Vol 1 Chapter 2 (2/2)

”Ah, then that works out wonderfully You know <organization>” Acting as if he really regretted it, Kagezaki continued ”If that happens, you know that Itsuki-san will be back to the way he was before and Nekoyashi+ki-san and Mikan-san will have to return to their forht?”

”Huh?”

Former positions?

As Itsuki blinked confusedly, Nekoyashi+ki wore a grim expression

”I know that I knoe have to do this job to keep our place in the registry That's what you're saying, yes?”

”Yes, more or less”

Kagezaki put on a troubled smile

His save no impression Like a movie extra whose presence or lack thereof made no difference, his face was completely spiritless

Suddenly, Itsuki became afraid

His slight confusion changed to uneasiness, and that uneasiness morphed into terror Like with Adilisia, it wasn't a clear abnore that it made him suspicious

— It was as if his face was bleached

Itsuki gulped Feeling so cold on the back of his neck, he finally opened his mouth to speak

”Please ait for just a ure this conversation out What do you istration? What 'job' are you talking about?”

”What?” Kagezaki shi+fted his gaze toward Itsuki ”You mean all of this hasn't been explained to you?”

”It hasn't been teeks since he's succeeded the role of president,” Nekoyashi+ki answered

With a sezaki nodded

”If that's the case, then why don't I explain? Otherwise”

Kagezaki sain

However, the one who answered him this time was not Nekoyashi+ki or Itsuki

At the botto that way

While Itsuki was in the infir back fro

”Kagezaki oji-san”

Mikan was next to her holding a plastic super at the he

She stepped in front of Mikan

”I'll tell you about it,” Honami Takase Ambler said flatly

Part 3

”--Well then, I'll place the documents here There are also reference docuh them”

Placing his trunk on the table and ezaki stood up and left He didn't disappear or fly away like a ician, he stood up on his two feet and walked down the hill road outside

Until his shape disappeared, a pair of harsh Ice Blue Eyes glared at him

”President, shall I take that trunk for you?” Honami prompted

”Oh, sure Mikan-chan, is it safe?” Itsuki, taking the trunk, asked Mikan, who had been hiding

”Yeah, it's safe” With a pale face, Mikan nodded stiffly Her hands were still shi+vering She tugged on Itsuki's school uniforan to tumble out of her eyes, and she buried her face in Itsuki's stomach ”Uuu I'm scared I'm scared--”

”A-ah, I understand, I understand”

He decided against telling her not to rub her runny nose all over him and nervously stroked her head

”H-hic, president onii-chan waaaah was bullied by oji-san”

”Uh yes?”

Confused, Itsuki wiped Mikan's cheeks She had cried quite a bit, and her tears had streaked down to his pants

As he did,

” Hmph”

For so at him with horribly cold eyes

”Wh-what?”

”Nothing So you're interested in that type, huh? I guess it's up to you”

”Wh-why are you saying so like that?”

”Forget about it I'll leave you two alone”

Nekoyashi+ki intervened with his calm-as-usual tone

”Now then, how about we return to the office first?”

”Meo”

Nekoyashi+ki's cats reement with one another

A few minutes later

Inside of

”Here you go, Mikan-chan”

”Thanks Honami”

Taking the white teacup, Mikan made a tiny slurp

Incidentally, Itsuki had changed out of his soggy school uniforular clothes Because Ultros licked him all over every day, he sadly had to keep a spare set of clothes at the office

”H-hey, what about me?”

”Oh, are you here?”

” S-sorry” Itsuki said, lowering his head

A little while later, a teacup was held out to him

He was at the reception table He sat next to Mikan on the creaky antique sofa Nekoyashi+ki was a little further away at his desk, and Hona her own teacup before her

After a short pause,

”Now then, back to what I was saying before”

”Oh, yeah,” Itsuki nodded

He didn't understand any of the earlier discussion, about the offer, or the registry, or the <night> There was so about former positions too

”So, I'll explain everything to you in order,” Hona the ri in England until a little while ago, and her motions were very similar to Adilisia's

Taking a single sip of the aan to talk

”I already told you about the <organization>, right?”

”That one structure affiliated with seventy or eighty percent of roups, wasn't it?

Seely satisfied with Itsuki's answer, Honami nodded

”Right Both <goetia> are registered In the beginning, it was a support union es They could never intervene in anything directly, but they had a lot of influence ide For exaanization>, no one would treat you like a real ician”

Giving a simple review, Honami looked at Itsuki

This was review, right? If he said that he couldn't res she'd put hih, so he nodded obediently

”Alright then, I'll continue --Offers are 'jobs' accepted froanization>, which are then directed to its registered roups”

”'Jobs?'” Itsuki asked

”Yes, 'jobs' I just told you that the <organization> could never intervene in anything directly That's because the different roups are very sensitive to their spheres of influence If someone idiotically sticks their nose in soht That's why the <organization> recruits icians who can solve such problems”

That is to say, in exchange for not getting your own hands dirty, you dispatched others capable of solving various issues That seemed like what a support union would do

After thinking for a moment, Itsuki opened his mouth

”Then, that guy Kagezaki came because--”

”A 'job' --The <organization> is seeking to resolve some issue that's popped up”

”!”

At Honah him

Whatever this 'job' could be, there was one thing that was certain

”W-woah, time out! Wait a second! Then, Adilisia came--”

”Because <goetia> took the offer If

Itsuki got goose bumps

He reicians were fighting

”T-then, you ic?”

”Naturally We're icians”

Hona blow Itsuki dropped his head as though he were ahad been cut

”President?”

”No, that's”

There was no going back now It was only a ruesome death

On the other hand, the girl across froh

”You know, you're the one who's supposed to decide whether or not we take on offers, right?”

”Huh?” Suddenly, Itsuki's face sparkled ”That's it then! Let's take a pass on this one”

”--Letbefore”

Nekoyashi+ki, as dandling his cats, gave a warning from his desk

”What?”

”Ah, there is a certain reason how should I put this? This could turn into a long story, but unlike other ical societies,

Itsuki felt as though Adilisia had told hi like ”jumbled up collection”

”What do you mean?” Itsuki knitted his brows

”To put it simply, if

”H-hunh?”

”<organization> can't keep an association like that in their registry That's what Kagezaki was threatening earlier”

An aard silence spread across the room

”U-um”

Finally, Itsuki looked around

” President onii-chan I don't want to go back” Mikan looked up at hi her teacup with both hands

””

”Meow”

”Meeow!”

”Me~ow”

Meo”

The cats began to exert pressure from all sides of the office

””

”Aren't they cute? They're the treasures of the world, the finest art this earth has borne However, I can't take thisme that you would rather these cats die, are you?”

Putting on a draeratedly

””

”What're you gonna do, president?” Hona

””

Itsuki felt as though soo

” O-okay I get it”

Al, Itsuki slammed the table

Though he had come this far, he was still a total novice --Or rather, even he hadn't thought it would get this bad

He s

Then, he puffed his chest out, partly out of desperation

”Okay then, what kind of 'job' are we doing this ti

Part 4

The place had been called the ”goblin factory” before

Everyone in Furube City knew of the s from halfway up Mt Nyuu

Around it was a red, rusty barb-wire fence, and the vacant space between the fence and the factory was overrun eeds The outer concrete wall had cracks here and there, and they were a strange color, as if a demon had slashed at the ith its claws

The place had been sealed off several decades before As was often the case when a business failed, the factory head and his fa the to slowly rot away

Incidentally, there were scary stories about how if one listened closely, they could hear the factory head that killed hiht, or the sound ofas usual

Itsuki was at the entrance of this factory

Furtherht felt bizarre

” gh”

”President onii-chan? What's wrong?”

”No, that's it's nothing, nothing at all”

Walking one step behind Mikan, grasping the cuff of her Miko clothes, he made an aard smile and shook his head

Since they had entered thenonstop He wanted to praise hi it this far Incidentally, Mikan was a surprisingly good walker, so she hadn't sweated a drop the whole way up the mountain road

Mikan tilted her neck

”Are you scared?”

”Geh!”

Straight pitch

Fast ball

Mikan was right on the money

”Mfufufu, it's okay I'll protect you, president onii-chan”

Laughing into her nose, she waved her taushi+ with a triumphant air

”P, protect?”

”You know” She pressed the ta to explain herself,

”--Mikan, enough chit-chat, how about that i?”[4] Honami cut in from beside

Hona her sailor unifore pointed hat over her chestnut-colored hair, and she wore a night-colored cape across her skinny shoulders She was like a witch from a fairy tale, the same as Itsuki had seen her in the park

”Al-right!”

Pointing her lips, Mikan waved her taers This was apparently a i

Making sure Mikan was occupied, Honami turned to Itsuki

”President Hand e so I can do the preparations”

”Uh this thing?”

Itsuki fished his badge out of his pocket and held it out to Honaht, then fastened it to Itsuki's collar

Tilting his neck to the side, Itsuki caught a glimpse of Honami's splendidly white nape

A faint scent slipped into his nostrils

”Ah”

His cheeks became hot

”Hm, what?”

”N, no, it's nothing Nothing at all What's this?”

”Basically, protection The holy pentagrathened by the divine nature of the silveris used in both the east and west, so it has some ability to overcome spell wave interference There's some more ways to use it, but I'll tell you later --Now, this,”

”Oh, business cards”

Tucked away in a thin, silver case was a stack of business cards Furtherician dispatch=”” company=”” ・=”” astral=””> was ”Company President ・ Iba Itsuki”

”Wh, why are you suddenly giving me this?”

”Oh, I finished purifying those business cards!” Mikan butted in, puffing her chest out

”After we finished washi+ng out the paper with the miracle water of Fuji, Mikan purified it with a ceremony Inside of them is the Kabbalah Cross that the head of the Fetish Departle one of the them to everyone”

”S, sure”

Who was he supposed to give these to, then?

--He felt like he was treading deeper and deeper into the swamp

”Then ere the preparations you were talking about?” he fearfully asked

Honalasses

”I'ive you so to protect yourself, so that I can properly cover you”

”B, but I don't see anything strange right now,” he protested flusteredly

He could see monsters, but he didn't know for sure if this place was a real spirit spot or not Looking froular old creepy place

Even so, what he really feared was that--the lack of knowledge He didn't knohether or not to be afraid He pitied himself a bit

”It's here”

Hona down at the watch on her wrist

”There are definitely ley lines here, but they're son cave If it's as the reference docs say, then the 'Night' will be here very soon Just thirty seconds left on the clock twenty-nine twenty-eight twenty-seven”

”Huh?”

” Seventeen sixteen fifteen”

Her soft countdown echoed across the ruined factory in the mountain recess

The nue feel as if they were a spell themselves

””

Itsuki, unable to ulped

”Eight seven six”

The countdown ran into the single digits

”Five four three”

Mikan gazed at the entrance of the factory

” Two one”

Creeeak!

--Itsuki's right eye twisted

” Wh, what!?”

He felt his eyepatch

All of a sudden, the world had changed

No, that wasn't it

It wasn't a feeling of anything that changed

It was as if the world had reverted to a former state--an unpleasant sense of déjà-vu There was an enorh an explosion had occurred inside his right eye

”Mee~ow”

”Spell wave pollution--confir a shi+ft from class six to class three Just like the reference docs said,” Nekoyashi+ki sighed, stroking the cat he was holding against his chest

” The Magi Night has begun,” the witch with the Ice Blue Eyes finally declared

Adilisia ・ Lenn ・ Mathers felt a sudden burst of pressure assail her body She had a sensation of gravity suddenly becoer The spell power that diffused across every inch of her body reverberated against the ground violently

” gh!”

Gripping the pentagram of Solole breath Withstanding the feeling that her blood was flowing backwards, the girl lifted open her red lips

”--The <night> has come”

She stood on the other side of the factory It ithout saying that she knew each member of

Behind her, ten people in black clothes stood by

They each held pentagras to provide spiritual protection These were Adilisia's handpicked apprentices of <goetia> that she had taken with her for work in japan

”I will confir at the factory without turning around

She spoke in a sicians were not ones to let any of her words escape thele pronunciation or had even the slightest error in their tone of voice, it would co of their spells

”The request froht> Without drawing the eyes of anyone, without allowing any injuries to occur, we must seal it in darkness under the cover of darkness

Adilisia's voice sounded out delicately

It was like the voice of some beautiful bird

”However, this time, that is not our aim”

The black clothes--the apprentices, gently lowered their heads Age ician, the difference in rank was absolute

Their rank was 3=8 and 4=7 As the rank of those with regular genius and strong effort, you could say their rank was the highest Even so, they were a long shot from Adilisia

It was because of her blood

Naturally, plain old genius ic

If having strange powers and being outside of the norician, then the ones who stand on top are necessarily those who are separated fro As less, the collected bloodlines of thousands of years--that tenacity, hat bore the forbidden fruit of ic

Adilisia had been a ician since before she was born

That is why she spoke so nificently to the apprentices that she stood above

”We will retrieve our elder For that purpose, ill use any ic Use your spell power for only this purpose until your very last drop of life”

Without so ain

It was the same landscape as always

It was the same view as always

This kind of roup

”Do you understand?”

Suddenly, the face of an idiot, the leader of another roup, hovered in her head Adilisia bit her lip

”I warned you --If only you had not gotten yourself involved in this <night>”

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