn't tell. It felt a little jarring for now, but I hoped I’d get used to it soon. Seeing myself in this outfit really hammered home the reality of my new life: I was now a member of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky.
Once I was dressed, I sat down to eat some of my homemade rations.
Labyrinth exploration often involved intense physical exertion. If you ate a heavy meal in the morning, you ran the very real risk of vomiting under pressure. Because of that, whenever I headed into the dungeon, I stuck to my own portable food—small portions designed to provide concentrated nutrition. After a long process of trial and error, I’d managed to make them taste at least tolerable.
After finishing my simple breakfast, I headed out and bought three different newspapers. Then, I made my way back to the clan headquarters and headed for the strategy room, our designated meeting spot.
I stopped by the library on the way to grab a few books before entering the room. It was just after 7:00 AM, leaving me with about two hours to kill. I set the newspapers and the stack of books on the center table, pulled out a chair, and settled in to read until the others arrived.
I had been reading for a while when the door was suddenly flung open.
"First one here again today! —Wait, Orun-kun? You’re already here? You’re so early!"
Lucre practically bounced into the room, her energy levels already at maximum.
"Morning," I said, my eyes never leaving the page.
"Yeah, morning! Are you reading?"
I finished the book just as she asked. Closing it, I finally looked up at her. "Something like that. I had some time to kill."
"Even so, didn't you bring a bit too many? You can't possibly finish all of those, right?"
There were thirty-two books on the table. To my right, I had stacked thirty of them in neat piles of five. To my left sat the final two.
"The ones in the stacks are the ones I’ve already finished," I replied, gesturing to the thirty books on the right.
"...Huh? Wait, did you stay up all night reading? We’re going into the labyrinth today!"
"No, I slept. I only got here around seven."
"Oh, okay, good. But wait—there's still no way you read that many in one go!"
"Your skepticism is fair, but I can use Speed Reading. I really have finished everything in those stacks."
"O-Oh... Speed Reading, huh? That’s incredible! I can't believe you got through all that in an hour and a half!"
Lucre praised me with genuine earnestness. I’m well aware that I have a bit of a cynical streak, so I usually struggle with people who wear their hearts on their sleeves, yet I didn't feel any of that discomfort around Lucre. I wondered why that was.
"Thanks. Since we have a dive today, I was actually taking it pretty easy."
As I spoke, I stood up and activated a spell. Just as I had when I brought them in, I made the books hover in the air.
"Whoa, magic...? Amazing! I’ve never seen anything like that before!"
This was one of my original spells. It could only lift light objects, so it wasn't capable of levitating a person, but it was incredibly convenient for daily life. I’d heard the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky possessed several secret techniques, so I’d wondered if this magic might be common knowledge here. Seeing Lucre’s genuine shock told me that this was another spell they didn't have. That was good to know.
Just then, the door opened again and Rain walked in.
"Lucre, stop making such a racket so early in the— Huh?"
As Rain began to scold Lucre, the floating books drifted into her line of sight. Her eyes went wide. She began to tremble violently, her face pale.
"A poltergeist...? A g-ghost...?" she whimpered, looking utterly terrified.
"Rain-san is hopeless with ghosts," Lucre whispered to me. "She’s fine with monsters in the labyrinth, but this... Oh, I know. Heh heh."
After giving me the lowdown, Lucre’s expression shifted into a wicked, mischievous smirk.
"Kyah! Rain-saaan! The ghost is so scaaary!"
Her delivery was painfully wooden. Lucre suppressed a grin as she sought "protection" from Rain.
"It really is a ghost?! D-Don't worry, Lucre. L-L-Leave it to your big sister!"
Rain’s voice was shaking, her bravado paper-thin. Even so, her pride as the eldest seemed to push her to protect Lucre. Seeing her so genuinely frightened made her look more like a girl her actual age. It was an amusing sight, so I decided to keep quiet and watch for a moment.
Then, I felt it.
"...Hm?"
Mana began to condense around Rain, and a magic circle flickered into existence.
"Wait, Rain-san! Not that!" Lucre shouted, her amusement instantly replaced by panic.
An attack spell?! This is bad!
Judging by the mana density, it was an intermediate-tier spell. I acted instinctively, reaching out to disrupt the mana flow around Rain.
"I can't channel my mana?! Is... is the ghost doing this too?! I won't lose!"
Despite her confusion, she tried to force her mana into the circle. I was impressed—she really was a mage from an S-rank party. But now was definitely not the time for admiration!
"Sorry, Rain-san! It’s not a ghost! It’s just my magic! Please don't fire off an attack spell in here!"
I shouted as I quickly dispelled my levitation and let the books settle back onto the table.
"...Eh? Orun-kun... your magic?"
Realizing it wasn't the work of the paranormal, Rain let her magic circle dissipate. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. That was way too close.
"Yeah. I was just using a spell to float the books so I could put them away."
"Ah... I see... Goodness, don't scare me like that. I almost attacked you."
She said "almost," but that spell was definitely primed. Even if she was holding back the output, it would have been a disaster indoors.
Lucre stepped away from the relieved Rain and shuffled over to me.
"Orun-kun, I’m so sorry. I didn't think she’d have such a... serious reaction."
"I’m just glad no one got hurt," I sighed.
I made a silent, firm vow in my heart: I was never, ever going to tease Rain about ghosts again.