— — — — — — — —
"Huh?"
Minamiya Natsuki was growing more and more suspicious about Lynn's choice of Peerage members.
And the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that her suspicions were correct.
Otherwise, why would he recruit so many ordinary, beautiful girls into his Peerage?
Grinding her teeth, Natsuki muttered, "That Devil… he's actually trying to corrupt Shuchiin Academy!"
Was that brat just now making a real harem proposal to her?!
"That damn kid… he actually dared!"
BANG!
The faculty office door suddenly swung open.
"Yo~!"
"Who pissed you off so much, Natsuki-chan?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka teased as she walked in.
Natsuki's brow twitched."I've told you countless times—don't add '-chan' to my name!"
"It makes me lose authority in front of the students!"
"Ah… it's fine, it's fine."
Hiratsuka Shizuka waved it off casually."You're so cute anyway, the students will listen to you regardless."
Smack!
"Ow! That hurts!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka instantly clutched her head in pain.
Natsuki expressionlessly withdrew her folding fan."If you're just here to mess around, leave. Otherwise, state your business."
"And next time, knock before entering!"
"Jeez, no mercy as always, Natsuki-ch____"
"Ahem! Natsuki-san."
Noticing Natsuki raising her fan again, Shizuka quickly straightened up and got to the point."Natsuki, has anything strange happened with Yukinoshita Yukino lately?"
"Yukino?"
Natsuki furrowed her brows for a moment, then relaxed.
"You mean the Service Club president?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka's eye twitched.
Every time she heard that name, she couldn't help but feel awkward.
"If we're talking about something unusual…"
"Would experiencing a supernatural event count?"
"Supernatural event?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka's expression turned serious.
Coming from a wealthy family, she had some knowledge of such matters.
But as an ordinary person, she rarely had the chance to encounter them firsthand.
Still…If it really involved the supernatural, things could get troublesome.
How was she supposed to explain this to Yukinoshita Haruno? She had already promised to figure out her little sister's problem.
"Hmm… maybe you should ask the president of the Supernatural Research Club?" Natsuki didn't feel like explaining, so she simply threw the problem onto Lynn.
"The president of the Supernatural Research Club, huh…"
Hiratsuka Shizuka's face turned solemn. "Got it!"
Leaving behind a quick word of thanks, she hurried out of Natsuki's office.
"Hmph. Seems like more and more people are looking for that kid lately."
Natsuki muttered under her breath.
She already knew… That the school board was investigating the Old School Building incident.
They had probably traced it back to the Supernatural Research Club by now.
But…Lynn was a Devil.
No matter how powerful a human was in the mortal world, when faced with the supernatural…They were nothing.
"Shinomiya Unyo, you'd better not mess with a Devil."
— — —
Shuchiin Academy – Board of Directors
Shinomiya Unyo stared at the documents in his hand, his brows furrowing.
"Are we certain this wasn't Minamiya Natsuki's doing?"
As a director of Shuchiin, he was well aware of Natsuki's true identity.
With the Shinomiya family's influence, he had long known that this world was not as simple as it seemed.
But there was a saying…The more you know, the more you fear.
The more he learned about the truth of the world, the more uneasy he became.
He, too, wanted a supernatural power! But the money and influence that had always worked in the human world… were utterly useless when it came to even approaching that realm.
All he had managed to obtain were some basic knowledge and worthless techniques.
He had no talent, nor did he have the time to study them.
So, he decided to take a shortcut.
Wouldn't it be easier to raise a loyal Cursed Spirit instead?
Well…That plan had clearly backfired.
He had managed to nurture one, but he couldn't control it at all.
If it weren't for the expensive sealing array, it would have caused a disaster long ago.
Yet, he didn't dare to report any of this.
After all, he was the one responsible. And it would have affected his position as the Shinomiya heir greatly.
So, with the array breaking down, he could only sit on edge, hoping that the human Magic Instructor, Minamiya Natsuki, wouldn't just stand by and watch as Shuchiin turned into a living hell.
And…His gamble had paid off.
But it wasn't Natsuki who had taken action.
"The Supernatural Research Club?"
His eyes flickered.
A mere school club... actually had this kind of power?
A burning desire ignited in his heart.
Resting his chin on his hand, he fell into deep thought.
A student's identity often made things much easier.
"Kaguya."
"It's time for you to contribute to the Shinomiya family."
— — —
In a Café
Yukinoshita Haruno absentmindedly stirred her coffee, her gaze fixed outside the window.
She had finally found time in her schedule, so she rushed over as soon as she could.
For the past few days, Yukino's situation had been weighing on her mind.
"...Ugh! I hope to get some good news!"
After a while, she spotted Hiratsuka Shizuka's figure and immediately brightened up.
"Shizuka! Over here!"
Once Shizuka sat down, Haruno leaned forward eagerly. "So? Did you find anything?"
Shizuka rolled her eyes.
She hadn't even had a sip of water yet.
But since this was about Yukino, she let it slide.
After a moment of hesitation, Shizuka spoke. "Haruno… have you ever heard of supernatural events?"
"Huh?"
Haruno was dumbfounded.
The Yukinoshita family was a prestigious household in Chiba, but… in Tokyo, their influence was hardly significant.
In Tokyo social circles, people often mocked them as mere countryside elites.
Her father was a politician, but just a council member. So to her, the supernatural was nothing more than fantasy.
"..."
"Shizuka, you're not messing with me, are you?" Haruno said unsurely.
Shizuka smiled bitterly. "Knew you'd say that."
Haruno fell silent.
She could tell—Shizuka wasn't lying.
So the world she thought she knew… wasn't complete? Were the rumors true?
A dazed look crossed Haruno's face as she muttered, "So... Yukino really did encounter something supernatural?"
"I don't know all the details, but Yukino was probably just shaken. She might just need time to process it." Shizuka nodded.
Then why did she suddenly need five million yen?
Haruno suddenly recalled that detail.
However, she chose not to mention it to Shizuka.
Shizuka continued. "Before coming here, I did some digging. Someone suggested I check with Shuchiin Academy's Supernatural Research Club. There might be a connection."
"Supernatural Research Club?"
Just from the name, it was obviously related to supernatural events.
But...It was just a club run by students, right?
Haruno didn't think much of it.
"Mm... if I remember correctly, the club president's name was…"
"...Lynn, wasn't it?" Shizuka said all she knew.
Haruno's eyes widened.
Lynn…
That was the name on the account Yukino transferred money to!
It hadn't been long since the transaction, and Haruno had already used her connections to investigate the recipient's identity.
She never expected...
It would turn out to be the president of the Supernatural Research Club.
Her brows furrowed.
Looks like I need to pay a visit to that club.
.
.
.