286 Your Maid Houjou Is Here; Please Give Your Orders (1/2)
”President,” Seiji said, ”please tell Houjou-senpai about this incident. I'll go find the person in question and discuss it with her before contacting Senpai personally and formally requesting to hire her.”
”Alright,” Natsuya agreed.
Seiji thanked Natsuya and hung up. He then took a taxi to the police station.
”Harano-kun!”
”Harano, are you alright?”
As he expected, he found Mayuzumi and Saki at the nearest police station.
They were currently explaining the situation to the police. When they noticed Seiji, they both showed concern for his state.
”I'm fine… but that guy escaped.” Seiji smiled to reassure them.
As he indeed seemed to be unscathed, both women heaved a sigh of relief.
”That man was Shouhei Hirai,” Seiji told them.
Mayuzumi and Saki were stunned to hear this.
”Shouhei Hirai…” Mayuzumi muttered.
”Yep. During our fight, I managed to knock off his mask, sunglasses, and cap, so I recognized him,” Seiji explained. ”He's Sensei's college classmate, and we met him that one time during the school festival…”
”I know about this; Mayuzumi told me about it,” Saki said. ”I've also seen this person in college. He was one of Mayuzumi's admirers at the time and got into a conflict with another admirer. Later he did… something bad to Mayuzumi due to a misunderstanding.” The editor's tone of voice was rather low and heavy.
”…Did Sensei develop androphobia because of him?” Seiji looked towards Mayuzumi.
The manga author remained silent.
”Not solely because of him. He was only a factor… albeit an important one,” Saki told him softly.
”Can you think of why that guy would do such a thing now?” Seiji asked.
Mayuzumi and Saki exchanged glances.
”I don't know…” Mayuzumi said.
”I really don't have any idea either,” Saki said. ”The incident at college was resolved back then. He doesn't have any reason to still hate Mayuzumi.”
”I see.” Seiji rubbed his chin in contemplation. ”Then just explain what you can to the police.”
”Harano…” Mayuzumi protested softly.
”I know what you guys want to know, and I'll explain everything later. I'll also tell you how we'll truly resolve this incident.”
As expected, the police found their report rather strange, but they still accepted the case and sent someone to check out the scene of the crime.
The hole in the wall that Shouhei created astonished the police, as they couldn't believe a human could make such a hole with his bare fist!
Seiji didn't care whether or not they believed it. He knew that this case would likely be suppressed in the end. Reporting this case was merely a placebo effect to make the two ladies feel better, as it was the proper thing to do.
Mayuzumi and Saki felt fear revisit them when they saw the huge hole in the wall.
Fortunately for them, he arrived and managed to stop Shouhei.
Mayuzumi and Saki both recalled his tall, broad back as he protected them.
They would never forget that scene in their lives.
...
At a coffee café near the apartment.
Seiji gave Mayuzumi and Saki a rough explanation about Spiritual Ability users and the hidden mystical side of society.
The manga author and light novel editor both fell silent after hearing about this facet of the world. It bore an eerie resemblance to the world of mangas that they both worked with.
”The police can't resolve this issue, but there is another way to deal with it,” Seiji continued. ”You can hire a professional Spiritual Ability user to take care of this matter. There's an excellent candidate that both of you know already. I recommend Mai Houjou.”
”Houjou-san!?” Saki exclaimed.
”That… maid that we met at the school festival?” Mayuzumi asked in astonishment.
Both Mayuzumi and Saki were surprised to hear this.
”Indeed,” Seiji said, smiling. ”Recently, I learned that she's a professional in this field. You all witnessed her ability during the laser tag game… and that was probably the tip of the iceberg. I don't know how powerful she is when she gets serious, but she'll definitely be quite strong—much stronger than me. Mai Houjou is worthy of our trust. I feel that hiring her to deal with Shouhei is the best choice we have.”
Mayuzumi and Saki exchanged glances.
”Then… how much will it cost to hire Houjou-san?” Mayuzumi asked.
”I don't know the specifics. Let's ask her directly.” Seiji took out his cell phone and called Mai.
Mai picked up the call. ”Hello, Junior,” she said as soon as the call connected. ”I heard from Milady that you have a job for me...”
”Hello, Senpai. That's right—I have a good job for you. In fact, you should pay me for being the middle-man.”
”How about giving you a free ticket for a full-body massage?” Mai asked innocently.
”I feel like that's pretty cheap,” Seiji replied.