Before long, the two arrived at the floor where their group's rooms were arranged. They walked down the hallway to the window at the far end. Olivia, clearly satisfied with Logan's cooperation, said, "There are so many things I want to ask..."
"But I won't necessarily answer everything." Logan reminded.
Olivia's face showed undisguised disappointment, though she wasn't particularly surprised. She leaned on the window sill and stretched her lithe body, "So, where exactly did you 'get lost' this afternoon?"
Logan's gaze lingered momentarily on her figure before he shifted his eyes to the view outside, "Somewhere with no signal."
That was all he could say. While he had decided to stop playing dumb with her, it wasn't like he trusted her that much yet. Besides, telling her the whole truth, that he had traveled to another world, a world that existed here only as a manga, and that he himself was one of its characters, was way too outlandish.
It was hard enough for him to believe, let alone anyone else.
Olivia drummed her fingers on the sill, lost in thought. Though Logan hadn't given a straight answer, he left just enough room for speculation, "Back during the autumn trip, you sneaked out alone at night too. That was for some secret reason, wasn't it? We just happened to catch you."
Logan nodded. The two situations were completely different, but both were indeed 'unspeakable'. Since she wanted to believe that, then so be it.
Olivia exhaled softly. Beneath her usual cool, impassive expression, she was growing increasingly intrigued. She looked Logan, who didn't feel that he was any different from ordinary people.
'There is something unreal about it. He is obviously just an ordinary student, but he always ended up entangled in the unusual.'
'This world is so interesting...'
Olivia had been holding back a lot of thoughts for a while now, waiting for the right moment to say them. But before she could start, she noticed Logan shifting his position.
He had probably been standing too long and now leaned against the wall, his posture subtly weary. His gaze outside wasn't focused on their conversation but on something else, as if preoccupied with deeper concerns. There was even a trace of exhaustion in his eyes.
Olivia nodded slightly to herself and withdrew her hand from the sill.
'There was no rush. We had plenty of time, and this wasn't the right place for a long discussion.'
Stepping away from the window, Olivia walked a few steps along the hallway's elegant décor and stopped at one of the room doors. Taking out her keycard, she glanced back at him.
"You must be exhausted today. I won't keep you up. Next time let's find a more comfortable place to talk." Olivia said as she swiped the card, and with a beep, the door opened.
Logan blinked, slightly surprised by her abrupt decisiveness. He hadn't expected her to drop the conversation so quickly, but he quickly agreed to it. He really was tired, not just physically, but mentally as well.
Besides, he had other things on his mind.
"Alright, and thanks again for covering for me." Logan said.
Standing at her doorway, Logan glanced past the threshold, taking in a quick glimpse of the room's interior.
Olivia caught the subtle shift in Logan's expression, and slowed her movements as she stepped inside. She turned back to him, with a teasing glint in her eyes, "What are you looking at?"
"Oh, nothing."
"The room you and David are staying in is on the other side." Olivia traced a fingertip along the edge of the door, and said with a half-smile, "Or..."
A black line appeared on Logan's forehead, and he quickly interrupted the other party, "Stop, that's not it."
Olivia blinked innocently and said nothing more.
It was rare for the iceberg beauty's senior to show off a touch of coquettishness, probably because she was in a good mood. But Logan wasn't in the mood to joke around. He shot her an unimpressed glare, which she accepted with complete composure.
"So, what's on your mind?" The other party asked curiously.
Logan hesitated for a moment, but since they had just established a mutual assistance agreement, he decided to be upfront: "I have something to take care of later."
"..."
Olivia took a second to process that information. She glanced at her wristwatch, then out at the darkening sky. Although the evening was technically free time for their group, she immediately understood that Logan wasn't talking about a casual stroll or sightseeing.
After all, the guy standing in front of her was not an ordinary high school student.
"Later?"
…
"Later?"
In their shared hotel room, David looked at Logan in disbelief, "It's already dark out. Whatever you need to do, can't it wait until tomorrow?"
After returning to his room, Logan took a short rest, then changed out of his slightly dirty down jacket, and washed his face to freshen up. Then, he unzipped the backpack on his bed, the one David had been kind enough to keep safe. Inside, the sealing scroll lay quietly. Logan grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
He was heading out to do something important, as he was going to the location of the Manga Author in person.
Ever since he returned, that thought had been gnawing at him. Initially, he had to focus on explaining his absence and reuniting with the group. But now that he had handled the teachers and classmates, he was ready to leave again.
"Logan, you just went through all that craziness, don't you think you should take it easy?"
"Man, I was even planning to take you to this great restaurant I found during the day..."
David was still talking beside him, but Logan only half-listened as he packed his things, "It's nothing. I'll be back soon."
The issue with his shadow clone, the truth behind his transmigration… Logan had to investigate. He couldn't afford to wait.
Originally, Logan could have waited until later at night to sneak out quietly, but that was before he learned about Sumika's engagement.
"The day after tomorrow..." Logan muttered under his breath. He had no idea what was happening on the other side right now. Time could be flowing at the same rate, or it could be moving differently.
He still had things left unsaid. He still remembered the girl's eyes just before he transmigrated, and that scene wouldn't let him sit still.
'Even I know from books that girls need… never mind.'
'I really don't know what Hoshino-sama likes about you.'
'You don't actually care about Hoshino-sama.'
The words Hanazawa said outside the mansion's still echoed in his mind, carried by the cool night breeze.
'Did she like the engagement?'
'She had hesitated but then firmly shook her head.'
'And I didn't like it either.'
Logan clenched his jaw, 'I refused to let her down again.'
Telling Olivia about his plans was purely for convenience, as he didn't want another missing-person incident.
With his bag secured, Logan turned to see David, who still looked puzzled. He patted his friend's shoulder before heading out of the hotel.
He reached out to hail a taxi. As soon as Logan got in, the door on the other side opened.
Olivia, who is now in a different outfit, slid smoothly into the seat beside him.
"Didn't I tell you not to come?" Logan said flatly. He wasn't surprised, as he had already sensed her movements. And knowing her personality, this was inevitable.
"Request denied!" Olivia said bluntly, then closed the car door, with a hint of excitement on her face, "Where to?"
Logan ignored the other party and instead gave the driver an address in fluent Japanese.
Olivia glanced at him in surprise.
For the sake of smooth 'cooperation' between them, Logan didn't bother kicking her out of the car.
'Forget it, just come if you want to, it will be none of your business in the end anyway. It would also be nice to have reimburses the fare.'