The library is a great place to think quietly.
"Oh, this book is available today. I want to spend an hour or two in the library reading it!" I murmured to César, pointing at a book in front of me that could only be read here.
"Lucky day. It's not easy for a highly requested book." He whispered. "Take this seat, I still have a few books to find. I'll come back to see you here once I've got them."
"Alright, thanks, my little busy bee." Saying that, I sat down in the seat beside him.
This is great. I can be alone for a while. It's not because you're staring at a book that you're actually reading it, right?
--- Story Development Snack ---
Sophie Bernard; Julienne Charpentier; and Pierre Lefevre—these three names appeared during the test. Beau emphasized that "the introductory test and the first challenge are the closest." What he wanted to highlight wasn't the reason why his relationship with Elodie was so close, but the fact that the test and the first challenge were linked.
If the hypothesis holds, As Vivienne's best friend, shouldn't Julienne have introduced her to her friends? After all, there was no mention of Théo or Sophie in Vivienne's memory.
As memory goes, Julienne knows everything about Vivienne. So, in the test letter, Julienne claimed not to know Pierre Lefevre. There's only one possibility: she lied!
Why? The memory of the three men I haven't met yet doesn't serve as a reference for their true character, but the day before Sophie's body was discovered, Vivienne stayed with Aristide, using the university seminar as an excuse. Based on this alone, he has nothing to do with Task 1.
César, Gérald, and Pierre. What were they doing at that time? Vivienne wasn't sure. We can't confirm that they have no link to Task 1. Especially Pierre. We already know from the test letter that Sophie and he knew each other. If he likes Sophie so much, why is he flirting with Vivienne?
So, how can a 28-year-old man with an unknown career meet a first-year university girl? Like when Vivienne met him at the pub?
Pierre is the person who, in my current program, needs face-to-face communication the most.
And another unresolved mystery: why is there a rumor that Sophie's body is still at the university?
DAMN, what sucks is that I'm playing the role of Missy, someone who's never encountered anything scary, and now that I need to show concern, I have no idea how to approach the lake behind the university to find any clues.
--- My thoughts were interrupted by César's return ---
As I looked up at César, an idea crossed my mind: If I become Sophie or Julienne during the test, does that mean it's Vivienne who will die in this world? ...They can be replaced and completely disappear, which is the price to pay... And if Sophie was meant to die because she failed the challenge, is Julienne, who's on the replaceable list of the test, about to fail? And if so, what are her tasks?
Oh my God, it's a crazy thought, but I can't stop.
---- Task Alert Sound ----
Congratulations to the Challenger for triggering the additional task: What is the cause of Julienne's death? Rewards: Number of Sophie's killers + The true cause of her death. You're lucky! Once you complete the additional task, the main tasks will become easier! ---- Beep beep beep ----
"Damn it." I immediately stood up from my seat, startling César, and the other people around me frowned as they looked at me.
I rushed out of the library without stopping. Once outside, I quickly pulled out my phone and searched for Julienne's number to dial.
Busy tone; Busy tone; still the busy tone!
"No, no, no..." Is it acceptable for someone to die just because I suspect their mission has something to do with me?
"What's going on? You don't look well." César was right behind me.
"Julienne isn't answering my calls." I didn't really have an explanation for why I was suddenly like this.
"It's Saturday. She said she was going to watch a movie with her roommate today, so maybe they're too busy to hear your call." César said to calm me down.
"Yeah, that's it." Damn, I'll need to find a good reason to go to her place.
"We can go look for her at her place if you want." He took my hand, which was holding the phone, and I realized my hands were trembling.
There are moments when he really seems like an angel.
Julienne had rented a room not far from the university. However, it was in the opposite direction to where Vivienne lived. She had said it was difficult to find a room near Vivienne, but when Vivienne had offered to let her stay at her place, Julienne had refused, saying she didn't want to impose.
Their relationship wasn't as good as Vivienne thought.
César took my hand, and we walked silently to the apartment where Julienne had rented a room.
We didn't have an access card and had to wait for the receptionist to open the door for us. After explaining our intentions, we took the elevator to the second floor.
Her room number is 3054. The numbers seemed familiar to me, except for the room number, which I felt like I had seen somewhere before.
I knocked on the door.
No answer.
"Boom, boom," César knocked harder.
"What are you doing, damn it?" The occupants of rooms 3055 and 3053 opened their doors and swore at us.
"I'm really sorry, but I haven't been able to reach my friend for a while, and she's not even answering the door when we knock." I was really anxious.
"How long has it been?" the occupant of room 3055 asked.
"Since this morning," I answered honestly.
"She probably had an emergency and couldn't answer the phone. You're overreacting; isn't it normal for young people to sleep in after a night out?" The occupant of room 3053 was surprised to hear my answer.
"But she invited people over today to watch a movie. We just wanted to join this little movie session, but we can't reach her." César lied. He had no idea why I had come to see Julienne.
"That's pretty strange. You could ask the receptionist downstairs if she can open the door for you." The occupant of room 3055 suggested.
"Yeah, you're right. We'll go ask the receptionist. Thanks, and sorry again for disturbing your rest." I said, and César pressed the down arrow in the elevator.
"Don't worry. You can knock on my door if anything else happens." The occupant of room 3055 said kindly.
We thanked him again and got into the elevator to find the receptionist.
I'm ready to face any complex and difficult challenges, but I really don't want anyone to die because of me.