Looking at the palm of my right hand which had a black dot on it, I muttered.
"Umm... Hmph..."
My mutter was loud enough, making Fujita who was beside me notice it.
"Why? Do you want to be a beggar?"
"No, that's not it. It turned out to be true…"
"What's true?"
"Nothing."
The jet black symbol, like being hit by the tip of a pen, that began to appear in my palm realized me that my father's words were true about the signs of a human possessing Spiritual Energy. This is a sign of a Huoltaja that is known to many people. And I, I got this mark for quite some time, when those Astral Beings attacked my village, but these marks sometimes just like to disappear.
This symbol often disappears, this is something I should be aware of at the start. After all, this symbol made a Huoltaja recognizable. So with this symbol, I can find the girl easily.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
After resting in the cafeteria, the two of us were heading towards the Elite Class building feeling less than comfortable.
What was less comfortable for us was that there was a place for our seniors. Fujita had heard rumors that the Elite Class students were almost all fierce. They are like that because they have found a strong mentality thanks to studying during the Rookie Class.
So when we were in the corridor on the 2nd floor, where there were a lot of Elite students playing badminton using a grenade as a ball, we felt the rumors were true too.
"Feel this, the blow is unavoidable."
A student jumped up, hitting the grenade with his racket.
When another student tried to block the grenade, the shoelaces he was wearing fell off, causing him to fall and unable to block the grenade.
The grenade flew, flying towards us.
"Aaah..."
In a panic, we both ran away after turning around.
"Why? Why are they playing badminton in the corridor? And again… why use a grenade as a ball instead?"
As we ran frantically and managed to dodge some of the fallen weapons, we unknowingly ended up at the end of this corridor.
"Stupid?"
We stopped, and several students looked at the two of us in bewilderment at our presence here.
"Isn't that from the Rookie Class? Why are they here?"
"Oh right, they're from the Rookie Class."
This situation is precarious. After all, it's just the two of us who are Rookies here. We are like a cat entering a tiger's cage.
"Yeah, hahaha."
Fujita couldn't help but smile at them as he bowed several times not to show his embarrassment.
I thought I should be like him too.
"Yeah, hahaha."
This is bad.
Fujita and I slowly walked with our heads down, avoiding them with this embarrassment.
"Fujitora, this is so embarrassing."
"Fujita, desu. You're the one who brought me here, it turned out like this."
I invited him, I'm the one who is at fault. Fujita doesn't know the purpose of coming here, I haven't told him yet. Even so, he still wanted to accompany me here. I'm guilty, I have to apologize to him.
"Sorry..."
"You don't need to apologize."
"Uh, why?"
"Besides, it's thanks to you that I can see beautiful senpai here. Hehehe."
Fujita still had time to glance at the thigh of a girl nearby, his eyes kept fixed with dirty intentions. He indirectly also took advantage of this situation.
"Oh my, you are…"
My goal here is to find that girl, a person rumored to be Huoltaja and close to Tanaka Sakamoto. I don't know how to find that girl. But judging from what the government did to a Huoltaja, then it would be striking.
The government protects Huoltaja, that's what many people say about a Huoltaja. The government must have done something to protect Huoltaja no matter what. It was undeniable that the Wlynina Association's Governing system was firm and irresistible. I've felt that from the daughter of the Wlynina Association president, Karin Nakano, who is so strict in taking care of me and will do dangerous things if she doesn't do what she says.
So what do I know to find her, I have to look at each class here and try to avoid meeting Shiva or Karin.
"Actually, what are you here for, Akio-san?"
Finally, Fujita asked me that.
Although I hesitate to convey it, I have to still tell him about my purpose here.
"You know about the rumors they say, right?"
"What rumors?"
"That's it, about Tanaka being close to an Elite Class girl."
"Oh that, I know. So, you came here to look for that girl?"
"Yes, it is true."
"What are you looking for? Could it be... you want to snatch that girl from Sakamoto-san? You are..."
Seeing Fujita who was making a suspicious face at me, I immediately cocked his head lightly.
"No way, idiot!"
"So what for?"
"You know, I'm curious about Huoltaja. When I overheard their conversation, I wanted to meet the girl and see in person what Huoltaja was like."
Even though I am also a Huoltaja, but I also have a curious feeling about other Huoltaja. This is not something strange, but indeed humans like me sometimes like to be curious about what I have never seen or encountered.
Like that time, when I took Shiva's lipstick. Out of curiosity about the smell of the lipstick, and because at that time I had mistakenly thought that the blood in my village was a spilled lipstick, I tried to smell the lipstick and find out what it smelled like. Turns out, the lipstick has a bland scent, no fishy smell at all.
My curiosity is high, so I will be curious about what I just found.
I hope that by meeting another Huoltaja, I can learn to protect this world and prevent humans from becoming extinct due to Astral Being.
"But isn't that just a rumor?"
"Who knows."
"I heard from the internet, the identity of a Huoltaja was hidden by the government. So how can the rumors be true, which says that she is Huoltaja."
Fujita is there right too. Rumors are still rumors, just rumors that come from word of mouth. But even so, it never hurts to look directly at the rumors, of course, to confirm the truth.
If it's just a lie, that's fine too. But if it's true, that's a good thing, right?
As the two of us walked along this 2nd-floor corridor, we looked at several classes from the window and confirmed something conspicuous but found nothing.
We decided to go up to the next floor, the 3rd floor.
The atmosphere on the 3rd-floor is a little different from the 2nd-floor. Some of the students here look calm and busy talking to each other. But there was something odd about their conversation.
When I passed a few students beside me, I accidentally overheard them.
"It depends on what they do. If we can't fight well, we'll just be cleaning up the head office. They have given their best for us, we have to fight against those creatures while still attending school here."
"Oh, you're right. We must not take this task lightly. After all, although this task is quite difficult, we must keep doing it. After all, she is Huoltaja who must be protected at the cost of our lives."
When they realized that I was eavesdropping on them, they glared at me.
"Hey you, what are you doing there?"
I turned, smiled at them, and lowered my head to apologize for eavesdropping on their conversation earlier.
"Sorry, I accidentally eavesdropped."
When they saw my and Fujita's tie, they realized we were the Rookie Class.
"What are you doing here?"
"In fact-"
"We are here looking for Huoltaja. Do you know something?"
Fujita cut me off, revealing my purpose here to them.
No wonder he was bullied, his mouth was so presumptuous and revealed what should not be said.
"You guys are looking for Huoltaja? What for, huh?!"
The boy's voice was heavy, indicating that he didn't like what I came here for.
Fujita turned to me with an innocent face.
"What are we here for, Akio-san?"
"Fujitora..."
I held back my emotions, seeing him like that. Even so, I didn't hate him nor would I get mad at him.
"Fujita, desu."
Feeling that Fujita had completely dismantled this, I couldn't help but tell that person everything.
When I looked at that person, I realized that he was a student of this school too, but it's just… his face looks like he's in his 30s. When I looked at his face, I could see his chin which looked rough, as if he had just cut his beard yesterday.
Even though I'm a little suspicious of him, but I shouldn't be quick to suspect someone just like that. I need to be able to contain my suspicions and act politely towards others.
"What this idiot said is true, I came here to look for Huoltaja…"
"Oi!"
Fujita had criticized my words, maybe he didn't like me saying "stupid" for him.
I continued.
"According to what I heard, there seems to be a Huoltaja here."
Well, heard of rumors.
"There is no Huoltaja here."
He was trying to lie, even though it was clear he was talking about protecting Huoltaja because of his job.
"Sorry for my impudence, but you were talking about Huoltaja, right? If like that-"
"I told you, there is no Huoltaja here!"
He doesn't seem happy about being cornered. His tone was quite harsh to me, but he still managed to contain his emotions.
I took a deep breath and then exhaled.
"Geez, fine then, I won't ask again."
Herman-sensei said that Rookie students should be polite towards their seniors. Those words made me have to give in to this.
Since I was in a bad mood, I decided to find another way to meet the girl.
But when I turned around, to leave them, I saw a woman with red hair in two braids to the side and who was slightly shorter than Fujita was walking here with behind her against 3 men wearing suits and sunglasses, like bodyguards.
"Ms. Natsuha, you must not leave your class."
"Noisy! Let me do what I want. You guys don't follow me all the time, I don't need bodyguards."
"But Miss... we have to keep you safe."
"Idiot, I don't care! Tell your superiors, I don't need bodyguards because I'm strong."
As they almost arrived at my place, those behind me just passed me by and headed towards the girl.
Those who approached the girl suddenly looked down as if they were facing the king.
"Ms. Natsuha, we will gladly look after you."
The girl was surprised for a moment but finally spoke again by looking away from the window.
"Oh my, do you want it to have to be like this? I was treated so special, I didn't need it."
I turned to Fujita who was silent looking at the girl.
"Hey, Fujitora..."
"Fujita, desu."
"Is that she..."
"Yeah, she's probably a Huoltaja protected by the government."
When the girl's hand dropped down, I accidentally focused on her right palm and saw a black symbol in the shape of a wing that was so perfect and conspicuous.
"It turns out that the rumors are true, she is a Huoltaja."