That same day, personally orchestrated by Yukinoshita Yukino, the Service Club was disbanded and officially renamed the Department of Occult Affairs. The club room remained the same, still lacking any special facilities, but Leon and the others didn't need them anyway.
The president of the Department of Occult Affairs was naturally Leon, and the vice-president was undoubtedly Yukinoshita Yukino. Yuuki Asuna and Kasumigaoka Utaha wrote their application forms and joined the Department of Occult Affairs as members that very day.
This matter quickly spread throughout Sōbu High School, leaving many people dumbfounded.
They weren't surprised by the dissolution of the Service Club. This club was never popular at Sōbu High. If it weren't for the founder being Yukinoshita Yukino, the Winter Flower of Sōbu High, probably few people would even know of the club.
The Service Club had been quite famous recently, but that was only because Leon and Yuuki Asuna, two popular figures, had been in and out of it, seemingly forming close relationships with Yukinoshita Yukino. In other words, it gained fame due to rumors and gossip.
But this new Department of Occult Affairs was different.
"Yukinoshita Yukino, Yuuki Asuna, Kasumigaoka Utaha... three of the school's most unattainable beauties have all joined this Department of Occult Affairs?"
"And the president is Eligos-senpai, who ranks first in the popularity poll. What exactly is going on?"
"Why did the Winter Flower disband her own club and give up the position to him?"
"I'm more curious why Kasumigaoka Utaha, the Autumn Flower, agreed to join this club. Not only is she already a third-year—it's already a bit late to join a club—but even if it wasn't too late, the literary clubs eager to invite her, a popular new-generation light novel author, could line up outside the school gate. Yet she never joined any of them, so why join a newly established Department of Occult Affairs now?"
"Department of Occult Affairs... a club researching the occult and inexplicable events?"
"How can this niche club attract several unattainable beauties to join?"
"What exactly did Eligos-senpai do?"
Everyone debated the matter, and even the teachers were puzzled, joining the discussion.
Some even suspected that Leon had used improper means to make all this happen, or suspected that the members of this Department of Occult Affairs had some improper relationships. Even the school board members of Sōbu High received some reports, but in the end, no action was taken.
Although reluctant, Yukinoshita Yukino had already spoken to her sister. Yukinoshita Haruno indicated she would talk to the board members, and Leon also called a few of the board members himself and said a few words, and the matter was dismissed.
In the small area of Chiba, Leon had already leveraged his connections from years of demonic activity. Even if none of his connections were Sōbu High school board members, they would know one or two of them, perhaps even having a good relationship, so he had a say with the board members.
The remaining commotion was just internal school gossip, which Leon was too lazy to manage, letting others guess.
If anyone asked, Leon only had one answer.
"Kasumigaoka and I already have some acquaintance, and I have some ties to the families of Yukinoshita and Yuuki. Now, on a whim, I wanted to start a club for fun, so is there a problem with inviting acquaintances to join?"
Is there a problem?
There was a huge problem!
For example... Is your club still recruiting?
Does this President-sama think I'm suitable? I actually have some research into the occult...
Some who were previously acquainted with Leon, and some who weren't, expressed this sentiment, only to be met with Leon's noncommittal laughter.
Are you guys really interested in researching the occult? I'm too lazy to expose you!
It was impossible for him to let anyone else join. The meaning of the Department of Occult Affairs' existence was to cover their activities within the school. In the future, only his familiars would be allowed to join. Even if someone were aware of their identity, if they couldn't positively contribute to their activities, he wouldn't let them join.
Therefore, Leon claimed that they already had enough members for now and had no intention of recruiting new ones. If there was a need in the future, he would consider these "talents" on a case-by-case basis...
Of course, not just Leon, but the other members of the Department of Occult Affairs were also pestered by the people around them for a while.
Yukinoshita Yukino was fine; her social circle in the school was already limited, and hardly anyone would bother to try to befriend her. But Yuuki Asuna and Kasumigaoka Utaha were miserable. Those close to them couldn't resist coming to ask them about the situation, which kept the two busy for quite a while.
Especially Kasumigaoka Utaha; among the three familiars, her social network at Sōbu High was the most extensive.
Yuuki Asuna was, after all, a newcomer, having transferred not long ago. Even if she was beautiful and had a good personality, she couldn't develop a very extensive network of contacts.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was different. At first glance, she seemed aloof from everyone, but she was a literary girl who had even written scripts for the drama club. Many literary clubs had connections with her. Now, the fact that she was poached by a newly established club left the members of many literary clubs hopping mad for an entire day.
Their implied message was simple...
"If you want to join a club, you could have come to us! Why join the Department of Occult Affairs as a talented literary woman?"
What kind of field was the occult?
Was it literature?
Perhaps there was a slight connection, but why did they fall short?
They felt incredibly wronged.
They had pleaded with Kasumigaoka Utaha for so long, trying to get the talented literary woman to join their clubs, from her first year to her second year, until she entered her third year. Everyone thought it was too late for her to join a club, and that she truly had no interest, so they reluctantly gave up.
Yet, now, you suddenly turn around and join a club researching the occult?
Do you have to play us like this?
So, Kasumigaoka Utaha could only deal with these teary-eyed literary clubs with a headache.
What surprised Kasumigaoka Utaha was that after she had dealt with the literary clubs, someone else came looking for her.
"Did you really join that Department of Occult Affairs thing?"
The person who blocked Kasumigaoka Utaha's path in a deserted corridor and casually tossed out such a provocative opening line was a slender girl with golden twin tails, clear blue eyes, porcelain-white skin, and facial features no less exquisite than Kasumigaoka Utaha's.
The girl stood in front of Kasumigaoka Utaha with her hands on her hips, her beautiful eyes glaring at her, making Kasumigaoka Utaha stop.
"Well, if it isn't Sawamura-san?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha folded her arms and spoke with a smile.
The girl blocking Kasumigaoka Utaha's way was Sawamura Spencer Eriri, a second-year student at Sōbu High and the ace of the school's art club, hailed as the Summer Flower.
She was a very popular beautiful girl.
In the eyes of her classmates, Eriri was a student with the delicate behavior of a young lady, but who was also kind and approachable, making her very popular among her peers and upperclassmen.
But this kind young lady was now standing in front of Kasumigaoka Utaha, displaying an intimidating side rarely seen by others.
"Didn't you say you had no interest in any school clubs and just wanted to write quietly?" Eriri said to Kasumigaoka Utaha in an almost accusatory tone, "Why did you suddenly join that inexplicable club?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed completely unfazed by Eriri's blunt attitude.
She knew that this was Sawamura Spencer Eriri's true personality; her usual good-girl demeanor was just a disguise, which she only dropped in front of familiar people.
And no one knew that Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri actually had a very deep, private relationship.
The reason was simple: Eriri was actually a closet otaku. On the surface, she was the ace of the school's art club, but secretly, she was a famous doujin artist under the pen name "Kashiwagi Eri," drawing very popular erotic manga...
Eriri had kept this side of herself deeply hidden until Kasumigaoka Utaha debuted as a new light novel author. Her debut work, Koisuru Metronome, needed an illustrator, which brought the two together.
Through an introduction from Kasumigaoka Utaha's editor, Eriri appeared before Kasumigaoka Utaha as the illustrator for Koisuru Metronome, and her true identity was thus exposed...
Since then, the two maintained no contact on the surface at school, but they had already started collaborating in private. Because Kasumigaoka Utaha often ridiculed her for pretending to be a good girl, and Eriri was frustrated that her true identity was discovered by Kasumigaoka Utaha, they either didn't meet, or they would immediately argue upon meeting.
Thus, Eriri was so blunt and impolite in front of Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Kasumigaoka Utaha also dropped her usual feigned politeness towards outsiders and spoke slowly.
"Is there a problem?" Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't hide her intention to tease her, saying, "I suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to join a club for fun. Is that not allowed?"
"Who are you trying to fool?" A vein popped on Eriri's forehead as she angrily said, "If that were truly the reason, why didn't you join the literary clubs, choosing a newly established Department of Occult Affairs instead?"
"Don't patronize me! I'm not like those other people! I won't be fooled by your sweet talk!"
Saying that, Eriri pointed at Kasumigaoka Utaha, looking like a child detective about to discover a shocking truth, just short of uttering a classic line.
"Even if there's a reason, why are you so worked up?" Utaha Kasumigaoka knew she couldn't fool Eriri, so she teased: "It has nothing to do with you, or could it be that you actually care about me?"
"Huh?!" Eriri jumped up like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on and yelled: "Who would ever care about a 'Fatty Kasumigaoka' like you?!"
A vein (💢) immediately popped on Utaha's forehead.
You blonde loser dog, who are you talking to?
"I am not fat at all!"