Kikou Shoujo wa Kizutsukanai

Once the afternoon lecture had ended, Raishin and Yaya exited the lecture hall.

With Sigmund resting atop her head, Charl watched them through a window in the hall.

The sun was setting, and the outside grounds were becoming dim.

As twilight descended, Raishin met up with Felix, and the two of them cut through the front yard.

The figure of Felix’s back slowly vanished into the distance. Charl felt a slight warmth throughout her body, and her chest hurt at the same time. Watching them go off brought about an unbearable feeling.

“Are you interested?”

Sigmund asked a sharp question.

“N-n-n-no I’m not. Don’t say such i-i-idiotic things.”

“You don’t have to hide it. He really is an interesting guy.”

“H-h-he’s not interesting at all. I’ll feed you green peas from now on.”

“I’m not referring to Felix. I’m talking about Raishin.”

“Eh—“

While blushing, Charl pondered over Sigmund’s words.

“… Really? Isn’t he just a regular insolent pervert?”

“Remember. In the cafeteria, he asked me how I was feeling.”

“What about it?”

“That means he treated me as a distinct individual.”

“—“

“It might because of the automaton he himself possesses, but he doesn’t treat other automata as a literal puppet. Normally, he shouldn’t have addressed me, but should have asked you ‘how’s the condition of your puppet?’.”

Now that he mentioned it, it was certainly odd.

“During the Machine Physics lecture, his automaton throttled his neck, correct?”

“You mean during their lover’s quarrel?”

“He was being strangled. The other students were laughing at him. That’s probably because they thought he couldn’t completely control his own automaton.”

Charl suddenly realised it.

Sigmund was right. That scenario wasn’t possible, and she knew it. Even if he was a little rough around the edges, he was still an excellent puppeteer— br.i.m.m.i.n.g with powerful magical energy.

If he felt like it, he could have easily stopped Yaya at any time.

“This is what I think— He’s a rather sentimental sort of person.”

Sigmund gave a little chuckle as he spoke.

He was poking fun at Raishin, but it was clear he had a good impression of him. It was possible that Sigmund had become interested in Raishin himself.

“Don’t you think the two of you get along rather well?”

“… There’s no way that’s possible with that pervert. Plus, I’m a realist. I don’t mix with sentimental fools.”

“You’re a realist?”

“… Are you laughing?”

“No. However, let me pose a question to you.”

Sigmund’s voice became stern.

“He has already helped you twice. First when he aided you during the fight, second when he let you off. If you do face him in battle, do you have the resolve to defeat him?”

There was a brief silence.

Finally, after deliberating over such a serious question, she raised her head firmly.

“I am Charlotte Belew, of the n.o.ble house of Belew, who the Queen herself bestowed the unicorn coat of arms and conferred the northern grounds to.”

There was pride in her powerful declaration.

“I will eliminate all who stand in my way, no matter who they are.”

“… No matter who they are?”

“That’s right. No matter who they are.”

“Even if I have to stain my hands with blood, there’s a dream I have to realise at all costs.”

Once more, she glanced out the window.

Dusk had descended, and the figure of Felix had already disappeared.

Raishin was led to a s.p.a.ce set aside for the disciplinary committee’s exclusive use.

It was an area located on the second floor of the central auditorium. There were three rooms in total, the committee head’s office, a rest area, and a meeting room. Although a simple gathering of student volunteers, the disciplinary committee was an important existence charged with defending the public morals of the academy— thus they were favourably treated accordingly.

Opening the door to the office, Felix ushered them inside.

“Have a seat on the sofa. I’ll prepare us some tea.”

“Ah, please let Yaya handle that.”

Felix turned towards Raishin, to confirm if that was really his intent.

“If she says she’ll do it then let her. I can a.s.sure you she’s pretty skilled.”

“Alright then, please.”

Handing over the tea set, he instructed Yaya where to get the hot water from. Having been praised by Raishin, Yaya was in high spirits, and she enthusiastically left the room.

Felix sat across from Raishin, a grin on his face.

“Firstly, allow me to welcome you. Can I take it that you’re here because you’re interested in my proposal?”

“Yes. If you’re offering an entry qualification, then I can’t afford to ignore your proposal.”

“So in other words, my strategy was a success.”

He laughed jokingly. Raishin was starting to get weary of seeing the guileless smile on his pretty face.

(This guy’s true intentions are hard to read…)

While thinking he was a difficult person to deal with, Raishin prompted the conversation along.

“So, whose entry qualification are you giving me? I don’t suppose it’s yours?”

“If we successfully resolve the problem at hand, my entry qualification is but a small price to pay—“

A dazzling smile radiated from his face which made it seem like there were stars in the background giving off light.

Almost immediately after, the lights in the background faded as he shrugged his shoulders.

“is something I can’t say. I do have some attachment to obtaining the Wiseman’s Throne.”

“Hearing that is a relief. At least I know you’re being honest about it.”

“Your entry qualification will be sponsored by the Night Party’s executive committee. As long as the disciplinary committee agrees to it, we can send a referral to the executive committee endorsing your partic.i.p.ation. Although quite frankly, even without our endors.e.m.e.nt— if you took care of this incident, you would become someone so big that the executive committee wouldn’t be able to ignore your presence.”

His speech was more like a prediction. Was his request something that bothersome? This was becoming increasingly suspicious, but on the other hand he was growing more interested, and so he asked.

“What would I have to do?”

“We want you to defeat a puppeteer.”

It was an anticlimactic answer. Or rather, more than feeling disappointed, he wondered if Felix was being serious.

Defeating a puppeteer— something like that was a given, even if it wasn’t said he was bound to do something like that anyway. Was the disciplinary committee specifically designating a target? However, with regards to the permissibility of such an action...

While he was deep in thought, Yaya came back with the tea.

Suspiciously eyeing the two of them who were deep in thought, Yaya placed the cups on the table.

Felix picked up a cup and elegantly brought it to his lips. Raishin asked impatiently,

“Who do I have to do in?”

“Cannibal Candy.”

No matter how much he tried to jog his memory, he couldn’t remember such a registration code amongst the Night Party partic.i.p.ants.

Felix swirled his teacup, and happily spoke.

“Your automaton is skilled indeed. The tea still retains its aromatic flavour.”

“Cannibal— who’s that?”

“You know, in this academy, there are people who go missing every year.”

It didn’t feel like he was evading the question. Raishin silently waited for him to continue.

“Most quit of their own accord. The academy’s curriculum isn’t exactly a cakewalk, and people who can’t keep up with the lectures are fated to eventually fall by the wayside. Furthermore, the tuition fees here aren’t cheap. There are countless reasons to want to quit.”

“I don’t get it. If they want to quit, then they just need to submit a notice of withdrawal—“

Halfway, his mouth shut. Even Raishin knew the reason for not submitting a notice.

“Exactly, due to extenuating circ.u.mstances there are those who can’t submit a notice of withdrawal.”

As the premier inst.i.tution of the magic world, the academy was exceedingly hard to get into. Those who had the brains and resources to enter on their own were fine, but those who couldn’t had to rely on a backer to get them in.

Armies from different countries, various conglomerates, religious organisations and syndicates provided the financial capital required.

Quitting school halfway was tantamount to a betrayal in the eyes of the backers.

Not only would they have to repay the loan, they would also have to pay compensation and well as a penalty fee for breach of contract—

The worst case scenario was that their lives would be forfeit.

“Those from that group who do drop out have no choice but to go underground. Some also stain their hands with crime and heretical magic. Students from the academy are in great demand— and obviously, that demand doesn’t just stop at places where the sun shines. Rather morbidly, academy students still retain their value even if they were dead.”

“… Sounds about right.”

Raishin himself had been part of a clan that undertook similarly dirty work.

“However, this time around things are slightly different.”

The tone of his voice changed. Felix continued on in an unusually serious manner.

“Since last October, which was the start of the school term, there have been twenty six people missing—those numbers are a clear spike. That isn’t all though. We’ve also have had twelve cases where we’ve discovered automata which have been destroyed.”

“Destroyed?”

“Yes. If it were a simple case of running away, there would be no need to destroy their own automaton.”

An automaton was a puppeteer’s treasure. Not only was it the tool of the trade, if there was no need for it any longer they could sell it.

There was no reason to destroy it.

If that was the case, then—

“Someone’s attacking them—“

“There is a high chance that is the case.”

“Wait a minute… you’ve been letting him get away with it till now?”

“Obviously, we’ve not been standing around and doing nothing. These few months, we’ve enlisted the help of the campus security and increased the number of patrols. Of course, we’ve been hunting for him on our own as well.”

“And the results?”

“Absolutely nothing. We did get statements from eyewitnesses, but there were too many exaggerated parts, and it’s become an urban legend of sorts among town. It’s like the second coming of Jack the Ripper. To be exact though, what the academy calls Cannibal Candy has a distinct craving for automata.”

“Craving… you say?”

Yaya’s body stiffened visibly. For a female automaton, the idea of being caught and eaten had a certain nuance to it that made it creepy.

Felix put his cup down, and spoke with his normal smile back on his face.

“Now then, I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say. Cannibal Candy is a serious threat to the academy— it’s someone we have to defeat no matter what. An opponent who will raise your profile if you defeat.”

“Why are you asking me to do it?”

“There are two reasons. Firstly, there’s no way you can be Cannibal Candy.”

‘What makes you so sure?”

“All students and professors are possible suspects. Even me. But you’re different. You’ve barely been in this academy for a few days.”

“… And the second reason?”

“You’re strong enough.”

It was a statement made without any flattery behind it. He said it with real earnestness.

“The enemy’s strength is equivalent to a member of the Rounds. Sending someone ordinary to hunt would only result in the predator becoming the prey.”

“Why should I take your words at face value? I am Second Last after all.”

“You like to sell yourself short, don’t you?”

Felix chuckled wryly.

“Even with the numerical disadvantage, you were able to send several students packing. Did you know this? The students you beat were all approaching the top hundred places. We call them the Benchwarmers. Their actual strength isn’t something to sneeze at.”

“But the difference between the Rounds and those lot is like the distance between heaven and earth. I’m aiming for the Wiseman’s Throne— winning against them has no meaning. Besides, ”

Raishin’s lips twisted as he spoke sarcastically.

“What you’re really trying to say is ‘I’ll give you a qualification so stop going around creating more disturbances’, isn’t it?”

“Correct.”

Felix didn’t even flinch.

“Unless you destroy school property, or harm a bystander, we can’t take action against students’ personal battles— although having said that, from the perspective of someone who has an obligation to protect public morals, I can’t silently stand back and watch as you test out your power on other people.”

“So you’re throwing out bait to domesticate the wild animal.”

“I prefer to call it fair trade. This won’t disadvantage you in any way after all.”

This time, it was Raishin’s turn to chuckle wryly.

In order to reign in his destructive behaviour, they chose to send him to face Cannibal Candy. If Raishin won, then things would end well. And if he lost, then there would be no loss to public morals. In the end, Felix was the sole winner.

“Up to this point, do you have any questions?”

“The Night Party has a hundred partic.i.p.ants. If I were to gain an entry qualification—“

“Obviously, someone will have to be kicked out. However.”

Felix still had a smile on his face, but he spoke like he was casually discarding someone.

“In the two hundred years that the Night Party has been held, there has never been an instance where the 99th or 100th seat became the Wiseman. Even if you did force someone out, it wouldn’t affect that many people.”

He was more— no, exactly as cool-headed as Raishin thought.

Because of that, Raishin felt that he could trust him.

Unexpectedly, playing along wouldn’t be a bad idea… just as he thought that,

“Felix!”

Without even a knock, someone burst into the office.

With shoulder length hair that swayed dynamically, it was an intelligent looking girl with gla.s.ses. She had an aristocratic air, and looked like she had had a fine upbringing. However compared to Charl or Felix, there was no denying that she looked a little plainer than them. She had an armband with the words Censor, and a white glove that signified partic.i.p.ation in the Night Party.

In that instant, Raishin’s five senses screamed that there was something weird about her.

… However, before he could even confirm that his senses were tingling, the weird feeling vanished.

Noticing that there was a visitor, the girl came to a halt in surprise. Her stiff movements made her seem like a doll.

“Let me introduce you, Raishin. This is Liz. She’s basically my reliable watchdog.”

Regaining her senses, the girl cleared her throat.

“Pardon my earlier rudeness. I am the chairman’s a.s.sistant, Lisette Norden.”

“Akabane Raishin.”

Felix continued on in a teasing manner,

“It’s not like you to be in such a fl.u.s.ter, Liz. Did Cannibal Candy appear or something?”

“Yes.”

Responding to his joke with a straight face, she managed to wipe the smile off Felix’s.

Continuing on in the same serious manner, she began to give her report in an efficient manner.

“A ‘devoured’ puppet was discovered in the grove of trees behind the Technical Vocations building. It seems to have been attacked last night.”

Felix sighed, and resignedly turned towards Raishin.

“Talk about a bad time… or rather, perhaps I should say this is perfect timing?”

Shrugging his shoulders, he slapped his thighs and stood up.

“Let’s go, Raishin. Time to go look at some leftovers.”

The first person to notice the figure was Yaya.

They were walking along a small path that led to the technical vocations building. While wordlessly walking, Yaya suddenly reacted to something, and like a cat on high alert she stared ahead of them suspiciously.

Inside the dim grove of trees, a crowd of students had started to gather. A little in front of them, a girl with a dragon atop her head was standing with a grumpy expression on her face.

“Yo, Charl and Sigmund.”

Raishin hailed them in a friendly voice. … However, the reserved glances she threw in his direction went through him, settling on the figure of Felix who was behind.

“So, you were here as well, Charl.”

“There was a commotion going on, so…”

Charl answered while looking downwards.

Don’t just ignore me, thought Raishin. But he wasn’t childish enough to verbalise the thought.

Felix was his usual self, an amicable smile surfacing onto his face.

“Full of burning curiosity, as always. Or should I have you have sharp ears?”

“I-it’s not like that’s something unusual. Cannibal Candy attacks people indiscriminately— even someone like me is at risk. It’s not something I can dismiss as someone else’s problem.”

“Haha, I guess you’re right. I apologise if I offended you.”

Felix slipped past Charl, and entered into the grove of trees with Liz in tow. Hailing the disciplinary committee members on watch, he entered into the grove.

Charl appeared to be down-hearted after Felix left. It looked like she was regretting they had part on a sour note.

Seeing her att.i.tude, even someone as disinterested in love as Raishin could tell instinctively.

“You like him, don’t you?”

“Wha— I— You—“

She turned so red it was almost pitiful.

Ah, she’s blushing.

So even she can make that sort of face, thought Raishin as he indulged himself in that train of thought.

Charl grabbed him by the neck and hissed angrily in his ear, like she was about to bite it off.

“Don’t speak of it so casually! This isn’t something like that vulgar emotion!”

“There’s nothing vulgar about it. Falling head over heels for someone is a natural phenomenon.”

“I told you to be quiet! Or do you want me to tear open a new hole in your chest!”

“This way, Raishin.”

Felix waved to him from the opposite side of the crowd. Charl hurriedly withdrew her hands, covering her actions with an insincere laugh. Raishin decided not to comment, and walked towards Felix with Yaya in tow, whose mood had suddenly gotten a lot better.

A little way into the grove, a rope had been hung across with the words ‘Keep Out’ on it. The disciplinary committee members had gathered in front, standing guard to prevent curious onlookers from disturbing the scene.

This is almost like a murder case, thought Raishin to himself as he stepped under the rope. That thought wasn’t entirely wrong, because what was laid out in front of him was—

A dead body, for all intents and purposes.

Charl let out a little groan. Raishin frowned reflexively.

The top half of the body had been separated from the bottom.

The abdominal cavity could be seen from the one half of the body. Because various internal mechanisms had been constructed and housed within, it was like looking at a human’s insides. Looking at the various gears and cords spilling out of the body was more unsettling than if it had been a real human.

The bottom half of its face had been smashed in, retaining none of its original shape. Something akin to blood had been scattered around the body, making it look like some creature had feasted on it.

The most conspicuous detail that caught the eye however, was the curious wound.

A neat circle had been carved into the place where the heart should have been.

The scar was impossibly smooth and gla.s.sy, like it was candy that had dissolved through licking.

(I see, so that’s where the Candy part of the name comes from…)

Cannibal for the eating of others, and Candy because of the scar. Combining the two words, it was the perfect way to express its peculiar traits in a single phrase.

Raishin brought his fist to his jaw, deep in thought.

He had seen a similar scar before in a different place.

(It couldn’t be, but…)

Briefing glancing over at Yaya, he saw that she was staring down at the corpse, her face slightly pale. — It looked like she was a little frightened.

Raishin turned his gaze back to Felix, seeking a confirmation as to what he had noticed.

“The magic circuit’s gone, isn’t it?”

“That’s his M.O. So far, all his victims have had their heart— a certain part of the magic circuit removed without fail.”

“Let me guess, when you say remove you mean they’ve all been eaten right?”

“We still don’t know whether that is the case. No one has actually caught him in the act of eating at the scene.”

An automaton’s ego was born from Eve’s Heart. As long as the Eve’s Heart was unharmed, the automaton could be rebuilt. Not to mention there were self-repairing automatas as well. If you looked at it the other way, then it meant that even if the Eve’s Heart itself was the only thing destroyed, it was effectively a death knell for the automata.

“… Whose puppet is this? What happened to the puppeteer?”

The one who answered wasn’t Felix, but Lisette.

“We’re still in the process of identifying the owner. However, based off what we know of the situation so far I believe that this automaton is a morning star wielder— the one whom you fought and defeated yesterday.

She’s was probably right. The broken automaton’s feet had been crushed by a familiar looking iron ball.

However— wasn’t that a little strange?

“Hey, Charl. What do you think—“

Her lips were pursed, her shoulders were shaking, and she was staring off into s.p.a.ce.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Without answering him she turned on her heel, like she was about to go off somewhere.

She was acting strange. Raishin grabbed onto her arm, to try and stop her.

“Hey. Wait.”

“Let go. Unhand me this instant!”

“You’re planning something weird, aren’t you? Look, acting recklessly now will get you nowhere.”

“Sigmund!”

There was a transmission of magic energy. The little dragon bared his fangs and bit Raishin’s hand.

“Owwwwwwwww!”

Yaya panickedly dashed over to him, grabbing hold of his hand tightly.

“Show me the wound Raishin! I think it’s bleeding!”

“You just want to lick it! Go stand over there!”

While the two of them continued their slapstick routine, Charl had disappeared.

“… She’s gone.”

“She’s as impulsive as she looks. Being forced to show restraint irritates her.”

Felix intervened.

“Similarly, my blood is boiling over this as well.”

Although he was smiling as he always did— his eyes had a steely light to them.

“Will you not lend me your power, Raishin?”

He stared at Raishin. His eyes were usually half closed, but now they were opened wide. Raishin noticed for the first time that Felix’s eyes were pale blue.

“I don’t think my strength is so powerful that I can lend it to others…”

Raishin looked troubled, then he gave a self-depreciating laugh.

“But given my circ.u.mstances, I do need that entry qualification.”

“That means…?”

“Let me think about it for a while.”

‘Of course. If we’re going to work together I’d rather you do it of your own volition.”

It was akin to a confident prediction. Quite possibly, Felix had been manoeuvring behind Raishin’s back and was holding back information or understood something he didn’t.

“We’ll call it a day here then. I have other matters to attend to.”

With an ‘I’m looking forward to your favourable reply’, Felix returned back to the scene of the crime. The academy was autonomous to a large degree, but it still was subject to police authority. However, as long as the crime was not as serious as murder, the town police wouldn’t interfere. In lieu of that, the disciplinary committee shouldered the burden of policing the academy.

Even if he were to disturb them now, nothing useful would come from it. Raishin decided to go back to the dormitory instead.

With Yaya behind him, he made his way out of the crowd of onlookers.

Leaving the grove, he started walking back along the small path, when suddenly,

“Wait a minute, Raishin Akabane.”

Someone called out to him from behind. It wasn’t Felix, but rather, his a.s.sistant Lisette.

Stiffly bringing her face close to his, she whispered into his ear.

“I have something I wish to speak with you about.”

“Is it something confidential?”

“Yes. It’s not something I can discuss openly.”

“Does it have something to do with intimate relations with opposite genders?”

“Please sleep talk only when you die. — Ah, I made a mistake. What I was trying to say was—Please die.”

“Where exactly is the mistake in that?”

“Raishin…! You get turned on from being insulted…!?”

“And now you’re making mistakes on various fundamental levels, Yaya.”

Raishin stared at Lisette with a critical eye.

Observing her slender frame and intelligent face, he finally spoke.

“Yaya, go back first.”

“—No! Yaya will go along as well!”

“Don’t worry, just go back to the dorm. It won’t be good if we can’t have a quick discussion, right?”

His tone implied that there was something he wanted her to do. Picking up on it, Yaya grudgingly nodded.

“… I understand.”

Yaya’s eyes lost their light. In a monotonous voice, she carried on speaking.

“Come back as soon as you can… Before the dorm turns into rubble…”

“I’m forbidding you to do so, ok? Don’t turn it into rubble or ruins, got that?”

After watching her trudge off, Raishin turned back to face Lisette.

“Alright then, let’s hear it. This big secret of yours.”

Nodding her head in a.s.sent, Lisette took the lead and started to walk ahead of him.

By the time Raishin got back to the dormitory, an hour had pa.s.sed.

“I’m back. Is the room still in one piece, Yaya?”

Gingerly entering the room, Yaya came flying at him in tears.

Suddenly going into a crouch, she clung tightly to Raishin’s waist.

Without giving him any say in the matter, she started to unzip his pants. Raishin hit her on the head, bringing her recklessness to an end.

“Hayashi s (talk) 07:59, 22 March 2014 (CDT)”

“What’s up with you all of a sudden? Did some unknown error occur or something?”

Undeterred, Yaya continued on with her jet black eyes damp with tears.

“Please remove your pants, Raishin! We can talk after that!”

“Are you some kind of highway robber!? And even highway robbers say less objectionable things you know!?”

“There’s only one way to know if that vixen did something. I’ll have to confirm it by smell!”

“Like h.e.l.l you will! Just how badly warped is your view of others!?”

Raishin forcefully tore Yaya, who had been stubbornly clinging on to him, away.

Yaya broke down into tears, but Raishin wasn’t in the mood to play along, and so ignored her.

“So, did you manage to discuss things with Shouko?”

“Uu, Uu… Komurasaki sent word back.”

“That was quick. And?”

Yaya sniffled, wiping her eyes and speaking hesitantly.

“The military higher ups issued a ‘go’ order for the plan…”

To be honest, it was unexpected. Raishin fell silent.

“Raishin… are you not pleased with it?”

“I am the military’s dog. If they tell me to do it, then I have to… however,”

He looked to Yaya for confirmation.

“Can we really trust him?”

“Are you talking about Felix?”

“The whole thing is fishy. He said I’d be awarded an entry qualification— do they even have that sort of authority?”

“Well, according to what Komurasaki said…”

Yaya looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember what she had been told.

“Regarding the Kingsfort family, they have close ties to the British Intelligence Department, and are one of the influential members of the House of Lords. The head of the family is Sir Walter. After the late queen pa.s.sed away he’s become one of the leaders of the Great British Empire who wields great power— Even in the academy that sort of influence cannot be ignored.”

I see, they had investigated that far in such a short period of time. As expected of the military. Naturally, they had issued the ‘go’ order after careful consideration.

Besides, it was exactly as Felix had said himself. Even without the backing of the disciplinary committee, if he defeated Cannibal Candy it would raise his profile in a single stroke. Which would mean the Night Party’s executive committee would not be able to ignore him.

A large body of students had gathered at the scene of the incident earlier as well. From that alone, it was clear interest was building in the incident. Felix hadn’t been lying.

So in short— the problem was how he was going to go about defeating him.

Or rather, the more pressing issue was whether he could actually find Cannibal Candy in the first place.

If he wanted the finer details he’d have to ask Felix for them, but if Cannibal Candy was someone that was easily found, then the disciplinary committee members (and maybe the campus security) would have exterminated him long ago.

(Looks like I’ll have to start by tracking him down… can I even make it in time before the Night Party starts?)

Lost in a sea of thought, he was drawn back to reality by a sound resembling the flapping of a wing.

A bird-like shadow landed on the window sill, and started knocking on the gla.s.s.

Restraining Yaya, who had gone into high alert, Raishin laughed as he welcome their visitor.

“Yo, Sigmund. Did Charl send you here on an errand?”

“No, I came here of my own will. I wanted to apologise for earlier.”

Sigmund’s eyes fell on Raishin’s hand, on which the teeth marks were still vividly present.

“Don’t worry about it. In the first place I was the one who plotted to beat the two of you anway— hang on, if you came here to apologise, where’s Charl?”

At that moment, Charl had released magic energy. Sigmund didn’t have the intent to bite him; it was through Charl’s intent that he did so.

Sigmund lowered his small head, sighing apologetically.

“Don’t think badly of her. Normally, she’s not the sort of girl who would use Force on me.”

“She was probably worked up. Under those circ.u.mstances, even a cat or a dog would have bitten if touched then.”

‘A cat? That’s a perfect description of her.”

He didn’t know how to read a dragon’s expression, but he could have sworn Sigmund grinned wryly.

“Charl is…”

It was a difficult subject to talk about. Eventually, Sigmund made up his mind,

“She has some unique circ.u.mstances behind her. Occasionally, she gets oversensitive. p.r.o.ne to making mistakes. And she’s never honest. However, at her core she’s kind and gentle, has an interest in handicrafts and is a harmless girl.”

Raishin doubted his ears. Handicrafts? Handicrafts meant… knitting and sewing, right?

Wow. It didn’t suit her at all.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I wonder why myself. I think I just wanted to tell you, that’s all.”

—what was that supposed to mean?

“I’ll take my leave now. See you around, Raishin.”

Sigmund kicked off from the sill. His light and easy movements made him no different from a bird. When he was in his small dragon form, it appeared that he was able to fly on his own without using any magic energy.

Watching his shadow fade into the distance, Raishin thought back to his discussion with Lisette.

“I feel a little uneasy telling you this, but—”

Earlier, inside a deserted lecture room, Lisette began to speak hesitantly.

“—please be careful of Charlotte.”

“— Why?”

“Her registration code is Tyrant Rex. The students call her the T-Rex— do you know the reason why?”

“Nope.”

“Originally, that name wasn’t used in reference to her; it was her automaton’s alias.”

“Sigmund?”

“That automaton is a bandoll.”

As expected, Raishin fell silent at the revelation.

Bandoll. Hearing that word always stirred up unpleasant memories inside Raishin.

“There’s a legend pa.s.sed down from generation to generation in the Belew household. The first lord of the Belew house went up a dangerous mountain where he defeated and tamed the rampaging dragon, Sigmund, making it his servant. For his success he was appointed a viscount, and since then he and his descendants have worked together with Sigmund.”

“A dangerous mountain, huh… That’s kinda typical.”

“According the legends, he ate people, burnt down towns, did every evil deed in the book. Even now, he needs to consume flesh periodically to maintain his body.”

“He eats chicken.”

Raishin said in a small voice that could barely be heard. He was already losing interest in the conversation.

In short, everything she said was just malicious gossip. Bad rumours surrounding Charl and Sigmund.

“Bandolls are a cursed existence; in terms of their characteristics as well as the absurd situations they create.”

“That does appear to be the case.”

“Things like drinking fresh blood, eating human flesh, only being able to operate in the middle of the night— or enjoying ma.s.sacres.”

“That’s quite the roundabout manner of talking. What exactly are you trying to say?”

“You still don’t get it? Has your brain been infested by maggots?”

“You’re trying to say you hate me, aren’t you? You hate me on the same level as you’d hate a hairy caterpillar?”

“We have come to the conclusion that Cannibal Candy may be a Bandoll.”

He wondered if that was really it.

For some reason or another Raishin was in an unhappy mood as he averted his eyes away from Lisette’s face.

“Do you have any questions so far?”

“Yeah, I—“

A violently cold air snapped him out of his reverie.

Turning around, he noticed Yaya staring at him with eyes blacker than a solar eclipse.

“Raishin… You were thinking about that vixen, weren’t you…”

“… Why is your intuition only good for useless things…”

“Well then, what are you going to do tomorrow?”

“Start the search. Now that the situation has gotten to this point, it’s time for me to start hunting Cannibal Candy.”

Laughing, Raishin shook his head as he corrected himself.

“It’s time for us to start hunting Cannibal Candy. That’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Yes!”

An energetic Yaya raised her hands in support.

After that, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously,

“It couldn’t be… are you aiming for that vixen…!?”

“She really is someone who doesn’t know how to relax.”

“… You have to remove your pants after all!”

Carefully maintaining the distance between the both of them, the two ended up in a stalemate like they were a snake and a mongoose facing off.

It looked like tonight was going to be another sleepless night as well.

It was nine at night. Inside the disciplinary committee chairman’s office, Felix had spread several doc.u.ments across the table, and was writing something with an unusually serious face.

Someone knocked on the door twice.

“Come in.”

The person who entered was Lisette. Felix grinned at her,

“Thanks for all your hard work, Liz. Do you have some business with me?”

“Raishin Akabane has contacted us to inform us that he has officially accepted our request.”

“That’s good. In that case, hand this to him tomorrow.”

He pa.s.sed her the doc.u.ment he had just finished writing.

“What is it?”

“It’s a contract. A matter of this importance has to be handled thoroughly and properly.”

Lisette eyes widened in surprise. Browsing through the doc.u.ment handed to her, she saw the that contents were the same as what she had discussed with him earlier. If he defeated Cannibal Candy, then the disciplinary committee would back his push for a spot in the Night Party.

“Did you already know that he was going to accept?”

“He had no choice but to accept. At the very least, I planned it such that he would want to accept the request.”

Felix answered, his face showing that it wasn’t strange for Raishin to accept.

“Besides, since it was him, I had faith he would accept it. We’re truly lucky that he came to us at this time— It’s almost like it’s heaven’s providence.”

“Did you know about him beforehand?”

“No, this was the first time we’d ever met. However, I did have some background knowledge.”

Turning around in his chair, he looked outside the window.

‘Did you know something interesting, Liz? The day he transferred to this academy, there was an accident involving the railroad in the city.”

“Accident? Ah— you’re referring to the derailment, aren’t you?”

“It was a small, throwaway article. Because there were only twenty people with minor injuries, there was nothing to write about.”

He was talking in a roundabout manner. But even so, Lisette could already guess what he was going to say.

“Could it be that he was on that train…?”

“Yes. He was on board it. It’s also possible that he was the main target of the derailment as well.”

Chalking it up to simple coincidence was too good to be true. In fact, it was more than lucky that he was on board.

“However, that isn’t the problem. What do you think he did during the accident?”

“… What did he do?”

“He stopped the runaway train. With his automaton.”

“—“

“For those about to take part in the Night Party, their automaton is their one and only treasure. Truthfully, the ideal scenario is to not let it suffer even a single scratch.”

A train was essentially a ma.s.sive lump of matter. If an automaton was run over by one, it would be smashed to pieces.

“However, he was different. Defying the risk of his automaton being destroyed, he stopped the runaway train— saving the lives of many pa.s.sengers. He did so even though he could have just chosen to escape with his automata alone.”

Felix’s smiling face turned gentle for a second.

“I thought to myself, if it’s him, then he would lend me his strength.”

For a moment, a complicated look appeared on Lisette’s face, but Felix hadn’t noticed it.

Leaving his chair, he walked over to the window, staring out into the darkness of the night.

“We will defeat Cannibal Candy without fail. Before the Night Party starts, we will exterminate him from this academy, no matter what underhanded tactics we have to use.”

He gazed upon the veil of darkness that had descended upon the world outside.

Tonight, that dreadful beast would come out to play once again.

The next morning, Raishin was sniffling in bed when he was awoken by the sound of porcelain breaking.

“… Yaya? What are you doing this early in the morning…”

Slowly getting up, he moved towards the direction of the sound.

Yaya was standing at the entrance to the room. She had a gla.s.s cup in her hand, and pieces of a water jug were strewn at her feet.

Standing in front of Yaya was a girl with a dragon atop her head.

Raishin rubbed his eyes reflexively. However, it didn’t seem like this was a dream or an illusion.

“… What are you doing here? This is a boy’s dorm, you know?”

“I know. Don’t interrupt me needlessly.”

“Alright. So what do you want?”

Charl gulped, and started acting suspiciously.

She glanced to her right, then left, and then right again.

Taking deep breaths to steel herself, she finally managed to spit itout.

“Will you…”

“Will I?”

“Will you… go out on a date with me?”

In that moment, Yaya crushed the cup she was holding in her hand.