Leviathan:Volume 2 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Spending Time After School with Witches

Part 1

Entering the latter part of April, spring was hanging in the air everywhere in Tokyo New Town.

On this spring day, the Kantou region's warm climate was providing comfortable sunny weather for days on end. However, a certain young beauty was scowling in the classroom of Year 1 Class F.

Anastasya Rubashvili. Nicknamed Asya.

The foreign student who had transferred in recently—That was her cover story. However, she had disassociated herself from "ordinary" schooling for many years already, because she was a witch constantly engaged in research all over Europe and also an expert on magic in the Metaphysical Body of Knowledge.

She even went through training in the army for a period of time. She was quite adept in close quarters combat and the use of firearms.

Regarding survival skills in all sorts of environments, her talent was highly acclaimed, even to the point that she was invited to participate in special forces training.

Indeed, adaptability in every kind of environment was Asya's special skill.

Only a few days had passed she started her life as a high school girl, enrolled in the same class as her childhood friend, Haruga Haruomi. Nevertheless, Asya was already making full use of her handy adaptability.

Despite feeling lost on occasion, she spent her days happily for the most part.

Hence, feeling unaccustomed to the pressures of school life was not the reason for her unhappiness.

"Did you know!? I heard that Juujouji-san and Haruga-kun are planning to go on a trip this Golden Week! Of course, it'll be just the two of them!"

This. This was precisely the reason for Asya's agitation.

The gossip-loving Funaki-san was the female classmate who was striking up conversation with Asya.

"Th-There's this kind of rumor going around?"

Asya smiled artificially while trying hard not to let the displeasure in her heart leak into her voice.

"B-But even as Haruomi's childhood friend, I haven't heard anything about it. Isn't this kind of rumor too unreliable?"

"Oh my oh my, but this is a trip with a new girlfriend, you know?"

The gossip-loving Funaki-san offered her opinion while grinning from ear to ear. She was a petite girl with her hair tied up as twintails on the sides of her head. Furthermore...

"What kind of boy would actually report back to his childhood friend? I think Haruga-kun will definitely hide this sort of thing."

Despite her frivolous appearance, Funaki-san was unexpectedly perceptive.

Indeed, it was highly unlikely that Haruomi would publicize things of such nature. Asya agreed on this point.

"Since you know that, stop believing rumors that those two are an item..."

Asya could not help but start grumbling.

After transferring into Kogetsu Private Academy where her childhood friend and Juujouji Orihime were studying...

This rumor was the reason why Asya felt shocked and displeased.

It was also quite infuriating that those two, the subjects of the rumor, did not do anything about it. Haruomi and Orihime's explanation was "although we denied it outright, it was completely futile." Seeing as that was the case, the newly transferred Asya simply insisted "I don't know of anything like this. It's just a rumor!" However—

"The two of them are very shy, so they won't admit it publicly no matter what (according to Funaki-san)."

All Asya got were responses of this sort.

Today, while Asya was engaging in the Japanese custom of "eating one's lunchbox early" during break time, Funaki-san had approached her happily to bring the latest news.

Asya quietly closed her emptied lunchbox and came to a new understanding of one fact.

This was a type of information warfare. Compared to the truth, people were more inclined to accept rumors matching what they wanted to believe as true. Even lies, once dressed up seriously, could be taken as the truth.

No amount of denial would work on people who wanted to believe that Haruomi and Orihime were "going out."

In that case, Asya decided to disclose even more sensational news, to drown out the rumor that had already spread!

"—Actually, there's something I've kept a secret so far."

Asya feigned a serious expression and lowered her voice.

"Haruomi isn't just going out with Orihime-san. In fact, Haruomi also sends flirting glances my way secretly, to his childhood friend. He's double-timing scum, a terrible good-for-nothing!"

"You're so humorous~ Haruga-kun and Asya-san is the one pairing that's absolutely impossible."

However, Funaki-san dismissed it simply with a smile. Asya was rendered dumbstruck.

She thought Funaki-san would be drawn to this news and start spreading rumors without verification!

"This isn't a joke. It's not virtual reality either or something that happened in an online game. It's honestly the genuine truth, okay? It's what kids these days would call 'for reals yo'!"

"Ahaha, you speak excellent Japanese, Asya-san. But your comedy skills aren't up to par."

Funaki-san smiled cheerfully, still unconvinced by what Asya said.

"W-Why do you refuse to believe me!?"

"This is called a woman's intuition. A girl's sixth sense. I totally don't sense that kind of mood between Haruga-kun and Asya-san, that's why!"

"And what kind of mood is that!?"

"Hmm—the mood of a possible/imminent/current romantic relationship in progress."

"Good grief. Here I thought that my trailblazing and innovative tactic would correct people's erroneous ideas... I'm so disappointed.

Asya was wolfing down her jumbo-sized S lunch set while remarking poignantly.

She had gone to the student cafeteria during lunch together with Hal and Orihime. In addition, the "S" designation of the lunch set meant "special," featuring extra large mince cutlets, five pieces of fried chicken, boiled potatoes with butter, Neapolitan pasta whose serving size could hardly be called a side, as well as a massive bowl of rice topped with a huge amount of shredded cabbage.

"If that so-called innovative tactic were to succeed..."

Slurping a mouthful of kelp ramen noodles, Hal said:

"How much do you reckon my reputation would suffer? Asya, can I beg you to choose your battle plans a little more carefully?"

"But isn't taking responsibility the manly thing to do in a situation like this one?"

"However, it seems that Haruga-san is partly to blame for the plan's failure. After all, Haruga-san never takes initiative to talk to girls because he couldn't be bothered to take the effort," said Orihime in candor, criticizing Hal nonchalantly.

Raising her chopsticks to eat grilled pork with ginger sauce lunch set, she offered her opinion.

Furthermore, it was not coincidence that they were classmates. The school was founded with funding from SAURU and the organization evidently wanted to put all witch-related personnel together in one place.

"Let's make this clear first, Juujouji. People do believe that you're going out with this me you're describing."

"Is that so? ...Do we really look like such a great match?"

Orihime tilted her head in curiosity.

"On the contrary, I find that you get along with Asya-san much better."

"R-Really? Ahem. Orihime-san, please don't read anything special from this, but if you don't mind, have a piece of my fried chicken. My treat."

"Eh, is that really okay? Fufu, thank you. Then I'll enjoy the treat."

"But our situation is more like fate has bound us together for so long that the relationship has gone moldy. It's only natural for us to get along in one or two areas, so I don't think there's anything special here."

"H-Haruomi, please hand over that piece of braised pork, immediately!

Thus, lunch at the student cafeteria was spent in this noisy manner. By the time the three of them were almost done eating, Asya showed a complicated expression on her face and suddenly whispered:

"Sigh, although it's a shame that people are getting the wrong idea about Haruomi's relationship with Orihime-san, apart from that, something else displeases me."

"Oh? How rare."

Hearing his childhood friend's grumbling, Hal felt surprised.

Asya's special skill was the ability to eat, sleep and live in any country under any environment as comfortably as her homeland, except Islamic regions during Ramadan.

"When transferring over here, I did prior research on student life in this country. Based on the data I gathered, I learned that Japanese educational institutes would customarily treat beautiful and refined female students as a kind of idol to be praised and worshiped."

"Did that data come from manga, anime or novels?"

"All of them. In fact, Orihime-san holds that particular position too."

"Me? Nothing of that sort. It's not like I am some sort of popular person."

"H-How can she make such an oblivious statement so readily again... Fine, forget that for now. Even so, I've yet to receive a single love letter in my shoe locker so far. Isn't that really bizarre?"

"Asya-san actually has a lovely personality..."

"Well, I think the problem lies in you, Asya. Like how you finish off two home-packed lunchboxes during the morning, then clean out a full-sized lunch set during lunch, you know? There's also cooking class last time when you tried to take the gardening club's rabbit as an ingredient for a stew."

"I-I thought they were kept at school as emergency rations! And I intended to pay properly for them!"

"The Gardening Club's Endou-san was crying that time..."

Just as Hal ridiculed her, Asya justified herself indignantly and Orihime provided her own innocent comment...

A very lively looking classmate, the short-haired girl named Mutou-san, was approaching the trio. She was precisely the culprit who had urged Hal and Orihime to join that "UFO Research Club" something or other.

"Oh, the two of you are here. The transfer student's with you too."

Relaxed as ever, Mutou-san spoke to them.

"Juujouji-san, you said you'd attend the UFO Research Club's regular meetings, right? There happens to be one today, wanna come? Haruga-kun, please come too if you're free."

"Today? Wonderful. I have no other arrangements for today. It's not a problem at all."

"Uh, let me see..."

Just as Hal was trying to find an excuse, Orihime kept staring intently at him and even added a tender smile. Hence, he recalled his earlier promise of "visiting together within the few days."

"...I happen to be free today too."

Orihime nodded with satisfaction. Feeling embarrassed, Hal scratched his head as a distraction.

Seeing that, Asya stood up forcefully for some reason.

"H-Haruomi, you guys are talking about joining club activities right? Can I come along!?"

"Wow, the transfer students wants to come too? Of course, I welcome you with open arms."

"I want to join the club while I'm at it! The numbers aren't full, right!?"

"No, of course not. Even if it were full, I'd ignore that fact. I'm so happy. Clearly we were still worrying about a lack of members earlier, but now the sixth member has come knocking on our door automatically."

Mutou-san grinned from ear to ear after listening to Asya's request.

Despite feeling puzzled by his childhood friend's overly sudden request to join the club, Hal still changed the subject.

"By the way, are there any boys in the UFO Research Club apart from me? There are three girls already with Mutou-san, Juujouji and Asya, right? It really feels a bit embarrassing if I'm the only boy..."

"Basically... The boy to girl ratio is a half, I guess."

After hearing this subtle answer, Hal frowned and repeated "basically?" Hence, Mutou-san added "There are five club members right now. The girls are me and Juujouji-san. The boys are Haruga-kun and someone else. So it happens to be a 2.5 to 2.5 ratio."

"...Umm, what is that '.5' supposed to mean?"

"To be frank, there's someone of unknown gender in the club."

" " "Unknown gender!?" " "

Hal, Orihime and Asya shouted in surprise simultaneously.

Part 2

(placeholder)

Part 3

(placeholder)

Part 4

(placeholder)

Back to Prologue

Return to Main Page

Forward to Chapter 2