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Using precious weekend time to go to the Underworld and fight, then returning to barely rest for a day before heading straight back to school again—
In every sense, it was truly exhausting.
Time quickly flew by, bringing Tuesday morning.
Just as Bokue Keikain stepped into the classroom and sat down right as the morning bell rang, Kiryu Aika, separated from him by a certain blonde nun sitting quietly between them, immediately leaned over.
"Yo, finally willing to come back to school, huh, Keikain-kun~?"
With her elbows on Asia's desk and upper body leaning forward, the literary-looking girl wore a distinctly mischievous expression.
"I heard your entire Occult Research Club collectively took a day off yesterday. Mind telling me what kind of 'good deeds' you were up to?"
"…If you already know the Occult Research Club took a collective day off, then what else could we have possibly done?"
Bokue calmly organized the items on his desk before slowly turning his head, giving Kiryu a look full of gentle concern.
"Club activities, naturally."
"Ohh~? Club 'activities', you say? Were these activities, um, wholesome?"
Though she was supposedly addressing Bokue, Kiryu's eyes couldn't help drifting sideways toward the innocent blonde girl seated next to her.
Stare—
"E-Eh? Is something wrong, Kiryu-san?"
Asia, who had always been rather thin-skinned, became flustered under Kiryu's intense gaze.
"Ah, nothing much~"
The girl with twin braids studied her seriously for a moment longer before shrugging casually.
"Honestly, I thought a certain Keikain-kun had finally lost control and decided to lay his claws on innocent little Asia-chan here. But from the looks of it, perhaps I overthought things… Hmm, or maybe he just didn't invite Asia along to play?"
"Eh?"
Asia tilted her head, adorably confused.
Didn't invite her along to play? Hadn't she clearly been there on the weekend trip to the Underworld too?
"Um, actually, the reason we took leave was because we all went to the Underworld last weekend…"
"The Underworld?!"
As if triggered by a certain keyword, Kiryu Aika instantly dropped all teasing expressions, her tone turning surprisingly serious.
"You guys went to the Underworld? For real?"
"Ah… See, Asia, you don't have to explain everything to her."
Bokue rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Kiryu's reaction wasn't unreasonable; in fact, it was precisely how any normal human being would react.
Despite the existence of the Demon Special Zone—Itogami Island—for nearly half a century now, and although the establishment of connections between the human world and the Underworld had become an officially recognized matter, humanity still harbored an extremely cautious stance toward devils.
This wariness wasn't merely rooted in historical prejudices but also stemmed from an inherent power imbalance between the two sides.
Put an average human and even a Low-class devil into the same cage fight, and the Low-class devil could effortlessly tear the human to pieces. The gap between their powers was akin to comparing a monkey to a grizzly bear.
Thus, when these two sides interacted, the weaker one's life and death became entirely dependent on the stronger one's mood and moral bottom line—like meat placed upon the cutting board.
No human being would ever enjoy a relationship built upon such terms.
"So you all seriously went to the Underworld?" Kiryu persisted.
"Yup," Bokue casually shrugged.
"We're the Occult Research Club, after all. If we don't even dare set foot in the Underworld, then what sort of 'occult research' are we even doing?"
"…You're messing with me, right?"
After a pause, Kiryu narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You guys took a day off school. If it's club activities, how did you even get the student council president to approve this? Did you write, 'Going sightseeing in the Underworld' on your leave form?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"The problem is huge!"
Seeing Bokue still calmly stating this absurd fact, the bespectacled girl rolled her eyes dramatically.
"You think I'd believe that? Which school in their right mind would approve such a ridiculous excuse? If I were student council president, I'd immediately report you to the school authorities and hold an intervention!"
She had a point—if they were attending any normal school.
After all, the danger posed by the Underworld had long been deeply ingrained in human society. Saying that you were visiting the Underworld for "club activities" was akin to a bunch of bored kids begging to take a summer job in a war-torn country—never mind what they planned to do; simply being there was inherently dangerous.
Moreover, since club leave required official school approval, if anything unfortunate were to happen, the school would bear significant responsibility. Thus, no ordinary institution would ever grant permission for such activities.
However, Kiryu clearly overlooked one minor detail—
This was Kuoh Academy, and…
"The student council president went along as well."
Bokue casually nodded with a soft smile.
Kiryu: "…"
Now you're really just spouting nonsense, aren't you?! What possible reason could the student council president have to foolishly tag along with you lot to visit the Underworld?!
The homeroom bell had rung some time ago, yet due to their homeroom teacher's absence, classroom chatter continued unabated—if anything, growing louder.
At this moment, a young male teacher who appeared to be in his early thirties stuck his head into the classroom doorway. Judging from his shirt and tie, he clearly worked at the school.
He raised his voice slightly.
"Is Keikain-kun here? If you're present, please step outside for a moment."
Hmm?
Kiryu and Asia turned their heads almost simultaneously toward the door. Kiryu blinked in mild surprise behind her glasses.
"If I'm not mistaken, isn't that Sakazaki-sensei from next door…?"
Before she could finish, Bokue rose from his seat, leaving behind a simple, "I'll go see what's up," and walked directly to the door.
Outside the classroom, Sakazaki-sensei waited in the corridor, smiling warmly upon seeing Bokue approach.
"You must be Keikain-kun, yes? It's nothing serious—I'm just passing along a message. Hasegawa-sensei in the infirmary wants you to visit her office now. It shouldn't take too long. Can you head over there?"
"Hasegawa-sensei from the infirmary…?"
Bokue felt momentarily puzzled but soon nodded.
"Understood."
Though unclear about the exact purpose, heading straight over should quickly resolve the confusion.
The scene soon shifted to the administrative building.
Compared to the sturdy but plain teaching buildings, the administrative building clearly boasted far more luxurious interiors, including year-round air conditioning.
The infirmary was conveniently located on the first floor.
Bokue gently pushed open the infirmary door, greeted immediately by the pleasant coolness of the air conditioner mingling with a faint sunny fragrance.
Inside, sitting quietly beside a window-facing desk, was a woman with long, silky black hair, dressed neatly in a white doctor's coat. The gentle sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft golden halo around her figure.
"…You're here."
Noticing his arrival, the female doctor turned slowly. Her usually cool, elegant face broke into a charming, gentle smile—like spring sunshine melting away the ice from a frozen lake.
She rose gracefully from her chair, walking steadily toward the young man who had just entered the infirmary.
And then, without hesitation, stepped forward, wrapping him gently in a soft embrace.
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