Tea time in the evening passed happily.
Seiji returned to his room and sent Shika Kagura a story document before going to look for Mai.
Mai was waiting for him in front of a room on the third floor.
She opened the door and led Seiji in when she saw him.
There was a floor-to-ceiling window on the opposite side of the room, a bookshelf on the right, and a large desk and comfortable ergonomic chair on the left. There were three computer monitors and a laptop on the desk, as well as some documents, books, and photo frames.
Next to the desk was a high-performance printer that could scan, print, and copy. It was the type that could be found in any office.
This was obviously Wanhua Summer Night's study.
The maid first turned on the printer, then turned on the laptop and inputted the password.
"Use this to download the contract and print it."
"Oh, okay."
Seiji walked up and used the laptop to log into his email, download the attachment, and print it.
The printer beeped, and the contract was quickly printed out.
During this time, Seiji scanned the bookshelf on the opposite side, trying to find something he was interested in.
Look, look... he found it!
In the leftmost corner of the bookshelf, he saw neatly arranged manga books and boxes for anime DVDs.
"As expected, the president is an anime fan."
Seiji walked over and sighed as he observed these items that he felt familiar with.
He had guessed this long ago, but he never had a good time to ask her.
When Mai brought Little Shi some manga after moving into the president's residence, he felt that his guess was almost confirmed.
That was because these manga books were obviously not brand new, which meant that they weren't just bought at the bookstore, but were already here!
Wanhua Summer Night wasn't an otaku, but she had a certain understanding of anime, which meant that she also watched anime, just that she wasn't an otaku, which meant that she was an anime fan.
Seiji looked at the student council president's collection and thought to himself, 'Now that I've confirmed my suspicions, I feel even closer to her.'
"Yes, Grand Mistress actually likes to read these, especially those about Yin Yang Masters and demons."
Mai walked up to Seiji and smiled.
"But because I'm worried that my elders will say that I'm childish, I've restrained myself. I don't watch it in the main family, and I only watch it here."
"Some old-fashioned people will think that anime is something for kids to watch. Tsk."
As a man who had lived to the age of thirty in his previous life, Seiji had always been disdainful of those so-called "mature adults" who harbored prejudice.
Unable to understand the beauty of the 2-D world, he self-righteously looked down on it with contempt, discrimination, and prejudice. Just what was the so-called "maturity" of this fellow?
Seiji could complain about this for a hundred years.
But forget it, anyway …
"Old fogeys will eventually die … Oh, no, they will eventually pass away. Let them think what they want. The future belongs to the young."
Mai covered her mouth and chuckled at the boy's obvious dislike.
"Junior Haruta is really a … determined otaku."
"Yes, that's right. I'll always be one." Seiji smiled, his eyes twinkling.
"I like anime and manga, and I like the 2-D world.
Because it contains all the beauty that humans can imagine.
Well, of course there are some ugly or strange things, but that's also why it's so rich and colorful.
Anyone can find joy in anime that's difficult to find in reality, or doesn't exist at all, or even … isn't allowed.
There are endless possibilities here, because the boundaries of anime are the human imagination! Everyone can enjoy it. "
We can find companions with similar interests and share our happiness. We can also reject those who don't share our interests, so as not to hinder or hurt others.
Everyone can have their own beautiful world, and this is such a place. "
Utopia, Shangri-La, Paradise Wonderland … These places of eternal happiness that humans fantasized about never existed in reality, and it was highly likely that they would never appear.
But they existed only in imagination.
Fantasy, imagination … was the happiness that all humans could share, and the actual embodiment of fantasy was the 2-D world.
That was why the 2-D world was actually these places!
That was what Seiji believed.
Mai listened quietly.
As a non-otaku, she didn't feel too much sympathy for Seiji's words, but she faintly felt that they made some sense.
'A world with imagination as its boundaries … huh? It sounds … grand.'
"You're an excellent speaker, Haruta -san." She grinned. "I'm getting infected by your words."
"It's not a speech; I just felt like saying it." Seiji scratched his face awkwardly.
He could have continued; there was no way to express his love for the 2-D world as an otaku.
But it would be a long story if he continued, so he decided to stop.
The printer beeped, indicating that the contract had been printed.
Seiji picked up all the papers and looked them over. After confirming that there were no problems, he logged into his computer and deleted the downloaded files.
"Alright, thank you. Let's go."
"Haruta -san …"
Mai's smile vanished and she looked at him with a serious expression.
Seiji sensed that she wanted to say something serious, so he put on a serious expression as well.
"What do you want to say, Houjou-senpai?"
"You intend to continue living together with Kagura-san in the future, right?"
"Yep, yes."
"Then how do you intend to resist … her power?"
"I'll just watch where I'm going. No matter what happens, I'll deal with it."
"Do you really believe that you can do it?"
"I can."
'With the [Mystical Power Conversion], I don't need to worry about this anymore. In fact, Little Shi Kagura's power has already become a good thing for me, because it can be converted into' Spiritual Power '!' Seiji thought to himself.
But he couldn't say such a thing aloud.
Mai looked closely at his face, unable to find any trace of guilt or hesitation.
Either he was extremely confident, or he was extremely stupid, or he was …
"You have something you can rely on … right?"
Seiji blinked in surprise.
'As expected, he was able to see through me.'
"You could say that … I have my own power."
Mai blinked in surprise as well.
"That's good, then … it's a good thing to have courage and responsibility, but it's a bad thing to have courage but no strategy, or to have responsibility but no power." She sighed lightly.
"Thank you, Senpai, for worrying about me … for us." Seiji noticed her concern and smiled.
"I'm sorry that I can't tell you any more … You don't need to worry too much about us. She and I will be able to continue together."
Mai smiled again, her smile as gentle as usual.
"I just wanted to confirm it. After all, Kagura-san's power … is far too unique."
"Everyone has secrets, and it's only natural that you have things you don't want to reveal. There's no need to feel apologetic, Junior."
The two of them smiled at each other after coming to an understanding.
Then, they silently walked out of the study together.
"By the way, Junior, do you know what your current nickname in school is?"
Mai suddenly asked as they walked up the stairs. Her smile became a little playful.
"Nickname … what is it?" Seiji had an ominous premonition.
"Everyone knows about your bravery in the karate club, and many students are calling you the 'Magic-devouring Dragon!'"
Seiji was rendered speechless.
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