Once Upon the Sliding Underlord

As of the moment, our class might have gained its central adversary.

In situations when you're not strong enough, call someone who is.

Recruitment: it should be the natural thought when coming across stronger opponents so led our three-man separated divergence to the second Strongest Mage in the city.

Namely Motoharu Akahoshi, or Aldebaran by popular moniker, the mad researcher who once burned a mega corporation he blindly accused of plagiarism. As a valuable asset to Magekind, he was only cursed to not set his foot on the ground─and furthermore, held under house arrest. Other designations include being a Nichiyoubi University professor, highly skilled practitioner of both Sound and Power Magic, and the tyrannical landlord of Higanbana House─our current location.

Although first and foremost, he's the first known returnee from a parallel world.

Isekai─if you may, he once faced his death in a road accident… instead of a transport truck though, it was a sports car.

There can be many chroniclers born out of a hero who returned home after twenty years.

Best examples of which─the man provided breakthrough technology born out of otherworldly knowledge. He commanded the military once and won all his battles, and now, has involved himself in nurturing the next generation. Unlucky in his chain of life however, he ended up being held captive by the city he raised.

A dynamic characterization that I have nothing to do about.

Courtesy of his customer service, he offered us bread and coffee.

Our makeshift alliance was welcomed to the kitchen─and sat upfront at the counter like it was a bar.

"It's nice meeting you, I've always been a fan!" Kafka has reached his hands for Aldebaran.

Shaken as he trembled upon the presence of a legendary figure, the stale atmosphere I'd expected turned awkward. Of course, I have nothing against fans who are struck by the presence of their idols─but Kafka Ikari reversed it into betrayal. Injuriously enough, the secretive hero, one who saved the class from many upcoming dangers in the past, has it in himself a liking for the whimsical and overpowered.

Prone not for heroism alone, but into antagonism… which should include me.

No, I won't throw a fit and get jealous.

In return, the cursed villain who chose to hang like a bat offered a fist bump instead.

"Oh, a fan! It's been a long time since. When exactly did you know of me?" Giddily, Aldebaran inquired.

Kafka couldn't have been more delighted being asked, thus explaining on the spot. "I've read your papers on Space Magic and its capabilities for Interdimensional Travel."

"Aha-ha! You're such a fan, Kafka!" Tsukuyomi commented on the side.

Aldebaran chuckled while Kafka glanced menacingly to his side─piercing through me, who's at their center to quietly bite on a yummy cornet.

Kafka chose to ignore Tsukuyomi's joke premonition, and proceeded into his fan craze. "I've always been looking forward to your Orion Project!"

The Orion Project, if I remember right, was shelved for its scientific utilization of magic. Borderline Sorcery─a methodology the entire Magic Side turned to hate due to Humans tinkering with the natural order of magic: and its contribution to the 1962 Human Invasion.

As to what it is, simple enough, Humans aped magic to overthrow Mages as its species.

If you'd ask why we have no trouble with it, it's rejection of the major mind.

Society, as a whole, is shit.

"Uh-huh… that's nice of you, supporting travel between alternate worlds!" Aldebaran appreciated his words, although landing him melancholy in a quick shift. "Sadly though, it has been put on-hold while I'm on house arrest."

"Yes, it's a shame." Sad for it to pass by, Kafka turned it upside-down. "I'm positive it will run in a few years, though!"

It's hard for my uninterested vision to culture emotional value into it.

Although don't get my sentiments wrong: it was wholesome enough to sink happiness for their chance encounter. I've never thought my decision could inspire Kafka Ikari─and furthermore earn him a forward motion to academia.

Albeit being a spur of the moment, Aldebaran showed his interest for him. "Oh, you're someone I'd like to become an apprentice."

Flattered, Kafka could only warrant himself a grin, and happily drink his bitter coffee as if it's concentrated sugar. Contagion caught Tsukuyomi and relished, speechless for the moment… considering we weren't in the place to seek scholarships.

I finished drinking my coffee, and made it audible enough as I dropped it down. Motoharu Akahoshi, the highly valued Sound Mage, averted his attention─for the highest valued Black Mage in the magic metropolis.

He pulled himself up the beam for a little circus show and dropped down the counter. While it was a taboo to rest his feet down the ground, there were numbers of executable loopholes─including of which are elevated footholds. He comfortably sat himself there, feet dangling in the ground like a normal human in a slightly higher chair.

The Gokuu pole and the balance beams were pretty much obsolete.

I ought to know how my companions would react, but they didn't bat an eye.

"I don't suppose you're all here looking for a thesis consultant."

I did make it clear for him.

"We need your help!" Kafka heralded the supposed objective, gaining each and everyone's surprise in the matter. "We're against a strong opponent right now, and even our Yukihime thinks he's outmatched."

Outmatched was the wrong interpretation.

In any case, I was supposed to speak for us─but for a while now, I haven't been able to assert my position. Also, Tsukuyomi seemed to get where I'm coming from… screw him, intuitive even without his butterflies in my eyes.

Aldebaran flinched from the offset, and intently shot me killing intent.

He looked at me and digressed, "You overthrew me seven years ago, Shiro. How am I supposed to be of help to the Strongest Mage?"

"Oh, no! We'll be needing all the help we could get, sir!"

Again, Kafka hastily collected our consensus, he even stood from his seat and asserted his claim.

I couldn't help but insert myself.

"I know you have been thinking about it like a recruitment but take it easy Kafka, we'd be in more trouble with him around."

Kafka averted his eyes for me, evident in them the surprise.

"Ha-ha! I like you, young Kafka… which family have you come from?"

And then, Aldebaran laughed in succession─an action foreign enough that our triad tilted our heads.

Kafka later processed the question, and introduced himself once and for all, "I'm an Ikari, sir, and I'm a Level 4 Mind Mage."

"Kafka… you're a Time Mage," Tsukuyomi and I corrected.

Though not speaking for the other, the expected seamless cry for help veered terribly into an unexpected direction.

"Oh!" Kafka flinched, taken aback by his dosage of tastelessness for a while now.

"Help, right? I haven't heard that in a while."

Aldebaran stretched his arms to the side, and started massaging his shoulders. In sheer obviousness, he pondered our situation─and examined us, looked at the ticking analog clock, and lastly, the strapped monitor by his ankle.

"Think of the consequences: I help you with the predicament by seeing myself out, readily at the doorstep," he supposed, "I'll be hunted by the university first and then the defense force."

Mostly, a message for Kafka.

Kafka Ikari received the message loud and clear. "...Ah, I'm sorry for my insolence."

"Don't be, young Kafka," Aldebaran dismissed with a smile, wholesome for the heck of it.

"Master Akahoshi, what we need most now is data… precisely the confidential information of each and every Level 5 currently in the city."

Kafka gasped from the side, cutting to the point of him sitting down.

Meanwhile, as usual, Tsukuyomi kept his cool─even acting like he knew it was the whole point of the excursion.

"Shiro," he called, tone ripping for unhinged hatred, "for someone who rejected my invitation to come under my tutelage, I don't think you're in the position to ask me anything at all."

I didn't mind him, I pressed onto him the whole issue going on.

Including, and primarily, the problem why we entered Higanbana House in the first place─an adversary that single-handedly threw our class to the skies.

He clicked his tongue.

"There are too many Level 5 Mages in the city so locating an impossible enemy," he stated, "I don't know who in this hellish place would be targeting you, but you still came to the right place─I know all of them."

"I'll pay the consultation fee… that way, I won't be owing you anything."

In turn, we received what we came for.

Provided the names, Nichiyoubi North High School has four namely Ayase Kyoukaisenjou, Kuroko Yagami, Amaterasu Origami, and Shirayuki Otogibanashi.

Nichiyoubi West High School has seven.

Nichiyoubi East High School has one.

Nichiyoubi South High School has nine.

Nichiyoubi University has thirty-one.

None at all to show motivations for pruning Nayami Ayanami out of Nichiyoubi North High School… except for Ayase Kyoukaisenjou. Otherwise, there are the alumni─unknown if they are around town as of the moment. If the collaborators were in fact from the alumni population, then it'd be harder to locate them since they're the ones with the most heavily guarded personal information.

"And from the moment you think you can't extract anything with the data provided, it comes bigger in scale…" Aldebaran extracted as his final input, firmly as some kind of a cherry on top, "Nichiyoubi isn't the only Mage metropolis in Japan."

"At least, if seen from a very amateurish overview," I countered, terrorful as it came in rude resonance.

I looked him in the eye… needlessly an action I was supposed to do, thus threw the train out of its rail.

"I see… you have an idea in mind."

"What runs in my mind, I'm scared. You were there notwithstanding the blame."

Three…Two…One─!

The air wallowed and shrieked, appendages of sound energy: the same blasts to have put my experimental Clay spells to light.

What initiated─a cumbersome battle of the first and second Strongest Mages of Nichiyoubi.