妻子的秘密

I walked up to the only desk with what looked to be a middle aged woman with thick rimmed glasses and blonde hair draped over her face, reading a book sitting behind it. Even as we stood there in front of her desk, the woman did not look up once from her book. In a way, she reminded me of myself back on Earth. Jen used to stand at my side yelling my name, but I would not even so much as flinch or raise my head until she pinched my side.

I stood there with the others as time ticked by, and the woman only turned page after page. I was starting to get impatient as the sign said I had to check in first before I could even start to read any books. “Umm, excuse me!” Adel seemed to have gotten tired of waiting and began trying to get her attention.

But even as Adel raised her voice, the woman only turned another page. This was very much like my old self. But this only seemed to annoy Adel even more as she slammed her hands off the woman’s desk but still got no response. I can now see how annoying I must have been to Jen all those years that she knew me. I sighed and walked around to the other side of the desk. I looked for the part just above her hip bone that had the most amount of fat and gave it a good pinch._.

“Oyio!” The woman yelled out in a strange voice as she looked up at me, teary eyed and with an aggrieved expression as she rubbed her side. “That was mean!” When I saw her upturned eyes, I realized under the hair that was hanging down over her face this woman was not middle aged at all but in her early twenties. It was hard to tell with her hair over her face, but she was actually quite pretty. It was so surprising that I couldn’t help but stare.

“Umm…. Did you need something?” The young woman asked as she stared at me nervously.  I don’t know why but I felt close to this woman. She had long blonde hair and big blue eyes. But what made me feel close to her was she reminded me of my time with Jen.

“Sorry, we wanted to register so we could look at the books.” I smiled and gave an apology. I mean, I felt bad. I did just pinch her.

“Huh? Oh! I am so sorry! When I get caught up in a book, I lose track of everything around me.” The young woman replied in a panic as she began trying to find the right papers. I could hear her mumble under her breath: “Oh no, I will get yelled at again.”

“No, you won’t because we won’t tell anyone,” I replied with a smile. The young woman’s actions froze as she turned and looked at me. “Are you an angel?”

I chuckled and shook my head: “Far from it. I just do not see a reason to complain about someone being lost in a book when I do such things myself. Books are a window to another world. It allows you to lose yourself and become the characters of that book. You can feel anger, sadness, and joy at the same time as the main character, all because the book will draw a reader in and allow them to experience such emotions. I know this all too well.”

I smiled warmly at the young woman. Her cheeks went flush as she lowered her head and mumbled something. She then quickly took out a ledger and laid it in front of us. “P-Please sign here. On your way out, you must sign it again. No books are allowed to be brought out of the library. Even if you do try to sneak them out, they will just teleport back, and your name will turn red in the ledger. If it turns red, you will be punished by the academy.”

Oh? Now, this was very interesting. To think such a system would be put into place. I did as I was told and signed the ledger, and when I did, a symbol appeared on the back of my hand. It looked like a crown with the letter S in the middle of it. “This is?”

“Oh, that is like a pass that allows you to roam around the library to certain areas. But I am quite surprised to think you would have full access…. Only a select few have such access. I feel kind of jealous now….” The young woman pouted as she looked at my hand with a bit of yearning. I felt bad, but I do not think I can bring anyone with me to these secret areas. But I wonder why I was given full access? Was this the Deans doing?

After I registered, only I was allowed full access. Even Adel could not gain full access to the library. She looked at her hand and frowned, and muttered something about needing to teach the Dean a lesson. I pretended that I did not hear anything. But mainly right now since today was going to be a full rest day for me. I decided I wanted to read a normal story like the ones I used to read back on Earth. And since there was a story fanatic right in front of me, I decided to ask her what would be a good choice. “Excuse me. Can you recommend any good books?”

As soon as I asked this, I realized I might have made a mistake. Because the young woman’s eyes lit up, and she nodded her head like a little chick as she answered: “A good book, right? Well, it depends on the genre you are going for, but I would suggest Abby Smith’s collection of tales of a Knight and his Princess. The forbidden love of the two is so romantic. Oh, and then there is Darrely Fentrens collection of fantasy tales of a world without magic that uses machines to do everything. Even flying through the sky in large metal boats with wings! It is truly one of the best fantasy stories!”

Why is she talking about Earth!?