Editing Leviathan:Volume 4 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 2===

"So this is the 'signpost' Senpai and Asya-san found..."

Sitting on Hazumi's right palm was the object that the two of them had found in the storehouse during the day&mdash;

Dressed in a yukata, Hazumi was tilting her dainty head with an incredulous expression.

"What kind of object is it exactly?"

Hazumi's right hand was holding a black stone.

Almost the same size as her palm, it looked like a shard of obsidian with an irregular surface. Glowing faintly under fluorescent lighting, it had a greenish tint.

"Currently unknown. However, it's thanks to Rushalka's perception that we found this... So there shouldn't be any question that it has the scent of dragons."

"Shirasaka, you can try checking it with magical sight too."

"Oh, okay."

As expected, Hazumi nodded obediently after listening to the joint suggestion from the yukata-wearing Asya and Hal.

As a witch, currently Level 2, she was a fourteen-year-old girl. Hal watched as her expression tensed as she stared intently at the black stone.

"In that case, let me try too."

Orihime was the speaker. Likewise dressed in a yukata, she was sitting next to her cousin.

Hal and his friends were gathered in a spacious Japanese-style room inside a hotspring inn at Shimoda City near the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula. Gathered around a dining table they were currently having dinner.

Hence, Hazumi and Orihime looked at the black stone.

With a flash, their pupils turned blue. It was apparent that they had activated magical sight.

Using vision to confirm the presence or absence of magical power, its strength, its flow and various other changes. Among humans, witches and Haruga Haruomi were the only ones capable of doing this with the naked eye.

Hazumi and Orihime looked at the stone using enhanced vision. Then the two of them showed surprise simultaneously.

"Listen, Haruga-kun. Indeed, I can sense the power of magic from this stone... But it feels ''extremely faint'' to me."

"You too, Nee-sama? In fact, it is the same for me."

"Speaking of agreement, it's the same for Haruomi and me too. Naturally, Luna as well..."

"Yes, my appraisal had the same outcome. The magical energy hidden inside this stone can't be considered high."

The last member, Luna Francois offered her opinion.

As a side note, the girls' yukatas were designed with patterns on white backgrounds.

What differed were the patterns and the colors of their sashes. Orihime's was pale blue, Asya's was yellow, Hazumi's was pink while Luna's was navy blue. Providing colors to choose from was part of the inn's service.

"Perhaps this is an enchanted artifact that can only be activated by the right person using the right method," said Hal with a shrug.

On the large dining table before their was a sumptuous diner.

Sashimi of several types of local fish. Abalone, conch and other shellfish in season. There was also Japanese spiny lobster served as both sashimi and roasted forms. Prepared in a small pot was sukiyaki featuring Izu beef.

Also featuring steamed red snapper and pot-cooked rice with conger eel, the menu had no blind spots to speak of.

Roughly two hours prior, after enjoying a view of the setting sun over the sea horizon, Hal and company had separated by gender for a soak in the hot springs before meeting up for dinner.

"By the way, as a matter of fact, Hinokagutsuchi doesn't know how exactly this thing is used either."

"Perhaps sending it to SAURU headquarters or the Hawaii lab for testing might be a solution."

"Since it might become essential for our investigation here, let's wait and see before sending it away for testing. Anyway, send the observed data to Waikiki first and ask them to analyze it."

Hal's report, Asya's musing, Luna's suggestion.

After listening to the three seniors who were experienced in research, Orihime and Hazumi could not help but feel impressed.

After visiting the shrine in the afternoon, Hal's group had visited the southern Izu office of SAURU's Tokai branch to borrow several sensor devices (as a small branch in a rural area, it did not have very high-end equipment).

"Let's examine the stone tomorrow while we continue our local investigation," Hal muttered while picking up a piece of spiny lobster sashimi with his chopsticks.

"Then there's playing in the sea or water activities, beach volleyball, sunbathing, watermelon splitting, long-distance swimming, floating on a swim ring, surfing, scuba diving, barbecue&mdash;What else?"

"Haruga-kun, you seem unexpectedly excited for recreation."

"It'd be bad if you got the wrong idea about me," Hal grinned and explained to Orihime.

"Despite how I look, my goal is actually to become an adult who always uses up all my annual vacation days. No matter how tight the schedule, I must take a summer vacation. That's my conviction."

"Speaking of which, I think you fooled around in Corsica for half a month last year..."

"Simply doing as the Romans do. As an island in Europe and French territory to boot, isn't it common sense to take a vacation there?"

After answering Asya's murmurs, Hal could not help but jump in surprise.

The five of them were sitting around the dinning table with Luna Francois on his right hand side. The blonde beauty in a yukata was an abundant display of exotic charm.

With such an appearance, she suddenly leaned her body over.

Luna Francois picked up the teapot and poured green tea into Hal's cup.

"Well said. It should be quite enjoyable to recuperate here for two or three days, Harry."

"Yeah, sure."

"With Asya and I here, we will do everything we can to assist you. Relax and take a break."

"Yeah, sure."

Still to recover from his surprise, Hal could only repeat the same answer in a loop.

A floral fragrance was coming from Luna Francois at point blank range. She had apparently applied perfume after her bath. In addition, she had put on light makeup for a natural look. What feminine allure.

Hal's heart rate sped up slightly.

Luna Francois' airs, beautiful face and floral fragrance were amplifying each other in a multiplying effect.


The five of them were divided into three rooms for accommodations.

The girls had two rooms with Orihime paired with Hazumi and Asya paired with Luna Francois while Hal had a single as the only boy.

There was an electric massage chair in Hal's Japanese-style room.

The chair was currently in operation, relieving the stress from Hal's back.

"That girl Luna isn't trying to seduce me for real, is she...?"

Although the mechanical message was monotonous, it still managed to stimulate the pressure points accurately.

In fact, Hal had received Luna Francois' invitation immediately after dinner, asking if he wanted to visit the inn's relaxation corner for a massage.

After declining her, he went back to his room alone and started up the massage chair.

Instead of chasing after her escaped prey, Luna simply smiled and said, "Then I shall go alone. Accompany me next time♪"

Then she left Hal.

"It feels like a super focused flurry of jabs... Is she planning to weaken me continuously with light punches, biding her time for a chance to deliver a full-powered hit...?"

His entire body sunk in the massage chair, Hal contemplated Luna Francois' tactics.

Seemingly a bit convoluted, it might actually be quite a solid approach. Judging from the current situation, rashly going on the offensive in extreme ways&mdash;like "barging into Hal's home to propose marriage"&mdash;would be pushing things too forcefully. Even if she did that for real, he would only run away.

However, Luna Francois was not coercing him against his will.

Her offense consisted only of insignificant jabs, yet the effects were quite substantial.

No matter what, expressing care at such clean moments (although with ulterior motives) and proactively showing affection (although simply feigned) was making Hal feel somewhat tempted, more or less.

Despite clearly knowing it was a lie, perhaps going along with it might be a kind of happiness.

"Well, there's actually no reason why I can't accept her invitation... Although I don't know whether that could establish a vassal covenant."

Hal entertained lustful thoughts while soothing himself with the humming vibrations.

Knock knock. There was a light knocking at the door. Hal stood up and walked to the door but could not be bothered to switch off the massage chair.

"Haruga-kun, you're inside, aren't you? May I have a word with you?"

"Juujouji?"

Orihime was standing outside the door in a yukata.

Hal immediately invited her into the room. The super popular girl, secretly called the "Princess" by other students, settled her gaze on the still-operating massage chair by the window.

"Does this feel good to sit in?"

"So-so, I guess. There's no harm giving it a try if you find yourself waking up every morning tired and lacking energy in your entire body."

"In that case, I am fine with sitting in this one."

Next to the massage chair was a completely nondescript wooden chair.

Orihime smiled cheerfully and took her seat on the chair that was not electrically powered. Hal returned to his place on the massage chair and switched it off.

"I don't mind if you continue, you know?"

"It's okay. I'm going to enjoy it for another three hours or so afterwards," answered Hal half-jokingly to Orihime being considerate.

Although a slightly unusual conversation, it was more relaxing for the body and mind than a monotonous mechanical massage. Perhaps this was because&mdash;of the fact that Orihime was by his side.

Hal's heart fluttered slightly, making him a bit uncomfortable.

Finding this change unbelievable, Orihime showed a somewhat worried expression.

"By the way, it only occurred to me when listening to you just now... Haruga-kun, are you referring to the fact that you feel tired when you get up every morning? It is not a good sign when even sleep fails to alleviate fatigue."

"Because... think about it, a lot has happened lately, right?"

"Haruga-kun, neglecting sleep and quality of meals as soon as anything comes up is your weakness. In the same situation, Asya-san would never take either of them lightly."

"That's definitely true. You make a good point."

No matter when, humans needed to eat and sleep properly.

Otherwise, the body would not be able to function as desired when caught in a perilous predicament, lacking strength where it was needed. Blessed with a strong and resilient nature of wildness, Asya had been adhering to this principle subconsciously the whole time.

While the conversation was striking a deep chord within Hal, Orihime said to him, "By the way, for a while now, I have been a bit curious about the matter of rising from bed... Isn't Hazumi frequently going over to wake you up, Haruga-kun?"

"Yeah. She comes with unexpected frequency."

"To be honest... I was considering this from the start whether I should be going along with her."

"Huh!?"

Hal was stunned by Orihime's shy reveal.

He could not help but start imagining: in addition to the adorable underclassman, even her older cousin was by his pillow, waking him up from bed&mdash;Surely, that would bring about an even greater sense of bliss, resulting in more brain matter secretions than from just Hazumi alone.

"However, after that battle against Princess Yukikaze, the time we have been spending together... has become quite lengthy, after all."

"Now that you mention it, that seems to be true."

In June, an intense battle had taken place against Princess Yukikaze and her minion&mdash;Genbu-Ou.

As frontline combatants during the whole conflict, Hal and Orihime had to frequently rush all over New Town to handle aftermath matters. Not only that, whenever the two of them were together in the same space&mdash;

Hal would subconsciously approach Orihime.

Conversely, Orihime would frequently walk over to his side as soon as she saw him.

As for the reason why, neither of the two of them could articulate it clearly, but if anything&mdash;it was probably because it felt delightful spending time together.

"Hence... When I was considering whether or not to accompany Hazumi to your house in the morning, Haruga-kun, I suddenly felt afraid. I did not know if you might find... me ''annoying'' or similar by your side&mdash;That worried me somewhat. After all, we have really spent so much time together lately..."

"Of course not. I'd definitely be very happy if you came too, Juujouji."

"But it would also be weird to be together too frequently..."

"Nothing of that sort, I think. I suppose it'd be better if you came with her. Yeah."

"R-Really?"

"Yup. I can swear to heaven if you want."

"Starting with the second term, if the opportunity presents itself... May I come together with Hazumi?"

"Of course."

Interacting with a blushing and slightly flustered Orihime was quite rare.

For some reason, it felt very comfortable yet bittersweet. Hal found it unbelievable. Clearly whenever he was together with girls, encountering heart-racing moments for him was equivalent to being subjected to Luna's "attacks."

However, he felt very contented right now.

Neither unsettled nor was there any inexplicable unease. Could it be that in Orihime's case, there was a sense of trust that did not require him to interpret and analyze every word and action?

"Or perhaps, if it is permissible&mdash;"

There was no need for formalities with Orihime, so Hal said, "Tomorrow morning is perfectly fine too."

"W-What are you talking about? Weird rumors would start if I were to visit a boy's room to play during a trip. And not to mention with Hazumi too!"

"Now that you mention it, Juujouji&mdash;"

Confronted with his slightly flustered female classmate, Hal could not help but offer his view.

"Aren't you here in my room on your own right now?"

"Good... point... I can't believe I did not notice that..."

"Besides, this isn't a school trip or anything like that. There's no reason for people in school to know, right?"

"Now that you mention it, that is true indeed..."

"......"

"......"

Their gazes meeting from up close, the two of them fell silent at the same time.

The shy Orihime was slightly fidgeting uncomfortably while Hal also displayed some embarrassment. Accidentally going with the flow of the mood just now, he had said something without thinking.

That being said, before his eyes right now, Orihime was currently so shy that she kept her head bowed.

This posture was quite rare given how fearlessly she usually conducted herself. If he had to find an example, this would be similar to during Akuro-Ou's birth ritual, when Hal had used his right hand to pour magical power into her heart&mdash;engaging in an awful act of contact...

Recalling that ended up causing the pounding in Hal's heart to intensify.

Not only that, he was currently on a trip in the same room, as well as being alone with Orihime to boot&mdash;The beating in his chest kept accelerating like an alarm.

At this moment, Orihime suddenly looked up, gazing at Hal with eyes of uncertainty.

"E-Excuse me, Haruga-kun&mdash;"

"Uh, about the earlier suggestion, I guess never mind. Think about it, if Asya and Luna finds out you and Shirasaka are running over to my room, they might complain that we're behaving inappropriately on a business trip."

"R-Really?"

"Y-Yeah."

Hal retracted his earlier statement out of cowardice, but elicited an unexpected reaction. Parting her lips slightly, Orihime spoke timidly, "In that case, I-I could come alone, you know...?"

"Huh?"

"Compared to two people, it's less likely for one person to be discovered. I will secretly get up earlier and come to your room directly, Haruga-kun, then going back immediately. That should be fine, right...?"

"A-Are you serious?"

"That is what I am thinking..."

"Then for tomorrow morning, I'll be counting on you..."

"R-Really? Understood. Tomorrow... I will disturb you a little while evading detection as much as possible..."

" "......" "

After reaching a consensus, the two of them made eye contact again.

Orihime's face was red beyond compare. Hal suspected his own face to have the same expression. With an unbelievable and bittersweet atmosphere hanging in the room with the two of them alone, Hal felt that the beating in his chest was not going to subside any time in the near future.

"Th-Then even if you feel sleep-deprived because I came to rouse you, no complaining, okay?"

"Th-That goes without saying."

"Definitely keep the room unlocked, okay...?"

"I'll make sure everything is in place."

The conversation sounded almost like they were arranging for a tryst.

This was a first experience for Hal, so feeling embarrassed could not be avoided. Orihime was probably feeling the same.

As a result, she changed the subject somewhat abruptly.

"B-By the way, Haruga-kun, our current task is to locate the castle in the sea that used to serve as Kagutsuchi-san's residence, isn't it? Just like the Dragon Palace."

"Yeah, that's right. It's where she lived when she was still a dragon king."

Hal hastily switched his mind back to business mode.

This was information told to them personally by Hinokagutsuchi at the poolside reception a few days ago.

'One of my dragonslaying runes, the Rune of the Bow, is currently in your hand, brat... As for the other one, it might still be lying dormant in my castle of old.'

'That rune was put away as a reserve weapon?'

'It would not be incorrect to say that. Well, it would be amusing if you went on a search for it, though I know not whether you will succeed.'

After listening to Hal's question, Hinokagutsuchi had smiled malevolently.

After that, Hal had spent a little time organizing the various clues randomly given out by the former dragon's ghost. The conclusion he reached through careful deductions was to go on an actual search.

Hal cleared his throat, put on as serious a face as he could and started to recount.

"Although it is currently still unclear how many centuries the Crimson Queen lived as a dragon king, what is certain is that she was alive roughly eight hundred years ago, in other words, the early Kamakura period. The Queen apparently considered her territory to be what modern Japan calls the East China Sea, the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the west end of the Pacific Ocean&mdash;the waters where the Kuroshio Current passes through."

"Territory... as in sphere of influence?"

"Speaking of which, Princess Yukikaze also mentioned that she had 'never held territory on earth before.'"

A term used for the domain under a dragon king's or a Tyrannos' rule&mdash;Territory.

Hal could still recall vividly how Tokyo New Town had become Princess Yukikaze's "territory" last month. Far away in North America's New York State, the island of Manhattan was the castle of the dragon king Red Hannibal, his "territory" in other words.

"Although the Crimson Queen seldom appeared before humans, those fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of her and her minions treated them as 'deities' to revere and worship. Having enjoyed treatment as a deity, the Queen continued pretending to be a goddess even after turning into a ghost, arbitrarily issuing orders and playing mischief on the people frequenting the shrine during the daytime."

"The Dragon Palace of a great queen of dragonkind... It seems quite interesting. Moreover&mdash;"

Orihime snickered.

"Didn't Kagutsuchi-san mention it before? That Dragon Palace is still wandering in the ocean, practically like a mobile castle. I would really love to see it for myself."

"It also raises the question of what serves as a power source to drive something as gigantic as a castle."

After chiming in with his comment, Hal began to think deeply.

On the low table in front of the massage chair was Hal's cellphone and the black stone.

An uneven surface, a color similar to obsidian with a slight tint of green.

Hal suddenly recalled something. What he had witnessed once recently&mdash;the sight of "a gigantic entity resembling a castle" moving arbitrarily over the sea. Indeed, it was quite similar to this black stone...

"Call Asya and Luna over. I've thought of something."