After some back and forth, Betty finally allowed Shiro into the Forbidden Library for Puck's sake.
"So, what does someone who barged into Betty's Forbidden Library and interrupted Betty's intimate time with Big Brother want this time?"
Betty sat in a chair at the center of the library, glaring unhappily at Shiro across from her.
She deliberately emphasized the words "intimate time," clearly hoping he would take the hint and leave immediately.
Unfortunately, Shiro appeared not to notice.
Or perhaps—He was deliberately pretending not to notice.
Looking at Betty's little face scrunched up in irritation, Shiro went straight to the point.
"Do you know what that horn growing from Rem's forehead is?"
Betty glanced at him in surprise.
"You made that girl angry?"
"Maybe."
Remembering Rem's state earlier, Shiro nodded.
"When I asked what she thought about the Witch of Envy, Rem suddenly seemed like a completely different person."
"She became incredibly furious, and a horn appeared on her forehead that started absorbing mana from the surroundings."
"The Witch of Envy..."
"No wonder she got angry."
"As for the horn, it's one of the defining traits of the Oni race."
"Oni?"
"The Oni are a demi-human race."
"They absorb mana from the atmosphere through their horns, which allows them to use magic."
"However, while those horns grant the Oni tremendous benefits, they are also their greatest weakness."
"If an Oni loses their horn, they can no longer properly absorb mana and may eventually die from mana depletion."
Hearing that an Oni without a horn could die because they were unable to replenish their mana, Shiro suddenly thought of someone.
Someone who, like Rem, was an Oni—Yet constantly leaked mana from her forehead.
"So... Ram is an Oni who lost her horn?"
He asked tentatively.
"You noticed?"
"Well, considering you can find Betty's Door Crossing just by sensing the flow of mana, something at this level obviously wouldn't escape you."
Remembering how Shiro had tracked down her Door Crossing, Betty nodded in understanding.
Then her expression became complicated.
"Normally, an Oni is born with two horns."
"But because Ram and Rem are twins, each of them was born with only one."
"Betty doesn't know exactly what happened afterward."
"But when Roswaal brought them here, Ram's horn was already gone."
"Judging from Rem's attitude toward the Witch, the reason Ram lost her horn was most likely..."
"The Witch Cult... right?"
Shiro finished for her.
In the eyes of the public, the Witch Cult was an organization composed of lunatics who worshiped the Witch of Envy.
Rumors claimed that they acted with the goal of resurrecting the Witch who had once devoured half the world.
Some eyewitnesses even described them as madmen who would do anything to achieve their objectives.
Anyone standing in their way—Even their own family—Could be killed without hesitation.
If Ram had lost her horn because of the Witch Cult, it was hardly surprising that Rem lost control the moment she heard the title "Witch of Envy."
Betty had just explained how important horns were to the Oni.
And considering Rem's worship of Ram—The fact that Rem had not immediately mistaken Shiro for a Witch Cultist and attacked him was already impressive restraint.
"Mm."
Betty glanced toward Puck, who was behaving exactly like a cat and scratching at an especially thick book.
Then she continued—
"What's already happened is in the past."
"You should stop asking about the Witch Cult."
"People who get involved with them usually don't end well."
"Hmm?"
Shiro looked at Betty in surprise.
"Are you worried I'll recklessly investigate the Witch Cult and get myself killed?"
"Don't worry. I'm pretty strong."
Sure enough—The little blonde girl who acted hostile toward everyone except Puck really was the easiest woman in Roswaal Mansion to deal with.
"Hmph!"
"If you hadn't helped Big Brother, Betty wouldn't care whether you lived or died!"
"Now that you've learned what you wanted, stop saying stupid things and get out of Betty's sight!"
Immediately afterward—Countless black arrows surged toward Shiro again.
Once more, Betty blasted him straight out of the Forbidden Library.
After Shiro left—
"Are you sure this is okay?"
Puck floated onto the table in front of Betty.
"As far as I know, it's been a very long time since anyone could find your Door Crossing this accurately."
"Who knows how long you'll have to wait before someone like that appears again?"
Betty's expression dimmed.
"So what?"
"Even if he can find it perfectly every time, he still isn't 'that person' Betty is waiting for."
Puck raised a paw and scratched his head in distress.
He knew what Betty was waiting for.
And precisely because he knew—He understood that unless the person Betty waited for suddenly appeared right now, no amount of comforting words would help her.
So Puck simply put on a cheerful smile again and pulled a cookie from the purple bag hanging from his body.
"Well, as long as you're happy."
"By the way, today's afternoon tea has some delicious snacks. Want one?"
"Eeh?! Big Brother really is the best!"
"Come here and let Betty touch your fur again!"
"Yes, right there! That silky texture... Guehehe..."
Perverted laughter once again echoed throughout the Forbidden Library.
...
"Got kicked out again..."
Shiro stood in front of the Door Crossing and sighed.
The moment he closed the door, the direction of the surrounding mana flow changed again.
The room behind it was no longer Betty's Forbidden Library.
It had already become some ordinary room somewhere else in Roswaal Mansion.
"Forget it."
"More importantly, I need to figure out how to get rid of Rem's hostility toward me."
From the moment Shiro asked Rem what she thought about the Witch of Envy, their relationship had clearly worsened.
Even if Rem knew he had not meant anything by it, she already possessed faint hostility toward him to begin with.
After this incident, she would probably distance herself even further.
Until Shiro could eliminate that hostility—Studying her horn was out of the question.
While he was thinking, a figure hurried toward him from the opposite end of the corridor.
Pink hair, the exact opposite of Rem's blue.
A black-and-white maid uniform.
There was no mistaking her identity.
It was Rem's older sister—Ram.
And she was also one of the main reasons Rem had lost control earlier.
At this moment, the calm composure Ram had shown when Shiro first met her was completely gone.
She looked as though she were desperately searching for something.
"You!"
The instant she spotted Shiro, her eyes sharpened.
Then she marched directly toward him, reached out, seized his collar, and yanked hard.
The next second—
Shiro's surroundings shifted rapidly.
Thud—!
By the time the force acting on him disappeared, his back was already pressed against the corridor wall.
The scenery of Roswaal Mansion had been completely replaced by Ram's anxious face.
They were so close that Shiro could feel her breath against him.
But Ram had no attention to spare for maid etiquette or personal space.
Remembering the state she had just seen Rem in, she leaned closer and shouted directly into Shiro's face—
"What the hell did you say to Rem?!"
…