The arcade crane machine has Jack Frost dolls again.
This shouldn't be all that surprising. The arcade crane machine changes its prize every week or so in more-or-less the same rotation, and you don't really think a lot of it. After all, it's not like you think much about the arcade.
Lavenza, however... "Don't you already have one of those dolls?" You point out. It's not exactly hard to remember, given how that's how you met this version of her.
She actually manages to produce the doll from the inside of her green coat, which given that you remember buying it from a perfectly mundane store, raises more questions than it answers. "You can never have too many of Jack Frost. Not that I'm doing this purely for the doll, this time."
...This is going to end with a crowd in front of the arcade again, isn't it. "Then why are you doing this?" And is there any way you can stop her?
I mean, she might not be Elizabeth-san, but I'm not sure how much that actually matters here.
Lavenza draws herself up, as though she has to say something of great importance. She probably doesn't, though, except maybe in her own head and her ability to convince others to follow her demands through sheer magical power. "I am very glad you asked. You see, next week, in Sumaru City, there is going to be a certain event. There will be a number of games there, and one of our Guests in the city claims that there will be a crane game with wondrous prizes. Therefore, I am in need of practice, and where better than a source of Jack Frosts?"
You thought so before, but now it's certain. Lavenza is at least slightly insane.
What do you expect? She's related to Elizabeth-san, after all.
"You... know others are going to want to play it, right?" You point out. "You... sort of took a while, last time."
"I shall take short breaks every fifteen minutes or so," She says, which is actually somewhat reassuring. "And with this outfit, nobody from last time should recognize me."
You're not convinced. Among other things, it would take a lot more than a change of clothes to make Lavenza unrecognizable, particularly when you pass by this arcade every time you go somewhere, and tend to hang out on the near side of the fountain.
But you also don't think it would be worth it to stop her, when she's offered her possibly bottomless pockets of money so long as you remind her not to stay out too long. Apparently, she got in trouble for that last time.
About an hour in, you consider asking her to join you at the photo booth, but she has a rather determined look on her face at the moment, and you don't think it's a good idea to interfere right now.
She does actually win a doll a bit faster this time... by which you mean it took four hours instead of six. Well. It's still progress.
You don't think she's going to win whatever she wants next week.
"Ken-senpai... are you sure this is a good idea?" Maiko's shivering a little, though you aren't that sure why. Compared to this library, there are things in this world that are a lot more terrifying.
...Except she doesn't know about the Dark Hour. Right. "I was five minutes ago," You admit, looking down the aisles. They don't seem any longer, darker, or more numerous than they should be, though it appears that the light above where the book of fairytales normally is has finally given up completely. You wonder how long it'll take to get that fixed. "Akira-san? Do you see anything unusual?"
Akira glances back from the aisle he is currently inching his way down. "You could help, you know."
This is probably the first time he's ever talked back to you. You're kind of proud, in a weird sort of way. "Maiko-chan's still too scared," You report. And neither of them had to agree to come with you, anyway.
"I don't even know what I'm looking for, anyway," He points out, wandering back over to the two of you and forfeiting all your progress. "It never used to be strange, until you showed up."
There were already books on major Arcana and trigonometry. I'm not sure what you're talking about.
You suppose he'd know, given that, for a while, he practically lived here. "I don't think it was like this for a while even after I started coming here," You try to defend yourself. "Or... maybe we just didn't notice it?"
Maiko manages to summon enough of her courage to reach out and touch a bookshelf. "But... if it was here earlier, shouldn't we have noticed it?"
You'd say so, but given that the Dark Hour exists, it's not exactly a guarantee. "Maybe we just couldn't."
"...Have you been spending time with Tafuchi-kun? I don't think the library's haunted." You aren't sure how she could know. After all, it's not like any of you know what a haunting looks like to begin with.
"Well, that's one less thing to be scared of, then," You point out. Given the looks your friends give you, you don't think they're amused. "Let's just look around. They wouldn't let anything that dangerous into a school, right?" Never mind that the local high school turns into a tower filled with Shadows every midnight, it's not like most people know about that.
Still, it appears to satisfy them for the moment, and the three of you step forward, making your way to the very back of the library.
"I always wonder why the corners are so dark..." You admit, glancing at one that seems almost pitch-black.
"It doesn't look that odd to me," Akira says, walking over to that same corner. "See, it's just-" And he vanishes.
Well. That could be a problem. "...Akira-san?" You ask, wandering to the edge of the shadow he disappeared into.
You don't get any sort of response.
[ ] Step into the shadowy corner.
[ ] Just... stay here. Try not to panic, if possible.
[ ] Get the librarian. He has to know what to do if a student vanishes, right?
