I headed down the staircase, Mei Gui following closely behind. The other girls were disappointed to be left behind, but didn't question and instead spent this time exploring the 2nd Floor of the Library of Infinite Beginnings.

The 'something' I had to do was, of course, investigating about that young man I had met within whatever that portal was.

"Mei Gui, did you also meet that man when you went into the portal?

" I asked as we were on our way down.

She nodded.

"Yes, Master. He wore a black mask that covered only his eyes, a white robe, and had two angel-like wings.

"

"That's the one,

" I muttered.

"What did he ask you?

"

"I attacked him before he could ask anything,

" Mei Gui replied calmly.

I blinked.

"I should've expected that...but uh, what happened? Did he just run away or something?

"

Mei Gui shook her head.

"He started asking me questions while evading all of my attacks.

"

H-Holy **...now that, I didn't expect.

"Er...okay. So what did he ask you?

"

"An interesting yet utterly irrelevant question - he asked me why is it do I think that birds fly.

"

"He asked me the same thing,

" I sighed.

"And? What was your response?

"

"I didn't answer him, Master. I assumed the question was just a futile attempt to distract me, and that the man was the Gatekeeper I had to defeat.

"

"...Pragmatic as always I see,

" I muttered.

"Anyway, I'm curious...why is it do you think that birds fly?

"

Mei Gui frowned and tilted her head.

"Is this relevant, Master?

"

I shrugged.

"Not really, but I just want to know your answer. After thinking about it for a little, I came to realize that a person's response to this seemingly simple question can actually tell you a lot about them.

"

"...I do not quite understand, but alright,

" Mei Gui said.

"I believe that birds fly because they possess hollow bones in their body that are light yet strong. The shape of their wings are perfect to catch air, and the feathers on their body helps with the aerodynamics of it. In addition, a bird's lungs are powerful and efficient, allowing them to fly for long distances without tiring.

"

I blinked.

"...

"

"...That is my answer, Master.

"

"...Er...okay then. I guess it makes sense, considering you're the very definition of pragmatic,

" I said with a sigh.

"But uh, just for the record, I was expecting more of a philosophical answer than a full on scientific research essay.

"

"I am very sorry, Master,

" Mei Gui suddenly bowed down in apology.

I gave a little chop to her head, which surprised her a little, and she yelped in surprise, something I didn't get to see often.

"Idiot. What are you apologizing for? I said 'just for the record'. You did nothing wrong - in fact, your answer fit perfectly in line with your personality, so I'd say my theory about how one's answer to this question can say a lot about themself, still holds true.

"

"Master...

" she smiled faintly, but it was a smile more valuable than any other. I doubted she even understood what I was saying, but she could feel the emotions in my heart, as I could with her. We were connected - and not only by the power of Chaos.

*****

After that short exchange, we finally arrived at the front desk on the 1st Floor of the Library, where the same old lady who issued us our library cards was still sitting behind there, working on something on her computer.

"Excuse me,

" I said, walking over directly since no one else was in line or anything.

"Oh, it's you again. Yes? How may I help you?

" she asked in a kind and gentle tone.

"Uh...is there any way we could talk somewhere...more private?

" I muttered, looking around and spotting several watchful gazes looking in our direction. Mei Gui, in particular. She was wearing her black mask as well since I was, but even then that could not hide her perfect features. She was bound to attract attention.

"Hm...there's about 5 minutes until my shift ends,

" the old lady replied.

"If you want, you can eat lunch with me. No one else would be able to hear our conversation.

"

I nodded.

"That sounds perfect. We'll wait, then.

"

5 minutes later, the old lady got out of her workspace just like she said she would. Someone else, a young man, took over her position for the time being. Telling us to follow her, we were led outside, and she circled around to the back of the massive tower known as the Library of Infinite Beginnings.

There, hundreds of vehicles were parked. Unlike the outside, where all cars had wheels, within The Fortress, these vehicles travelled by floating slightly above ground, completely removing the friction generated from the floor, allowing itself to reach higher speeds. Of course, when they were parked, they were just sitting on the floor like any normal car.

The old lady led us to a red one, and pulled open the door with one swift motion.

I widened my eyes in surprise.

"You don't leave your car locked?

"

"Huh? What are you talking about?

" the old lady laughed.

"It was locked. I just unlocked it.

"

"What...? But you didn't even use a key or anythin-

"

"A key? Really?

" she looked at me as if I just said something really stupid.

"Who still uses those?

"

"Then...how do you prevent other people from stealing your car?

" Mei Gui asked, frowning, just as confused as I was.

"Fingerprints, my child,

" the old lady replied.

"You see here? When I place my hand on the handle of the door, my fingers wrap around the bottom of it. There are sensors stationed there to scan my fingerprints, and identify the person as me, therefore allowing me to unlock the door.

"

She allowed us to get a closer look, locking the door and then unlocking it again with the same manuever.

"Oh...

" Mei Gui and I looked on, completely engrossed in this new knowledge.

"Of course, keys still exist as a back-up - for example, if your hand gets broken or something. But really, no one uses them nowadays, especially since most wounds can just be healed with some Blessing Magic - which is a fairly common element to have.

"

"I see...

" I murmured thoughtfully.

"I learned something new today. Thanks.

"

"Oh, don't thank me - you were bound to find out eventually. It's common knowledge around here,

" the old lady said, before hopping the driver's seat.

"Hop in, I'll take you two to a restaurant.

"

Mei Gui and I looked at each other, unsure of whether or not to accept this request...mainly because we didn't have any money.

Then, as if reading our minds, the old lady chuckled.

"Don't worry. My treat.

"

With this, the two of us let out a sigh of relief and did as told. She suddenly started the vehicle, and we were suddenly lifted up into the air.

"Woah-!

" I gasped, surprised by the sudden movement. I wasn't used to this. I could feel that there was nothing but air between the bottom of our vehicle and the ground below. The lofty feeing left an unsettling feeling in my stomach, but at the same time, another part of me felt this was quite exciting.

"Buckle up your seatbelts,

" the old lady said, and we immediately followed her instructions.

And then, suddenly, the ceiling of the car dematerialized away, much to our shock.

Noticing our reactions, the woman turned to us and grinned.

"Where's the fun in this if you don't get the full experience?

"

"R-Right...

" I muttered.

God...this woman's daredevil personality does not suit her old age and librarian profession at all...

Then, zooming out of the parking lot, we went onto the road, where many other floating cars were travelling about. I noticed the average speed of these vehicles was a lot higher than cars on the outside as well - a benefit of removing the friction between the wheels and the ground. These vehicles within The Fortress didn't even have wheels, after all.

"By the way, what are these vehicles really called?

" I asked.

"They can't be just called cars, right...?

"

"Huh? What did you say?

" the old lady yelled, unable to hear us through the howling winds whizzing past our ears.

"I asked what these vehicles are called,

" I repeated, in a louder voice this time.

"These babies are called hovercars!

" the old lady replied.

"Woohoo! I'll never get sick of this!

"

I turned to look at Mei Gui, and she shrugged. I sighed, and just enjoyed the wind blowing against my face. It felt pretty nice...with the exception of when some stray debris, like small rocks, happened to hit my face. That was not nice. Mei Gui slowly reached her hand out over the left side of the hovercar, feeling the wind at its full. Her hair was also swaying from side to side from the wind, though she didn't seem to mind.

It was quite the experience. I could say that much.