Chapter 41: Athena’s Instant Memory

Hiding and sneaking around all the way, we finally made it to the library without any trouble. Located on the west side of Tokyo University, the library could easily count as one of the largest libraries in the area.

Entering the spacious lobby on the first floor, I saw three staff members sitting behind the main desk, heads down, writing something. When a very young female librarian saw me walking over, she smiled warmly and asked, "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hello, I’d like to read some books in the library!" I replied with a smile.

"Sure, please show me your library card!"

A library card too? School just started, who would think of getting one so soon? I asked, "I’m sorry, I’m a freshman who just enrolled this year and haven’t gotten a library card yet. Where can I apply for one?"

"You’re a freshman? No wonder. You can get one right here. Do you have your student ID?" she asked.

"School just started, nobody has mentioned student IDs to us yet!"

"In that case, you can pay a deposit. Are you planning to read physical books or e-books?"

"Physical books. How much is the deposit?" I asked.

"It’s a deposit of 100 yen, please!"

"Alright." Saying that, I pulled out the money and handed it to her.

She lowered her head to fill out a temporary library card and handed it over, saying, "Physical books are on the third floor. After you’re done reading, bring the card back here and your deposit will be refunded!"

"Thank you." Following the direction she pointed, I headed up to the third floor.

Rows of bookshelves were neatly arranged. There was another staff member standing in front of the shelves. After handing him my temporary card, I asked, "Excuse me, where can I find the classical literature section?"

The staff member glanced at my card, pointed off to the side, and said, "It’s over there in Area B2. Please keep the books clean while reading!"

"Of course, thank you!"

Nodding, I walked over to Area B2 and started browsing along the long bookcases. From historical chronicles to philosophy and literature, everything was available. Picking up a copy of Suikoden at random, I walked over to the nearby reading section and sat down.

Looking around, I noticed there weren’t many people reading, probably because the term had just started.

I called out in my mind, "Sister, come out quick!"

Realizing Venus might get upset, I hastily added, "Venus-neechan, come out quick too!"

When the two appeared, Venus was indeed all smiles: "What a good little brother! At least you didn’t forget about me!"

I wasn’t in the mood to bicker with her right now, so I quickly asked Athena, "What should we do now?"

"First, quiet your mind, cast aside all distracting thoughts, and take a deep breath," Athena instructed from the side.

I nodded and stopped thinking about anything, slowly feeling my surroundings settle into total silence. I had never experienced such a mystical and surreal state before.

Athena spoke softly in my ear, "Now, repeat after me: O Wise Athena, in my name as a goddess, let the dew upon the Tree of Wisdom cleanse my heart, and let eternal memory pierce through my soul—Athena’s Instant Memory!"

Maintaining a completely tranquil and clear mind, I recited Athena’s words once more.

The moment the last phrase left my mouth, golden runes materialized out of thin air around me, appearing like ancient Greek script. The golden runes orbited my body, continuously spinning and rising from my chest up to my eyes. Then, one by one, the runes merged into my forehead and entered my brain.

Instantly, a blur of vague fragments seemed to appear in my mind. I tried hard to see what they were, but was interrupted by Athena’s sudden voice.

"Don’t overthink, and don’t force it. Right now, focus on reading the book and feel its contents with your heart!"

Hearing Athena’s voice, I immediately gathered my focus, picked up the book, and began reading.

Before long, I was completely immersed in the world of Suikoden. The magnificent three-hundred-ri Ryōzanpaku seemed to appear right before my eyes. Countless heroic outlaws were loudly sharing their noble ambitions with one another in the mountains. Scenes like "Punching the Lord of the West," "Stealing the Birthday Gifts by Wit," "Sōkō Slays En Bashaku," "Bushō Fights the Tiger," "Blood Spilled at Mandarin Ducks Tower," "Rescuing Sōkō at Jiangshū Execution Ground," and "Three Attacks on the Shukashō Village"—these moments all danced vibrantly before me.

I didn’t know how much time had passed before I pulled myself out of the book’s world, only to realize I had flipped all the way to the very last page.

Seeing me lift my head, Venus quickly leaned over and asked, "Fuitsu-kun, how is it? What does it feel like?"

I carefully recalled the content in my head—the entire book was etched into my brain as if carved there. Turning around, I excitedly said to Athena standing beside me, "It’s so incredible! The whole book is right inside my head, and I can’t forget it even if I try! Sister, thank you so much!"

Athena smiled without saying a word, while Venus eagerly urged me to keep reading.

For the next few days, I spent almost all my time in the library, sometimes even forgetting to eat. In just a few days, I flipped through every single book I found interesting. Even the third-floor administrator started looking at my reading speed in shock, briefly suspecting whether I was just there to cause trouble.

That afternoon, when I returned to the dormitory from the library, I saw Ryu Yu standing right at my door.

Seeing me return, Ryu Yu pounced forward and grabbed me tightly: "Big Bro, why are you only getting back now?! I’ve been waiting for you at the door for the whole afternoon!"

I asked in confusion, "Is the injury on your foot all healed? How did you find my place?"

"Just healed up enough to walk. I asked our class beautiful professor to get your dorm address."

Opening the door, I entered the room and asked, "So what are you looking for me for? Let me state first: I don’t have any money to lend, I’m broke!"

Ryu Yu followed me inside, looked around, and said with envy, "Your place is seriously nice! I’m not here to borrow money, I’m here for you to save my life!"

"Haha, what happened? Did someone bully you? Or did you trick some young girl and she came knocking on your door?" Seeing his anxious expression, I couldn’t resist teasing him.

"Oh my dear Big Bro, the fire is burning my eyebrows here! Stop making fun of me, you really have to save me this time!"

"What on earth is it? Just spill it!"

"Military training ends tomorrow. The school arranged a cultural gala for the evening to bid farewell to the instructors, and mandated that every class must submit two performances. I’ve already prepared one, so Big Bro, you have to take the other!"

"What about the other classmates? Don’t they have any performances?"

"If they did, would I still come bother you? None of them have anything presentable to perform—you’re the only one left I haven’t asked!" Ryu Yu explained.

"What performance did you prepare?"

"A stand-up comedy monologue! Big Bro, I beg you to help me out just this once, otherwise I, as the class president, will lose all my face!" Ryu Yu looked at me with an expectant face.

"But I don’t even know what to perform, how can I help you?"

"Big Bro, even if you just go up there and sing a song, it’ll do! Only now do I realize how brilliant and great you were—you knew all along how exhausting being class president is, which is why you refused it and dumped this miserable job on me! Is it right for you not to help me out now?!"

I was left completely speechless and grumbled helplessly, "Aren’t you just sending me up there to embarrass myself?!"

Thinking to myself that Athena would definitely help me out, I nodded and said, "Well, who told you to be my brother? I’ll do it then!"

"Awesome! Big Bro, what performance are you preparing? That way I can report it to the Student Council!" Hearing me agree, Ryu Yu jumped up in delight.

"There’s the Student Council involved too? I haven’t decided yet, we’ll see when the time comes!"

"Yeah, this gala is co-hosted by the freshmen, sophomores, and the Student Council. A massive crowd will definitely turn up! Big Bro, you gotta win some glory for our class!" Hearing that I hadn’t even thought of a performance, Ryu Yu started feeling worried.

"Got it. Though I’m honestly more worried that you won’t be able to pull off yours!"

"Haha, then let’s compete when the time comes and see who’s better! Big Bro, I’m off for now, I still have to hurry over to the Student Council to submit the performance entry. It’s so freakin’ exhausting!" Ryu Yu said hurriedly.

I nodded and watched him head downstairs.