The library was unusually quiet that afternoon.
Soft sunlight filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the wooden tables.
Yuna stood near one of the shelves, trying to focus—but her attention kept drifting.
Across from her, Jihun leaned slightly against the table, arms crossed, his expression calm… but his eyes occasionally flickered toward her.
And then—
"Princess~"
A cheerful voice broke the silence.
Harin appeared beside Yuna, dramatically bowing slightly as if she were greeting royalty.
"You called for your knight, and here I am."
Yuna blinked.
"Harin… what are you doing?"
Harin smiled brightly and gently took Yuna's hand.
"Don't worry, Princess. I will protect you and help you uncover the truth."
Yuna sighed.
Why is she acting like this all of a sudden…?
Before she could say anything—
Jihun suddenly stepped between them.
"That's enough," he said flatly.
Harin looked at him innocently.
"Hm?"
"Be serious," Jihun continued. "We didn't bring you here to play around."
Yuna glanced between them.
"Yeah… we're here to investigate," she added.
Harin placed a hand on her chest dramatically.
"Fine, fine~ I'll behave."
But the slight sparkle in her eyes said otherwise.
A few seconds later, Harin glanced at Jihun… and something clicked in her mind.
Oh…
So that's how it is.
A mischievous smile slowly appeared on her lips.
Without warning, she leaned closer to Yuna again.
"Yuna," she said softly, "stay close to me. It might be dangerous."
She gently held Yuna's arm.
Yuna blinked again.
"…Huh?"
Why is she suddenly so clingy?
But before she could react, Harin continued in an overly gentle tone,
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you."
Yuna felt slightly awkward—but didn't think too much about it.
Maybe she's just excited…
Meanwhile—
Jihun's expression darkened slightly.
His gaze fell on Harin's hand holding Yuna's arm.
For some reason, it annoyed him.
"You two seem to be having a good time," he said coldly.
Both Yuna and Harin looked at him.
"Seems like you've gotten pretty close in such a short time."
Yuna felt a strange pressure in his tone.
Why does he sound… annoyed?
"I mean—we just—" she started, but stopped.
She didn't know how to explain it.
Harin, on the other hand, was trying very hard not to laugh.
Oh wow…
They really look like a newly married couple fighting over small things.
She bit her lip to control her smile.
Jihun clicked his tongue lightly.
"Can we focus?" he said. "We're here for a reason."
Yuna quickly nodded.
"Right."
She turned to Harin.
"You said you know where the slime materials were taken from, right?"
Harin straightened up and finally dropped the playful act.
"Yeah," she said. "Follow me."
The three of them left the library and walked through a quieter hallway toward the back side of the academic building.
The atmosphere slowly became more serious.
Harin stopped in front of a door.
"The science lab storage," she said.
Yuna looked at the door carefully.
"So this is where the slime materials are kept…"
Jihun stepped forward and opened the door.
The room was dim and filled with shelves stacked with bottles, containers, and boxes of lab supplies.
A faint chemical smell lingered in the air.
Harin walked inside first.
"This is where I heard those girls talking in the morning," she said, looking around.
Yuna stepped in slowly, her eyes scanning everything.
If someone took slime materials from here… there should be some sign…
Jihun moved toward one of the shelves.
"Look carefully," he said. "If something was taken in a hurry, there might be clues."
The three of them started searching.
Yuna checked the lower shelves.
Harin opened a few boxes.
Jihun examined the labels and arrangement of the bottles.
After a few moments—
"Wait," Jihun said.
Yuna and Harin both turned toward him.
He was holding a container in his hand.
"This label is half torn," he said.
Yuna walked closer.
"And… this section looks messy," she added.
Harin crouched down and pointed at the floor.
"There are some dried slime marks here too."
Yuna's expression became serious.
"So someone definitely took materials from here."
Jihun nodded.
"And recently."
He looked toward the door.
"Which means the culprit is likely still in school."
Yuna clenched her fists slightly.
So it's true…
Someone is pretending to be Scarlet Shadow.
Harin leaned slightly closer to Yuna again, lowering her voice.
"Well," she whispered playfully, "looks like the game is getting interesting, Princess."
Yuna ignored the nickname this time.
Her mind was fully focused.
Jihun looked between the two of them.
"We're close," he said. "We just need to find out who accessed this room this morning."
Yuna nodded.
"Yes."
Her eyes sharpened with determination.
And then yuna thought ..
Whoever you are…
You used my name.
Now I'm going to find you.
And as the three of them stood in the dim storage room, surrounded by silent shelves and hidden clues—
None of them realized…
That someone had already been watching them from the hallway.
The real Scarlet Shadow…
—or the fake one—
was closer than they thought.