Strike the Blood - Volume 1 - Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO 

HERE COMES THE WATCHDOG 

1 

Island South, Itogami Island’s southern district, contained Kojou Akatsuki’s residence among many others. He lived on the seventh story of a nine-story apartment complex. On this Gigafloat, where building height was severely restricted, it was a comparatively tall building with a commanding view. 

Though it was the last day of summer, the sun was already high when Kojou slipped out of bed. At this hour, he might barely make it in time for that day’s make-up exam. 

Kojou had been nocturnal to begin with, but his turning into a vampire had only ratcheted that up another notch. Rather than being stronger at night, it was simply that his head didn’t really kick in before noon. Thanks to that, he’d been late time and time again this last semester; that was why he was buried in supplemental lessons and make-up exams, trampling flat his precious summer vacation. 

“Ugh… So sleepy.” 

Kojou made a languid murmur, his expression gloomy. He had make-up tests for four subjects to go. He still had homework and a half marathon left, too. If he could, he’d just drop everything and flee the island altogether, but that’d mean the last semester would start without him, and he’d have to repeat the year for sure. More than that, he was terrified of the scolding Nagisa would give him. 

Even so, it was somewhat better than the desperate situation it had been up until the day before. 

That was because Yukina had helped him study until nightfall. 

Somehow, at that Lion King Agency thing, she’d already gained a high school graduate–level education, and was better than Kojou at pretty much every subject he was taking. As she said things like studying is something you need to do for yourself, she answered questions for him one after another. He was grateful for how she taught from the basics on up, unlike Asagi, who was the genius type. 

Kojou did feel rather pathetic to have to be taught all this by a junior high schooler younger than him, but with his back against the wall, he had no leeway for worrying about petty pride. 

“Nagisa…is at club, huh?” 

When Kojou finished changing and went out into the living room, he saw a single five-hundred-yen coin resting on a plate on top of the table. It seemed to mean, Since I didn’t make you breakfast, go buy something. Kojou gratefully picked it up, pulled his parka on, and headed out. 

Incidentally, Nagisa was in the Cheerleading Club. They were really busy every year, cheering on all the other clubs and practicing for their own tournament. Nice to have a full plate, Kojou thought wistfully. 

“…Hot.” 

Kojou took the elevator, which received no benefit from air-conditioning, down to the ground level and headed toward the apartment complex’s front entrance. 

Floating on top of the Pacific Ocean as it was, Itogami was prone to have rainfall at all times of the year and had been struck by a number of typhoons, but it’d been unreasonably clear and sunny for the last several days. The relentless downpour of the sun’s heat onto the artificial surface made the temperature considerable. Mirages rose up from the asphalt that covered the streets. 

As Kojou noticed a familiar rear profile floating up among the mirages, he narrowed his eyes with a hn sound. 

It was a girl wearing a Saikai Academy uniform with a guitar case on her back. 

“Ah… Senpai.” 

Standing in front of the automatic door, Yukina noticed Kojou and slowly turned around. She said, “Good day,” speaking her greeting in her usual, overly serious tone. Based on her refreshed expression, not a single drop of sweat on her face, she must had some sort of barrier deployed around her, but it scared him a bit to see someone further removed from humanity than Kojou, a demon. 

“Himeragi, were you standing here the whole time? To keep a lookout for me…?” Kojou asked anxiously, sensing a stalker-like level of tenacity. Yukina looked back at Kojou with no expression. 

“Yes, it’s my duty to watch you, after all.” 

“Uh, seriously?!” 

“I am joking.” 

As Yukina spoke, she made a small giggle. Kojou twisted his lips in silence. Due to the oddly calm tone she used, his inability to tell how serious she was made his heart skip a few beats. 

“I was waiting for my things. I was told they’d arrive at this time.” 

“…Your things?” 

Kojou was a bit perplexed at Yukina’s unexpected words. Yukina nodded lightly. 

“Yes. This was an urgent mission, so I didn’t have time to prepare. Until yesterday I’d been loaned a hotel room, but as that is quite inconvenient—” 

Before she could finish that sentence, a single small truck rolled over the sidewalk and entered the apartment grounds. It parked right in front of the entrance Kojou and Yukina were near. 

Two deliverymen in shipping company uniforms got out of the truck. As they picked up freight and carried it over, she called out to the younger deliveryman in a strong voice. 

“Excuse me, this way, please.” 

Yukina was pointing to the elevator Kojou had ridden on just earlier. 

“Wait a minute. You can’t seriously mean you’re moving here…” 

“Yes, to this apartment complex. And?” 

“Why?!” 

“I do believe that this is where you live, Senpai…?” 

Yukina asked with a doubtful expression. Her attitude seemed to say, Why are you asking me something that obvious? It seemed she was hell-bent on observing even his private life. Kojou made a morose scowl. 

“Did the Lion King Agency order this, too?” 

“Yes.” 

Yukina got into the elevator along with the freight carried in from the truck. Kojou, somehow rather anxious, followed her right in. As if to validate Kojou’s anxieties, Yukina pressed the elevator button for the seventh floor without hesitation, turning to the two deliverymen. 

“Room seven-oh-five, please.” 

“Now hold on!” Kojou spontaneously yelled out, making the surprised deliverymen stare at him. 

“What’s wrong, Senpai? Why would you raise your voice in a narrow space like this?” 

Yukina spoke with a tone of rebuke. Kojou hugged his head in irritation. 

“Seven-oh-five is right next door to my place, isn’t it? I was kinda starting to think so, but geez, you’re really taking it that far?! Wait, did you make Yamada, who was in room seven-oh-five here, move out last week so that you could get in here today?!” 

“It’s not as if I intimidated him into leaving. I simply convinced him in a peaceful manner, and he left.” 

“‘Convinced’?” 

“Yes. Convinced him that there was an evil aura filling the room, that the ghost of the man who killed himself previously remains here, how he would die in an unfortunate accident at this rate, that I know a very reliable spiritual medium…” 

“In what world is that not intimidation?! Are you some kind of con artist?!” 

“I’m joking.” 

Yukina ended with the same demure expression with which she’d begun, letting out an amused sigh. Kojou was simply and completely bewildered. 

“…Huh?” 

“The previous occupant of room seven-oh-five moved out after being properly paid to relocate. I heard he was provided with a nicer place than this to move into.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes. Though we have our faults, we are a government agency, after all.” 

Ah yeah, they are, thought Kojou as he patted his chest down in relief. Though he’d never even properly said hello, he still wouldn’t sleep soundly if it’d been his fault someone who’d lived right next to him went through a hard time. 

The shipping company deliverymen stared at Kojou and Yukina with expressions as if they wondered what in the world these two were talking about. Finally, the elevator reached the seventh floor, and the door opened. 

The freight they carried in was only three corrugated cardboard boxes. After getting Yukina to sign for the delivery, the deliverymen gave modest waves and made their way out. 

“Senpai, could I get you to bring these boxes inside?” Yukina asked without hesitation as she opened the exterior lock. 

“Why do I have to…” 

Grumbling under his breath, Kojou picked up one of the corrugated cardboard boxes. What was the point of a vampire’s physical strength if you couldn’t use it at a time like this? 

Yukina’s room 705, constructed just like room 704 next door, where Kojou and Nagisa lived, was a three-bedroom apartment with a living room, dining room, and a kitchen. 

It was a bit cramped for family living but had an overabundance of space for a single person. The lack of a single piece of furniture made it seem especially desolate. 

“Hey, uh, Himeragi, is this all you have?” 

“Yes. It is, but…” 

Yukina tilted her slender neck a bit as she looked back at Kojou. 

“I didn’t have much for personal belongings when I lived in a student dorm. Is there something wrong with that?” 

“There’s nothing wrong, but looks like you’re hard up for stuff. I don’t even see a futon here.” 

“I can sleep just about anywhere. Plus I have the cardboard boxes.” 

“Please, just…stop.” 

As Kojou spoke, he leaned against a wall with an exhausted look. He’d never get a good night’s sleep while thinking about a female junior high school student watching over him, sleeping on cardboard the next room over. 

“I did actually mean to go buy necessities later, but…” 

Muttering as if making excuses, Yukina glanced over at Kojou’s face. Seeing on Yukina’s face there was something left unsaid, Kojou raised an eyebrow with an mm sound. 

“Wait, you figure you can’t take the time and go shopping because you have to watch me?” 

“Well, yes. It is my duty, after all…” 

Watching Yukina nod with a straight face, Kojou made an exasperated sigh. He thought it was easier to just cover it up with something convincing after the fact, but the thought didn’t seem to occur to Yukina. 

“If that’s the case, I go shopping with you and it’s fine, right, Himeragi?” 

“Together with…you, Senpai?” 

“That way you don’t have to skip watch duty.” 

“That’s true, but you’re all right with that?” 

“I have make-up exams till afternoon, but I’ll go with you after that. I owe you one for helping me study for the exams anyway.” 

Kojou checked his watch as he spoke. He’d lost quite a bit of time due to unexpected events. If he didn’t finally get to school, he really would be late for his make-up exams. 

“Is that so? That being the case, I’ll wait for you inside school grounds until you’ve finished your exams, Senpai.” 

Having said this, Yukina made a somewhat happy smile. Then she picked her guitar case back up and returned it to her back. It was the black case that contained the silver spear she’d called “Snowdrift Wolf.” 

“Hey, do you, ah…need that spear for shopping?” 

Kojou’s face grimaced as he asked. If possible, he didn’t want to bring something that dangerous along when shopping for daily necessities, but— 

“Of course. I’m on duty, after all.” 

As Yukina spoke in a composed tone, Kojou made an exhausted sigh. 

2 

Kojou brought Yukina to a nearby home and garden center that promised one-stop shopping for all your household needs. The moment they entered the store, Yukina’s eyes widened and stayed that way. 

There was nothing unusual about the store itself. Itogami Island, a research city far from the mainland, did have its share of disreputable shops selling suspicious devices and drugs, but compared to that, this was just a robust general store for daily needs. 

However, it seemed Yukina had never been to one of the places known as a home and garden center. The girl was bewildered at seeing a store of this scale for the first time in her life. She gazed at the products that lined the shelves with open suspicion on her face. 

“Is this a weapon? It appears to be some kind of mace.” 

“Uh, no, that’s just a golf club. It’s for a sport.” 

Kojou replied to Yuki’s completely straight-faced question with a quizzical look. He didn’t know how seriously she’d asked that question. 

“Is that so? Then what of this heavy gear that looks like a flamethrower…” 

“That’s a pressure washer. They use it to wash cars.” 

“This is most definitely a weapon. I’ve seen it in movies.” 

“A chainsaw, huh? Well, I suppose that is a weapon…” 

“Ah, I learned about this at the Lion King Agency. What a frightening store, to even sell this.” 

“Isn’t that just liquid detergent…?” 

“Yes. You can use this to create poison gas. By mixing an acidic compound with a chlorine compound—” 

“No! You do NOT use it like that, EVER!” 

After buying anything and everything Yukina needed, Kojou was completely and utterly exhausted. The damage from the morning make-up test and the half marathon had added up, too. 

On the other hand, a rather cheerful expression had come over Yukina. It seemed that she was really fond of the home and garden center. She also looked happy just from going shopping with someone else like this. 

“By the way, are you all right paying for all this, Himeragi? You bought quite a bit of stuff here.” 

They’d left the store and were on their way to the bus station when Kojou asked. Yukina nodded casually. 

“Yes. I was paid an expense allowance in advance for things like this.” 

“Ahh, so that’s it.” 

Kojou accepted this without any particular doubt. Even if she was an apprentice, it would’ve been odd to send an Attack Mage into unfamiliar territory without at least that level of support. 

“Expense budget, huh? How much are we talking about here?” 

“Err, ten million yen.” 

“Ten mil…?!” Kojou exclaimed, gawking at Yukina’s calm reply. Any way you sliced it, that wasn’t the kind of money you just handed over to a junior high schooler. Seeing Kojou standing still with a dumbfounded look, a mysterious expression came over Yukina’s face. 

“The Lion King Agency accountant lady said that against the Fourth Primogenitor, I could perish at any time, so I ought not leave behind any regrets, so…that’s what the expense budget is for.” 

“It’s my fault?! You’re rich because of me?!” 

No way, Kojou wanted to shout. He could understand the logic of an expense budget rising the more dangerous the mission, but the inconvenience of Yukina’s arrival had mostly been his: dragging him into a fight with demons, watching his private life, threatening him with that crazy spear. So why was her piggy bank bigger than his? 

But, if Kojou yelled out all his troubles, Yukina would take it the wrong way. 

“I’m sorry, Senpai, making you carry all the baggage like this.” 

“Oh, that’s no problem, really. You can’t carry it all yourself, right?” 

“Yes. Having you with me really helped, Senpai.” 

Yukina smiled as she spoke. Kojou silently shrugged his shoulders. Inside the bags swinging from Kojou’s hands were the daily necessities Yukina had bought: bedroom curtains, bath mats, toilet slippers, cups and toothbrushes, mugs. Kojou thought, it’s just like what a pair of students would get right after moving in together. 

And, just as Kojou, carrying the bags, and Yukina arrived at the monorail boarding platform… 

“—Kojou?” 

There was a surprised voice right in front of them. 

“Eh?” 

Kojou reflexively lifted his face as someone called out his name. Standing there was an attractive—even gorgeous—female high school student. Her face was very familiar to Kojou. 

“Er, Asagi? What are you doing here? Your place ain’t this way, is it?” 

“It’s not. I was coming home from work… I thought I’d bring that World History report you asked me for over to your place, but…” 

Though Kojou was speaking to her the same as usual, Asagi seemed to have her guard up for some reason as she replied. Her gaze flowed over the baggage filled with that daily-life feel. 

And then Asagi’s eyes turned toward Yukina, who stood beside Kojou. 

“Who’s the girl?” 

“Oh, Himeragi? Err, she’s a transfer student who’s entering middle school right about now.” Kojou introduced Yukina in a carefree tone. 

Yukina lowered her head in a little nod. Asagi stared squarely at Yukina. 

“And what are you doing with a transfer student going into middle school, Kojou?” 

“Er, that is,” Kojou mumbled. After all, he’d promised to keep secret the fact she was from a special national agency and had come to watch over Kojou. 

Not that he thought Asagi would believe any of that even if he told her, but… 

“R…right, she’s Nagisa’s classmate.” 

Kojou’s voice sprang out as he finally remembered that. Asagi suspiciously raised an eyebrow. 

“Nagisa’s?” 

“Yeah. Apparently she and Nagisa got to know each other when she did the formalities for transferring.” 

“…So, Kojou, you’re saying Nagisa introduced this girl to you?” 

“Yeah, that’s it.” 

As that wasn’t really wrong, Kojou deftly parried. As Yukina listened to the exchange between Kojou and Asagi, an expression came over her like she’d just realized something. 

“Pretty girl, isn’t she…” 

Asagi turned her face to Kojou’s, speaking in a soft voice. She had the usual leering smile on her face, but she didn’t look like she was smiling when you looked at her eyes. 

“Well, yeah.” 

Kojou honestly agreed without any special thought involved. When he saw Asagi’s cheek twitch, he amended his words in a bit of a hurry. 

“…Er, Nagisa said that, too.” 

“Hmm. I see.” 

Asagi distanced herself from Kojou, an artificial smile still on her face. From the way she looked, Kojou felt a dangerous aura about her. 

“Ah, Asagi?” 

“Well, the train’s coming. I’m heading home.” 

Just as Asagi said, the train was just arriving at the monorail loading platform. She turned in the opposite direction of the stop toward Kojou and Yukina’s apartment complex. Kojou hurriedly called out to her, “Huh? Weren’t you gonna show me that World History report?” 

“Yeah. I meant to, but apparently I forgot it somewhere.” 

Asagi spoke with a smiling face filled with quiet rage. Her eyes conveyed a silent message that he would be explaining this at school tomorrow. 

“Huh? Hey, Asagi!” 

“Bye-bye!” 

The train doors shut right in front of the bewildered Kojou’s eyes. For some reason, Asagi ignored Kojou, waved amiably to Yukina alone, and left. 

“What’s up with her?” 

Kojou tilted his head as he muttered. Yukina had an expression on her face as though she felt responsible. 

“I’m sorry, Senpai. It may be my fault there’s some kind of misunderstanding…” 

“Misunderstanding?” 

Kojou glanced back with a mystified look at Yukina, who was dejected for some reason. Finally, he ahhed as it clicked. 

“Er, no way. There’s no misunderstanding. She’s just a friend, you see.” 

“Just…friends, is it?” Yukina asked back as if weighing whether that’s what Kojou really thought. Kojou nodded without hesitation. 

“Well, we go back a long way. It’s like we’re best buds.” 

“Senpai…” 

For some reason, Yukina was looking up at Kojou with a scolding look over his indifferent reply. 

“What?” 

“No, it’s nothing.” 

Her words were accompanied by a deep exhalation. 

3 

In the end, it was nearly evening by the time Kojou and Yukina arrived back at their apartment building. 

The sun’s rays were as strong as usual, but the breeze was just starting to have a bit of nighttime chill mixed in. 

“—Huh, you and Kojou-kun are back only now? Pretty late, isn’t it?” 

As Kojou and Yukina dove past the apartment complex’s entrance, as if fleeing from the setting sun, someone’s voice was there to greet them. With the elevator door still open, a female junior high school student, in uniform, motioned with her hand for them to hurry over. 

“Nagisa, huh. What’s with the bags?” 

As Kojou entered the elevator, he raised an eyebrow at his little sister’s appearance. Nagisa’s right hand had a sports bag packed with her baggage for club activities in it. And her left hand held a shopping bag filled with a large amount of cooking ingredients. 

“What do you mean what? It’s for our transfer girl’s welcome party.” 

Looking at the surprised Kojou, Nagisa spoke in apparent amazement. 

“Welcome party?” 

“That’s right. I mean, she only just moved here, so she can’t prepare supper for today, right?” 

“Well, you’ve got a point there.” 

Kojou nodded, remembering how Yukina’s room had lacked cooking utensils and even basic tableware. Then a suspicious look came over him. 

“Wait, Nagisa, did you know Himeragi was moving in next door…?” 

“Yeah. I mean, she came over to say hi this morning. You were asleep, though.” 

Nagisa spoke in a tone that seemed to fault him for sleeping in late. She was more reserved with the amount of words out of her mouth than usual, though, and was no doubt being prudent in front of Yukina. 

“That so?” Kojou asked Yukina in a low voice. 

“Yes,” Yukina replied, nodding. 

“Er… But is it all right, having a welcome party?” 

“Totally all right! I already bought meat for it anyway. Kojou and I can’t eat it all by ourselves.” 

Nagisa had a warm, affable expression as she spoke. That’s for sure, thought Kojou with a strained smile. 

Thanks to their parents divorcing four years before, the Akatsuki household was currently a three-person family. Furthermore, their mother, working as head of research for a corporation based in the city, would be away from home for one or two weeks at a time depending on circumstances with her work. 

Since her children could go meet her at any time, it didn’t feel all that lonely, but Kojou and Nagisa substantially lived on their own together as brother and sister. Though not by a giant margin, they couldn’t eat the 1.5 kilograms of on-sale, special-cut beef that Nagisa held in her arms. 

“Thank you very much. As you prefer, then.” 

Yukina said that after a bit of thought. She was probably telling herself it was just another part of her duty to watch Kojou. Hearing those words, Nagisa made a happy-looking smile. 

“I’m so glad. So come over after you’ve put your stuff away. Ah, are you all right with only a pot of stew? I hope there’s nothing you can’t eat in there, Yukina. It sure feels like a luxury having the air conditioner on full blast and eating stuff like this in the middle of summer. Which do you like the taste of better, miso or soy sauce? Yukina, is there anything you can’t eat, or can you eat everything? It really does feel like a luxury, eating stew in the middle of the summer with the AC turned up. For the broth, I use bonito, kelp, chicken bones, and potatoes, but today I prepared some crab, too, so maybe I should use soy sauce. The crab’s hair crab from Okhotsk. Today’s just the right season—” 

“Leave it at that, Nagisa. Himeragi’s in shell-shock.” 

Kojou lightly tapped his little sister on the head to quiet her motormouth down. Nagisa went, “Ow,” and glared at Kojou with tearful eyes. 

A look of being completely overwhelmed came over Yukina, but even so: 

“Er, how about I help you with it? If it’s just preparing a stew, then…” 

“No, no, today you’re our guest, Yukina. You must be tired from having come a long way. Hey, Kojou, entertain Yukina, would you?” 

“Don’t say something you just came up with like you planned it. I’m goin’ to my room to finish off my homework.” 

Kojou let out a small sigh as he gazed at the setting sun. Before he’d realized it, his remaining summer vacation time had become all too brief. He couldn’t conceal his sense that he might already be too late. 

“If that is the case, how about I help you with your homework, then, Senpai?” 

Yukina spoke as she left the day-to-day goods she’d bought in the entryway to room 705. 

Her unexpected offer threw Kojou off. He was truly grateful for the suggestion, but there were too many problems with his little sister’s classmate helping him study, at least as far as his dignity as an older brother was concerned. 

But, Nagisa cared nothing for Kojou’s inner conflict. 

“Sorry, Yukina-chan. Please take good care of Kojou-kun. He’s not a very bright older brother.” 

As she made another monologue, she brought Yukina back with her to her own residence. Kojou followed the girls with a sullen face. Dignity as the older brother? No such thing. He was grateful that at least Yukina didn’t act like Nagisa’s pushy invitation bothered her at all. 

Entering her own residence, Nagisa immediately tossed on an apron and began preparing the ingredients. 

As she did so, Kojou led Yukina to his own room. 

Since Nagisa was a clean freak and tidied up without asking, May I? whenever she saw an opening, Kojou could show her his room without any embarrassment, at least. 

Even so, the room was dreary with little in the way of content to begin with. It wasn’t quite at the level of Yukina’s room, but aside from the bed, a desk, and a half-empty bookshelf with old magazines stuffed into it, it was bare. 

“This is… Senpai, you’re a basketball player?” 

Yukina had noticed the album sitting on top of that bookshelf when she asked, apparently a bit surprised. 

The album was a record of Kojou’s time in Basketball Club in junior high school. He’d gotten rid of all his basketball equipment when he’d left the club, but this was the only thing not thrown away. 

“So you know what basketball is, Himeragi? Even though you said a golf club was a type of mace?” 

Kojou spoke in a joking tone. Yukina’s lips twisted in a pout. 

“A city championship is an impressive record.” 

“Well, that was a long time ago.” 

“Was obtaining the power of the Fourth Primogenitor why you gave up basketball, Senpai?” 

Yukina said those words as she looked at him with a serious expression. Kojou shook his head like the issue was tiresome. It felt a bit odd that a whole year had passed since then, he thought. 

“My condition’s got nothin’ to do with that. I quit basketball before then, you see.” 

Yeah, not like I could compete with this body anyway, Kojou thought, laughing at his own expense. 

He had the ability to leap with monstrous strength and the agility to catch a bullet. Using demonic power was the antithesis of sportsmanship. As cheating went, doping scandals had nothing on this. 

But Kojou had quit basketball over a year ago, before he’d become a vampire. 

“Why did you, then?” 

“Really, it’s not that rare a story. I didn’t understand club activity isn’t something you can do by yourself. 

“The point being, I was isolated on the team.” 

“Eh?” 

Watching from the side, Yukina seemed surprised as Kojou talked about it as if it involved someone else. Kojou executed a languid flop onto the bed, making a strained smile as he looked up at the ceiling. 

“Back then, I thought we’d win if I just played hard enough. And till midway, that’s actually how it was. We were what people call a one-man team. Because I was a good player, I really got carried away with myself.” 

Like it was ever gonna work out like that, Kojou thought with a laugh. 

The trigger was the final tournament in junior high. Kojou had been injured in the district qualifiers. He’d taken a hard foul from the opposing team and had been forced off the court midway against his will. Fortunately, they’d had a large lead; Kojou’s injury wasn’t all that severe, either. If they’d won he should’ve been able to play in the next round. 

But the instant Kojou went off the court, the team’s morale collapsed. 

They let the opposing team roar back and build a huge lead, and lost just like that. 

From start to finish, all Kojou could do was watch the process from the bench, dumbfounded, unable to do a thing. 

“More than that, I was shocked at how calmly the other players accepted defeat.” 

Kojou made an offhanded shrug of his shoulders. 

“That’s when I finally realized I was the one who’d taken their willpower away. They figured, even if they didn’t try hard, someone else would win it for them. I made them think I’d always come through, even though the truth was I couldn’t do anything on my own. Not that understanding that means I can do anything about it now.” 

That was why Kojou quit the team, citing the need to recover from his injury. Some of his fellow players remained, but Kojou didn’t continue to play basketball with them, for Kojou reasoned that so long as he was at their side, they’d never change. At any rate, Kojou himself had lost all desire to continue. 

“I don’t think… that it was all your fault, though, Senpai.” Yukina, having silently listened to his story, spoke in an overly serious tone. 

As Yukina did so, Kojou made what seemed like a teasing smile at her. 

“Yeah, well that’s all right. I just lost my motivation all on my own, after all. But…” Then Kojou bared his canine teeth. His eye color changed to red for just a moment. “When this ridiculous Fourth Primogenitor thing got pushed onto me, I did think about it a little. Like if I used these powers, I’d probably be able to solve a bunch of the problems of today’s world. At the very least, I could kill off fiendish criminals and wipe out dirty politicians… Stuff like that.” 

“Senpai. That’s—” 

“I know. That’s no good. Just ’cause a guy like me gets his hands on a bit more power than the next guy doesn’t make fiddling with the world any which way a good thing. If I do something like that, there’ll probably be a reaction coming from somewhere.” 

Yukina exhaled in what seemed like relief. And, as if suddenly realizing something, she raised an eyebrow. 

“Senpai, is that why you hide the fact you’re a vampire and live as an ordinary human being?” 

Well that, too, thought Kojou as he made a vague nod. 

“I don’t need vampire powers anyway, and I don’t want anything to do with ’em if I can avoid it. I’m not cut out to be some hero anyway. Besides, to be honest, these crazy powers I’ve been given are beyond me. I don’t have any faith I can use ’em right.” 

“I see…” 

It’s not that I don’t understand how you feel, thought Yukina as she watched Kojou with sober eyes. Then… 

“But, Senpai… Isn’t that just an excuse to do nothing?” 

“Eh? Er… Is that what you think?” 

An expression came over Kojou like he was hurt. 

“I kinda meant to say something profound there, but, ah…” 

“Hee-hee, I suppose you did. I have a somewhat better opinion of you now, really.” 

“O-okay.” 

“Quite.” 

Yukina made a small giggle. 

“Now then, right now there’s something you have to do, so shall we begin, Senpai? Let’s stop memorizing answers for now. After all, if you can take care of basic formulas you’ll be all right.” 

As Yukina opened one of Kojou’s textbooks, she spoke with the tone of a private tutor older than he was. With a geh, Kojou’s face grimaced, but for some reason, Yukina seemed somewhat amused. 

4 

The supper Nagisa had prepared should have been enough for light servings for seven or eight people, but the three of them exhibited ravenous hunger as they devoured the whole thing. They even managed to finish off the last of the rice gruel broth. 

“Ahh—we sure ate. I can’t move anymore.” 

Nagisa, wearing a thin camisole, flopped onto the living room sofa. When Yukina tried to help clean up after, Nagisa went, “It’s okay, it’s okay,” and coerced her back to her own room; by the time the kitchen was spotless, she seemed to have used up all her strength. 

“Hey, Nagisa. Don’t fall asleep in a place like that. You’ll catch cold.” 

As his little sister happily clutched her tummy, Kojou watched with an incredulous expression as he spoke bluntly. Nagisa waved him off with an annoyed look. 

“Just for a little bit—I’m tired from today’s club practice, too—ah, Kojou?” 

“Where are you going?” 

“Convenience store. Gonna go drink somethin’ so I can stay awake,” Kojou replied while putting on his parka over his loungewear. 

Nagisa, still facedown, raised her face, sounding like it took significant effort. 

“Ahh, buy some ice cream while you’re at it, then. Same one as last time.” 

“You can still eat? …You’ll get fat, right around the gut.” 

“Oh, shut up. I hate it when you say that, Kojou.” Nagisa’s cheeks puffed up as she objected. 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

As Kojou thought, She’s angry ’cause she knows I’m right, he tied his shoes and opened the front door. Yukina was standing right in front of him. 

“—Where do you think you’re going at a time like this, Senpai?” 

“Whoa!” Kojou unwittingly cried out. Yukina’s eyes were narrowed, seemingly on guard as she gave Kojou an icy glare. 

“H-Himeragi?!” 

“Yes. What is it?” 

Seeing Yukina tilt her head a bit as she asked, Kojou felt just a little relieved. 

Yukina’s hair was still wet, with water droplets dripping from the tips. Furthermore, the only thing she’d thrown over her bare upper body was her blouse, looking quite defenseless. She didn’t have that guitar case on her back. He wondered if she’d been waiting outside the residence, watching guard the whole time, but apparently that had not been the case. 

She’d probably been in the middle of taking a bath when she’d felt Kojou heading out. No doubt she’d rushed out in a big hurry. That kind of stupidly blind dedication to her work was just the thing the all-too-serious Yukina would do. 

“You don’t actually plan on coming with me? Dressed like that?” Kojou asked as he felt a light headache. 

“It’s my duty to watch you,” Yukina replied with her usual deadpan tone, but even she exhibited a bit of timidity and anxiety. 

Circumstances being what they were, she probably wasn’t even wearing panties under her skirt. 

Kojou shook his head in dismay. 

“Hey, it’s okay. Go…dry your hair and whatever. I’ll wait here till you’re done.” 

“Really?” 

Yukina blinked, looking a bit surprised. Kojou’s face continued to grimace. 

“As if I can take a junior high schooler around looking like that?! I’ll get arrested!!” 

“I—I suppose you’re right. Please come in and wait, then.” 

“No, that’s all right. I’ll wait here. Not like I’m gonna run away.” 

Kojou hid the dejection on his face as he spoke. Any way you sliced it, being alone with a girl coming out of the bath was bad. It cranked the difficulty level too high for Kojou. 

Yukina left him with a “Well, then,” seeming to flee as she returned to her own room. 

Kojou looked up at the sky from the apartment hallway. He innocently counted the stars. After all, he had a feeling that he’d be assaulted by vampiric impulses if he visualized Yukina changing clothes instead. 

Finally, the door to Yukina’s room opened once again, and Yukina came out, fully dressed this time around. She indeed had that guitar case over her back. 

Maybe she doesn’t have any clothes aside from school uniforms, Kojou suddenly thought. I’m gonna have to take her shopping sometime soon. While having that entirely natural thought, Kojou realized something and sank lower. 

He felt like he’d brought a small, high-maintenance pet home. 

“So, where are we going, Senpai?” Yukina asked, ignorant of Kojou’s inner conflict. 

Kojou got in the elevator as he replied, “Convenience store. Don’t tell me you don’t know what a convenience store is?” 

“Yes, I know what it is, but I’ve never gone to one in the middle of the night like this.” 

Yukina spoke with a bounce in her voice, as if it contained expectation without any uneasiness mixed in. She had an expression like a girl keeping a prank secret from her parents. Don’t expect that much from a convenience store, Kojou thought with a strained smile. 

“Sorry about earlier. You must be exhausted.” 

“Eh?” 

“Suppertime. Nagisa was really worked up.” 

“No, that was fun. The pot of stew was delicious, too.” 

Yukina smiled with what looked like a little blush. Well, I’m glad, Kojou thought as he smiled. 

“We used to take turns cooking way back, but Nagisa’s way better at it lately, so…” 

“It’s nice, being a brother and sister. I don’t have any family, so I kind of admire it.” 

Yukina conveyed that with a casual tone. 

“Don’t have a family?” 

Kojou looked at the side of Yukina’s face in surprise. “No,” replied Yukina, shaking her head without showing any real sentiment. 

“Everyone at High God Forest is an orphan. The organization gathers children with potential together from all over the country and raises them to become Counter-Demon Attack Mages.” 

“That so…?” 

Yukina’s unexpectedly weighty personal history left Kojou at a loss for words. 

“Then you were raised from the start to be an Attack Mage…?” 

“Yes. Er, but it’s not that I was lonely from not having family, or anything like that. All the staff at High God Forest are very kind; I didn’t mind the Sword Shaman training, either.” 

Yukina amended herself in a hurry. It didn’t feel to him that Yukina was lying; Kojou accepted her words at face value. He figured Yukina couldn’t have learned martial arts at a high enough level to utterly dominate demons if she’d hated the training, anyway. But— 

“What’s…a Sword Shaman?” 

Kojou tilted his head at the unfamiliar term. 

“An Attack Mage who serves High God Forest. I think it’s supposed to mean a shrine maiden trained in the art of the sword, though.” 

Yukina spoke with an unsure look. Apparently she didn’t really understand it herself. 

“Shrine maiden… Hey, Himeragi, does that mean you can do prayers and tell fortunes?” 

“I can go through the motions. It’s not really my specialty, though…” 

“Hmm.” 

I see, Kojou thought, somehow accepting it. Now that she mentioned it, Yukina seemed prim and proper but had the air of someone who found stiff formalities difficult. 

Either way, you could call her animalistic, or rather, the type to move based on instinct and intuition. Perhaps those were the very qualities that qualified her to be a Sword Shaman to begin with. 

“Senpai… You were thinking something rather rude just now, weren’t you?” 

She unnerved Kojou with the timing of her question, as if she’d been looking right through his mind. 

“Er, no, not at all.” 

“I am a rather skilled medium, you see. It is useless to lie to me.” 

“Eh…?! You really are like an animal…” 

“So you were indeed thinking something like that…” 

At some point during that conversation, the two of them arrived at the convenience store that was their destination. 

Island South, the main residential Gigafloat where Kojou and Yukina’s apartment complex was located, did not have many people walking about at night. Even so, things were fairly lively as they approached the train station. 

Fast food and coffee shops. Even manga cafés and game centers— 

“Ah…” 

When they passed in front of the game center, Yukina suddenly came to a halt. That drew an over-the-shoulder look from Kojou. There was no way she didn’t know what a game center was, for goodness’ sakes, but… 

“Ah, sorry. It’s nothing.” 

“Something about that crane game there?” 

Kojou asked as he realized Yukina was fixated on a cabinet at the front of the store. Yukina tilted her head a little. 

“So that’s a…crane game. It has a Nekoma-tan in it…” 

“Nekoma-tan? That mascot plushie thingie?” 

“Yes. Er… It was really popular at my old school.” 

Yukina made a small nod. It was a two-headed cat mascot waving a paw like a beckoning cat. 

It featured a tail split in two, which probably accounted for the name. Yukina tried to speak like it wasn’t anything special to her, but she looked at the mascot in the glass case with shining, glittering eyes. 

“Well, we can nab it if it’s just that.” 

A slightly strained smile came over Kojou as he took out a five-hundred-yen piece. Yukina looked up at Kojou with a surprised expression. 

“What do you mean by nab? You can’t mean…” 

“No, no. I don’t mean that in the sense of stealing; I mean, that’s what the machine’s for.” 

This said, Kojou inserted the coin into the game machine. As Kojou used button controls to make the crane’s arm move, Yukina grasped the general idea, too. She gave the movements of the arm a much more serious look than when she’d fought those demons. 

Since he’d been with Nagisa when she’d made plenty of high-handed requests, Kojou’s skill with crane games was pretty decent. With precision, he placed the arm where it could easily grab, targeted the individual plushie, and lowered the crane. 

Yukina held her breath as she watched the arm’s unfaltering aim as it gripped the mascot, pulling it up and carrying to the drop box. Finally, the pseudo-beckoning cat mascot plushie dropped into the box. That moment… 

“—You two there. You’re Saikai Academy students, aren’t you? What are you doing here at this hour?” 

When Kojou and Yukina heard the calm voice coming from behind, they froze as if zapped by electricity. 

Geh. Kojou sucked in his breath as he saw the silhouette reflected by the game machine’s glass. 

There stood Natsuki Minamiya. He didn’t need to get a good look at her face; no one else on the Island of Everlasting Summer was crazy enough to wear something as stifling as a frilled dress. The parasol she held raised was out of place at night, but it seemed she was in the middle of making the rounds to give students proper guidance. 

“You there, the boy. I think I’ve seen you before. Pull your hood down and turn toward me.” 

Natsuki spoke with a tone that somehow sounded amused. She seemed intent on cornering Kojou bit by bit, as if strangling his neck with silk lace. 

When he glanced at Yukina, she was paralyzed with a pale look on her face. Having been raised to take being an honor student for granted, this situation was probably hitting her pretty hard. 

This is bad, thought Kojou with a cold sweat. 

It was already approaching midnight. Even if it was a game machine at the head of the store, We were playing at a game center wasn’t any excuse. This was totally against school regulations. And he had a middle schooler with him. 

“What’s wrong? If you’re going to be stubborn about turning around, I have ways to make you comply—” 

It happened right after Natsuki spoke with a tone like she was toying with her prey. 

Thump. A low vibration rocked the entire man-made island. A moment later, the sound of an explosion thundered. 

“What the—?!” 

Natsuki, also an Attack Mage, turned around in reaction to a strange presence. 

Sounds of explosions continued to roar without end. No simple accident or natural phenomenon could account for this. 

Someone was engaging in deliberate destruction. That was also conveyed by the fierce wave of magical energy that even normal people were able to sense. The moment Natsuki’s attention was fully drawn away by that… 

“Himeragi, run!” 

Kojou instantly grabbed Yukina’s hand and broke into a run. 

“Eh, ah… Right!” 

Understanding Kojou’s intent, Yukina gripped his hand back. 

“Ah, wait, you two—” 

Natsuki yelled something at their backs, but both Yukina and Kojou possessed athletic ability incomparable to that of a normal person’s. Kojou sensed a flash from Yukina, destroying the barrier Natsuki instantly stretched before them. Natsuki, taken completely off guard, no longer had any means with which to follow. 

We made it, thought Kojou with relief. That moment… 

“I’ll remember this, Kojou Akatsuki!” 

Natsuki’s words, like those of a recurring villain, echoed throughout the night. 

However, her voice vanished as the intermittent sounds of huge explosions continued once more. 

Kojou’s expression twisted as they ran. It wasn’t that Natsuki’s words bothered him. It was that he realized the true nature of the strange explosions occurring within the city. 

This was a mass of sentient, overwhelmingly strong magical power running wild. An incarnation of destruction. 

And a being all too close to Kojou Akatsuki’s current existence— 

A vampire’s Beast Vassal. 

5 

“Senpai… Those explosions…” 

Having continued to run all the way to the Gigafloat’s cliffs, Yukina finally came to a stop. Her breathing was largely regular, but her cheeks had a slight redness to them—perhaps because she’d realized she was still holding Kojou’s hand. 

But she did not pull her hand back. From her posture, she seemed concerned Kojou would pull himself out of her grasp. 

“Yeah. That was a Beast Vassal. Plus with that magic energy… The master’s probably pretty up there.” 

Kojou spoke as his face continued to grimace. The next moment, a huge explosion erupted once more. 

In the sky above the Gigafloat, a fireball several meters in diameter appeared; a sudden gust assaulted them a moment later. It was like a nighttime storm when white waves crashed against the artificial ground, making it creak and shake. 

Bathed in exploding flames, they saw a jet-black bird-phantom rise up. 

Kojou only saw it for an instant, but that was enough to know for certain: It was indeed a summoned beast born from dense magical energy. A vampire’s Beast Vassal. 

It wasn’t a little one like the one Yukina had fought a few days before. Based on its having enough destructive power to shake the whole island, no doubt it was the familiar of someone from the Elder Days, with a name even wise men and nobles dared not speak. 

It had been given form and was now on the rampage. A vampire was fighting someone. 

Island East’s warehouse district had become a battlefield. Though a largely unmanned industrial area, even from a distance Kojou could see damage equivalent to a large industrial fire taking place. 

However, even with so much damage occurring, combat continued. 

That fact could mean only one thing—whoever the vampire from the Elder Days was fighting also had combat capability equal to one from the Elder One itself. 

So right now, someone somewhere in the city Kojou and Yukina lived was hunting down a powerful Elder vampire. 

That was a pretty big deal. 

“I’m sorry, Senpai. We part ways here. Please go on ahead back home.” 

Yukina, speaking one-sidedly, released his hand as she spoke. Kojou looked at her, dumbfounded. 

“Himeragi?” 

“I will go investigate what is happening. Once I confirm things are safe, I will return immediately.” 

“Hold on, Himeragi. If you’re heading to take a look, I’ll go w—” 

Kojou called out to Yukina in a hurry. Yukina looked back at Kojou with an exasperated look. 

“And what will you do if you go, Senpai? Please have a little consideration for the position you are in.” 

“P-position?” 

“Yes. I mean your position as the Fourth Primogenitor, relative to the vampire who is fighting, Senpai.” 

“Um, er…?” 

“What do you think will happen if you clumsily lay a hand on either side in an effort to stop them? If the Fourth Primogenitor attacks a vampire of another bloodline, it is a very large problem. The same would apply if you took his side.” 

Under Yukina’s sharp glare, Kojou hemmed and hawed. 

“The heck is all that… Well, what should I do, then…?!” 

“You need not do anything at all. Please go home—you are in the way. I am here so that you do not do anything dangerous like that, Senpai.” 

“Hold on, that’s no reason for you to force yourself to go, Himeragi. Watch me so I don’t get involved, then!” 

This time Kojou glared at Yukina as he spoke. However, Yukina shook her head without hesitation. 

“If you were truly going to be cooperative, I would do just that, but…that is impossible, isn’t it? After all, people you know might get drawn into combat, Senpai—” 

As Yukina calmly pointed that out, Kojou went silent. 

Even if the current battleground was outside of urban areas, there was no guarantee civilians wouldn’t be caught up in it given the scale of the battle. And there were many people Kojou knew on the island. If he could at least guarantee their safety, Kojou would feel some measure of relief, but— 

“I will go confirm things. It’s connected to my assignment.” 

As he watched Yukina firmly cut off her words, Kojou unwittingly raised his voice. 

“Why do you have to go that far, Himeragi?! Isn’t upholding law and order in the Demon Sanctuary the job of the police and the Island Guard?!” 

“Unless they have an Counter-Demon Attack Mage of no small strength, they cannot enter a battlefield with a Beast Vassal running wild. However, because I have this…” 

As Yukina spoke, she drew her weapon from the guitar case on her back. 

Making a tidy, metallic sound, the silver spear’s blade deployed. 

“This is equipment granted to me for fighting Primogenitors. A Beast Vassal of that level is no match for Snowdrift Wolf.” 

“Himeragi…” 

“Therefore, please be by Nagisa-san’s side, Senpai.” 

As an even more concerned expression came across Kojou, Yukina showed him a gentle smile. 

That fleeting, smiling face gave Kojou pause. 

“Eh?” 

“The Holy Ground Treaty specifies the right to self-defense. If it is to protect your family or others who dwell under your protection, even if you use your power there’s no problem at all, Senpai.” 

Thrusting through the opening made by Kojou’s hesitation, Yukina broke into a hard sprint. 

No doubt she’d chosen her timing from the beginning. As she vaulted down from the artificial island’s cliff, there was a freight monorail passing beneath her feet. Yukina landed safely atop of the moving train. The automated monorail was heading toward Island East, where the combat was taking place. 

“Himeragi…!” 

Kojou, left alone atop the southern district’s cliff, violently punched the fence standing before his eyes. 

Combat in the warehouse district continued even now. The Beast Vassal floating up amid the blazing flames was pierced by an attack from someone, letting out a screaming howl. 

After that, all that remained was a huge explosion— 

6 

A large-scale fire had erupted all over the warehouse district. 

Streetlights extinguished, the district glowed crimson from the blazing flames. The automated fire-fighting gear was active, but the fire showed no sign of abating. 

Fortunately, there was no sign of people within the district. It was a low-population sector to begin with; the people administrating the warehouse district seemed to have finished evacuating. 

The explosions must have taken out the power supply. The monorail came to a halt the moment it arrived at Island East. 

Yukina leaped down from the roof of the now-motionless train and headed to where the Beast Vassal was currently raging. 

The Beast Vassal in combat was a ghostly, jet-black bird, resembling a giant raven. 

Its wingspan easily exceeded ten meters. From time to time, its huge body, as if solidified darkness, glowed as if molten amber, bursting into a fireball that spawned ferocious explosions all around it. Its entire body was wrapped in a blast wind. Apparently this Beast Vassal was the incarnation of explosion itself. 

The one controlling the Beast Vassal was a tall vampire in an expensive business suit standing on the roof of a building. 

He looked like he was thirty years of age, give or take, but looking at his incredible magical energy, there was little doubt he’d lived several times that number. His overwhelming, intense presence was worthy of the moniker “Elder.” 

He could have been a manager in the employ of one of the corporations within Itogami City, a mercenary, or even a military officer dispatched by a Dominion. He was big game whatever the case. 

However, in spite of the vampire unleashing such formidable attacks over and over, there was no sign combat was coming to a halt. To the contrary, signs of impatience and strain were clearly visible on the man’s face. 

He was an Elder, but he was being overwhelmed. 

“That’s…” 

Yukina’s bewildered voice came out as she noticed a flash tearing through the sky. 

It was a giant, translucent arm, shining like the colors of the rainbow. 

It wasn’t flesh and blood. This was a mass of magical energy given physical form, just like a Beast Vassal. However, it had an aura that differed from any Beast Vassal that Yukina knew of. 

That arm, some several meters long, made contact with the jet-black ghost bird in midair. 

And the next moment, the ghost bird made an anguished howl. 

The ghost bird’s black wing had been ripped from its socket, sending fresh, magma-like incandescent blood scattering. 

And, with the ghost bird’s huge body having lost its balance, the rainbow-colored arm tore it apart as if feasting upon it. 

Unable to maintain its physical form, the ghost bird fell to the ground as a simple mass of magical energy. However, the rainbow-colored arm did not halt its attacks. Like a scavenger, it violated the destroyed Beast Vassal’s corpse. 

“It’s…eating the magic energy?!” 

Yukina shuddered at the bizarre sight. Consuming a defeated Beast Vassal’s magic energy—so far as Yukina knew, no one had ever heard of the existence of such a Beast Vassal. 

And, when Yukina beheld the master controlling the Beast Vassal, she was further unnerved. 

For the master of the rainbow-colored arm was a girl even smaller than Yukina. She was an indigo-haired girl wearing a cape coat over bare flesh. She had an artificially beautiful face. And those pale blue, emotionless eyes— 

“She’s…not a vampire?! It can’t be… How can a homunculus control a Beast Vassal?!” 

As Yukina stood in a daze, there was a heavy thud sound of something falling behind her. 

Turning around in surprise, Yukina beheld the tall vampire, who had collapsed onto the ground and was gravely wounded. 

The deep, slicing wound from his armpit stretched all the way to his heart. 

A human being would have died instantly. The same went for the average vampire. To even be still breathing was testament to the hardiness of an Elder. 

However, where normally he would have instantly begun to regenerate, his body showed no change. Surely it was not solely because he was weak from the loss of his Beast Vassal. He had taken damage from an attack that used extremely powerful magic. 

The only type of human being capable of such an attack was a Counter-Demon Attack Mage—and even then, only those of the highest ability, known as Exorcists, but that simply wasn’t possible. 

An exorcist was, in other words, a holy man of the highest rank. Such men held the status of priests and bishops. There was no way one would willingly engage in a duel in an urban area. There was no way such a thing could be excused. 

“—Hmm. A witness. Unexpected.” 

Hearing a low, male voice, Yukina gasped and lifted her face. 

Standing with blazing flames at his back, he was a large-framed man more than a hundred and ninety centimeters tall. The blade of the bardiche held by his right hand, and the vestment he wore over his armored augmentation suit, were smeared red with fresh blood. Blood spatter from the vampire. 

“Please end this fighting.” 

Yukina warned the man in the vestment with a glare. 

As she did so, the man gazed at Yukina with contempt. 

“Young, aren’t you? An Attack Mage of this nation, yes… Not an ally of the demon, it would seem.” 

He spoke calmly, appraising her. 

Feeling the bloodlust the man’s body exuded, Yukina lowered her center of gravity. 

“Atrocities toward incapacitated demons are forbidden by the Offensive Magic Special Measures Act.” 

“And do I have reason to obey laws passed by apostates that consort with demons?” 

As the man easily dismissed her words, he raised his huge battle-axe high. 

“Ngh, Snowdrift Wolf—!” 

Spear in hand, Yukina sprinted. She ran under the battle-axe as it swung down toward the wounded vampire, just barely blocking it. 

“My…!” 

The man whose battle-axe had been thrown back murmured in apparent pleasure. Leaping back with agility unimaginable given his huge physique, the man faced off toward Yukina. 

“Is that spear a Schneewalzer?! The Lion King Agency’s DOE-inscribed secret weapon! To have a chance to see one here of all places!” 

A delighted smile came over the man’s lips. A red light pulsed from the eyepatch-like monocle he wore. It seemed to be projecting information directly into the man’s field of vision. 

“Very well; a Lion King Agency’s Sword Shaman is a worthy opponent. Young woman, I, Rudolf Eustach, Lotharingian Armed Apostle, request a duel. Save this demon’s life—if you can!” 

“A Lotharingian Armed Apostle?! What is an exorcist of the European Church doing hunting demons—?!” 

“I have no obligation to answer!” 

The man’s huge body kicked off the ground and fiercely accelerated. The battle-axe swung down, assaulting Yukina with the force of a guillotine. The force of the slice, assisted by his augmented armor, was sufficient to rip apart an armored car with ease. However, Yukina perfectly anticipated the strike, and slipped by it by a paper’s width. 

Then she counterattacked. The spinning Yukina stretched her spear toward Eustach’s right arm just after it finished its attack. 

Eustach, unable to evade the attack, blocked it with his armor-encased left arm instead. 

The clash between enchanted weapon and armor sent pale sparks scattering. 

“Hnng!” 

As the man’s left arm’s armor plates were smashed apart, Yukina took the opportunity to put some space between them. With such a large, resilient man as her opponent, she was at a clear disadvantage in close combat. She judged she should bring him down with hit-and-run tactics. 

“My holy armor’s ward destroyed in a single blow?! I’d expect nothing less from a Schneewalzer… A truly fascinating enchantment. Splendid!” 

Gazing at his destroyed left arm’s armor, Eustach licked his lips in satisfaction. His monocle restlessly switched on and off. 

Sensing a sinister aura from Eustach, Yukina’s expression sharpened further. 

I must defeat him here and now, she resolved. Her Sword Shaman intuition told her that if she let this Armed Apostle be, he would bring a great calamity down upon this land. 

“—O purifying light, O divine wolf of the snowdrift, by your steel divine will, strike down the devils before me!” 

“Hnn… This is…” 

As Yukina chanted her solemn prayer, the ritual energy honed within her body amplified the Schneewalzer. Eustach’s face twisted at the powerful ritual energy surge emitted from the spear. 

The next moment, Yukina launched a ferocious attack against Eustach. 

“Nuo…!” 

The Armed Apostle blocked the beam of light that came from the silver spear with his battle-axe. A shocked look came over him at the impact conveyed to his arm. His augmented armor, able to easily fend off the attacks of a beast man, was pushed back several meters, unable to withstand the small girl’s attack. Sparks flew from every joint from the intense strain. 

Furthermore, Yukina’s attacks did not end with that. She pressed on with a series of attacks at point-blank range like a storm, putting Eustach completely on the defensive. This fact shocked the Armed Apostle. 

The truth was, in raw speed, the very human Yukina was very far from a beast man or vampire. However, with her spirit sight enabling her to see a moment into the future, Yukina ended up moving faster than anyone. Combined with various feints and a high level of weapons skill on top of that, Yukina possessed attack speed that was beyond what an armored augmentation suit’s man-made abilities could evade. Only ceaseless training from a very young age made it possible. It was a superhuman skill only Sword Shamans could use. 

“Mm, what power…and what speed! So this is a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency!” 

Magnificent, extolled Eustach. Unable to withstand Snowdrift Wolf’s attacks, the bardiche made a cracking sound and broke apart. 

That moment, Yukina’s attacks came to a brief halt. She’d hesitated to attack the human Eustach directly for but a single moment. Eustach did not let the momentary opening slip away. 

“Very well, I have beheld the Lion King Agency’s secret ritual—slay her, Astarte!” 

The Armed Apostole leaped back with the full might of his augmented armor. In his place, the young indigo-haired girl wearing a cape coat leaped before Yukina. 

“Accept. Execute ‘Rhododactylos.’” 

The giant arm appeared, bursting out of the young girl’s coat. It assaulted Yukina while emitting a rainbow-colored glow. Yukina counterattacked with Snowdrift Wolf. The giant magical energy and the ritual energy collided, causing an earsplitting ring to fill the air. 

“Ugh…!” 

“Aa…!” 

Yukina won the exchange, but just barely. The silver spear slowly rent the Beast Vassal called “Rhododactylos.” The girl called Astarte made frail, anguished pants, perhaps due to backlash from the damage sustained by the Beast Vassal. Then… 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!” 

The young girl screamed. A second arm emerged, seeming to rip its way out of the girl’s slender back. 

Yukina was sure it wasn’t two Beast Vassals, but rather a single Beast Vassal with a pair of arms. However, the new arm attacked Yukina from above as if it were a completely separate creature. 

“Oh n—” 

Yukina’s expression froze. 

Snowdrift Wolf’s spear tip was still impaling the Beast Vassal’s right arm. If Yukina let up for even a single moment, the wounded right arm would crush the spear and Yukina both. 

And, in this situation, Yukina could not evade the left arm’s attack—! 

There was no way a fragile human body could withstand an attack that had bested even an Elder’s Beast Vassal. If Yukina waited, she would most certainly perish. 

Excellent Sword Shaman that she was, Yukina understood in a single moment how this would end. 

She didn’t even have time to resign herself to her death. 

In that final moment, all that crossed the back of her mind was the sight of a familiar boy. A boy she had met only a few days before, always with a vague, listless look on his face. 

He’d probably be sad if she died. 

That’s why I don’t want to die, Yukina thought. Yukina was very surprised at herself for thinking it. And then… 

“Himeragiiiiiii—!” 

She heard the boy’s voice from unexpectedly close range. 

The voice of Kojou Akatsuki, the Fourth Primogenitor. 

7 

“Raaaaaaaagh!” 

Kojou punched the Beast Vassal in the form of a giant arm with a simple, clenched fist. 

It wasn’t that he had any special or deep thought. He just figured that even against a materialized mass of magical energy like a Beast Vassal, punching it with a fist full of magical energy would probably do something. 

The effect was greater than he had expected. 

The left arm of the Beast Vassal with the rainbow-colored glow flew back as if a dump truck had crashed into it. And, as the young girl who was the Beast Vassal’s master tumbled, dragged along by the impact, the right arm fighting Yukina vanished. 

“Wha…” 

As she stared at the nonsensical scene, Yukina’s eyes widened in shock. 

She seemed taken aback by Kojou’s brute-force attack, which was far too crude and ridiculous to call combat. Kojou could understand how she felt. However, Kojou didn’t know any magic; even if he was called the Fourth Primogenitor and stuff, he didn’t know how to use a single special vampiric ability. He had no other means of attack. 

“What do you think you’re doing, Senpai?! In a place like this—?!” 

“That’s my line, Himeragi! You idiot!!” 

“I, idiot?!” 

“Didn’t you say you were just checking things out? Why are you fighting!” 

“Th, that’s—” 

“Uhh” was the only protest that came out of Yukina’s mouth. It wasn’t that Kojou understood the fine details, but he could imagine that a bunch of things were going on, at least. 

Kojou couldn’t fly through the sky; nor could he use teleportation magic and such. Sprinting full speed the whole sixteen kilometers across the bridge that connected the two Gigafloats had been as rough as he’d expected. 

And, when Kojou had finally caught up, the Beast Vassal running wild at the start had already been defeated, and Yukina was in the middle of combat with the mysterious man in the vestment. 

“So… Who the heck are these guys, anyway?” 

“I do not know. That man seems to be a Lotharingian Armed Apostle, but…” 

Yukina answered as she glared at the now-weaponless man in the vestment. Kojou was blunt with his confusion. 

“Lotharingia? What the hell is he doing coming all the way from Europe to make a mess here?” 

“Senpai, please be careful. They’re still…” 

The young girl in the cape coat rose faster than Yukina could finish her warning. The rainbow-colored Beast Vassal remained materialized behind her back. The damage from Kojou’s punch apparently hadn’t affected the Beast Vassal’s core. 

“That magical energy just now… You are no ordinary vampire, are you? Equal to the nobles, or beyond that… Perhaps the rumors of the Fourth Primogenitor are true, then?” 

The Armed Apostle spoke while discarding his destroyed battle-axe. 

The young indigo-haired girl stood before the Armed Apostle as if to shield him. 

Kojou could not read any bloodlust from the girl’s expressionless eyes. However, the words spun by her lips were calm. 

“Restart, ready. Reexecute ‘Rhododactylos’—” 

Obeying the girl’s words, the giant arm stretched upward, arching like a snake. 

“Stop! I didn’t come here to fight y—” 

“Hold, Astarte. Now is not yet the time to fight a Primogenitor!” 

Kojou and the Armed Apostle yelled simultaneously. 

The young girl’s eyes wavered, as if bewildered. However, the Beast Vassal, already commanded by its master, did not stop. 

The rainbow-colored hooked claw dully glimmered as it descended, aiming at Kojou like a bird of prey. 

“Stand back, Senpai!” 

Spear in hand, Yukina leaped as if to thrust Kojou away. 

However, as if anticipating Yukina’s movements, the other arm came out from the girl’s feet. As if snaking along the ground, the right arm came flying in a surprise attack, with even Yukina too slow to respond. 

“Himeragi!” 

Kojou instantly thrust Yukina away. Yukina had no way to prevent being brushed off by the impact to her defenseless back. Having lost its target, the right arm attacked Kojou from below as the left arm attacked him from above. 

“S-Senpai?! What have you done—!” 

Yukina broke her fall with a roll and regained her balance. However, she was too late to support Kojou. 

“Ugh…!” 

Kojou could only counterattack with his fist against the right arm. He was unable to evade the overhead attack, and blood spurted from his arm. 

That’s what Yukina thought, but that instant, Kojou yelled out with a voice so serious, it seemed to come from a completely different person. 

“Wait… Dooooon’t?!” 

His voice seemed directed not at his enemies but at himself. 

Kojou’s eyes were dyed red; fangs protruded from his clenched mouth. 

And what gushed out of Kojou’s wounded arm was not blood. 

What had appeared, seemingly ripping the skin, was a pale shine that dazzled the eyes. Its focus narrowed into an incandescent beam of light. It blew back the rainbow-colored Beast Vassal with an incredibly powerful shock wave. 

“Nn, no good… Astarte!” 

The Armed Apostle directed his shout at the young homunculus girl. 

However, his bellow was erased by the explosive sound spawned by the shock wave. 

What was emitted from Kojou’s arm was a dense mass of magical energy in solid form. In other words, one of the beings called a Beast Vassal. However, it was not even in the same dimension as the Beast Vassals people knew about. 

This was a lightning storm destroying everything in its path. 

The giant, out-of-control lightning strike mowed down the buildings aboveground; the shock waves thus created became wildly blowing windstorms. Kojou was fully enveloped by the light as lightning arrows indiscriminately scattered all around him. 

It was like a vast storm cloud had suddenly appeared at ground level. 

All of Itogami Island shook as if it were being bombed. The surrounding sea raged like a tsunami. 

Finally, the huge lightning and windstorm neatly vanished as if nothing had happened. 

All that remained was the warehouse district and the fan-shaped swath of destruction through it. 

Yukina was safe, if barely, protected by Snowdrift Wolf’s ward. And, so was the “Old Guard” man on the verge of death, instantly covered by Yukina. 

“So that’s… Senpai’s…the Fourth Primogenitor’s Beast Vassal…” 

Beholding the vestiges of the all-too-massive destruction, Yukina murmured in a quivering voice. 

There was no sign of the Armed Apostle or the young homunculus girl. 

The Gigafloat’s surface had been thoroughly ripped away, leaving the underground-constructed section below exposed. It seemed they had fled there. 

At what looked like “ground zero,” Kojou, his strength exhausted, went limp and collapsed. The left sleeve of his parka had been destroyed, but his own body was unharmed. He’d just gone out like a light from exhaustion. 

As Yukina sighed, she surveyed her surroundings once more. 

The damage to the warehouse district was quite heavy, but it was considerable for other districts as well. 

It would be hard to find a single ship moored in the harbor that had escaped damage; the monorail track had collapsed as well. As a result of the lightning strikes, there were power outages all over the island; she couldn’t imagine how much industrial data loss had occurred as a result. 

As Yukina returned her silver spear to its storage form, she walked over to the collapsed Kojou. Kojou was sleeping with a refreshed look on his face, as if he’d just finished venting all the stress he’d been holding in. 

“…Goodness. What am I going to do with you?” 

Gazing at Kojou’s sleeping face, Yukina sighed a faint sigh.