The Admiral of Hogwarts

Stepping off the boat, Hugo felt like he had entered a bathroom. A wave of humid, hot air rushed towards him, instantly enveloping him, especially with the sun overhead constantly releasing its light and heat.

“I thought Japanese summers weren't supposed to be this hot.” Looking at the tropical plants around the airport, Hugo took the wet wipe Enterprise handed him and wiped his face before speaking.

“The mainland of Japan is indeed cooler, but this is the Ogasawara Islands.” Enterprise, dressed in short denim shorts and a T-shirt, lightly touched the straw hat on her head as she spoke, then took a deep breath.

“It feels great to revisit this old place.”

This competition was being held at the Magic School's Magic Institute in Japan. Contestants only needed to arrive before the designated time; there were no restrictions on how they got there.

Normally, for such important competitions, each school would send its own transportation to carry the contestants and promote their school.

However, Hugo's selection was very rushed, and considering his age and the fact that he was a last-minute substitute, it was hard to inspire enough confidence. Therefore, the school board members didn't agree to let him use Hogwarts' transportation.

Luckily, those who could become school board members also knew the importance of leaving a line of retreat, so they specifically approved 200 Galleons for their travel expenses.

Considering that the Weasley family didn't even spend 700 Galleons on their trip to Egypt, 200 Galleons was more than enough for Hugo and Enterprise.

Under these circumstances, Hugo and Enterprise naturally chose to fly to Tokyo and then take a boat directly to Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands. It was less than an hour away from Minami Iwo Jima, where the Magic Institute was located.

Over the next three days, Hugo and Enterprise thoroughly explored these tropical islands. Enterprise even took Hugo to Iwo Jima, now designated as a military restricted zone, to see the traces she had left behind.

For example, a mountain artillery battery on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima was destroyed when Enterprise's carrier-based aircraft dropped a 500-pound bomb into it, along with some bunkers and trenches.

Eventually, Enterprise even found a transport ship she had sunk in the surrounding waters and had Laurent take a picture of her with the wreckage of that ship.

After completely relaxing, on the third day of their arrival, the two, having had their fill of fun, went to a deserted beach on Chichijima after lunch and lit the invitation letter with their wands as instructed.

Instantly, a ball of purple flames engulfed the invitation letter written on Japanese paper, then transformed into a stream of light that shot straight into the sky, exploding into a ball of magical flames that only wizards could see.

Within a few minutes, two huge figures flew over the sea surface not far away. As the two figures approached, they recognized them as two giant albatrosses.

“This should be the Magic Institute's unique mode of transportation.” Looking at the two albatrosses landing in front of them, Enterprise said, “It’s usually used to send students between the ages of 7 and 11 to and from school.”

Unlike other magic schools, students at the Japanese Magic Institute start attending school at the age of seven. Therefore, they also have a special day student system.

Shortly after taking off, the two albatrosses brought Hugo and Enterprise to Minami Iwo Jima, the southernmost island in the Ogasawara Islands.

After breaking through an invisible barrier, a palace made of what looked like white jade suddenly appeared at the very top of Minami Iwo Jima.

According to the information they had seen during their travels, Minami Iwo Jima is a conical volcanic island, with a maximum altitude of 916m, the highest point in the Ogasawara Islands.

At the same time, the summit is often surrounded by clouds and mist. The island is surrounded by sea-eroded cliffs formed by wave erosion, with an average height of 100 to 200 meters. There are almost no sandy beaches, and the surrounding underwater volcanoes make it difficult to land.

Because the area has been designated by the Japanese government as a native natural environment conservation area, no ordinary person has set foot on the island since the last exploration ten years ago.

Now it seems that the most important reason for sealing off the island, besides protecting the environment, is that it is the location of the Japanese Magic School, so the Japanese Muggle government also has to help with the secrecy.

Soon, the two giant albatrosses landed in a cave on the island, and a Japanese wizard wearing a golden wizard's robe came forward to register Hugo and Enterprise.

“Stop, I can speak Japanese. Let's communicate in Japanese.” After hearing the Japanese man say a few sentences of Japanese-style English, Enterprise, feeling she couldn't stand it, simply spoke in Japanese.

“When did you learn Japanese? It sounds almost like your mother tongue.” Listening to Enterprise's conversation with the Japanese wizard, Hugo asked through the Admiral Network.

“I learned it in the Pacific in the 40s. After all, when fighting them, you have to be able to understand their language, otherwise you won't even be able to obtain the most basic intelligence.”

Obviously, Enterprise's Japanese was indeed very good, so she quickly obtained a map and led Hugo towards the room assigned to them.

Due to the island's size, most of the Magic Institute's buildings were hidden within the mountains. In addition, these rooms had also been cast with a large number of space-expansion spells.

“It’s really too easy to get lost here.” After passing through another tunnel and climbing two flights of stairs, Hugo muttered softly, looking at the unmarked fork in the road in front of him.

“There's no other way. The island is only so big. Most of the school's space is built inside the mountain, and they can only build it this way to utilize the mountain space.” Enterprise looked at the map and led Hugo to the left.

“It was the same way on Iwo Jima back then. When our people entered the mountain, they would encounter maze-like roads. And compared to here, there were countless traps and enemies with guns ready to shoot.”

What Enterprise didn't say was that the attitudes of the guiding volunteers were also very strange. Some people were very enthusiastic, but others were as cold as ice, as if they had a grudge against them.

Fortunately, it was summer vacation, and most of the Magic Institute's students had already left, except for a few volunteers. Therefore, these tunnels seemed much more spacious.

Moreover, thanks to magic, the temperature and ventilation in the cave were very good, and the enchanted windows showed the same weather as outside.

“Although it's not appropriate for me to say this given my identity, the internal environment of this school is much better than that castle, Hogwarts.” Enterprise pulled Hugo up the escalator and commented.

“At least, an old castle like Hogwarts is indeed comfortable to live in during the summer, but it's obviously not good in the winter. It's too damp and too cold.”

“Indeed.” Hugo nodded in agreement. Because of the house-elves' diligence, the common room was generally quite suitable for living, but in winter, both the corridors and Snape's underground classroom were damp and cold.

Finally, the two arrived at the dormitory where they would be temporarily staying for the next few days. It was a suite with two bedrooms and a small living room, and it looked very Japanese-style.

“Let's rest for an hour first, then get up and tidy up.” As soon as she entered the room, Enterprise raised her hand and looked at her watch, then said, “There's a welcome banquet tonight, and all of us have to go.”