Strike the Blood - Volume 11 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE 

COUNTDOWN TO THE NEW YEAR 

1 

With direct sunlight pouring in, the deserted corridor shimmered like a mirage. 

From the open window, a muggy wind blew into the classroom. 

Sitting alone in the seat directly across from the teacher’s desk, Kojou Akatsuki wore a forlorn expression as he struggled with a difficult text written in English. Large droplets of sweat rolled incessantly down his forehead. It was depressing how his moist wrist stuck to the answer sheet. 

“So hot…” 

Kojou let out a frail murmur as he tugged at the collar of his uniform. 

The clear blue sky spread outside the window seemed straight out of midsummer. A cumulonimbus cloud hovered over a corner of the horizon, and the chirping cicadas were noisily out of season. 

Somehow managing to solve the last problem, Kojou put down his mechanical pencil—also slick with sweat—and said, “Hey, Natsuki. You know, today’s—” 

Before he could finish, something like an invisible fist smacked him between the eyes, scattering pale sparks all about. Natsuki Minamiya, standing at the teacher’s podium, cruelly watched Kojou as he recoiled backward. 

“Fool. Do not address your homeroom teacher by her first name when she’s already in a bad mood from this terrible heat.” 

“That’s no reason for a teacher to use violence on a student, is it…?!” 

Kojou put a hand on his forehead as he retorted, grimacing with tearful eyes. Natsuki, sitting on an extravagant, antique chair, coldly snorted and strangled Kojou’s objection with silence. 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.” 

For some reason, the homunculus girl wearing a maid outfit was mimicking a voice recital as she sat in front of an electric fan next to Natsuki. Kojou hadn’t seen the electric fan before, but apparently, she’d taken quite a deep interest in it. As a result, Astarte was completely monopolizing the fan, but since she’d brought it in from the staff room in the first place, Kojou was in no position to complain. 

“…Today’s New Year’s Eve, yeah?” 

“Indeed, it is. The New Year will arrive in little over half a day.” 

Natsuki bluntly replied to Kojou’s half-hearted question. Halfway through listening to her response, Kojou stuck his chin on his palm and said: 

“Why do I have to cram in extra lessons right at the end of the year like this?” 

“Because some idiot with too many unapproved absences and too many red marks on supplementary tests in my subject asked for them. Astarte, help me out a little.” 

“Accepted.” 

At Natsuki’s command, the homunculus girl went out of her way to retrieve a mirror and place it in front of Kojou. For a time, he silently gazed at his reflection. 

Then he cried out, “Wait, this is sarcasm!” 

He shooed Astarte away. The homunculus girl in the maid outfit returned to her seat in front of the electric fan. 

Natsuki sipped on the tasty tropical iced tea she’d had Astarte make for her. “If you have time to ask pointless questions, why don’t you thank me a little for putting up with extra lessons even on a day like this?” 

“Ah well, yeah, I’m grateful for that. Seriously.” Kojou politely bowed his head as he handed the short answer sheet to Natsuki. 

Eight months had passed since Kojou inherited the power of the World’s Mightiest Vampire. Thereafter, Kojou’s allowed absences had whittled away in the course of becoming wrapped up in one troublesome incident after another. If Natsuki hadn’t spent her precious extended vacation giving him these extra lessons, Kojou would be dead set to repeat the year by that point. 

“Hmph.” 

However, Natsuki was slightly taken aback, perhaps not really believing Kojou would voice his gratitude so easily, when she twisted her lips and said: 

“Well, fine. Incidentally, Kojou, where is your father right now?” 

“…Huh?” 

At Natsuki’s sudden question, it was Kojou’s turn to get suspicious. 

Kojou’s father, Gajou Akatsuki, was an archeologist. Due to the nature of his work, he spent most of the year overseas, rarely returning to Itogami Island. Of course, that left few opportunities to come into contact with Natsuki. 

“Natsuki, why do you know about h…? Wait, don’t tell me…” 

The first word to emerge in the back of Kojou’s mind was adultery. Natsuki might have looked like a little girl, but apparently, she was twenty-six years old. That meant she was more than old enough to have an old flame or two. 

But the moment those thoughts came to mind, Natsuki violently pinched Kojou’s cheek and said, “Those are the eyes of a man picturing something quite rude, Kojou Akatsuki.” 

“Ow! Ow! —Hey, I didn’t even say anything yet!!” 

“Enough about that. Answer the question already.” 

“He’s not on Itogami Island right now. He took my little sister and went off to Grandma’s place in Tanzawa!” Kojou blurted out while he sustained Natsuki’s merciless punishment. 

Natsuki let out a “Hmm” and slackened her grip on Kojou as she sank into thought. 

“So for once, that man actually told the truth about something…” 

“How the heck do you know him anyway, Natsuki?” Kojou asked, putting a hand on his aching cheek. 

Natsuki gave an annoyed sigh as she replied, “I know Gajou Akatsuki from his numerous unwelcome interruptions in my side business. Well, I do grudgingly concede that he has been useful on very rare occasions…” 

“Your side business…? What the heck’s that shitty dad of mine been up to…?” Kojou muttered. A bad feeling came over him. 

Natsuki was a teacher, but her side business was as a federal Attack Mage with the right to capture sorcerous criminals. Educational facilities within a Demon Sanctuary were required to have a certain proportion of staff on hand with Attack Mage certification. Therefore, an Attack Mage doubling as a teacher was by no means rare. In point of fact, Saikai Academy had one for each grade; in other words, it employed five additional Attack Mages as teachers in addition to Natsuki. 

However, Natsuki occupied a special role that set her apart from her peers, for her might as an Attack Mage was so exceptional that she continued to aid active criminal investigations. 

Therefore, Gajou had come into contact with Natsuki in the course of that business. In other words, Gajou was on the scene where sorcerous crimes were taking place. Kojou couldn’t help but be concerned about that. 

“Can you get in touch with Gajou Akatsuki?” 

Natsuki continued her line of questioning, paying Kojou’s unease no heed. 

“That might be a little tough. Cell phone signals don’t reach that area, y’see.” 

Kojou didn’t know Gajou’s cell phone number in the first place, but he kept quiet about that. 

“The place your grandmother lives in is quite the backwoods, then?” she asked with a serious tone. 

“Pretty much, yeah.” He gave a heavy nod. 

“So what is this all of a sudden? You need to talk to him ’bout something?” 

“No… There was just a little something on my mind,” she replied vaguely, not helping his current doubts. 

He shuddered involuntarily as he said, “Hey—cut that out. Now you’re making me worried. I already told you Nagisa’s with him and everything.” 

“Nagisa Akatsuki… You did say something like that, didn’t you…?” 

Natsuki’s brows furled, as if she liked how things were unfolding less and less. Her murmur alarmed him further. It seemed Natsuki really had come into contact with Gajou in the recent past. 

Maybe it really is adultery. When Kojou seriously entertained the suspicion, Natsuki suddenly glared at him with half-lidded eyes. 

“Well, setting all that aside, Kojou Akatsuki, what is with this score?” 

“Huh? Did I completely bomb it?” 

A perplexed expression came over Kojou as she thrust the marked answer sheet toward his face. The number written in red pencil was sixty-six out of one hundred—not a great score, but not terrible, either. 

“I can hardly believe you achieved a score this high through your own ability. You couldn’t possibly have slipped some cheating method past my supervision, could you…?” 

Natsuki spoke these words while staring at Kojou in utter seriousness. 

“Umm, no way this score is high enough to suspect cheating, and even I can do this well if I study hard, y’know.” 

Kojou, fully understanding the reason for Natsuki’s doubts, desperately tried to refute them. Compared to his previous tests, chock-full of red marks, you’d think this one was so good that it came from a different person, but no casual observer would consider that score to be worthy of praise. They were the grades of a student dead set to repeat a year. The fact that this kind of score was enough to make her suspect cheating was a harsh blow to Kojou’s pride. 

But he could understand Natsuki’s feeling of surprise. Since becoming a vampire, Kojou had no time to study—a situation that hadn’t really changed. 

“To think you would actually study for extra lessons. What’s gotten into you?” 

“Umm, I just thought that, well, you know… I really should take my classes more seriously…” 

For the one who can’t take them at all, Kojou continued to himself. 

For an instant, the side of a blonde girl’s face, always making a small, trembling smile, flashed before his eyes. 

Avrora Florestina. The twelfth Kaleid Blood. 

Ever since he’d regained fragments of his memories of her, Kojou’s mental state had undergone subtle changes that even he didn’t understand. That didn’t mean the situation he was placed in had changed very much, but when he thought about what he could do, he thought he could at least put in the effort on short tests, but— 

“It’s not like an education has any downsides. Besides, gotta think about the future, right?” Kojou said earnestly, almost saying it just for his own sake. 

To be blunt, he still had little appreciation for his status, but in name, at least, Kojou was the vampire known as the Fourth Primogenitor; furthermore, vampire primogenitors were granted a life span that was nigh eternal. 

The issue causing Kojou a much greater deal of concern was picking a career. 

Even vampires needed to put food on the table, and clothes and a place to stay required money. If one was born a commoner and not an aristocrat, they worked, or they starved. He wasn’t like Dimitrie Vattler or Giada Kukulkan, both possessing vast territories. All that said, he didn’t think the stupid title of World’s Mightiest Vampire was worth much on a résumé. 

And so, having agonized over the matter, Kojou made an honest attempt at getting an education. Surely, academic knowledge had no downside for an undying, ageless vampire; if it qualified him for gainful employment and let him get his hands on a trade, all the better. 

Kojou hadn’t actually intended to explain things to Natsuki that far. If some other vampire primogenitor said I’d better study seriously, so I don’t go hungry down the road, Kojou would make fun of him, too. 

“I see.” 

However, Natsuki flashed a charming smile, almost as though she could see right through to Kojou’s feelings. This was not her usual smile, the cold one that made her seem like she was looking down on the entire world. This was a gentle smile, the sort one gave to a younger brother. Natsuki’s soft expression, one Kojou was seeing for the first time, made it hard to pay attention to anything else. 

“…Natsuki?” 

When Kojou murmured without thinking, Natsuki silently delivered a sharp blow to his forehead. In the meantime, the beautiful, charming smile from before had vanished like an illusion. 

“Well, fine. I suppose I will give you a passing grade for today’s lesson.” 

“Thanks a bunch.” 

“Do try to greet the New Year on good terms.” 

“Gotcha.” 

Kojou lobbed his curt reply as he pressed a hand to his stinging forehead. Natsuki returned to the armchair, elegantly sipping her iced tea. Just as before, Astarte was sitting reverentially before the electric fan, saying “Weee aaare…” like some kind of alien from outer space. 

Then, when Kojou, who felt a brief sense of liberation, tidied up the writing supplies and gently opened the classroom door, a new person emerged. This was Misaki Sasasaki, the physical education teacher. 

“All done?” 

Dressed in sporty attire, the female teacher confirmed with Natsuki that the lesson was done before she shifted her gaze to Kojou, who stood frozen in place. Of course, Kojou’s egregious number of absences meant English was by no means the only subject he needed extra classes in. 

“Sorry to spoil things when you’ve neatly wrapped up, but after English is gym. We’re doing a ten-kilometer marathon, so get changed and meet me out on the grounds, ’kay?” 

Misaki smiled at Kojou as she spoke in her oddly tense tone. 

Kojou stared at the brightly glimmering midday sun; then he shifted his eyes to the sports field scorched by its rays. Itogami Island, floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, was an island of eternal summer with a tropical climate. Even on New Year’s Eve, the temperature close to noon was butting against 30 degrees Celsius. 

And Kojou was a vampire, weak to direct sunlight. 

“…Seriously?” 

A frail murmur escaped Kojou’s mouth as the fear of impending death coursed through him. 

Astarte’s serene voice echoed toward the electric fan as it was seemingly sucked into the blue sky. 

2 

Kojou, finally freed from his lessons some two-odd hours later, headed toward the monorail with a wobbly gait. 

Walking beside him was Yukina Himeragi, carrying a black guitar case on her back. She’d been waiting the whole time for Kojou to finish his lessons so she could resume her duty as watcher of the Fourth Primogenitor. 

“Umm… Are you all right, senpai?” 

Concerned, Yukina looked up at the hollow expression on Kojou’s face. 

“Yeah, somehow… Jeez, I seriously thought I was gonna shrivel up like a prune…” 

Kojou shook his head violently, apparently to get his head back in the game, and formed a smile with no strength behind it. Thanks to overusing his brain cells on the test and walking what seemed like a ten-kilometer marathon beneath the scorching sun, Kojou was completely and utterly drained. Both mind and body were at their limits. The road to the station was less than a fifteen-minute walk, but it felt impossibly far. 

“First, please rehydrate. Then, have this. It’s a lemon dipped in honey.” 

“Ahh, thanks.” 

Appreciative of the ever-reliable Yukina, Kojou accepted the sports drink and the lemon. 

Technically, Kojou was the World’s Mightiest Vampire, and Yukina was Kojou’s watcher, dispatched by the Japanese government. However, no one looking at them that moment was likely to believe that. They looked like nothing more than an athletics club member right after a match and his shrewd, quick-witted manager. 

“Sorry for making you come with me to school on New Year’s Eve like this, Himeragi.” 

As soon as he recovered a bit of stamina, Kojou expressed his appreciation to Yukina all over again. Kojou hadn’t asked for Yukina to follow him around, but it was a simple fact that she’d helped with lots of things. 

“It is no trouble at all. After all, it is my mission to watch you, senpai,” she replied with her usual all-business expression. 

Kojou unwittingly made a pained smile at Yukina’s stereotypical reply as he said, “Somehow, this takes me back to right after I met you, Himeragi.” 

“Oh…?” 

Yukina’s face stiffened, seemingly put on guard by Kojou’s sudden declaration. She pressed a hand to the hem of her skirt, inching backward as if to avoid his gaze. 

“Wh…what are you remembering?! Did I not ask you to forget about that?!” 

“…Huh?! Ah!” 

Kojou panicked as he saw the explosion of redness on Yukina’s cheeks. He remembered that in the place he’d first bumped into Yukina, he had seen her panties—not once, but twice in quick succession. It was a most unfortunate accident upon their first meeting. 

“No! Not that time!” 

“Which is ‘this’ time and which is the ‘other’ time?!” 

“I meant school! I met you when I was heading to school for extra lessons, right, Himeragi?” 

“…I suppose so, now that you mention it…” 

Yukina finally lowered her guard somewhat. The first time Kojou and Yukina had a chance to properly speak to each other was the day after that first encounter. It was right before the end of summer vacation. That day, too, Kojou was heading to school by himself to receive extra lessons, whereupon Yukina, a transfer student at the middle school, appeared before him. 

“Back then, I had just about the worst possible impression of you, though—the way you turned your spear on me for no good reason.” 

“I—I believe you were responsible for that, senpai! I believe that was very much the case!” 

For once, Yukina was flustered in her response. Apparently, Yukina’s impulsive behavior at the time was an embarrassing memory she did not particularly want to remember. 

“I mean, even though they told me you were the World’s Mightiest Vampire, you seemed oddly flaky. I could not really tell what you were up to, the talk of memory loss seemed very fishy, and you were indecent… How could I possibly trust a person like that?!” 

“I wasn’t indecent! Seeing your panties back then was totally an act of God!” 

“I told you to forget about that!” 

Yukina walked toward the station at a rapid pace, leaving Kojou behind. He lowered his shoulders in exasperation and chased after her. 

Even when they boarded the monorail, Yukina kept her face turned away from him as if she was sulking. Left with no avenues to pursue, Kojou pulled out his cell phone and began quietly checking his messages. 

The interior of the monorail car was emptier than usual, no doubt because few people commuted on New Year’s Eve. The jovial atmosphere despite that was probably because it was the year’s end, too. Even the billboard in the car was plastered with New Year’s greetings and advertisements for New Year’s sales. 

“Senpai… Umm, about our conversation earlier…” 

It was a while after the monorail set out that Yukina hesitantly opened her mouth. Kojou was still looking at his cell phone when he replied in a tone that seemed absentminded somehow. 

“Mm? Ahh, you mean about the panti—” 

“Not that!” 

The plastic strap Yukina was holding audibly creaked under the power of her grip. 

“I said earlier that I could not trust you, senpai…b-but I do not feel that way about you anymore, so…” 

Yukina’s voice was tense, as if she had wrenched considerable courage out of herself. She must have been quietly dwelling on how she’d unintentionally scolded Kojou out of stubbornness. 

“Ah…yeah.” 

“I mean, you are certainly as unreliable as before, sloppy, not self-aware of your being a Primogenitor, you get far too comfortable with other girls as soon as I take my eyes off you, and your incorrigible indecency is not a good thing, in my opinion, but you do still possess a few admirable qualities…” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“And I thought I should tell you that I do understand this, senpai, having watched you for these past four months.” 

“Mm.” 

Kojou had yet to meet Yukina’s gaze as she continued to explain herself, her voice threatening to fade away. However, Kojou’s reaction was indifferent. He showed no particular sign of satisfaction as he let Yukina’s words roll past him. 

“…Um, er… Senpai, are you listening?” 

Naturally, Yukina lifted her face and looked up at Kojou, sensing that something was off. Kojou, gazing vacantly at his cell phone, blinked in mild surprise and asked: 

“Huh? Ah, sorry. What’d you say?” 

“Senpai…!” 

Yukina scowled irritably when she realized that Kojou hadn’t listened to a word she’d said. 

“S-sorry about that. Nagisa hasn’t been in touch for a while, so that was kinda on my mind…” 

“Haaa…” Yukina glared at Kojou and let out a deep sigh as he hastily tried to vindicate himself. “A while, you say… You were able to call her normally up to last week, yes?” 

“Yeah, but it’s been a whole week since then. She said she was just about to arrive at Grandma’s place, and I haven’t gotten one word from her since, so that’s kinda worrying me a bit.” 

“Didn’t you tell me that cell phone signals do not reach where Nagisa went for the New Year? If so, I would think there is nothing unnatural about that being the case…” 

“Well, yeah.” 

Kojou grudgingly agreed with Yukina’s exceedingly sensible assertion. Now that his inbox was empty, he checked his missed calls one last time before putting his cell phone back in his pocket. 

“Besides, Grandma works people pretty hard. I think she’s probably just too busy helping at the temple to send me a message.” 

“Then, there is no need to be so concerned.” 

“Yeah…” 

Kojou nodded, unable to rebut her. Even he could understand that it was outside the social norm for a little sister in middle school to call her older brother without a good reason. 

“Incidentally, Himeragi, what were you talking about earlier?” 

Having apparently recovered his senses, Kojou looked straight at Yukina. 

“Eh…?! Ah, umm, nothing at all.” 

Startled, Yukina’s entire body went rigid before she shook her head in manic protest. Apparently, he was directly asking about a subject that contained details that were difficult to voice out loud. 

“Hmmm.” 

Displaying no particular interest, Kojou did not pry further, readily dropping the subject. As he did, Yukina glared at the side of his face, murmuring: 

“Stupid senpai…!” 

3 

Kojou ate a quick lunch in front of the station, and by the time he arrived back home, it was a little past three. Less than nine hours remained before the year was over. 

Taking the elevator to the apartment building’s seventh floor, Kojou opened the door to his own apartment, room 704. “Pardon me,” said Yukina quietly, following Kojou into the entryway. 

About ten days earlier, an incident had occurred that had left Yukina’s room—room 705—a complete disaster, and while repairs were technically complete, it still lacked the furniture and appliances required for everyday living. Thus, due to circumstances beyond her control, Yukina had become something like a houseguest at Kojou’s place. 

A third party would invariably mistake the situation for cohabitation, but Yukina had stated that she needed to keep Kojou under even stricter observation. Because this eased the burdens of living at home alone, Kojou had no compelling reason to drive her out, either. 

Having thus entered the apartment together without any particular misgivings, Yukina and Kojou both gasped in shock—for the three-bedroom apartment was in a state of total chaos. Everything in the drawers had been dumped onto the floor; the closet doors were open, too. 

“What the hell?!” 

“Don’t tell me…a burglar?!” 

Sensing a human presence, Yukina stepped ahead to shield Kojou. Apparently, the intruder who had made a mess of the apartment was still present. 

Kojou followed Yukina’s vigilant gaze when he, too, discerned the intruder’s location: the near side of the corridor in the master bedroom, usually left closed and unused. 

Yukina, seemingly on guard in case the opponent was armed, cautiously opened the door. Then they laid eyes upon an individual wearing a frumpy white coat, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

She was probably around thirty, give or take. She had unkempt, disheveled hair and eyes that seemed reluctant to open all the way. At first glance, the young-faced woman came off as a negligent adult. 

She heaved a contemplative sigh as she noticed Kojou and Yukina entering the room, adding, “Wow, Kojou. And Yukina, too. Perfect timing!” 

“Gah…” 

“Miss Mimori?” 

Kojou let out a low groan as a surprised Yukina addressed her by name. 

Sitting on the side of the bed and rummaging through the closet was none other than Mimori Akatsuki—Kojou’s mother. She usually slept at her workplace, more because she found commuting to be a pain than anything else, normally returning home once every week or so. But apparently, her colleagues had managed to shoo her out of the lab for New Year’s. 

That said, Mimori was the rightful occupant of the apartment. Of course, Kojou and Yukina had a hard time understanding why Mimori would turn her own apartment into a cluttered bird’s nest. 

She reached for a piece of luggage at the back of the closet and explained, “I finally found my suitcase, but there are things in the way, so I couldn’t get it out. Hold it down for a sec, would you?” 

“W-wait!” 

Kojou hastily tried to stop Mimori as she grabbed hold of the suitcase handle and gave it a good, hard yank. 

For Mimori, who lacked any domestic capabilities whatsoever, the term “messy adult” did not even begin to accurately describe her. The closet in her room was packed with all sorts of things. The contents had less space between them than a wood mosaic. 

It was painfully easy to guess what would happen when the suitcase was yanked out. However, despite Kojou’s valiant efforts to prevent the inevitable, the wall of luggage collapsed, causing a wave of clutter to crash down onto him. 

“What a relief. Now I can finally pack.” 

Mimori, the culprit of that tragic spectacle, opened her suitcase in good humor, ignorant of her son’s suffering. Thanks to Kojou’s body acting as a dam, she escaped the luggage landslide unscathed. 

“You see all this, and that’s all you have to say…?” 

Kojou, bruised all over, pointed to the luggage scattered on the floor as he chided his mother. However, his words simply mystified her. 

“Well, there’s no time. Tonight, I’m heading out for the company trip to Hokkaido.” 

“You never mentioned that to me!” 

“Oh, did you want to go, Kojou?” 

“Nah, I’ll pass. I went through hell when I went with you on that company trip when I was in middle school!” 

“Did you, now?” 

“How could you forget?! I lost all my clothes in strip ping-pong, I lost all my New Year’s money betting in mah-jongg… All sorts of stuff happened!” 

Kojou’s eyes glazed over as he recalled the bitter experience. Mimori let his grumbling wash over her like she was listening to background music at a coffee shop. 

“Incidentally, I don’t see Nagisa anywhere… Kojou, do you know where she is?” 

“Dad took Nagisa to go see Grandma in Tangiwa. —A week ago.” 

Notice faster, dammit, went Kojou, sighing with an exasperated look. 

The instant Mimori heard the words Grandma in Tangiwa, her expression heavily contorted, almost as if by reflex. For Mimori, one to take everything in stride, it was a rare look of dismay. 

“Tch… That ghastly old bag is still alive?” 

“Gh…ghastly old bag?” 

A bewildered look came over Yukina as she watched Mimori curse her elder with vivid enmity. 

Kojou whispered to Yukina, “Mom and Grandma don’t get along very well.” 

Yukina gave a bewildered nod of understanding. One was an airheaded psychic working as a researcher for an international conglomerate; the other was a rogue Attack Mage and spiritualist working as a priestess at a shrine. They had no common ground to speak of, and beyond being a wife and a mother-in-law, their mutual compatibility was abysmal. Small wonder Gajou hadn’t said a word to Mimori about that year’s homecoming. 

“More importantly, why is this house so messy? Don’t tell me this is all from looking for that suitcase…?” Kojou inquired as he surveyed the area. 

Mimori seemed to notice the dismal state of the apartment for the first time. Gazing at the luggage strewn about the floor, she looked surprised for a moment as she said: 

“Oh, th-this is—you see… Yes, end-of-the-year cleaning!” 

“…Huh?” 

“Doesn’t it feel really good to get rid of a year’s worth of grime on New Year’s Eve and face the New Year with a clean slate?” 

“D-don’t make up such convenient lies! You made that up just now, didn’t you?!” 

Kojou responded a moment late to Mimori’s all-too-innocent explanation. While he tried to regain his footing, Mimori smiled in victory and changed topics. 

“Mm-hmm… Well, never mind that. The two of you, stand side by side. Yes, right over there.” 

“Ah…?” 

Prodded by Mimori to stand near the window, Kojou did as instructed, largely on reflex. 

“Yes, Yukina, can you take one step closer to Kojou?” 

“L-like this?” 

Yukina stood right beside Kojou, still unable to grasp what was going on. 

Mimori, seeing that Kojou and Yukina were nestled right against each other, suddenly said in a completely serious voice, “Now, question. What is Napier’s constant e’s logarithm to the second power?” 

What the heck? Kojou froze, not understand his mother’s question in the slightest. He couldn’t even tell if she was speaking Japanese anymore. 

For her part, Yukina looked just as bewildered as she easily solved the problem, resulting in… 

“Two…?” 

Yukina tilted her head as she brought up the index and middle fingers of her right hand. 

And because the Japanese word for two is ni, Yukina’s expression broke into a little smile. Mimori did not let the instant slip by, quickly snapping the shutter of the digital camera she’d brought out. 

As a result, she had taken a commemorative photo recording Kojou and Yukina in an intimate-looking scene. Furthermore, the way Yukina was making a peace sign with a smiling face made it a frighteningly rare image. 

“Er, umm…” 

“Mm. That came out pretty well.” 

In contrast to Yukina, unable to conceal her distress, Mimori smiled, satisfied. Kojou glared at his mother with a sharp look. 

“What the heck are you up to…?” 

“Alrighty. Yukina, I’ll give this camera to you. I found it when I was cleaning the room earlier.” 

“You mean you stuffed it in the closet by mistake, don’t you?” 

Kojou’s harsh jab didn’t even elicit a twitch from Mimori. 

Yukina accepted the compact, digital camera and its metallic silver case. The device was no bigger than a small smartphone model, yet its lens was very large. From all appearances, it was an expensive, state-of-the-art camera. 

The camera’s manufacturer was MAR—the international conglomerate Mimori worked for. 

“Is it really all right to give me something like this…?” Yukina asked, bashful. 

Mimori displayed a teasing smile. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Think of it as an impromptu New Year’s gift. In the first place, it’s a prototype from work that I got for free. Besides, if I give it to Kojou, he’ll use it for nefarious purposes, like taking pictures of you while you’re changing, taking pictures of your underwear, taking pictures of you in the shower…” 

“Like hell I will! How poorly do you think of your own son?!” 

Kojou made a show of his objection to being treated like some sort of peeping tom. 

A small, knowing smile escaped Yukina. “If that is the alternative…thank you very much.” 

“Whaddaya mean that?” Kojou grumbled, twisting his lips in displeasure. 

Mimori, seeing Yukina so reserved and happy, gently narrowed her eyes. 

“Mm-hmm, human memories are surprisingly hazy, so it isn’t so bad to make your memories tangible. Important moments that you don’t realize you’ll miss until you lose them…” 

“Miss Mimori…?” 

Yukina lifted her face, giving Mimori a look of deep respect. However, Mimori, a glutton for praise, got carried away as she said: 

“Well, I’m a psychometer anyway, so I’m completely fine without photos at all, you know!” 

“Like we need to hear that! What are you so proud of?!” 

Kojou muttered, visibly annoyed by Mimori’s childish behavior. Unsure whether or not Kojou and Mimori had a good mother-son relationship, Yukina couldn’t help but giggle. 

With a smile on her face, Mimori continued stuffing her suitcase full of things and closed the lid of the overflowing case with one hard push. 

“Okay, packing complete. Kojou, I’ll leave the rest to you.” 

“Hey! Wait—are you planning to run?!” 

Naturally, when Kojou saw his mother darting across the cluttered apartment, he tried to stop her. However, when Kojou barred her path, Mimori sent him flying with the suitcase. 

“H-Himeragi! Stop her!” 

“Yukina, take care of Kojou in the New Year, ’kay?” 

“Eh?! Ah, yes… Eek!” 

Yukina jumped a little as Mimori, passing through, gave her butt a little pat. The opening allowed Mimori to slip past Yukina and charge out the front door, her sandals flopping around as she ran. 

Dumbfounded and drained of strength, Kojou and Yukina watched the woman flee. 

The damage Mimori had wrought did not stop with the bedroom. The living room, the kitchen, and even Kojou’s and Nagisa’s rooms had been ravaged in equal measure. It looked like a localized tornado had passed through. Putting everything back into its original state would require much more time and effort than the average cleaning. 

“So…in the end, it’s my job to clean this whole thing up?” 

Kojou, sluggishly rising to his feet, felt a twinge of despair as he shook his head. As he did, Yukina stood beside him, frailly letting out a sigh. 

“No, senpai. It’s our job.” 

4 

It took the two of them quite a while to clean up the wreckage inside the apartment. It was nine fifteen PM. Only two hours and forty-five minutes remained in the year. 

Right after Kojou took a shower, finally washing off the sweat and dust, the doorbell rang. The monitor displayed the face of his friend Motoki Yaze, who was quickly becoming an eyesore. 

“Heya, Kojou. I’m here.” 

Sporting a pair of earbuds around his neck, his spiky-haired classmate let himself into the apartment. He was holding a convenience store bag with both hands. 

“What’re you doing here at this time of day?” 

Kojou narrowed his eyes as he toweled his damp hair and greeted his friend. 

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Yaze, in apparent disappointment, continued, “We all promised to make the first temple visit of the year together, right? We were supposed to meet up at your place for it.” 

“Oh yeah…” Kojou nodded. “Guess we did.” 

Thanks to the extra lessons and the cleaning piled on top of that, the scheduled meet up had slipped right out of his mind. Plus, losing touch with Nagisa had done a number on Kojou’s ability to concentrate. 

“Come to think of it, what’s got you all worn out, Kojou?” 

“Ah…well, a bunch of stuff happened not too long ago.” 

“Ohhh?” 

For some reason, Yaze’s eyes glimmered in a show of heavy interest. 

“Well, allow me to intrude. I just bought sweets and drinks, after all.” 

“Not that I mind but… Come to think of it, where are the others? Wasn’t Asagi with you?” 

“They should be here any moment, I think. There, see?” 

At the same time Yaze pointed behind him, new figures appeared at the entrance. One was a female high school student with an extravagant hairstyle; the other was a small-statured elementary school girl. With unsteady, precarious-looking steps, they both somehow made it to the Akatsuki residence’s front door. Kojou’s eyes went wide at their luxurious outfits. 

“What are you two doing in those getups…?” Kojou asked in a bewildered tone. 

Normally, extravagant hair was Asagi’s trademark, but this day, it felt even showier than usual. She wore a long-sleeved kimono with countless flowers scattered over thin, pale-scarlet fabric. 

Led by the hand was Yume Eguchi, also wearing a long-sleeved kimono. Hers was made with a bright blue-green checkered fabric featuring a pattern that depicted a cute collection of treasures. 

Either way, they were dazzling outfits most suited for greeting the New Year…were they not on an island of never-ending summer in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that is. 

“W…well, it’s New Year’s Eve, so I thought Why not wear something really colorful for once?” 

“D-do they look good on us, Mister Kojou?” 

After going to such lengths to get dressed up, Asagi and Yume were eager for words of praise. However, their smiling faces were hollow, and their eyes slightly out of focus. The excessive heat was robbing them of their senses. 

“Oh, I was just thinking that long sleeves were a no go with this island’s climate. You girls doing okay…?” he asked, concerned. 

Asagi and Yume appeared wobbly and they weren’t even sweating anymore—clear signs of impending heat exhaustion. Small wonder, given that they were walking around wearing long-sleeved layered kimonos as New Year’s outfits on the tropical Itogami Island. 

Even so, Yume put on a reassuring smile and said, “W-we’ll be all right. As long as we drink plenty of water…” 

“However, if you felt the need to lower the temperate on the air conditioner a little, I wouldn’t complain,” Asagi said as she lumbered into the living room and plopped down on the sofa. 

Kojou sighed and adjusted things with the remote control. “Well fine, but you’re sure you don’t just wanna change clothes? I can loan you some.” 

“It’s fine. We’ve made it this far, and we have our pride as women to consider.” 

“The first one to give in loses.” 

“Um, there’s nothing competitive about the first temple visit of the New Year, so…” 

Kojou, gazing at the fruitless antagonism burning between Asagi and Yume, shook his head in resignation. Then a different voice called: 

“Aiba, have some water. Yume, you, too.” 

“Miss Yukina…?” 

“She came out of Kojou’s kitchen like it was nothing, didn’t she…?” 

Yume’s and Asagi’s cheeks twitched as they noticed Yukina coming in carrying glasses of ice water. 

Wearing street clothes and an apron, Yukina blended naturally with the Akatsuki residence’s scenery, giving off the impression that this was where she belonged. Seeing Yukina like that caused the spirit of competition to burn even brighter within Asagi and Yume. 

“Er, no, with Nagisa gone for homecoming, I thought I’d help prepare for New Year’s in her stead…” 

Yukina hastily excused herself, but this only heightened Asagi’s and Yume’s sense of defeat. The two had gone to extraneous lengths to get dolled up in a roundabout attempt to win Kojou over, yet Yukina had infiltrated and occupied Kojou’s kitchen ahead of them. Naturally, they were seething over their strategic error. 

Yaze, gazing at all this from afar, realized that the room smelled of Yukina’s shampoo and made a leering, amused smile as he said: 

“Oooh… Yukina, you’re pretty sexy when you’re just out of the bath.” 

“Eh? I-is that so…?” 

The joking way Yaze made the assertion threw Yukina off a little. Yaze touched his hand to his chin, nodding like a detective in a rocking chair just after making a clever deduction. 

“Wait a minute… Nagisa’s gone, so that means Kojou and Yukina have been here all this time by themselves. For some reason, the two were worn out, had already bathed, and on top of that, the bedroom door, which is usually closed, is open for some reason… Ah!” 

“‘Ah,’ my ass! It’s just spring cleaning, or rather, my mom ransacked the whole place, and cleaning that up is why we’re exhausted—that’s all!” 

“What are you saying in front of an elementary schooler, idiot?!” 

Yaze let out an anguished groan as Kojou and Asagi slapped him from both sides. 

“That hurt. Geez, all I said was Ah!” 

“Oh, shut up.” 

Ignoring Yaze’s objection and his painful groan, Kojou, thoroughly exhausted, turned to the kid. “More to the point, why is Yume with you anyway?” 

“Ah…well, that’s because my big bro is li’l Yume’s guardian on paper, y’see. So since Tensou Academy’s elementary school dormitory is closed for New Year’s Eve, the Yaze family’s takin’ care of her. Then li’l Yume said she reaaaally wanted to see you, so I went all out of my way to—” 

Yaze, trying to explain even though no one had asked him to, shouted “Ow!” and pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose as he reeled backward. Yume had used the sleeve of her kimono like a whip to smack Yaze in the face. 

“Please do not speak of things that do not concern you. Also, I believe I have asked you not to use that weird nickname.” 

“Ugh…” 

That little brat, Yaze thought as he glared at Yume, his lips pursed in frustration. “Hmph,” Yume fumed, turning her face aside, spurning Yaze. Ever since their first meeting, they just hadn’t gotten along very well. 

During all that time, the water came to a boil. On Itogami Island, land of eternal summer, New Year’s soba was still normal soba noodles. During the time Yukina was boiling the noodles, Kojou was preparing green onions and other condiments. 

“Kinda late to notice this, but since I’ve been on this island, New Year’s Eve never really feels like a celebration.” 

Kojou listened to the voices of crickets outside the window as he unwittingly let his true feelings slip. As a Demon Sanctuary, Itogami Island inevitably had a large overseas-born population, and thanks to the climate, there was little to separate the seasons. He’d seen the excitement on a music TV channel on public broadcasting, but it felt like something happening in a far-off nation. 

“I suppose so. Motoki and I have lived here since we were kids, so we’re used to it, I guess.” 

“Thank you for the meal,” said Asagi before having some of her noodles. 

“We might be doin’ the first temple visit, but the countdown to New Year’s fireworks is the main event,” Yaze said. “It’s a pain in the neck, so I’ll just loaf around at Kojou’s place. It’ll be about time to tuck li’l Yume into bed by then, too.” Lying slovenly on the sofa, he gave Yume’s head a little pat. 

She brusquely brushed Yaze’s hand aside and insisted, “Please do not treat me like a child. I have no trouble with staying up late. I’m a succubus, after all. You could even say that I’m currently in my element.” 

“You just want to see the fireworks.” 

“I—I do not!” 

When Yaze made this assertion, Yume’s face went scarlet as she shook her head. 

However, behind her strong statement, she seemed sleepy even then, perhaps physically worn out from wearing the long-sleeved kimono. She was blinking more frequently, and she’d barely touched the candy. 

“It sure would be nice for it to cool down a bit so we could go out in these outfits, though…” 

Asagi seemed to be speaking to herself—and not out of any consideration for Yume—as she let her real thoughts slip. Where’d that ‘pride as a woman’ run off to? thought Kojou, smiling a bit. 

“Well, having you endure it and collapse won’t do anyone any good. How ’bout changing clothes?” he asked. 

“S…sure…” 

Asagi appeared conflicted as she put a hand on the cord and belt keeping her waist taut. To Asagi, a glutton in spite of her appearance, the fact that she couldn’t eat a meal as she pleased while wearing a long-sleeved outfit was an unexpected miscalculation. The issue of whether she’d already succeeded in her objective of showing off to Kojou in her outfit seemed to weigh heavily on her mind. 

“Um…if you are going to change clothes, how about I take a picture first?” 

As Yukina spoke, she brought out the digital camera she’d just gotten from Mimori. Apparently, she thought she should photograph Asagi and Yume after they had put so much effort into their appearances. 

Asagi, her interest piqued, went “Wow!” as her eyes sparkled. “That’s an MAR Zeta 9, isn’t it? You bought it?” 

“No, it was a gift. Mimori said it was in lieu of a New Year’s present…” 

“You’re kidding me. I’m a little jealous. That model isn’t even on sale in Japan…!” 

Asagi’s brows furled as she gnawed her chopsticks in envy. Asagi, a computer nut, had a soft spot for rare digital devices. 

“Er, in other words, that camera’s pretty good stuff?” 

For his part, Kojou had little interest in such gadgets; if anything, he was more interested in how Asagi ate. 

Asagi nodded strongly. “Yeah, very much so. It’s water-resistant and impact-resistant—the sensor’s HQ is connected to the Net, and the imaging system specs are pretty high up, too…but the real selling point is definitely the new model of DSP. These have proprietary MAC units… They say processing efficiency is increased by two orders of magnitude.” 

“R-right…” 

I get that I don’t get it at all, thought Kojou, nodding weakly. 

During that time, Asagi continued to gaze covetously at Yukina’s camera when she said, “Right. After you take the photo, how about you send it to me later?” 

“Ah, yes. If you teach me how, then certainly…” 

Yukina nodded a half-hearted yes. Yukina had a great deal of knowledge about anything related to rituals, but when it came to operating machinery, she was all thumbs. 

“Ah, right… We’d have to pair it. Himeragi, do you have a PC?” 

“No.” Yukina shook her head. “I’m sorry.” 

“Hmm.” Asagi’s shoulders dipped in dismay. Normally, the Cyber Empress walked around with multiple devices—notebook PC, tablet, etc.—but unsurprisingly, that was not the case while she walked around in a kimono. 

“Kojou, don’t you have one?” 

“Ah… There’s the one Nagisa uses once in a while.” 

Kojou opened a cabinet standing in a corner of the living room. Inside was a hand-me-down laptop from Mimori. For people living on Itogami Island, whether it was clothing, pets, or sports gear, if you wanted anything even a little exotic, you had to get it online. That was how Kojou and Nagisa came to acquire bare-minimum computing skills. 

“Can I borrow it?” 

“Sure thing. It’s not like it’s Nagisa’s alone.” 

“I’ll help myself, then.” 

With his permission, Asagi opened the laptop. Then, the instant she turned on the power… 

“Uwaa…” 

Asagi murmured as she knelt on the spot. Stickers with what were apparently Nagisa’s username and log-in password were stuck on the top of the computer keyboard. To Asagi, an expert in cracking passwords, the level of security was so wide open that she must have wondered if someone was playing tricks on her. 

“Simply logging in like this is kind of a blow to my pride as a hacker, but…” 

Grimacing at the indignity, Asagi connected Yukina’s camera to the laptop. For all its high specs, the MAR digital camera had numerous install options that needed to be set, and inputting all that was a chore. Using a laptop greatly reduced the time and trouble involved. 

“Well, fine. For now, I’ll just do the camera settings, select Himeragi’s photo, and send it to my address… Hmm?” 

Asagi was tapping away at the settings when her hand came to a stop, like she’d just noticed something. 

“What is it?” 

Kojou peered over Asagi’s shoulder. I don’t like this, her bitten lip seemed to suggest. 

“This account… It looks like it’s synchronized with Nagisa’s smartphone account…” 

“Synchronized?” 

“It’s set so data is exchanged between the smartphone and the computer. It’s convenient because you can check the e-mail inbox and appointments put into the calendar and so on from both ends.” 

“Ahh, that I get, but…” 

In other words, she was apparently able to browse part of the data on Nagisa’s smartphone. The feature may have been convenient, but in terms of privacy, it was dangerous, too. 

“Is there some kind of bad data in there…?” 

“Not the kind of bad you’re imagining.” 

When Kojou leaned forward, anxious about e-mails from boys or similar things, Asagi sullenly brushed him aside. Then Asagi opened an image file. 

“See, Nagisa took this photo from her smartphone. The data’s corrupted, so it’s only displaying about half of it…” 

“…Huh?” Kojou furled his brows, unable to grasp the image’s significance. “What the hell?” 

The photo’s date and time were from about a week prior—the day Nagisa arrived at Tangiwa, her grandmother’s hometown. It was also the day after all contact with her had been cut. 

The lower half of the image had damaged data, taking on a mosaic pattern. And the upper half of the image was the night sky. 

The image was probably taken through a car window. A mountain ridge cut through the winter sky. The moon and stars were not visible above it. Darkness spread across the screen as if it was the deep ocean floor. 

And an odd pattern was floating within that darkness. 

There were concentric circles, layer upon layer. Sorcerous runes were inscribed on their inner edges. 

The giant pattern of glimmering light covered the whole nighttime sky… 

…like a net, trapping Nagisa and others within. 

“That’s—?!” 

“A magic circle…?!” 

Kojou and Yukina met each other’s faces as their breath caught in their throats. 

It was the night of December 31—the Demon Sanctuary of Itogami Island, far removed from the mainland. 

One hour and fifty minutes remained until the New Year…