Chapter 149: Magic-Devouring Dragon

And so, the evening tea party concluded joyfully .

Seiji returned to his room first and sent his story to Shika's email . After that, he sought out Mai .

Mai was waiting for him in front of a room on the third floor .

When she saw him arrive, she opened the door of the room for him and led him inside .

There was a large window directly across from the door in this room . The right side contained a row of bookshelves while a large desk outfitted with a comfortable-looking chair stood on the left side . There were three computer monitors arranged on the desk together with one laptop, some file-folders, books, and photographs .

Beside the desk was also a high-quality scanner/printer/copier machine in one—it was a common model which could be found at any business .

This room was obviously Natsuya's study .

Mai turned on the printer, before starting the laptop and inputting a password .

"Go ahead and use this to download your contract and print it . "

"Okay, thanks . "

Seiji logged on to his email, downloaded the contract, and selected the "print" option .

The printer whirred and quickly began printing his contract .

During this space of a few short seconds, Seiji scanned the bookshelves in search of anything interesting .

'Aha . . . I found it!'

On the farthest left corner of the bookshelf, he noticed an entire row of manga books as well as a row of CD cases containing anime episodes .

"So the president's also an anime and manga lover . "

Seiji sighed and walked over to take a closer look at these all-too-familiar items .

Even before temporarily moving into her residence, he already suspected that she might have such interests, but he never had the chance to ask her directly about it .

When Mai brought some manga for Shika-chan to read, he believed it was further evidence of his inference being correct .

That was because the manga was clearly used before, which meant that they weren't purchased recently at a bookstore and were already here!

Natsuya Yoruhana wasn't an otaku at all, but she did understand anime and manga to some extent . This meant that she would sometimes watch or read them, but she wasn't at the level of an otaku, meaning she simply enjoyed them .

'This is rock-solid evidence of her personal interests,' Seiji thought to himself as he browsed through Natsuya's collection . He felt even closer to her now .

"Indeed, Milady does enjoy these, especially anime and manga about Yin Yang Masters, demons, and spirits . " Mai smiled as she walked over to Seiji's side . "But she's worried about the elders perceiving her as immature, so she restrains herself . She never watches or reads such things at her main home, and she'll only do it here . "

Seiji snorted . "Tsk, there are always some rigid old fellows who believe anime and manga are only for young children . "

In his previous life, Seiji was an extreme 30-year-old otaku; he definitely didn't care about the biased opinions of these so-called "mature people . "

Without even understanding the beauty of the 2-D world, they condescendingly looked down upon and discriminated against anime and manga . Just what was "maturity" supposed to be to them?

Seiji could comment on this topic for well over a century .

'Forget it . Anyhow . . . '

"These rigid old fellows will die eventually . . . whoops, I mean pass away . Just let them believe what they want; the future belongs to young people anyways . "

Mai covered her mouth to conceal a smile upon seeing the boy before her express such an obvious sense of distaste .

Mai covered her mouth to conceal a smile upon seeing the boy before her express such an obvious sense of distaste .

"Haruta-san, you're really such a . . . resolute otaku . "

"Yep, that's right . I've been one for my entire life . " Seiji smiled as an enigmatic light flashed through his eyes . "I love anime and manga, and I love everything 2-D . All the beauty and brilliance humanity is capable of is within them . Well... of course some ugly or strange things are also in them, but that's what makes them an enriching experience .

"Any person can find in manga and anime what they can't find in reality . Perhaps what they are looking for doesn't even exist in reality . Perhaps . . . they are seeking forbidden or taboo pleasure . Regardless of their nature, there are endless possibilities within manga and anime, because the limit is only human imagination! Everyone can find something to enjoy .

"We can find people with common interests and enjoy the experience together . We can also refuse to communicate with those whose views different ours, in order not to obstruct or harm others .

"Everyone can construct their own perfect world; that's the type of place the land of manga and anime is . "

Dreamland, Utopia, Shangri-La, Fairy Land of Peach Blossoms . . . all of these were different terms for humanity's fantasies . They were eternally peaceful and blessed places to live in . None of them had ever been actualized, and they might never appear .

But they existed in humanity's imagination .

Fantasy and imagination were things that every human being could enjoy . The actualization of fantasy was the 2-D world .

That was because the 2-D world could display the splendor of such places!

At least that was what Seiji believed .

Mai quietly listened to Seiji's explanation .

As a non-otaku, she wasn't particularly struck by the nuances of Seiji's speech, but she faintly felt that what he said sounded reasonable .

So imagination was the limit of possibilities . . .

'Well, it sounds . . . grand . '

"You're an excellent public speaker, Haruta-san . " Mai grinned at him . "Even I am slightly infected by your enthusiasm . "

Seiji scratched his face awkwardly . "It wasn't a speech or anything; I just wanted to voice my feelings . "

Seiji scratched his face awkwardly . "It wasn't a speech or anything; I just wanted to voice my feelings . "

He could have continued for even longer . There was no way to verbally express his full love as an otaku for the 2-D world .

But that would become essay-length material, so he decided to stop midway .

At this time, the printer beeped to indicate that it had finished printing .

Seiji examined all the pages and ensured that there were no problems . He then went back to the computer, logged out of his email, and deleted the downloaded contract .

"Alright, thanks for your help . Let's leave now . "

"Haruta-san . . . " Mai had stopped smiling and her expression was serious .

Seiji detected that she had something important to say, so he also put on a solemn face .

"What is it, Houjou-senpai?"

"You intend to continue living in the future together with Kagura-san like this, yes?"

"Yes, that's right . "

"Then how do you intend to . . . deal with her ability?"

"I'll just take things as they come . No matter what happens, I'll deal with it . "

"Do you truly believe you're capable of doing that?"

"I can . "

Thanks to his [Spiritual Power Transference] ability, he didn't need to worry about the [Reaper's Curse] at all . In fact, Shika-chan's ability was even beneficial to him, since he could constantly improve his [Spiritual Power] stat using her karma power!

But he wasn't able to say that out loud .

Mai studied Seiji's expression thoroughly but failed to find a hint of false bravado or fear .

But he wasn't able to say that out loud .

Mai studied Seiji's expression thoroughly but failed to find a hint of false bravado or fear .

This could only mean one of three things: he was either supremely self-confident, extremely idiotic, or . . .

"You have something you can rely on . . . is that it?"

Seiji blinked . Unsurprisingly, Mai Houjou had seen through him .

"You can say it like that . I . . . have my own type of power . "

Mai also blinked in response .

"That's good . . . Courage and resolution are good and all, but it's nothing more than foolhardiness unless you have the power to back it up," she said, sighing lightly .

"Thank you, Senpai, for worrying about me . . . for worrying about us . " Seiji detected her genuine concern and smiled . "I'm sorry that I can't tell you more than that . . . You don't need to worry too much for our sakes . We'll continue living together successfully . "

Mai's usual gentle smile reappeared .

"I just wanted to confirm your safety, since Kagura-san's ability . . . is rather unique . Everyone has their secrets, so it's fine if you don't want to reveal yours . No need to feel apologetic, Junior . "

They exchanged glances and smiled as they reached a mutual understanding .

They then proceeded to walk out of Natsuya's study together in silence .

"By the way, Junior, do you know about your current nickname in school?" Mai asked as they walked downstairs, unable to conceal the mirth in her tone .

Seiji had an ominous premonition . "Nickname . . . what?"

"Everyone at school now knows about your heroic accomplishment at the karate club, and many students have taken to calling you the 'Magic-devouring Dragon . '"

Seiji was rendered speechless upon hearing this .

'What the hell!!?'