For a moment, nothing but the soft noise of the grass being stomped on could be heard. This momentary atmosphere was unfortunately not something that could be described as peaceful, quite the opposite in fact.

The Sun was beaming down on both sides of this battle, the sky was clear and no clouds could be seen as far as they could see. Grand trees that cast their shadows down upon the visitors allowed the librarians to get a place away from the sunlight.

Sadly, they were not here to gaze at the scenery.

Hod: ...

Y/N: ...

Standing right in front of them, a person dressed in red was looking back at them. Their body was completely hidden from their gaze and what would normally be their face was instead replaced by a mask made of skin, imitating a twisted visage.

Despite a lack of smell, Angela's assistant could almost imagine the odor said skin would emanate now that it was exposed to sunlight. His face grew slightly pale at the thought.

Standing by his side, the Patron librarian of Literature regretfully prepared her weapon. She still couldn't process what she was about to do. Her own will was questioning itself. She couldn't even properly think straight.

However, despite this, she still held on. Next to her, the worker who willingly joined her to help was observing the Abnormality they would soon battle. He did the same with everyone before her and all of them gave it their all... she didn't want to feel like a burden compared to them.

Probably noticing the pair of eyes peeking at his face, the exhausted worker glanced in her direction and replied with a weak smile, trying his hardest to not look like he was a corpse that just emerged from its grave.

Finally, after getting a hold of herself, the Sephirah took a deep breath and focused on the task ahead of them. The duo needed to remain focused at all time if they wanted to emerge victorious.

...And as soon as that thought crossed their head, the duel began. Immediately, the horrid mask wore by the person in front of them began to change expression at irregular intervals. The faces went from joyous to angry and everything in-between.

Hod: The kid still hides behind masks... We should be considerate of its mood.

Her soft voice resonated in the assistant's eardrums but without making any meaning to him. His attention was instead turned to a large... "net" were many different faces were placed on it to dry, making his stomach churn.

Behind this morbid display, a second figure could be seen, moving to match the face the child was making.

Y/N: ...To think someone shed their own skin and turned into this, quite ironic that their former shell is now displayed to everyone.

Now that their exchange was over, the tension began to build up as each librarian stepped closer to their target. Due to the rapid changes between expressions, they needed to act as fast as possible.

Although the hint the girl gave was useful, it also came with its own set of problems. How would one be able to properly fight while also predicting the constant mood shift of the Abnormality AND the expression it will change to?

The answer was simple: swing and pray that god gives you the outcome you wish for.

With that thought in mind, the air cried and whistled as the assistant's blade reached for the opponent facing them. In return, a scowl glared back at the attacker and retaliated with a headbutt. A clash occured but the outcome was quickly decided.

Be considerate of its mood.

These words returned as his feet lost contact with the ground below him. His back landed painfully first and his blade miraculously bounced a few times before stopping next to him.

Hod: Y/N!

A familiar voice rang out but was abruptly interrupted by the entity they were attempting to suppress. It charged at her with the same expression and easily forced her to dodge out of the way.

Not pleased by this outcome, a second strike followed, which disarmed the girl who was not ready mentally and physically. She began to sweat bullets as her feet desperately tried to form a comfortable distance between them. Her attempt, however, was immediately shut down when she noticed a lack of space between the both of them, the child was matching her speed and was not about to let her retreat.

Left & right, the bodies belonging to each party moved around like a waltz was being performed. Both "dancers" darted around in a way that tried to outsmart the opposing force but to no avail. Each step taken was followed by a shift of the monster' face, a being known by the humans who worked with it as "Shy Look Today" or simply "Shy Look".

To the surprise of the ex-Sephirah, the attacks aiming at her never slowed down, forcing her to remain in constant movement.

What was once a nice breeze floating around turned into a mocking wind. The blood was draining from her face with each strike dodged. He breath grew irregular and her heart was racing. Yet, no matter how long it persisted, Hod refused to stop, not like she had a choice in the first place.

With the way things were going, her chances of taking back the sword she brought with her were zero, null. The real choice that was given to her was whether she would use her fists to fight back or content herself with simply running away.

...Luckily for her, the choice was ultimately disregarded once a guardian angel charged into the fray. No, "Angel" would be more accurate, no one is truly innocent in the hellish reality of the City, despite what some try to believe.

Time froze as she watched a piece of metal barely miss her skull and hit the side of Shy Look's head. A ringing noise resonated and the Abnormality stepped away to face the attacker. The Patron librarian did the same out of shock.

Standing to the side, the assistant who joined her in this task was sending a cold glare ahead. In his hands, a long metallic chain was present. At the end of it, a large ball of steel was rolling on the grass.

Hod: ...Is that-

Y/N: Now's not the time for questions Hod!

The man hurriedly replied and charged at her before swinging the object like a whip. The ball curved around her body and collided with the fierce kid that tried to attack her from behind. The second noise was enough to snap her out of her daze and look for her blade.

As if predicting her reaction, she only required to lower her gaze to find what she was looking for. She reached for it, firmly planted her feet into the ground and turned around just in time to see the chain Angela's puppet was wielding combust into golden pages, leaving behind the sword he brought when they entered this world.

Y/N: ...Strong enough emotions & focus, just like last time.

Hod's temporary helper mumbled to himself. His hands were shaking but his stare was the complete opposite.

This was enough for the entity hiding behind a mask to take the matter seriously. Its feet moved around until the duo were in its sight before the expression it wore began to change once more. The cycle was inconsistent and the librarians were unable to predict when and what face would appear.

Y/N: "Be mindful of the kid's mood", how the hell are we supposed to do that when we can only guess what will show up?

Hod: There has to be a way to make their expression stop...

"What the fuck do you want from me? To keep smiling like an idiot?!"

The discussion between both workers was suddenly interrupted by a voice coming from the being they were attempting to suppress. An aura of wrath could be felt despite the large distance between each side.

Y/N: ...I might have an idea.

Hod: Really?

Y/N: ...

The ex-employee did not reply, keeping his focus on the target in front of him. He already had a taste of Shy Look's power in a physical sense and he wasn't about to let his guard drop. His eyes remained unblinking for a worrying period of time.

If one wasn't attentive, they would probably assume that he was staring directly at Burrowing Heaven instead of the small child looking back at them.

Y/N: I'll deal with Shy Look, you use that opportunity and attack it.

Hod: What about its expression?

Her question remained suspended in the air until the blade Y/N was carrying gained a bright color. This only lasted a second and revealed a chain wrapped around his left hand.

Y/N: We pray.

The answer she got gave her a shiver. The man standing next to her was basically saying to completely ignore it and rely on luck. This was something that didn't sit right with her.

Hod: This is too risky.

Y/N: What else are we supposed to do?

Hod: ...When it was contained inside Lobotomy Corporation, the changes would stop once an employee entered its space.

Y/N: As you can see, that's not happening.

Angela's assistant rolled his eyes before his vision widened. To his surprise, their opponent rushed at them, bearing a hateful expression. His face began to sweat bullets as he retaliated with a swing with the metal chain.

Said bullets turned into a torrent as he witnessed the Abnormality clashing with him block the hit. His feet were forced to move away, his body was overwhelmed by the knockback. 

What followed was a double blunt attacks from the kid with a constant mood shift and, despite its small stature, each one of them felt like he was struck by a sledgehammer. His bones groaned and his brain screamed to get away.

"I told you to read the room, you damn piece of shit!!"

Y/N: ...

Yet, despite the pain he was going through, the agent tried his hardest to not falter. He needed to keep it busy for as long as possible. The reason why quickly made herself known by swinging her blade at the back of their foe.

Not expecting said slash, Shy Look swiftly did a 180 and blocked the second assault aiming at them, allowing the badly bruised librarian to brandish his sword, which was restored to its original form after his failed attempt to fight back. Once he did, his hand holding the handle couldn't stop itself from shaking.

Finally, with gritted teeth, he performed a downward arc with his weapon. His breathing grew louder and along with this, his actions became more... simplistic, lacking any technique.

After his first slash, the cornered kid hurriedly stepped away from the duo to gain some distance. It worked effectively against the ex-Sephirah of the Training team but not against the man still going on the offensive.

His eyes narrowed as he chased after it. The few meters that separated them became nonexistent in a matter of seconds, a feat only possible if one was a truly experienced runner or if they were under the effects of the natural drug produced by one's body: "Adrenaline".

His hand carrying his melee tool thrusted forward, going for a perfect stab. The attack was successful but also forced the attacker to let out a gasp of agony. A crimson liquid came out of his throat and stained the pristine grass below them.

However, he wasn't done. No, in fact, he pursued his target with a third swing which sent the Abnormality on the ground. With that, Angela's doll fell down to his knees, completely out of energy. His gaze lowered to his hands and noticed red stains smeared on his palms.

Hod: You need to-

Y/N: Hod, go.

The woman running to him tried her best to intervene but was stopped by the disturbed voice of the bleeding worker. He silently pointed at figure of the entity they were suppressing, which was slowly getting back on its feet.

A deadly silence followed his order.

Hod: ...I'll do my best.

Understanding what he was trying to tell her, the Patron librarian readied herself and rushed at the stunned enemy before going all-out. Her body felt sore and every movement was enough to make her feel like she was about to tear something.

Again and again, she swung her blade around, desperately hoping that it would be enough to end the battle. Hit after hit, the low threat Abnormality recoiled and contorted according to the direction of each attacks but still held on, causing the girl to lose her confidence.

Something was wrong, she wasn't going to be enough to defeat it.

Her fear was confirmed once she saw the kid look back at her. Its expression began to once more.

Happy, angry, sad, slightly happy, angry, neutral, happy, sad, neutral, angry, happy...

The cycle followed that order until it, to the surprise of the observer, stopped. Seconds passed but the latest expression remained, flashing a large grin with its teeth exposed. Confused by this sudden halt, she glanced to her right and saw the culprit behind this.

On the side of the battle area, the net that the captain of the Central Command team noticed at the start of this ordeal was present. Behind it, the second figure was standing behind the happiest expression and refused to move. Why? Right on the other side of this morbid display, the bleeding librarian was looking directly at the eyes peering through.

"When it was contained inside Lobotomy Corporation, the changes would stop once an employee entered its space.", the words Hod said to the man returned in her own head and her eyes widened. The entity they were fighting was not the one causing the change of mood while the second one moved to match it but the opposite.

Now that Y/N was directly staring down at the culprit, Shy Look's mood was locked.

Hod: ...

A frown formed on her own face once she realized that they finally had the advantage. She ran to her opponent and it replied with the same action. Sweats made the hold she had onto her weapon difficult.

Once close enough, she swung her sword and was met with no resistance. The Abnormality which always seemed to have the perfect counter was unable to show the same strength it had at the start of the battle.

The following clashes felt like a breeze to the inexperienced fighter, following in rapid successions with none of them matching her own power. Yet, with every attack she did, the Abnormality still held a smiling mask until the very end.

To the girl's relief, one last slash attack put an end to this struggle. The kid silently combusted into golden pages, signaling its defeat.

Hod: ...It's over.

Her soft voice weakly fought back against her exhaustion. Both librarians were completely battered at this point. Unfortunately for them, their job wasn't over.

Y/N: Phew, my eyes were starting to hurt.

The assistant slowly made his way to the victor of the duel but was met in the middle by said person. She grabbed his shoulders with a look of worry barely hidden.

Hod: You're bleeding...

Y/N: ...I hope so, I think we'd have bigger issues if nothing came out.

A faint chuckle followed his remark. The bags under his eyes along with his injuries made him look like like he was at death's door. He took a deep breath to calm his beating heart and looked back at Hod.

Y/N: You did good.

Hod: T-Thanks but we're not done. We have to find the librarian trapped he-

Y/N: No need.

His response took her by surprise. She let go of him and watched him slowly turned his head before pointing at the net of skin. Behind it, the second figure was still present, even though Shy Look was defeated.

No movements were seen. The person responsible for this mess was completely motionless, allowing the duo to step closer.

Y/N: ...It's over, you can leave.

...

His words made the eyes peeking through blink. No words were exchanged afterwards until the feet of the hidden silhouette walked out of its hiding spot.

"...Please forgive me."

Those were the only words the both of them heard from the unknown person before they were extracted from this fabricated reality.

...

...

Dana: Man, sounds like hell, at least you found out what was causing this before you both got killed.

Yesod's helper leaned in her seat, taking in the information she was given. Next to her, Cereb was resting against a wall. Morgan silently observed the conversation without giving her opinion.

It was almost a ceremony at this point. Each time a new assistant librarian was awoken, all of them would gather to greet the new face to the Library. While this was happening, the Patron librarians would do their own business.

Speaking of the new addition, Hod's first assistant was holding her hands together. Her head was looking down, hiding her eyes out of embarrassment. With her presence, a new color of hair was added to the rest of the cast of ex-employees: purple.

Dana: So, what's your name?

???: ...Y-Yuri.

Cereb: Mhm, nice to meet you Yuri, I hope we can get along!

Still as excited as ever, the shining light of the Floor of History reached for a handshake. His beaming smile, if possible, would definitely blind many. Thankfully, the best it can do is convey his sincerity.

Yuri awkwardly reached for the hand extended to her.

Yuri: I'm sorry, I'm not used to talking to so many people...

Dana: You're not the first one we have like this.

The captain of the Information team smiled and pointed at Roland's assistant. Her long silver hair was spreading on the floor like roots trying to dig into the ground.

She took note of that comment but didn't respond. Instead, her shoulders lowered.

Dana: I don't mean it in a bad way, don't worry. I'm sure you'll both get along!

Y/N: Let's hope so...

Angela's unwilling helper heaved a sigh. If what she said was true, it would definitely lessen the weight on his shoulders. Of course, he wasn't ordered by anyone to take care of the silver-haired girl but he didn't want her to keep herself locked in a dark room, especially considering what she was forced to do when attending to her librarian duties.

If she had a reason to go out on her own, it would give him a small breather.

Fortunately for him, whenever his exhaustion became too harsh, the librarian could always rely on Roland to at least get her to see the "sunlight". Apparently, the both of them grew close enough for them to exchange some conversations, which was a great improvement in Y/N's eyes.

Cereb: Hm... Oh, I know! Let's go see Netzach, the last time I saw him, he was getting himself drunk. It'll definitely feel like a welcoming party if we share some drinks!

Y/N: I think there are better ways to celebrate this without getting drunk...

Yuri: I-I'll pass, I'm not too into alcohol.

The first person to oppose the idea shrugged, the latter simply averted their eyes. Dana and Morgan kept their right to be silent.

Despite his failure, the young man did not give up. He placed his hand under his chin and began to mumble to himself.

Cereb: What do people actually do at welcoming parties?

Dana: Eat food?

Y/N: Talk to each other?

Morgan: ...Get themselves killed.

...

The last sentence to be uttered left behind a gloomy & awkward silence that none dared to interrupt. Every pair of eyes present slowly turned to look at the normally silent girl. She was sitting in her seat with her legs held against her body. Her eyes were blank, broken.

Seeing this was enough for the tired ex-agent to reinforce his idea of trying to get her to talk to more people.

Yuri: ...H-How about we talk about books?

Dana: What kind?

Yuri: D-Do you have any type of story that you prefer?

The newly awakened librarian tried her best to change the mood of the room. Everyone could easily tell that and they immediately latched onto the bait, hoping that the cheery atmosphere from before would return.

Cereb: I like some action! I also like stories with happy endings, the sensation I get when I complete one of them is enough to make my day!

Y/N: Why am I not surprised?

His "question" came out with a slight grin. It didn't seem much but that simple smile was enough to make Cereb avert his eyes. It felt like he was being teased for what some people would consider childish.

Cereb: I like those stories, it gives me the energy to keep reading!

Y/N: It's fine, nobody was judging you.

Dana: Everyone has their taste.

Yesod's assistant helped backing up his claim. This made the spotlight turn to face her, it was her turn to continue the topic. Her back pressed against the chair she was sitting on as she began to talk.

Dana: I like to read informative books, I get to learn a lot of things when I'm bored out of my mind, even if I don't remember much of it after a few days.

Y/N: Pfft, I didn't know you were secretly a grandma.

Dana: You darn right, you better show some respect to ya elders young one~!

Playing along, the girl with a ponytail tried her best grandmother voice while shaking a fist in the air. It was not that great but it was enough to put her interlocutor in a good enough mood to reply with his own voice.

Y/N: Sure sure, don't forget your medications old lady.

His Tiphereth voice was probably on par with the voice acting of the captain of the Information team.

Cereb: What about you Y/N?

Y/N: Hm?

Cereb: What kind of books do you usually read?

A pause followed his question. Suddenly shoved onto the stage, the weary doll tried his best to think of something... but nothing emerged. His memories were floating around, barely attached by weak strings. Due to this, he couldn't remember the last book he ever read, nor if he had any favorite.

Y/N: I... guess fairytales?

Those were probably the closest he knew about. The reason was only because certain Abnormalities he worked on were related to said stories. Beyond that, it was completely empty.

Cereb: That's nice, seems like our... previous work didn't sour your opinion.

Y/N: Yea... haha...

A forced laugh came out.

Cereb: What about you Yuri?

Yuri: Hm... If I had to choose, I would say that-

As she was about to answer, unfortunately, the door opened and the figure of the Grade 9 Fixer was visible on the other side. Next to him, Hod was looking inside with a small smile on her face. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face the visitors.

Roland: Oh hey.

Hod: ...Yuri, I'm sure you have some questions, I'd like to answer them if possible.

Yuri: S-Sure.

The girl with long purple hair stood up and elegantly walked outside to join the Sephirah. The both of them soon left afterwards, leaving the uninvited guest on his own in the doorframe.

Dana: Well, guess the party's over.

Roland: Hm? Were you all doing something?

Y/N: Just talking.

Cereb: I did offer the idea of sharing a drink with Netzach but nobody was interested.

Roland: Ohoh~ I might take you up on that offer, it's been a while since I last had something.

Dana: Heh, I'm gonna join you both, I don't have much else to do anyway.

The girl with red hair swiftly jumped back on her feet and followed the duo making their way out of the room. She turned her head towards the room and asked the last people inside if they were interested to join them. Angela's assistant kindly declined the offer.

Y/N: I'll take care of Morgan, you guys can go.

Cereb: Alright, take care!

One final handwave was exchanged before both groups separated. The air grew cold as soon as the footsteps could no longer be heard. It was not a chilly mood associated to a bad emotion but rather the general atmosphere of the Library when the Light is not illuminating a certain area.

Y/N: You... wanna do something?

Morgan: No...

...

...

Morgan: Can I go back?

Y/N: ...Sure.

The captain of the Central Command team lowered his head in defeat. There wasn't much to say and even if he did have something to talk about, Morgan's usual responses would not make the conversation last.

Both of them stood up in unison and walked outside of the room. Then, they turned in the same direction and walked side by side in the direction of Keter's floor. No words were spoken during the travel but they weren't needed, they simply remained content with each other's presence for different reasons.

Today's Shy Look's suppression completed!

Y/N's existence has been stabilized.

???'s existence has been stabilized!

A new exclusive Combat Page has been added!