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Leviathan:Volume 4 Chapter 3

2016-03-09T07:03:56Z

107.192.1.128: /* Part 5 */

==Chapter 3 - Sea, Swimsuits and the Mysterious Stone Fragment==

===Part 1===

"Look quickly, Nee-sama! There's a kind of coconut tree!"

"You're right. This feels more like a resort than I expected."

On the Sagaminada shore of Atami City in the Shizuoka prefecture—

Inside a minivan that was racing along a coastal national highway...

Shirasaka Hazumi smiled cheerfully while looking at the expansive urban scenery outside the window as well as the Sagaminada sea. As for Juujouji Orihime, she was watching her cousin with a smile.

They had set off on the first day of the summer vacation. Fortunately, it was an excellent sunny day.

Orihime was dressed in a tank top of white lace and shorts whereas Hazumi was in casual wear with a patterned one-piece dress and a cardigan. The two of them were sitting behind the driver in the second row of seats.

Likewise sitting in the same row was Asya, namely, Anastasya Rubashvili.

This minivan had a maximum capacity of seven passengers. Three people were supposed to be able to fit in the second row.

Besides, Asya and Hazumi were petite while Orihime's figure was quite svelte too. Even with the three of them sitting side by side, it was not cramped at all.

That being said, Asya, sitting on the right, looked displeased.

She kept glaring at Hal, who was in the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel—as well as Luna Francois in the front passenger seat.

Incidentally, Asya was wearing a short-sleeved parka and three-quarter-length cargo pants. As habitually, Luna was dressed in a classy black dress, standing in stark contrast to Asya.

"Harry, would you like to have some chilled mandarin orange?"

"They're still being sold? I didn't even see any at the shops in the station. I thought they had been relegated to legendary fantasy food already."

"Don't worry. They are actually still produced in small quantities and can be ordered online and purchased at certain stations."

"I see—"

"I've heard that it's a seasonal tradition as part of nostalgic Japanese travel, so I ordered some. A rare trip... Today will commemorate our first time traveling together."

"Oh okay."

"Please be patient. I shall peel it for you presently."

"You don't have to go to so much trouble. I can peel it on my own."

"No, it would be too dangerous. Aren't you driving at the moment, Harry...? This really is cold, it is hurting my fingertips a little."

"Oh... I'm serious, just hand me a whole mandarin. I'd feel bad otherwise."

"Fufufu, don't worry, I have already finished peeling. By the way, this is how it feels."

"—So cold! D-Don't suddenly touch my ear, okay? I'm driving after all."

"My apologies, did I startle you? Well then, Harry, please open your mouth."

"Huh?"

"Making you extend your hand while you're driving would definitely be a bit dangerous, Harry. Hence, I shall feed you instead. Could you say 'ah~' for a sec? It would be safer this way—"

"Of course not! Luna and Haruomi, cut it out!"

Asya suddenly roared, causing Hazumi and Orihime to jump in fright.

The two Japanese girls had apparently been watching the scenery outside the window, chatting happily, getting along with perfect harmony, which was why they had not noticed the interactions between the two in the front seats. Orihime then asked, "What's the matter, Asya-san?"

"Did they do something?"

"Nothing at all. It's just Luna making inappropriate jokes and Haruomi grinning idiotically on the side..."

When Hazumi inquired as well, Asya replied with irritation.

Listening to the conversation in the back seats, Hal glanced at the rear-view mirror while driving to check his own expression. Phew, no idiotic grin.

"Stop talking nonsense. I've been driving very seriously the whole time, okay?"

"Indeed. I only played a little prank because Harry wasn't speaking much to me. Please do not mind us, everyone."

From the front passenger seat, Luna Francois looked back and explained innocently.

It was on occasions like these that Hal could not help but praise her worth as a vixen and actress. As a side note, Hal decided to keep secret the wavering thought of "I might as well open my mouth and see given this rare chance, right?" crossing his mind.

"Asya, you're a bit neurotic today, aren't you? What's with you?"

"N-Nothing. I just felt a pissed off to see you strangely flustered by a girl, no longer acting like an innocent boy... That reminds me."

While glaring intently at her fellow master-class witch Luna and Hal, Asya continued, "Although you are definitely two of a kind, were you ever this close? And Luna, you've changed subtly. How should I put it? It's like you're more feminine or something."

"Fufufufu. My dear hopeless Asya, do you finally feel my overflowing feminine charm?"

"W-What kind of unfunny joke are you making!?"

While playing dumb in response to Asya's inexplicably foul mood, Luna Francois calmed down the atmosphere in the car, meanwhile not forgetting to throw sultry winks at Hal from time to time.

It was probably a small skit designed to enhance a sense of camaraderie and intimacy as accomplices.

While concluding that, Hal noticed that he was surprisingly not repulsed by it.

No matter what, Luna Francois Gregory was undoubtedly an intelligent beauty. Simply conversing with her was very enjoyable already.

(Girls are truly scary...)

This was a threat he had never felt from his childhood friend.

With wariness and trepidation, Hal stole a glance at the front passenger seat. Keenly noticing his gaze, Luna Francois smiled back in response.

—The fact that he felt slightly ''attracted'' must remain secret too.

"Hey, is the 'Dragon Palace' you mentioned nearby?"

Asya, Orihime, Hazumi and Luna Francois—Hal did not direct his question to any of these four. The dragon ghost, whom he was posing the question to, appeared in the last row's auxiliary seat in the minivan.

Manifested as a young girl in a scarlet kimono, Hinokagutsuchi replied haughtily, "One could certainly consider it nearby—Perhaps. Possibly wandering the sea in this vicinity, possibly slumbering somewhere like a rock, one of the two."

After listening to this ambiguous answer, Hal grumbled, "Why thank you for such a precise tip."

"No need to get so hung up, Harry. There is nothing wrong with failure. Since this outing simultaneously serves as a company recreation trip to soothe our bodies that were exhausted from the intense battles earlier, why not take it easy?"

"I agree. In my case, I will take your advice. Let's relax in a sightseeing mood, shall we?"

It was Orihime supporting Luna Francois from the back seat.

She turned out to be quite good at reading the mood.

She must have used this joking tone to offer such a frivolous opinion in an attempt to alleviate Hal's anxiety.

After that, the junior student who had never gone on any trip for the past few years, let alone a beach, spoke up too.

"A bit embarrassing as it is to say, I am plenty satisfied to be able to come here already. Thank you very much, everyone, for taking me along!"

Always smiling like an angel—Shirasaka Hazumi. At this moment, the smile dominating her visage was even more dazzling than usual, looking like she really was in bliss.

After confirming this through the rear-view mirror, Hal felt extremely satisfied too.

Just to be able to see this smile, the expedition to Izu was already worth it.

Temporarily casting aside his thoughts on Luna Francois, he stepped on the gas pedal with a relaxed mood.

Gathering information first was necessary at the initial destination. The current time was a bit past 9am. Their group had set off from Tokyo New Town early in the morning to come here.

As a side note, breakfast had been eaten inside the minivan. Rice balls courtesy of Orihime.

"Haruomi, let's stop at the next station to have a second breakfast."

"Can't we just look for a burger joint or a convenience store?"

"Since we are traveling, we ought try out local ingredients and cooking, but restaurants aren't open at this hour... This kind of situation dictates going to a station's shopping area. It's quite usual for those kinds of places to open at 8am!"

"Considering you're foreigners, Luna and Asya, that level of familiarity with Japan is way too much..."

They had already made two rest stops this morning. Although Asya had bought food like hot dogs or instant noodles each time, it looked like her stomach was empty again.

In response, a third person said with a smile, "Senpai, I have the same request. I would like us to make a stop too!"

"Sure, got it."

Following his policy of indulging Hazumi as much as possible, Hal instantly nodded.

Hence, three hours later—

Hal parked the minivan at Shimoda City in the Izu Peninsula.

The location was a certain mountainside shrine quite close to Sagaminada's shore. Since there was no parking lot nearby, Hal stopped the car on the side of the road near the red torii entrance.

Local visitors to the shrine seemed to be doing the same thing, so Hal followed suit.

This was a small shrine for which titles like "divine temple" or "grand shrine" would not apply.

Despite the shrine's diminutive size, it still had a very solemn ambiance surrounding various facilities such as the entrance approach and the worship hall. Surely, such an atmosphere could only have arisen from the dignity exhibited by a wooden structure baptized by the passage of time.

Walking along the front approach, Hal and Asya conversed.

"This place's history can be traced back to the early Kamakura period... In other words, eight centuries ago."

"But the building itself probably went through demolition and reconstruction multiple times from disasters like fire, right?"

"Even so, this shrine is still an old building with more than three hundred years of history."

As a side note, their other three witch companions were also present. However, the former dragon's ghost had disappeared despite the fact that that the deity venerated at this shrine was "Fire Goddess Hinokagutsuchi."

...Five types of divine treasures related to the fire goddess were kept in the Witch Mansion at Shin-Kiba.

Last month, Hal had located the dragon king's heartmetal from among them.

Those artifacts originated from a certain ancient shrine in the Tokai region—in other words, here.

"Well then, Harry, the three of us shall go off for a bit on our own."

After seeing Luna Francois, Orihime and Hazumi off, Hal and Asya walked alone by themselves.

They were headed towards an isolated house within the shrine's premises.

It was the residence inhabited by the family of the head priest running the shrine. SAURU's Tokai branch had informed them in advance about Hal's visiting group of dragon specialists from Tokyo New Town.

After they rung the bell normally at the door, the owner of the house invited them inside.

Only two of them were making the visit because an excessive number of guests would impose unnecessarily on their host.

After greeting the middle-aged head priest who received them and engaging in ten minutes of pleasantries, Hal and Asya asked to be taken to the storehouse where the family heirloom was kept—

In front of the storehouse, Hal summoned the magic gun.

"If that ''signpost'' to the Dragon Palace is here, could you simply tell us more directly?"

"Unfortunately, it is not clear to me either."

From the magic gun in his right hand came Hinokagutsuchi's whisper.

The head priest in charge of showing the way had gone back, leaving the storehouse's door wide open. Only Asya remained by Hal's side. This storehouse was reportedly a building from the early Showa period. Filled with dust, the old storehouse did not offer any illumination while having a seemingly vast collection.\

Then the guardian of the magic gun said, "In the past during my reign as the Crimson Queen, the castle of my residence was located in the sea."

"A castle in the sea—You mean something like the Dragon Palace of folklore?"

As soon as Hal chimed in, Hinokagutsuchi's voice responded.

"Mm-hmm. Nevertheless, the priestesses and shrine maidens in my service were mostly born on land. When it came time for their return to their homeland, I allowed them to take something back... It seems."

Completely unapologetic, Hinokagutsuchi's voice sounded like she was bragging triumphantly.

Hal proceeded to ask her to identify possible locations in "the sea within the vicinity" for the Dragon Palace. This caused the former queen of dragons to point along the coastlines of the Japanese islands from Kantou to the Tokai region, continuing to the waters around the Ogasawara Islands, finally extending to the Northern Mariana Islands.

For a carpet search operation, it would be quite a large area.

"With the passage of time, I lost my dragon king body and drifted to this land in spirit form... Then at a certain point in time, I heard a shrine maiden from this shrine inquire 'Goddess Hinokagutsuchi, where are you from?'—"

"Then you answered 'the Dragon Palace' as a joke?"

"I suppose. However, that group of people serving me was truly impressive. After I told them the location of the Dragon Palace's signpost, they finally found it after an arduous adventure."

"Sounds like some kind of puzzle quest."

At that moment, Asya interrupted.

"Specifically, what shape is the object?"

"Please. Why would I pay any attention to something of no use to me?"

"This kind of useless hint function would definitely elicit crappy reviews from players if it appeared in low-difficulty RPGs in recent times."

After grumbling, Hal motioned to his childhood friend with his eyes.

Boasting rare top-class power in the world, the witch instantly chanted a song of summoning.

"I pray to the ancient divine seal of purity. Send the blue wyvern to the ground."

A mysterious creature suddenly manifested over Asya's head, a wyvern.

A dragon with ''wings'' sprouting out of the shoulders in the place of forelimbs. A gigantic homunculus crafted in imitation of dragons. However, her wingspan was only three meters now—

Naturally, this was Blue Rushalka.

Originally a super-size creature whose body length reached ten-odd meters, she was miniaturized as much as possible by Asya before being summoned.

"Rushalka, find the artifact that gives off the scent of dragons as well as that of Hinokagutsuchi—The Crimson Queen. If necessary, use pseudo-divinity."

During the decisive battle last month, Hal and Orihime had located Hinokagutsuchi's heartmetal by relying on Akuro-Ou's sense of smell.

They were currently intending to reuse that method. In the next second, the miniaturized Rushalka obeyed Asya's request and swept her sharp gaze across the interior of the storehouse.

The blue wyvern vocalized "kyuahh..." softly.

Naturally, the interior of the storehouse was quite dim with only a small window opened near the ceiling. However, a blue glow appeared in this darkness, presumably due to Rushalka's magical power.

Guided by the light, Hal stepped into the storehouse.

===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—

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—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—like "barging into Hal's home to propose marriage"—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 do'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—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—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... have 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—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—

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—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—That worried me somewhat. After all, we have really spent so much time together lately..."

"Of course not. I'll 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—"

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—"

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—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—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—"

"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 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—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—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—"

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—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."

===Part 3===

It was the second day of the trip for Hal and company. Fortunately, the weather was quite since morning.

The sky was very blue, the clouds were very white, and the sun was very dazzling.

A sunny day in summer was a matter-of-fact symbol of intense heat, but Hal and company were planning to go to the beach in the first place, so hotter weather would make for greater enjoyment. Ignoring the blinding sunlight, the group boarded a minivan early in the morning to arrive at a small bay after a full hour of driving.

A deliberate choice to avoid spacious seaside swimming destinations, they had picked a remote beach instead.

Combined with the two additional factors of it being a weekday as well as the very beginning of summer holidays, the ensuing result was—

"It's much less crowded than imagined! The sea is so pretty too!"

Pointing at the sea, Hazumi could not help but get excited.

Compared to the familiar Tokyo Bay, this navy-blue sea stretched vastly before their eyes.

The beach's sand was also very white. Bathed under the morning sunlight, things heated up all at once. As a beach with only ten-odd visitors who looked like locals, the location was quite perfect. After getting changed at the only beach house, they immediately went to play in the water.

"I suppose I shall go rent one of those."

What had caught Luna Francois' eye was a personal watercraft.

Two of them were available at the beach house for rent. In addition, swim rings, banana boats, parasols and other equipment could be rented.

"If you like, Harry, how about sitting behind me?"

"Uh, I..."

"Fufu. Just give me a shout any time if that's what you want♪"

Sitting in tandem on a jet ski in close skin contact with Luna Francois...

Moreover, she was wearing a very revealing swimsuit—Hal was rendered speechless by his imagination of the scene. Luna smiled impishly at him then returned to the beach house, presumably to complete rental procedures.

Hal could not help but sigh in relief. While he was looking at the swim rings, Orihime walked over.

"Haruga-kun, are you a good swimmer?"

"If not drowning counts as being good, I guess. How about you?"

"In truth, I can't win against the girls in the swimming team."

"Meaning you can win against everyone else, right...? As expected of a perfect superhuman blessed with athletic ability and a fulfilling life."

"I don't quite understand but are you complimenting me? Fufu, thank you."

The girl, who had visited his room this morning as promised, smiled and replied.

Orihime had gently shaken Hal by the shoulder while whispering "Haruga-kun, it's morning" into his ear. After that, she had waited patiently by his bedside for as long as ten minutes until Hal woke up thoroughly.

Then using tea leaves and a teapot prepared ahead of time, she brewed a pot of green tea for Hal before leaving discreetly.

Despite this happening earlier, the two of them were now conversing normally as though nothing had happened.

But with a rising feeling of mischief as accomplices, Hal and Orihime could not help but burst out laughing at the same time.

Left in the dark on the side, Hazumi jumped in surprise. Hal hastily spoke to his junior, "Shirasaka, how's your swimming?"

"For around twenty meters, probably the same as you, Senpai, I can avoid drowning, but I'm not confident if the distance is greater than that..."

The younger student, as pure as an angel, confessed the truth shyly. She was definitely not strong in health and always had to sit out PE class in an observing role.

In spite of that, Hazumi clenched her fist and expressed her determination.

"But this summer, I hope to improve further."

"I guess this'll be indispensable as a tool to aid your training, Shirasaka."

Hence, Hal rented two swim rings, giving one to Hazumi and one for himself respectively.

Also, everyone had finished changing and were all in swimsuits.

Luna Francois' was black while Orihime had a white bikini with a pareo. Both looks had been revealed at the swimming pool reception last time.

The blonde American girl's bikini was decorated with lace.

Combined with Luna Francois' original airs like an antique doll's, her seductive charm was fully on display at the beach here.

Meanwhile, Orihime was wearing a bikini with a simple and casual design.

Perhaps because she not only gave off a well-bred young lady's airs but also bore an expression of upstanding moral character and approachability, the swimsuit was an especially good match for this Japanese girl.

Truly two young beauties standing in stark contrast.

Not only that, but their figures were also outstanding. Described as closeted by his own admission, Hal naturally felt an indescribable sense of fulfillment after seeing Orihime and Luna's gorgeous appearances from close range.

But today, apart from Orihime and Luna, Hazumi was dressed in swimwear too.

Using a UV-cut parka as a wrap, she was wearing a simple lime-colored bikini with frills sewn on the edges. Exceptionally cute.

Noticing Hal's gaze, Hazumi squirmed in embarrassment.

"Umm... I look weird after all, right?"

"No, it's not weird at all. Why do you ask?"

"Because this is my first time wearing this type of swimsuit... I accidentally bought it after the salesperson recommended it, but afterwards, it felt more and more embarrassing..."

This type of swimsuit—She was probably referring to the bikini.

Hal tilted his head, thinking it was good precisely because it was "this type of swimsuit."

Last time when they were face to face in the female bathroom at school, Hazumi had wrapped herself in a towel. Compared to that time, today's swimsuit had even less fabric. In terms of bare skin, it was a dramatic power up.

Furthermore, although Hal had sensed it vaguely, he was finally able to confirm beyond a doubt.

Second year of middle school. Fourteen years old. Nevertheless, the bulge of her chest and the roundness of her posterior were definitely not flat even if they were a bit restrained. Rather, it would be better to describe their presence as aptly expressed.

It was unknown whether she would reach the same level as her older cousin Orihime in two years' time, but her potential had undoubtedly begun to bloom.

Faced with Hazumi ''whose figure was excellent for an eighth grader'', Hal said, "Despite how I may look, I'm actually very closeted, which is why I make this assertion: simply seeing you in a swimsuit, Shirasaka, has made this trip to the beach totally worth it. So please don't call your appearance 'weird'—"

"Excuse me, Haruga-kun, please do not make bizarre comments in front of Hazumi!"

"Sh-Should I be saying thanks in this kind of situation, Nee-sama...?"

"Hazumi too, stop accepting Haruga-kun's closeted perversion so obediently!"

While Orihime was lecturing Hal on his tactlessness and her cousin for being swayed, their last companion finally exited the beach house. Namely, Asya.

"Thanks for waiting, everyone... Because preparations took some time and effort."

The beautiful fairy-like girl was speaking with a rare tone of eloquence.

Her expression was sharp with a stern gaze. Such were the vibes exuded from her entire body that it would not be surprising even if she were to fight a dragon immediately. Extremely gallant.

Of course, Asya was also in a swimsuit. The blue bikini top had vertical stripes while the bottom piece was designed like a pair of shorts.

Speaking of the lines of her figure, Asya's were essentially quite gentle in undulation.

Even so, it was not a completely flat line. The curves illustrated by her breathtakingly slender body were quite well-suited to a teenage girl's low-key body, instead adding a tempting sense of allure.

That being said, Asya's swimsuit look embodied a warrior's vigor instead of cuteness.

Devoured by overwhelming tension, Orihime and Hazumi fell silent. Immediately, Hal was certain that this atmosphere stemmed from the ''harpoon'' held in his childhood friend's hand.

"Cooking is best when local ingredients are used after all. And you guys are in lock today, because apart from magic and combat, I've been praised for my free-diving and harpoon skills too. I've already prepared traditional Japanese cooking implements—a portable clay stove and charcoal flames. Let's have a seafood party for lunch today!"
[[image:Leviathan 04 106.jpg|thumb]]

"Asya, free-dive fishing is prohibited by law in these waters."

"What did you say!?"

In the majority of Japanese prefectures, it was forbidden for ordinary people without fishing rights to catch marine life using harpoons or fishing nets. Simply walking on the shore with such equipment in your hands would be enough to get scolded by fishermen, so please be careful.

Although marine hunting was stopped, there were still plenty of recreation activities by the sea.

Hal and Hazumi floated on swim rings amid marine-blue waves while Orihime and Asya swam leisurely on the side.

Especially Hal's childhood friend with her boundless energy that had nowhere to vent.

With speed and fluidity rivaling sea nymphs or mermaids, she was able to move effortlessly and nimbly whether on the surface or underwater. Apart from free-diving, she was also very skilled in ordinary swimming.

In addition, Luna Francois was currently riding a jet ski, racing across the sea.

Wearing a pair of sunglasses, she was handling the watercraft magnificently with experienced hand and body motions. Let alone automobiles, the Trans-Pacific Shootdown Ace was apparently skilled in operating all kinds of transportation.

Luna was riding her jet ski in dashing manner.

Hazumi and Orihime also took turns riding the back seat, enjoying the thrill of speeding across the sea.

Meanwhile, Asya and Hal went ashore and strolled along the beach.

"It's almost noon. Let's acquire ingredients for a seafood party without catching fish ourselves."

Walking along the shore side by side, Asya asked, "Any suggestions?"

"Go check out local markets nearby and see if you can purchase leftover seafood on a retail basis. Then go find a fisherman, who operates a small boat on his own, or his wife and ask them to sell us what they've caught this morning."

"Understood. What are your plans next, Haruomi?"

"As much as I'd like to avoid it, I do have work to do. By the way, where's the stone?"

"I've been carrying it with me properly. After all, it's still being ''tested''."

Asya took out a transparent plastic pouch containing the unidentified black stone as well as her purse and cellphone.

After parting ways with his childhood friend, Hal walked to the beach house.

He took out a laptop from his belongings in the locker then walked over to a parasol he had just rented and sat down cross-legged on a beach chair.

"Looks like you have discerned that stone's true identity."

"Rather than discern, it's more like a hunch building on Asya and Luna's ideas after I asked for their opinion. Don't tell me that this thing isn't part of a dragon's body?"

Hinokagutsuchi's figure manifested in the unoccupied beach chair beside him.

In addition, the former dragon queen was wearing a red bikini. This was the same swimsuit she had worn at the pool reception last time. While Hinokagutsuchi was reclining on the chair, Hal said to her, "It should be a related species if it's not a dragon. A 'serpent' for example—a leviathan. Apart from that, among your minions, there are some that fit the criteria."

"Oh?"

"Like Princess Yukikaze's minion, Genbu-Ou. Speaking of which, if you chipped a piece off that crazy big shell and scattered the fragments... They'll probably take this kind of form."

This stone fragment, resembling obsidian, had been found inside a shrine's storeroom.

Its uneven surface glowed green very faintly. This color was quite similar to the turtle shell of that super organism, Genbu-Ou, the hundred-meter-long giant chelonian creature and Princess Yukikaze's minion.

"Earlier, I made this association after recalling that giant turtle," said Hal while sneaking a glance at Hinokagutsuchi beside him.

Despite the appearance of a young girl, she was reclining arrogantly with her legs crossed.

"Genbu-Ou too is a humongous creature like an island, capable of swimming freely in the ocean, right? Furthermore, back in ancient China, there were legends of holy beasts such as sacred chelonians, including a gigantic turtle that carried a mountain on top of its carapace."

The gigantic turtle carrying Mount Penglai—Legends of sacred turtles were not unique to China.

The Korean peninsula and Japan had similar stories, intricately connecting to one another across the ocean that the Crimson Queen had made her ''territory'' eight hundred years ago.

This applied to the story of Urashima Tarou too. Ever since antiquity, turtles had served as guides to the Dragon Palace (a castle in the sea hidden from the world). This excessively famous fairy tale protagonist was called "Urashima no Ko" in ancient times and actually had quite antiquated literary records in the ''Chronicles of Japan'' and the ''Collection of Myriad Leaves''.

The ''Chronicles of Japan'' contained the following description: "Mizue no Urashima no Ko went to Mount Penglai together with a woman who had transformed from a giant turtle"...

Hal calmly put his academic prowess on display and concluded, "Consequently, the following is purely my own speculation: The Dragon Palace mentioned in these legends is actually the same kind of turtle monster as Genbu-Ou. Perhaps there might even be a castle on top of an insanely large carapace. This turtle used to be your minion whereas the black stone and so-called signpost is a part of the turtle shell—"

"Kukuku. Not a bad idea, that is all I can say."

"Asya said this too. In the past, you and Princess Yukikaze... It makes her want to investigate what effect the dragon kings a thousand years ago had on legends of this type, that was what she mentioned before."

Hal recounted to Hinokagutsuchi who was smiling malevolently.

Just earlier, he had heard from Asya that the research theme of "a study on the effects imparted upon dragon and serpent legends around the world by the existence of dragonkind" had already been started a while ago.

That being said, she had also spent a substantial amount of time obsessively on strange training—

"Based on this hunch, I decided to look for relevant clues. Can I ask you not to disturb me in the meantime?"

"Understood. Do your best. Hmph."

Thus, Hinokagutsuchi vanished with a sneer. Sitting on the beach chair, Hal opened his laptop. All the ancient texts and reference materials about the shrine where Goddess Hinokagutsuchi was worshiped had already been digitized and saved into the hard drive.

After reading these materials for an hour, Hal suddenly noticed.

At some point in time, someone had sat down on the adjacent beach chair. Someone familiar.

Showing off her extravagant proportions in a black bikini, the blonde beauty was Luna Francois, of course.

===Part 4===

"You finally noticed me, Harry."

Smiling sweetly, Luna Francois greeted Hal, making him feel slightly intimidated.

"W-When did you arrive?"

"Seven minutes and thirty-two seconds ago. I deliberately kept quiet because you looked like you were concentrating. However, Harry, it was not boring because I had a good long look at your serious countenance, fufu," said Luna Francois with effortless readiness.

Hal felt his heart flutter again. Indeed, she was very attractive, but it was also true that this pounding of his heart was mixed with a certain subtle unease.

Her affections could very well be a display made on strategic considerations at most.

While the image of his black-haired classmate inexplicably surfaced, Hal shrugged and said, "I think there's actually no point in this kind of skit. You have ulterior motives and I am well aware of it, so it feels like more of a turn-off."

"I never thought you'd be this impatient, Harry. The game is still in the opening stage, you know?"

Luna Francois' reply was slightly taunting.

"Our battle is just about to begin. Besides, the serialization has not been scheduled to end yet. Spectacular events and developments will be unfolding one after another next, so please look forward to them."

"No, you're just playing coquette with me."

Without intending to denounce her, Hal simply refuted her calmly.

"In truth, you don't plan on giving me a taste of anything real. You're just trying to use me and string me along with hopes of good things that might happen. As soon as I demand a reward you'll surely finesse your way out of it to escape."

Hers was akin to a certain Japanese beauty's signature talent in deceiving a third-generation gentleman thief named after his grandfather of French nationality. However, Luna Francois frowned with displeasure at Hal's accusation (this was probably an act).

"Well, what an awful thing to say. On what basis are you asserting this?"

"A conclusion drawn from the statistical results of a verbal survey. I've heard from Asya about you. She's already witnessed scenes of you rejecting guys on no less than dozens of occasions. You never date anyone, not even with a mindset of playing around. When I posed the same question to acquaintances at SAURU, everyone gave the exact same answer."

"I'm impressed, Harry. In terms of the thoroughness of our methods, we are definitely quite alike."

Luna Francois stood up suddenly from her chair.

She walked over to Hal, bringing the two of them extremely close. The American maiden's beautiful face and wondrous body was right before his eyes.

Then she stood there while Hal sat cross-legged on his beach chair.

This relative positioning established a certain situation. Two massive round bulges were in front of Hal's face, announcing their presence, emphasizing their alluring volume that rivaled cantaloupes, not to mention suppleness and elasticity that could not possibly be found in any type of fruit.

Furthermore, Luna Francois was slowly crossing her arms in front of her chest.

As though using her arms to raise her bust, it seemed especially intentional during times like these.

"Indeed, I, Luna Francois Gregory, might be a cold-hearted woman without any interest in boys. Perhaps I am a cruel woman who derives pleasure from mercilessly rejecting boys who fall in love with me. However—"

Luna lifted her arms lightly and lowered them again. As a result, Hal witnessed it.

That instant when those two round and heavy objects shook with a wobble—

"Doesn't there exist a possibility where even someone like me could be swooned by your manliness and seriously fall in love when interrogated by you, Harry, with your meticulous intelligence gathering? What do you think?"

"No, I don't think so. After all, I'm not manly at all."

"A game of love is merely a cover story for hiding embarrassment. As a tsundere girl unable to express her affection honestly, my only choice is to make advances on you by using that type of excuse... How about this interpretation?"

"Unrealistic and unconvincing."

"I... really like you. Do you think I'm lying?"

"Yes, totally a lie."

Repeatedly, he refuted her cleanly and decisively.

Luna Francois stared at Hal with a smile then said, "Then here is my final question. Is your heart pounding right now?"

"N-No. Absolutely none of that. Japanese people don't lie."

"Fufu. Although we are birds of a feather, Harry, there are aspects where we're unlike. For example, I am evidently the better liar."

"......"

Hal had been able to refute Luna resolutely until now.

However, his defenses were crushed at the very end. Involuntarily, his gaze kept chasing after those wobbling female weapons in front of him. Gradually, he became unable to ignore that devastating power.

"By the way, personally, I intend to enjoy this game patiently," said Luna with a smile while maintaining her posture with her arms framing her bosom.

"The difficulty level seems higher than I'd imagined, so I shall get serious. Sure enough, the motivation becomes completely different when there is a distinct rival."

"R-Rival?"

"Yes. Speaking of which, Asya is merely your childhood friend and can be dismissed completely. However, Hazumi-san's potential cannot be underestimated and more importantly, there is Orihime-san."

"You're saying Juujouji is your rival?"

"This is the reason. Although I only caught a slight glimpse, wasn't the mood between you two quite excellent last night? Seriously, Harry, I can't believe you said something like that to Orihime-san."

"D-Don't get the wrong idea. Juujouji and I are only... only..."

How to express the sense of comfort from that time?

Hal shook his head in a dilemma, but was immediately confronted with a different question—Why would Luna Francois know about his conversation with Orihime last night?

Perhaps reading the doubt in his mind, the blonde witch smiled.

"Allow me to reveal the answer. I was actually just baiting you for confirmation, because the mood between you two felt a bit suspicious last night."

"Ehhhh!?"

"So there we have it. I still haven't revealed my entire hand to you yet, Harry. Hence, this game will begin in earnest next. Let us enjoy ourselves together thoroughly, okay?"

"......"

"Of course, I do have some delectable treats lined up for you."

''Say whatever you want, but talk is cheap.''

Despite thinking that, Hal could not tear his eyes away from the two round and full objects before his eyes.

"Girls are definitely scary."

"Despite saying that, your foolish susceptibility to her charms is written on your face..."

While Hal was muttering poignantly to himself, Hinokagutsuchi manifested and mocked him.

The location was the lobby on the ground floor of a hot spring inn. In this spacious public area, the two of them were sitting on a bench in the corner. Incidentally, the inn's reception desk was also here.

The inn's basic concept was "Japanese" but the interior decor was not executed in pure classical Japanese style.

The building was constructed using steel-reinforced concrete. Half of the rooms were western while the other half were Japanese. All washrooms had western toilet seats with electronic bidets installed. Everywhere had modern interior decoration with comfort as a priority.

The current location would be analogous to a western hotel's entrance hall.

"Can't be helped. I'm a guy after all."

While staring at his laptop, scanning through materials, Hal retorted.

"It's only normal for men to conceal a lustful nature worth a dozen lechers or two, right?"

"In that case, you should put it into action more boldly. However, if you were to attack openly, that little girl will simply feign compliance, create a diversion and escape."

"Figures, a queen like you thinks so too?"

"Mm-hmm. By the way, I would handle girls of that sort by pinning them down by force directly. Through slightly forceful measures, I would impress upon them a queen's dignity and tender affection, causing them to submit from the bottom of their hearts, thereby joining the ranks of my priestesses—"

"Good grief, how much sexual harassment did you commit in the past!?"

Always dressed in a scarlet kimono in the past, Hinokagutsuchi was currently wearing the inn's yukata. The fabric's pattern and the color of the sash were both in brilliant scarlet.

Facing the former dragon that used to be known as the Crimson Queen, Hal asked, "By the way, were all your targets girls?"

"That goes without saying. As if anyone would make a move on squalid men."

"Were they all humans in race?"

"Fufufu. And what if they were?"

"Nothing much. You promised to cooperate with my information gathering as much as possible, right?"

"I am willing to answer truthfully if your questions are motivated by the spirit of research without a shred of lustful intentions. If your intention is to simply listen to salacious gossip, then I am not obliged to respond. Is that clear?"

"......"

"Despite the shrewd airs you normally put on, to think that you failed to negotiate or strike a bargain when encountering such a situation. You are too pathetic, brat."

After making a fool out of Hal, Hinokagutsuchi suddenly changed the subject.

"By the way, aren't you searching for clues for the remainder of the investigation? Why did you select this location? Wouldn't shutting yourself away in a quiet location be better?"

"As for that, think about it this way."

Taking his gaze off the laptop screen, Hal looked into the depths of the corridor.

"It's not every day that all of us are at a hot spring, but regrettably, I cannot enter the female bath. However, perhaps a major incident might happen in the female bath, such as a fire or a guest suddenly taking ill. I am waiting here for unexpected situations of that sort."

Hal answered solemnly with a serious face.

"It would be excusable for me to enter the female bath completely naturally as a guy if it's because an emergency demands that I arrive to the rescue immediately. If Juujouji, Shirasaka or Luna happened to be in the bath at the time—Ah, undoubtedly the creation of precious memories. And currently, the girls are all taking a bath."

"Wishful thinking, fool."

"But without action, nothing would begin at all. I'm gambling on that 1% probability."

No matter how closeted in his desires, Hal still carried a gentleman's pride.

Criminal intentions such as voyeurism were nonexistent. The current approach was an idea he had racked his brain to come up with while allowing his own desires and social morals to coexist, but—

"So that is how it is, I understand now."

Hinokagutsuchi put on a solemn expression and whispered, "Simply stated, you are the type of man who turns into an idiot whenever women are involved."

===Part 5===

"Then this is from the body of a creature that's the same type as Minadzuki and the others!?"

"More precisely, it should be a body sample from a leviathan's close relative—a creature belonging to the same lineage as Genbu-Ou, Princess Yukikaze's minion," explained Asya to the wide-eyed Hazumi.

They were currently bathing in the open-air bath.

Asya lifted her right hand in the water, holding the black stone.

"Indeed, it is quite similar in color as that giant monster last month."

Orihime nodded. Naturally, she was in the open-air bath as well.

"By the way, is it really fine to bring that stone into the bath? Isn't it quite important? I feel that it might be better to keep it in a safe or something..."

"Don't worry, this is part of the experiment," Asya explained to the visibly worried Orihime.

"It's said that a priestess or shrine maiden who had been serving Hinokagutsuchi returned to her hometown on land with this stone in her possession, so I wanted to try doing the same thing."

"Doing the same thing?"

"That's right. Since it's an item used by an ancient shrine maiden, chances are high that I'll be able to use it as a fellow practitioner of magic. That's why I've been keeping it on me everywhere I go for the time being, observing to see what properties it has. Apart from that, I've also poured magical power into it from time to time."

"Then Asya, have you learned anything from it?" Sitting on the edge of the bath, Luna Francois asked.

Apart from Hinokagutsuchi, all the girls participating in the expedition were present.

The location was the large public open-air bath belonging to a seaside hot spring inn. Built by taking full advantage of the shore's geography, it was a hot spring with excellent scenery offering a view of Sagaminada while bathers soaked themselves in the hot water.

The current time was only slightly after 3pm because they had entered the bath immediately after returning from the beach.

Since the inn's check-in time for today had only just started, there were no guests at the hot spring and open-air bath. It was as though Asya and the girls had the entire place reserved for themselves.

Naturally, all four of them were naked.

Facing Luna Francois, who was showing off her extravagantly outstanding body in the nude, Asya replied, "No major discoveries yet. If nothing else, at least it's very hard."

"Have you tested it in some way?"

"Yes, I've smashed this stone fragment against concrete as a test. Supposing it really is a body sample from a species closely related to dragonkind, this level of impact should leave it completely unharmed."

As predicted, the result of the experiment was that the concrete shattered instead.

The black stone showed no damage at all. Luna Francois smiled wryly in exasperation after listening to Asya's report.

"You're appalling, Asya, still violent as ever. If Harry or I were at the scene, we probably would've stopped you."

"I think so too, which is why I did it alone."

Asya casually dismissed her fellow witch's opinion with a carefree expression.

Ever since she heard the hypothesis proposed by her childhood friend, Asya had been very certain that it was the correct answer. A master witch's intuition allowed her to sense from this stone a presence similar to that super organism—Genbu-Ou.

That being said, it was ultimately nothing more than intuition. There was no proof.

However, Asya's true strength was precisely the fact that she trusted intuition unquestioningly and took action.

During deadly predicaments in battles against dragons with the odds stacked heavily against her, what else could she trust apart from intuition? Although not to the point of conviction, Asya was definitely aware of this mindset. This sixth sense, which had saved Anastasya Rubashvili on countless battlefields, was demonstrating its power on this occasion too.

However, Luna Francois smiled impishly.

"As expected of your style, Asya. Although a bit unrefined for a girl, it's very dependable. I love it, you know?"

"U-Unrefined?"

"Yes, unrefined. Or you could call it rough-and-ready too."

"You should use the description 'undertaking bold action while guided by instinct' instead! A-All things considered, please don't pick on small details like this to criticize me like I'm disqualified as a girl!"

Asya could not help but get worked up, standing up forcefully in the open-air bath.

Completely forgetting the fact that she was currently soaking herself in a bath, she exposed her fairy-like body from the knees upwards.

—If anything, one had no choice but to admit that she was far surpassed by Luna and Orihime on the aspects of volume and curves. Regrettably, she might even be inferior to the fourteen-year-old Hazumi. Indeed, she was painfully aware of reality's harshness.

In spite of that, Asya remained deeply confident.

''Isn't this... Rather, this should be quite an attractive figure, right?''

Unlike the flat and juvenile figures one could find anywhere, she was slim and trim with a suitably bulging chest (applying rather loose standards, of course). The various parts of the body represented by BWH measurements traced out subtle curves, exhibiting dangerous maidenly beauty in the form of nudity.

Look, this could be considered a fine example of sexiness, thought Asya proudly.

As a side note, she had gotten a good amount of sun today at the beach. As a Caucasian, Asya's complexion was pale and clear to begin with, turning bronze instead of a dark tan even with exposure to sunlight.

Not a fiery-red as though scorched or burned, but a color akin to polished metal.

The only exceptions, remaining pale, were the parts that her swimsuit had covered.

"Jeez... I was going to say I've already registered the super popular maiden's trademark of the 'tanned mermaid' for today. Luna, you're totally slandering me with your comments."

"Indeed, Asya-san's tan is very pretty," said Hazumi with a smile while watching Asya complain with arms akimbo.

"So beautiful. I'm jealous of you."

"Why thank you. Hazumi-san, you are a good girl as always~"

Listening to the innocent junior's praises, Asya instantly felt better.

Hazumi's cousin, Orihime, also smiled cheerfully and said, "However, Asya-san's vibes changed after receiving a tan. It's rare to see girls like that nowadays. It's very striking."

"My oh my, Orihime-san, don't you go flattering me too~"

While replying in modesty, Asya happily puffed out her rather thin chest.

"Oh dear, I suppose it's only natural for a girl like me to be striking when walking in the streets... Even though it's not my intention to draw attention, no helping it."
[[image:Leviathan 04 123.jpg|thumb]]

"That could very well be true. Skin-whitening is currently fashionable, so everyone is avoiding suntans."

"Oh, skin-whitening... ''Bi-ha-ku''?" Asya froze after repeating Orihime's words.

Hazumi then said, "Apparently, people involved in athletic clubs at our school have been applying a ton of sunscreen during outdoor club activities. On the other hand, I find girls with tans to be cooler..."

The junior witch, who did not seem very athletic, stared at Asya with admiration in her face.

"That's why I find your current look very cool, Asya-san. Fufufu."

"Th-Thank you... ''Bihaku''—Be hacked?"

"By the way, Asya-san, are you sure it's okay for you to enter the bath directly like this? From what I heard, dipping yourself in hot water shortly after tanning is very painful, isn't it?"

"Oh no, I've never experienced that ever in my life..."

Evidently, due to excellent skin health, she had never been troubled by problems of that type.

Hazumi widened her eyes after hearing Asya's answer.

"Really!? Every time I expose myself under the sun, I get red skin and even a fever sometimes—I'm quite jealous now."

"Hazumi frequently wears long sleeves even in the summer."

Orihime's comment triggered memories to surface in Asya's mind.

Before heading to the beach today, Hazumi and Luna Francois had applied sunscreen all over their bodies. Not only that, they had also reapplied it many times during the day.

Looking back, Asya now realized it was diligent labor for defending their skin's whiteness.

Thanks to that, Hazumi and Luna's skin had remained pale as always despite spending a long time at the beach.

In contrast, Orihime had not taken the issue as seriously as the other two.

Suitably tanned, her body was visible under the highly transparent hot water. Slender with outstanding curves, her nude body exhibited a lovely olive complexion.

Orihime had always given off vibes like some kind of "well-bred princess."

At the same time, there was also an element of sportiness and healthy beauty.

However, Orihime had definitely applied sunscreen once to avoid sunburns. Currently, she was engaging Hazumi in this kind of dialogue...

"Excuse me, Nee-sama, may I borrow some of your shampoo later...?"

"Sure, but why?"

"When traveling, Nee-sama, you always bring a set of your toiletries from home, right?"

"Yes, because the ones provided at hotels and public baths are sometimes business-use brands of lower quality... On that subject, the bathroom here is a bit questionable."

"N-Not to the point of questionable, but my hair is sticking together a bit..."

"Fufu, that's because your hair texture stiffened from swimming in the sea. Of course you may borrow mine."

"Thank you, Nee-sama!"

The conversation between cousins left Asya stunned.

It was as though she had suffered cultural shock within these few minutes. Could this be legendary girl talk revolving around topics such as "skin-whitening, sunburn prevention, UV protection and products for avoiding hair damage"?

This was territory that Asya had never ventured into despite her almost fifteen-year-long life.

Today too, while playing in the water, she had not used the slightest bit of sunscreen.

"Say, Asya, although I described you as very 'rough' earlier..."

By the time she noticed, Luna Francois was already by her side.

"But to be honest, I'm a bit envious. Despite what is clearly dysfunctional maintenance in a certain ways, Asya, your beauty level is quite close to mine."

"R-Really...?"

"Perhaps you are actually the strongest in potential, Asya. Well, but even if you mend your ways after the fact, we still have an overwhelming lead."

"......"

After speaking to Asya with what seemed like a bit of frustration, Luna Francois left her.

Asya could sense Luna's refusal to admit defeat, but the blow she suffered was quite devastating. There was no feeling of victory at all. Meanwhile, the Trans-Pacific Shootdown Ace walked over to Orihime's side.

"By the way, Orihime-san, may I issue a declaration of war?"

"Huh, by declaration of war, you mean—What is going on?"

Confronted with the confused black-haired witch, the west coast American girl smiled gracefully.

"I have decided to shoot for Harry's heart, to make him the captive belonging to me, Luna Francois Gregory. So let us compete openly, fair and square. That is what I am proposing."

"Ehhh!?"

"L-Luna-san will shoot for Senpai's heart!?"

"W-W-W-What the heck are you trying to do? Luna!"

Orihime and Hazumi were stunned by the sudden declaration whereas Asya immediately roared.

However, the one who had made the controversial comment remained carefree.

"I mean exactly what I said. I intend to build a wonderful relationship with Harry, which is why I wanted to settle things with you first, Orihime-san, the greatest rival at hand."

"I! I do not have that kind of relationship with Haruga-kun—!"

Perhaps startled, Orihime instantly denied loudly.

However, stopped before she finished her sentence. Her lips parted and closed, looking like she had something to say. This persisted for a while.

Rather than having trouble deciding what to say, she was hesitating whether to say it or not.

Witnessing this reaction that did not match Orihime's always cheerful personality, Luna Francois smiled malevolently.

"Not that kind of relationship? Fufufu, my apologies. It looks like it was a misconception on my part since the mood seemed quite nice between you and Harry."

"......"

"In that case, I shall happily proceed as I please without needing to worry about anyone else's feelings♪"

"L-Luna-san, do you really, umm, like Haruga-kun in that way!?"

"Yes. Besides, I believe that there is no one else in this world more suitable than I am for supporting him in all sorts of challenging situations."

"I-In terms of that—Perhaps you are right, but..."

Orihime was shaken for some unknown reason. Usually cheerful and lively, she was stammering right now. Asya found this very baffling. However, Asya felt that she needed to prioritize Luna Francois as a target for her retorts.

"Hold it right there! What kind of nefarious scheme are you plotting again, Luna!?"

"Oh please, you are making me out to be some sort of evil witch... Now that would be considered slander, you know?"

"Please give up on baseless retorts. You are clearly an evil witch, the genuine article."

Ignoring the enemy's counterattack, Asya continued.

"It's useless for you to keep playing dumb. Given that it's you, I'm certain you're trying to seduce Haruomi again to get your hands on the dragonslaying rune, aren't you!?"

"Dear me, what an unpleasant way of putting it."

Stunned on the side, Hazumi silently listened to the interactions between the master-class witches.

Meanwhile, Orihime suddenly showed a relieved look after hearing Asya's forceful accusation, but Asya decided to overlook it for now.

Suddenly, Asya closed her mouth. Luna Francois did the same.

After making eye contact and using their gazes to exchange messages including "Did you sense that?" and "Yes, of course"—

From the sea's direction—An unidentified entity crawled out of the sea!

Indeed, this was an open-air bath situated by the sea. Sensing the approach of strong magical power, Asya and Luna Francois simultaneously put their guards up.

"Kyahhhhhhhh!"

Hazumi screamed in surprise, probably due to the ominous aura exuding from the crawling unidentified ''entity''.

Everyone was naked. Let alone a small caliber handgun for self-defense, they did not even have a dagger. Asya could not help but click her tongue while raising her entire body's magical power.

If necessary, she would summon her gigantic partner, Rushalka. She mustered her resolve.

"Kyahhhhhhhh!"

The instant he heard Hazumi's scream, Hal rushed over.

He put down his laptop and sprinted at full speed from the inn lobby to the public bath. The frail underclassman's scream definitely came from this direction.

In contrast, Hinokagutsuchi could not even be bothered to get up.

"I never expected a situation to arise for real. A fool's will can penetrate stone huh..."

She simply sighed rather poignantly.

Hal had no time to bother with her. Without looking back, he ran as fast as he could.

This moment, at the scene of the incident—Right inside that forbidden garden. At an occasion like this, there was no time to waste on anything else!

Hal ran like mad along the corridor and pushed through the curtain labeled "female bath."

First, he stormed into the changing area—No one there. After sliding open the glass door that ought to be called the door to Shangri-La, he stepped into the public bath—However, there was not a single soul.

Neither infant girls, young girls, maidens, women, nor old ladies were present. But voices were coming from outdoors.

"W-What on earth, is this!? Kyahhh!"

"Calm down, Hazumi! I'll save you right away—Nnnnn!"

"Asya! Use my Glinda and your Rushalka to drag it down!"

"Got... it. O-O ancient divine seal of purity!

Familiar girls were yelling outside—The open-air bath!?

Hal left the indoor bath and went to the open-air bath outside. Since it was still three in the afternoon, the sky was still bright and sunny. Even the sound of ocean waves could be heard clearly.

Offering a view of Sagaminada in the distance, this open-air bath was also a hot spring providing beautiful scenery for bathers.

But in the next instant, Hal was greeted by unexpected scenery.

Inside the open-air bath's premises, several white serpents were squirming around—No, wait.

They were not serpents. Indeed, they were extremely similar to snakes and worms in form, crawling all over the floor with slithering trails. However, they were not snakes.

Rather, these were tentacles.

Dozens of tentacles were currently slithering inside the open-air bath.

They were very white in color though translucent. Hazumi, Orihime, Asya and Luna Francois, the four of them had been captured, pulled into that creepy unidentified entity.

Naturally, all the girls were completely naked.

The curves of Hazumi's current figure were already quite attractive. Hal really looked forward to her growth after a few years.

Due to the sun's radiant blessings, Orihime's body was colored with a healthy olive tone. Somewhat different from the last time when he had caught a direct glimpse, her body was radiant with outgoing vitality.

As for Asya—Just skip her.

This would probably be the same awkwardness as when someone accidentally encountered their mother or sister in the nude.

Then there was Luna Francois.

The exploding impression from her bulging chest, a narrow waist that was like a work of art, and the curves traced out from below the waist were seizing Hal's heart with tyranny. Due to Luna's aggressive advances over the past few days, Hal had accumulated a fair amount of frustration inside, thus delivering an excessively shocking impact to him this moment.

However, the four witches were all tied up.

Every girl had six or seven tentacles wrapped around her. The translucent white tentacles were coiled around their necks, shoulders, elbows, arms, chests, under the breasts, waists, thighs, knees, down to the ankles.

Entangled by these tentacles, the various ''risque parts'' such as the pink tips of the breasts were starting to flash in and out of view tantalizingly. Amid this crisis, the four girls persisted in struggling their very hardest.

Despite her distraught expression, Hazumi desperately wrested the tentacle off her neck.

Orihime reached out to save her cousin, trying to approach her, but kept getting pulled back by tentacles, preventing her from taking a single step.

Asya and Luna Francois were also immobilized by multiple tentacles.

Even so, the two master-class witches were trying to chant songs of summoning. Two pentagrams, magic circles for materializing 'serpents,' had appeared in the air above the open-air bath.

Under normal circumstances, these pentagrams would immediately turn into leviathans.

But this time was different. The two pentagrams were blinking like a broken light bulb—The tentacles entangling their bodies were suppressing the witches' power!

Hal immediately summoned his magic gun with his right hand.

Using triple burst mode to fire, he pulled the trigger four times.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!

Accompanied by deafening gunshots, twelve bullets of red light flew haphazardly in the air. Infused with auto-tracking magic, the bullets of light released by the magic gun penetrated the dozens of tentacles running amok in the open-air bath.

Not only that, the bullets of light did not stop after the first impact.

Each time a bullet pierced a tentacle, it would then make a rapid U-turn to attack the next tentacle. This scene kept repeating in the next ten-odd seconds. The tentacles in the open-air bath were rendered fodder by the magic gun, smashed to pieces and falling to the ground as countless scraps of flesh.

Moreover, despite being exposed to the rain of bullets, the four witches remained completely unharmed.

Filtering out the tentacles precisely, the bullets of red light destroyed them successively. This amazing feat was exclusive to a magical gun and impossible for ordinary firearms.

Hal exhaled with a "phew" and immediately used Enemy Detection magic.

—No response. The tentacles were all wiped out, apparently.

"Senpai! Thank you!"

"You saved us, Haruga-kun!"

Perhaps out of relief, Hazumi and Orihime suddenly ran over to him.

Thank goodness everyone was alright, Hal could not help but narrow his eyes. Next, he focused his eyes intently as though trying to brand upon his retinas the witches' figures that he might not find another chance to witness within this lifetime—

Hal saw it.

Asya raised her arm in a pose reminiscent of someone about to throw an object.

"You're leering so much that you're stretching your face until it's about to tear! Damn Haruomiiiiiii!"

As expected of the childhood friend. Hal was originally trying to put on as dignified an expression as possible, but Asya instantly read his ulterior motives.

What she launched with an overarm throw was the black stone.

That ''signpost to the Dragon Palace'' which she kept with her for experimenting.

Flying at high speed, the stone struck Hal's forehead. Logically speaking, since Haruga Haruomi's body had been enhanced by the Rune of the Bow, even without deploying the imperishable protection which was like a shield, it should be fine because a mere stone would not be able to inflict even a scratch on him.

Unexpectedly, the attack made him lose balance. Adding the fact that the floor of the open-air bath was quite wet and slippery—

Hal slipped and fell backwards.

"Senpai!?" "Haruga-kun!?"

He could hear Hazumi and Orihime's worried voices.

However, what entered his view was not the two girls but the blue sky—No.

At this moment, Hal should be lying face up on the open-air bath's slippery floor, but suddenly, the back of his head was lifted up then cushioned by something soft.

In the next instant, a pair of pale peaks suddenly entered his view that was supposed to be of the blue sky.

F-cups by visual estimate based on their shape, size and elasticity, two breasts tipped with lovely pink. Not only was Hal given a bottom-up perspective, he was also treated to a direct view of this beautiful scenery up close.

"A-Are you alright!? Your head collided with the floor loudly, you know!?"

"Don't worry, this is nothing at all..."

After responding to Orihime's calls, Hal figured it out.

In other words—Orihime had run over to rest his head on her lap. Speaking of which, the sensation supporting the back of his head not only felt soft but also elastic.

Friendly, eager to help others, yet also quite careless, this was Juujouji Orihime.

Forgetting to cover her chest when running over here to care for Hal and even resting his head on her lap.

"H-Hang in there, Senpai!"

After her, Hazumi leaned in too.

Pure as an angel, the junior student was kneeling on the floor, gazing at Hal's face with worry. That being said, she had not neglected to cover her naked chest with her right arm.

Even so—

The valley of a fourteen-year-old's cleavage was still drawing attention vividly before his eyes.

Crap. Staring at curvature that was plenty for her age, Hal warned himself.

All things considered, it would be quite inappropriate for a gentleman to continue admiring the girls' unseemly state of undress in this manner.

Hal shut his eyes tight.

He intended to cut off the stream of visual data by pretending to faint.

"Haruga-kun, pull yourself together!" "Senpai!"

The bowl-like F-cups and the valley disappeared from sight too.

After that, while struggling in a world of darkness against the thought of "I still wanna open my eyes with a slight gap," Hal thought back.

Right before falling down just now, the last thing he saw was—

Luna Francois had hastily picked up a towel to cover up her outstanding figure and glared viciously at Hal. Presumably, exposing her naked body to him was quite a blow to her.

Luna, always so elegant and crafty.

But at that moment, her entire body had been shaking in anger.
[[image:Leviathan 04 136.jpg|thumb]]

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| Back to [[Leviathan:Volume_4_Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Leviathan of the Covenant#Volume_4_.28Full_Text.29|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Leviathan:Volume 4 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Leviathan:Volume 3 Epilogue

2016-02-03T03:56:13Z

107.192.1.128: /* Epilogue */

==Epilogue==

A few days had passed after the battle against the dragons occupying Tokyo New Town.

New Town was back to normal, in a way. After Exhos died, all affected New Town residents began to wake up naturally. The "freeze" magic had probably been sustained by the old dragon's magical power.

However, there were many problems.

Four days of frozen hibernation had caused temporary memory confusion and reduction in muscle strength—Rescued citizens were plagued by such symptoms to various extents in the immediate term.

That being said, it was quite fortunate that side effects only went as far as this.

"But the number of times for dragons to appear at New Town in the past few months... has been truly unusual. Even laymen can probably feel that something is amiss," said the shrugging Luna Francois, dressed in the Academy's uniform.

Classes had finally resumed at Kogetsu Academy today. After school, Hal's group was gathered at an open-air cafe's sidewalk seating. Hal, Orihime, Asya and Hazumi were all present.

"I heard that many people are taking this occupation incident as an opportunity to move out of New Town."

"I think almost ten people in our homeroom transferred schools too."

After listening to Luna's news, Hazumi concurred with a sad expression. Hearing that, Asya sighed.

"But even from the viewpoint of experts such as us, the current Tokyo is a dangerous land too."

"Bluntly stated, it's turned into an amphitheater where dragons gather to battle it out."

Hal looked in the southwest direction after whispering calmly.

From this off-campus outdoor seating, one could see the pure-black Monolith towering in the direction of what was formerly Ginza. As expected of a landmark a kilometer tall.

The Rune of the Sword in the air above the Monolith had vanished.

Hal recalled his conversation with Pavel Galad that had taken place after the battle.

Supporting each other, Hal and Orihime had returned to Galad's position.

Still in human form, sitting motionlessly on the ground, the silver dragon did not congratulate them on their victory. Not only that, but he also extended his hand with a bitter expression. As a result, the Rune of the Sword vanished from the center of Hal's palm.

In return, a longsword stained with fresh blood appeared in the dragon's right hand. Naturally, it was the dragonslaying sword.

Stabbing the sword into the ground, Galad ran his finger over the blade that had been dyed bright red from True Genbu-Ou's blood, then licked off the blood sticking to his fingertip.

Instantly, the extremely weakened Galad began to show vigor in his gaze. He suddenly stood up.

"Sure enough, a female serpent's blood is an elixir more potent than anything..."

"The dragon called Soth also did something similar. By the way, I never knew that dragonslaying runes could be lent out."

"However, it ultimately requires the owner's permission."

A dragon and a human. Two men of different races yet encountering similar situations.

Nevertheless, Galad turned his back to Hal and began to walk away, holding the dragonslaying sword in his hand.

"Where are you going?"

"I have no intention of telling you. However, We will probably meet again in the near future. As compatriots bearing the power of dragonbane, it is inevitable."

Without pausing in his steps or turning to face Hal, Galad said to him, "I shall say this in advance. When the time comes, I will not show mercy at all. The debt I owe to you—no, to you humans—has already been repaid by my lending out of the sword. That is how I think of it."

Parting words.

Only after Galad had disappeared from view did Hal finally notice. The Rune of the Sword had vanished from above the Monolith. The dragon warrior had abandoned the conquest of Tokyo for now.

Perhaps he had also given up on the Road to Kingship?

No. Hal rejected this line of speculation. Most likely, he would learn from this failure and focus on conquering the game in a different manner compared to before. That was a dragon's true nature.

"Is that Galad guy still in Tokyo?"

"It's not impossible, I guess. By the way, Haruomi and Orihime-san too..."

Amidst a peaceful atmosphere, Asya suddenly acted aggressively.

She was staring suspiciously straight at Hal and Orihime.

"Is something the matter, Asya-san? You are making a strange expression."

"There's something really bothering me. Listen carefully, Hazumi-san has been sticking to Haruomi for the past half a month. Like right now."

Round tables were used for the cafe's sidewalk seating. Hal's group was seated around the table.

Sitting on Hal's right was Hazumi. Suddenly confronted with Asya's intent stare, the girl, who was as benevolent as an angel, smiled tenderly.

"Now that you mention it, indeed, that has been the case. Yes. Just as you say, Asya-san, lately I've been sticking to Senpai almost the whole time."

"Th-That's exactly it. Seriously, Hazumi-san, I can't believe you're hanging around Haruomi as naturally as air!"

With shoulders shaking, Asya then looked at Orihime.

"And the new problem is that someone else has mastered the same special skill before I knew it. That's right, Orihime-san—You!"

"Uh, may I ask what do you mean by that?"

Asya pointed her name out as though she were a master detective solving a homicide case. Orihime was instantly stunned.

"Did I do anything unusual?"

"Yes! Why do you keep hanging around Haruomi for the past few days!?"

" "Huh?" "

Hal and Orihime, who was sitting on his left, exchanged looks.

Speaking of which, although Hal had been running all over the place to handle the aftermath, there were also many opportunities for him to be with Orihime. Since the two of them had been on the frontline to the very end in resolving the incident, it was less of a hassle to do it this way. Furthermore, whenever they were together in the same space—

Hal would subconsciously move closer to Orihime.

Meanwhile, Orihime would immediately lean close whenever she saw Hal's face.

Ever since the two of them overcame the final trial, the instant when they had returned in triumph locked in mutual embrace, Hal and Orihime had been acting like this.

However, Hal could not explain why things developed this way.

"Well, think about it. Being together makes it more convenient to handle many things."

"I-Indeed. It's better with two people going to the same place together."

"And after launching the final blow, Juujouji was totally exhausted. I was worrying whether there might be aftereffects or the like."

"Haruga-kun, you've been very tired lately... I am worried about you too."

"No way. There's no need to worry about me. Despite how I may look, I'm actually quite tough."

"If anything, I am the one who is stronger than I look. Hence, Haruga-kun, you are still the more worrying case. Are you still sleeping insufficiently? Have you been eating properly?"

"Those areas are fine. Juujouji, you're really acting like a mother who loves to worry."

"H-Hold on, at least use 'older sister' instead!"

"Fufu. Asya-san is right. Lately, Nee-sama and Senpai have definitely gotten along much better. I'd really like to join in too."

Sometimes worrying about each other, sometimes joking with each other, sometimes caring deeply for each other.

Seeing Hal and her cousin so close, Hazumi seemed quite gratified.

Her smile conveyed pure joy celebrating the fact that two people close to her were getting along in harmony. Hazumi was definitely quite adorable in this regard.

Hal and Orihime smiled and looked at Hazumi in spontaneous simultaneity.

"Oh right. Since you need proper nutrition, Haruga-kun, why don't you come to my house for hotpot tonight? I'll call home to tell them to make preparations, so Hazumi, you can come along too."

"Really!? Fufu, I feel like it will be joyful meal, Senpai."

"But that grandfather of yours is also at the Juujouji house."

"Not like it matters. If it's you, Haruga-kun, even when confronted with my grandfather, you will still succeed in handling him tactfully, won't you? Oh, if you are free, Asya-san and Luna-san, please join us too."

"I-I don't really mind, but can we get a little bit back to the original topic...?" Asya replied in a trembling voice after accepting the joyful invitation stiffly.

With shoulders shaking, she was glaring angrily at Hal as though she were looking at a sex offender.

"Th-This is what I'm talking about! You're just Haruomi, what's with this playboy behavior!? I can't believe you're living the good life with a lady on each arm! G-G-G-Go back and reflect properly!"

"W-Who cares? It's way better than being on poor terms, right?"

"It's a matter of degree!"

"Fufufufu. It feels quite awesome and exciting to see Asya brandishing her fangs and claws like a wild beast. This sort of entertainment suits my tastes perfectly."

"You over there! Stop treating other people's stress as entertainment material!"

Despite Asya's forceful retort, Luna Francois ignored her with a completely nonchalant expression

Speaking of which—Hal looked at Luna's uniformed attire and asked, "By the way, Luna, why are you wearing a uniform again today?"

"So that I can frequent the school openly, right? I still have to complete transfer procedures."

"Transfer!?"

Not just Hal but all the others stared wide-eyed at the American witch.

"Didn't you say this earlier, Harry? Right now, Tokyo is the amphitheater where dragons gather. As the Trans-Pacific Shootdown Ace, after all, it goes without saying that I cannot sit back and do nothing."

"Well, you do have a point..."

"Besides, there is that other job, isn't there? Naturally, I have made all possible preparations to handle all personal requests in addition to this one. As Harry's representative," said Luna Francois with a wink.

Hearing her give an official answer to his request from several days earlier, Hal nodded gratefully.

"Then there's no time to lose. I'd like to find out how Pops got his hands on that weird rock."

"In that case, I shall first investigate the research materials your father left abroad."

"That'd be great. Also... After surviving the last incident, I've come to learn that it's not a bad idea to get my hands on another one. I hope you can help in searching for it."

"Searching for what?"

"Something that's the same as my bow and Galad's sword—namely, dragonslaying runes."

Just as everyone jumped in surprise by his statement, Hal's cellphone rang.

Hal looked at the screen to see that it was a call from Mutou-san, presumably to invite them to visit the UFO Research Club.

She and Funaki-san were quite anxious to hear Hal's group explain about "what happened last time." As expected, it looked like things were about to get very busy in the near term.

Hal sighed lightly and pressed the button on the screen to pick up the call.

Then night arrived.

After ending a rushed and eventful day, Hal came to the shore of the Sumida River. He had parted ways with the unexpected group of friends he had acquired since returning to Tokyo. Right now, he was alone.

Just by summoning with his voice, the gun-shaped magic wand and its guardian would appear.

However, there was nothing urgent requiring her presence. Hence, Hal strolled along the river embankment under the night sky, fully enjoying the relaxing solitude. However, once the situation settled a bit more, he still needed to find that former dragon king to hold a "strategy conference"—

"Still, assembling a team to go searching the world to gather items or find new weapons, etc... This is getting more and more like an RPG."

This type of poignant impression instantly surged in his heart as soon as he looked back at Haruga Haruomi's current state of affairs.

Hal extended his right hand towards the starry sky. This was the hand where the dragonslaying rune resided. Then he focused his consciousness—As a result, his right hand began to reflect sparkling starlight as though it were made of glass.

This transformation had started from his right wrist.

It was as though the surface was covered by a thin layer of glass.

However, all the joints in his fingers and wrist could still bend and move as he pleased. Hal had unintentionally discovered this change after his victory over Pavel Galad. At the time, it was only his fingertips, but now it had spread to his palm and the back of his hand.

"Sigh, my heart is no longer normal after all..."

Hal sighed and allowed his focused attention to scatter. The glow of his right hand disappeared as a result.

How long was the current situation going to persist for? No amount of contemplation would help the matter, hence Hal shrugged and stopped walking. Surely, a slightly weary expression must be showing on his face right now.

Hal shook his head and started walking again.

It was time to go home—Just as Hal spontaneously thought that...

On the Sumida River's embankment, it was possible to see the glowing emblem clearly above the Monolith in the Old Tokyo Concession. The design of a horizontal oval surrounding a narrow isosceles triangle... It was the Rune of the Arrow.

Princess Yukikaze had declared her occupation of Tokyo in Pavel Galad's stead!

Then Hal's right palm heated up. This feeling was—He immediately summoned the magic gun.

"Brat, she is coming."

The magic gun warned him discreetly in Hinokagutsuchi's voice.

Soon after, the girl in the white one-piece dress descended from the sky. In addition, she turned her body elegantly as though to deliver a spinning kick at Hal's face from midair—

Hal immediately deployed imperishable protection.

However, the snow fairy-like black-haired young beauty nonchalantly allowed her kick to connect. Although Hal was unharmed thanks to the protection, he was sent flying by the impact. Next, the girl landed on top of Hal.

Descending from the sky, the girl sat on Hal's waist, resulting in what was known as a "mounted position" in mixed martial arts.

"Fufufufu, I commend you for not being careless. I shall praise you, Haruomi."

Speaking from a higher position whether mentally or physically, this was Princess Yukikaze, of course.

Presumably, she was praising Hal for extending his right hand to point the magic gun at Princess Yukikaze's lovely visage despite being pinned down. Nevertheless, she also had her right hand position against Hal's throat in a karate chop stance. Both sides had drawn their weapons at each other.

"I'm truly embarrassed by your praise. But given this rare event of a girl falling from the sky, I'd rather wish for an unexpected romantic comedy to unfold instead..."

"What profound words, incomprehensible to me they may be."

"Yeah. I'm thinking every Japanese who loves rom-coms will agree with me."

Despite being straddled by a girl who had descended from the sky, Hal was having a friendly conversation with her.

Nevertheless, Hal kept the gun aimed at her whereas she was gazing down at Hal calmly. What an unbelievable situation.

After this posture persisted for a while, the princess suddenly laughed before standing up.

"Haruomi, do you know why I have come to find you tonight?"

"A declaration of war, I guess?"

"Not quite. It is to declare my victory, Yukikaze's."

Considering the literal words only, this was definitely quite an arrogant declaration of victory. However, it sounded unbelievably refreshing coming from Princess Yukikaze. Surely this must the result of personal character.

A paragon of regal style, the beautiful maiden smiled cheerfully.

Hal sighed and stared at her while slowly standing up.

"Starting from this moment, this city and all of Japan belongs to me. Oh my, even though I don't intend to abuse the citizens, I, Yukikaze, am quite whimsical after all. When the time comes, I might be causing trouble for the populace. You, tell them to be accommodating."

"But I'm not your spokesperson, Your Highness."

"Fufu. That might not be such a bad idea. I, Yukikaze, like you very much. There is no man like you among the dragons."

"Of course. I'm a human, after all."

Hal did not insert the word "still" in his direct response. The princess smiled even more.

"Haruomi, ours is a relationship where a decisive duel between us is inevitable. If I defeat you and you're fortunate enough to survive, I, Yukikaze will offer you a chance."

"A chance?"

"Yes. You can become my minion."

After saying this fluently, the princess stared at Hal with a conceited and strict expression.

"If you turn out to be a warrior capable of surviving an encounter against me on the battlefield... A reward of this level would be richly deserved. Do your best, Haruomi!"

Certain death to those who fight her—The princess was subtly making such a declaration.

Parting with words very much in her style, Princess Yukikaze left Hal. Although she was walking with her unguarded back exposed to him, Hal had no intention of shooting her, of course. Because it could not possibly work.

Soon after, the magic surfboard flew over from somewhere.

Jumping vigorously onto the surfboard, Princess Yukikaze flew away lightly in the night sky.

Her destination was the Old Tokyo Concession—towards the bizarre presence of the pure-black triangular prism of a Monolith and the ostentatious Rune of the Arrow.

"In other words, the demon lord's castle has been built right next to our city? Described in RPG terms..."

Starting this night, the Old Tokyo wasteland had become territory under the beautiful dragon king.

Watching the princess flying away, Hal understood that a new adventure had already begun.

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| Back to [[Leviathan:Volume_3_Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Leviathan of the Covenant#Volume_3_.28Full_Text.29|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Leviathan:Volume 3 Afterword|Afterword]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Leviathan:Volume 4 Chapter 2

2016-02-03T03:54:07Z

107.192.1.128: /* Chapter 2 - Towards the World Outside */

==Chapter 2 - Towards the World Outside==

===Part 1===

Tokyo New Town had returned to a life of peace and stability for now. Although Hal and company knew that the situation would certainly not last indefinitely, for now, things were still in a rather relaxed state.

However, a certain person was injecting into their peaceful lives the poison known as "irregularity."

Namely, one of Hal's companions, Luna Francois Gregory.

"Welcome, Harry. Likewise to you, Asya, welcome to my office."

"W-What on earth made the school prepare this for you, a mere student..."

Asya grumbled with displeasure at the smug Luna Francois.

This was a small room somewhere in school. All the furniture including tables, chairs, cupboards and bookshelves were made of mahogany, resulting in a classic ambiance of elegance.

Thanks to the decor, the room had a solemn atmosphere almost like a principal's office.

However, the one sitting before the desk as the owner of the office was Luna Francois. Yet not only was she a student but she had only transferred in less than a month ago.

Luna went tsk-tsk and waggled her right index finger.

"Please allow me to make a correction. I am no ordinary student. In fact, as early as a week ago, I had been offered a position as a non-executive director on this school's board. Although I wanted to decline, seeing as it would be living too far above my means, at the school's repeated behest, I had no choice but to reluctantly..."

"As an American minor, Luna, receiving such an invitation is impossible!" Asya pointed out in fury.

"You clearly schemed your way with underhanded means to snag yourself that position!"

"Fufufufu. That would be a groundless accusation, Asya. Oh dear, all things considered, this school was founded with SAURU's funding and I am an important member of that organization. It wouldn't be surprising even if there were one or two unnatural and improper personnel assignments... Nevertheless, do you really think I would engage in such a ploy?"

"Isn't this tantamount to a confession already!?"

Luna Francois simply smiled tenderly at her fellow witch's accusation.

Meanwhile, Hal was thoroughly impressed by her shrewdness and asked, "Luna, you became the leader of SAURU's Kantou branch earlier too, could it be that you enjoy collecting these kinds of titles?"

"No, I have no interest in these worldly positions and titles."

The blonde witch winked lightly and replied.

"Conversely, I do enjoy exercising the convenient privileges that come along with status, such as this office provided for a non-executive director's use. Don't you find it very handy for skipping boring lessons?"

"Well said. If possible, please nominate me as the non-executive director's secretary."

"Oh dear, Harry. You are such a bad boy."

"Nowhere as impressive as you, my lord magistrate. By the way, I recently found the Tokyo specialty known as the 'golden monaka,' would you like to take some?"

"Really? But compared to confectionery, I still prefer genuine 24K gold."

"W-Why do you two look like you're really hitting it off!?"

Asya glared at Hal intently and grumbled.

This prompted Luna Francois to chuckle lightly with elegance.

"Seeing as this is a school, although it would pose ''no difficulty'' to find people who can recommend me to serve as a student leader—the student council president... I ruled it out in the end. After all, the student council president is tied down by all kinds of mundane business to handle."

"Rather, that is pretty much the position in charge of mundane business."

"I know, right? While obtaining special positions, I feel that even if they come with special privileges, sinecures with a minimum of responsibilities would be best. Sure enough, aren't we of like minds, Harry?"

"That goes without saying. It's better for work to be more leisurely. No argument there."

"I can't feel any vitality or spirit of diligence here. That's so counter to the image of teenage high schoolers. Are you two comrades in that sense...?"

"That's true too. I guess I feel quite compatible with Luna?"

Hal nodded in agreement with Asya's comment.

Undoubtedly, Luna Francois was someone who lived in a gray zone tending towards black. Not only that, but she would occasionally employ "black" methods without hesitation to secure her own interests.

The two of them were birds of a feather in that aspect. This was also why Hal felt a sense of camaraderie with her.

"By the way, Luna, did you call us here just to introduce this office to us?"

"Yes. Please feel free to drop by any time you wish. Do remember to bring some snacks over when you come. I adore the cookies that Asya bakes. However, the cakes and pies from Asya's dessert factory have an excessive abundance of calories, so once a month would be plenty enough♪"

"Demanding gifts matter-of-factly and even placing orders so haughtily!?"

Shocked by her fellow witch's demands, Asya shrugged.

Lessons were over for the day at the high school division.

"Then I'm heading out first. There's a test involving Rushalka later and I need to get to Tokyo Bay by taking a JMSDF battleship."

During the decisive battle the previous month, Asya's "serpent"—Rushalka—had been reborn.

After that, Asya had summoned her partner many times to carry out tests on various abilities including flying, mobility and pseudo-divinity over Tokyo Bay's waters.

Renowned in the past as Europe's strongest, Blue Rushalka, no problems had been found so far.

"If there are no problems today, it's time to certify Rushalka as fully revived."

"The European side will surely weep with joy if they found out. There will be an instant onslaught of loving calls to get you to go back, right?"

"That might happen, but a super formidable enemy, dragon king-class, is currently lurking in Tokyo after all," Asya responded to Hal.

"In the short term—I've no plans of returning."

"Fufufu. Are you worried by any chance? Because a woman like me is at Harry's side."

Smiling malevolently on the side was the blonde beauty, Luna Francois.

"All things considered, I am someone blessed with talent, intelligence and beauty while simultaneously favored by position and authority to an unbelievable extent... Even in a place like this, I am quite sought after (unlike Asya)."

"Hey! You added something unnecessary at the end, didn't you!?"

"No, nothing at all♪"

"Sheesh... Sigh, although I don't think I need to take your bragging nonsense seriously, I guess I should still respond. It's true, given Luna's deceptive way with words, casually captivating ten or twenty boys shouldn't be anything hard."

Hal had heard. The number of boys who confessed to Luna Francois Gregory had reached twenty-three so far. Even a cult of worshipers akin to a fan club was apparently in the works.

This news came not from elsewhere but enthusiastically from Luna herself.

"But something big like Haruomi having weird feelings for Luna, that's totally impossible."

"Oh dear, I cannot believe you would assert that."

Luna Francois frowned with surprise.

Most likely, she had always felt confident in her ability to toy with Asya on the palm of her hand.

However, Europe's former Shootdown Ace was now puffing out her meager chest in confidence. This composure made Luna Francois incredulous.

"In that case, there should be no problem if Harry and I were to go on a date tonight, right? I shall tempt him and captivate him with my charm."

"Be my guest and do whatever you want. The I'm off now."

Saying that, Asya left the office on her own.

Her pace was unusually fast. Slightly displeased, Luna Francois watched her leave then faced Hal again to suddenly smile.

"Now that Asya has said so, let us begin tonight. What are your thoughts, Harry?"

"Putting that aside... Think about it, we still have business to handle today, right? Before leaving, I'd like to get a few miscellaneous tasks sorted out. It's time for us to go too."

Tactfully brushing the issue aside, Hal made his way to the door.

Luna Francois' smile twitched slightly for an instant. However, she immediately recovered her elegance and reached for her schoolbag.

Thus, Hal and Luna Francois entered the corridor together.

While walking to their destination that was determined in advance, Luna secretly felt impressed. Asya's understanding of this childhood friend bound by inseparable ties—Haruga Haruomi's thought processes—was truly thorough...

Hal and Luna left the high school division and walked to the cultural clubs building.

The place where all culture-related clubs were gathered, it was a building adjacent to the library. The pair's destination was the room of the UFO Research Club on the third floor.

"Ah. Haruga-kun and... the rumored transfer student."

Although President M's gigantic figure was nowhere to be seen, someone else had already arrived at the UFO Research Club. A female student facing a laptop on the long table—Mutou-san.

"I knew it, she's someone in your circle—SAURU. Given how she transferred at the very end of the first term and also after Tokyo's occupation, I was certain of my guess. Could it be that she's a so-called witch like Juujouji-san and the others?"

"Correct. This perceptiveness already makes hiring you worth it."

"Fufufu. Actually, I have a gift for you."

Luna Francois smiled tenderly and took out something from her schoolbag.

It was a keycard, a key for entering the newly built Witch Mansion under the library. That place was also where Hal had obtained Hinokagutsuchi's heartmetal last month.

"Haven't you heard from Harry? This is an invitation to the secret garden."

"Wow. I humbly accept with gratitude."

Smiling, Mutou-san picked up the card that the blonde stranger had placed on the long table.

"Oh by the way, about the materials Haruga-kun sent me, I've forwarded them to the UFO Research Club's Sakuraba-senpai too, so you should get a response soon. Apart from that, after reading it, something bothers me."

Mutou-san turned the laptop screen towards Hal.

Displayed there was the basic information about leviathans, witches and dragons that he had sent her the previous day. Passionate in her research, she kept diligently seeking knowledge even after school.

"Looking at the number of witches stationed across various eastern Asian countries... Japan, China, Korea and Indonesia have way more than the others. Does this have anything to do with economic conditions?"

"I suppose it does. After all, forging witch covenants is one of the services provided by SAURU for payment."

"Since the sponsors are local authorities or businesses, the economic climate inevitably has an effect. This cannot be helped either."

"Just as suspected. I was wondering if that was the reason."

Mutou-san nodded with understanding after listening to Hal and Luna Francois' answers.

"Howevever, 'serpents' can't be mass produced using money alone."

"The most important is finding girls with inborn aptitude to become witches. Apart from that, obtaining enchanted artifacts to become leviathan cores—Grave Goods—is very important too. Even for economically wealthy countries, the number of 'serpents' is only ''slightly more than for poor countries''."

"I see now. Oh, there's one more thing—"

Mutou-san continued, "As an amateur who's just starting to learn the ropes, this might be a subjective opinion, I guess? I feel that SAURU is a bit stingy for treating witch and dragon matters as secrets when they're making money from that kind of business. Things would go more smoothly if they did things in a more aboveboard manner."

"That aspect is very influenced by the outlook of the ''old ladies''."

"Who are they?"

"They're consultants and supervisors who are very important to the leaders operating SAURU."

"Furthermore, they are also eyesores. A collective composed of old ladies who only like to reminisce about the past. Incidentally, they are still talking about matters from three hundred years ago even though it's already the twenty-first century, which is a bit too..."

"It seems quite useless to be concerned about witch hunts and inquisitions by this point."

Just as the topic started to offer Mutou-san a glimpse at the inside story—

A clatter of footsteps were heard from the corridor. Next, the UFO Research Club's door was flung open loudly. However, the one who entered was not a member of the club.

"Thank goodness, you're all here! Hey hey, listen up, listen up!"

It was the other classmate, Funaki-san, who had signed an employment contract with Hal.

Her twintails were shaking on the sides of her head. Looking like she had sprinted over as fast as she could, Funaki-san was panting heavily.

"Just now, I discovered someone amazing at the Kanegafuchi Station!"

The area around Kanegafuchi Station on the New Town Loop Line—

Prior to the return of dragonkind, it was just a suburban town of limited size. But the large-scale assaults of Raptors fifteen or so years ago had brought devastation to the surrounding area. After that, with the establishment of Tokyo New Town, this neighborhood had been redeveloped into an office district persisting to the present day.

The Metropolitan Police Department was also headquartered there. It was a neighborhood where Hal and the witches frequently visited.

Who exactly had she spotted there? The gossip-loving Funaki-san spoke up, "It's the handsome foreigner who was with us during the New Town Occupation last time."

"You mean the man who transformed into a dragon—no, the silver dragon that had merely taken on human form!?"

Listening to her classmate's report, Mutou-san jumped in surprise.

"Yeah, because he's so conspicuous, I couldn't possibly be mistaken. Although I chased after him in a hurry, I lost him along the way. But that dragon person is definitely still in New Town."

Possibly a bit excited to see the handsome man's lovely face, Funaki-san was grinning from ear to ear.

In contrast, Hal frowned. The silver dragon Pavel Galad was still lurking somewhere in the Tokyo area. Most likely, he was plotting for a comeback.

Like Hal and company, he was probably making thorough preparations while taking precautions for the next commotion.

"We have no choice but to prepare properly for the next time too. Let us depart, Harry."

"Yeah. Let's meet up with Juujouji earlier and go together to see how ''that person'' is doing."

Thus, the miscellaneous task of handing the keycard to Mutou-san was done.

However, the day's main event had yet to debut. Hal and Luna exchanged nods.

===Part 2===

Roughly two hours later, Hal was at a different venue. Taking a taxi together with Luna Francois, he had gone to a hotel near Kanegafuchi Station.

The sixty-story skyscraper was a luxury hotel whose premises were deemed "super" from the fortieth floor and up.

This was originally a place where Haruga Haruomi would never frequent on his own.

Hal had always used reasonably priced inns or business hotels. The lack of hot water for baths was not an infrequent occurrence.

However, the same did not apply to the girl accompanying him. The large suite situated on the fifty-fifth floor of this building was precisely Luna Francois' "new residence." Back when she first decided to live in Tokyo New Town, moving house and living alone were considered too much of a hassle. Hence, she chose to live in a hotel instead.

As was customary, a master-class witch would be handsomely compensated for each sortie.

Luna Francois had dominated the trans-Pacific region as the Shootdown Ace for four years already. This extravagant lifestyle was befitting of her position and wealth.

After meeting up with Orihime who was waiting in the hotel lobby, the group's destination was—

"Hmm... Indeed it is not a bad contrivance."

The location was a heated swimming pool on the fifty-eighth floor of the skyscraper. A hotel facility.

Murmuring with a haughty expression was Hinokagutsuchi. The former queen of dragons was reclining lazily on a poolside lounge chair.

Furthermore, casually lifted in her hand was a glass filled with golden champagne.

"It was worth specially preparing this reception to hear this response of yours."

"Brat, is this going according to your plan?"

"I thought up the basic concept but I left stuff like the specific venue to Luna to plan out. The remaining preparations were only just completed by enlisting Juujouji's help—Something like that."

Sitting on the diving board on the poolside in his swimming trunks, Hal answered leisurely.

In addition, Hinokagutsuchi had finally changed her attire from her usual scarlet kimono. Like Hal, she was in swimwear.

A young body corresponding to an eleven or twelve-year-old's, clad in a red bikini.

"I see now. A venue overlooking the lower world from a great height could be considered a contrivance befitting an exalted queen such as I. It appears that you are quite well-versed in the etiquette of pleasing important guests."

"In return, please continue to look after us by providing information and various support."

"Well, I shall consider it."

It was currently after 7pm.

Looking down from this fifty-eighth floor, whose walls were made of glass, the night scenery of New Town was akin to hundreds of gemstones scattered on black velvet—Extravagant with a dash of decadence.

With the night scenery as a side dish to go along with her drink, Hinokagutsuchi downed her glass of champagne in one breath.

"Thanks, Juujouji."

"Uh... Is this the moment when I should be offering 'Would you like another glass?'"

"It would not be a bad idea. However, I am personally looking forward to an elaborate performance along the lines of 'pouring wine while providing a deliberate view of your chest.'"

"K-Kagutsuchi-san. You really must rein in such words of sexual harassment!"

Orihime sighed and approached. The novice witch was also dressed in a bikini.

The white two-piece swimsuit, pure and simple, looked quite good on her. Orihime tilted the champagne bottle in her hand and refilled Hinokagutsuchi's glass.

"My goodness. And I was wondering what it was about when suddenly told that we had to assemble at a hotel..."

"Well actually, I could be the waiter to serve her too."

"Spare me that sort of farce. As if anyone would drink alcohol poured by a squalid man. Rather, it would be an insult to me, one who had been served by hundreds of priestesses and shrine maidens with reverence."

"I knew she was going to gripe like that."

"That's why you asked Orihime-san and I to offer our services, isn't that right?"

It was Luna Francois who spoke this time.
[[image:Leviathan 04 053.jpg|thumb]]

She was dressed in an extremely attractive, even seductive, black bikini while holding a dish piled with fruit. It was like a small mountain of watermelon, pineapple, mango, lemon, banana, lychee, papaya, etc.

"If it would please you, shall I use this fruit to concoct a cocktail for you?"

"Mm-hmm. You may have free rein."

Hinokagutsuchi partially closed her eyes in satisfaction in response to Luna Francois' suggestion.

Her mood definitely seemed better than usual. Sure enough, she was very appreciative of female company despite calling herself a "queen"... Not only that, she clearly enjoyed ''the female form''.

Hal nodded while giving a warning, "Let's be upfront with the rules. No making moves on the dancer girls."

"Well, fine. The pleasures of debauchery shall be enjoyed another day. Impatience is ill-suited to merrymaking in that arena. Only by taking things step by step will one be able to fully savor the experience."

"Now that's quite convincing coming from a former queen."

"Th-That kind of event isn't going to happen any time, even in the future! Kagutsuchi-san!"

As a side note, these familiar faces were the only ones present at the pool. For the sake of today's reception, Luna Francois had reserved the entire venue.

While being served by two beautiful maidens, Hinokagutsuchi sipped cold champagne.

Her sharp gaze was directed at New Town's night scenery every now and then. Haughty and indomitable, the way she conducted herself exuded dignity befitting a self-styled "queen" with every move.

It was not just the night scenery. Likewise, she was examining the girls next to her with satisfaction.

As mentioned previously, Orihime's was white while Luna Francois was clad in a black bikini. The two of them were also wearing pareos around their waists and artificial flower wreaths on their heads.

But more importantly—

Orihime and Luna Francois had excellent figures to begin with.

Hal had already confirmed the wonders of Juujouji Orihime's body with his eyes and his right hand. Now that he was allowed to confirm again at the poolside, it was truly a feast for the eyes.

Those bulges of her bosom, estimated to be F-cups. The curve of a tight, narrow waist. The wondrous roundness of the buttocks.

Going further, there were those thighs, so slender despite their overall fullness, tracing out beautiful curves all the way to her ankles in a display of irresistible charm. Whether the sexiness in the line of the neck or the posture of her body, slightly huddled in embarrassment, everything was beautiful. Beyond perfect.

Next, there was—Luna Francois.

With her standing next to Orihime, one could see that she had an excellent figure rivaling the young Japanese maiden's.

However, Luna Francois was actually a bit taller, probably around 170cm. Although the various sizes as indicated by her height and BWH measurements were overall similar to Orihime's, the American girl edged out slightly in the bust and hip numbers...

Inexplicably voluptuous despite a very slim figure overall.

Luna Francois' body was a perfect coexistence of two contrary elements.

Furthermore, the hue of her complexion was very striking. Orihime had healthy ivory-tone skin but in contrast, Luna Francois' skin was breathtakingly pale and as smooth as porcelain.

Delicate skin texture with excellent suppleness.

Luna was apparently a frequent patron of this hotel's beauty salon. The creation of such extravagant beauty would be impossible without being backed by a commensurate input of time, effort and money.

"Although it might be a little late to mention now, may I ask a question?"

Orihime suddenly spoke up.

"I have no problem with holding a reception as a gesture of gratitude for Kagutsuchi-san's many acts of guidance, but it seems that Haruga-kun's presence isn't necessary..."

"What are you talking about, Juujouji? But what you make a perfectly valid point."

Hal put on a serious poker face and objected.

"Even someone like me would want to seize rare fortune once in a while. And now is exactly one of those occasions!"

"Abundant honesty in this area is precisely one of those things that make Harry amusing... Oh well, a mere look at swimsuits would not be too much as a privileged perk for the show's producer."

Luna smiled malevolently after offering her opinion and immediately winked suggestively at Hal.

"Or would you rather see something more amazing?"

"L-Luna-san, Haruga-kun is a covert pervert. You mustn't tease him recklessly!"

"I-I do draw the line somewhere proper, you know? Stop worrying about me."

After defending himself, Hal turned his gaze to Hinokagutsuchi's prepubescent body in a swimsuit.

"Anyway, information is essential to us right now. Although I'm not going to demand that you spit out everything you know, please try to tell us as much potentially useful information as possible."

Dressed in swimwear like the girls, Hal spoke to Hinokagutsuchi once more.

He summoned the magic gun—the magic wand—with his right hand. This was currently the vessel possessed by the ghost of the former dragon as well as the "testament to the covenant" between Hal and Hinokagutsuchi.

"You can have as many receptions for thanks as you like. I'll even prostrate myself if need be. Please."

"Well, after all, you and I are currently in the same boat, so to speak..."

Showing a faint smile, Hinokagutsuchi emptied her glass again.

Orihime immediately refilled the champagne. Bubbles of carbon dioxide popped audibly.

"If you cater to me dutifully, perhaps I might tell stories from the past or offer rare advice on whim. Be that as it may, I have no intention of going chronologically in sequence. Naturally, I cannot be bothered to teach tirelessly in earnest detail either. Listen carefully if you understand."

"That goes without saying."

"In that case, may I ask a question right off the bat?"

In front of the nodding Hal, Luna Francois spoke up.

"It was quite inconvenient last time with me being the only one unable to use the Rune of the Bow, wasn't it? I wish to make proper use of that rune's magical power, whatever it takes."

"Oh—?"

"So how exactly could it be done? Personally, I intend to assist Harry without reservation."

"Listen, blonde priestess, the reason is due to your harboring of ulterior motives."

After asserting that, Hinokagutsuchi snickered and did not continue her answer.

"Meaning she can't become a vassal unless she aids me while abandoning all thought of risk and benefit, you know? Consider this, Master Bruce Lee used to say 'don't think, feel,' right?"

"...In other words, the crucial element consists of guiding principles along the likes of friendship power and bonds of the heart?"

"Yeah. Basically those shounen manga principles that transcend logic and foreshadowing. Friendship, hard work, victory."

After listening to Hal's explanation, Luna Francois fell into deep thought.

But before long, she gazed at Hinokagutsuchi's smiling face and asked again, "Now that I understand the precondition, please allow me to ask another question. A secret technique to easily borrow Harry's power without having to jump through this massive nuisance of attached strings—Is there really none?"

"...You two are truly alike."

"...I don't deny that."

Hal admitted it without thinking, prompting Hinokagtsuchi to shrug.

"In that case, the rest depends on this brat. If he were to desire your loyalty and submission from the bottom of his heart, wishing to claim your body and soul for his own possession, he could apparently regard you as a vassal by force."

"Is that so? In other words, there is a method after all."

Luna Francois smiled suspiciously after listening to Hinokagutsuchi.

Meanwhile, watching on the side with a champagne bottle in her hand. Orihime began to grow anxious for some reason.

"H-Hold on, Luna-san. Although Haruga-kun looks like a herbivore, his true nature is a boy both covert and perverted. If you tease him like this, the dark side of the Force might accidentally awaken. Please beware!"

"Hmm—Orihime-san, could it be that you have experienced it personally yourself?"

"N-No, I haven't. It was just an objective deduction. Haruga-kun, you too, stop getting funny ideas!"

"I-I know. Putting that aside, I do have a question too."

Since the conversation had strayed in a weird direction, Hal instantly changed the subject.

"Whether the secret of dragons or Princess Yukikaze's origins, I've got a ton of things I want to know. But out of all that, there's something I want to know with top priority."

"Oh? And what question is burning you to such an extent, brat?"

"If there are dragonslaying runes still scattered somewhere on Earth, can you tell me where? Although we've got the Bow in our possession at the current stage, I'd like to get my hands on one or two more runes."

Orihime and Luna reacted with surprise. In the earlier battle against True Genbu-Ou, what finally became the decisive factor for victory had been the Rune of the Sword borrowed from Pavel Galad.

However, if they were to find themselves in a similar predicament again, they would have to overcome the challenge on their own—

After all, the silver dragon was not necessarily going to side with them next time.

As expected, Hinokagutsuchi responded haughtily.

"Hmph. Do know that the dragonslaying runes are priceless treasures sought by all dragons fervently, not little pebbles. How could they possibly be left on the ground randomly? If you wish to seek them, it is necessary to go on an adventure no less epic than making your destination the stars of Ruruk Soun on the far side of the ocean of stars, wandering the dimensional gap somewhere in the multiverse, or visiting extraordinary realms of the demonic and the sacrosanct..."

At this point, Hinokagutsuchi suddenly fell silent.

After brief contemplation, she slowly started speaking again.

"Nevertheless... You may not need to go that far on this occasion. I have a clue here."

The former dragon king's words implied the beginning of a brand new journey.

At the same time, it was an opportunity leading Hal and his gang out of Tokyo New Town.

===Part 3===

"Eh? You are going on a trip!?"

"That's right. ''In short'', the destination is a beach at Izu Peninsula."

Hal nodded at his surprised junior—Shirasaka Hazumi.

It was the next day after the swimsuit reception. Hazumi had paid a visit to the Haruga house again instead of making a morning call by phone. Hence, Hal announced his "expedition plan" to her.

The two of them had left the Haruga house. Hal filled her in while heading to the nearest Narihirabashi Station.

"Summer vacation will start in a few days, so we're planning to set off the first day. The purpose of this trip will be as mentioned just now, to search for a new dragonslaying rune."

"The new weapon you mentioned earlier that you wanted..."

"That's why I'd like to investigate the clue Hinokagutsuchi provided. However, there's no loss even if nothing turns up. It's still better than doing nothing at all, after all."

"I understand. Then in your absence, Senpai, I will hold the fort properly."

Slightly tensing her adorable face, Hazumi exhibited her "determination."

"Please focus on your task and do not worry about New Town. Despite how I may look, I've always worked hard on my own before the arrival of my seniors. It will definitely be fine!"

Quite a strong-willed declaration—rather, it was a declaration to express her trustworthiness.

Originally, Shirasaka Hazumi had been the only witch defending Tokyo New Town. That was before Orihime became a witch and the arrival of Asya and Hal to New Town.

With Minadzuki as her only partner, the young Hazumi had fought and battles on her own and survived all those years.

For this purpose, she was not allowed to leave Tokyo and could not even participate in school excursions.

Hence, that was probably why she reflexively concluded "she had to hold the fort" when told that Hal was going on an expedition. However, Hal had prepared a surprise for her.

"No, Shirasaka. This time, you're coming along too."

"—Eh?"

"I already made arrangements with New Town's administration and the sponsors last night, so there's no problem. Authorization has been secured for you and Juujouji to leave New Town temporarily."

"I-In other words..."

"I'm sorry you have to rush out as soon as the summer vacation starts, but I'd like you to come on the trip with us. There's me, Juujoji, Asya, Luna and Hinokagutsuchi. What do you say?"

"With pleasure, of course! It has really really been a long time since I last traveled!"

As expected, the junior student's entire face lit up with a dazzling smile.

But what Hal did not expect was for her to throw herself against his chest, overjoyed. Hugged by Hazumi, Hal could not help but begin to panic.

"Although I've traveled with family during the early years of elementary school, ever since becoming a witch, I almost never leave Tokyo..."

"Th-The itinerary was left to SAURU's Kenjou-san to plan."

With Hazumi leaning tightly against him, Hal spoke while his heart raced.

It was all because of his close contact with the adorable junior student's soft sensation and body warmth.

"He said remember to bring a swimsuit. I guess we're treating it as a company recreation trip while we're at it."

"I-I only have the swimsuit I use for the school pool. I suppose it's better if I bring a different one, right!?"

"How about taking this opportunity to buy a new one?"

Although a little frightened by Hazumi's rare excitement, Hal still nodded. Putting in so much effort was worth it, even if only just to see this reaction...

"Say, there are fanatical fans of the school swimsuit too."

"I will go shopping immediately after school!"

Swiftly disengaging herself from hugging Hal, Hazumi declared very energetically.

Whether the hug or separating herself, it seemed as though both were subconscious acts for Hazumi. Seeing Hazumi excited for the "beach trip," Hal felt very gratified—yet he was starting to worry too.

"By the way, it's better if you don't get your hopes too high. Although it's a beach, our destination isn't anywhere like a 'tropical paradise' or an 'island closest to heaven.'"

He could not allow Hazumi's anticipation level to rise too high.

Slightly worried about that, Hal tried to put a damper on things.

"Although I'm not too clear on what Japanese beaches are like, from what I've heard, there seem to be many desolate places."

Haruga Haruomi had been to all kinds of dangerous places, mysterious realms and overseas locations.

However, he had little experience in visiting ordinary Japanese tourist attractions. After all, the vast majority of his trips were work related. That being said, he still had recollections to a certain extent.

'Seaside swimming that was so packed that it was like washing potatoes,' 'expensive and poor tasting ramen at seaside establishments,' 'hotspring towns that went in recession with a decline in tourists,' 'dinners at inns that inexplicably served defrosted sashimi despite being located by the sea.'

Recalling these memories, he warned in advance just in case.

However, Hazumi smiled like an angel as usual and said seriously, "That would be fine too. I am extremely happy simply to be able to visit the beach with you, Senpai, Nee-sama and the others."

"I see now."

"By the way, Senpai, why travel to Izu?"

"Back when I got my hands on Hinokagutsuchi's heartmetal earlier—There were mentions about a shrine in the Tokai region that worshiped her as a 'fire goddess,' right? That particular shrine is located at Izu."

"—!"

'Although I quite enjoy Atami Castle and the Banana Crocodile Park, I don't have the fortitude to go all the way to the Izu Islands to scuba dive.'

"I knew it, would it be better to treat it as a relaxing tourist destination for recuperation?"

'Indeed. A soothing place unsuitable for seeking thrills and the latest trends, I guess.'

Hal was having a conversation with Kenjou Genya displayed on his cellphone screen.

During lunch break at the library's underground level—the temporary Witch Mansion. Hal had specifically come here to hold a video conference with one of SAURU's few permanently stationed staff at Tokyo New Town.

Fourth level underground. A vast floor with a forest of steel shelves.

This was also the place where Hinokagutsuchi's heartmetal had been found previously. As always, the shelves were stuffed full of antiques and ancient artifacts.

Young man Kenjou's voice resounded in this disorganized space, roughly the size of four classrooms.

'Well, since it's the Izu area, you can still hurry back even if New Town has an emergency, or send a serpent remotely. It should be quite appropriate to treat it as the destination for a company recreation trip.'

"I see."

'Go frolic in the sea and eat some roasted conch-in-the-shell. Thanks to your authority, those nagging sponsors were all silenced successfully.'

"That's thanks to Luna, not me."

'Hey hey, the only reason why Miss Gregory is using her status as a SAURU cadre to put pressure on various circles and show off her deep ties with the TPDO is ultimately because you're at New Town.'

On the small LCD screen, Kenjou smiled malevolently.

Permission for Hazumi and Orihime to "leave New Town" could not be given so easily. The two witches were supposed to be stationed at Tokyo New Town constantly, focused on the task of defense. This viewpoint was deeply entrenched in the New Town region and the minds of sponsors.

This mindset was particularly bolstered by the unusual increase in dragon appearances recently.

'This is quite refreshing once in a while. "Exerting pressure on the government and businesses," don't you find that very secret association-like?'

"Even though the New Town branch was clearly a small and insignificant place not too long ago."

'Indeed. Let us gradually increase our branch's authority according to this pace. Also, I've already sent you an email about local conditions. Call me if there's anything you're unclear about. Bye now.'

The chat with Kenjou ended there.

Kenjou was definitely a young man worthy of the description "handsome" if only he would ditch the unkempt facial hair and other flaws of sloppiness. Instead of joining this expedition, he was staying back to hold the fort. If necessary, he would also serve as backup to provide support to Hal and company depending on the situation.

"I need to hurry and recruit him to ''my side'' too..."

Just as Hal was muttering to himself—

The door to this floor opened and Luna Francois entered.

"So you're here, Harry. I spent so much time looking for you."

"You could've called or sent a text. Is there something urgent?"

"Yes. I suppose that wouldn't be an incorrect way of putting it... Listen, Harry, don't you feel that the two of us should become more intimate? Or perhaps call it deepening our mutual understanding."

"On the other hand, I think we're intimate enough already."

"To start things off—Let us have lunch together, just the two of us. I haven't had lunch yet and I recently discovered a nice restaurant nearby—"

"What shame. I already ate some bean jam bread."

"Would you be free today after school? I have some minor business at SAURU's Yokohama branch. Could you accompany me? Shall we go for a spin and enjoy some alone time together?"

"Sorry, but I'm already booked for today. Let's see next time."

"..."

"..."

"Listen, Harry, do you know you've been very cold starting a few days ago even when I make passes at you? Are you pretending not to notice my feelings?"

Luna Francois finally could not help but furrow her brow and started to complain about Hal's attitude.

"Is this the latest fad? A tactic for men to intentionally pretend to be dense so as to avoid disrupting harem situations where they are surrounded by girls?"

"Nope. After all, I basically know your thoughts and intents. Pretending to like me so that I'd feel that way and become able to entrust the Rune of the Bow to you—That's what you're planning, right? According to what Hinokagutsuchi told you yesterday."

"Since you already comprehend to this extent, Harry, why don't you just play along obediently?"

Luna Francois spoke with an expression of worldly understanding.

"The ability to accept a woman's adorable pranks is precisely the generosity a man ought to have. Given Glinda and my power with the power of dragonbane added, wouldn't that stack strength upon strength, like 'arming an ogre with a metal club' as the Japanese saying goes?"

After saying that, she went further and smiled seductively.

"Besides, you will get to enjoy a 'romance game' with me. Harry, don't you find this reason to be plenty sufficient already?"

"I can understand that the reason is very legitimate, but it's still a bit hard to accept."

Hal muttered quietly with a sigh.

"Since I've never thought of master magi like you and Asya as members of the opposite sex, it's quite hard to view you as that kind of partner."

"Are you implying a kind of professional awareness—an inability to regard work partners as romantic prospects?"

"Probably the exact opposite. Although this is just my personal view, I've mentally listed out the 'top three professions one should avoid as marriage prospects if possible.' Actresses are third on the list."

"That's quite a rare view. Normally, actresses would tend to be very popular."

"Among women in that line of work, there are many who think of themselves as the protagonist, living their lives as though they were the center of the world. Despite their outward glamor, stress does build up and it's apparently quite hard to build romantic relationships in private. It's said that resignation rates at talent management agencies are very high."

"Then what is second on your list?"

"So-called authors, like female manga artists or novelists. Both are professions with quite high rates of divorce. Sigh, I suppose it's the same for both genders in this respect."

After saying that, Hal continued with an additional explanation, "By the way, the reason is similar as for actresses. Apparently, many of them either have queenly dispositions or they're princesses who need to be pampered. Although it's fun to be friends with people like that, it's a bit much to treat them as romantic prospects."

"...Harry, your viewpoint almost sounds as though you're trying to pick a fight with the entire industry there."

"No no no, I think those in the industry will agree with me instead. Finally, the champion spot goes to master-class witches, of course. All of them are beautifully broken."

Fairly recently, Hal had said the following to Juujouji Orihime:

''You probably won't accomplish much as a witch. The knowledge and techniques of the unorthodoxy are things belonging to darkness and their mastery requires a learning witch to have a matching disposition.''

Luna Francois smiled a little wryly and nodded.

"I concede that. With cases like Asya around us, Harry, your viewpoint might be quite reasonable. Apart from her, our ranks include a world-class authority on the research of cannibalism, a noblewoman alchemist who is also a fan of male homoerotic fiction, someone with a cleanliness obsessive compulsive disorder who spends five hours a day taking baths, an armchair witch who never takes a single step out of the house no matter what..."

"A partial list already feels quite unbearable."

Witches were categorized from Level 1 to 5 according to their abilities.

Only witches Level 4 or above received master-class certification. In Asya and Luna Francois' case, they were the cream of the crop, two witches from a total of only eight in the world to reach Level 5.

As far as Hal knew, not even one of these witches had a "kind and pleasant personality."

It was quite uncanny now that one thought about it, but master-class witches consisted only of eccentrics, weirdos, prodigies and unconventional geniuses, all featuring bizarre personalities. As one might expect, only those possessing this type of character, labeled as one category, would naturally reach heights of accomplishment in exploring the dark body of knowledge of magic.

"However, I am unlike the others whom no man in their right mind would approach."

Luna Francois pointed her index finger at herself and smiled seductively.

"You know that I am very popular, don't you?"

"Yeah, you quite enjoy shooting down the boys who attempt to ask you out one after another. I've heard you mention it yourself before."

"Indeed, I am also a Shootdown Ace in that regard."

As a strategist adept at negotiations, Luna Francois had quite a way with people.

The majority of master-class witches were eccentrics. Among these genius-type characters with poor communication skills, Luna's personality traits were extremely rare.

However, sociability did not equate to nobility in character. Hal sighed towards the sky.

"Anyway, I'm ultimately going to get dumped if I bite on your hook."

"Don't worry, Harry. I will favor you with special treatment."

"Huh?"

"I really cannot promise a lifetime, but for a short duration—approximately two years—How about we thoroughly enjoy a romance game together? Worry not, I have already conceived most of the script."

"Script!?"

"The setting starts with love at first sight on my part. In the beginning, I will actively seek dates to present my appeal. This is Season 1."

The blonde witch explained in quite a rhythmic tone of voice.

"Season 2 will have me living in your home. Due to a promise between our parents, Harry, we are actually engaged to each other—Such a retroactive backstory is revealed. Hence, I begin to take up residence in your home as your fiancee..."

"It's almost like a plot twist in weekly manga."

"Season 3 will have the two of us on a world tour as a premarital trip. Season 4 will finally be the advent of the eve before marriage. The theatrical release will be inserted at this point. After a spectacle worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, I unfortunately lose my memory. Finally, we step into the ending arc with two people in love with each other yet going their separate ways, a surprising breakup. Thus, towards a future filled with hope... Ready? Go."

"What a super long story..."

"I am willing to play a romance game with you, Harry, following such a flowchart. During this time, please enjoy my charm to your heart's content. To you, isn't this equivalent to a heaven-sent chance for you to experience the privilege of being Luna Francois Gregory's partner? Even if there is a time limit, wouldn't it still be extreme happiness?"

Suddenly, Luna Francois drew her face near.

Smiling suspiciously, the blonde girl's beautiful face was right before his eyes. Despite the calculative nature of her proposal, Haruga Haruomi could not help but feel his heart racing.

"However, this is ultimately just a 'game,' right? It's not like I get to romance you for real."

"That being said, many fan service scenes have been planned for the sake of securing audience votes during serialization."

"Fan service scenes!?"

"Changing mishaps exposing me in underwear. Harry walking into the bathroom coincidentally when I'm showering. Two people tangled together in scandalous postures. Since I am American, kissing you on the cheek is natural physical contact, almost turning into a lover's kiss by accident—Perhaps it could develop into a relationship just short of crossing the line."

Haruga Haruomi was a high school boy who had personally admitted to being a "covert pervert."

After listening to the pre-planned story, he had almost fallen for Luna Francois' proposal, of course. Fortunately, he managed to keep himself together by way of a gentleman's pride.

Trying to maintain a composed expression as much as he can, he said calmly, "No, but in the end, it's just playing at couples. Beyond a certain line, everything ends in abortive attempts. Isn't this hands-off style no longer fashionable?"

"Silly Harry, even a 'game' can be played for real, you know?"

"..."

At that moment, Luna Francois smiled adorably.

It was undoubtedly an impish smile. While feeling his heart pound faster, Hal contemplated calmly in a corner of his mind. ''Well, the final point she raised would presumably be nothing but lip service.''

Such provocative suggestions were completely part and parcel of the art of persuasion.

However, he could also think from another perspective. If he were to go through with this, it would count as a state of "increased intimacy." A sudden "vassal covenant" like in Orihime's case arising would not be impossible.

Hal tried to call the magic gun with his right hand. While gazing into Luna's beautiful face, he silently spoke in his mind.

—Make this girl my vassal.

Nothing happened. Hence, Hal was certain of one thing.

"Hmm. I knew it, this route doesn't seem to work."

"...Harry, you are suddenly making an expression of comprehension, you know?"

"This gun is actually the 'wand' that teaches me the magic of Ruruk Soun. Thanks to summoning it just now, I'm now clear on the conditions for obtaining a vassal."

His heart rate had stopped speeding up. Hal smiled wryly and said, "A relationship of control, possession, mutual trust or similar must be created between me and the intended covenant target. Alternatively, I have to hold either an intense obsession or a deep-seated delusion about the one I want to make my vassal."

"Obsession or delusion..."

"In the style of the twenty-first century, that means I can't make you vassal unless I desire you to the point of becoming a stalker, Luna. That's not gonna fly no matter how you cut it."

In front of the deeply pensive Luna Francois, Hal shrugged.

"So that's that. Let's be decisive and give up on the love simulation game route. Asking me to be that infatuated with you when you reveal your hand right off the bat, that's way too hard. However, completing a covenant naturally through normal interaction is possible."

"..."

"To be honest, that's how it was done with Shirasaka and Juujouji."

"Harry, what you say is not quite right, is it?"

Seeing her expression suddenly revert to seriousness, Hal went "eh?" in surprise.

Luna Francois continued to speak in a rational tone of voice.

"Friendship, hard work and victory will always reap success—The world is nowhere near that friendly, is it? Besides, you and I are birds of a feather, Harry. We are both at high risk of becoming intellectual criminals given our calculative and shortcut-loving natures and twisted hearts, you know? I believe that it will be no easy task to cultivate a trusting relationship of the kind you described."

"R-Really?"

"Indeed. Hence, this is what I think. Chances might be higher if I used my charm to seduce you with a honey trap, Harry, to make you so infatuated with me that you virtually become a stalker."

"No, like I said, you already revealed your own hand, this'll surely—"

"Not a problem. People still hope to form romantic relationships with others despite knowing they are being deceived."

"..."

This declaration was very objective and rational. Hal fell silent.

He could not help but agree with Luna Francois' assertion. It was precisely because of this principle that Kabuki-chō in Shinjuku, Ginza and the Roppongi neighborhood were able to prosper as Japan's premier entertainment and red-light districts in the olden days, fostering intense competition between those in the "water trade" such as hosts or hostesses, known euphemistically as "nocturnal butterflies," "empresses," or "kings of the night."

Faced with Hal who had given up on arguing back, the beautiful blonde witch smiled again.

"In addition, if the deceiver happened to be Luna Francois Gregory, then victory is all but guaranteed. Besides, Harry, you are quite an amazing covert pervert, aren't you?"

"...I suppose."

"Fufufu, after all, you even harbor such thoughts towards Orihime-san and Hazumi-san too. In that case, there shouldn't be any problem. Please accept my poisoned fangs, be a good boy and fall head over heels over me."

"My right to refuse—"

"Does not exist. Speaking of which, perhaps this expedition might be perfect timing. During the trip, I shall tempt you in all kinds of ways, so look forward to it, okay? Please become my captive as soon as possible and offer up the dragonslaying rune as tribute. Understood?"

Luna Francois' declaration made Hal painfully aware of this: no matter how excellent a schemer, no matter how adept at social interactions, sure enough, she was still a master-class witch. The notions in her mind were all beautifully broken.

Never did he expect to reach this kind of conclusion through this sort of development...

"Goodbye, Harry. Before retiring to bed tonight, I shall phone you to say goodnight♪"

After taking her leave, Luna Francois departed lightly.

<noinclude>

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| Back to [[Leviathan:Volume_4_Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Leviathan of the Covenant#Volume_4_.28Full_Text.29|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Leviathan:Volume 4 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Leviathan:Volume 3 Chapter 3

2016-01-29T00:32:11Z

107.192.1.128: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 3 - Treasure Hunting and Cohabitation==

===Part 1===

"Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>!"

President M pursed her lips and blew vigorously.

Her massive body, a hundred and forty kilograms by estimates, was clad in the Academy's designated tracksuit. The location was the roof of the cultural clubs building.

The declaration of the camp's commencement had taken place yesterday afternoon. Twenty-four hours had elapsed already.

When Asya came to visit while bringing refreshments, President M happened to be doing bizarre exercises that one might doubtfully call gymnastics.

...Because she was twisting her body left and right while simultaneously repeating intense breaths that were far deeper than necessary.

"Is this what they call deep-breathing weight loss?"

"Fool. This is a special breathing technique for drawing out unknown powers dormant inside the body."

Asya's question instantly prompted the president to refute her readily.

"So it's like qigong or yoga?"

"Indeed. I was taught by an old master I met at a community center taiji class. He claimed that he had trained at Chenjiagou in China's Hubei province. I heard it's also effective for losing weight."

"You sure he's not some old guy from somewhere who's simply boasting about what he learned from watching television?"

"You are truly lacking in dreams. As the saying goes, 'believe well and have well,' right?"

"In that case, you definitely got conned."

After that, President M continued her mysterious training for a while before stopping to rest.

With large beads of sweat appearing on her body, President M picked up a two-liter bottle and gulped down the water in a matter of seconds.

Asya handed over the basket of sandwiches she had brought.

"How considerate. By the way, Haruga's side—"

"I didn't forget. Just now, I already made my way over there to give him the same thing."

"Way to go. Delivering food at opportune moments to emphasize your existence. To think you were able to realize this point, it looks like your feminine charm has grown slightly."

"Yes. I heard that Orihime-san had done this sort of thing earlier, so I immediately followed her example!"

"......I see."

"To distinguish myself from her, I even added something special."

"Oh? What did you put in?"

"A reinvigorating remedy of my own creation. Using the snake I caught at Mount Olympus in Greece, I steeped it in distilled alcohol for roughly half a year to result in a base, finished by adding a secret formula, spices and other things. It can instantly sweep away the fatigue and drowsiness from an all-nighter. Also, it helps with mental clarity."

"By the way, does that Haruga guy know its ingredients?"

"Yes. He was with me when I caught the snake—a European tiger keelback two meters long—and saw the entire process."

"...What a worrisome future I see ahead of you."

Swallowing a cucumber and egg sandwich whole, the president said, "Given the way you are, I think you might as well resort to a woman's ultimate weapon to force a change in the current situation. It might be easier that way..."

"Th-That kind of decisive weapon exists!? Tell me the specifics!"

In response to Asya's question, President M placed a sandwich containing Camembert cheese with three types of ham on her left hand then swung her right palm with a mighty shout.

Compressed between her left and right hands, the sandwich was flattened even more.

President M ingested this panini-like object in one breath as though downing a drink.

"Like this."

"What do you mean!?"

"Pin him down, enjoy... Thereby forcing the conclusion of a carnal relationship!"

"C-Carnal—!? B-But there was one time when we worked late throughout the night and the next morning, I woke up to find the two of us sleeping in the same bed. However, that Haruomi simply got out of bed nonchalantly and left the room..."

"In other words, nothing happened at all despite sharing a bed for a night?"

Listening to Asya recount the past, the president frowned and pondered "Hmm..."

"In terms of a romantic relationship, you two haven't even gotten started in truth..."

"I'm sure it's the same for others if a healthy nubile girl like me isn't getting anywhere! H-Haruomi must be suffering from ED at a young age!"

"But in case of a one in a million—no, a million million million million—chance, it would be best to try it."

"Please don't repeat the word four times!"

"I see, I see. Why don't you go along with this current surge of vigor and try to cast away your usual timid mindset? Perhaps you might change something?"

"Urgh..."

As for Haruga Haruomi, the subject of the intense discussion...

At this very moment, he was in the adjacent building, immersed in his work.

Inside Kogetsu Academy's library next to the cultural clubs building—

The second to sixth underground floors currently served as the temporary Witch Mansion. Hal was on the fourth underground floor where the entire level was being used a storage facility.

Steel shelves were lined up densely in a close-packed display.

Accumulated haphazardly on the shelves were antiques and ancient artifacts of all kinds. Piled on top of one another endlessly, they looked like junk or odds and ends. This was probably the reason why...

Despite the entire space covering as much as four classrooms, it felt especially cramped.

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

Hal had made this comment before. Currently, he was in the middle of actualizing it.

He was looking for five types of objects. Iron swords, bronze pots, bronze mirrors, great blades of gilt bronze, red agate—

"But having said that, I've already found six orbs of red agate. Even in the case of iron swords, four have turned up so far."

Hal muttered to himself as though grumbling.

Although interspersed with naps and breaks, he had been working continually since the previous night.

Whenever he found a matching sword, pot, mirror, great blade or red agate, he would pick it out for safekeeping.

Visiting with refreshments earlier, Asya had told him that one night had passed. Without checking the time and being underground, he had lost all sense of time.

The childhood friend had offered to help but Hal refused her.

This was because Hal hoped that as master magi, she and Luna cold track down Galad's whereabouts. Besides—

"What I'm currently doing might not turn out to be useful."

In fact, it was more likely to be wasted effort... That being said, it would not be "treasure hunting" if he omitted this type of down-to-earth grunt work.

Just as Hal silently continued his task of filtering and selection—

"You appear to be looking for ''that'', brat... But what do you intend to do after finding it?"

The voice belonged to a little girl but its tone was that of a haughty queen.

Hal looked in the voice's direction. The former dragon dressed in a scarlet kimono, Hinokagutsuchi, had materialized behind him without anyone noticing.

Hal did not answer her question. After pondering for a moment, he changed the subject.

"My wand—After that gun came into being, I've had the same dream many times."

"Hmph. You witnessed my final act of going all-out—that scene with the little lass, Yukikaze? The magic wand presumably wishes to help you understand the greatness and strength of the dragon kings."

"You already know the dream's contents, right? I was wondering whether it was your idea to show me that."

"Do I look friendly enough to actively help out like this?"

"Fair point. But you two really were crazy strong in that dream. Still, there's something else that I'm more curious about."

"Oh?"

"I'm a treasure hunter after all. In the end, that thing you discarded as though refusing to hand over to anyone—I'm curious to no end. In other words, that object is worth you doing that."

"Indeed, that thing has its uses for those seeking to understand the secrets of Ruruk Soun's runes."

Hinokagutsuchi jeered in mockery.

"Be that as it may, brat, that thing is beyond the capacity of the likes of you and contemporary witches."

"That's why I have a suggestion. Would you like to enter an alliance with us humans—or rather, me?"

"An alliance? With you, brat?"

"Yeah. Establishing a clear position rather than taking things a step at a time like before. There's no need to talk about respect or putting faith in each other's moral character, so why not think of it as business partners and build a relationship of trust from the ground up?"

Confronted with Hal's suggestion, Hinokagutsuchi replied with undisguised laughter.

"Ha! To think a brat like you who became a Tyrannos by chance is trying to force the queen into an alliance!"

"That's right. After getting a hold of that thing of yours, I want to do an experiment, but regardless of the outcome, it won't go smoothly unless I have your cooperation, which is why I want an alliance. Let's build an amicable relationship of mutual benefit."

"Experiment...? What exactly have you thought up?"

Hinokagutsuchi frowned and glared at Hal. Then she suddenly jumped in surprise.

The color of comprehension began to spread slowly across the self-styled devil's child-like face. She had apparently figured it out. Due to discussing "that" just now, she immediately made the association.

"Since you are harboring such intents, my refusal is even more adamant. I have no intention of agreeing to your request."

"Then it can't be helped. Let's talk about the alternative."

Having predicted Hinokagutsuchi would answer like this, Hal quickly continued.

"Let me use that as a precious research sample! Our forefathers had devoted everything they had to gather ancient knowledge and dragon specimens to study repeatedly, finally establishing the method to synthesize leviathans."

Those involved in this accomplishment included Hal's father, Asya's grandmother and mother, as well as Luna Francois' father, Master Gregory.

Having watched his father's life of work from up close, Hal declared firmly.

"Even if it doesn't come in handy straight away, in five, ten years' time, it could very well become some sort of trump card."

"My remains... Do you mean to desecrate the queen's remains, peasant?"

Instead of scolding him, Hinokagutsuchi spoke calmly.

However, her tone of voice conveyed a queen's pride and dignity of such gravity it was impossible to describe. Still, Hal pretended not to notice and deliberately shrugged mischievously.

"Because that's the proper way to use a 'treasure.'"

Then Hal stared straight at Hinokagutsuchi and said, "I'm sorry to say this but so-called treasure hunting is the same as grave robbery. Those in my line of work have repeatedly done the same to kings and emperors across the world for the past millennia. You're no exception."

"Hmph. Be that as it may, do you believe that by giving this speech..."

After listening to Hal, the former queen of the dragons crossed her arms arrogantly.

"...I would sympathize with you lot? How do you intend to repay the debt from the birth rituals?"

"Since there's no other way, I'll have to find solutions using my own power. Luckily, this thing seems to be 100% loyal to me, unlike you."

Hal summoned the magic gun to his right hand and said, "Last time I asked whether this tool could take your place, you answered that chances of success were very low unless the conditions were all fulfilled. In other words, it is possible for it to replace you."

"Oh...?"

After looking at Hal and the magic gun, Hinokagutsuchi narrowed her eyes.

"Well, the wand is not just an ordinary weapon, after all. It also serves as the guide along the path of unorthodoxy..."

"My hand is forced if you want to keep playing mysterious mastermind. Let's cut our suspicious ties right here and now. Even though it'll be a pain, I'll find more comrades by my own power."

"You realized it, brat?"

Hearing Hal's declaration, Hinokagutsuchi reacted unexpectedly.

For the first time, the dragon queen in a young girl's guise smiled without arrogance. It was as though she was acknowledging Haruga Haruomi's caliber for the first time.

"That does imply you shall become the ''devil'' in my stead, yes?"

Leaving this question behind, Hinokagutsuchi vanished.

Hal put away his magic gun and sighed. Next, he carefully examined his right hand, where the Rune of the Bow resided, and raised his palm towards the fluorescent light on the ceiling—

"The queen keeps bringing up annoying things repeatedly... As expected of the incumbent devil."

After muttering quietly to himself, Hal returned to his task of sorting through odds and ends.

While eating the sandwiches Asya had personally made, he continued to work.

As for the reinvigorating remedy amidst the refreshments, Hal decided to keep it in reserve for when he actually felt "I seriously... can't go on!" Although he knew of the reinvigorating remedy's mysterious potency, he was also painfully aware of how it was made. This was not something that could be swallowed carelessly.

Then after roughly two more hours—

The door to the storeroom suddenly opened and a junior female student entered.

It was Shirasaka Hazumi. Like Hal, she was dressed in the Academy's uniform, probably conscious of being in school.

And in her hands, Hazumi was carrying a large travel bag.

"Isn't this Shirasaka? I can't believe you came to school with all the trains stopped."

"I-I asked Luna-san to drive me here..."

Besides Hazumi, every New Town witch was supposed to be at Kanegafuchi.

This was a matter of precaution. They were using a hotel next to the MPD headquarters as accommodates while on standby.

Incidentally, the Juujouji grandfather and the Shirasaka parents, who had been rescued in their unconscious state, were also housed inside a nearby police hospital. This was also to allow the two girls to be able to visit them any time.

"By the way, why did you come here today?"

"I... I came to help."

Faced with his question, Hazumi hesitated a while then said resolutely, "Please allow me to stay here and help out with your 'camp,' Senpai. It is fine even if you do not have work I can do. Whether cooking or laundry, I will work my hardest regardless!"

"Eh...?"

Hearing the adorable junior student announcing her decision to join in, Hal was instantly rendered speechless. But this also meant two members of opposite gender were going to live under one roof—

Confronted with unexpected trouble, Hal kept blinking in surprise.

===Part 2===

'I am terribly sorry to say that we have yet to locate the dragon that bears the Rune of the Sword.'

"It seems that the elite dragon called Exhos hasn't found him either... But if possible, I'd like us to beat them to the punch. I'm counting on you."

Hal was calling Luna Francois from the underground storeroom.

'Looks you have a plan. Understood, I will try to handle things appropriately.'

"Thanks for your troubles. By the way, is it really okay for Shirasaka to stay here?"

'Her power as a witch is insufficient to participate in the search for the sword dragon. Don't you like having her standby over there? Besides, the Witch Mansion is inside the school too.'

"As long as you say it's okay... But it's just me and Shirasaka staying here alone together, you know?"

'Are you afraid, Mr. Herbivore?'

"No, I quite welcome it, actually. After all, she's so cute."

'You are truly honest to a fault sometimes, Harry... Oh right, the cabinet just made an official request to us, hoping we could defeat and expel the dragons that have invaded New Town.'

"Sure enough, they've dumped all the work on us."

By "us," Luna Francois was referring to the four witches on standby at New Town, which included Hazumi, Orihime and Asya.

'Indeed. Apart from elites, a new dragon king-class opponent has appeared, after all. The SDF and TPDO will not dispatch forces recklessly.'

"What happened to the people who remained unfrozen?"

'Everyone has been extremely cooperative. They have accepted life in the shelters with rationality and courage. Furthermore, they have not made willful demands to leave New Town. The Japanese people's high moral standards are truly cool and touching.'

"The entire New Senjuu Bridge incident's details were made into a report including a video of what happened then transmitted thoroughly to inform all shelters, after all. Of course the people will behave."

Security cameras installed near the bridge had captured footage at the scene—

Luna Francois was the one who had given orders to use the video after editing. Regarding this matter, this diabolical and capable administrator as well as SAURU cadre had commented "Not like it matters."

'Only by summing up with "morals" would it become a laudable tale of brilliance. Besides, this eliminates the need to divert personnel for surveillance and security, shorthanded as we are to begin with. Let us conclude here for now. See you later, Harry.'

Luna cheerfully said goodbye before hanging up.

Hal looked at his cellphone screen to see that the time was approaching 1pm. Hazumi had asked him to visit upstairs at 1pm...

Recalling this, Hal left the library's underground storage.

Since there was no elevator, Hal climbed up the stairs and arrived at the library's entrance.

Hazumi was not there. Exiting the building to have a look, Hal found his nose instantly stimulated by an aroma. This spicy fragrance undoubtedly came from curry.

"Oh, I was just thinking of going down to call you."

Naturally, this voice, as clear as a bell, belonged to Hazumi.

Arranged in front of the library were four chairs and a foldable table used for camping, set up as an impromptu dining table.

"I tried making lunch... though I'm not confident it is good..."

Reporting demurely, Hazumi was holding a lidded pot in her hands.

The aroma of curry was drifting out from the pot. She had probably carried it over after cooking at the cafeteria kitchen. Furthermore, Hazumi was wearing a yellow apron over her school uniform.

—Uniform x Apron = Infinite Power of Devastation

Witnessing this truth of the universe with his own eyes, Hal could not help but nod in approval. Truly fabulous.

"Here, Senpai, please come over."

After setting the pot on the table, Hazumi pulled out a chair.

She was urging him to sit down. Just as Hal took his seat, Hazumi brought over a tray with two portions of rice, cups filled with mineral water, as well as a plate of salad—

Judging from her slightly unsteady movements, she was not very used to doing this sort of thing.

However, this gesture of Hazumi's earnest care was causing Hal's face to tense up solemnly. Then he smiled and secretly muttered to himself, "Underaged bride... A middle schooler for a wife... This is truly wonderful..."

"...? Did you say something, Senpai?"

"I was just savoring some phrases that surfaced in my mind just now."

"Wow, Senpai, you're a poet!"

"No no no, that'd be too much of an exaggeration."

Faced with Hazumi's highly transparent smile, Hal acted reacted with modesty. However, it really would be "too much of an exaggeration" to call his musings poetic.

"If the food is not to your taste, I apologize in advance..."

"My mouth is probably defective if that actually happened!"

Listening to the reserved and polite junior student offer a warning very much in her style, Hal instantly replied and ate a mouthful of the curry rice. Although Hal always tried his best to dote on Hazumi, this time, he spoke seriously without any intent to flatter, "Yes, it's good."

"Honest!?"

The simple praise elicited a blooming smile in return.

Hal could not help but feel an urge to smile, so he made a serious face and answered "Of course." Thus, Hazumi sat down opposite Hal and the two of them started lunch face to face.

"Since the flavor itself comes from curry roux available on the market, strictly speaking, this is like a joint product between you and a food company, but let's totally disregard that for now. Yeah!"

"Fufufufu. Senpai, you went with the flow and revealed your true thoughts!"

Although Hal had made a slip of the tongue, the generous Hazumi remained smiling.

"In truth, I was hoping you'd enjoy the curry rice even if it turned out to be a bit of a miss... If only I could make something better tasting, sorry."

"No no, that's the kind of mindset which breeds success. By the way, where did this table come from?"

"Luna-san transported it by car when she was driving me here."

"Huh? She's nearby?"

She clearly had not made any mention of it on the phone earlier.

Confronted with the stunned Hal, Hazumi added to explain, "Yes. She is apparently quite interested in your plan, Senpai, and even told me, 'Assist him as much as possible.'"

"I see now..."

Rather than waste time on inquiring at a stage of uncertainty, it would be better to let Hal focus on his task and speed up progress. Was that what Luna thought?

Luna Francois Gregory was not only bold but very meticulous as well.

If Asya was a ferocious beast of the wild, Luna would be the girl equipped with courage and the devil's mastery of details.

"By the way, it's been a while since I last ate at a dining table."

"Oh—Sorry. Would it be better if you could work while you ate!?"

"Nah, although that is better in many cases and that's how I've always done things. However, I think it's nice to eat like this for a change of pace every now and then."

Hal candidly explained to the apologizing Hazumi.

Since Asya was also the type to immerse herself completely when serious, she had departed swiftly after dropping off sandwiches, knowing that staying longer would be pointless. Hal was well aware of this too. That being said, Hal definitely felt relaxed, basking in Hazumi's very feminine care and warmth.

In this manner, Hal finished lunch and breathed a sigh of relief.

After relaxing fully, a sense of intense fatigue suddenly surged.

He had been cutting back on sleep for almost half a month now, clocking in mundane work without pause. All this was for the sake of that—"treasure hunting."

The goal was right before his eyes. He was one step away.

"Woah."

Hal jumped in surprise because someone suddenly touched his shoulders.

Without him noticing, Hazumi had circled around behind him and started to massage Hal's shoulders.

"Senpai, this is shocking. You're so stiff."

"Stiff—!?"

Hearing Hazumi's smiling voice from behind, Hal forcefully opened his eyes wide.

"I-Is something the matter?"

"Those words seemed to light a fire inside my heart—No wait, Hazumi. You don't have to go this far. After all, I'm still young..."

Hal disguised his lewd reaction and declined Hazumi's kind offer.

However, the unfazed Hazumi continued to massage his shoulders. Although her delicate fingers were not very strong, she accurately brought relief to the aching parts with skill and thoughtfulness.

"Please don't be shy. Contrary to appearances, I am actually used to doing this because I frequently offer massages to my grandfather and father. Senpai, your shoulders are really stiff."

"...I guess you're right."
[[image:Leviathan 03 120.jpg|thumb]]

"May I ask what you have been working on the whole time lately?"

"...Failure will be scary if I carelessly put up your hopes. But things will come to a conclusion either tonight or tomorrow, so let's wait until after that if possible..."

"Very well. Then I shall be patient and not hurry you. Oh, by the way, Senpai."

"What is it?"

"Since you look very tired, I have prepared something nice for you tonight. So please hang in there a little longer until things reach a conclusion."

After massaging his shoulders for a while, Hazumi left with these parting words.

Hal pondered when he returned to the library's underground level.

Although Hazumi probably did not go as far as to conspire secretly, she would always help Hal catch a break at appropriate moments, encouraging him while refraining from pestering him with incessant questions—

Perhaps Hazumi was unexpectedly adept at getting along with someone in Hal's line of work.

While feeling impressed at how Hazumi was surprisingly suitable as an assistant, Hal resumed his work. Namely—Filtering through the piles of ancient artifacts and antiques to select his targets.

After spending four hours underground like this, Hal returned to the surface again.

It was past six in the evening. Hal left the library to look for Hazumi. The setting sun was dyeing the school building and sports ground an orange color.

"Senpai! Are you done already!?"

Hazumi happened to be walking towards him.

Confronted with a junior student who had changed into the school's PE uniform for some reason, Hal said, "Yeah. The task is over in a way, so I was thinking of taking a break."

"Then please come over with me. I have prepared 'something nice' as promised."

Hazumi pulled Hal by the hand towards where she had come from.

If memory served Hal correct, ahead of them was—Three minutes later, Hal confirmed that his memory was correct. This was the building where the rooms of the athletic clubs were gathered.

The cultural clubs building was four stories, but the athletic clubs building was wide and single story.

Hazumi entered the building and began to walk into its depths. Soon, the two of them arrived at the girls changing room. Ahead was the holy sanctuary protected by a glass door—in other words, the female bathroom.

Fully equipped with showers and a bath for students of athletic clubs to wash their sweat away, this was a space of soothing.

"Please come here, Senpai."

"Huh!? In other words, you're asking me to enter the female bathroom!?"

"Yes. There isn't a single soul in the school apart from us. I think there shouldn't be a problem."

Hazumi smiled tenderly and said, "A student from the track and field team showed me before how to use this place. I heard that putting hot water in the bath was a job for underclassmen, so everyone seems to know how it's done."

"So this is what they call the tradition of athletic clubs..."

"I prepared this specially, hoping it could help alleviate your fatigue somewhat," said Hazumi cheerfully.

In recent days, Hal had not even bothered to take baths properly, always opting for quick showers instead. Indeed, such a gift might be more fitting than any other.

—Hence, ten minutes passed.

"Hooooooo..."

Enjoying a hot soak in a large bath for the first time in a long while, Hal relaxed greatly.

"...Oh dear, although this is normally a female bath, it'd be too ungentlemanly to engage in obscene delusions here. I've got to be careful."

Despite his self-awareness as a covert pervert, Hal still wanted to exercise gentlemanly restraint. Due to the vast amount of imagined scenes surfacing in his mind, Hal had to convince himself in this manner.

Then just as he was getting out of the bath, Hal heard an unexpected voice.

"Excuse me, Senpai... Please pardon my intrusion."

It was Hazumi. She was speaking politely from outside the bathroom.

Furthermore, what came next was the sound of the glass door sliding open.

"!?"

Hal grabbed a towel and frantically wrapped it around his waist.

He looked back, only to be greeted by the unbelievable sight of Hazumi entering the bathroom in her PE uniform.

Witnessing the exposed sight of his underclassman's delicate limbs and those dazzlingly pale thighs, Hal was greatly shaken.

"Shirasaka, why did you come in here!?"

"U-Umm, I was thinking of washing your back for you..."

"This is clearly an unnecessary show of concern, indeed!"

"R-Really? In the past, I washed my father's back when he was fatigued from work and he was very happy..."

"Probably because you were only in kindergarten or elementary school at the time, right?"

"—! Senpai, you're so amazing. How did you know!?"

"A deduction most elementary, my dear Watson. Putting that aside, it's time for you to leave."

"A-As you wish..."

For some reason, Hazumi was walking out of the bathroom with a hurt expression. Although the sadness shown on side of the junior student's face was causing Hal's heart to tremble, at least he was left on his own now. Relieved for now, Hal returned to the bathtub.

Soaking himself in hot water up to his shoulders, he intended to count up to a hundred to calm his mind—

However, the glass door clattered again as it slid open.

Hal looked behind him in trepidation and was immediately stunned. Hazumi had entered the bathroom again.

This time, she was not in her PE uniform. Instead, her slender body was wrapped in nothing more than a bath towel.

"E-Excuse me..."

After issuing a greeting first, Hazumi entered the bathroom and came to Hal's side.

Her entire body was bright red in addition to her face, most likely due to embarrassment more than the heat of the water. Compared to the PE uniform earlier, there was not much difference in terms of the area of exposed skin.

However, those smooth shoulders were completely laid bare and even the area around the base of the thighs could be seen—

Hence, the shocking impact was almost double compared to before.

"S-Shirasaka? What the heck are you...?"

"U-Umm, Senpai, please take a bath with me!"

"Huh!?"

"I have given it plenty of thought. The reason why you can entrust the rune's power to Nee-sama... but not me, is ultimately due to this sort of difference..."

"Huh?"

"Because Nee-sama became able to use the rune's power... Senpai, after you saw that."

Hazumi brought up "that" in embarrassment, prompting Hal to remember.

Half a month earlier, there was an accident when Juujouji Orihime was taking a bath. Blessed with unexpected good fortune at the time, Hal had been treated to an eyeful of heaven.

"T-That is why I wondered if this sort of experience might be what is lacking between us, Senpai. I-If I could bare my body and soul to you like Nee-sama, to go as far as to wash your back, Senpai, I believe our hearts can surely become connected...!"

"T-Taking a bath together for this kind of a reason, that's way too extreme!"

"I want to become stronger... to be able to use the rune's power by winning your trust like Nee-sama and Asya-san, to help even more people—I must do this."

Within the same tub of hot water, Hazumi leaned against Hal.

Thanks to that, Hal was able to see her maturing figure clearly. Nothing less expected from Orihime's cousin. At the tender age of an eighth grader, she had already developed ample volume.

Although one could not be certain whether she would grow to match Orihime's size, she would probably mature into a voluptuous figure at this rate.

Despite his state of confusion arising from Hazumi's behavior, Hal still suppressed the embarrassment in his heart.

Wanting to become stronger for the sake of helping others. The benevolent and responsible girl had expressed resolve that matched her character. Sure enough, Hal wanted to respond to these feelings of hers.

"To be honest, if you're the recipient, Shirasaka... I think the rune's power can probably be entrusted to you."

"Ehhhh!?"

"I'm ashamed to say this, but my own resolve is the reason why I've neglected the matter all this time. It looks like I've caused you a lot of unease, so I'm really sorry."

"Resolve... What do you mean by that?"

"In Asya and Juujouji's cases, I desperately wanted to avoid casualties at the time, so I went with the flow and did it."

Hal confessed while sighing lightly.

"But after being entrusted with a rune of Ruruk Soun, a witch's life will become even more chaotic than before. Like this time, getting caught up in conflicts caused by monsters beyond the elites, things like that might become 'commonplace' in the future."

"......"

"That's why I haven't been able to muster my resolve, but—"

Hal muttered quietly.

"I fear the time I have for hesitation is running out soon... Shirasaka, I will give you a clear answer within the near future. Could you wait a bit longer for me?"

"V-Very well... But I am relieved now."

Hazumi pressed her hand against the towel over her chest and spoke softly.

"Actually, I had been agonizing over how I could earn your trust, Senpai."

"What are you talking about? Aren't we friends already?"

"Really? Fufu, I'm so happy to hear that—Oh, then allow me to ask you once again... Would you like me to wash your back?"

"W-Why are you still bringing this up!?"

"Because... Senpai, we are friends, aren't we? Right now, we have already laid our thoughts bare to each other without hiding anything—And it's a rare chance too..."

Thinking about it calmly, Hal knew that this was not an issue of rareness at all, but he could not help but nod.

Influenced by the current circumstances, he and Hazumi were probably in a state of excitement.

"I-I see. So 'this is a rare chance' is one way to look at it..."

"Y-Yes! I will do my very best!"

"Actually, I've never had anyone wash my back, but I guess there's a first time for everything—"

Despite his fear of what would happen if Juujouji were to find out, Hal still found himself wavering in the face of temptation.

At that moment, a ringtone could be heard coming from the changing room.

It was Hal's cellphone. Clearly he could ignore it, but a guilty conscience was tormenting him. Hence, he rushed out of the bath while leaving behind words of "I-I'm going to have a look!"

Hal dashed straight into the changing room and checked his cellphone. The caller's name happened to be displayed on the screen.

"......Hello, Haruga speaking."

'Ah, Haruga-kun. I've arrived in school now. Is Hazumi there too? I brought food, so let us have dinner together. By the way, Haruga-kun, where are you right now and what are you doing?'

"I-I was just taking a bath, yeah."

'Is it the athletic clubs building by any chance? They have showers and baths there too. In that case, let me head that way too. I am already in front of the library.'

"N-No, you don't need to come over, Juujouji!"

Hazumi's cousin, Juujouji Orihime was apparently talking on the phone while walking. Although Hal tried his hardest to persuade his observant classmate...

'Don't worry, walking over from here won't take five minutes. See you later.'

However, she simply hung up.

Hal hastily rushed into the bathroom and yelled to his underclassman, "Oh no! Juujouji is coming over. We've got to hurry!"

"Eh, Nee-sama!?"

===Part 3===

"Even so, where on earth has the dragon bearing the Rune of the Sword disappeared to?"

Luna Francois was speaking from the driver's seat while steering boldly.

The domestic luxury sports car entered a sharp corner of the New Town Highway's Tatsumi Junction without losing speed at all, making the turn by following an ideal out-in-out line.

Despite her young age of sixteen years, Luna was an incurable speed demon.

Looking at the speedometer which read 200 km/h, Asya frowned from the front passenger seat.

"Please don't race wantonly just because it's an emergency situation."

"Who cares? There are no other cars driving after all. Besides, I haven't even broke 300 km/h."

Tokyo New Town had essentially turned into a ghost town.

There were almost no pedestrians or vehicles on the road. However, rare exceptions like Asya and Luna should still be present somewhere.

"I attempted to use Detection magic all around New Town for the past two days, but could not find any signs of an elite-size dragon in hiding..." said Asya.

She was replying to her fellow witch's earlier murmuring.

"I believe it is extremely likely that he has shrunk his size to take on a Draconian form to hide."

"Oh actually, I have an unfavorable conjecture."

Hearing Luna speak as though a sudden thought had occurred to her, Asya frowned.

Luna Francois' so-called "unfavorable conjectures" often came true with very high probabilities.

"The girl who called herself a dragon king earlier was in human form, yes? If elite dragons were able to cast magic to turn themselves into humans, then..."

"Right! The elite we fought some time ago also said it was possible but undesirable!"

"Disguising as a human and hiding among New Town's refugees would be highly probable. The dragons forbade us humans to leave Tokyo because they are worried of this possibility, right?"

"True, it'd make sense if that's the case..."

With that, the search for Pavel Galad escalated greatly in difficulty.

Furthermore, the Raptors in search of Galad would even attack the people remaining in New Town—The risk of this happening probably increased in likelihood too.

"It looks like it'll be increasingly necessary to rely on Haruomi's rune."

"Indeed. I wonder if Hazumi-san and Orihime-san are assisting him well?"

"—!? L-Luna, what did you just say!?"

Carrying the two worried master magi, the race car sped in Kiba's direction.

At the makeshift dining table that Hazumi had set up before the library...

Orihime, Hal and Hazumi, the three of them were seated around the foldable table. The main dish for tonight was the curry rice cooked during lunch time by the youngest girl present.

Hal did not know if the school location was the reason, but Orihime was also dutifully dressed in uniform.

"Hazumi and Haruga-kun, you both seem a bit unsettled. Did something happen?"

"N-Nothing, it's just that the curry's a bit spicy."

"T-That's right. It really is a tad too spicy, Senpai."

"...Really? On the contrary, I find it to be medium spicy to an exceedingly ordinary level."

Hal and Hazumi's bathroom episode had taken place roughly an hour earlier.

After that, Hal had dried himself and gotten dressed with lightning speed before heading out of the club building to greet Orihime. During that time, Hazumi also made herself presentable then met up with them with feigned composure.

Thanks to that, their problematic behavior had not come to light. Thus, dinner started without issue.

However, Hal and Hazumi had yet to dispel the uneasiness in their hearts. They were still far from returning to normal.

"B-By the way, Juujouji, why did you suddenly come over?"

"Well, of course I am here to assist and monitor you, Haruga-kun."

"'Monitor'!?"

"Yes. Since Hazumi is staying over here too, I was thinking someone needs to monitor you, Haruga-kun, so as to prevent the dark side of the Force manifesting within you. As such, this humble Juujouji Orihime has volunteered to shoulder this responsibility."

"No no no, I can't possibly do such unspeakable things to Shirasaka. That's what I believe. Essentially. Probably."

"See? Although your assertions cannot be trusted seeing as you are the self-styled covert pervert, the case is even more evident now that you have failed to make an assertion. Don't you agree, Hazumi?"

"I-I think that... S-Senpai is the one person who won't do such things, Nee-sama!"

"See that, Haruga-kun? Even Hazumi cannot believe in her own words with full conviction, which is why her gaze is currently this unsteady. As such, my coming to monitor you is not entirely meaningless, is it?"

" "......" "

Hal and Hazumi could not help but fall silent in response to Orihime's words.

Due to the vividness of their most recent memories, they could not muster a strong rebuttal.

However, Hal remembered something just as the trio were essentially done with dinner.

"Come to think of it, I forgot to call President M over."

"Oh, about the president, she already ate five bowls of curry at dusk. She said she had to eat dinner early because she was going to the pool for butterfly stroke training."

"Swimming immediately after eating so much, that's quite amazing of her. Nothing less expected of the president."

"That really is quite astounding, but isn't she engaged in training for some kind of unknown superpower?"

Hal muttered while imagining President M swimming the butterfly stroke.

That massive body, estimated to weigh 140 kg, propelled along the water surface. Such a sight, the embodiment of mystery and horror, would probably rival that of the famous White Whale, Moby Dick.

Despite his burning curiosity to witness the president's swimming appearance, Hal decided he still had work to take care of.

"I'm about to start wrapping up my task. How about you two come along? I could tell you what I've been doing all this time."

Possibly because this was the first time for Hal to willingly explain his undertaking—

Hazumi and Orihime looked up abruptly and immediately nodded. Taking the two girls, Hal returned to the library's underground storage level.

A number of selected items were placed on a blue tarp laid out in a corner of the floor.

Six rusted fragments of iron swords, four slightly filthy bronze pots, two Gabuntai divine beast mirrors of bronze, one blade of gilt bronze, and nine orbs of red agate.

"I believe that out of all these things, one of them is a former dragon king's heartmetal... Hinokagutsuchi's."

The words Hal finally uttered caused Orihime and Hazumi to stare wide-eyed.

Late at night. It was after 10pm...

Hal was still in the library's underground storeroom. He was rapidly browsing through reference materials spread out on a table. At this moment, the door opened and Orihime entered alone.

"How's Shirasaka?"

"Presumably exhausted. She already went to bed."

The girls were staying in an office on the library's ground floor.

Hazumi had apparently retired for the night there, probably tired out by cooking and preparing the bath, tasks which she was unused to. Frail in health to begin with, she was definitely not a girl with abundant energy.

However, while the two of them were alone, Orihime said with some displeasure in her expression, "Hazumi loves you inexplicably, Haruga-kun..."

"L-Love!?"

"Although she is very kind with a personality like an angel's, this is still my first time seeing her go such lengths for someone other than me or family."

"What? So by love you were referring to the likes of familial love."

"...Are you by any chance confident that she would offer you another kind of love?"

"O-Of course not. We're senior and junior students, my conscience is clear."

"Oh? But lately, it seems that there have been many opportunities for you two to spend time together alone."

Orihime was usually cheerful, lively and caring, but right now, her stinging words were frequently mocking Hal. What on earth was going on?

And today, Hal was also harboring a guilty conscience about the bathroom episode.

If she were to continue pursuing the matter, perhaps he might let slip unnecessary information.

"It feels like you're acting jealous today, Juujouji. Even if I've snatched your cousin away from you..."

Hal tried to strike back in a somewhat contrived manner. He had a feeling that his position would progressively worsen if he stayed on defense the whole time. However, this ended up eliciting an unexpected reaction.

Orihime was sudden stunned, looking quite shocked.

"J-Jealous—!? D-Do I really sound like that!?"

"Well, umm, just a personal opinion, I guess? I'm the only one who got this impression."

Although Hal asked Orihime not to worry, she did not take his words to heart. Murmuring softly, she was saying things that were hard to make out.

"I am jealous—jealous over Hazumi. To think I unintentionally... this sort of matter that has no need to be brought up..."

"J-Juujouji?"

"Forget about the conversation just now, Haruga-kun! Never mind, I have something else to talk about!"

Forcibly changing the subject, Orihime said, "You're not hiding something from us by any chance, are you?"

"Uh, recently I've been occupied with trying to locate Hinokagutsuchi's heartmetal—"

"I already heard about that. I'm asking if there is anything else. For example, about your body, Haruga-kun, or the like."

"I've written about runes and dragon kings in the report, so there's nothing I need to hide particularly."

"I already read that report too. You wrote plenty about Kagutsuchi-san and the encounter with the man in black... but you omitted the most important part."

The man in the black suit, Sophocles, was a mysterious being who claimed to be a human instead of a dragon.

Taking a "believe it or not" mindset, Hal had candidly included in his report an organized account regarding the Road to Kingship and the encounter with that man. However—

"The possibility that you might turn into a dragon—This was not mentioned anywhere at all."

"Oh my, that's too far-fetched and ridiculous after all."

"Please allow me to confirm one matter tactfully. You haven't mentioned this to Asya-san either, have you?"

"......"

"I somehow feel that you wouldn't have concealed it if you were truly not worried, Haruga-kun."

"...Well, I don't deny taking various measures due to this reason. Even disregarding various issues such as possibly turning into a dragon, I'm apparently destined to die out in the streets at some point in time."

By the time he noticed, Orihime's worried gaze was already focused on him.

After looking into her eyes and nodding, Hal turned his gaze to a corner of the storeroom. This was the location of the enchanted artifacts and antiques that could potentially be Hinokagutsuchi's heartmetal.

"Although I've no right to say this, I still want to help future generations a bit."

"F-Future generations?"

"Yeah. Well, a dragon would probably say something like 'fighting is my duty.' But as it so happens, I'm human and a treasure hunter to boot."

The conflict revolving around the dragonslaying runes was apparently known as the Road to Kingship.

The mysterious man, Sophocles, had called it a type of quest and described it as a game. It was surely a great adventure involving numerous battles like an epic RPG.

"Even if those guys prefer authentic orthodox RPGs, I'm not obliged to humor them. I'll ignore the proper script and focus on finding loopholes in the system or mini-games to play. Then I'll take all of my gathered gold to redeem somewhere else."

"Indeed... Haruga-kun, you're still a mortal."

After listening to Hal's explanation, Orihime smiled faintly.

"Then as the only friend privy to your secret, let me make myself clear. If anything happened to make you suffer so much that you'd want to cry during the night, call me. I will listen to you as long as I have time and visit you if I have the opportunity to do so."

"...I'm not that fragile."

"Hard to say. You may find yourself cornered in the future."

"I see. Then I'll gratefully remember your offer."

"Yes, it's a promise. In addition, please call me without reserve when you need a comrade-in-arms. Let's work together and give it our best like last time."

"Last time huh..."

"...Haruga-kun, are you having indecent thoughts by any chance?"

"Of course not. I'm just remembering the intense battle."

"But you always act especially serious whenever you're having lustful thoughts, you know?"

"Have I been seen through!?"

Hal's tense and proper expression was exposed by Orihime with a single comment.

In truth, Hal was definitely recalling that particular instant. The five fingers of his right hand had sunk into Orihime's soft body part that was about the size of a small cantaloupe, enjoying the excellent suppleness.

"Next time, you are not allowed to touch me in such an obscene manner!"

Orihime scolded angrily.

"Back then, Haruga-kun, you were squeezing my breast as hard as you could, refusing to let go no matter what..."

"Juujouji, it's probably because your breasts are too majestic, that's why I accidentally—"

"This kind of dirty talk is not allowed!"

"S-Sorry..."

As a side note, he had not written about the "action for transmitting power" undertaken at the time either, for no special reason except that Hal himself judged that it was not definitely something to be disclosed.

While bowing his head to apologize, Hal realized.

Orihime apparently said "next time" just now... Hal stared at her face in surprise.

Although his classmate and novice witch was still showing an offended expression, she had turned her gaze away in embarrassment to murmur, "I-It cannot be helped either. The next battle will surely be a tough ordeal and even a queen of the dragons has appeared... B-But don't you get the wrong idea!"

Orihime's tone of voice turned feeble mid-sentence as though in an attempt to argue, only turning into what seemed a little like anger at the end.

"It happened only because I had no choice, ultimately necessitated by battle!"

"O-Of course. I'll carve this in my heart."

"It is absolutely not because I enjoy it..."

"I figured. I absolutely won't have any weird misunderstandings."

"B-But putting this aside, I mentioned earlier as well, since fate has brought us together so much, I think I would be totally fine with dating you."

"Oh, okay."

"That is what I think..."

For some reason, towards the end, Orihime kept staring into Hal's eyes as though trying to tell him something.

Orihime's eyes were a bit moist. Her gaze caused Hal's heart to race. He even felt that if he were to say certain "magic words" this instant, it would decisively change something.

But would that be okay? Clearly she had told him not to get the wrong idea.

Just as Hal found himself in a conundrum, Orihime suddenly reacted with surprise. As though chastising herself "What am I saying!?", she shook her head forcefully and suddenly shouted, "R-Right, Haruga-kun! Next, let us talk about what is over here!"

Orihime pointed at the materials laid out on the table.

Photocopies of ancient Japanese texts. These had been ordered recently by the used bookstore, Mirokudou, a special purchase Hal had asked Kenjou Genya to make.

At the same time, this was information about Hinokagutsuchi—the red dragon queen.

This was what Hal had originally intended to discuss with Orihime and Hazumi tonight.

===Part 4===

The materials Hal had prepared was a certain shrine's historical record.

A so-called historical record referred to a document recording a shrine or temple's roots and origins. This particular shrine was located in the Tokai region of Honshu on the Pacific shore. Established during the early Kamakura period, its history stretched quite far back.

Every generation of the chief priest left behind diaries and notes. All related documents that could be obtained were all gathered here.

"Tracing back to the root, my encounter with Hinokagutsuchi at the Witch Mansion was the beginning of everything."

Hal renewed his vigor and began to recount tirelessly.

"However, can my encounter with her be explained simply by coincidence?"

"Haruga-kun, do you believe there was a reason why you two met?"

A question from the audience, Orihime, prompted Hal to nod.

"Yes. In the beginning, I thought she was a ghost attracted by the Mansion's spiritual energy, but lately, I've thought of other possibilities."

''That'' dream was the clue that had inspired Hal.

The Crimson Queen had committed suicide to decide the battle between dragon kings. At the time, the queen i.e. Hinokagutsuchi had dug out her own heartmetal and cast it down to the earth.

After repeatedly experiencing the dream, Hal had confirmed clearly.

The heartmetal had undoubtedly fallen somewhere along a series of curved islands—Japan.

"These all come from the collection at Shin-Kiba's Witch Mansion... Books and objects related to magic and collected from all over Japan."

"Speaking of which, the library there was also where I met you, Haruga-kun."

"And then, rather than Hinokagutsuchi—a dragon's ghost—showing up in the Mansion for no reason, I believe it'd be more convincing to say that she was haunting an enchanted artifact related to her."

"What you mean, Haruga-kun... is that artifact has been moved here together with the Mansion?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm trying to say."

Saying that, Hal looked at Orihime squarely.

"Banking on this idea, which is more like a whim than a hypothesis, I tried to search through the Mansion's catalog. Among the densely written list of items, I ended up discovering the 'five types of divine treasures related to Goddess Hinokagutsuchi.'"

Iron sword, bronze pot, Gamontai divine beast mirror, great blade of gilt bronze and red agate.

These were itemized as the "five divine treasures."

Hal had picked out everything matching the description and placed them in this corner.

"This so-called Hinokagutsuchi was the name of the ''fire god'' appearing in Japanese mythology, right? But rather than a goddess, he was genuinely a male deity. But here, it's written as goddess on purpose."

Hal was quite well-versed in fields such as mythology, history, archaeology and folkloristics.

In order to gather the Grave Goods used in covenant rituals between "serpents" and witches—magical apparatus for enshrined object emulation—Hal had learnt a great deal of knowledge.

"There is one theory that the sun goddess Amaterasu was actually a ''male god''. However, this is my first time seeing Hinokagutsuchi in gender reversal. This really bothered me, so I tried to investigate the shrine that venerated Goddess Hinokagutsuchi's divine treasures... I investigated its origins."

Hence, Hal had made a request to Kenjou, asking him to delegate to a certain SAURU branch in the Tokai region the task of gathering information about the shrine in question.

"During the Ken'ei era—in other words, the early Kamakura period—the 'fire god's fragment' fell from the sky. Reportedly, 'a goddess that looked like a child' appeared beside the pillow of a villager who had collected the fragment."

"Looked like a child... That's the same as Kagutsuchi-san."

"Thereafter, the fire god's fragment was venerated as divine treasures for which a shrine was built."

"But concluding that Kagutsuchi-san's heartmetal comprises those treasures based on this... Aren't you overthinking things?"

"Responding to your point, I saw it in a dream."

"D-Dream!?"

Confronted with the surprised Orihime, Hal explained the magic gun's guidance and ''Hinokagutsuchi's last moments''.

In particular, "the heartmetal dropped by the red dragon king from the stratosphere" was related to "the origins of the shrine worshiping Goddess Hinokagutsuchi."

"Hinokagutsuchi had said something that could be construed as an admission to this, so I think it's surprisingly probable that my hunch is correct. But it also depends on whether she was lying or not."

"Kagutsuchi-san... probably wouldn't lie, right? After all, she has so much pride."

Orihime commented on the personality of the self-styled devil who was nowhere to be seen.

"As if anyone would stoop as low as lying to you, that's what I feel she'd say."

"I agree. That's why I tried to pick out all the artifacts whose appearance match the five types of divine treasures related to Goddess Hinokagutsuchi. The heartmetals of dragons and 'serpents' are mostly precious metals in spherical form, so the red agate—one of them—should be the most likely."

Just red agate alone, there were already nine pieces. Every orb was chipped or cracked.

Then there were six iron swords, four bronze pots, two divine beast mirrors made of bronze and a blade of gilt bronze. Looking at these selected objects, Hal crossed his arms.

"It's also possible that rocks or metals fallen from the sky were melted down and processed, so I can't jump to conclusions. How should I confirm...?"

"Can't you use a treasure hunter's intuition or experience to find a solution?"

"Unfortunately, a dragon's heartmetal isn't part of my professional expertise."

Hal shrugged and muttered, "Although I tried reading a part of the collected information, hoping there might be clues... It was futile. I'm guessing nothing essential will be found in the unread remainder too."

The gathered ancient texts were laid out on the table.

Hal had hastily read through the shrine's historical record, which the chief priest had recompiled during the Meiji period, as well as the chief priest's diary that had recorded shrine related matters.

The remainder consisted of materials dating earlier back to the Edo period and even the Muromachi period.

However, he would have to be prepared to spend a great deal of time if he wanted to read these materials in detail. And he was not optimistic regarding whether corresponding rewards could be reaped.

"Even if I used magical methods to check—"

Hal stared intently and activated magical sight.

The majority of the various artifacts selected as heartmetal candidates glowed faintly. The rest of them were shrouded in dim mist instead. However, enchanted artifacts carried magical or mystical energies to begin with, which was why they were housed in the Witch Mansion. This was an expected and logical result.

"It doesn't seem particularly meaningful..."

"How difficult..."

"I might as well bring a police dog and have it look for things with Hinokagutsuchi's scent, how about that?"

"But she is a ghost without a scent to begin with, right?"

"Since she's able to eat and touch things, she should have a tangible body of sorts. I've also gathered a portion of her remains."

Hal picked up a flask kept on the side of the table.

"Back when I received the Rune of the Bow, Hinokagutsuchi had briefly and temporarily revived her past body—the one she had as a dragon—to drive away the pursuing dragon."

"Ahhh! It was when the dragons were targeting us in Old Tokyo!"

"Yeah. Back then, Hinokagutsuchi's body quickly crumbled into dust and was blown away by the wind... But I gathered some of it from the scene at Tokyo Station. After thoroughly eliminating sand and dust, this remaining powder is what used to be part of a dragon's body."

The flask in Hal's hand was filled with white powder.

The dragon king known as the Crimson Queen in the past—part of the scattered remains when her body collapsed. Hal had gathered it as a sample.

Looking at the flash and the white powder, Orihime exhaled.

"How astounding, to think you went to such lengths... It's a bit beyond my imagination."

"Rather, it's better to say this is my field of expertise in the first place. Brandishing a weird gun to fight dragons in massive battles is the special exception instead. However—"

Hal sighed, naturally because of gloom.

"What comes next is hard to say."

"Eh? Haruga-kun, don't tell me you intend to switch careers to become a hero!?"

"I know I'm not cut out for it, at least. If I'm going to switch careers, I'd most likely change to something even more useless."

After chuckling ironically, Hal looked up above him.

"Sigh, let's get back on topic. The current problem is finding the heartmetal. It's probably pointless even if I bring a police dog or a drug detection dog. What to do?"

"Speaking of dogs... Isn't Akuro-Ou similar to a dog?"

Hal could not help but smile wryly because Orihime was speaking with a serious expression.

"No no, no matter the resemblance, she's ultimately just a dog-like non-living creature—"

"But if it's her, she should be quite sensitive towards magic-related things and dragon presences, shouldn't she?"

Hal wanted to dismiss the notion with a laugh, but immediately changed his mind.

The leviathan named Akuro-Ou possessed a form intermediate between a fox and a wolf. But regardless, nothing changed the fact that she belonged in the canid family.

And just as Orihime had pointed out, one might place their hopes on her superior senses to surpass what could be achieved by smell—

"So this is what Akuro-Ou selected."

Hal pointed at an orb of red agate, seven centimeters or so in diameter. Roughly a third of it was missing and the surface was covered with tiny cracks.

Next to the outdoor dining table in front of the library, Hal was explaining to Asya and Luna Francois.

As a side note, the two girls were dressed identically in the Academy's uniform.

"A former dragon king's heartmetal. The 'fire god's fragment' that had fallen from the sky roughly eight hundred years ago. Hinokagutsuchi's spirit dwells within this thing."

A night had passed since Akuro-Ou finished appraising.

This was already the fourth morning after the dragon king's army had "occupied" Tokyo.

Last night, Hal and Orihime had moved the various artifacts, heartmetal candidates, out to the sports ground then summoned Akuro-Ou. As before when they summoned her in Old Tokyo, she was shrunk down to roughly three meters in body length.

Then Akuro-Ou examined these artifacts like a drug detection dog.

The result of the appraisal was now reflecting the sun's morning rays on the table. It was one of the nine orbs of red agate.

"...But we still can't be 100% certain."

"However, judging from your description, this possibility seems to be highly likely."

Luna Francois nodded while Asya murmured on the side, "R-Right. Thanks to Haruomi and Orihime-san, the dragon king's heartmetal was found... But come to think of it, I can't believe you were happily flirting away with a girl under the same roof..."

"Fufu. This is also an outcome of camping together<nowiki>~~</nowiki>"

Asya was making a sour face for some reason. In contrast, Luna Francois was beaming on purpose.

"After thoroughly enjoying a camping life served by two young beauties, commonly known as having a lady on each arm, Harry's motivation must have risen to the highest point, yes?"

"Haruomi! You're better off acting like a herbivore and doing nothing as always!"

"But actually, I enjoyed it quite a bit... It's also true that they helped out a lot..."

"Fufu. If it pleases you, I could arrange another one next time, how about that?"

"...If a chance comes up, please do lend your assistance."

"Gah, you traitor!"

"It's clearly just camping together in harmony, why am I getting scolded...?"

Denounced by Asya, Hal tilted his head in puzzlement.

Meanwhile, Orihime and Hazumi had gone over to the cultural clubs building next door to deliver breakfast to President M.

Hal looked at the table again. Apart from the heartmetal of red agate, there was also the flask of white powder gathered from the remains of Hinokagutsuchi's collapsed body.

"We need to gather samples of this type in vast quantities for research. The ultimate goal is to create 'new imitations,' I guess."

"New imitations?"

"Different from the current leviathans?"

"Yeah. Instead of imitation dragons, imitation dragon kings."

Hearing Hal, the master witches jumped in surprise.

The "serpents" they controlled were precisely "imitation dragons," but compared to elites and dragon kings, "serpents" were undoubtedly feeble beings.

"Think about it for a second. Didn't our parents' generation discover within arctic ice the creation of ancient magi, a homunculus in dragon form—a goddess of antiquity—thereby using them as a reference to synthesize leviathans?"

"Yes. That goddess is Grandmother Immortal."

"And right now, she continues to live in Istanbul's underground, the grandmother and archetype of all 'serpents.'"

Since the trio had been involved with SAURU starting from their parents' generation, communication was particularly easy.

The two girls immediately understood what Hal was implying.

"Anyway, after securing this heartmetal—"

Looking at the red agate on the table, Hal whispered quietly, "As the first modern human to discover 'the power of dragonbane,' I wish to fulfill my obligations to future generations. Even if I were to perish in the immediate future, resulting in the loss of the Rune of the Bow... My intent is to leave something like a sapling of hope for future generations by securing this heartmetal."

"Haruomi, it's time for—"

Just by listening to this introduction, Asya understood.

Completely setting aside her earlier expression of bitterness, she nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, Rushalka's rebirth. Apart from that, I guess we've got to attempt the challenge of retaking Tokyo New Town. Still, it feels like 'there's nothing to lose' in trying to retake New Town."

Hal chanted a magic incantation. In truth, it was an exceedingly difficult mission.

"An elite alone would be fine, but this time, there is a dragon king and her minion backing him."

"If we were to fail, New Town would be abandoned immediately, scrapping the city—Isn't that right?"

Luna Francois and Asya concurred rather irresponsibly.

Precisely because they knew best how formidable were the enemies that had shown up at New Town, they did not recklessly speak in optimistic tones.

In any case, the master-class witches and Hal nodded at one another.

"By the way, can I ask a question, Luna?"

Once the discussion reached a conclusion, Hal changed the subject.

At the same time, he stared at this American girl who had inexplicably changed into the Academy's female uniform like Asya. Starting from the moment he saw her this morning, Hal had been very curious.

"Why are you in uniform today?"

"Do as the Romans do, so the saying goes. Besides, wearing the same attire allows my physical traits to be more clearly contrasted against Asya's♪"

"W-What do you mean by contrast!? Sure, it's true that Luna's slightly more curvy!"

"Not slightly but far more voluptuous, yes? However, I might possibly lose out to Orihime-san. Japanese figures are marvelous these days."

At this moment, Hal's cellphone rang.

It happened to be the subject of their conversation. The owner of an outstanding figure was calling.

"What's up, Juujouji?"

'Ah, Haruga-kun? President M has issued emergency summons. Hurry over now!'

Reportedly, President M was apparently on the clubs building's roof when breakfast was delivered.

Ignoring the arrival of Orihime and Hazumi, she kept her eyes closed and meditated for thirty minutes. Then without warning, she opened her eyes wide and emitted a mighty shout.

Emergency breakfast time followed immediately.

After finishing an entire rice cooker's worth of white rice, cooked from four cups of raw rice, President M said, "Get me everyone involved in my clubs! I shall show you the fruits of my training!"

Consequently, Hal and Asya rushed over in haste.

Under the gazes of four people including Hazumi and Orihime, President M slowly began to speak, "Two full days of training has led to my ascension to a new realm. The way I am now, I feel that I can even oppose elder gods and phantasmal demons from the macrocosm's abyss..."

"A-Amazing..."

"Although it's worth pointing out that training duration was only two days..."

Ignoring the whispers between Hazumi and Orihime, President M shouted "Hah!" loudly.

Expecting a massive explosion, Hal entered a precautionary stance but surprisingly, nothing happened at all. On everyone's behalf, Asya asked skeptically, "...Are you trying to do something like a transformation?"

"Don't be ludicrous, it's not like I have some kind of hyperbolic whatever chamber. Two mere days of training won't amount to monumental changes. Nevertheless, I still achieved distinct results. Am I right, Haruga?"

Stared at by President M's round eyes, Hal could not help but feel a pang of fright.

"When I 'looked' at you last time, I could not see anything resembling a proper destiny. But as I am now, I might be able to see something. Would you like a try?"

"Uh, my destiny?"

"Indeed. The high-level skill of Life Consultant is an ultimate finishing move. Even a boy as irregular as you would surely beg me for life coaching out of admiration. You are welcome."

"Sure... Then I'll try it out."

The instant Hal made his request, President M leaned over without warning.

Her flowing steps were surprisingly agile, By the time he realized, the president had already struck Hal in the chest with her palm.

"Hah!"

"Uwah!?"

Hal's body was sent flying spectacularly by the sudden palm strike.

Then he fell on his bottom just like that. Meanwhile, President M gazed down at Hal aloofly and said with solemnity, "...Your guiding light has been in your hand since a long time ago. Please remember it when you find yourself cornered and unsure what do do..."

"I-In my hand?"

However, President M did not answer his question.

Her massive body, estimated to weigh 140kg approximately, swayed left and right before collapsing limply. The eccentric, whom Hal and the others ought to call their leader, remained lying on the floor like that.

"She fell asleep...?"

Regular breathing sounds could be heard from the president's mouth. Her eyes were closed.

Had she used up her energy? Next, Hal noticed that his chest was stinging dully even though it was just a light strike.

"As always, anything is possible with her..."

Watching the sleeping president, Hal felt impressed from the bottom of his heart. However, he totally could not comprehend the meaning of the advice she had just offered him—

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