Located on the eastern side of the academy, the library was a simple, ancient building.
The interior was spacious, with towering bookshelves lined up in neat rows, and the air was thick with the scent of aged parchment.
This was where Ren and Nanao met most often, and it was also the place where they had first encountered each other.
He navigated through the lobby with ease, heading toward a seat by the window.
A petite figure was already sitting there.
Ise Nanao was leafing through a heavy tome. Sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting dappled shadows across her.
Seeing that familiar white hair appear in her peripheral vision, Nanao always felt a strange sense of relief.
"Am I late?"
Ren sat down across from her, book in hand.
"No, same as usual."
"What are you reading?"
"Theory of Reishi Composition: Third Revised Edition," Nanao said, pushing up her glasses. "I want to understand why some souls have naturally stronger Spiritual Pressure than others."
"Found an answer yet?"
"No."
Nanao closed the book and let out a sigh.
"The books here only cover basic theories. The truly core knowledge is likely only available in the Central 46 Library or the private archives of the Four Great Noble Houses."
"Those aren't exactly things just anyone can walk in and read."
"True enough."
Ren opened the book he was holding, titled On the Current State of the Soul Society over the Last Three Centuries.
He was far more interested in miscellaneous reading than academic papers.
The book described the Soul Society's current prosperity, but certain sections contained sharp criticisms regarding noble immunity from prosecution and the monopoly held by the aristocracy.
It vaguely mentioned instances where certain nobles murdered commoner Soul Reapers without cause and went unpunished, even managing to seize the deceased Soul Reaper's property...
'Wait, who put this book in my hands?!'
Ren flipped through the title page. There was no signature, and as for the author, they had likely been erased from existence by now.
After a moment, Ren noticed a small movement from Nanao.
She pulled a small paper bag out of her satchel and pushed it toward him.
"Here, take a look at this."
Curious, Ren opened the bag. Inside were a dozen fresh, deep purple fruits about the size of a thumb, with fine patterns on their skin.
He picked one up to examine it closely.
At first glance, there seemed to be nothing special about it, but then familiar points of light began to emerge from within, making it impossible for Ren to look away.
'These are... the glimmers of fragments.'
'Fruit containing spiritual power? How did Nanao get her hands on these?'
Suppressing his surprise, Ren looked at Nanao, who had a slight smirk on her face.
'Well then, she might as well have "ask me already" written all over her face.'
Ren placed the fruit back into the bag, muttered that it was good stuff, and then went back to reading his book.
Seeing Ren's reaction, Nanao's expression froze.
After a moment of silence, Nanao puffed out her cheeks. Her heart felt restless, as if she were being teased by a dozen tiny Rens.
She reached out and quietly pushed the paper bag further toward Ren.
Catching the movement in his peripheral vision, Ren chuckled inwardly but remained stoic.
"Aren't you curious?"
Nanao finally couldn't help herself, her voice tinged with frustration.
Ren finally looked up, his face showing the perfect amount of confusion.
"Hmm? What kind of fruit is this? It looks fresh."
Seeing his smiling face, Nanao felt like a deflated balloon and pouted.
"You're so annoying..."
Seeing Ren's expectant expression, Nanao gave his leg a few light kicks under the table before finally explaining.
"I bought them on the way here. A man who was dropping his kid off for the entrance exams set up a stall at the gate. He said he picked them from the mountain behind his house and wanted to make some travel money for the trip back."
"They allow stalls at the school gate?"
"Technically, they don't."
Ren looked through the bag. Only two of the fruits were emitting the glow of fragments.
"Can I try one?"
"Go ahead!"
Nanao waved her hand dismissively.
Under Nanao's expectant gaze, Ren picked up one of the fruits containing a glowing fragment.
The moment he touched the fruit, a system prompt popped up.
[SYSTEM: Obtained a tiny Spiritual Power Fragment. Spiritual Rank EXP +1]
'Just as I thought, it really can provide experience.'
Ren put the fruit, which was no longer glowing, into his mouth.
It was juicy, sweet, and tart. The flavor was excellent.
In the Soul Society, spiritual power growth mainly depended on absorbing Reishi from the atmosphere or consuming food rich in spiritual energy.
However, things like this that could increase his Spiritual Rank experience were rare. He had only seen them occasionally, and they were usually expensive and mostly controlled by the nobility.
They were the kind of rare items that you couldn't get even if you had the money unless you had the right connections.
If these fruits really came from the Rukongai, it would be a massive discovery for Ren.
"These are much better than normal wild berries. Plus, the Reishi content is quite high."
Ren marveled sincerely.
"Right?"
Nanao's expression visibly brightened with joy.
"You know I have a good talent for Kido, so my spiritual perception is fairly sharp."
Nanao lowered her voice slightly.
"I knew these fruits were special the moment I saw them, but I didn't have enough money, so I could only buy a few."
Ren's heart stirred. That meant there were plenty more.
"Is the man still at the gate?"
"He should be. Why?"
"How much did he have, and what was the price?"
"Probably about twenty pounds or so. He was asking for a thousand per pound."
A thousand Kan. In the currency of his past life, that was roughly fifty yuan.
Based on the cost of living in the Rukongai, it wasn't cheap, but for Ren, it was worth every bit.
Besides, the fruit was secondary. He wanted to see where they were grown.
He could practically see a mountain of fragments flickering in the distance.
"Alright, I'm going back to the dorms to grab some money and then head over there. Want to come?"
Nanao stood up and quickly packed her books. She was also curious about what Ren planned to do with all those fruits.
In her eyes, aside from being rich in Reishi and tasting good, the fruits didn't have much other use.
In her memory, although Ren was a pleasure-seeker who frequently skipped classes and slacked off during training—and she had no idea how he'd even made it into the elite class...
...He rarely showed such intense interest in anything.
"I have a feeling someone is talking behind my back."
Ren rubbed his itchy nose.
"Huh? Is... is that so?"
Nanao's eyes darted around, avoiding his gaze.
Ren: ?
'Caught red-handed.'
"Little girl, it's impolite to talk bad about people behind their backs."
Nanao felt a large hand press down on her head. She tried to squirm away, but because of her guilty conscience, she didn't succeed.
"I'm not, I didn't..."
Ren patted Nanao's head.
"Alright, I'll use Shunpo to grab my money and meet you halfway. I'll leave my book with you."
With that, Ren's figure vanished from the spot, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.
"Hey, Shunpo is forbidden inside the libr—"
Nanao watched Ren's departing figure and sighed, her arm dropping to her side.
She returned the books on the table to their places and then hurried after him.
Fortunately, she was beginning to get used to Ren's flighty personality.