"So… have you read all of it?" Derek asked while adjusting his glasses and looking at the book Hector had just placed on his desk.
"I did." Hector nodded and lifted his head toward Derek politely.
Derek had closed his eyes and had leaned back in his chair, glancing out the small window.
"You can keep it," he said in an even tone.
"H-Huh? W-What do you mean?" Hector stammered, caught off guard by the situation, his awkward words.
"I told… You can take it," Derek repeated, briefly glancing at Hector before shifting his gaze back to the window.
But that wasn't all—he added a few more words next.
"You can take any book there!" He pointed his old, rough finger at a stack of books on his desk.
"Huh? What is that?" Hector's eyes widened in surprise as he noticed another book, one he had barely seen just moments ago.
It was a strange book, bound in aged leather, the kind he had only ever seen in historical movies.
It made him shudder.
