Little Mac found himself standing in front of the Observatory.
A few days ago, he picked up a book labeled Life of Pie. While he was certain that a book known as Life of Pi existed in his world, never did he ever, ever hear about a book named Life of Pie in the new universe he stayed in. It was strange to see that the book's cover even looked like something that would come from Life of Pi.
He found the book lying down around the lobby, and since no one decided to pay it any attention for two whole days, he picked it up and eventually brought it to Mario. The kind-hearted plumber informed him that the Observatory's library was usually a home for lost books, so if the owner truly wanted to find the book, he or she would visit the airborne place continuously. After all, they all lived in a mansion, so it was not hard to tell one another that something they were looking for was found.
…But then again, considering the people that lived in the mansion, common sense might not have applied smoothly to the Smash Brothers.
The man slowly walked up the stairs to the Observatory. Previously, he visited the Observatory only to put back a Luma. Since books were unable to walk, however, he knew that he should directly visit the library Mario mentioned. He wondered if anyone ever visited the place, as it seemed more like some pethouse for the star-shaped creatures known as Lumas.
With the Life of Pie in his hands, he finally stood on the main ground of the Observatory. Once again, he felt like some hero of a futuristic setting.
No one stood outside the buildings present within the Observatory. Mac did use his brain enough to realize that the bookshelf-styled building would probably be the library. Thus, he slowly walked into an area he never visited before.
The library was bigger than he expected it to be, despite its small size when seen outside. Books surrounded him, and a warm fireplace heated the single-room building. A rocking chair sat nearby the fireplace, several books neatly stacked on its seat.
Truthfully, Mac actually wanted a room like the library he was in. It was so simple and lacked unnecessarily empty areas. The building felt contained and packed, just the way Mac felt comfortable with back at Earth. Now that he thought about it, he lived a pretty outdated way of life. The lightweight boxing champion enjoyed small and comfortable places, and he held onto a flip phone out of all things in a world where smartphones were both dominant and useful in their own ways. One could probably say that looking at Mac's lifestyle would be like looking at a figure from a history book.
He then remembered why he visited the library in the first place.
Looking around the room, he noticed a tiny chest with a small label on it.
"Lost Books," the label proclaimed. The boxer raised his eyebrows, a relieved look entering his once tense face. He then wondered why no one would want to return lost books if it was so easy to return them in the first place. Walking over to the chest, he held onto the lost book in one hand and used his other hand to open the chest. Inside the chest were two books.
Fifty Shades of Prey and The Thug Fiction.
Mac quickly shoved in Life of Pie into the chest, roughly combining the two books' titles. Because of his sudden action, the books now spelled out Fifty Shades of The Thug Life of Pie. Not caring about what kinds of interesting names the book made, Mac slammed the chest closed.
He heard Doc tell him to avoid anything with the words Fifty Shades in them. Whatever it was, it was not healthy for a simple man like him to read through.
Standing up from the chest, he walked back, only to bump into something. He turned himself around, only to find himself face-to-face with a pale-blonde woman.
The woman looked… interesting. She had a silver crown on her silky hair, bright turquoise eyes, a cyan-colored dress, and a wand resting with her hands. The right side of her face was covered by some of her pretty hair, and her light and healthy-looking skin glowed because of the bright fireplace.
She also held onto what Mac considered to be the most stoic expression ever.
"…Hello," she said, startling the boxer.
"…"
Mac raised a hand, wondering if there was anything he should say.
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"…You have come to return a lost book?"
"…"
Mac nodded.
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"…I see…"
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"…You have also returned my Luma?"
"…"
At this, Mac raised an eyebrow.
So the Lumas were hers? He thought with both wonder and interest. And here I thought they were just random creatures that lived around here.
The boxer blinked as the woman tilted her head, her eyes never faltering from him. Her eyes… were somewhat wide, and the fact that she managed to keep her eyes open with such tension both frightened and amazed him. She did not keep her eyes wide like a freaky soldier, though; it just looked a bit awkward to be on the receiving end of her staring.
She acted as if she was observing an alien.
"…You are not from here, are you?"
…Isn't everyone not around from here except for Master Hand and Crazy Hand?
Despite the obvious question, he decided to be respectful and nodded. Rosalina nodded as well.
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…Well… crap. We're stuck, aren't we?
True to his words, the two were unable to come up with any further topics that could drive a conversation. As strange as she was, however, Mac noticed that she was much calmer than most of the Smash contestants he had met. She reminded him of a quieter Peach. Actually, she reminded him of a quieter Peach who stared at him with wide eyes as if he was some sort of fascinating alien.
The problem was that Peach never really kept her eyes wide open twenty-four seven.
She continued to analyze him with an emotionless expression.
"I am Rosalina. You are… a gangster?" She asked, depicting him to be a-
"…"
…Wait, what did she just call me?
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"…Perhaps you are the one who was looking for The Thug Fiction?"
Mac prevented himself from slamming his face against one of the bookshelves around him as he screamed internally,
I'M NOT A GANGSTER JUST BECAUSE I'M WEARING A HOODIE!
And he was right. Little Mac was far from a gangster; he was a boxer. Boxers had much higher standards of both morals and lifestyles. However outdated he may be, he still had more chances in contributing to society. It was no egotistical thought, but rather, a truth that he learned from Doc.
Who the heck was the one who doubted hoodie-people for gangsters, anyway? One day, if Mac ever found the conspirator in the hurtful rumor, he would give him or her a good talk. Of course, he would not use his fists unless they wanted a taste of his boxing career. Mac rarely ever thought about hitting people outside of the boxing ring.
Until he became a part of Smash Brothers, that was.
Mac sighed.
"…Am I wrong?"
"…"
The boxer nodded, finally opening his mouth to speak.
"I'm a boxer. Little Mac."
"…!"
Her lip twitched.
Wow, he thought as he watched the woman bow slightly. I should speak out more often to clarify things.
"…I am sorry," she said, her stoic expression somehow much darker than before. "Perhaps it was a worthless and useless thought. I should have known better."
Mac blinked, startled at how negatively she spoke of herself. He just corrected her about who he actually was; there was no need to suddenly berate oneself just because they misinterpreted him.
"Sorry," she said once more.
"It's… fine," the boxer answered, carefully picking his words to think of a white lie that could make her feel better. "You're not the only one to think that."
"…Really?"
"Yes."
"…"
"…"
The lightweight boxing champion scratched the back of his head, and Rosalina stared at the ground. Her visibly sad mood seemed to pass away, as she soon bowed once more before slowly walking over to the treasure chest.
"I will be organizing the lost books now," she said. "There will be a shelf available specifically for lost books soon."
"…"
Little Mac nodded. Rosalina nodded.
A few seconds after he remained still doing absolutely nothing, the boxer headed out of the library, waving at the strange blonde woman. She did not seem to notice his departure, as she remained focused in putting the lost books into a different location.
The day went by for Mac so awkwardly, he had to fight fifty wireframes set on the highest difficulty in the gymnasium's newest training room.
Author's Notes:
I am aware that the update came pretty late. Sorry!
I have been very busy recently, and I only just finished this chapter, which was supposed to be uploaded quite some time ago. The next chapter is nearly in a complete state, so I may be able to update that before becoming less active again.
Once again, sorry!
-NK-