Aside from the minor incident on the way to school, the morning's campus life remained peaceful.
Time skipped forward to the afternoon, bringing club activity time once again.
Before leaving the classroom for the old school building, Hanakain Fubuki specifically checked his phone messages. After dealing with the Special Grade Cursed Spirit yesterday, he and Busujima Saeko had exchanged contact information on the way back, agreeing it would be convenient for future contact.
She had clearly anticipated that his ability to destroy Sukuna's fingers, once reported to the Jujutsu Association, would inevitably attract their attention and lead to internal discussions.
However, since it was already afternoon and no message had arrived, it was likely those old fogeys at the Jujutsu Association hadn't finished their squabbling yet.
In that case, it was unlikely any unexpected events would occur today.
The scene shifts to the old school building.
Just like yesterday, Rias, Akeno Himejima, and Koneko Toujou had already arrived in the familiar reception room. The three girls were seated on the sofas flanking the coffee table, leisurely enjoying their afternoon tea.
Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, Rias turned first. Seeing the boy enter, a pleased smile instantly graced her beautiful face.
"Good afternoon, Fubuki. Come, sit..." she said, gently patting the sofa cushion next to her, indicating for Hanakain Fubuki to sit beside her.
However, just as the red-haired girl finished speaking, Akeno Himejima, on the opposite sofa, covered her face with one hand and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Ara ara~ It seems the President really likes Fubuki, always wanting him to sit right next to her."
"Wha...?!" Completely taken aback by her best friend and confidante's sudden remark, Rias was startled, and a faint blush quickly spread across her cheeks. "Idiot... Akeno, what strange things are you saying? It's just that there's space here, so I offered it to Fubuki. You already have Koneko next to you, Akeno. It would be weird if Fubuki sat over there too; it would look like a boss lecturing her employees."
"Ara ara~ Is that really so?" Akeno, still smiling with her hand on her cheek, somehow slowly turned her head to look at the white-haired girl beside her.
Koneko Toujou: "..."
How should one put it? Although Akeno-senpai usually gave off the impression of a gentle older sister, when she looked down at someone with that particular expression, there was always an inexplicable sense of pressure.
Besides, as the old Chinese saying goes, discretion is the better part of valor...
After less than a second of deliberation in her little head, the white-haired girl proactively raised her hand.
"Then I'll sit next to President Rias. Fubuki-senpai, please sit here..."
"Oh, no need, no need! Why make things so complicated?" Seeing the boy about to be half-dragged to the other side, Rias, exasperated and amused, stood up from the sofa, stomping her foot lightly. She gestured with one hand for Koneko not to move while using the other to grasp the sleeve of the boy who had just reached the sofa. "It's fine like this for today! Akeno, if you really want him over there, Fubuki can sit next to you tomorrow, honestly..."
Zap!
Like static electricity built up in dry winter clothes suddenly discharging, a flash of white light erupted without warning at the point where her fingertips touched his sleeve. The red-haired girl, who was still speaking a second ago, instantly snatched her hand back.
"Huh? What was that...?" Rias didn't have time to think, continuously shaking her hand as if she'd been burned.
Conversely, Akeno Himejima stood up immediately, her lips parted slightly in surprise.
"That's... Holy Power? Fubuki, did you visit the nearby church today?"
"Huh? No, I didn't," Hanakain Fubuki replied, looking equally baffled. He had never believed in any religion in his life, including Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, let alone attended church prayers or anything of the sort.
Although, he did run into a little nun today... Eh?
"Oh, now that you mention it..." The boy hit his fist into his palm, recounting the incident from his walk to school that morning.
After hearing the story, Akeno leaned in again, carefully examining the boy's sleeve cuff.
"Just as I thought. Although only a tiny, extremely faint trace remains, this is definitely the Holy Power of the Church. It's harmless to humans, so even if you pick it up, you wouldn't feel it. However, it's extremely effective against us devils. Just getting close to places like churches makes devils feel very uncomfortable. Fubuki, you probably picked this up accidentally when you helped that nun pick up her wimple."
"Ah, sorry. My bad." Understanding the cause of the issue, Hanakain Fubuki clapped his hands together apologetically. At the same time, a golden spiritual pressure flared around him, quickly evaporating the minuscule residue of sacred power.
Meanwhile, Rias, having understood the situation, sat back down. Recalling what just happened, she pinched her chin thoughtfully.
"But this is very strange. Normally, garments blessed by Holy Light belong to high-ranking Church clergy, believers possessing special powers. Clergy of this level are usually kept at the Vatican, or at the very least stationed at an important European church branch, responsible for performing miracles as messengers of God to gather faith among the populace. Their status is even higher than that of church administrators. So why would such a high-ranking nun be assigned all the way out here to Japan?"
"I was curious about that too, and asked briefly, but she didn't seem willing to talk about it," Hanakain Fubuki shrugged.
"More importantly, Rias, is your hand okay?"
"It's fi... Mm, well, I can't say it's completely fine~" The word "fine," already on the tip of her tongue, was abruptly retracted. Rias, recovering quickly, gave a small smile. Mimicking Akeno's earlier pose, she rested her cheek on one hand and presented her still slightly reddened fingers to the boy. "Look, it's even a little swollen. I hear humans moisten injured areas with saliva to help them heal. Isn't Fubuki going to take responsibility...?"
The girl's gaze grew increasingly alluring, her words laced with temptation. The fingertips she extended forward almost touched the boy's lips.
Just as the situation threatened to gallop wildly out of control, Akeno Himejima, on the opposite sofa, couldn't help but clear her throat lightly.
"Ahem, President, more importantly, haven't we gotten to the main topic yet? Didn't we agree to discuss it together once Fubuki arrived?"
"Ngh, Akeno, you really are..." Her rare opportunity disrupted, Rias pouted slightly in dissatisfaction but didn't press further. She cleared her throat and sat up straight, adopting a serious demeanor.
"Alright, let's get down to business—"
"Last night, we detected the presence of a Fallen Angel near Kuoh Academy."
"Although we don't know their specific identity or purpose yet, everyone needs to be extra vigilant for the time being."
...
Meanwhile, inside the church situated on the mountainside northwest of Kuoh Academy, the afternoon sun slanted through the tall, stained-glass windows, illuminating the towering, old European-style building.
A young woman with long hair stood on a high platform. Angel-like wings sprouted from her back, but their feathers were black. Her revealing attire, covering only the essential areas, accentuated her voluptuous figure.
She was currently issuing orders to several figures below the platform.
"Is everything clear? Our objective during this period is to eliminate all devil forces in this city. Leave none behind!"
"Understood!"
"Yes, yes~ Got it~"
Although the replies weren't quite in unison, generally, they all expressed affirmation.
The female Fallen Angel nodded with satisfaction, then leaped lightly, landing gracefully below the platform.
She walked over to stand beside a blonde nun among the group, who kept her head bowed the lowest. The Fallen Angel licked her lips lightly, a smirk playing on her mouth.
"Asia, you won't have any problems either, right? Don't worry. The reason God gathered us exiles here is so that we may overcome many trials and ultimately earn the chance to return to His embrace. Understand?"
"I... understand..."
__________________________________________________________
Greetings, my dear clients of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! 👋
I have some updates for you! I noticed another translator is also working on this current fanfic, So idecide start bringing you a brand new translation project starting next week!
BUT don't you worry! I'm definitely NOT stopping this current translation. 😉 In fact, I plan to add something special right here – those spicy lemon scenes (18+) featuring some favorite characters that I felt were missing! They'll be added directly into this version as we go.
Want to be the very first to read the new translation? You can get early access by supporting me on Patreon! Your support there helps make all these translations possible. ❤️
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The exciting new project launching there (with early access for Patrons!) is:
✨ Frieren in Elden Ring ✨