Editing Leviathan:Volume 3 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 2===

After school today, Hal planned to go to SAURU's branch at Mirokudou as usual.

But prior to leaving school, he made a visit to the underground of the library building.

All books and enchanted artifacts from the previous Mansion had been moved over.

Hal came here because he wanted to make a quick confirmation. As usual, he brought Hazumi along.

The floor being used as a substitute storeroom was as large as four classrooms. There was already a line of steel shelves set up in place. Placed haphazardly on the shelves were old swords and various weapons, metallic objects, ornaments, ancient texts and scrolls, etc. At a casual glance, one could easily mistake them for piles of junk.

In fact, the value of these objects was probably no different from junk for people with no interest in antiques and ancient artifacts.

Without exception, they were either filthy, damaged or covered in rust. Esthetically, they were quite poor in appearance. Holding a catalog in his hand, Hal looked at these odds and ends.

"I'm told that there was originally a plan to assign someone like a curator to manage these things properly."

"Why didn't it happen?"

Hazumi asked while following Hal closely. Hal shrugged.

"The collection apparently includes 'certain cursed objects.' Two curators, who were not easy to hire, I tell you, died inexplicably one after another."

"I-I see..."

"Although SAURU has disposed of the cursed objects afterwards, the position of curator has remained vacant ever since. And the collection has been left neglected in storage without anyone to care for them."

"I had no idea of this at all..."

"Simply locating a specific item here is already a ton of work."

"U-Umm, please go ahead and tell me if there's any way I can help, no matter how."

The aspiring assistant and underclassman declared firmly, but Hal shook his head.

"This job requires knowledge and appraisal-type magic. It's too soon for you, Shirasaka."

"I see... In that case, please at least allow me to make coffee for you."

"Yeah. Thanks in advance."

As soon as Hal finished speaking, Hazumi smiled and answered "Yes!"

That radiant smile on its own was already enough to make him feel as though the dim lighting had brightened by 30%.

If this pure-hearted underclassman were to pour tea for him, the soothing effect could very well increase his work efficiency to 120% or more.

Hal nodded secretly to himself, but on the side, Hazumi's expression turned slightly gloomy.

"By the way, Senpai, may I ask a question?"

"Oh sure. Why are you asking like this all of a sudden?"

"This time, it's about what is within my power. Senpai, I asked you last time, hoping you could make me and Minadzuki able to use the rune's power..."

"Well&mdash;Uh, that's also too soon for you, Shirasaka."

"B-But it's just trying it out once like in Nee-sama's case."

After the battle against Pavel Galad, Hazumi had been zealously requesting Hal to entrust the rune's power to her as well.

Hal had declined her, citing the reason that "it was a power that must not be recklessly passed onto others."

However, Hal felt certain in his mind. In Hazumi's case, she would most likely be fine.

Perhaps this underclassman also had a faint feeling that she would succeed? Hence, she was persistent in pestering him regarding the issue, contrary to her characteristic tact...

"For better or worse, that rune's power is far too strong. But right now, there's no pressing need to fight, so it's best not to mess around with it for no reason."

In any case, Hal glossed over the issue and refused her.

One day, he would still need to make a decision, but wouldn't it be nice to enjoy the remaining time until then? Hal thought to himself.

Towering next to the library, the clubs building was a conglomeration of rooms for cultural clubs.

Inside the Literature Club on the third floor, Asya was face to face with her "teacher." Amazingly, this was the exact same moment when Haruga Haruomi and Shirasaka Hazumi were entering the underground of the library.

"Hmph, to think that Haruga guy is getting so close to a middle school girl..."

President M was the mysterious character who commanded more solemnity in her presence than a teacher despite being a mere high school student.

Leading all members of the Literature Club, the UFO Research Club, the Drama Club, the Mass Media Research Club and the Science Insider Club as their president, she was the eccentric, a hundred and forty kilograms by visual estimates, and "mother."

As a side note, she was dressed like a housewife today in a cooking apron with a white kerchief.

"Y-Yeah. I can't believe a pure and innocent girl with a promising future is addressing Haruomi as her 'Senpai'!"

"It would be dangerous if that is the case. The girl could very well have fallen to Haruga's paws."

"Eh? But in my view, I don't think Haruomi, a textbook case of a herbivorous personality, would have the guts to do that."

"Fool. Once you strip off the veneer of skin, his body is a mass of lust inside. I dare guarantee you that he is surprisingly lustful to the core despite appearances."

"Huh, lust? Is that the portal into his body!?"

Asya instantly panicked after listening to President M's profound warning.

"W-What should I do at a time like this? From a humane perspective, it'd be wrong to put drawing pins in Hazumi-san's indoor shoes, so doesn't that mean I have to bash Haruomi's head with a board eraser!?"

"Hmm, the issue of having a rival is truly a tricky matter."

"Please give me some advice on this front."

"You have no other recourse but to spend time alone with Haruga as much as possible, right? Besides, as you are now, you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning even if you confront that Hazumi girl in a direct duel."

"Oww!"

After dealing the killing blow to Asya, President M added as an afterthought, "Next up, you will have to accept that course, right? The lecture on the dark techniques of love that will enable you to overtake your rivals and strike the target accurately like a sniper."

"There's that kind of course? Why didn't you teach me earlier?"

"Because you can't even manage the basics of the basics. Even if you learned these skills at the current stage, you won't be able to apply them flexibly. Wouldn't they end up causing you to self-destruct instead?"

Despite President M's tireless lecturing, Asya smiled coolly with a "hmph."

Asya felt touched by President M's care and concern, but she was a girl who had fought on various battlefields all over the world after all. A trial of this level should be possible to surmount no matter what.

"Please don't belittle me. Compared to the month of harsh training I endured at a Nevada military camp, this sort of thing is nothing."

"Here you go again~ Confessing that sort of depressing past... Whatever. Then I shall let you have a go."

After sighing deeply, President M spoke up, "You are currently attending a group date. With equally balanced genders, there are a total of ten participants."

"Okay."

"However, among the men, only one of them can be considered outstanding. Right now, the five women are vying viciously in secret for the seat beside him. Very well, what are you going to do!?"

"I get it. This is a simulation exercise the same as usual."

"Indeed. However, you may not poison the other women."

"Like hell anyone'd do that."

Once the question's intent was figured out, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Asya instantly thought of the best tactical choice.

"I will drug the male target, using a muscle relaxant to render him weak and powerless. Swiftly approaching him while he is unable to resist, I will take him outside under the pretext of looking after him. I am free to do with him as I please from that point onwards. With that, victory is all but guaranteed!"

"Great, you fail<nowiki>~~</nowiki> Looks like it's still too soon for you to graduate from the basics lecture."

"Ehhh!?"


After school, Juujouji Orihime visited the cultural clubs building.

Although she came to the UFO Research Club on the third floor, there was no one in the room. However, she already knew her classmate Haruga Haruomi would be absent. She had heard that he was apparently going with her cousin Hazumi somewhere to do something...

Orihime sat down on a pipe chair in the clubroom and sighed.

She had never experienced this type of despondency before. She found it difficult to accept no matter what.

Just as Orihime was fully occupied, dealing with the "despondency" in her heart, the clubroom's door opened. Dressed in a cooking apron, President M walked in.

"Oh my, you have come. If you are looking for the famished foreign student, she already left fifteen minutes ago or so."

"No, I did not come to find Asya-san. There is something I would like to discuss with you today... Oh, it's not about me, but something troubling a friend of mine."

Orihime hastily added the last explanation in an attempt to misdirect.

As a result, President M went "hmm," exhaled through her nose, shrugged and said, "Oh I see, I see. So it is your female friend who is caught in the dilemma of a love triangle."

"You are correct, but lately, it has actually evolved into a four-sided relationship... My friend's cousin and the boy have gotten close."

"...Oh?"

"My friend thinks there is nothing wrong here, per se, but every time she hears about her cousin's intimacy with the boy, she feels very despondent inside."

"Despondency stemming from jealousy."

"Y-Yes. Hence she could not help but gripe unnecessarily, yet loathe herself for behaving this way..."

Taking this chance to vent her frustrations, Orihime did something uncharacteristic of her. 

In other words, she slumped her shoulders in dejection. Seeing that, President M said, "In that case, how about this? Doesn't she have two choices before her? Either swallow all this 'despondency' and stay silent or step up to defeat the enemy."

"T-There is no enemy here!"

"What are you talking about? Whether cousins or friends, the truth of being romantic rivals is not going to change. If you are up for it, would you like me to provide you with a lecture course? A lecture on the dark techniques of love to seize initiative from multiple rivals."

Orihime widened her eyes upon hearing this unexpected offer.

"D-Dark?"

"A so-called good man or quality man refers to someone with a stable partner early on. In the vast majority of cases, those who remain single, despite what they have to offer, turn out to be poor choices."

"S-Sorry, but I dislike your way of putting things."

"To think you would make a 'good girl' response so naturally... Moving on, as the saying goes, you won't know unless you try it. Regardless whether you take my advice to heart, would you like to listen to my lectures? There are a variety to topics and settings, including the classroom, group outings, dates, the bedroom, traveling, marriage preparations, etc."

"Uh... I appreciate your kind gesture, but no thanks."

To be frank, Orihime was not entirely opposed to listening to the lectures for information's sake.

After brief contemplation, Orihime looked up with resolve and answered in no uncertain terms.

"Whether the boy or the cousin, both of them are important to me. Although such a notion might be excessively wishful thinking... Ultimately, it would be best if everyone could get along well."

Everyone getting along well. After speaking these words as a test, she found the despondency in her heart had eased slightly&mdash;

The surprisingly refreshing feeling compelled Orihime to nod firmly.

"Nothing less expected from the girl who is like the sun. A rather magnanimous speech."

Pulled back to reality, Orihime noticed that President M was gazing at her with eyes of wise resignation more than kindness, like a mother who would shrug and remark "no helping it" after listening to a child's willful fancies.

"But in your case, perhaps this sort of magnanimity might be the correct method. Simply by radiating light on its own, the sun is already the brightest existence."

"S-Sorry, but I am not that amazing&mdash;"

Just as Orihime was about to express her humility, she suddenly jumped in realization and hastily corrected herself.

"Umm, what we were just discussing is my friend, not my personal matter..."

"Oh&mdash;right right right. Indeed that is the case. However, since you, or rather, your friend is in possession of such outstanding power to begin with, yielding this level of compromise might be an appropriate arrangement."

"Arrangement?"

"Indeed indeed... After all, there exists an overwhelming gap in power between the few of you. All you need to do is maintain the status quo and no one else would have a chance. However, if the cousin were to go through a super awakening, perhaps it might evolve to a one-on-one duel..."

Halfway through, President M began to mutter ambiguously to herself.

"???"

Unable to hear what she was saying clearly, Orihime could not help but cock her head. Even so, the conversation just now had helped lift her spirits by an unbelievable degree.

Thanking President M while exiting the clubroom, Orihime then left the clubs building.

For the first time in a while, she walked with springing footsteps on her way out of the school. While making her way to the school gates, she saw Asya sitting on a bench. This senior witch, who was also a slightly awkward Georgian girl, had her head lowered with contemplative expression. Muttering to herself, she was uttering bizarre things.

"In that case, how about abducting Haruomi to imprison him in a lakeside mansion...? Using physical means to cut off his ties to society, thereby preventing Hazumi-san's interference, perhaps this might be a good method&mdash;"

Orihime repeated President M's earlier response.

In other words, she shrugged helplessly while gazing at Asya with eyes of leniency.

Then Orihime showed a faintly wry smile, approached the bench and said to her, "Asya-san, I will be heading over later to Haruga-san and Hazumi to help out with worked that was planned for today. If you are free, would you like to come along?"

"!? Are you serious, Orihime-san?"

After nodding at Asya, who had looked up in surprise, Orihime immediately took out her cellphone.

This was to call Hazumi to inform her that she was going to meet up with them presently.