Due to the slight delay caused by Aika Kiryuu in the classroom, fifteen minutes had passed since dismissal by the time Hanakain Reiji arrived.
The location of the clubroom... no, to be precise, the activity location for the "Occult Research Club" that Hanakain Reiji was a part of was not in a conventionally used classroom on campus. It was located in the Old School Building at the back of the school.
To call it an old school building might even be too derogatory.
Typically, when an old school building is mentioned, one conjures images of tenement buildings from the last century, with mottled exterior walls and a loose front door that looks like it's about to fall off, windows that are shattered or missing entirely, and rusty, decaying bunk beds and scattered garbage in every compartment inside the structure.
However, Kuoh Academy's old school building was actually a quite pleasant-looking Western-style house. Although its overall structure was wooden, it still stood firm despite years of weathering. In the sunlight, the western-facing wall of the house was covered in climbing ivy, harmonizing with the natural surroundings.
When Hanakain Reiji arrived downstairs, the window on the second floor of the old school building was open. A red-haired girl, whose looks and ample bust were fully comparable to Nurse Hasegawa's, sat by the window, resting her cheek on her elbow propped on the window frame, staring blankly at the distant scenery outside, lost in thought.
Was she that immersed in daydreaming?
Hanakain Reiji looked up from downstairs for a moment, then couldn't resist raising his voice slightly.
"Rias."
"Oh...!"
As if her thoughts were suddenly yanked back to reality, the red-haired girl at the second-floor window, who had been gazing into the distance the second before, was visibly flustered for an instant. She instinctively looked down at the source of the sound.
As the young man's face below clearly came into view, the red-haired girl named Rias couldn't suppress a look of relief and joy. She gently patted her full chest, the movement like a finger brushing a calm body of water, creating a small ripple.
"Reiji, you're here! I was just wondering when you would arrive. Come in, I'll be right down."
"Okay."
Hanakain Reiji gave an OK gesture and stepped into the old school building.
Again, although it was called the old school building, its essence was still closer to a small Western-style house, so the ground floor even had a lounge, which was usually used as the main area for club activities.
So, when Hanakain Reiji arrived at the lounge, everyone else was already present.
In the spacious lounge, two three-seater sofas were placed facing each other, two meters away from the walls on the left and right sides, separated by a coffee table. At the front was a large office desk. Rias, whom he had just seen at the second-floor window, was now in the lounge, leaning elegantly against the desk with her arms folded across her chest.
Two other girls were seated on the left sofa.
One had long, soft black hair tied into a high ponytail behind her. Her features were beautiful, and her slightly downturned eyes conveyed an air of a good wife and loving mother. In particular, the two peaks on her chest visually surpassed Rias's in size.
As for the other girl, she was not the buxom type. On the contrary, she appeared quite petite in contrast to the two mature-looking girls in the club... No, she was inherently very petite. She wore a black cat-ear hair clip over her white, shoulder-length bob, sitting quietly on the sofa, nibbling small bites of cake.
"Sorry, Akeno-senpai, Koneko. I was delayed by something on the way over and took a little while."
Hanakain Reiji walked into the lounge, speaking while holding his briefcase. He sat down on the right sofa and casually placed the briefcase on the coffee table in the center.
Hearing the address "Akeno-senpai," the long, black-haired mature girl, whose gaze had been focused on the young man ever since he entered the lounge, did not say anything. Her eyes flickered twice, and a hint of sadness seemed to dim them slightly.
It was the seemingly emotionless, petite, white-haired girl beside her who stopped nibbling her cake, looked up, and quietly hummed, acknowledging his greeting.
At this point, Rias also pushed herself up from the desk, straightening her posture, and slowly walked over to the right sofa, sitting down next to Hanakain Reiji.
"Well, in any case, I still have to thank you for your help last night, Reiji. Without you, Akeno, Koneko, and I would have been short-handed and might not have been able to catch the target... Alright, that's enough formality. Since everyone is here, let's take a look at the item Reiji brought. This was confiscated from the stray Devil we eliminated yesterday... Hmm~ Why won't it open?" The red-haired girl pressed down on the briefcase handle with one hand and tried to pull open the unlatched clasp with the other.
But the briefcase, which should have opened easily after the clasp was undone, felt as if some jerk had filled the seam with super glue. No matter how hard she tried to manipulate it, it wouldn't budge.
"Oh, excuse me, I almost forgot."
Hanakain Reiji slapped his forehead, reached out, and lightly tapped the case with his fingertip. A faint flicker of golden spiritual power appeared at the open clasp, and then the box, which had been stubbornly sealed, instantly sprang open.
Just as it had been last night and this morning, a shriveled, purplish-black human finger lay quietly inside.
"This is..."
Rias was slightly stunned, having never expected a human finger to be inside.
Hanakain Reiji shrugged and explained, "The case didn't have a seal on it originally, but... as I said, I have a hac-chimi (cat) at home. She pried the box open while I was in the shower last night. As a side note, the finger originally had a sealing talisman wrapped around it, but it seemed like that talisman was about to lose its effectiveness due to time, so I simply tore it off and resealed it using the briefcase as a medium."
"As for the finger's origin, I also consulted the all-knowing netizens. What I know so far is that this finger should be something kept by the Jujutsu Association. They call it a Special Grade Cursed Object, though I personally don't see why it's worth sealing..."
"Please allow me to take a closer look."
Before the words were finished, Akeno Himejima, the long, black-haired mature girl on the opposite sofa, stood up. After politely asking the young man for permission, she picked up the finger from the box and carefully examined it under the light of the classical chandelier above.
After about half a minute, she put it back down, gently letting out a sigh.
"Hmm~ Although I'm not completely certain, considering the finger's shape and the mention of the Jujutsu Association by Reiji-kun, I'm afraid this is a finger left behind by the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, a thousand years ago."
"Akeno-senpai knows about this?" Hanakain Reiji was a little surprised.
"Yes..."
Akeno Himejima nodded gently, explaining.
"Rias and Koneko both know. Before I followed Rias to become a Devil, my mother was a shrine maiden of the Himejima family, so I read some of the family records when I was young. Did... I ever tell you this, Reiji-kun?"
"I don't recall. Probably not."
Hanakain Reiji thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head.
He truly had no memory of it.
"I see. Well, now Reiji-kun knows."
Akeno Himejima smiled softly, though her smile held a trace of melancholy.
Sure enough... he doesn't remember anymore.