Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance Chapter 68

“You’re not going to tell me! What are you doing?”

 

“It’s early!”

 

Early Saturday morning. Eileen ran into Laquerta at breakfast after a long absence and yelled at him, grabbing him by the hem of his shirt as he tried to disappear. Laquerta was flustered, and he struggled to free himself from her grasp.

 

Eileen, more venomous than ever, glared at him.

 

“You’re not really doing anything dangerous, are you?!”

 

“No!”

 

Cordelia watched them from a distance, munching on her sandwich. It was a pretty funny sight, but she didn’t want to get tangled up in it. It wasn’t long before Eileen, who had finally missed the Laquerta, staggered over and sat down next to Cordelia.

 

“I missed it.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Cordelia’s gaze drifted to the back of Eileen’s head as she pushed a cup of orange juice in front of her. Outside the window, Laquerta was walking by with Andrew.

 

‘Andrew. I’m certainly worried about that one.’

 

Cordelia looked back at Eileen. The bet for Eileen’s partner was not over yet.

 

‘Would it be a good gift to follow him?’

 

While she casually thought of words that would have tipped the scales if Laquerta had known, Eileen, her mind clear, organized her schedule for the day. First, she’d go to the top of the forum to get some cash, then she’d make a secret call to an informant.

 

‘I can’t even tell Cordelia about this.’

 

She returned to her dorm quietly after dinner, keeping her outing a secret from Cordelia. She packed her things and headed straight out of the academy.

 

“Huh?”

 

Eileen opened the door to her room and stiffened. Jessie’s cardigan and shoes were missing.

 

“Did she go out?

 

Before she knew the future, she would have let it slide, but now that she had glimpsed it, her heart sank.

 

Eileen hastily changed her shoes. She was going to be out on the streets anyway, and hopefully she’d run into her. As she reached for her outerwear one last time, her hand stopped.

 

A handkerchief lay on Jesse’s desk.

 

“You can’t be…”

 

Slowly approaching the desk, Eileen unwrapped the folded handkerchief and froze in place.

 

The ring she had lent Jessie a few days ago was still there.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jessie was standing in line to catch the carriage that would take her off the Academy’s central bridge. She felt a little empty without the ring necklace she had been wearing every day lately.

 

‘That ring looked so precious and valuable,’ she thought to herself, ‘and it would be a shame to lose it outside the Academy.’

 

After much deliberation, she decided to leave the ring behind for a while, not wanting to take something so precious to her junior out of school.

 

Eileen was a little nervous about her dream, but the bakery district was crowded and well-policed, so she figured if she could get there in the daylight, it wouldn’t be a problem.

 

‘I’ll get some new wrapping paper and a new cookie mold.’

 

With that thought, Jessie climbed into the arriving carriage. As she sat down, her eyes met those of the last passenger.

 

“Ah!”

 

“Ugh.”

 

The last passenger was Neumann. Jessie and Neumann’s eyes met in confusion. After a moment’s hesitation, Neumann slid into the empty seat next to Jessie.

 

“Hi.”

 

“Uh, hi.”

 

The carriage started, but no conversation flowed between the two introverts. After drifting in the now-familiar silence, Jessie finally broached the subject.

 

“Are you going to run errands?”

 

“I have to go to the bookstore.”

 

“Oh, I see. I’m going to the bakery, too.”

 

“I see.”

 

The textbook conversation passed, and the carriage was filled with the occasional chatter of other students. Losing the energy to continue the conversation, Jessie glanced at Neumann. Her cheeks were a little flushed from the heat of the carriage.

 

“Are you hot? Do you want me to open the window?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Jessie nodded shakily at Neumann’s waving hand. Soon, the carriage came to a stop. Jessie was the first one out of the carriage.

 

“Well, take care of your business and go inside.”

 

“Okay, see you at the next club meeting.”

 

With a nod to Neumann, she turned to head back to the bakery, but as she turned her head, something caught her eye.

 

“Oh, look!”

 

There, not far from the stop, stood a fruit stall. Fragrant apricots glistened with a delicious color, tempting Jessie.

 

“They’d be delicious in a tart.”

 

Swallowing hard, Jessie approached the stall and eagerly picked apricots. She had only wanted to buy a dozen or so, but ended up with more than thirty apricots at a bargain price.

 

Unbeknownst to Jessie, Neumann watched her from behind, smiled a little, and disappeared.

 

“It’s heavy…”

 

The apricots didn’t seem heavy at first, but as she walked toward her destination, It felt heavier and heavier. Jessie frowned.

 

“I’d better hurry up and get back to the academy.”

 

She turned and headed down a side street, a shortcut to the bakery district that was narrower and had fewer shops.

 

Although it was a side street, it didn’t mean there weren’t any shops, and it was well-policed, so she often used it.

 

As she crossed the street, carrying a paper bag full of apricots, her eyes caught sight of the end of the alley. Her destination was just around the corner.

 

“I’m glad I took the shortcut.”

 

With a spring in her step, Jessie was about to exit the alley.

 

“Huh?”

 

As she passed the end of the alley, an unpleasant sensation swept through her body, like a rumbling. A wave of nausea washed over her, and she quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth. The paper bag in her arms fell to the floor, scattering apricots.

 

“Ugh. What the hell.”

 

Jessie looked up, barely controlling her nausea. She was about to reach down to pick up the apricot again.

 

“……?”

 

Sure enough, she was back at the entrance to the alley, just before she’d exited the alley. The bag of apricots was gone, the street was gone, the people were gone.

 

“What, what?”

 

Jessie shuddered at the strange sight. Several of the shops that had been open just moments before were now closed, as if they had long since gone out of business.

 

Panicked, Jessie turned and ran back toward the carriage house she’d come from.

 

“Ah!”

 

But before she knew it, she had been thrown back into the middle of the street. Panicking, she bit her lip tightly and ran again, this time in the direction of Baked Goods Street.

 

“No…”

 

But the result was the same. No matter which way she went, she never got off the path. Suddenly, she remembered Eileen’s words about not forgetting her ring. Jessie’s eyes filled with tears.

 

“Someone help me.”

 

The alley was still silent.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“What am I doing?”

 

Neumann, who had intended to buy the book he wanted and return to the academy immediately, found himself wandering through the bakery.

 

The sweet, buttery scent of a senior caught his attention. As he searched for the orange head in the crowd, Neumann soon became overwhelmed and embarrassed.

 

“What am I doing, I’m so stupid.”

 

Shaking his head, he turned around to head back to the academy. He spotted an apricot and a paper bag lying in front of a small alleyway that led to the street and approached it.

 

“Apricots?”

 

Neumann looked around and didn’t see who had spilled the apricots. He thought it was odd that someone would spill such a large amount of apricots and just walk away, but then he felt a chill on the nape of his neck.

 

“What is that?”

 

At first glance, he couldn’t tell, but upon closer inspection, the air on one side of the alleyway seemed to be shifting as if a membrane had formed. It was transparent, pale, and delicate enough that if he hadn’t been a wizard, or if he hadn’t been so close to the alley, he would never have seen it.

 

Neumann took a few steps back, as if he had encountered something sinister. A small apricot kicked him in the foot as he turned to leave.

 

“Apricots.”

 

Neumann remembered Jessie happily accepting the paper bag of apricots. He looked quickly at the floor. The discarded paper bag was familiar.

 

“No way.”

 

The crack could have nothing to do with Jessie. But Jessie’s smile and the sweetness of the cookies overcame Neumann’s reason.

 

Jessie invisible on the street, the apricots lying around. With that clue, Neumann stepped into the crack.