Because Aika Kiryuu had delayed him for a bit in the classroom, by the time Hanakain Fubuki arrived, fifteen minutes had passed since class ended.
The location of the activity room... no, to be precise, the meeting place for the "Occult Research Club" that Hanakain Fubuki was part of wasn't in a conventional classroom within the main school building, but rather in the old schoolhouse behind the main campus.
Even calling it an "old schoolhouse" felt like putting it mildly, perhaps even doing it a disservice.
Usually, mentioning an old schoolhouse conjures images of last century's communal housing blocks – buildings with mottled outer walls and rickety gates that looked like they could fall off any second. Windows throughout the building would be shattered or missing entirely, and the partitioned rooms inside would be littered with rusted, decaying bunk beds and carelessly tossed garbage.
However, the reality at Kuoh Academy was that the old schoolhouse was actually a rather nice-looking Western-style house. Although primarily a wooden structure, it still stood tall despite years of wind and rain. In the sunlight, ivy climbed the western wall of the house, harmonizing beautifully with the natural surroundings.
When Hanakain Fubuki reached the building, the second-floor window was open. A red-haired girl, whose beauty and ample bosom were easily on par with Doctor Hasegawa's, sat by the window. Her elbow rested on the windowsill, propping up her cheek as she stared blankly into the distance, lost in thought.
Was she completely zoned out?
Down below, Hanakain Fubuki looked up for a moment before finally giving in and raising his voice slightly.
"Rias."
"Ngh...!"
As if her thoughts were abruptly pulled back to reality, the red-haired girl in the second-floor window, who had been gazing afar just a second ago, was clearly flustered for a moment. She instinctively looked down towards the sound.
As the young man's face below came into clear view, an irrepressible, joyful smile bloomed on the face of the girl named Rias. She gently patted her bountiful chest, like fingertips brushing across calm water, raising small ripples.
"Fubuki, you're here! I was just wondering when you'd arrive. Come on in, I'll come down right away."
"Okay."
Hanakain Fubuki gave an OK gesture and stepped into the old schoolhouse.
Again, although it was called the old schoolhouse, it was essentially closer to a small Western-style house, so it even had a lounge on the first floor, typically used as the main area for club activities.
Thus, when Hanakain Fubuki entered the lounge, everyone else had already gathered.
Inside the spacious lounge, two three-seater sofas faced each other, positioned about two meters from the left and right walls respectively, with a coffee table between them. At the far end stood a large office desk. Rias, whom he had just seen at the window upstairs, was already in the lounge, leaning elegantly against the front of the desk with her arms crossed.
Seated on the left sofa were two other girls.
One had long, smooth black hair tied back in a high ponytail. Her features were lovely, and her slightly downturned eyes gave off the aura of a gentle, motherly figure. Notably, the peaks of her chest visually seemed even more impressive than Rias's.
The other girl, however, wasn't the voluptuous type. Instead, juxtaposed against the two mature beauties of the club, she seemed quite petite... no, she was genuinely petite. She had white, shoulder-length hair adorned with a black cat-ear hair clip, and sat quietly on the sofa, nibbling delicately on a piece of cake.
"Sorry, Akeno-senpai, Koneko. Got held up by something on the way here."
Hanakain Fubuki said as he entered the lounge carrying the briefcase. He sat down on the right sofa and casually placed the briefcase on the coffee table in the middle.
Hearing the address "Akeno-senpai," the long black-haired beauty, whose gaze had been fixed on the young man since he entered, didn't say anything, but her eyes flickered twice, seeming to dim slightly.
Conversely, the seemingly emotionless, petite white-haired girl beside her paused her cake-eating, lifted her face, and gave a soft "Mm," acknowledging his arrival.
At this point, Rias pushed herself off the desk slightly and gracefully walked over to sit down on the right sofa next to Hanakain Fubuki.
"Well, regardless, first I have to thank you for your help last night, Fubuki. Otherwise, with just me, Akeno, and Koneko being short-handed, we might not have actually caught the target... Alright, enough pleasantries. Since everyone's here, let's take a look at what Fubuki brought. This was confiscated from the Stray Devil we eliminated yesterday... Hmm? Why won't it open?" The red-haired girl pressed one hand on the briefcase handle while trying to lift the lid with the other hand on the already unlatched clasp.
But the briefcase, which should normally pop open easily once unlatched, seemed as if some jerk had filled the seams with superglue. No matter how hard she struggled, it wouldn't budge.
"Oh, sorry, almost forgot."
Hanakain Fubuki slapped his forehead, reached out, and lightly tapped the case with his fingertip. A faint golden flicker of spiritual pressure pulsed at the unlocked clasp, and the previously stubborn case instantly sprang open.
Just as when he checked last night and this morning, a shriveled, purplish-black human finger lay quietly inside.
"This is..."
Completely unexpected that a human finger would be inside, Rias愣了一下 (lingered/paused/froze). [Let's use: Rias paused for a moment.]
Hanakain Fubuki shrugged and explained, "There wasn't originally a seal on the case itself, but... like I said, I've got a cat-girl at home. Last night while I was showering, she pried the case open. By the way, the finger originally had a sealing talisman wrapped around it too, but it seemed like it was losing its effectiveness over time, so I just tore it off and resealed it using the briefcase as a medium."
"As for the finger's origin, I consulted the omniscient netizens a bit. Currently, it's known that this finger should be something kept by the Jujutsu Association. They called it their Special Grade Sealed Object, though I don't really see what's so special about it that needs sealing..."
"Please allow me to take a closer look."
Before he finished speaking, Akeno, the long black-haired beauty from the opposite sofa, stood up. After politely asking for the young man's permission, she took the finger from the case and began examining it carefully under the light of the classical chandelier above.
After about half a minute, she placed it back down and let out a soft sigh.
"Hmm~ While I'm not entirely certain, considering the finger's appearance and Fubuki-kun mentioning the Jujutsu Association, this is likely one of the fingers left behind by the King of Curses from a thousand years ago, Ryomen Sukuna."
"Akeno-senpai, you know about it?" Hanakain Fubuki was slightly surprised.
"Mm..."
Akeno Himejima nodded gently and explained.
"Rias and Koneko-chan already know this, but before I followed Rias and became a devil, my mother was a Miko of the Himejima Clan. So, I've read some of the family records since I was young. About that... have I told you this before, Fubuki-kun?"
"No memory of it. Probably not."
Hanakain Fubuki thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head.
He genuinely didn't recall it.
"I see. Well, now you know, Fubuki-kun."
Akeno Himejima smiled faintly, though her smile held a trace of melancholy.
Just as I thought... he really doesn't remember.
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