[x] Find Patchouli at the lower library.

After passing countless rows of bookshelves, I finally arrived at a large staircase leading deep underground. I glanced over the side and saw that there were a number of floors. Koakuma said that Patchouli was somewhere down in the lower library, but she never mentioned where exactly the magician was. Maybe I should have asked her to come with me.

"Research, eh?"

Well, I had already come this far. I should see if I could find her, at the very least. I shrugged to myself as I started walking down the staircase. My footsteps echoed loudly as I headed down. I paused for a moment at each floor, observing if there was anything odd about the books and shelves there. But for the most part, I didn't notice anything apart from the fact that even here, the books are kept in pristine condition.

I lost count of the number of floors I passed. While I didn't search anywhere too deep when I checked, I felt like there wasn't any visible sign that Patchouli had been in those floors. So I just continued heading down the stairs until I finally reached the very bottom level. Even then, I still didn't really understand what kind of clue I was looking for.

"Hmm?"

Like the rest of the library, this place was also filled with shelves and books. But something else caught my attention. And at the very end of the path, I could see a large chamber door. It stood out for some reason, almost as if it wasn't really part of the library.

"Thud!"

Suddenly, the ground around me started glowing an eerie green. A strange circle of symbols and runes formed on the floor I stood on. And before I could react, several vines shot out from the ground and wrapped tightly around my arms and legs.

"Eh? W-what the hell!?"

I tried to struggle, but it was no use. The thick tendrils knocked away my weapon, and they were steadily tightening around my limbs. I was completely immobilized. And as I watched, one of them coiled around my neck and started to choke me.

"Gaahuurk! Guh! Urk!"

Then, I saw a familiar face float from behind one of the bookshelves. 'Help me', I mouthed. When she saw me, the purple haired magician dropped her book and gasped in horror. Immediately, she started chanting a command spell. A flash of green light filled the place. And when it died down, the vines and tendrils had vanished. I took a moment to catch my breath.

"T-thanks, Patchouli!"

"Haa... I'm... sorry... haa... didn't... expect... you... haa..."

Patchouli was breathing heavily, and her legs were shaking. Forgetting about my own injuries for a moment, I ran up and barely caught her as she started to fall.

"That's enough. Don't speak."

The magician girl smiled weakly at me, whispering a silent 'Thank you' as she closed her eyes and rested against my chest. I quickly carried her to a nearby reading chair and waited patiently for her to recover. Slowly, her breathing started to normalize.

Koakuma had mentioned before that Patchouli's condition had been steadily getting worse these past few days. This weather made it difficult for her to move around. Yet she continued her research alone at the bottom level of the library.

"..."

And she had set elemental traps around the area, as if she was expecting to be attacked...
[ ] Leave her here and return to the others.
[ ] Accompany her around the lower library.
[ ] Insist that she come with you back upstairs.

Optional:
[ ] Ask her a question. (Specify)