Chapter 205: Chapter 205 Information.
Hina, whose name was suddenly called, turned into stone. Like a robot, her rigid head began to glance toward the source of the voice. But upon looking closely, Hina's stiff expression loosened.
The person Hina had eyes upon was a beautiful female in her teens. She had short black hair, a pair of round and gentle eyes with black pupils, and was 165cm tall with her curved body and trained steps approaching their place.
"Big sis?!".
"You're right. Big sis Akane is here".
Fujinomiya Akane is one of the people who has been close to Hina since she was little because of their parents, who have big names themselves. The two of them occasionally meet at social events. However, they rarely after Hina was losing her heart that day.
Soma also knows Akane, and she is the one who always supports and gives Hina a push to deal with her condition, which was unstable because of her parents' deaths aside from Leon.
Akane is the daughter of the famous Fujinomiya clan who worked on the dark side of the world or some sort of shadow people. She is also one of the heroines who will accompany Leon on his journey to defeat the demon lord. Her outgoing and secretive nature gains a lot of favoritism amongst the reader, but she also hides a dark secret that will be revealed later.
"I missed you so much".
"Kyaa".
Their lively atmosphere interrupted Soma's thought as this was another moment he met with another main heroine in the story.
Akane tightly playfully hugged Hina, making all eyes gathered there, with slovenly faces looking at their union. Oblivious to Hina's situation, Xiao Lian could only take Soma's hand and drag him closer to her.
"Big sis, this is embarrassing".
"Oh right, sorry. You are a shy person, after all".
"Siih!".
Hina put her index finger to her lips, trying to tell her to stop revealing her nature to the public. Akane just brushed past Hina's rebuttal, and she cast her gaze in front of her, then found Serafina with her fake smile, prompting Akane to throw her gaze to the side before meeting her gaze with Soma which made her eyes bloated in surprise.
"You?!".
"Hm? What is the matter senior?".
"Hina, is that the boy you?".
"Aaaah, stop please, Big sis. This conversation is over. Let's go to the lobby!".
"Ehehe, hiding your shame, eh? Pleased to meet you. My name is Fujinomiya Akane. I have been close friends with Hina since we were little. May I know your name?".
Akane skillfully slips past Hina and reappears in front of Soma with a stretched right hand. She keeps her gaze straight toward Soma, probing him in minuscule details about what kind of a male her sister is curious about.
"My name is Soma. Pleased to meet you".
Soma, who knows her identity without hesitation, grasps her hand, and with a gentle squeeze, Soma's body is being dragged toward Akane as she embraces him.
"Listen, you dare to do something that breaks her heart. I will definitely deal with you in a hundred horrible ways!".
With that inaudible voice, Akane's warning ran deep into his ear, and it planted itself in his brain. However, Akane will never expect Soma to be someone she could take lightly off in the mentality battle.
"The same also goes for you. You do something that will harm my close aides. I will chase you to the depth of hell!".
"Big sis, what are you doing?".
Akane, whose body was stiffened in shock because of the chilling tone she received in her ears, got yanked from Soma, and she kept her gaze straight at him, speechless. Usually, one word from her threat, with a little bit of tricks she used as a shadow person. People around her age would become paralyzed, and the brain would immediately send an alarm signal to never mess with her.
But this was the first time she failed to attack someone else's consciousness, and instead, she received one from Soma.
Akane looked at the serene, calm ripple from his eyes. Her vision started to distort and narrow. The sound faded from her ears, and then from within Soma appeared a black and red aura; they began to form into something enormously evil and menacing. Her body was turned to stone, and it began to tremble because of the thing she witnessed.
"Big sis, what's wrong?".
Suddenly, her vision changed; it became wider, and she could see the surrounding place normally. The earlier menacing experience was gone, replaced with Hina with an oblivious gaze looking at her straight.
"...Nothing, ah right, would you please introduce me to your other friend?".
"You mean her? Just called her Silver head".
"My name is Xiao Lian, I am…, What are we exactly?".
Xiao Lian, who ignored Hina's rebuke, began to introduce herself to Akane, and then she tilted her head and face to Hina's way.
"Hmpt, how should I know?".
"They are close friends".
Soma from beside began to interject and made the atmosphere around them become awkward. Hina and Xiao Lian simultaneously turned toward him before accidentally meeting eyes, then threw it to the side, making Soma and the other who saw them nod in understanding.
"Soma, let's go to the lobby first. It was not wise to stand around here blocking the entrance".
Serafina, who is suddenly quiet upon the appearance of Akane, tugs Soma's sleeves and states her opinion, which is correctly accurate, based on their situation.
"She is right. Let's go, everyone. In a moment, the briefing will begin, and we have a big surprise for you guys".
Akane, who separated herself from the group, informed them while spreading her lips and showing her teeth, she began to guide Soma's group toward the lobby and gather with the other members of the clubs.
Unlike usual, the lobby in the building was packed with people, and in front of them on the two-way stair, seniors Ryuu and Kaori were discussing something with the other senior members who hold an essential role in the club.
"Everyone, I will take my leave here and regroup with the others".
"Okay, Big sis".
"Mm".
"...".
"Thank you for your guidance".
Akane gazed at Soma for the last time while knitting her brows, still doubtful about his character. As someone who lives in the shadows, she is rather sensitive toward malice or bloodlust that could threaten her life, and Akane is one of the people with that sharp intuition on her hand. "What was that? I think it was not just some mere illusion but…".
"Akane, Come here. We need you on here".
"I'm coming".
Soma watches her retreating figure and then sighs as he assumes that Akane is probably still holding doubts about him. But, Soma could only shrug his shoulders and let this matter pass from his mind because he didn't want to intervene in her life again, simply because he knew her hidden nature.
"Huuf, finally, she is gone".
Serafina, beside Soma, began to utter those words in a whisper. Soma, who accidentally heard that glance at her, only gave him an empty smile in return. Thus, Soma didn't pry any further as he began to concentrate on the front.
Several times had passed, and the room, filled with intense murmurs from the members who gathered, anticipated the news that the club lead and his accomplices.
"Everyone, may I have your attention, please!".
A soft and gentle tone reverberating inside the building soothed the bustling room as Kaori, pleased with the other members' understanding, curved her lips.
"We have important news for you guys…".
The room turned deathly silent as the other members standing in the lobby suppressed their breaths, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound from Kaori, who gave a speech in front of them.
The first-year member who was still unaccustomed to the atmosphere could only imitate their senior demeanor.
"...After our arduous effort to search for a good destination for us to travel. Finally, thanks to our search team, we found a good place to visit…".
All the members, whether senior or junior, who heard that gulped their saliva as they awaited the following words from Kaori, who succeeded in baiting them.
"...Then we started to discuss the situation with our supervisors and the other teacher, thankfully we got a passing grade…".
They sighed in relief upon hearing the most important part of their traveling club. Permission to leave the academy and explore the mainland freely until the specified time limit.
"Kaori, just get to the point, please!".
One of the female seniors who couldn't bear the atmosphere began to urge Kaori on the stage to hurry and reveal the destination they would visit. As one of the female students instigated, the other members began to throw their voices to the stage, to which Kaori replied by placing her index finger on her lips, and the room started to turn quiet once more.
"Okay, Then. We will visit the southernmost part of Japan, a separate Island from the mainland. It has a beautiful white sand beach and crystal clear sea, surrounded with greenery that will give us a shade of protection from the light…".
Many of the senior member and the first-year began to pump their fist in their heart because some of them probably already knew where that was, but those who didn't know were only excited because of the prospect of going to the beach.
"...Brace yourself, guys, we are going to Okinawa".
"""Yes!""".
A loud cheer began to erupt inside the building, in which the earlier silent atmosphere turned festive, knowing they were going to the beach.
Kaori, who saw the member shout in joy, spread her lips. She began to clap her hand and brought the other attention back to her before she delivered her last words.
"We will enjoy our travels on the beach after we explore the newborn Dungeon In Okinawa".
After Kaori finished explaining, the room suddenly turned eerily death-quiet before it simultaneously broke with a roar that shook the building.
"""HELL YEAH!!!""".