3 - The Scary Upperclassman

The next day, Akuto had an unsettling dream. He felt disoriented when he woke up, so he stayed in bed and stared vacantly up at the ceiling.

It was a dream about the past. All that remained in his mind were feelings of bittersweet nostalgia. The image of glittering jewels stuck in his mind, but he couldn’t remember anything about what happened in the dream.

“What was that about...?” Akuto murmured. Just like always, he woke up early in the morning. He checked the clock on top of his desk, and it was still 5:30.

Akuto thought it was better to get up than try to go back to sleep. He stretched as he sat up, but then froze.

“Good morning,” came a voice.

“Good morning...” Akuto replied.

Korone’s green eyes stared at him from the exact same position she had been the previous night.

“...All night?”

“Yes, and?”

“...You aren’t tired?”

“Of course not.”

“...Oh well, whatever.” Akuto had given up on asking her these kinds of questions.

Korone climbed down from the cabinet that served as her bed. With inhuman agility, she lightly touched down and stood on the floor.

“By the way,” Korone suddenly said. “What did you mean by ‘what was that about?’”

“I had a dream. I was trying to remember stuff from the past but I couldn’t.”

“If you wanted to search through your memories, all you need to do is ask and I will assist you. I might be able to glean some information from your brain.”

“I’m going to pass on that. Well then, I’m off to take a bath.”

Akuto made his way to the bathroom. Taking a bath in the mornings was allowed according to the instructions he was given. He left his room, and Korone followed behind him.

“I’m taking a bath.”

“I know.”

“...Uhh...”

“That was a joke. I will wait in front of the changing room,” Korone said with the same expressionless look as always.

Akuto heaved a sigh of relief and walked into the changing room.

It appeared there were a few other students taking a morning shower, as a couple baskets in the changing room had clothes in them. Akuto took off his clothes and entered the bath area. When he entered, two other students taking a shower calmly glanced towards him. Their faces grew stiff. The two students were the same pair that had been provoked by Hiroshi’s fanfare the night before.

Akuto knew that this was going to be irritating, but if he was going to live with them from here on out, the best he could do was to try and get along with them.

“Good morning,” Akuto greeted them and went to rinse his body. The pair called out to Akuto, looking visibly uneasy.

“Yo. You beat up the Class A rep?”

Akuto worried about how best to answer, so he just shrugged his shoulders and replied vaguely.

“It was kind of an accident.”

“C’mon, don’t be so tense. We’re being friendly here.”

“A strange thing to say, isn’t it?” Akuto replied defensively, but as he spoke he realized that the pair’s demeanor was slightly different than before.

“So we weren’t aware of it last night, but if you really did beat the class rep... Nah, just the fact that rumor has started spreading around is enough, you gotta be careful.”

Their threatening tone of voice hadn’t changed, but it seemed they had a reason to say this. They looked like they were scared of something. That’s why, to some extent, Akuto felt that they were sincere words of caution.

“I guess it’s true then. You’re saying people have it out for me?”

“That’s not it.”

The both of them shook their heads in unison.

“It’s not that, it’s that the class rep was seriously strong. She defeated all the other third-year middle schoolers.”

“So what is it then? You said she defeated everyone else, so in that case, isn’t it about people trying to fight me?” Akuto asked, thinking that they weren’t making any sense. Then the two of them began to take turns in explaining an unexpected side of the Academy.

“I know it’s weird for us to say this but, there are a lot of violent kids at this school.”

“Because of that, there is an official system on the surface and an unofficial one behind the scenes that’s been created among the students.”

“Officially, everything is the same as normal, but unofficially, there are rankings determined by a student’s fighting ability.”

“Since it’s unofficial, there’s no one who really knows everything about it, but it’s openly discussed between the punks and delinquents here.”

—It seems like the same type of delinquents you’d find at any normal school... No, because they fight with magic, I’m sure there are girls in that group as well.

“In that case, the class rep... Does that include Hattori?” Akuto carelessly blurted out.

“She’s rank two. The class rep and those guys... There are students here who are devoted to black magic, or have already decided to use their magic for bad stuff. That’s what they’re like underneath the surface, man... Anyway, the class rep hates those guys. But she was strong enough to take them, so it all ended up working out for a while.”

While the two weren’t very eloquent, Akuto was able to understand what they were getting at.

“What you’re saying is that no matter the reality of the situation, people are going to think that I’m higher rank than the class rep?” The pair nodded as Akuto finally understood what they were trying to say.

“Yeah. That’s how you’re going to be recognized. We wouldn’t even think about tryin’ to screw with you now. But, you gotta be careful. There are guys who aim to be number one.”

“I’m not joking around here,” Akuto said. “I truly don’t want to get involved with that. Besides, I’m under observation by an imperial Liradan from now on.” But they interrupted him.

“There are plenty of ways around stuff like that, you know? Anyway, you’d better watch your back. Also, you can think of us as fans, like you said before. If you win a lot of fights and take over the school, then we’ll make sure to side with you.” The two both clapped Akuto on the back.

“Aren’t you just being opportunistic?”

“That’s right. So?” With that, the two rinsed their bodies and went to leave the bath area.

“Oh, wait,” Akuto called after them.

“What?”

“Who is rank one? You said Hattori was rank two.”

“Well, that’s...”

The pair both dropped their voices.

“We got no clue.”

“You don’t know?”

“That’s right. The third-year students are always off finding jobs, so the ranking applies to first and second-years but... We don’t know who’s number one. This is the first time in history it’s been like this.”

“The rank three guy got beaten to a pulp so it seems he knows the identity of the top ranked student, but he’s kept his mouth shut about it. I heard if you bring it up, he just starts trembling.”

“That’s absurd...” Akuto was at a loss for words.

“But, it’s true.”

“Well, it’s not something to stick your nose into. Though, I’m sure they’ll be coming for you.”

The duo laughed as they closed the door to the bath area behind them. As soon as it closed, he heard a deep male voice saying, “Noooo, don’t look!”

Akuto ignored it. Obviously Korone was peeking into the changing room. The voice continued by exclaiming, “Don’t smile with that blank look on your face! Are you saying I’m small?” which backed up Akuto’s theory.

—This school is an insane asylum... Anyway, what can I do to try and make my life here as peaceful as possible? It would be best if I had Hattori’s help getting by, but with the situation as it is... On top of that, even if I try to apologize, I’m sure Korone will forbid me from seeing her... What to do... As long as I’m unable to repair my relationship with Hattori, then the situation is just going to keep getting worse.

Akuto let out a long, drawn-out sigh as he soaked in the bath. After thoroughly soaking his body and rinsing it off, he carefully made sure the lower half of his body was covered before entering the changing room. Korone was peeking in from a crack in the door.

“Why are humans so particular about the size of their penis?” Korone asked from the door. A normal boy would certainly balk at that question, but Akuto was earnest and serious by nature.

“That’s because they say if it’s bigger you’ll have more sexual encounters, and be able to leave behind a lot of children. In the future, the children of these virile men will crowd out and snuff out the offspring of other normal men So they feel threatened, or so I’ve heard,” Akuto said with a straight face.

“I understand. In that case, please show me your penis. Each time I look at another man’s penis, I will compare them and report to you their relative size.”

“...That’s not happening. Wait, are you teasing me?”

“A little.”

With that, Akuto drove the expressionless Korone out of the changing room.

○

“Boss! Let’s go to school together!” Hiroshi yelled. He had followed after Akuto as he left the dorm.

“Go to school together? But it’s right there.”

“C’mon don’t say that, I’ve already decided to follow you no matter how short the distance,” Hiroshi replied flippantly. He exchanged morning greetings with Korone, who he seemed to have already grown accustomed to.

“That’s right... You said you were the go-to person for information, right?” Akuto asked him. Hiroshi looked deeply touched that Akuto was relying on him, and took his hand in his, eyes tearing up with emotion.

“Ask me anything!”

“Listen... Don’t get so worked up. It’s just that I heard there are these hidden rankings.”

“Yes!” Hiroshi replied instantly. “You’re now rank two, Boss! That’s incredible! I couldn’t believe that you were going for a real duel yesterday! I was certain you were in love with her, but I would have never guessed your aim was to sleep with a strong woman, just to get her guard down so you could defeat her!”

—It appears it’s been him spreading those rumors after all... I suppose assuming that much was only natural...

“I’m telling you, that’s not it. Just forget about that stuff. A-Anyway, so no one knows what the rank one guy looks like?”

“That’s right! Just as I thought, you’re going to stand up to them so you can take over the school, right? You always talk like you aren’t interested, but you’re actually ready to go, aren’t you? Wait, are you telling me to figure out who they are? I’ll do it! I’ll absolutely do it!”

“Uh, no... That’s a dangerous thing to talk about, so you don’t have to do that. If you don’t know, that’s fine.”

“R-Really? Okay, but you can ask me anything, okay?!” Hiroshi was looking up at something in the sky again, like he was deeply moved.

“So much talk,” Korone said. “I won’t intervene, but you will be punished for any acts of violence.”

“You’re telling me if I am attacked to just let them beat me up?”

“No. As long as they are the first to act, there will be no problems.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant...” Akuto forced a smile.

At that moment, he noticed the commotion that was happening around him. Akuto figured that he’d become the center of attention because they’d moved on to the road that leads from the dorm to the school. But the nature of the commotion was different. Akuto thought it was strange and turned around, where he was startled by the beauty of the girl who stood behind him.

Her long, beautifully well-kept hair reached down to slightly below her waist and looked as if it would start playing harp notes every time the wind blew through it. Her eyes were like something out of a dream, and she wore a gentle smile. Akuto could only describe her as the perfect image of a high-class, beautiful girl.

“Y-You’re the idol of our campus, Fujiko Eto!”

Thanks to the transparency of Hiroshi’s surprise, Akuto was able to figure out who this person was. What he didn’t know was the reason this girl had come up behind him.

“Hello and good morning.” Fujiko greeted Akuto. She didn’t lower her head in a bow. Akuto judged from the badge on her collar that she was an upperclassman.

“Good morning.” Akuto bowed his head.

“U-Um, what do need from boss?” Hiroshi asked his question ahead of Akuto. Then, Fujiko put her hand up to her mouth and gave a pleasant laugh.

“Pardon me, but the reason I have so rudely interrupted your walk to school today is because I am currently the head of the girls’ dormitory.”

“The head of the dorm?” Akuto was surprised. At the same time, he realized that her reason for seeing him must be to admonish him for what happened yesterday.

“Yes. Yesterday, it seems you came and delivered Soga’s clothes to the girls’ dorm,” Fujiko said in a calm and gentle voice.

“Oh, that was Korone here...” Akuto was surprised that her reason was different from what he had thought, and when he pointed towards Korone, she nodded and started to explain to Akuto in a low voice.

“Yesterday I met Fujiko Eto and I explained to her the various circumstances regarding Keena Soga’s clothes and Junko Hattori’s injuries. Seeing how she’s the head of the dorm, I have provided her with all the necessary information.”

—Then, Eto must know the details of situation and came to talk to me about it. What a good person... And pretty, too. If this is the case, she might help me with Junko.

Akuto lowered his head. Then, he spoke to her in a hushed tone.

“Um, sometime later, could we talk about Hattori and myself?”

“What do you mean?” Fujiko asked quietly, cupping her cheek with a questioning look. Other than the two of them, only Korone and Hiroshi were able to hear the conversation.

“Well... I want to repair our relationship. It’s just, if I meet with her directly, it won’t end well...” Akuto glanced towards Korone. She heard exactly what he’d said and chimed in.

“I do not recommend a face-to-face meeting with Junko Hattori.”

“If that is the case, please allow me to assist you,” Fujiko said. “I will convey your messages to her, and give you her reply. I have heard about what sorts of actions you have taken, and I don’t believe there is the slightest chance that you will become the Demon King.”

“Th-Thank you very much!” Akuto bowed his head once again.

“I haven’t done anything to warrant such thanks. Please, have a good day.” Fujiko passed by Akuto’s side. Hiroshi, Korone, and Akuto all stood there gazing vacantly as they watched her walk away.

“Man, she’s amazing! She really is elegant, isn’t she?!” Hiroshi reaction was overly emotional.

“Jeez...” Akuto grumbled at Hiroshi’s reaction. When he moved to start walking again, his hand brushed against something in his pocket.

“Huh?”

There was a piece of paper there.

—I think Eto was the only one who could have put this in here...

Akuto made sure that Hiroshi and Korone didn’t see him take the paper out, hiding it back in his pocket.

“Still, you’re amazing, boss! To think that Fujiko would come up to you like that!”

“That’s not something to get so worked up about...” As Akuto was dealing with Hiroshi, they arrived at the school building.

Naturally, Akuto immediately became the center of attention when he entered the classroom. Yesterday’s destruction was still fresh in everyone’s minds. It was impossible to forget about, as workers were now busy repairing the outer walls. In addition, rumor had spread that Akuto had bested the class rep with cowardly and underhanded tactics, so the looks he received from the girls were cold and unfriendly.

—What a miserable situation...

It appeared that Junko and Keena were both absent. Their desks remained empty even as it came time for class to start.

“Hello, good morning.” Miss Mitsuko greeted them as she walked into the classroom.

“Looks like Soga and Hattori are both absent. Okay, let’s start class.”

Miss Mitsuko appeared to be in charge of teaching the elementary magical education review class. This was Akuto’s first time hearing it all, so he listened with great interest.

“The ability to summon magic itself is dependent on the way mana is connected to one’s mental state. The mana in your body and the mana in the environment are the same, but these are categorized as external and internal mana. As such, people are separated into those who are skilled at manipulating external mana or those skilled with internal mana. Thus, on the surface, there are two types of magic.

“In addition, the nature of the user influences the way that mana is manipulated. This is broken down into four different types. Energy waves, healing, necromancy, and illusion; each of these is different depending on whether the user manipulates external or internal mana, and this in turn creates eight different forms of magic. When you outline these onto a chart and find which type of magic you are best at, the type of magic directly across from it will be the one you’re least skilled with.”

Even as he tried to pay close attention, Akuto still couldn’t help thinking about the note that was in his pocket. He decided to write down everything that the teacher said — as long as he didn’t think about what each word meant, he could transcribe everything even while dividing his attention.

As Akuto started writing, he checked what Korone was doing. She was sitting in the seat directly behind him, but there weren’t any signs that she would move unexpectedly.

Akuto secretly took out Fujiko’s note. There were magical letters etched into the note paper. It seemed that Fujiko had jotted it down as she was talking with Akuto.

Come alone to the old war room underneath the main building tonight. The way to escape your Liradan’s watchful eye is simple. Liradans have a tail, if you pull on it, it will switch off.

—What?! Pull on a tail?!

Akuto was taken aback. Worried that Korone could see his surprise, he quickly hid the note.

—Anyway, it seems Eto is the only person I can rely on. So I just have to get away from Korone tonight, and head to the school’s basement, I guess...

After that, Akuto focused his attention on class again. He spent every class break reading the note again, and went the entire morning without talking to anyone.

When it came time for lunch, Akuto was unable to turn down Hiroshi’s invitation to join him in the cafeteria, and reluctantly decided to go with him. But he couldn’t hold back the fidgety and excited feeling that bubbled up inside of his chest.

—So, Korone has a tail... and if I pull it, she’ll turn off...?

Akuto inevitably ended up shifting his gaze towards Korone’s butt.

Seeing that Korone wasn’t human, her body was probably created to suit her creator’s fancies. It seemed her creator had a preference for smaller butts, and the tight bulge that Akuto could glimpse from her skirt had a beauty to it that even those who didn’t have a preference for petite women would be able to appreciate.

—I have to get the two of us alone somehow... Of course we’d be alone at night, but what if Eto is just messing with me about the tail thing? No, even if she’s telling the truth, Korone is a Liradan dispatched by the government. She’s probably a specially-made model. I need to confirm what Eto wrote somehow before tonight. I’d like to try it where there aren’t any other people around... It would be bad if I have to tell Eto that I can’t make it.

“Boss? What’s wrong?” Hiroshi’s words jolted Akuto back to reality.

“Nothing... Just thinking about something...”

“About what? Please tell me if there’s anything worrying you!”

“It’s nothing.”

There was no way he could tell him that he was thinking about how to shut down Korone. But Hiroshi’s expression reflected his skepticism at Akuto’s denial.

“No way, I can tell by your face that something’s on your mind. We’ve been together a long time, so I can figure out that much, you know!”

“I don’t think even two days have gone by yet, but... Anyway, if you’re able to tell me, then I’d like to know.”

“Tell you what?!”

Akuto wanted to ask a random question to try and change the subject, but Hiroshi held onto things too well. Because of that, he accidentally mentioned something that was really on his mind.

“What type of person is Soga?”

“Are you interested in her?” Hiroshi said, looking like it was an unexpected thing to ask.

“I’m not interested in her, exactly, but she’s just always absent, right?”

“Boss, you really are something! You don’t want to leave any of the girls out! You’ll make them all yours, right?”

“Just stop with that stuff, okay... So, what type of person is she?” Akuto asked again, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Part of that was because talking about being interested in a girl was embarrassing. But it was more than that. Whenever he thought about Keena, he was bothered by an insistent wave of nostalgia.

“Well, she’s a strange one. She’s not someone that boss should waste his time on. She’s not a bad girl, but she’s completely hopeless with magic, and can’t do anything besides flying. She has no talent. Because of that, she doesn’t have any friends, and she’s always off reading a book somewhere with her head in the clouds.”

“If that’s the case, how was she able to come here?”

“She’s good at regular studying. It’s just, if you can’t use magic here, you get left by the wayside.”

“Oh so that’s it, huh...” Akuto felt an affinity with Keena. Their positions were different, but they both had problems at this school, and had trouble making friends. Akuto was deep in thought when Hiroshi said something out of the blue.

“By the way, boss.”

“Hm?”

“You were looking at Korone just now, weren’t you? So you really are trying to make all the girls yours, aren’t you?! That must mean you also made a plan on how to make an observer Liradan yours as well, right?!” Hiroshi became excited and started raising his voice in the cafeteria. Naturally this drew the attention of the other students, and they glared at Akuto as if to say, “Again with this...?” and “Ugh, that guy is such a pig...”

—That’s not... But even if I tell him, it won’t change anything, will it?

Akuto bit his lip and then, having heard Hiroshi’s remarks, Korone suddenly spoke up.

“As an observer, even if I have sexual intercourse with my observation target, my emotions will not be swayed. Do you still wish to pursue this matter?” The bare frankness of her words sent the cafeteria into an uproar, and Akuto’s face turned bright red.

“It’s nothing! Cut it out with those kinds of jokes!” Akuto shouted.

“I am unable to cut it out with these jokes, and so I believe they will continue from here on out. Please just laugh at them and forgive me.” Korone was composed.

“Wow! I don’t really get it, but you’re super cool, boss!” Hiroshi was all worked up now.

Akuto thought he’d already resigned himself to every imaginable thing, and yet here he was, resigning himself to something else once more.

“...Incidentally,” Akuto asked Hiroshi as he started to eat his curry.

“Yeah?”

“Is there anywhere you can be alone here? No matter where I go it’s unbearably noisy.”

“Hmm, somewhere to be alone...” Hiroshi sunk into thought with his chopsticks in his mouth. “...Not many people head into the mountain behind the main building. It’s a little dangerous, but it shouldn’t be any trouble for you, boss.”

“Dangerous?”

“People don’t go back there because sometimes there are demons prowling around. They rarely show up, and you’re basically free to go back there, at your own risk.”

“I see...” Akuto looked at the clock. Lunch break was still only halfway over. He gulped down the rest of his curry all at once and stood up.

“Okay then, I’m going to go check it out.”

“I will accompany you, boss!”

“No, don’t. It’s dangerous, isn’t it?”

“But I made my decision to go along with you wherever you go.”

“I just want to relax, that’s all.”

“However, I will be following you, so no matter what, you’ll never be alone, right?” Korone interrupted the conversation.

After she said this, Hiroshi clapped his hands as if he had suddenly become aware of something.

“Forgive me for being insensitive.” Hiroshi bowed his head repeatedly with a vulgar smile on his face.

Akuto had little trouble in guessing what Hiroshi was thinking.

“I’m telling you, it’s not like that!”

“Say no more, say no more.” Hiroshi pushed their backs and tried to force Korone and Akuto out of the cafeteria.

“W-Wait a sec—”

“Don’t be shy, don’t be shy.”

After Hiroshi had gotten them out of the cafeteria, he took out a handkerchief and waved it after them, yelling at them to take their time.

“It’s not like that, oka—!” Akuto still tried to resist what Hiroshi was suggesting, but Korone grabbed the sleeve of his shirt before he could. On top of that, she made her cheeks blush.

“It’s my first time, so be gentle, okay?”

“I’ve told you, cut it out with those jokes already!” Akuto shouted out, but the onlooking students had already made up their mind, saying things like, “I guess becoming the Demon King means you can’t keep it in your pants...” and, “So observer Liradans are also required to cater to the Demon King’s sexual urges. Even though she’s an android, that’s kinda sad,” and “I’m so jealous of the Demon Ki... I’m gonna hurl.” It had already gone too far for him to even try and correct his behavior.

“Fine, whatever...” Akuto began to walk off.

○

“I don’t know what your intentions are, but it seems everything you do ends up backfiring on you, doesn’t it?” Korone calmly declared, following behind Akuto.

“You... You say that you’re just an observer, but you’re having quite an impact on my life, aren’t you?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is...” Akuto grumbled as they made their way towards the mountain behind the school. As they went, the number of students they passed began to dwindle.

—I see, it’s just like Hiroshi said.

As he continued down the walkway in between the trees, the voices of the other students began to fade. Even if demons could show up at any moment, to Akuto it just felt like he was taking a walk along a footpath through a park.

“Man, this is great. It’s so quiet.” Akuto sat down against a tree next to the path.

“Is that so? That’s good.” Korone spoke as if it didn’t concern her and stood next to Akuto.

“It’s been noisy ever since you showed up,” Akuto said, and looked up at Korone. Korone’s gaze seemed to be somewhere far away, but Akuto wasn’t paying attention to her. From his low angle, he could almost look up her short skirt.

—This might be my chance to see if she has a tail or not.

Akuto slowly began reclining his body down against the tree. His viewing angle gradually changed, and from behind Korone’s skirt, he started getting glimpses of her panties. However, he still couldn’t see the upper part of her butt, so he had to sink his body down a fair bit more in order to see if she had a tail or not.

—Just a little bit...

Akuto slid down until his body was almost completely flat on the ground. He wasn’t aware of it himself, but from the outside he looked like an absolute pervert.

—After a little...

Then, at that moment.

Whack!

“Ow!”

Something had hit the top of Akuto’s head. His body completely slid onto the ground from the impact. Now at this angle, his head was right underneath Korone’s butt.

—What was that?

Akuto was confused. He looked around the area, but no one was around.

“Did something happen?” Korone asked.

“S-Someone hit me... But...” Akuto blinked his eyes, not understanding what happened.

“There is no one around.”

“That’s strange...”

“I would say what’s strange is your appearance right now,” Korone said to Akuto, sounding puzzled.

Korone’s face was in Akuto’s line of sight. In front of it were her well-shaped legs and butt. Akuto had completely stuck his head in between her legs.

“Oh...”

“You’re a total pervert, aren’t you,” Korone spoke calmly, but she moved from her position quickly. She did say that she has emotions, so she was probably embarrassed. But at that moment, her skirt flipped up, and Akuto definitely saw it. Right above her low-riding panties, there was a small rabbit-like tail growing out of her.

—Oh, it’s a tail. She really has one.

Without saying a word, Akuto marveled at the tail.

“Did you come out here just to look at my panties? You’re a very strange person, aren’t you?” Korone’s words embarrassed Akuto, and he stood up. Now, he shifted his focus to who had hit him in the head just a second ago. He looked around, but there still wasn’t anyone there

“Never mind that for now... Is there really no one else here?” Akuto asked.

“You’re just dodging the question... No, I suppose there isn’t. Was someone here? The mana hasn’t been agitated at all.” Korone scanned the surrounding area with glowing eyes as she spoke.

“Okay... I guess it’s fine, then.” Akuto tilted his head in confusion. Then, Korone corrected herself.

“No, there is a disturbance in the mana. There is a life form approaching. It doesn’t seem to be human,” Korone shifted her gaze towards the inner parts of the forest.

Suddenly, a demon popped its head out from the trees. Korone explained,

“It’s a demon dog. A dog that has been deformed from absorbing mana into its body. This is probably its breeding ground.”

The demon was twice as large as a normal dog. It had long fangs, its drool leaking out between them as it breathed violently. Its eyes had a ferocious sheen to them, and they were fixated on Akuto.

“I do not require governmental authority to eliminate demons. I will exterminate it.” Korone thrust her hands into the purse that always hung at her side. A proper and stately-looking gun could be seen sitting in her purse, the size of which made it hard to believe it actually managed to fit in there. Judging from the size of the weapon, it looked like a single shot could blow the demon dog’s head clean off.

Looking at the gun, Akuto panicked.

“W-Wait a second. If that’s a demon dog, that means it used to be an actual dog, right? Can’t we get rid of it without killing it?”

“You do realize it is quite ferocious, yes?”

“If it’s been deformed by mana, we just have to find some way to pull the mana out, right?”

“There has never been a magician who has disposed of something in that way.”

“No one’s ever done it before? In that case, doesn’t that mean it’s worth giving it a shot?” Akuto spread out both of his arms and walked towards the demon.

“It is dangerous,” Korone warned him.

“Nah, I feel like I can do it. Don’t ask me why. Besides, I learned the theory behind controlling mana in class today.” Akuto took a step, and then another, slowly approaching the demon dog.

“If knowing the theory was all it took, the world would be full of magicians. As soon as I sense danger, I will eliminate it.” Korone turned her gun on the demon.

The demon dog arched its body and looked ready to pounce at Akuto. Just when the tension in the demon dog’s leg muscles was let loose, before Korone could even fire at it, a white light emitted from Akuto’s extended hand.

—I did it!

In his innermost thoughts, even Akuto was surprised it had worked. Nevertheless, he was successfully controlling the outside mana with the mana he was emitting from his palms. The demon dog began emitting the same shade of white light, spilling out from inside its body.

“The mana is being pulled out of its body. Ninety percent... Eighty percent...” Korone reported.

As she counted down, the amount of light coming from the demon dog’s body decreased. Along with the light, the viciousness on its face disappeared.

“There’s never been any magician who extracted mana from a demon as a way to deal with them. They said it couldn’t be done. I will record this and report it,” Korone told Akuto, and put the gun back in her purse.

“Just in case people wanna know what I did, right? It wasn’t a big deal, though...” Akuto looked back at Korone.

The demon had returned to a regular dog. It was a shaggy dog with long fur. It sneezed as if it had been startled, and then started running around, wagging its tail.

“Since you haven’t broken any laws, I will not punish you. However, this data will be studied. Even still... This is surprising.” In a rare occurrence, Korone’s words actually had emotion to them. Nevertheless, her face was still just as expressionless as always.

“Surprised?”

“I’m surprised that you saved the dog. Your behavior up until now has included hurting women, stealing their underwear, and looking up skirts. I’d pegged you as a lowlife...”

“You’re just arbitrarily picking things out...” Exasperated, Akuto encouragingly patted the dog’s side as it ran around. Now that the dog was nothing more than a stray, someone should pick it up if it went towards the school. As it seemingly began to head for the school, it suddenly stopped in its tracks and changed directions. For some reason it faced up towards the empty sky and ran towards whatever it had saw.

“Huh?”

Akuto watched, suspicious at the dog’s actions. Then he suddenly heard a scream rise up from and echo through the forest.

“Kyaaaaahhh! A dog! Don’t come near meee!”

Akuto couldn’t see anything, but he knew what he’d heard. The dog was playfully chasing after something.

The voice was familiar to Akuto.

—Keena... Soga?

Then, a girl’s figure appeared where the dog’s chase had come to an end. Red hair softly spread out in the air. White skin could be seen through the red hair. It seemed that Keena was completely naked.

—Huh?

Keena’s figure flickered and disappeared in front of Akuto’s startled eyes. But the dog kept chasing something around the same as it had before. In other words...

“I didn’t think it was possible, but it seems that she can make herself disappear after all,” Akuto said, trying to confirm with Korone.

“So it seems. I also received visual confirmation. When she disappears, it becomes impossible to trace her mana. If a Liradan such as myself is unable to trace her, then it means that she is completely invisible,” Korone said with a nod.

“But if a dog is chasing her around, that means...”

“A small amount of her scent is still left behind. That and her clothes...”

“So she can’t turn stuff on her body invisible?” Akuto tried to follow the dog’s tracks with his eyes.

—If that’s the case, why is she following me when she has to go to the trouble of getting naked to become invisible?

As his eyes followed the dog, he could glimpse a momentary flash of light. It was the same light he had seen the day before. In that moment, something clicked within Akuto.

It was Keena’s hair ornament... The nostalgic feeling of something long past from his dream the night before... A memory of the ornament itself...

“Ah!” Akuto suddenly remembered something.

The jewelry that he had spent all of his money on. At the time, it had been proof of his determination to earn his own money from then on out. But as Akuto thought back on it, he had to admit that he hoped that she would remember him.

—In that case, I understand the reason behind her following me.

With a start, Akuto began to run. Keena was running straight ahead. The dog showed no sign of stopping, and chased after her towards the school.

Akuto followed the small floating light. It would’ve been easy to lose track of her, but as long as he followed behind the dog, he could keep that shining hair ornament of hers in sight.

The dog rushed into the school building, where everyone was still in the middle of lunch period. The students were startled and confused as they made way for the dog and Akuto. Keena didn’t seem to know where she was going, as she was rushing up and down the stairs, haphazardly racing around the school. She let out a scream now and then, but it got drowned out by the onlooking students who didn’t realize that she was there.

—How did it end up this way... This is a problem... How can I make her calm down... Oh, maybe Keena hates dogs? Hmm, in that case I just need to do something about the dog, right? Once I do that, I might be able to talk to her...

Akuto scooped the dog up from behind. Then, he handed the dog over to one of the onlooking female students. Confused, the girl asked Akuto what to do. But she seemed to be an animal-lover at her core, as she tightly held onto the dog. Akuto told her he was leaving the dog in her care, and went back to tracking Keena, who was still running around in confusion.

Akuto began losing track of her as he was solely relying on the hair ornament to guide him, but Keena seemed to be losing steam. Now she was slowly making her way through the school building with a clear goal.

—I wonder if it’s better if she doesn’t see me?

Akuto hid himself behind one of the corners in the hall while he searched for the hair ornament. Keena seemed to think that she had given Akuto and the dog the slip, so she didn’t appear very cautious as the hair ornament floated down into the school basement.

Akuto made sure she didn’t notice him tailing her as he followed her to the rarely-used school supply room. The door opened, the hair ornament went inside, and the door slammed shut.

—There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around there... If I step in there, I should be able to talk with her. No, if I walk in now, she’ll still be naked... Oh, she must have gone in there because that’s where she left her clothes. In that case, I just have to give her time for her to put on her clothes...

Akuto waited there for a while. Then, he walked quietly to the storage room, then quickly opened the door and slipped inside.

“Eeeeek!” There was a scream.

Akuto saw Keena’s naked body standing there, holding her underwear as she was about to get dressed.

—Does putting your clothes on really take that long? Akuto’s surprise paled in comparison to Keena’s shock. She seemed to have forgotten that she could make herself invisible as she tried to make her escape from the storage room. Obviously, she remained completely naked during all of this. However, the only way out of the storage room was the entrance, which was where Akuto was standing, having just closed the door behind him.

“Aaaaahhh!” Akuto panicked. He watched helplessly as Keena she dived toward him.

Thump!

Bumping their heads, the two of them tumbled down onto the floor. Various piled-up rulers and spare blackboard erasers came crashing down, covering the both of them as they lay there, their bodies tangled together on the floor.

“Oh, s-sorry...!” Akuto suddenly realized he was on top of Keena and moved to get up.

“Eek! H-Hold it!” Keena yelped, and clung onto Akuto. She was holding onto him from below.

“Oof! C-Could you let go of me?”

“N-No... You’ll be able to see me if I do!” Keena’s face was crimson red, and from below him she entwined her arms with Akuto’s even further.

“B-But, isn’t this even more embarrassing?”

“Then what am I supposed to do?!” Keena pressed her body against Akuto’s as she began wailing.

“Uh, w-well, my eyes are closed right now, so you can let go. While they’re closed you can put on your—” Akuto closed his eyes as he spoke but Keena shook her head vehemently.

“I can’t trust you! I’m sure you’re gonna open your eyes right away and start slobbering all over my body, and laugh at me, and say stuff like ‘Heeey cutie, that’s a mighty tight bod you got there!’ I don’t care how serious of a guy you are, it’s just the way men get in situations like these and they’ll never change.”

“I’m pretty sure this situation’s way more awkward, though...”

“But whatever, now is now, right? Nothing more’s gonna happen if we stay like we are now, so it’s fine. Plus, I know you’re a kind person.”

Akuto cocked his head in confusion at Keena’s words.

“If you really think I’m a nice person, then you should know I mean it when I say I’ll keep my eyes closed...”

“Those are two different things. Even nice guys become completely different when they think about dirty things.”

“You know...” Akuto was exasperated, but somehow this hopelessly idiotic back and forth had gotten so comical that he let out a small chuckle.

“W-Why are you laughing?” Keena was puzzled, but Akuto’s laughter soon started spreading to her as well. “He... Hehehe... Laughing like this is kind of fun.”

Akuto got a good look at Keena’s face up close and for a second, he was convinced that she was the girl from the orphanage.

“Hey, I’m not sure about this, but... Did we meet once before, a long time ago?” Akuto asked, and Keena stared at him in wonder.

“Huh? I don’t think we have.”

“Wai— then why did you try to become my observer when we first met and why do you keep following me around?” Akuto was taken aback from her unexpected response and asked her in utter confusion. Keena looked perplexed, as if she couldn’t understand what he was so confused about.

“Huh? Didn’t I already explain that to you?”

“You haven’t.”

“I told you, I like relaxing in that bamboo grove.”

“No, you never actually told me that...”

“What’s not to understand?”

“Eh?” Akuto gave Keena a blank stare in response to her odd remarks. “You like it enough to skip school?”

“That’s right. After all, my magic grades are terrible.” Keena spoke to Akuto as if she were deigning herself to explain the obvious to a complete idiot. “If a person like you comes to my resting place, then obviously that means there’s some deeper meaning to our meeting, right?”

“Meaning...?”

“Every encounter is a work of fate, don’t you agree? While sometimes it’s better to forge your own path, you have to try and let it guide you or you won’t be able to enjoy life to its fullest,” Keena rambled freely. “So if you thought of me as your observer, I figured that’s what I’d become. Although, I have no idea what an observer even is.”

“You don’t?!” Akuto said sharply, but it seemed to fly right over her head. Or rather, she seemed to have become exasperated at Akuto’s dull wit.

“There’s no problem even if I don’t understand it, right? If I’d like to become an observer, then I’ll become what I believe an observer should be. I don’t see any problems with that, do you?”

“That’s a strange theory...”

“It’s not a theory. It’s fact. I’ve always been known as a woman who can tell fact from fiction. Ever since I was little, I’ve worn a hair ornament with real jewels in it. It’s not just some toy,” Keena said, and shook her head to show Akuto. Her hair ornament was shaped like a bird, and had real gems embedded in it.

—She really is wearing that hair ornament...

“That’s what I mean! Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“I gave you that hair ornament, right?” Akuto anticipated that this would jog her memories, but Keena remained dubious.

“That can’t be true.”

“Alright, then how did you get that hair ornament?”

“That’s...” Keena sunk into thought. “Um... I don’t remember.”

“Oh, come on!”

“What, I really can’t remember,” Keena calmly declared.

Akuto was at a loss for words, and Keena boastfully continued on.

“But I understand if you want to believe that you gave it to me. In other words, you want to believe that your encounter with me was fate, like I thought it was.”

“Huh...?”

—Now that I think about it, what was my reason for chasing after her again? She ran, so I followed? Was that it? No, I just wanted to determine if we had met before. If we haven’t, then she’s just some random person. But this is the first girl who’s responded to me like this... Wait, what am I even thinking?

Akuto had become confused.

“Thinking about it like that is more fun, right? I’m positive all people feel that way,” Keena said, smiling. Seeing her carefree smile, for some reason Akuto was convinced by Keena’s words.

After that, silence filled the room. The moment Akuto tried to say something to break the awkward silence, a voice suddenly rang out from above.

“Your behavior appears to be criminal in nature.” The voice was Korone’s.

Startled, Akuto looked up.

Korone was looking down at him. He hadn’t heard a door open, which means she must have teleported here.

“C-Criminal?”

“I have a strong suspicion that you sexually assaulted her.”

“Wai—I didn’t do anything like that!”

“I don’t believe you can dispute that, given the current situation.”

“You know the situation perfectly well, don’t you?! She can’t wear clothes when she is making herself disappear—”

“That and how you’ve managed to force yourself on top of her are two different issues.”

“Um...” Keena interrupted Korone and Akuto as they were arguing back and forth with one another. “If it’s a crime, what will happen?”

“As a minor, he will be judged as to whether or not he’ll go under juvenile probation. You have the right to judge his actions, and as such, whether or not he will be sent to a reformatory institution will be your decision,” Korone calmly explained, but Keena didn’t seem to understand her words.

“Huh? Oh... I see.”

“Don’t just agree with her! There won’t be any issues if you just explain to her that I didn’t do anything wrong!” Akuto had become desperate.

“Eh? Why do I have to?”

“Listen, if you just acknowledge that this was all an accident, then that means I didn’t do anything wrong!” Akuto said this, and the previously blank-faced Keena finally understood what Akuto was saying and gave him a big grin.

“Okay, so if it wasn’t against my will then that means it isn’t a problem?” Keena asked Korone.

“That’s correct.”

“In that case...” Keena faced Akuto. “If I tell her that, will you do something for me in return?”

“Uh...” Akuto was at a loss for words.

—What could this be... Either way, I can’t afford to get involved in any more trouble...

“Well, how about it? Well? Well?!” Keena urged Akuto on with a smirk.

—Was she was aiming to trap me from the very start? She isn’t just pretending to have forgotten about our past, is she? What if she’s been watching me ever since we were little...?

Akuto was too confused. He didn’t know what to think anymore.

“Well? Well?” Keena still urged Akuto to make a decision.

Finally, Akuto gave in.

“Okay, fine. So just—”

“There we have it, I was the one clinging to him.” Keena said to Korone, who seemed to be immediately convinced.

“I understand,” Korone said, then brought Keena her clothes.

“You agreed to that awfully quick...” Akuto averted his gaze and stood up.

It sounded like Keena was having Korone help her get dressed. Akuto heard rustling sounds and Korone giving Keena instructions, like to raise her hands above her head. After she told Akuto that she was done changing, Akuto turned around and took another look at Keena’s face.

Akuto couldn’t make out whether it was innocence or plain stupidity, but her expression was incomprehensible to him.

—What the heck is with this girl... Now, I have to go along with her wishes... What am I gonna do if she tells me to use my magic to make her money or something like that...

Even though he had the face of a villain, these were the virtuous worries that crowded Akuto’s mind when Keena flashed a smile at him.

“Alright, so about my request...”

“Okay.” Akuto was tense.

“Will you be my friend?”

“Huh?”

“Please be my friend.”

“...Okay.” Akuto nodded mechanically, but after a few seconds he realized what Keena had just said.

—Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting that... If that’s really all she means, then that’s fine, but... It seems too good to be true. I can’t shake the feeling I’ve just saddled myself with a life-long burden.

Then, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch time.

During the afternoon classes, Akuto once again became the center of attention. After all, Keena had barely attended any classes, and yet here she was being led into the classroom by Akuto.

“That’s incredible! That’s just like you, boss!” Hiroshi was the only one profusely excited by Akuto’s appearance.

All Akuto did was force himself to feign composure.

With classes over for the day, Akuto returned to the dorm and had dinner. Now, he needed to somehow get his emotions in check and steel himself to face the major challenges ahead.

—Alright, this is going to be tough...

Out of the corner of his eye, Akuto looked at the ever-expressionless Korone as she relaxed in his room. He had confirmed that she had a tail. During his free time that night, he had to pull the tail and deactivate her.

Watching her with a nervous expression, it seemed that Korone had grown suspicious and looked towards Akuto.

“What’s wrong? Your breathing is irregular.”

“N-Nothing, nothing at all.”

“You do not seem to be ill, but psychogenic factors can cause illness as well. Please be aware.” Giving Akuto a casual but rude reply, Korone solemnly returned once again to lying on Akuto’s bed.

—Damn it, should I just pull her tail here instead?

In order to keep an eye on Korone as much as possible, Akuto moved from sitting on the chair to his bed. He could reach her butt from here.

—Still, now that the time has come, I’m nervous...

Staring hard at Korone’s butt, Akuto began to feel like he was some kind of criminal. Lying on the bed, Korone’s panties were completely visible to Akuto, and as he started to reach for them, all he could think about was feeling like he’d become a molester or a rapist.

—Just a little closer...

He began sweating profusely. As he wondered if he’d be able to do this, his heartbeat rose excessively.

—Just a little bit more...

Knock, knock, knock!

“Aaaahh!” Akuto jumped up in surprise at the sudden noise.

Something had knocked on his window. Looking over like criminal caught in the act, he saw that Keena stood outside with a smile on her face as she knocked on the window.

—That’s right, this is the first floor...

Judging from her expression, it seemed that she hadn’t noticed what Akuto was doing. Trying to act casual, Akuto walked over and opened the window.

“W-What?”

“A friend doesn’t need a reason to come and visit, do they?” Keena said, hauling herself through the window.

“Ah, wait—”

“Friends, friends! Let’s eat together!” Keena thrust the bag of snacks she was holding towards Akuto.

“Is it okay for girls to come here?”

“Everyone does it. As long as they’re back in time, it’s fine.” Keena made herself at home by sitting on Akuto’s bed. Korone sat up and raised her hand to greet Keena.

“Welcome. All things considered, the fact that Akuto was able to make a friend is good for his mental health.”

“Riiight? Yeah, yeah. Korone, you get it!” Keena opened up the bag of snacks and laid it down on the bed. They were rice crackers.

“Hey, careful, don’t get crumbs on my bed.”

“It’s fine, I’ll wipe them off later.” Keena tore into the crackers with a crunching noise.

“Korone, want any?”

“While I’m able to eat food, expelling the waste is troublesome, so I will decline.”

“Really? That’s too bad.” Clearly not thinking about what Korone had just told her, Keena seemed satisfied with the answer and nodded furiously before moving on and offering Akuto a cracker.

“Here you go~”

“...Okay, okay.” Akuto took the rice cracker and ate it.

—Now it’ll be even harder to try and pull Korone’s tail...

As Akuto thought this to himself, Keena suddenly put her hand on Korone’s butt.

“Korone, you can see your underwear if you lie down like that.”

“Akuto told me he feels tense if I don’t lie around when I’m in the room.”

“But he was trying to feel you up just now.” Keena looked accusingly at Akuto.

Akuto felt like his heart had stopped.

“It is not a crime to touch a Liradan’s butt.” Korone replied unexpectedly.

“It’s a bad thing to do,” Keena scolded Akuto.

—Now everything is even worse.

While Akuto continued to sweat over the plan inside his mind, he gave a faint smile.

“I-I understand. Rather, it’s just a misunderstanding...”

“Well, as long as it’s just a misunderstanding,” Keena said as she continued to chomp down on her rice crackers. Akuto only had one cracker but they began to disappear right before his eyes.

“Hey Ackie, so—”

“Ackie?”

“It’s fine if I call you that, right? You can call me Keenie.” Keena continued talking with no regard for Akuto.

“Ackie, do you like rice?”

“Rice?”

“Rice.” Keena nodded. “I’m not talking about rice in general, but normal, white rice.”

“Um... Yeah, I guess...” Akuto gave a vague nod in agreement, when suddenly Keena leaned towards him in excitement.

“You do?! Hey! In that case, you should have a rice cooker in here! If you did, I’d come here every day! I’ve been banned from having one in my room. As long as it’s in your room, it should be fine, right?”

“I don’t really know if it’s fine or not... but why a rice cooker anyway?”

“There are times when all I want to eat is rice. I mean, isn’t rice fantastic? It’s white and glossy, almost like a jewel, right? Being able to eat something like a jewel is amazing! It’s like thousands of pearls are rolling around inside your mouth, and then when you bite into them, the immediate fragrance and sweetness...it’s just...” For some reason Keena seemed to be completely in a trance as she went on about rice.

“A rice cooker... Nope, not happening.” Akuto murmured, and then Keena lashed out at him.

“No way! I want it, I want it!”

“Why exactly do I have to do exactly what you tell me to?”

“If you say something like that, I’ll tell everyone how much of a pervert you are, Ackie.”

“Their misconceptions about me are already horrible as it is!”

“Oh, really?” Keena looked over to Korone to verify what Akuto was saying. Korone silently nodded.

“I see... That’s tough. Even though you’re so diligent and honest, huh.” Keena probably didn’t give much thought to what she said, but Akuto was grateful for her words. It had been the same when he’d first met Junko. He was vulnerable to people who actually understood what he was like on the inside.

“Th-That’s right...” As Akuto nodded like he had been moved from the bottom of his heart, Keena gave him a puzzled look.

“You want more?” She gave Akuto another rice cracker.

“Thanks.”

“Since I gave you some, how about that rice cooker—”

“Nope.”

“Whaaat? C’mon, rice is amazing!” Keena kept on talking about the wonders of rice for a while. Akuto had enough of it, but for some reason it seemed to hold Korone’s interest, and she even replied with comments of admiration, like “I can’t believe freshly cooked rice could have such an influence on a person’s mental state.”

“Man... if only everyone could eat rice together, I’m sure the world would become a peaceful place.”

Korone responded to Keena’s absurd statement by reaching into her purse and saying there was a way to do just that. She took out a long, cylindrical object with a switch attached to it. It seemed to resemble a kind of bazooka-type cannon.

“This is a military medicine dispersion device. With this, you can spray medicine over a large area, and administer medicine to your allies while poisoning your enemies at the same time. If we put the rice in this...”

“Just stop.” Akuto said, slumping his shoulders. Keena pouted in disapproval, and their ridiculous conversation continued on from there. For Akuto, it at least meant he could lay his thoughts down to rest, but as the night wore on, he gradually grew impatient.

—I have to hurry up and go meet with Eto...

“Uhm, don’t you have to be going back soon?” Akuto said, breaking up their rice conversation.

“Huh? Can’t I stay for a little longer?”

“No, I mean, look... I need to study, too...”

“Oh well, I guess so then. Are you chasing me out so you can do something weird to Korone, is that it?” Keena pouted.

Akuto was startled by her strangely accurate intuition, but denied it with a stiff smile.

“Of... course... not...”

“Really...? Hmm, well then, see you tomorrow.” Keena stood up reluctantly. “You really better not do anything weird, got it?” After emphasizing the point, Keena hoisted herself over the window again.

Akuto closed the window after making sure she’d walked out of sight.

“Phew...” he sighed as he cleaned up after Keena and sat down on the bed. As soon as he sat down, Korone slid her body up against him.

“Well, now that the nuisance is gone, we can finally be alone,” Korone said, remaining expressionless.

“Alright, will you stop with those jokes already?”

“No, it would be most pitiable if you end up a sex offender simply because I neglected to deal with your sexual urges.”

“I told you, that stuff with Soga was a misunderstanding!”

“As long as that is the case, then it’s okay. However, you were still trying to touch my butt, were you not?” Korone’s words induced more unpleasant sweat forming on Akuto’s brow, but then he had an epiphany.

—This could be my chance...

“Is it wrong to try and touch it? It’s not a crime, right?”

“With regards to Liradans, that is correct,” Korone nodded.

—With this timing...

“If you really want me to that badly, I guess I could touch it.”

—Ugh, that was super lame... But...

While inside he thought he would die from nervousness, he reached out towards Korone’s butt. Even though she was an android, a soft sensation grazed Akuto’s hand, almost entirely like that of human skin.

“Ahn...” Korone blushed and an audible sigh escaped her lips.

Startled, Akuto’s hand stopped.

“Oh, so-sorr—”

“Got you,” Korone said rather expressionlessly.

“.........”

Akuto was speechless.

—That’s right, my goal is...

He quickly slid his hand in and up to Korone’s lower back. His hand brushed up against the small tail.

“Ah—” Just as Korone started saying something, Akuto grabbed and gave her tail a yank.

Fwooon

There was a faint sound, and Korone stopped moving.

—Did I really do it...?

Akuto peered into Korone’s eyes. Their color had in fact dissipated.

—Hmm...she really did shut down... This isn’t just a joke... right?

Akuto considered Korone’s behavior up until then, and there was a chance this was a ruse. Akuto raised her hands up and poked at her legs to make sure that she wouldn’t move.

—Okay. Now then...

With that, he climbed out of the window.

○

Akuto looked at the note again.

Come to the old war room underneath the main building tonight, alone...

Akuto felt uneasy about sneaking into the school at night, but fortunately he got in without being seen. He thought that people probably weren’t walking around outside because it was dangerous at night. Seeing how demons would show up at the mountain behind the school, it wasn’t farfetched to think that something would come down to the school at night.

As Akuto descended into the basement, his feelings of unease turned into a sense of determination. The first and second levels of the basement were normal parts of the school, but the old war room was even further below. The door to the lower levels was made of metal, and although you’d generally think such a door to be locked, it was slightly ajar.

Akuto opened the heavy door, and he could make out a dimly lit staircase before him. Beyond the stairs was a dug-out passageway that led down into the labyrinth with nothing but metal beams embedded into the walls to prevent the area from collapsing.

—This must be from the war...

If students were doing whatever they pleased inside of this maze, then it seemed that the school wasn’t aware of what was happening down here.

It certainly was ideal for a secret meeting. The old war room’s location was on the third basement level, and the metallic door had been left open. Light could be seen spilling out from inside. Knocking and peering inside, Akuto saw that Fujiko was sitting at the end of a large rectangular table.

“Welcome. I’ve been expecting you.” Fujiko smiled gently. Akuto thought to himself how becoming the illuminating mana lights were on her beautiful and refined appearance.

“Thank you for going out of your way and meeting with me. You were right, it did shut her off completely,” Akuto said with a bow.

“If you pull it again, it will restart her. Her memories of the moments before and after she shuts down will be erased, so keep that in mind if you are ever in trouble.” Fujiko motioned for Akuto to take a seat.

“Well, about the matter I wished to speak to you about...”

“This is about Hattori, yes? There are quite a few rumors floating around about the two of you.”

“That’s exactly why I am here, they’re nothing but rumors. The real story is... well, things have gotten a little complicated.”

“Hah hah hah...” Fujiko laughed. “Oh, pardon me. Hattori is quite stubborn, isn’t she? But it’s for that reason that she is trusted by everyone. Well then, that being the case, I am fine with accommodating you. Tomorrow, Hattori will have finished healing, so I will contact her and give you the opportunity to meet with her after school.”

“Thank you very much.”

“She is quite serious, after all. So if you show her your serious side as well, I’m sure it’ll turn out fine.”

“No... I tried doing that, but I didn’t understand the committee system of this school at all, so I messed everything up...”

“That’s right, I was told by someone from your class that you tried to join the cleaning committee. Well, allow me to introduce to you a committee that you would be suited for.” Fujiko said, lightly clapping her hands. “How about you join the disciplinary committee? At this school, the disciplinary committee is a role for only the most diligent and earnest students.”

“That sounds good. It’s just that... sorry if this is a stupid question, but this disciplinary committee, it’s like a regular disciplinary committee, right?”

“It is... however. Its role is to correct other students’ behavior. And the only thing not normal about it is that the disciplinary committee is completely vacant right now.”

“There isn’t anyone on the committee?”

“It’s a sad story, but discipline has totally lapsed into chaos... forgive my bluntness, but school discipline is so awful that no one wants anything to do with the disciplinary committee.”

“I see...”

—That does indeed seem like something Hattori would be pleased with...

“Hand in the form to the school council at lunch, okay? Does it sound good to you?”

“Yes. Thank you very much.” With that, Akuto said his goodbyes and stood up.

“Please come to me whenever anything is troubling you. Oh, that’s right. If for whatever reason your conversation with Hattori goes south...” Fujiko placed two pills on the table.

“Is this some kind of... drug?” Akuto reached out and gathered the pills in front of him. They were featureless white pills.

“The main focus of my study is the research into magical medicine. If for some reason Hattori doesn’t lend an ear to what you have to say, I believe that these will be useful.” Continuing, Fujiko handed Akuto a small, gun-like object. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. However the muzzle of the gun was long and thin.

“These pills contain magic medicine. And this is the tool used to administer said medicine.”

Akuto recalled a similar object that Korone had used before.

“If you fire one of each of these pills, the two people whose hearts have been administered this drug will be able to communicate with one another.” Fujiko opened up the clip of the administration device. Fujiko inserted exactly two pills into the two empty slots. After loading the pills, she handed it over to Akuto.

Akuto held it in the palm of his hand and stared at it.

“But using medicine is a little...”

“I understand. It’s only just in case. Just in case you absolutely need it. You see, I am well aware of how stubborn Hattori can be. This is for when it seems like a fight will break out.”

“In that case, I will only rely on it then.” Akuto placed the administration device into his pocket.

—What an incredibly kind person...

Feeling very warm and grateful toward Fujiko, Akuto excused himself and departed the room. At any rate, it seemed that he would be able to resolve one of his problems tomorrow. All he had to do was find a way to clear up the other misunderstandings one at a time.

When he closed the door to the old war room, Akuto got the feeling like he had been caught by something. He stopped and checked the door. It seemed that he had just brushed against it.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. Please excuse me.”

Once she had made sure Akuto was gone, Fujiko grinned.

A big, evil grin. Not a normal, sweet smile. This wicked grin suited her pretty face just as much as the gentle smile she had given moments ago, but it gave off a completely different impression. It was one only a villain who was wicked from the bottom of their heart could make.

“Well then, everything is going just as planned! Bwahahahaha...” She snapped her fingers while she laughed. At the sound, the wall behind her opened. There was a secret room even deeper within the tunnels. Slipping through the wall, Fujiko continued into the inner room. The interior was covered in purple velvet and silver decorations. The black furniture and glass laboratory instruments on top of them gave the room an eerie atmosphere.

“It appears that once again I’ll be able to reap my rewards without even having to lift a finger.” Fujiko sat down on the velvet-covered sofa and talked to herself out loud.

Actually, she wasn’t talking to herself. Next to the sofa there was a large glass jar completely filled with some sort of liquid. Inside it was the severed head of a handsome young man who closely resembled Fujiko. The severed head spoke.

“You’ve done something awful again, haven’t you?”

“How unpleasant. All you ever do is lecture me, brother.” Fujiko stroked the glass jar.

“Well, you never listen to what I say. Even after death, you just cause me to worry.”

“It’s not like you have a soul, so there are no worries or any other real thoughts inside your mind. It’s hard to listen to you when you’re like this.” Fujiko laughed.

Necromancy. Magic that can bring the dead back to life, reconstructing them based on that person’s behavioral records kept by the gods. They can speak and recall any information from when they were alive, but new experiences will not affect their souls, which was the one fundamental difference between the living and the dead. However, they can still seem to act like a living person. So to avoid the very real possibility of the dead causing chaos, it was a forbidden type of magic only allowed for top magicians.

Those who still used forbidden magic as they saw fit, and broke magic law, were known as black magicians.

“Hey, brother. With this it seems that the future Demon King will become my slave.”

“Oh no. What sort of trick have you used this time?”

“Anyone who is administered that medicine will be put under my control.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it have been better if he took it immediately?”

“Huh? That’s no fun. I want to play around with them until the very last moment. Otherwise it’s just not as entertaining. And it’s important to note that I didn’t lie to them at all. After all, if they both pledge their loyalty to me, then they’ll be able to get along, won’t they?”

“Ahh... That awful personality of yours sure is something...” The severed head grumbled. “That’s the reason you’re so lonely you only ever talk to me.”

“It’s simply because no one can measure up to my loftiness and nobility, that’s all. Why is it necessary for someone to have the proper qualifications to practice magic? All the people at this school are fools who just blindly obey the government.”

“I don’t have an opinion on that. I couldn’t come to a conclusion on that while I was alive. But I am hoping that your plan fails, Fujiko.”

“Really? That’s unfortunate. I’m sure it will go quite well. I’ve already made preparations, after all.”

“Preparations? Such as?”

“That’s a secret.” Fujiko laughed tauntingly at her brother and took out a black notebook, different from her student handbook.

“But if I can carry out the evil plan written inside this ‘Notebook of Malice,’ then it’ll be assured... Bwahahaha...” Fujiko turned the pages in her dark notebook and grinned.

“Fujiko... What a dark child you’ve grown up to be...” Her dead brother lamented.

“Oh get off my back, brother. No matter what I have to do, he will be mine. He holds within him the power we dark magicians yearn for. Without fail, he is the person who will end up destroying the world. I’ll do anything to get a hold of him.” Fujiko lovingly stroked the glass jar and pressed her lips against it. Her dead brother’s phantom made a troubled wince inside the glass.