Editing Leviathan:Volume 6 Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 1===

It was the night of August 18th when they had returned to the surface world.

Shirasaka Hazumi and Haruomi-senpai were riding the wooden ship&mdash;the control device of King Solomon's legacy, the ark&mdash;and had gone back to somewhere unknown on the ocean.

After that, Haruomi-senpai immediately used Spatial Perception and Location Information magic.

"Off the coast of Long Island... The nearest port is Montauk? Roughly two hours by car... from Brooklyn. That's wonderful!"

Rather than drifting in the middle of the Atlantic, they were near a coast.

And very close to New York City too. In the end, they summoned the Crimson Queen and sat down in the center of her palm.

Then they had the queen fly to the nearest port.

They contacted SAURU's New York branch, went to a rental company that was still open, rented a car, and returned to Brooklyn after an absence of two days.

Back to one of New York's five boroughs, the district where SAURU's branch was located&mdash;

Hazumi barely managed to return with Senpai just before the calendar date changed again.

After a grand welcome from Orihime, Asya and SAURU staff, she returned to the hotel, finally alone in her own personal bedroom.

"Phew&mdash;"

Hazumi exhaled and entered the shower stall first.

Utterly exhausted, she actually felt like going to bed directly, but no matter what, she wanted to take a shower first.

While washing off dirt and fatigue accumulated over the past two days of adventuring, Hazumi murmured to herself, "I caused so much trouble for others again..."

Under the shower, she naturally thought of Haruomi-senpai.

For the past two days, she had been together with Senpai the whole time, while trapped in sleep magic as well, hence it might even feel longer than two days.

Possibly due to that...

When she was alone such as now, she felt extremely lonely...

However, there were things to be happy about too. From the battle against Hannibal to the decisive victory against King Solomon, during this period, Hazumi had managed to be of help to Haruomi-senpai even on her own.

Naturally, it was because Minadzuki and Shamiram were helping her.

Even so, she still found a way to persevere to the very end. Hazumi felt glad from the bottom of her heart.

To be honest, this was more important to her than her leveling up as a witch.

"Oh, but&mdash;"

Hazumi suddenly remembered.

Prior to taking off on the Crimson Queen, Haruomi-senpai had stepped aside for a private conversation with Hannibal in his human form. It seemed like they were reaching some kind of agreement.

Then grinning cheerfully, the red dragon king bid them farewell and left the wooden ship.

When she asked Haruomi-senpai what he had said to Hannibal, all he replied was "I'll tell you once the discussion bears more fruit."

Hazumi thought, ''if only I could become more trusted by Senpai so that he'll confide in her even before important secret talks of that sort''&mdash;

"No, that is what I must become!"

The vague wish in her heart turned into a goal, but unbelievably, the moment this notion surfaced in her mind, the sense of loneliness intensified.

Of course, when morning came around again, she would be able to see Haruomi-senpai immediately.

However, she wanted to see him now, even though they had only parted ways an hour ago.

"If I call his cellphone this late... Senpai will be disturbed, right...?"

Hazumi spoke softly, suppressing her sad feelings.

Due to staying under the shower this whole time, her entire body had warmed up. However, she felt as though her body temperature had fallen to the pits. Why?

Just as Hazumi was feeling puzzled and confounded&mdash;

"You there."

"Y-Yes!?"

Someone was suddenly speaking to her from outside the shower stall.

A voice filled with a queen's pride. It was evidently Hinokagutsuchi. Unnoticed, the elusive former dragon king had come to Hazumi's room.

"Hazumi, I wish to chat with you."

"R-Right now?"

"Yes. It concerns your 'Senpai.' Be quick."

"Senpai..."

"Kukukuku. Have you not noticed? Peculiarities about the brat."

"! I-I'll be right out!"

Hazumi immediately responded to the queen's grinning whispers.

She shut off the faucet and hastily went for the bathroom door.


"The closer one approaches transforming into a dragon, the more one's awareness and memories as a human will fade."

Inside the hotel room, a girl in a kimono was sitting on the bed.

It was the former dragon king, Hinokagutsuchi, who had apparently been human in the past. Despite the serious subject, she looked rather jovial even though one would not peg her as noble-minded in the first place.

"The brat has definitely set his eyes on the right spot. However, he is still too inexperienced..."

Hinokagutsuchi laughed mysteriously, "fufufu."

In contrast, Hazumi the listener did not share her mood at all. She could not even smile and her expression was so stiff that she could feel it herself.

This concerned Haruomi-senpai's future.

Incidentally, she had exited the bathroom after drying herself hastily with a towel, so her hair was still wet.

Hazumi did not even waste time on putting on clothes, simply wrapping herself in a bath towel. While admiring Hazumi's appearance with satisfaction (for some reason, she was pleased to see the naked skin of females despite being of the same gender), Hinokagutsuchi took her time to speak, touching upon the core issue.

"These are things that one might forget unwittingly&mdash;Do you not agree?"

"!?"

Hazumi reeled back in surprise, That was precisely what had bothered her. Seeing her reaction, Hinokagutsuchi nodded and continued explaining with a smile.

"As with all things, it was worth testing out, so I asked the brat about his past with that Asya girl. I seem to have heard the story before somewhere."

"Probably... that time when I asked Senpai," Hazumi lowered her head and said, "I asked Senpai how he met Asya-san."

For the past few months, Hazumi had more opportunities to travel with Haruomi-senpai by car.

She remembered clearly that she had asked this question when chatting during a leisurely drive.

As a ghost, Hinokagutsuchi frequently went invisible, hanging around Senpai like a guardian angel. Hence, she probably had some recollection.

However&mdash;

Haruomi-senpai's initial answer was subtly different from the one he had given inside the ark.

'...I remember it was eleven years ago when we were five. The two of us... were lost in a certain European country, so we bought either a burger or a hotdog to share. Back then, it was either Asya or me who paid, I guess?'

The overall response was similar but he was vague on the specific details.

"It has been almost half a year since the brat became a Tyrannos. During this time, he has acquired plenty of power, causing him to gradually turn into a dragon in body and soul."

"That's why Senpai is slowly losing his memories..."

At this rate, Haruomi-senpai would forget one day. Forget everyone. Forget he was ever part of the human world. Also, forget Shirasaka Hazumi&mdash;

Hazumi felt darkness dominate the future before her eyes.

However, she immediately changed her mindset, because she remembered what had happened after they returned to the earth.

"P-Please hold on! However, Hinokagutsuchi-san, you asked the same question twice, didn't you? The second time, Senpai definitely recalled his memory with Asya-san!"

Haruga Haruomi's second response was the following:

'I remember we were lost in Luxembourg and Asya used all her remaining cash to buy a hamburger. Then she shared half with me... No wait. I'm pretty sure Asya ate more than me.'

Hazumi argued emotionally and Hinokagutsuchi nodded.

"In fact, I intentionally asked a second time expecting this to happen, because the brat is a pervert."

"Huh?"

Hearing the unexpected answer, Hazumi was taken aback.

"A pervert... I remember it means 'a guy with dirty thoughts,' isn't that right?"

"Indeed. Even someone like you would know that much."

"Y-Yes. I know. Speaking of which, Senpai sometimes calls himself a 'closet pervert.'"

Hazumi recalled what Haruomi-senpai had said when praising her swimsuit look last time.

But why? The sense of joy and bliss from the memory of Haruomi-senpai praising her was more than anything could compare.

She even thought "if it would make Senpai happy, I don't mind wearing a swimsuit again&mdash;"

But why did the fact that Senpai was a "pervert" mean that his memories could recover?

"Obtaining combat power and the wisdom of the unorthodoxy would lead Tyrannoi and hybrids to become more like dragons... Conversely, the opposite situation can happen too. Pleasures that could only be enjoyed as a human would occasionally cause someone farther along the path of becoming a dragon to revert back to human appearance."

"Pleasures...?"

"Did you know? Pure-blooded dragons are very different from you humans. Not only in body but also mind and soul. This is dragonkind's inborn nature. It is commonplace for hybrids to be devoured by the natural tendencies of dragons, losing themselves and descending into madness."

"......"

"Perhaps because of that, hybrids who have climbed up to the lofty position of dragon kings, such as Hannibal and that little girl Yukikaze, often retain desires and hobbies from their time as humans, staying the same even after becoming the strongest dragons. One might presume that they preserved their serenity of mind and soul through such a manner."

Indeed. Hazumi nodded silently.

The dragon kings mentioned by Hinokagutsuchi all had personalities that were the furthest from "asceticism." Right in front of her, Hinokagutsuchi was also the type to indulge her desires aplenty.

Meaning that&mdash;Hazumi instantly understood.

"I understand! As a closet pervert, Senpai would feel pleasure from engaging in perverted activities and revert slightly towards human... And his past memories returned too!"

"Yes. You comprehend very quickly."

"Oh, but what happened between the first and second times you asked that was perverted? I can't think of anything..."

"Silly girl. Did the brat not grope you in the chest?"

"Ehhh, but!"

Hazumi was shocked by Hinokagutsuchi's bluntness. However, she immediately refuted, "That was a means for sending magical power into my heart, which is why I feel... Senpai didn't do it with those kinds of feelings. Senpai seemed very serious at the time."

"Hmph. There is nothing more ridiculous than that."

Hinokagutsuchi asserted with a know-it-all look.

"The brat simply created a touching atmosphere to prevent you from discovering his lustful thoughts. He must have enjoyed it greatly."

"So that is what happened!?"

Having had all kinds of questions resolved, Hazumi instantly felt her mood brighten up.

Catering to the joys of the incomparably closeted Senpai would help him to return to being human.

"I will try my hardest!"

"Oh?"

"U-Umm, but if Senpai is happy... with touching even my kind of chest, I hope he will do it more. So..."

To enable Haruomi-senpai to feel pleasure, she would work hard.

However, Hinokagutsuchi shrugged sardonically in front of the determined Hazumi.

"If only things were that simple."

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"Human desires grow progressively. A man who is initially satisfied by breasts would gradually grow tired of them if that was all he received. One day, he would also&mdash;"

"Oh no..."

Hazumi was instantly dismayed. Then she thought of something.

Back when Hinokagutsuchi said that things would work out as long as they could offer Haruomi-senpai temptation.

Like having Orihime request to share a night of passion with him, for example. And have Luna Francois do the same supposing that was not enough. If even that was not enough, Hazumi herself too&mdash;

Could it be that this was truly necessary?

Hazumi felt uneasy as soon as she pictured Haruomi-senpai "strengthening his friendship" with Orihime-neesama and Luna-san. Pangs of pain surged up in her heart.

However, if all this was for Senpai's wellbeing, she would feel more glad.

The moment she thought that, the pain lessened slightly.

"I-I will do my best. If necessary, I'll ask Nee-sama and Luna-san to help, we will leave no stone unturned in trying to help Senpai!"

"Oh?"

Hearing Hazumi's declaration, Hinokagutsuchi narrowed her eyes.

"Your attitude is commendable. Well, give it your best attempt."

"Yes!"

"However, you are such a peculiar girl. I absolutely cannot fathom what is good about that brat with his personality twisted to such an extent."

The former dragon king shook her head. Hazumi could not help but answer, "N-Not at all, Senpai is very cool."

This rebuttal had escaped from her lips before she could think. She subconsciously wanted to defend Haruomi-senpai. Staring intently at Hazumi, Hinokagutsuchi tossed out a remark.

"Do you need your eyes checked?"

"If it's visual acuity, both of my eyes tested 1.5."

"That brat acts sloppily and shows no enthusiasm for things outside his interests. Apart from that, he is an insolent fellow who is extremely arrogant and often rambles on and on with twisted logic. Not cute in the slightest."

"I-I think those traits are what makes Senpai very cute."

"Neither brave nor gallant, nor stylish, nor handsome. Very poor at getting along with others."

"In spite of that, Senpai is still a wonderful person!"

"...Really?"

"...S-Sorry."

This was Hazumi's first time rebuking another person's opinion.

How unbelievable. She did not want to back down. She did not want to lie about anything regarding Haruomi-senpai&mdash;These thoughts surfaced in Hazumi's mind.

Finally, Hinokagutsuchi spoke in a rare and poignant tone of voice, "It is very admirable that you love him to such an extent."

"Huh?"

"You love the brat as a member of the opposite sex, do you not?"

"N-No... I have no intention of&mdash;Huh? B-But, so I actually, Ehhhhhh!?"

The true name for the feelings she felt for Haruomi-senpai.

This was the instant when Hazumi first became aware. All along, her feelings had clearly been vague, but now they finally took on distinct form.


The following was merely speculation.

Supposing Haruga Haruomi were present&mdash;

He would surely protest vehemently against Hinokagutsuchi, the self-styled devil, "What are you doing, planting such nonsensical ideas into Shirasaka's head?"

On the the other hand, the former queen of dragonkind would reply haughtily, "Given your unruly and arrogant ways, how could I ever pass up the chance to see you all panicked and flustered... Naturally, I felt compelled to speak out. Fret not, this would turn out to be quite an excellent experience from your perspective."

Regardless, Haruga Haruomi's destiny was to undergo even more momentous changes.