“A rice cooker... Nope, not happening.” Akuto murmured, and then Keena lashed out at him.
“No way! I want it, I want it!”
“Why exactly do I have to do exactly what you tell me to?”
“If you say something like that, I’ll tell everyone how much of a pervert you are, Ackie.”
“Their misconceptions about me are already horrible as it is!”
“Oh, really?” Keena looked over to Korone to verify what Akuto was saying. Korone silently nodded.
“I see... That’s tough. Even though you’re so diligent and honest, huh.” Keena probably didn’t give much thought to what she said, but Akuto was grateful for her words. It had been the same when he’d first met Junko. He was vulnerable to people who actually understood what he was like on the inside.
“Th-That’s right...” As Akuto nodded like he had been moved from the bottom of his heart, Keena gave him a puzzled look.
“You want more?” She gave Akuto another rice cracker.
“Thanks.”
“Since I gave you some, how about that rice cooker—”
“Nope.”
“Whaaat? C’mon, rice is amazing!” Keena kept on talking about the wonders of rice for a while. Akuto had enough of it, but for some reason it seemed to hold Korone’s interest, and she even replied with comments of admiration, like “I can’t believe freshly cooked rice could have such an influence on a person’s mental state.”
“Man... if only everyone could eat rice together, I’m sure the world would become a peaceful place.”
Korone responded to Keena’s absurd statement by reaching into her purse and saying there was a way to do just that. She took out a long, cylindrical object with a switch attached to it. It seemed to resemble a kind of bazooka-type cannon.
“This is a military medicine dispersion device. With this, you can spray medicine over a large area, and administer medicine to your allies while poisoning your enemies at the same time. If we put the rice in this...”
“Just stop.” Akuto said, slumping his shoulders. Keena pouted in disapproval, and their ridiculous conversation continued on from there. For Akuto, it at least meant he could lay his thoughts down to rest, but as the night wore on, he gradually grew impatient.
—I have to hurry up and go meet with Eto...
“Uhm, don’t you have to be going back soon?” Akuto said, breaking up their rice conversation.
“Huh? Can’t I stay for a little longer?”
“No, I mean, look... I need to study, too...”
“Oh well, I guess so then. Are you chasing me out so you can do something weird to Korone, is that it?” Keena pouted.
Akuto was startled by her strangely accurate intuition, but denied it with a stiff smile.
“Of... course... not...”
“Really...? Hmm, well then, see you tomorrow.” Keena stood up reluctantly. “You really better not do anything weird, got it?” After emphasizing the point, Keena hoisted herself over the window again.
Akuto closed the window after making sure she’d walked out of sight.
“Phew...” he sighed as he cleaned up after Keena and sat down on the bed. As soon as he sat down, Korone slid her body up against him.
“Well, now that the nuisance is gone, we can finally be alone,” Korone said, remaining expressionless.
“Alright, will you stop with those jokes already?”
“No, it would be most pitiable if you end up a sex offender simply because I neglected to deal with your sexual urges.”
“I told you, that stuff with Soga was a misunderstanding!”
“As long as that is the case, then it’s okay. However, you were still trying to touch my butt, were you not?” Korone’s words induced more unpleasant sweat forming on Akuto’s brow, but then he had an epiphany.
—This could be my chance...
“Is it wrong to try and touch it? It’s not a crime, right?”
“With regards to Liradans, that is correct,” Korone nodded.
—With this timing...
“If you really want me to that badly, I guess I could touch it.”
—Ugh, that was super lame... But...
While inside he thought he would die from nervousness, he reached out towards Korone’s butt. Even though she was an android, a soft sensation grazed Akuto’s hand, almost entirely like that of human skin.
“Ahn...” Korone blushed and an audible sigh escaped her lips.
Startled, Akuto’s hand stopped.
“Oh, so-sorr—”
“Got you,” Korone said rather expressionlessly.
“.........”
Akuto was speechless.
—That’s right, my goal is...
He quickly slid his hand in and up to Korone’s lower back. His hand brushed up against the small tail.
“Ah—” Just as Korone started saying something, Akuto grabbed and gave her tail a yank.
Fwooon
There was a faint sound, and Korone stopped moving.
—Did I really do it...?
Akuto peered into Korone’s eyes. Their color had in fact dissipated.
—Hmm...she really did shut down... This isn’t just a joke... right?
Akuto considered Korone’s behavior up until then, and there was a chance this was a ruse. Akuto raised her hands up and poked at her legs to make sure that she wouldn’t move.
—Okay. Now then...
With that, he climbed out of the window.
○
Akuto looked at the note again.
Come to the old war room underneath the main building tonight, alone...
Akuto felt uneasy about sneaking into the school at night, but fortunately he got in without being seen. He thought that people probably weren’t walking around outside because it was dangerous at night. Seeing how demons would show up at the mountain behind the school, it wasn’t farfetched to think that something would come down to the school at night.
As Akuto descended into the basement, his feelings of unease turned into a sense of determination. The first and second levels of the basement were normal parts of the school, but the old war room was even further below. The door to the lower levels was made of metal, and although you’d generally think such a door to be locked, it was slightly ajar.
Akuto opened the heavy door, and he could make out a dimly lit staircase before him. Beyond the stairs was a dug-out passageway that led down into the labyrinth with nothing but metal beams embedded into the walls to prevent the area from collapsing.
—This must be from the war...
If students were doing whatever they pleased inside of this maze, then it seemed that the school wasn’t aware of what was happening down here.
It certainly was ideal for a secret meeting. The old war room’s location was on the third basement level, and the metallic door had been left open. Light could be seen spilling out from inside. Knocking and peering inside, Akuto saw that Fujiko was sitting at the end of a large rectangular table.
“Welcome. I’ve been expecting you.” Fujiko smiled gently. Akuto thought to himself how becoming the illuminating mana lights were on her beautiful and refined appearance.
“Thank you for going out of your way and meeting with me. You were right, it did shut her off completely,” Akuto said with a bow.
“If you pull it again, it will restart her. Her memories of the moments before and after she shuts down will be erased, so keep that in mind if you are ever in trouble.” Fujiko motioned for Akuto to take a seat.
“Well, about the matter I wished to speak to you about...”
“This is about Hattori, yes? There are quite a few rumors floating around about the two of you.”
“That’s exactly why I am here, they’re nothing but rumors. The real story is... well, things have gotten a little complicated.”
“Hah hah hah...” Fujiko laughed. “Oh, pardon me. Hattori is quite stubborn, isn’t she? But it’s for that reason that she is trusted by everyone. W
ell then, that being the case, I am fine with accommodating you. Tomorrow, Hattori will have finished healing, so I will contact her and give you the opportunity to meet with her after school.”
“Thank you very much.”
“She is quite serious, after all. So if you show her your serious side as well, I’m sure it’ll turn out fine.”
“No... I tried doing that, but I didn’t understand the committee system of this school at all, so I messed everything up...”
“That’s right, I was told by someone from your class that you tried to join the cleaning committee. Well, allow me to introduce to you a committee that you would be suited for.” Fujiko said, lightly clapping her hands. “How about you join the disciplinary committee? At this school, the disciplinary committee is a role for only the most diligent and earnest students.”
“That sounds good. It’s just that... sorry if this is a stupid question, but this disciplinary committee, it’s like a regular disciplinary committee, right?”
“It is... however. Its role is to correct other students’ behavior. And the only thing not normal about it is that the disciplinary committee is completely vacant right now.”
“There isn’t anyone on the committee?”
“It’s a sad story, but discipline has totally lapsed into chaos... forgive my bluntness, but school discipline is so awful that no one wants anything to do with the disciplinary committee.”
“I see...”
—That does indeed seem like something Hattori would be pleased with...
“Hand in the form to the school council at lunch, okay? Does it sound good to you?”
“Yes. Thank you very much.” With that, Akuto said his goodbyes and stood up.
“Please come to me whenever anything is troubling you. Oh, that’s right. If for whatever reason your conversation with Hattori goes south...” Fujiko placed two pills on the table.
“Is this some kind of... drug?” Akuto reached out and gathered the pills in front of him. They were featureless white pills.
“The main focus of my study is the research into magical medicine. If for some reason Hattori doesn’t lend an ear to what you have to say, I believe that these will be useful.” Continuing, Fujiko handed Akuto a small, gun-like object. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. However the muzzle of the gun was long and thin.
“These pills contain magic medicine. And this is the tool used to administer said medicine.”
Akuto recalled a similar object that Korone had used before.
“If you fire one of each of these pills, the two people whose hearts have been administered this drug will be able to communicate with one another.” Fujiko opened up the clip of the administration device. Fujiko inserted exactly two pills into the two empty slots. After loading the pills, she handed it over to Akuto.
Akuto held it in the palm of his hand and stared at it.
“But using medicine is a little...”
“I understand. It’s only just in case. Just in case you absolutely need it. You see, I am well aware of how stubborn Hattori can be. This is for when it seems like a fight will break out.”
“In that case, I will only rely on it then.” Akuto placed the administration device into his pocket.
—What an incredibly kind person...
Feeling very warm and grateful toward Fujiko, Akuto excused himself and departed the room. At any rate, it seemed that he would be able to resolve one of his problems tomorrow. All he had to do was find a way to clear up the other misunderstandings one at a time.
When he closed the door to the old war room, Akuto got the feeling like he had been caught by something. He stopped and checked the door. It seemed that he had just brushed against it.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Please excuse me.”
Once she had made sure Akuto was gone, Fujiko grinned.
A big, evil grin. Not a normal, sweet smile. This wicked grin suited her pretty face just as much as the gentle smile she had given moments ago, but it gave off a completely different impression. It was one only a villain who was wicked from the bottom of their heart could make.
“Well then, everything is going just as planned! Bwahahahaha...” She snapped her fingers while she laughed. At the sound, the wall behind her opened. There was a secret room even deeper within the tunnels. Slipping through the wall, Fujiko continued into the inner room. The interior was covered in purple velvet and silver decorations. The black furniture and glass laboratory instruments on top of them gave the room an eerie atmosphere.
“It appears that once again I’ll be able to reap my rewards without even having to lift a finger.” Fujiko sat down on the velvet-covered sofa and talked to herself out loud.
Actually, she wasn’t talking to herself. Next to the sofa there was a large glass jar completely filled with some sort of liquid. Inside it was the severed head of a handsome young man who closely resembled Fujiko. The severed head spoke.
“You’ve done something awful again, haven’t you?”
“How unpleasant. All you ever do is lecture me, brother.” Fujiko stroked the glass jar.
“Well, you never listen to what I say. Even after death, you just cause me to worry.”
“It’s not like you have a soul, so there are no worries or any other real thoughts inside your mind. It’s hard to listen to you when you’re like this.” Fujiko laughed.
Necromancy. Magic that can bring the dead back to life, reconstructing them based on that person’s behavioral records kept by the gods. They can speak and recall any information from when they were alive, but new experiences will not affect their souls, which was the one fundamental difference between the living and the dead. However, they can still seem to act like a living person. So to avoid the very real possibility of the dead causing chaos, it was a forbidden type of magic only allowed for top magicians.
Those who still used forbidden magic as they saw fit, and broke magic law, were known as black magicians.
“Hey, brother. With this it seems that the future Demon King will become my slave.”
“Oh no. What sort of trick have you used this time?”
“Anyone who is administered that medicine will be put under my control.”
“In that case, wouldn’t it have been better if he took it immediately?”
“Huh? That’s no fun. I want to play around with them until the very last moment. Otherwise it’s just not as entertaining. And it’s important to note that I didn’t lie to them at all. After all, if they both pledge their loyalty to me, then they’ll be able to get along, won’t they?”
“Ahh... That awful personality of yours sure is something...” The severed head grumbled. “That’s the reason you’re so lonely you only ever talk to me.”
“It’s simply because no one can measure up to my loftiness and nobility, that’s all. Why is it necessary for someone to have the proper qualifications to practice magic? All the people at this school are fools who just blindly obey the government.”
“I don’t have an opinion on that. I couldn’t come to a conclusion on that while I was alive. But I am hoping that your plan fails, Fujiko.”
“Really? That’s unfortunate. I’m sure it will go quite well. I’ve already made preparations, after all.”
“Preparations? Such as?”
“That’s a secret.” Fujiko laughed tauntingly at her brother and took out a black notebook, different from her student handbook.
“But if I can carry out the evil plan written inside this ‘Notebook of Malice,’ then it’ll be assured... Bwahahaha...” Fujiko turned the pages in her dark notebook and grinned.
“Fujiko... What a dark child you’ve grown up to be...” Her dead brother lamented.
“Oh get off my back, brother. No matter what I have to do, he will be mine. He holds within him the power we dark magicians yearn for. Without fail, he is the person who will end up destroying the world. I’ll do anything to get a hold of him.” Fujiko lovi
ngly stroked the glass jar and pressed her lips against it. Her dead brother’s phantom made a troubled wince inside the glass.
4 - That Strongly Prejudiced Girl
“Is there no one on the disciplinary committee?” Akuto asked Hiroshi.
“Right now there isn’t,” Hiroshi answered.
They were on their way to school. Although she had been shut off last night, Korone was following behind the two of them. Just like Fujiko had said, when Akuto restarted Korone, she had no memories of the few seconds before and after. In other words, she didn’t realize herself that she had been restarted.
“Is there a reason it’s vacant?” Akuto wasn’t suspicious of Fujiko’s words, but there were many different historical customs at this school, and just to be safe, he asked Korone as well.
“According to past records, the previous representative voluntarily withdrew from the position. I don’t know all the details, but I would estimate it was due to a fight between the representative and someone who didn’t agree with their position.”
“Fight?”
“Yeah, I did hear that some of the punks had it out for them,” Hiroshi nodded. It seemed like a demanding job.
—Well, I guess in that case Hattori will be pleased.
Junko didn’t attend classes that day either. Akuto left Hiroshi behind during lunch time, and headed to the student council room, as its members gathered there during lunch.
As they welcomed him into the room, they seemed startled by his visit. All except for the student council president herself, who remained composed. Without showing any surprise, she asked Akuto about his business there.
A dignified, or one could say ‘intimidating’ air overflowed from the tiny young woman. Combined with her arrogant attitude, she gave off a strong impression of being above everyone else.
“Well well, what do we have here? The school’s newest celebrity has decided to grace us with his presence.”
“Please don’t call me that. Well... The reason I came here is because I want to become a member of the disciplinary committee.”
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 1 Page 11
