Volume 6 Chapter 7 Third Term Sub-Event: Career Counseling
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As we were working through our third-term assignments, we received a message from someone asking for advice.
The request came from Risa’s older sister, Momono-san. She wanted to talk with Risa present, so I made time after school on a day without dungeon training.
We arrived at the meeting spot, a café on a corner of the station-front shopping street.
The atmosphere was completely different from the noisy family restaurants where students usually gathered. Located on a narrow side street off the main avenue, the shop had a brick exterior covered in ivy, a small sign, and a heavy wooden door. It looked intimidating, making anyone hesitate before stepping inside.
Unless you were a hardcore solitary foodie1, you would think twice about entering alone. But Risa walked right in as if it were nothing. That was the confidence of a rich, high-class young lady.
Following Risa, I stepped inside. It was a proper, atmospheric café. Behind the counter, a mature man was reading an English-language newspaper. Not a single customer looked like they were checking horse racing forms.
”Let’s see… Ah, there they are. Sister is at the back window table,” Risa said, spotting them first.
Noticing us, Momono-san waved her hand to get our attention.
As Risa and I approached, I realized Momono-san was not alone.
Seated next to her by the window was another female student. She was a petite girl with glasses and long hair. She looked familiar. Right—she was Momono-san’s friend from the school festival. Aikawa Shiho-san, if I recalled correctly.
”Oh, Shiho-san is here too?” Risa asked.
Based on Risa’s reaction, she had not been told someone else would join us.
Aikawa-senpai’s face was stiff, making it obvious how tense she was. During the school festival, she had shown a clear dislike toward men. Why was a senior like her sitting here now?
”That’s right~” Momono-san said, matching our arrival with a bright grin.
Momono-san gestured toward the empty seats, telling us to sit down.
It was a four-person table. Risa and I sat side by side, across from Momono-san and Aikawa-senpai.
”OMG, big sis is treating, so like, order whatever you want!” Momono-san announced.
”I’ll have my usual. What about you, Minoru?” Risa turned to ask me.
I opened the menu Risa handed me and found a long list of specialty coffees. I could not tell the difference at all.
”Just a hot coffee for me, then,” I answered, playing it safe.
I picked the first item on the list. Momono-san raised her hand and called out loudly.
”Master, like, we’re ready to order!”
”……”
”One hot coffee and, like, one deluxe strawberry parfait!”
Momono-san held up both index fingers toward the master behind the counter.
The bearded, middle-aged master nodded silently. That was enough to place the order.
”Shiho-san, you don’t have to cater to my sister’s selfishness, you know? If you don’t like something, say so. If it’s hard for you, I’ll tell her myself,” Risa spoke up, turning to her senior.
”Hold on! Like, don’t make me sound so terrible!” Momono-san pouted.
”Sister, your track record is far too long,” Risa countered.
”That… well, the past is the past! But today is, like, totally different. This is serious business. A serious consultation where Shiho is literally the main star!” Momono-san insisted.
”Is that so?” Risa murmured, shifting her gaze.
Feeling everyone’s eyes on her after Risa’s question, Aikawa-senpai flinched. I could tell she was aware of my presence. If I were not here and it was just Naruse’s younger sister, she would probably be chatting normally.
”Yes. It’s true. This is a request from me,” Aikawa-senpai spoke up, lifting her face.
She addressed Risa first to state her purpose. Her expression was deadly serious.
”What do you think? Should I, like, say it for you?” Momono-san offered.
”It’s fine. I will speak,” Aikawa-senpai declined.
She turned toward me, locking eyes with mine before speaking.
”Tatemiya-san, there is something I would like to ask of you.”
”What is it?” I replied.
”I would like you to introduce me to a sorcerer. If possible, someone who is planning to enter a university in the Old Capital this year.”
With exam season at its peak, her request for a sorcerer introduction made sense immediately.
”I think I can guess the reason, but to be sure, could you tell me your reasoning?”
Aikawa-senpai nodded, but just as she was about to continue, two parfaits arrived. Including the ones Momono-san and her friend had ordered earlier, that made two on the table.
As Naruse’s younger sister dug into hers, the explanation began.
”I am aiming for a university in the Old Capital. The Department of Magical Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering. Enrolling there requires a sorcerer guarantor. Could you introduce me to someone who would be willing to act as my guarantor?”
Just as I thought. She was preparing paperwork for university admission.
Since ancient times, sorcery knowledge was kept strictly secret within the sorcerer community, passed down through lineages.
Times had changed. In the modern era, certain branches of knowledge had been opened to the general public, including plain-folk. This included practical knowledge and techniques for everyday life. Research into magic items also involved plain-folk frequently. The prime example was a university’s Department of Magical Engineering—a place to study sorcery technology systematically.
In sorcery research, tests could be conducted using one’s own Mana, so it was most efficient for sorcerers to pursue research suited to their aptitudes. If a plain-folk wanted to test something, they had to work with a sorcerer each time, which slowed things down.
But that only applied when the sorcerer and plain-folk had equal intelligence. If a plain-folk had genius-level inspiration and intellect, the advantage shifted completely2. Also, with modern nations conducting sorcery research at a state level, increasing the researcher pool was essential for technological advancement. It was necessary to stay ahead of foreign rivals.
Graduating with excellent marks from a famous university’s Department of Magical Engineering made finding work at research institutions easy. For a magic item fanatic like Aikawa-senpai, it was an attractive career path. It made sense that she wanted to take the exam.
I decided to test how committed Aikawa-senpai really was. I had looked into the guarantor system myself recently, so the timing was perfect.
”How much do you know about the guarantor system?” I asked.
”I’ve read everything—from the university admission materials to exam strategy guides for the Department of Magical Engineering,” Aikawa-senpai answered.
”I see. Then do you know the male-to-female ratio in the Department of Magical Engineering?”
”I’ve heard it’s roughly equal.”
”Do you know why? Why the female ratio is unusually high compared to other engineering disciplines?”
”……”
Aikawa-senpai searched my eyes, trying to find the answer I was looking for.
Momono-san, busy eating her parfait, spoke up.
”I don’t get it, like, why?”
”Sister, this isn’t a conversation for us to join,” Risa said softly.
”Come on, who cares? It sounds, like, so interesting, and I totally want to hear it too!” Momono-san insisted.
”Good grief..,” Risa sighed.
I gave a wry smile at Risa’s apologetic expression. Well, it was not something worth being mysterious about.
”It’s because females are much easier to control,” I stated.
”Control..,” Aikawa-senpai whispered.
This reaction meant she had expected this reality.
”Releasing sorcery knowledge to plain-folk and allowing them to research is fine. But if plain-folk researchers gain too much knowledge and turn against their superiors, it becomes a serious problem. That is why they want an ‘insurance policy’ for worst-case scenarios.”
”How petty. The person who made that rule must, like, have a microscopic spine,” Momono-san scoffed.
”Well, it does sound that way when you say it directly,” I admitted.
It was a rule rooted in a cynical view of human nature, though Momono-san’s words were harsh.
”And this ‘insurance policy’ refers to…”
”The guarantor system?” Momono-san cut in.
”Yes. Exactly,” I nodded.
If plain-folk sorcery research grew to the point where they could study independently without sorcerers, the difference in numbers could overwhelm sorcerers. For sorcerers, that was unacceptable. So the system requiring a sorcerer to guarantee a plain-folk’s identity and background was created.
”Should anything happen, the sorcerer acting as guarantor takes full responsibility. It’s a system to keep plain-folk under control so they don’t go wild. Since they face joint punishment for any trouble, sorcerers have no choice but to hold the reins firmly.”
If a plain-folk made a serious mistake, a heavy penalty was placed on the sorcerer, with the declaration that the sorcerer would personally handle the individual. That was the reality of the guarantor system.
Our conversation paused briefly as the hot coffee and pancakes arrived.
The coffee was placed before me, and a pancake set in front of Aikawa-senpai. I took a sip. It tasted good, but the finer details were lost on me. It tasted like expensive beans. Not that I would actually know.
After wetting my throat, I continued.
”The simplest way to hold those reins is by establishing a sexual relationship.”
”…” Aikawa-senpai stayed silent.
”A Tsuyo-Osu (Strong-Male) ensures obedience and prevents betrayal by thoroughly subjugating a submissive female.”
Despite my blunt words, there was no shaking in Aikawa-senpai’s eyes. She knew what she was getting into and had prepared herself.
Sitting next to her, Momono-san pointed her strawberry-laden spoon at me and asked.
”Hey, how true is that, like, really? I’ve heard rumors that once you sleep with a sorcerer, you can never break free—that you get completely obsessed. But isn’t that just an urban legend?”
”Huh?! Sister, do you have firsthand experience?” Risa blurted out, her cheeks flushing.
”No way! My body is, like, perfectly pure~. Some classmates back at school were talking about it. They said sorcerers aren’t even all that,” Momono-san huffed.
”That’s a total lie. Chomp!” Risa interrupted.
Risa leaned over and snatched the strawberry off the tip of Momono-san’s spoon.
”Ah—!!” Momono-san wailed.
”Thanks for the treat,” Risa said coolly.
”My strawberry..,” Momono-san whimpered.
”Negligence is a formidable enemy,” Risa smirked.
Letting out a dry chuckle at their exchange, I continued.
”Unless they were just showing off, those classmates were dealing with a pathetic Tsuyo-Osu (Strong-Male), or a regular male pretending to be one. In reality, an act infused with Mana isn’t something a normal female can resist. It’s said to hit harder than drug-fueled sex3.”
”Wait, Minoru, do you actually have experience with drug sex?” Risa asked, staring at me wide-eyed.
”No. That’s why I said ‘supposedly.’ But I’ve seen the aftermath,” I answered.
”O-Oh, I see..,” Risa murmured.
Naruse’s younger sister looked slightly uncomfortable.
Well, bringing up drug sex out of nowhere was bound to startle someone.
”Sorcerers send females who are completely under their control into the universities. It’s an open secret. Knowing this, do you still want to enter the Department of Magical Engineering, Senpai?”
I pressed her for confirmation, framing it as her last chance to turn back.
”Yes. I am fully prepared,” Aikawa-senpai said, her voice steady.
There was not a single tremor in her resolve. What drove this person so far? I was curious, but stepping into that territory now felt wrong.
”……”
”……”
For a moment, we locked eyes in silence as I organized my thoughts.
”…Understood,” I broke the silence.
”!! Then!” Aikawa-senpai gasped, leaning forward.
Faced with her sudden joy, I raised both hands to calm her.
”I will provide the introduction. However, I cannot guarantee anything beyond that. There is a real chance you will be rejected, so if that happens, please give up. You’ll have to find another connection.”
”I understand. Thank you so much,” Aikawa-senpai bowed deeply.
As she bowed, Momono-san looked at me with a puzzled expression.
”Why can’t it just be you, Minoru-kun?”
”On paper, it is possible, but practically, it would be inadvisable,” I explained. “Normally, a person chooses a guarantor from the same academic year or higher. It is customary for a fellow sorcerer entering the same or a nearby university, or someone directly associated with them, to act as guarantor. From a regulatory standpoint, proximity is an advantage. By the way, the person I plan to introduce is a Tsuyo-Osu (Strong-Male), but the one who will actually serve as guarantor is one of the Strong-Females (Shoji’s group members) in that faction. This is done so that any disciplinary action will not reach the group leader. It is cutting off the lizard’s tail4.”
”I see..,” Aikawa-senpai murmured.
”To return to the main point,” I continued. “Even if I became the guarantor, while I and my family live in the 13th District, Senpai would be living alone in the Old Capital. This gap would invite scrutiny, and authorities would question what aspects of her conduct I am supposed to manage.”
”So you can introduce me to a third-year high school student who plans to go to the Old Capital, the same place Shiho wants?” Aikawa-senpai asked.
”Yeah,” I confirmed.
At present, there was one sorcerer senior I could introduce. There were complications, but if Aikawa-senpai’s sincerity could be communicated, we should be able to reach a good result. Or so I hoped.
”One more thing,” I added, turning back to her. “The sorcerer I plan to introduce has a very eccentric personality. So if you want to end the arrangement, just tell me. I will submit the withdrawal notice myself.”
”Won’t that be rude?” Aikawa-senpai asked, her face tightening with concern.
”It will be a breach of etiquette, but it is necessary under these conditions. I am confident the other party will understand,” I reassured her.
Mutual complications were standard practice. Aikawa-senpai’s situation was information to share only with the senior being introduced. My role was strictly that of an intermediary. I had no intention of deeper involvement. I would take responsibility for arranging the initial contact.
”By the way, Aikawa-senpai, which university in the Old Capital are you aiming for?” I asked.
”For now, Old Capital University,” she replied5.
There it was—the “for now” typical of highly intelligent people. It was an institution with the second highest deviation score in the country. As Senpai gave her understated response, Momono-san cut in.
”She got an A rank on her most recent mock exam, you know,” Momono-san bragged casually.
”…That is impressive,” I conceded, reassessing her.
The person I planned to introduce was also scheduled to enter Old Capital University. The match was perfect.
”By the way, I’m the same. Though our departments are different,” Momono-san added with a relaxed smile.
”Momono-san, you’re really smart, aren’t you?” I said.
”If Risa has the same blood, she should be able to do it too~” Momono-san teased.
Using the same motion as before, Momono-san balanced a strawberry on her spoon, dangling it in front of us while moving it in an erratic pattern. A visibly frustrated Risa lunged forward, trying to grab the fruit, only for her sister to dodge perfectly.
”Little sister, your big sister won’t make the same mistake twice!” Momono-san laughed.
”Ugh… so frustrating!” Risa whimpered, her lower lip trembling.
Risa’s teeth clicked together as she snapped at empty air, missing completely.
Was she frustrated by failing to get the strawberry, or by her sister mocking her academic ability? I could not tell. Perhaps both.
I patted Risa’s head to calm her and took a sip of my coffee. It had cooled slightly, but the flavor was still excellent.
”Minoru-kun, I recommend the sweets here too. My treat. Order whatever you want,” Momono-san insisted.
”No, I couldn’t accept that much..,” I declined politely.
”Don’t worry about it, don’t hold back. It looks like the Master wants you to try some too,” Momono-san pushed.
I noticed the middle-aged man behind the counter glance briefly in our direction.
To be honest, I was a little curious. Accepting her offer, I opened the menu and picked an item by intuition.
”The special roll cake, please,” I said.
”Alrighty~ Master! Four special roll cakes! And a coffee refill!” Momono-san called out.
The middle-aged man nodded silently in acknowledgment.
After that, the conversation shifted to casual talk, and once we finished the roll cakes, the gathering ended. Parting with Momono-san and her companion, who said they were heading to the library, I made my way toward the bookstore. I needed to buy a study reference for Risa.
I had originally planned to buy sweets elsewhere to eat at home, but the roll cake was far better than expected, and I felt completely satisfied.
The coffee was excellent too. That café—provided one could overcome the intimidating exterior and step inside—offered a worthwhile experience. It was a positive discovery. Risa seemed satisfied as well.
”The Master is an acquaintance of Papa. The coffee was amazing, wasn’t it? They use really good beans. Since the Naruse house provides support, our faces are our passes6. The shop itself is made of anti-sorcery material, you know? It’s a shop where even plain-folk can use it with peace of mind. Minoru, you should definitely use it more often from now on,” Momono-san explained.
I had not brought this up inside the shop, but there were significant reasons behind the establishment’s history.
There were also things I chose not to say inside the shop.
Specifically, the reality of male students in the Magical Engineering Department.
Were the male students of the Magical Engineering Department bound by coercive sexual relationships? The answer was no.
There were Strong-Females (Shoji’s group members) who tried to reduce males to obedient pawns, and homosexual sorcerers existed too, but their numbers were small and their influence in the sorcerer hierarchy was limited. If such a person tried to act as guarantor to insert a plain-folk into the system, they would be eliminated by “sensible” sorcerers preserving institutional order.
So the question was: who provided guarantors for these male students, and what did they gain from it?
The answer was simple. It was the Tsuyo-Osu (Strong-Male) group, driven by demand for sorcery engineering technology.
In return, the males obeyed the Tsuyo-Osu (Strong-Male) to gain capital and authority, fully aware that exceeding their limits would result in termination. This entire system depended on the plain-folk having exceptional talent for sorcery engineering before entering the contract.
In the end, for a plain-folk to break free from a sorcerer and conduct independent sorcery research was structurally impossible under this nation’s system. At the very least, it was forbidden anywhere in conventional society.
—
Summary:
Minoru accompanies Risa to a high-end café for an unexpected meeting with her older sister Momono and a senior student, Shiho Aikawa. Shiho requests an introduction to a sorcerer who can serve as her academic guarantor for the university’s Department of Magical Engineering. Minoru outlines the dark, exploitative reality behind the gender ratios and institutional dominance built into the guarantor framework, forcing Shiho to explicitly confirm her resolve before he agrees to help.
Moving from an intense structural discussion regarding institutional guarantors, the characters transition to a social encounter at a localized confectionery establishment. While navigating the playful behavioral dynamics between the Naruse sisters, Minoru reflects upon the strategic value of his potential sorcerer introductions. The scene transitions to an analytical exposition on the restrictive engineering department power balances, leaving the actual limitations of plain-folk independence as a highly volatile unresolved variable.
—
Trivia:
1 The café stands in sharp stylistic contrast to rowdy student family restaurants, symbolizing class boundaries.
2 Plain-folk require a sorcerer guarantor specifically to enter the Department of Magical Engineering.
3 Historically, sorcery knowledge was completely secret, but modern states open it to plain-folk to boost state-level technological research.
4 The guarantor system functions explicitly as a social security insurance measure to prevent a demographic uprising by plain-folk against sorcerers.
5 Joint punishment rules ensure that sorcerers must maintain absolute subjugation over their plain-folk wards.
6 A high female-to-male student ratio in magic engineering exists because female plain-folk are viewed by the sorcerer system as easier to control via relationship dynamics.
1 The standard practice for a sorcerer entering university involves establishing a guarantor from a proximate geographical location to maintain operational oversight.
2 Disciplinary actions or liabilities are deliberately channeled to lower-tier group members to ensure that systemic consequences avoid hitting primary faction leaders.
3 Old Capital University holds the distinction of possessing the second highest academic deviation score across the entire regional hierarchy.
4 The storefront utilized by the characters is physically synthesized from specialized anti-sorcery material to allow plain-folk individuals an insulated environment to visit without external risk.
5 The socio-political leverage of male-loving sorcerers is characterized as structurally weak within the broader community hierarchy, meaning they are frequently weeded out by mainstream factions.
6 Plain-folk researchers are explicitly prohibited from pursuing independent sorcery engineering development within any publicly visible layer of the national territory.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• Momono-san – A petite, chubby high school senior with gentle, drooping eyes, Risa’s older sister, Momono-san, is a refined yet mischievous tutor and supportive companion. She cleverly orchestrates family interactions and uses Risa’s favorite pastries as leverage. A friendly girl, she is also a friend of Aikawa and displays a welcoming curiosity rather than hostility toward Risa’s partner.
• Momono – Momono-san, Risa Naruse’s older sister, is a petite, chubby high school senior with gentle, drooping eyes. Highly intelligent yet energetic and chaotic, she speaks in a relaxed, influencer-like dialect and loves teasing Risa. A refined, mischievous tutor, she uses pastries to orchestrate family dynamics, welcomes Risa’s partner, and bonds with Aikawa via the magic-engine community.
• Risa – A tall, slender Naruse student with twin-tails and a fashionable, well-endowed physique, this wealthy lady is bold, sharp-tongued, and expressive. Momono and Anri’s sister, she faces family drama while staying at the Tatemiya estate. An Onibara practitioner in Shoji and Minoru’s groups, she excels in ranged combat using magic firearms and Snow flies, while guiding Yurina and distrusting Komoda.
• M – A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• R – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• B – A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S’s group.
• N – A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• Aikawa – Shiho Aikawa is Risa’s older sister, a magic-engine enthusiast linked to the sorcery research society, and a senior student seeking an academic pathway. Despite navigating stressful conditions, she demonstrates deep sincerity regarding her choices.
• Shiho – A petite, long-haired, bespectacled senior who is deeply knowledgeable about magic technology. Usually shy and averse toward men, this magic-engine collector becomes animated when discussing hardware. She controls the approval process for borrowing equipment and possesses a firm resolve to continue her magical engineering studies at a higher institution located in the Old Capital.
• Minoru – Minoru Tatemiya is a lean, black-haired, plain student, hidden Demon Lord, and reincarnated mob protagonist. In an inverted-beauty world, this analytical, pragmatic narrator rules the 5th District using spatial, illusion, and Shock magic. From his estate, he manages dungeon logistics and a harem—hosting Hinoki and guiding Majo allies (Mai, Risa, Mitsuki) with logical precision and emotional distance.
• Naruse – Naruse is the paternal surname of sisters Anri, Risa, and Momono, separate from their mother’s magical Shoji line. Led by their influential hotel/dungeon manager mother, this wealthy old-money sorcerer family and merchant guild provides institutional support to local establishments. They reside in an understated, modest private estate featuring an integrated dungeon and a small dojo.
• Tatemiya – Minoru, bearer of the prestigious Tatemiya family name, is a sorcerer protagonist and head of a traditional lineage house. Specializing in electrical defensive sorcery, he guides a powerful group of women and witches (including Kotoha) to search for powers. He utilizes the Tatemiya household as a central hub to live and bond, conversing with Megumi and Minoru about regional gathering spots.
• K – A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N’s protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• Strong-Females – A social designation within the world’s hierarchy.
• Shoji – A serious, pragmatic silver werewolf beastman and top-ranked 5th District sorcerer in a white uniform. This ancient clan student and strategist leads a dungeon exploration squad with Ryota and Komoda while associating with Kotoha. He tracks scents, uses magic pistols, and seals dungeons via Anri/Risa’s lineage. Observant and focused on survival, he shares intelligence to conquer the Tower Dungeon.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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