human
Subaru:  "Well, it’s not limited to trade, more like a rule of thumb that’s useful in all sorts of situations. Anyway, try thinking things through with that in mind."
gpt
Subaru:  "Think about it from the other side’s perspective? But who is the other side?"
human
Subaru:  "The person who made this tower, set up the examination, and placed Shaula here…that person. Think from his perspective. You can see it once you do, right?"
gpt
Subaru:  "What, a horrifically twisted personality?"
human
Anastasia:  "Like we can’t even imagine, probably." Anastasia nodded in agreement with Subaru’s answer.
gpt
Emilia:  Emilia and Julius had troubled expressions as they heard that answer because they were earnest and good-natured.
human
Subaru:  Subaru and Anastasia were both on the more twisted side of the spectrum, which was why they were naturally in sync on this.
gpt
Anastasia:  Anastasia’s right. If a twisted jerk wanted to make it even harder to clear the tower, then…
human
Subaru:  "Shaula! There’s something I want to ask you. Come here a sec."
gpt
Shaula:  "Master? Hold on! I’ll be right there!" Without anything else to do, Shaula had been playing with Meili near the stairs leading down, but she leaped up when Subaru called her. She literally flew through the air and slid across the floor, landing in a formal sitting position right in front of Subaru.
human
Shaula:  "What is it? What is it? Is there something you want me to do, Master?"
gpt
Subaru:  "I feel guilty when you look at me so excitedly… Anyway, you know where the stairs to the second floor—"
human
Shaula:  "No clue! I’ve never been higher than the fourth floor before!"
gpt
Subaru:  "In four hundred years? That’s reeeally surprising…" If what Shaula says is to be believed, she has spent four hundred years in the tower. If she really did just stay focused on watching the dunes outside that whole time, her level of devotion is way too admirable. Enough that it would be hard to deal with being treated as a master by her.
human
Anastasia:  "Shaula, mind if I ask something, too?" Anastasia, who was in the process of laying out her own theory, interjected.
gpt
Anastasia:  "You’re what? The Great Pleiades Library’s guardian, right?"
human
Shaula:  "Like I said."
gpt
Anastasia:  "I see. In that case, my guess is…four. No, maybe five?"
human
Shaula:  "Hmm?"
gpt
Anastasia:  "The secret rules you were told in order to protect this tower. There are five, right?"
human
Shaula:  "—Ugh? !" Anastasia wore an elegant, restrained smile when she saw how Shaula was shaken. The way her wide eyes and shoulders twitched said everything, proving that Anastasia’s suspicion was correct.
gpt
Subaru:  But Subaru and the rest didn’t understand what Anastasia was driving at. "Rules? And secret? What are you talking about?"
human
Shaula:  "Y-you’ve got it wrong, Master! Also, it’s not like I’m hiding things—I just didn’t say anything because you didn’t ask. I want to make sure the record shows that!"
gpt
Subaru:  "Just spill it already." Shaula frantically tried to cover her ass after her secret was revealed, but Subaru didn’t give her anywhere to run.