"President," Seiji said, "please tell Houjou-senpai about this incident. I'll go find the person in question and discuss it with her before contacting Senpai personally and formally requesting to hire her."
"Alright," Natsuya agreed.
Seiji thanked Natsuya and hung up. He then took a taxi to the police station.
"Harano-kun!"
"Harano, are you alright?"
As he expected, he found Mayuzumi and Saki at the nearest police station.
They were currently explaining the situation to the police. When they noticed Seiji, they both showed concern for his state.
"I'm fine… but that guy escaped." Seiji smiled to reassure them.
As he indeed seemed to be unscathed, both women heaved a sigh of relief.
"That man was Shouhei Hirai," Seiji told them.
Mayuzumi and Saki were stunned to hear this.
"Shouhei Hirai…" Mayuzumi muttered.
"Yep. During our fight, I managed to knock off his mask, sunglasses, and cap, so I recognized him," Seiji explained. "He's Sensei's college classmate, and we met him that one time during the school festival…"
"I know about this; Mayuzumi told me about it," Saki said. "I've also seen this person in college. He was one of Mayuzumi's admirers at the time and got into a conflict with another admirer. Later he did… something bad to Mayuzumi due to a misunderstanding." The editor's tone of voice was rather low and heavy.
"…Did Sensei develop androphobia because of him?" Seiji looked towards Mayuzumi.
The manga author remained silent.
"Not solely because of him. He was only a factor… albeit an important one," Saki told him softly.
"Can you think of why that guy would do such a thing now?" Seiji asked.
Mayuzumi and Saki exchanged glances.
"I don't know…" Mayuzumi said.
"I really don't have any idea either," Saki said. "The incident at college was resolved back then. He doesn't have any reason to still hate Mayuzumi."
"I see." Seiji rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Then just explain what you can to the police."
"Harano…" Mayuzumi protested softly.
"I know what you guys want to know, and I'll explain everything later. I'll also tell you how we'll truly resolve this incident."
As expected, the police found their report rather strange, but they still accepted the case and sent someone to check out the scene of the crime.
The hole in the wall that Shouhei created astonished the police, as they couldn't believe a human could make such a hole with his bare fist!
Seiji didn't care whether or not they believed it. He knew that this case would likely be suppressed in the end. Reporting this case was merely a placebo effect to make the two ladies feel better, as it was the proper thing to do.
Mayuzumi and Saki felt fear revisit them when they saw the huge hole in the wall.
If Seigo Harano hadn't come over… they definitely wouldn't have been able to resist against a man with such fearsome strength! They didn't even dare imagine what would have happened.
Fortunately for them, he arrived and managed to stop Shouhei.
Mayuzumi and Saki both recalled his tall, broad back as he protected them.
They would never forget that scene in their lives.
At a coffee café near the apartment.
Seiji gave Mayuzumi and Saki a rough explanation about Spiritual Ability users and the hidden mystical side of society.
The manga author and light novel editor both fell silent after hearing about this facet of the world. It bore an eerie resemblance to the world of mangas that they both worked with.
"The police can't resolve this issue, but there is another way to deal with it," Seiji continued. "You can hire a professional Spiritual Ability user to take care of this matter. There's an excellent candidate that both of you know already. I recommend Mai Houjou."
"Houjou-san!?" Saki exclaimed.
"That… maid that we met at the school festival?" Mayuzumi asked in astonishment.
Both Mayuzumi and Saki were surprised to hear this.
"Indeed," Seiji said, smiling. "Recently, I learned that she's a professional in this field. You all witnessed her ability during the laser tag game… and that was probably the tip of the iceberg. I don't know how powerful she is when she gets serious, but she'll definitely be quite strong—much stronger than me. Mai Houjou is worthy of our trust. I feel that hiring her to deal with Shouhei is the best choice we have."
Mayuzumi and Saki exchanged glances.
"Then… how much will it cost to hire Houjou-san?" Mayuzumi asked.
"I don't know the specifics. Let's ask her directly." Seiji took out his cell phone and called Mai.
Mai picked up the call. "Hello, Junior," she said as soon as the call connected. "I heard from Milady that you have a job for me..."
"Hello, Senpai. That's right—I have a good job for you. In fact, you should pay me for being the middle-man."
"How about giving you a free ticket for a full-body massage?" Mai asked innocently.
"I feel like that's pretty cheap," Seiji replied.
"My massages are quite comfortable, you know~"
"…I feel like it'll be bad for me if I accept."
"It'll break all the bones in your body and cause your blood and flesh to meld together~"
"That'll kill me, hey!"
'Damn, that's really a dangerous special service.'
"I'll stop joking around now," Seiji said, changing the topic. "I'll pass my phone over to Amami-sensei, the person involved in this incident, so you can talk to her."
Seiji handed his phone over to the manga author.
"Hello, Houjou-san…"
Mayuzumi and Mai began discussing what happened. They finished their discussion after a short while.
"She said that she'll come over here immediately." Mayuzumi hung up and returned Seiji's cell phone.
"How much did she request to be paid?" Seiji asked.
"An upfront payment of 100,000 sakuras, and she said she'll bill me for the rest depending on the situation…"
'Only 100,000 sakuras?' Seiji raised his brows.
According to Natsuya, this was two less zeros than the going rate!
Was it that the President really didn't know what she was talking about, or had the maid given them a mega discount for being her friend?
Seiji felt that the latter was far more likely.
After all, Senpai was a gentle girl.
A while later, Mai Houjou arrived. She was wearing a windbreaker and long pants, giving off an impression of a professional beauty.
"Amami-san, I didn't expect that you'd hire me for this type of work the next time we met." Mai smiled faintly.
"Indeed… I didn't expect it either." Mayuzumi also smiled.
"Should I call you 'Milady?'"
"Er… that's not necessary… but if it's alright, I'd like to hear it once to see what it feels like…" the manga author answered rather awkwardly.
"Alright then, Milady Amami," Mai said gently, making an elegant curtsy. "Your maid Houjou is here; please give me your orders."
Mayuzumi seemed to receive a great impact from these words; her expression showed that she was greatly moved.
Seiji and Saki were rendered speechless.
"Senpai, do you do this for everyone that hires you?" Seiji asked.
"No, this is a special service for Milady Amami."
"Then if I hire you, what would you call me?"
Mai glanced over at him. "What do you want me to do for you, Young Master Harano~" she said in an obsequious voice combined with a flirtatious expression.
Just like Mayuzumi, Seiji received a huge impact; the beautiful maid acting cute had astonishing power!
'If only she was dressed in her maid uniform, the impact would probably be doubled,' Seiji mused.
When Seiji regained his senses, he discovered that he had the same moved expression as Mayuzumi.
*Cough cough.*
He hurriedly faked a coughing fit in order to settle his expression.
"In that case, we'll leave things up to the professional maid… whoops, Senpai the professional Spiritual Ability user, and I shall take my leave…"
"Where are you going, Junior?"
"To attend my classes at school, of course."
"You're going to abandon these beautiful women and not worry about them?" Mai asked, snorting. "How ungentlemanly."
"Eh? But Senpai's already here…"
"I need to go investigate and deal with the enemy, so I can't possibly stay by Milady Amami's side. Someone else needs to protect her."
"…You're right." Seiji came to a realization.
"Harano-kun…" Mayuzumi said softly.
"Allow me to become a temporary personal bodyguard." Seiji looked towards Mayuzumi and smiled. "I'll give it my all to protect you, Sensei."
The manga author was slightly stunned at this, and her face reddened.
"…Thank you," she replied shyly.
Mai and Saki was rendered speechless by this.
"I need to learn about the enemy. Please tell me everything you know, Milady Amami," the maid requested.