Strike the Blood - Volume 14 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE 

THE FALSE IDOL 

1 

Several drops of translucent red fluid trickled onto the small spoon. 

A sweet yet savory aroma spread throughout the surrounding area. 

“It’s perfect…” 

The Fourth Primogenitor, Kojou Akatsuki—also called the World’s Mightiest Vampire—sniffed the air in a daze. Filling his mouth with the warm liquid, he turned it over on the tip of his tongue, relishing the taste. Enraptured, he closed his eyes, and a smile of satisfaction came over his face. Slowly, he released a sigh of ecstasy. 

“This really is the best… Feels like strength’s welling up throughout my whole body.” Kojou shuddered as he gripped the spoon. 

In her apron as she gazed at her older brother—frankly creeped out by him—stood Nagisa Akatsuki. 

“Um, Kojou?” 

“Sorry, Kanase. I’m digging in… It’s cool, I’m just gonna have one more sip to sample the flavor… Heh-heh-heh…” 

Invoking the name of his absent underclassman, Kojou once again brought the crimson liquid to his mouth. This time, he made an exaggerated slurping noise and swallowed it all in a single gulp. 

“Hey, Kojou, hold on.” 

“Mmm… Garlic stir-fried in olive oil, cherrywood-smoked bacon, fresh onions, carrots, and cabbage with Lombardy-grown tomatoes thrown in… And on top of that, it makes full use of herb salt for the hidden flavor of a perfect minestrone. Truly the ultimate masterpiece, don’t you think?” 

Kojou, intoxicated on the taste of the soup he had cooked on his own, did not notice his little sister addressing him. “Just one more sip,” he murmured to himself, lifting the ladle he had used to mix the concoction in the large pot. 

“Hey, Kojou! Are you listening?!” 

“Whoa!” 

Nagisa, finally coming to a boil, raised her voice right in Kojou’s ear. 

Clearly startled, Kojou stiffened as he finally regained his senses. 

“Nagisa… What gives?” 

“Don’t ‘what gives?’ me. What are you doing, sneaking a bite all by yourself? Kano and Yukina have been working nonstop, you know.” 

Kojou and Nagisa were inside a temporary tent providing shelter for a food cart placed in the corner of a large public park. A simplified kitchen had been set up behind a separating screen, and a large quantity of minestrone soup was boiling on top of a commercial-grade gas stove. The four jumbo pots contained portions for roughly three hundred people. Just cooking it all had been fairly heavy labor. He felt like it was forgivable to swipe a tiny snack, at least… 

“My bad. I just wanted to taste it. Is the other stuff sorted out?” 

“Not even close. There might be even more people than yesterday. Everyone heard about the food then, so now everyone’s going out of their way to grab a bite. The charity organizers did put up numbered tickets, but that last line stretched all the way out of the park. The pot out front looks like it’s finally empty.” 

Nagisa fired off a detailed explanation. Kojou poked his head out from behind the screen to survey the state of affairs in the park; the line of people leading up to the tent easily surpassed two hundred from what he could see. The number had clearly increased from the last time he’d checked a little earlier. 

“I get it, I get it. You just finished seasoning it, so I’ll haul it out right away.” 

“Please do. And then, if you have a minute, help Yukina clear out the plates, please!” 

“Sure thing.” 

Watching his little sister race off, Kojou let a strained smile sneak onto his face. 

When his underclassman friend Kanon Kanase asked for help with her volunteer work, he’d thought it would be a plainer and more solemn affair, but the actual events had gone quite contrary to his expectations. If he had to compare, distributing food to a huge oncoming crowd was more like a festival or a sporting event. As a former athlete, Kojou didn’t mind a boisterous atmosphere like that. 

The food he was carrying was actually for the ordinary residents of Itogami Island. 

Many of those present were victims of a terrorist attack in which a group of people had hacked into demon registration bracelets two weeks prior. It became known as the Roses of Tartarus incident. Blessed with a high-quality medical system, the Demon Sanctuary had miraculously gone without fatalities, but urban areas had suffered a great deal from indiscriminately summoned Beast Vassals going on a rampage. Homes had been destroyed, and many people were forced to live in evacuation shelters. Kojou and the others were visiting a section of the city that had suffered particularly heavy damage. 

In front of the tent, volunteer staffers were distributing soup and rice balls to people. Yukina Himeragi was one of the seven or eight staff members present. 

“Sorry I’m late. Here’s the soup!” 

“Ah, senpai, thank you very much.” 

Noticing Kojou precariously carrying a large pot, Yukina rushed over in concern. Unlike her normal attire, having her hair tied up under a nurse’s cap was a new look for her. 

Behind her was a table with numerous wrapped rice balls arranged tightly together. 

As a matter of fact, the temporary tent was host to a product more popular than pork miso, or minestrone soup, or standard on-the-go food. At some point, rumor seemed to have spread that particularly cute middle school girls were distributing hand-shaped rice balls—for free—and as a result, a great number of disaster victims had gathered from all across Itogami Island in search of this food. 

That turned into publicity, which in turn brought the support of other charitable organizations, resulting in a fairly large amount of donations; the world truly was beyond human comprehension. Because the result was aid to the disaster victims, he supposed he ought to consider it a good thing… 

“You must be tired, Himeragi. Did you make all these?” 

“Yes. We’re out of rice, so these are the last of them,” she fretted, her eyelashes falling as she removed her nylon cooking gloves. 

“That so? Glad there was enough, then…” 

Kojou couldn’t hide the encroaching grimace as he gazed down at the empty rice cooker. 

The line mostly consisted of people looking for the girls’ handmade rice balls. He could easily imagine their dejection if they learned that there weren’t any more. Not like there’ll be a riot or anything…right…? he wondered, suddenly worried. 

“Gotta say, that’s a huge number of people out early in the morning.” 

“I believe that hot food bolsters everyone’s spirits. After all, it would appear they haven’t finished restoring the gas and water to this area yet,” Yukina replied in a serious tone. 

“R-right.” Kojou nodded vaguely. It’s probably better if I don’t tell her about the photo of her and the others that’s been spread all over the net, he thought. 

All the same, Itogami Island’s food situation had improved in the two weeks since the Roses of Tartarus incident. There was no longer any danger that food provided at the shelter would be the only place where victims could get a meal. 

If push came to shove, the objective of the current volunteer work was to bolster the mood and provide some joy to the disaster victims. By that measure, it was no exaggeration to say that Yukina and the others had already more than fulfilled their roles. 

Even as Kojou mulled it over, people in search of provisions were showing up one after another, and the food prepared for them was dwindling at an incredible rate. The volunteer staffers were hastily running to refresh the food and paper plates. One silver-haired, blue-eyed girl vividly stood out from the rest—Kanon Kanase. 

“Ah, Akatsuki.” 

Kanon, carrying a large cardboard box, came to a stop when she noticed Kojou. 

Having lived in a convent when she was young, Kanon had a wealth of knowledge about charitable activities. Even among those involved with the current relief effort, it was she, the youngest of all the staff, who held everyone’s trust. In addition to her beautiful looks that were far from the Japanese norm, she was very popular with the disaster victims. However, put nicely, Kanon had a gentle personality; put not so nicely, she was slightly…oblivious. With the aid distribution on its way to becoming a war zone, she clearly wasn’t the right person for the current job. 

Kanon smiled and meandered around the cramped, cluttered tent. “Perfect timing. I had something to speak with you about—” 

There was no time for Kojou to even say Wait. Kojou and Yukina stared in concern when, before their eyes, Kanon did just as expected, tripping over something and losing her balance. 

“Ah…” 

“Whoa?!” 

“Kano—?!” 

Kanon’s body, in danger of tumbling right over, was caught by Kojou at the very last moment. He held the petite Kanon up with only his left hand, with Yukina catching the cardboard box as it fell. 

“You all right, Kanase?” 

“A-Akatsuki, Yukina. I’m very sorry.” 

Still held up by Kojou’s embrace, Kanon gave a gentle smile. It was a pristine, sublime expression befitting her nickname, the Saint of Middle School. 

Kojou was momentarily captivated by her smiling face, and Kanon formally bowed her head. 

“Thank you very much for today. Yukina, thank you, as well.” 

With Kanon’s serene eyes gazing at him, Kojou averted his, blushing. “Ah, nah, all I did was get some soup ready. It was pretty fun helping, actually.” 

For her part, Yukina seemed embarrassed as she slumped her shoulders, a sigh trickling out as she said, “Yes. Besides, the damage to Itogami Island this time around is not something unrelated to us.” 

“W-well, yeah…” 

Kojou subconsciously put a hand to his own chest as an awkward feeling came over him. After all, Kojou and Yukina were right there when the Demon Sanctuary destruction group, Tartarus Lapse, destroyed Itogami Island’s Great Pile. The food stockpile had been set ablaze right before their eyes and there was nothing they could do about it. Even at that very moment, one of Tartarus Lapse’s ringleaders slept inside of Kojou as the eleventh beast vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor. For such reasons, Kojou simply couldn’t help but feel responsible for the fact that Itogami Island had food scarcity. 

“Well, it just means you shouldn’t worry ’bout us. The more I work, the less guilty I feel.” 

“Understood. But I truly am grateful to you both.” 

Kanon, who shouldn’t have been aware of the finer details, did not press them for answers; she merely spoke with a gentle, charming smile. Then she gestured with a finger to indicate her wristwatch as she said: 

“Also, I was thinking it is best if we finally head to school after this.” 

“Huh? It’s that time already? So that’s why I was feeling hungry…” 

Bewildered, Kojou looked to the clock placed in the park. 

At some point, the time had drawn close to eight AM. If they didn’t hurry, they’d be late for school. 

Fortunately, many of the volunteer staffers were college students with more time to spare. Kojou and the others had been told beforehand there would be no problem if they left partway through. 

However, thanks to having helped with the supplies since early morning, Kojou’s appetite was already back with a vengeance. The rice balls laid out before him looked irresistible. 

As if seeing through Kojou’s gloomy thoughts, Yukina waited for Kanon to leave before offering him something. With both hands, she was holding a small plate that had a few rice balls sitting on top. 

“Um, you can have this, if you’d like. I set one aside for you.” 

“Whoa, really? You sure it’s okay?” 

“Yes. I don’t know if it will suit your tastes, however…” 

“Nah, I appreciate it. I’m starving.” 

Taking the paper plate offered to him, Kojou swiftly bit into a rice ball. It was freshly made and still warm, and the seaweed was pleasantly crisp. The shape was a little off, as one would expect from a homemade rice ball, but it was impressive nonetheless. The ingredients were the standard grilled salmon and dried plum, and mustard mayonnaise for flavor. Yukina watched as Kojou stuffed his face without another word. Her gaze seemed almost affectionate. 

“—Um, Himeragi, aren’t you gonna eat something?” 

“I’m not particularly hungry… Oh, how does it taste?” asked Yukina, almost like she was forcing a change of subject. 

Kojou, chewing on the second rice ball, nodded as he gave his judgment: “This is surprisingly good.” 

“Oh. ‘Surprisingly’…hmm? …Is that so…?” 

“Uh…Himeragi?” 

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll pour some tea.” 

Kojou shot Yukina a questioning look as she departed with a sulky air about her. When Kanon returned, she and Yukina passed each other at the back entrance to the tent. 

“Excuse me, Akatsuki.” 

“Kanase…? What is it?” 

“This is… I made you some rice balls, Akatsuki.” 

Kojou blinked as he looked from Kanon’s expression to the paper plate she was offering him. 

“Erm… Kanase, you made these? For me?” 

“Yes. I would like you to eat them…if it pleases you.” 

“R-right… Thanks. I appreciate it. I—I was starving,” Kojou stammered. 

He accepted the plate from Kanon even though he was sated after having just eaten Yukina’s rice balls. When he saw Kanon’s expression full of anticipation, he simply could not refuse. 

Kanon’s rice balls were roughly the same size as Yukina’s, but she seemed to have devoted a lot of attention to them, for she had piled a total of ten atop the plate in a pyramid formation. Kojou hardened his resolve as he picked one up. Though his stomach still had a fair bit of room left, it was undeniable that his eating pace had slowed. 

As Kojou ate, Kanon stared at him, her eyes full of concern as she asked, “Does the taste not agree with you?” 

“Nah, it’s tasty. Yep, really tasty.” Kojou shook his head as he stuffed more food into his mouth. 

Kanon patted her chest in relief. “I’m so glad.” 

Thanks to her staring at him, he felt pressured to continue, and in the end, his stomach bulged with the entirety of the rice-ball mountain. 

“Th-thanks for that.” 

“It was no trouble.” 

After miraculously cleaning his plate, Kojou brought his hands together in thanks, and Kanon lowered her head in a bow. As she cleared the utensils away, Kojou wheezed and stared at the sky. 

“Are you all right, senpai?” 

Yukina, who’d returned at some point, spoke with an exasperated look as she poured tea into a paper cup. Apparently, she’d been watching the entire time he was eating Kanon’s rice balls. 

Kojou gratefully accepted the tea she’d poured as he said, “I…guess I ate too much.” 

“Goodness, what were you thinking? Here, you have a grain of rice on your face.” 

With a sigh, Yukina picked the rice off Kojou’s cheek. He laughed weakly, already bereft of the willpower to make excuses. He had eaten a total of thirteen rice balls. Assuming each one weighed about a hundred grams on average, he calculated that he’d eaten thirteen hundred grams of white rice in total. Though he was the World’s Mightiest Vampire, Kojou’s stomach was at its limit. 

“Sorry for the trouble, Himeragi.” 

“No need to apologize. I watch over you, senpai. This is the least I can—” 

Yukina was speaking with a lively expression when, suddenly, they heard a boisterous patter of footsteps. Nagisa stormed into the back of the tent and ripped off her apron. 

“Kojou!” 

“—?!” 

Yukina was still touching Kojou’s cheek. Her back trembled as she jumped away. Kojou coughed loudly as he looked back and said: 

“N-Nagisa?! What gives, all of a sudden?!” 

“Why do you two seem so surprised…?” 

Nagisa, seeing Kojou’s and Yukina’s overly dramatic reactions, tilted her head with a mystified look. Then, she beamed with pride and produced the paper plate she was hiding behind her back. 

“Well, whatever. Anyway, I made rice balls!” 

“Huh?” 

“We really need to head to school now, but you didn’t have time to eat breakfast, right, Kojou? I made these just for you, so make sure to savor them when you eat them. I mean, I even picked out the ingredients you like: cod roe and tuna with mayo!” 

As the words spilled from her mouth, Nagisa pressed the paper plate toward him. Sitting on it were two rice balls so humongous that they easily protruded over the edges. 

“R-right… Thanks. I—I appreciate it. I was s-starving…” 

Unable to turn away his little sister’s good will, Kojou thanked her with a trembling voice. Nagisa put on a big smile. 

“I thought so! Now hurry and eat up before someone catches you. There are still plenty of people lined up out front waiting their turn, you know!” 

“Ha…ha-ha…” Kojou laughed weakly, staring at Nagisa’s offering with a desperate look on his face. “Thanks for the food,” he said, closing his eyes with a horrified expression as he wolfed down the rice balls, almost as if he meant to eat the plate along with them. 

“………” 

Yukina watched him with a sigh before closing her eyes out of pity. 

2 

When Kojou finally made it to his homeroom, there was still some time before class started. Overeating had taken its toll on him, and he looked about ready to keel over. In desperate need of a break, Kojou headed toward his seat. However… 

“Ah, he’s here! Akatsuki, over here, over here!” 

“Tanahara?” 

…As soon as he entered the classroom, Kojou’s classmate Yuuho Tanahara flagged him down. The two of them had been classmates since middle school, so he liked to think he knew her pretty well. Unable to ignore the loud-voiced girl calling out to him, Kojou reluctantly sat in front of Yuuho. 

The heck does she want? thought Kojou as Yuuho pointed at an empty desk by the windowsill and said, “Hey, Akatsuki. You been in touch with Asagi Aiba lately?” 

“Asagi? Ah…so she’s out today, too?” Surveying the classroom, Kojou spoke with an air of composure. 

Asagi hadn’t been to school even once since the Tartarus Lapse incident. Apparently, she’d been holed up at the Gigafloat Management Corporation, helping with the restoration of Itogami Island. The only reason Kojou wasn’t worried about Asagi was because they texted every day. Most of her texts were about her work for the Corporation or complaints about the food they were giving her, but… 

“Come to think of it, the message she sent yesterday was pretty long. She was talking about how her part-time job was killing her, or something…” 

“Oh yeah? She’s definitely not coming to school today, then. That’s tough… I promised my cousin in elementary school I’d send him a photo of Asagi and me…” 

Yuuho’s small nose wrinkled as she murmured her disappointment and fiddled with the smartphone in her hand. 

“Your little cousin…?” Kojou asked, shooting her a look of confusion. “Why would a little kid want a photo of Asagi?” 

“Well, that’s because he’s a fan,” Yuuho explained as if it was nothing. “He was super-happy when I told him that I’m Asagi’s classmate.” 

“Huh… It’s almost like she’s an idol, or something.” 

Kojou let the words trickle out, as if he didn’t even realize he was thinking out loud. Even after hearing that Asagi had a young fan, it didn’t seem real; it just didn’t click. 

Kojou’s demeanor, ignorant to his peril, made Yuuho a bit irritated as she raised her voice. 

“She’s not like an idol, she is an idol. I mean she’s, like, the savior of Itogami Island, stopping a group of terrorists with international arrest warrants all by herself. Of course she’s popular. Well, she’s only a local idol here on Itogami Island…” 

“So it’s a localized fame thing, like a place’s famous general from the Warring States period, or their mascot, or something like that.” 

“W-well, I suppose. But it seems like she’s a topic everywhere on the mainland. I mean, Asagi’s actually pretty hot. Although, she tried too hard to be fashionable, and it started going in a weird direction…” 

“Um, well, that’s fine, isn’t it? If it suits her, it’s all good, right?” 

Kojou recalled Asagi’s needlessly extravagant hairstyle and clothing as he found himself defending her. She certainly did seem to be flailing at times, but he didn’t exactly mind her putting so much effort into her appearance. 

Yuuho curled up the corners of her mouth in mild amusement as she teased, “I’m a little surprised to hear you say that, Akatsuki.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really. Well, that’s fine. Ah, before I forget. Akatsuki, do you have a photo of Asagi on you?” 

Yuuho’s lips loosened into a leering smile as she changed topics. Kojou knit his brows, thrown off course. 

“Photo?” 

“Yes, yes. Something private, not one of those class picture things.” 

“My smartphone got broken, and I only just replaced it. Wonder if there is anything like that on here.” 

He took out his smartphone. The crucial data had been transferred, but there weren’t many photos left over in the process. 

“Ah, there is. The one from when we went to Blue Elysium last year.” 

“Eh, Blue Ely?! That’s incredible. Blue Ely means, what, she’s in a swimsuit?!” 

Yuuho leaned forward, acting excited. Kojou shook his head, a half-hearted expression coming over him as he said, “Ah, well, technically she’s in a swimsuit, but…” 

“…What the heck is this?” Yuuho fumed, shooting Kojou an accusatory glare. 

The picture showed Kojou and Asagi at Blue Elysium. Both were wearing lame T-shirts, holding a metal container and a yakisoba pack, respectively. 

“Well, um, this is the photo from when Asagi and I went to Blue Ely. We worked part-time at a yakisoba stand.” 

“This isn’t the kind of photo I wanted to see! And what the hell’s so private about this?!” 

“There’s also the one of her at the all-you-can-eat fried chicken bar. After that, there’s the commemorative photo for eating all the special ramen at a contest…” 

“Those are just photos of her eating! Why is it that all you have are photos that would only serve to shatter the image of an innocent little kid’s idol?!” 

Yuuho’s voice was ragged. 

Even if you put it like that…, Kojou thought, sighing before he said, “That’s why there’s no way she can pull off being an idol. The heck are you people expecting out of Asagi?” 

“When you put it that way, you’ve got a point, I guess.” 

Yuuho’s cheeks puffed up in a pout. Asagi was a beauty as long as she kept her mouth shut, but she was the type without any sensuality to go with her looks. She was spoiled rotten, she didn’t have a bubbly personality, and she couldn’t care less what other people thought of her. Kojou actually liked those blunt traits of hers, but he knew they weren’t traits befitting the typical idol. 

However, Yuuho looked like she wasn’t ready to give in just yet. She grabbed Kojou’s smartphone without his permission and connected to a website. A song began to play, and he immediately recognized the singer’s voice. 

“But Asagi’s promotional video was fun and adorable, totally legit idol stuff. Here, look.” 

“Ah, that?” 

Gazing at the video, Kojou shrugged his shoulders. The title was “Save Our Sanctuary”—a charity song produced by the Gigafloat Management Corporation, broadcast all over the island to support the Itogami Island revival effort. 

Asagi was singing it while wearing a pure-white summer dress. If someone twisted his arm, he’d admit that the sight of her walking barefoot along a beach in the video was pretty idol-like. She was owning it. Apparently, it had gotten a positive reception. But, put bluntly, Kojou didn’t care for that image of her at all. 

As if seeing straight through to Kojou’s heart, Yuuho raised one eyebrow as she said, “Oh my. What’s wrong? You don’t like it, Akatsuki?” 

“Not really. It just feels…off, somehow.” 

“Hmmm. Well, that’s… I suppose you’re right. You must feel like Asagi’s suddenly riding off into the sunset.” 

That was a good one, thought Yuuho as she jumped to conclusions. Although Kojou thought there was obviously some misunderstanding, clearing up the confusion would be a pain, so Kojou just let it be. Well, it’s no big deal, he thought, taking back his smartphone and heading to his seat for real this time. 

As he did, a tall, mature-looking high school girl spoke to Kojou along the way. It was Rin Tsukishima, the class representative. With sound coursing from Kojou’s smartphone, she looked at it like it was some sort of novelty. 

“Good morning, Akatsuki. What are you watching?” she asked. 

“Ah, Tsukishima. Some sort of promotional video by Asagi, apparently.” 

“The Itogami Island Revival Support Project song?” Rin gave the smartphone a scornful glance, shaking her head as if losing all interest when she said, full of invective for some reason, “It’s well shot, but it’s fake.” 

“Fake?” 

“Yeah. I’m thinking magic or CGI. I don’t think Asagi went and participated herself, either.” 

“I see… So that’s why, huh?” 

Kojou’s face suddenly turned serious as he stared at the Asagi on the screen. He paused the video app when it showed a close-up of the girl he was so familiar with. 

“…So that’s why.” 

Rin stared at Kojou with a sharp look in her eyes. Unable to discern what came after the cutoff, she scrutinized Kojou’s conflicted face as he said: 

“I knew something was off about it. It didn’t seem like Asagi at all.” 

The instant she heard his explanation, Rin went Heh, breaking into a soft, charming smile. She gazed at Kojou with a gentle smile, almost as if to say I’ve raised my estimation just a little. 

“At times, it’s hard to tell whether you’re dense or sharp, Akatsuki.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean? Anyway, how’d you know it was fake, Tsukishima?” 

“Earrings.” 

Rin’s expression remained unchanged as she made the blunt, single-word statement. Kojou, looking like the village idiot, peered back at her and said: 

“Huh?” 

“The color of her earrings is different.” 

“Ah, now that you mention it…” 

When the promotional video was shot, Asagi was wearing red earrings Kojou didn’t recognize. From the looks of it, they were the expensive kind embedded with large gemstones. Asagi always wore her favorite blue earrings, which certainly gave off a very different impression. 

“Wait, that’s all?” 

“It’s enough. Asagi would never go without them, let alone put on a different pair.” 

“R-right…” 

With Rin crisply refuting him, Kojou could offer no rebuttal. If Rin, Asagi’s close friend, went as far as saying that, Kojou could not help but trust her. 

“Besides, singing and dancing are hardly Asagi’s specialties. That girl tries to hide it, but she’s actually quite tone-deaf.” 

“Y…yeah.” 

This time, Kojou agreed when Rin laid out the unvarnished truth. As a matter of fact, Kojou was well aware that Asagi hated karaoke. Neither the sound nor richness of her voice were poor, but for some reason, singing was a no-go. 

Even if it was for Itogami Island’s revival, he didn’t think Asagi would sing in front of people. If she had to sing, she’d probably just break out her PC and design synthetic voice software from scratch to do the singing for her. 

And if Asagi’s singing was fake, it wasn’t strange to assume that the entire promo video was fake from top to bottom. Now that he’d begun to suspect one portion, he couldn’t think of the girl in the video and Asagi as being the same person at all. 

It didn’t matter much to Kojou and the others whether the promo video was real or fake. One often heard of idol songs and photos being edited, and there was no way Asagi would make a career out of being an idol anyway. 

The problem was not the existence of a fake Asagi. The problem was, why was the Gigafloat Management Corporation building Asagi up as an idol, to the point it had provided a counterfeit? 

And there was one more question on his mind. 

“………” 

Kojou was still pursing his lips when he swung his legs over his chair and sat. Even after the chime indicated the start of classes, he couldn’t stop wondering. 

After all, he’d been told the reason for Asagi’s absence from school was that she was supporting Itogami Island’s reconstruction. But if her activities toward that end were fake to begin with… 

…where was the real Asagi now, and what was she up to? 

3 

“A fake…you say? Of Aiba??” 

After classes that day, Yukina had been waiting for Kojou outside the school gate. Once they met up, they took a walk over to the general hospital in Island West. They meant to pay a visit to Motoki Yaze, who’d been injured during the Roses of Tartarus incident. 

Caught up in a Tartarus Lapse attack aimed at Asagi, Yaze had suffered magical damage and blood loss, temporarily falling into a coma, but he’d returned to his normal self after a week in the hospital and was now energetic enough to request that candy and junk food be brought along on their latest visit. 

“That’s just what a girl in my class said, so it’s not like there’s hard proof or anything…,” Kojou said as he toyed with the pass token for the regular school train. 

Several days earlier, large posters for the Itogami Island Revival Support Project had been plastered all over the monorail station, restored to service only the day before. Of course, Asagi’s photo was on the main poster. Certainly, the Asagi flashing a perfect idol smile was a completely different person from the Asagi Kojou was used to. 

“But we haven’t seen Aiba once since she vanished after the Roses of Tartarus, have we…?” 

She had such good intuition that she might well have realized something was off with the videos of Asagi flooding the city long before Kojou had noticed. 

“She’s been messaging me every day, so I hadn’t been all that worried, but…now that I think about it rationally, who knows if it was really Asagi typing them out.” 

“True. At the very least, it would be good if we could contact Aiba directly…” 

“Even if we went to see her, there’s no way they’d let us in easily. Her phone’s been going straight to voicemail this whole time, too.” 

“Aiba has become quite famous, hasn’t she? She’s even become a hot topic among middle schoolers.” 

Yukina spoke as they passed through the station’s automatic ticket gate. Guess she really has, thought Kojou, only belatedly appreciating the fact. Apparently, Asagi’s activities as a local idol had spread to the general public more than Kojou had imagined. 

“Well, let’s just talk to Yaze for now. He might have a clue about what’s going on,” Kojou murmured as they exited the station. 

Motoki Yaze was Asagi’s childhood friend, and his older brother was a senior executive of the Gigafloat Management Corporation. It was a lot faster and more reliable to have Yaze look into the situation than to have the two of them wander around worried. 

The hospital where Yaze was staying was an eye-catching building in front of the station. They’d already visited a number of times, so they knew his room number. 

The pair went to the reception desk, obtained hospital passes with their names on them, and boarded the elevator. However, just as they arrived at Yaze’s room, the two came to a stop, dumbfounded. 

“Huh…?” 

Kojou’s voice trickled out as he surveyed the empty hospital room’s interior, sounding incredulous. The bed Yaze had been using had been very tidily made, and all his personal belongings were missing. 

At some point, the admitted patient nameplate that had been hanging on the hospital room door had been removed. It seemed he’d been discharged without Kojou knowing. 

“Are you Yaze’s friends?” 

A passing female nurse called out to Kojou as he stood rooted to the spot. He’d seen the young nurse a number of times during previous visits. 

“Ah, yes. When did he get discharged?” Kojou asked, a dissatisfied look regarding at Yaze coming over him. There was a hint of conflict in the nurse’s smile as she said: 

“Perhaps he wasn’t discharged, but transferred? His older brother visited last night and left with him,” the nurse explained. She raised a finger in front of her lips in an adorable gesture, the sort one used when dealing with little kids. “But that’s a secret.” 

“Yaze’s older brother, huh?” 

“There were quite a few bodyguards. Yaze’s father is a big shot at the Gigafloat Management Corporation, so I can understand their concern…” 

The nurse then let out a small sigh. The father of the Yaze brothers—Akishige Yaze—was the chairman emeritus of the Gigafloat Management Corporation. He had been a target during the Roses of Tartarus incident. Even at that moment, it was still unclear whether he was dead or alive. 

As a result, Akishige’s seat had been passed to the Yaze family by way of inheritance, and ferocious horse trading was apparently underway. If anything, it made sense to be extra wary of assassinations against the Yaze brothers. 

Perhaps Yaze’s sudden transfer to another hospital was related to those circumstances. Not contacting Kojou and Yukina about it was probably a security measure. 

“Do you know which hospital Yaze was transferred to?” Kojou asked, but the nurse smiled and shook her head. 

“I’m afraid not. But I wouldn’t be able to tell you even if I did.” 

“That figures.” 

With a deep sigh, Kojou thanked the nurse and left the hospital room. He trudged heavily down the corridor, got into the elevator, and headed out of the hospital. 

Noticing Kojou brooding, Yukina looked up at the side of his face and asked, seemingly to herself, “I wonder what all of this means?” 

“Dunno.” Kojou weakly raised both hands in a noncommittal gesture. “A transfer’s no big deal, but the no contact part bugs me. It’s not like Yaze’s big brother has a reason to kidnap his younger brother, so there’s probably no need to worry, but…” 

Yaze’s transfer. And Asagi’s prolonged absence. Both were somewhat special circumstances, but neither action had unnatural elements to them. Kojou and Yukina had no reason to worry. 

But all of a sudden, he’d lost all means of contact with the friends who had continued to stand at his side, and he couldn’t find any rhyme or reason to it. That was what made Kojou worry. He tried sending Yaze a text message for peace of mind, but as he expected, there was no reply whatsoever. 

“Senpai?” 

When Kojou stopped in the middle of a crosswalk, Yukina looked at him in confusion. 

“Oh, it’s… I was thinking, I’m pretty sure Asagi’s place is close to this hospital.” 

“Is that so?” 

“I vaguely remembered, somehow…” 

Yukina blinked in confusion as Kojou nodded to himself. It was a fairly vague memory, but he remembered passing through that crossing when he’d visited Asagi’s place on New Year’s. 

“We’ve come this far either way, so why not try seeing Sumire?” 

“Sumire? You mean Aiba’s mother?” 

“We might be able to ask her about Asagi… Ah, no need to force yourself to see her, Himeragi.” 

“No, I’ll accompany you. It is at times like these that I must firmly watch your conduct, senpai. I mean, Aiba’s mother is a very pretty lady—” 

Yukina spoke, an especially serious expression coming over her. Kojou spontaneously opened his eyes wide as he protested, “Hold on a sec! What are you worried about, exactly?!” 

“Perhaps you should reflect upon all your actions to date.” 

When Yukina glared with narrowed eyes, Kojou’s lips twisted in displeasure. Certainly, due to extenuating circumstances, he’d ended up drinking the blood of a number of girls, but there was no way he’d do the same with Asagi’s mother……probably. 

Asagi’s home was located in a corner of an affluent residential district at the top of a gently sloping hill. As he proceeded to walk past beautiful roadside trees, a familiar mansion with a very traditional style came into view. 

“Hey. This is the street, right?” 

“Yes, but…” 

Yukina suddenly came to a halt as she gazed at the wall encircling the mansion. Kojou soon realized why. The road leading to the front of Asagi’s home was sealed off with a steel-pipe barricade. 

Standing in front of the barricade were guardsmen carrying firearms. 

“The Island Guard…?!” Yukina gasped, her voice quiet when she saw their uniforms. 

It wasn’t ordinary police blocking the road. Dubbed the Island Guard, they were anti-demon armed guardsmen under the direct command of the Gigafloat Management Corporation, charged with maintaining public order inside the Demon Sanctuary. 

There were probably two squads deployed to surround the mansion—some ten-odd souls. There was an armored car parked behind the barricade. Asagi’s father was a VIP who worked on the Itogami City Council, but such gratuitous fighting strength was clearly overkill for mere escort duty. 

Though it was a fact the strict security made him falter for a moment, Kojou had come too far. He couldn’t just turn back without doing anything. Kojou put on his best “harmless high school student” face and called out to one of the guardsmen. 

“Um, excuse me. My friend’s house is just up ahead—” 

“Your friend’s name?” 

A stout guardsman kept his protective mask on as he directed his attention toward Kojou. 

Kojou pointed to the mansion behind the barricade and answered, “Er… Asagi Aiba. That’s Aiba’s house.” 

“Miss Asagi Aiba, is it? Please present your permit.” 

“Huh? Permit?” 

The guardsman’s unanticipated demand made Kojou, beside himself, parrot back the words. 

“Entering the area requires a permit from the Gigafloat Management Corporation. Those without one are not granted entry.” 

“Uh, wait a sec. I mean, I never needed a permit to come here all the time bef—” 

“Senpai.” 

When Kojou tried to debate the point, Yukina gently tugged on his arm. Kojou gasped, his expression hardening. 

At some point, the armed guardsmen behind the barricade had raised their guns. The barrels of the military-style machine pistols were plainly trained on Kojou’s center mass. 

If Kojou tried to force his way through the barricade, there was no doubt the guardsmen would fire. That was their duty. 

“Let’s go, Himeragi.” 

Pouting, Kojou spread both arms wide and began heading back down the road. He didn’t understand the circumstances, but he instinctively knew further negotiations were pointless. 

But the encounter wasn’t entirely fruitless. He knew one thing for sure. 

He knew that the absence of the real Asagi was not something she chose. Someone was isolating her. Someone who could control even the Gigafloat Management Corporation as they willed— 

“Thank you for your cooperation.” 

As Kojou kept walking, visibly irritated, the armed guardsman spoke those words in a businesslike tone directed at his back. 

Kojou didn’t turn around once. 

4 

Wearing her familiar school uniform, Asagi replied to the questions with a refined, smiling face. She was appearing as a guest on a channel broadcast locally on Itogami Island. 

“………” 

Visibly annoyed, Motoki Yaze remained on his side in bed as he watched Asagi on TV. Objectively, the scene was picture-perfect, but it played out so naturally that it felt unnatural. The Asagi being interviewed was a fake. Kojou and the others had probably realized something was off by now. 

Put another way, it meant that unless you were someone who knew her as well as Yaze and Kojou, you’d never notice she was a fake. 

He understood why the Corporation would set Asagi up as an idol to the point of perpetrating such an elaborate fraud. Itogami Island had incurred heavy damage at the hands of the Roses of Tartarus, and numerous citizens had been temporarily displaced. Itogami Island needed a charismatic symbol of recovery to deflect their irritation and dissatisfaction. 

In that sense, Asagi was a most suitable candidate. She was the genius programmer who’d saved Itogami Island from the Demon Sanctuary destruction group, and on top of that, she was a genuine high school girl. That was more than enough reason to promote her and slap the label of “local idol” onto her. 

And by using Asagi’s image in the media, no one would notice that Asagi herself had vanished from sight. The Gigafloat Management Corporation was using her popularity to isolate the awakened Priestess of Cain from the world at large. 

It really was a farce. 

However, even if he had a decent grasp of the situation, there was nothing Yaze could do about it. His leg had finally healed after being shot by Tartarus Lapse, but the internal organ damage from overuse of his Hyper Adaptation power and overdose of boosters was simply too great. For a while, it would be futile to even try to monitor Kojou, let alone use his abilities in combat. 

On top of that, Yaze had been unable to contact Koyomi Shizuka—one of the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency, who he called his girlfriend—ever since the incident. 

In the end, all Yaze could do was look pissed off as he watched the fake Asagi on TV. 

All of a sudden, the door to his hospital room opened without a knock. In walked a man who could have been the poster child for the upper class. He was Kazuma Yaze, Yaze’s brother who was ten years his senior and born of a different mother. 

“How are you faring, Motoki?” 

Kazuma, wearing a close-fitting European-style suit, looked down at his jersey-clad younger brother as he posed the question. With naked wariness on Yaze’s face, he looked back at his older brother without a word. 

Kazuma, an elite with a doctorate from a famous university in the North American Union, was chief manager of the City Administration Office of the Gigafloat Management Corporation, making him a very busy man. Yaze didn’t think his older brother would pay a hospital visit without a very good reason. 

“What’s going on, Bro? Why’d you drag me to a place like this?” Yaze asked as he examined the unfamiliar, post-transfer hospital room. 

Yaze had been brought to a hospital in Island North’s research district attached to a pharmaceutical company. It was a high-tech, antiseptic building, a facility oriented toward clinical trials of new drugs rather than toward medical treatment. Immediately after being admitted, his cell phone and all other electronic devices had been confiscated; thanks to that, Yaze had been unable to inform Kojou and the others of his hospital transfer. 

However, Kazuma looked back at his younger brother’s annoyed face, a curious expression on his own as he asked: 

“Are the accommodations not to your liking? I did ask them to give you the finest private room available.” 

“That ain’t the problem. The hell are you thinking? You keepin’ somethin’ from me?” 

“I will hide nothing from you. Such a thing would be meaningless.” A sarcastic smile crept onto Kazuma’s lips. 

Yaze was a Hyper Adapter—a natural psychic who didn’t rely on magic. If certain conditions were met, he was capable of overhearing the conversations of others even in places several kilometers away. Kazuma understood his younger brother’s power better than anyone. 

“I had you transferred for the sake of security. We would be unable to protect you in a normal hospital room, you see.” 

“Protect? Me…?” 

The unexpected words coming from Kazuma’s mouth brought an incredulous look to Yaze’s face. 

“Who would wanna come after a guy like me—?” 

“You will succeed the Yaze family name, on the surface at least, in place of our assassinated father.” 

Kazuma’s declaration interrupted his younger brother’s question. For an instant, Yaze stiffened, unable to comprehend its meaning. 

“You mean I’ll…be the head of the family…?” 

“That’s right. Of course, this will be in name only until you are legally an adult.” 

“That’s crazy! There’s no way everyone else is gonna accept that!” Yaze shouted, forgetting he was in a hospital. 

Being head of the main branch of the Yaze family meant you’d be commander in chief of a gigantic financial group, influential in the worlds of politics and business since ancient times. It wasn’t the kind of role any average joe could take on. 

If you didn’t have overwhelming political backing to keep the power-hungry heavyweights of the family in check, you’d be eaten alive before long, and you’d wind up living out the rest of your days in misery. 

“In the first place, I ain’t cut out to be head of the family! You’re way more suited for that than I am!” 

“I am merely the child of our father’s lover. If I had at least inherited the family’s special ability, I might have been able to manage somehow, but no Hyper Adaptive power has ever manifested within me.” 

Kazuma stated the cold, hard facts. Generation after generation, the Yaze family bloodline had turned out numerous excellent Hyper Adapters. Akishige Yaze, the current head, was said to possess a particularly strong power. And such power had never manifested in Kazuma. If it took unquestionable might to inherit the Yaze family name, this was the reason Kazuma could not be chosen as the successor. 

“But you’re different, Motoki. You are a direct descendant of the family of the Four Forbidden Symbols. To shut up the old men so they can’t complain, you must be the next head of the family.” 

“And…what’ll you do if I say I won’t cooperate…?” Yaze asked, his voice sharp. 

However, unruffled, Kazuma smiled. 

“I wouldn’t particularly mind. If you abandon your right of succession, surely no one will actually make an attempt on your life. But would you be fine with that? You do realize, if it comes to that, no one will be left to protect your mother.” 

“So you didn’t plan on letting me choose from the start.” Yaze fumed like a child. 

Shaking his head and with no intention to apologize, Kazuma continued. “Not to worry. I’ll handle all the real work and troublesome formalities. Guardian, adviser, grant me any title you prefer. Of course, if you want to do all those things yourself, I will not stop you.” 

Yaze groaned, shaking his head dramatically and flopping onto the bed. He pointed at the screen of the still-on TV. He casually asked, “Just to make one thing perfectly clear, you’re not the one who set up that farce, are you?” 

“Asagi Aiba…the Priestess of Cain, yes?” 

Yaze thought he heard his brother click his tongue. Kazuma knew Asagi well because she had been friends with Yaze for so long. Kazuma didn’t look upon the Gigafloat Management Corporation using Asagi any more fondly than his brother did. Knowing this, Yaze’s expression loosened a bit. 

“At this point in time, there is still a chance to save her…if you cooperate with us, that is.” 

“With us…?” 

Yaze knitted his brows in response to Kazuma’s strangely casual demeanor. After all, Kazuma was implying that he had someone’s cooperation already. 

Stealing the position of the head of the Yaze family and physically securing Asagi—in a certain sense, this was a revolt against the Gigafloat Management Corporation. Yaze couldn’t of a single person that would willing go along with such a reckless plan. 

“What’s your angle here?” Yaze challenged. 

Then he felt the wavering of the air directly behind him. Suddenly, a small-statured individual appeared in a previously empty corner of the hospital room. 

“Have you finished speaking with your guardian?” 

When Yaze wheeled around in surprise, he heard a voice—lispy, but haughty nonetheless. Looking over, an extravagant, frilly dress swayed in the corner of his field of vision. 

“The heck are you doing here…?” Yaze exclaimed as he stared at the woman seemingly melting into view out of thin air. 

In contrast to her doll-like appearance, the woman possessed a mysteriously compelling force. 

She was an English teacher at Saikai Academy—and Yaze’s homeroom teacher to boot. She was also known as the Demonslayer, the cold, heartless Attack Mage who struck fear into the hearts of the sorcerous criminals of Europe. 

“I owe a debt to your father and the Board of Directors of the Gigafloat Management Corporation. If you have concerns about your career options, I would be happy to discuss them with you, Motoki Yaze.” 

With a broad smile, Natsuki Minamiya—the Witch of the Void—spoke those words with an amused chuckle. 

5 

Beneath the sun’s scorching rays, characteristic of Itogami Island, Sayaka Kirasaka stood in front of an apartment building. She carried a large instrument case for a keyboard over her left shoulder, while her right hand was pulling along a wheeled suitcase. In her right hand, Sayaka gripped a silver key. 

It was a smart key, commonly used at apartment complexes, but Sayaka held it as if it were an expensive work of art. 

“This is… This is the key to Yukina’s apartment…!” 

Her shoulders trembled as she spoke, deeply moved. 

Sayaka was looking up at the apartment building where Yukina was staying for the purpose of monitoring the Fourth Primogenitor. That day, Sayaka had been given an entry key to Yukina’s room which lay just ahead. 

“Receiving this means I’ll be Yukina’s roommate once again…! This means the Lion King Agency officially accepts cohabitation, right?!” 

“Eee-hee-hee-hee!” Sayaka couldn’t help letting out an eerie laugh as she released the auto-lock and entered the apartment building. Her destination was Room 705—Yukina’s room. Next door, Room 704, was the residence of Yukina’s target for observation, the Fourth Primogenitor—Kojou Akatsuki. 

Rising to the seventh floor by elevator, Sayaka gazed at the nameplate reading AKATSUKI as she said, “I don’t care for living next to Kojou Akatsuki, but one must bear goodwill toward one’s neighbors, so if I must, then I must. It wouldn’t be bad to at least wake him up when he oversleeps and enjoy meals together from time to time, though!” 

She somehow sounded like she was making excuses as she spoke to herself, cheeks reddening. She made her way to Room 705 and unlocked the door. 

“Sorry. I’m letting myself in, Yukina.” 

There was no sign of Yukina and Kojou having returned home. “Pardon me,” Sayaka murmured in a small voice as she entered Yukina’s room. On paper, the room belonged to the Lion King Agency, so Sayaka was not forbidden entry, but she still felt a smidgeon of guilt for invading someone’s personal space. 

But Sayaka’s sense of guilt evaporated the instant she saw the room’s interior. 

This was because Yukina’s room had next to nothing placed within it that felt indicative of a personal life. 

It had a simple, some-assembly-required–style bed and cabinet, and a small dining table. This was the entirety of the furnishings added to Yukina’s room. In the open closet were spare Saikai Academy uniforms and a precious few articles of personal clothing. Sayaka herself had selected and sent most of that personal clothing for Yukina. 

“Ugh, I should have expected this…” 

Looking around the lifeless living room, Sayaka let out an exasperated sigh. 

Yukina hadn’t changed at all since their time in High God Forest. Her mission for the Lion King Agency was her whole life. She stripped away all things that were unrelated to the mission. It was almost as if she was asserting that she, herself, might vanish at any moment. 

It came off as just too pure, and moreover, fragile, forlorn— 

It was something that really got under Sayaka’s skin. 

To Sayaka, who’d lost her own family at a young age, Yukina was more like a sister than any of her own blood relatives could ever be. That was why she wanted Yukina to be happy. Even if she could not escape her duty as a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency, surely she was capable of finding a piece of happiness to call her own. 

And Sayaka felt it was her duty to teach that to Yukina. In other words, she felt that she’d insufficiently made her case. She had to more thoroughly demonstrate her feelings of love, more thoroughly convey just how precious Yukina was to her. She had to tell Yukina that people would be sad if she ever disapp— 

“…Wait, what?” 

Sayaka’s eyes fell on the front of the cabinet, which contained textbooks and the like. Something small and wooden had been placed on top—a box. Inside were things that, put bluntly, could only be described as junk: Hakone Hot Springs resort leaflets, the stub of an already-used ferry ticket, an empty candy box with a Halloween design drawn on it, and a little cat plushie that looked like something out of a game center. And a picture of Kojou Akatsuki— 

In Yukina’s room, one that didn’t feel lived in, it was only around this little box that Sayaka sensed a gentle warmth. She didn’t really want to guess at their particular significance, but she did understand that these objects were Yukina’s precious memories. No doubt, many of these memories were connected to Kojou Akatsuki. That annoyed Sayaka greatly. 

“Somehow, that ticks me off. Damn you, Kojou—” 

Sayaka pursed her lips as she sat down on Yukina’s bed. 

Bringing Yukina’s pillow to her face, she inhaled deeply and basked in warm, fuzzy emotions. If Yukina had found something precious to her, then Sayaka would be happy for her, but she didn’t care for it having been due to Kojou Akatsuki’s influence. 

After all, that man was the World’s Mightiest Vampire, an extremely dangerous individual, and a pervert on top of that, someone who had committed all kinds of indecent acts upon not just Yukina, but Sayaka as well. The mere presence of that man at Yukina’s side made Sayaka’s heart stir. 

However, now that she’d obtained a key to Yukina’s room, she didn’t intend to let him run wild. Thereafter, Sayaka would keep Kojou Akatsuki under strict observation to see to it that he did not subject Yukina to further negative influence. In all likelihood, that was why the upper echelons of the Lion King Agency had dispatched her— No, Sayaka was sure of it. 

“Hmm?” 

Renewing her determination, Sayaka stood up, whereupon her expression abruptly hardened. She’d discovered a device Yukina had placed right behind the little box, almost as if trying to hide it. The unadorned device had a blunt warning sticker on its surface announcing that it was a special medical package not for sale outside the Demon Sanctuary. 

“What’s this…? A do-it-yourself testing kit…?” 

Sayaka violently snatched up the container. The seal had been broken. Inside was the sort of analytical chemical that made an assessment based on a single drop of blood. Next to it was graph paper for estimates based on shifts in core body temperature. 

“Yukina…” 

When she looked at the numbers displayed on the graph paper, Sayaka paled, her lips trembling. 

As if struck by nausea, her eyes remained open wide in astonishment as she sank down to the floor then and there. 

Sayaka remained there, unmoving, as the rays of the setting sun filtered through a gap in the curtains, dying the side of her face red. 

6 

On the terrace of a second-story café just outside of Keystone Gate—the giant building standing at the center of Itogami Island—Kojou and Yukina were sipping their respective drinks. 

Right in front of the café was the western entrance into Keystone Gate. Together with it was a see-through elevator that went to the topmost floor and a studio from which FM Itogami, Itogami City’s local radio station, was broadcast. Kojou and Yukina had gone out of their way to check the place out because Asagi was supposedly being broadcast live on air. If the real Asagi was visiting the radio station, waiting there might give them a glimpse of her as she passed—or so went their faint hopes. 

At any rate, they weren’t the only ones who’d had that idea. People who looked like Asagi fans were gathering around the studio, waiting to catch a glimpse of her. It was clearly a stakeout. The fans on standby numbered close to thirty people in all. Most were high school students, and the ratio of male to female was around six to four in the girls’ favor. Witnessing this, Kojou felt renewed appreciation for Asagi’s popularity as a local idol. 

“Not gonna eat, Himeragi? This place is pretty famous, apparently.” 

Kojou pointed at the donuts placed atop a tray as he posed the question. They’d ordered a significant amount of food so they could stay at the café for a while. All the reviews said that the donuts at this location were pretty tasty, but unfortunately, Kojou was in no condition to eat fatty foods that day. His stomach hadn’t yet recovered from the onslaught of rice balls earlier that morning. 

“No, I… Sorry, I am not very hungry,” Yukina answered as she cast her face downward. She’d barely touched the orange juice she’d ordered. If Kojou’s memory served correctly, Yukina hadn’t eaten breakfast, either. 

“No need to apologize, but are you all right? You’re a little pale, y’know.” 

A wave of concern washed over Kojou’s face as his eyes locked onto Yukina. He’d been worried about her ever since visiting Asagi’s place, but Yukina seemed a little frail that day. She had a fair complexion to begin with, but she looked especially pale now. Her eyes looked bleary, too, almost feverish. 

But for some reason, Yukina firmly shook her head and said: 

“No. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m sure I’m just experiencing a minor dip in body temperature.” 

“…Low body temperature?” 

You’ve gotta be kidding me, Kojou expressed with a scowl. Itogami Island, floating right in the middle of the Pacific, was pretty hot even in winter due to the warm ocean currents and humidity. Put more bluntly, it was hot as hell. Furthermore, the open café was getting direct sunlight from the west, enough that just sitting there was making him sweat. 

If Yukina was feeling a chill in spite of that, there had to be a serious problem with her physical state. 

“Kch……!” 

As a grave look came over Kojou, Yukina suddenly coughed in front of him. 

“Himeragi…?” 

“I’m all right. I just choked on something. There really isn’t anything wrong with me.” 

When Kojou nervously rose to his feet, Yukina met his eyes, and he took note of the pained expression on her face. In contrast to her words, she didn’t look all right. Not one bit. Her breathing was ragged and it looked like it was taking all her mental fortitude just for her to keep it together. 

“‘Nothing,’ my ass. You were up early this morning helping Kanase, so even you must be tired, right? Take today off and go home and rest.” 

“But if we don’t confirm Aiba’s safety—” 

“Standing watch here ain’t gonna do anything to help with that, and if we wait, she might contact us from her end. I left her a voicemail just in case.” 

Kojou let out a sigh after his attempt to persuade Yukina. Certainly, the Gigafloat Management Corporation’s movements were suspicious, but the situation did not yet present an immediate danger to Asagi herself. There was no reason to make Yukina force herself to wait when there was no way to know if Asagi would show or not. 

However, for some reason, Yukina became sullen and argued, “No, I’m fine, really, so let’s stay here a little longer.” 

“Seriously, it’s fine. Even your body can have an off day, y’know.” 

“What do you mean by that? Is that sexual harassment?” 

When Kojou tried to talk her down in an offhand way, Yukina glared at him with sharp dismay. Kojou uttered a reflexive “Wha—?” before he said, “Geez. Even when someone’s worrying about you like this, you go and…” 

“At any rate… There is no problem with my body whatsoever. Now, let us try visiting Aiba’s home one more time. This time, I shall use my shikigami to search.” 

“Well, if you’re sure, Himeragi, that would be a big help, but—” 

Kojou’s shoulders fell limply as he yielded to the stubborn Yukina. He figured that a thorough search of Asagi’s home—followed by a hasty retreat—was better than fruitlessly continuing to pelt her with questions. 

After Kojou finished off his iced coffee, he and Yukina left the café. 

Just as they got outside, Kojou was struck by the sense he’d just stepped into an unfamiliar world. 

“Huh…?” 

A chill ran up his spine. His instincts asserted that danger was near. 

“Senpai, pull back! There is a person-repelling barrier here!” 

Yukina drew her silver spear from the guitar case she carried on her back. The metallic shaft slid and extended, and the folded blades deployed like the wings of a fighter plane. 

Swiftly twirling that spear around, Yukina lowered her posture, poised for battle. 

“Barrier…? Wait, when did that happen…?” he murmured in astonishment. 

At some point, without their knowledge, the open café’s guests and staff, plus all the Asagi fans camped out at the entrance, had vanished from sight. Kojou and Yukina were the only people left. 

Someone had launched a magical attack on them in the middle of the city and in broad daylight. The aggressor’s target was either Kojou or Yukina—or both. 

“What the heck…?!” exclaimed Kojou as he noticed an individual quietly walking out of the now-deserted entrance gate. The figure was slender and wore a hooded white cloak that covered their entire body. The person was some thirty meters from Kojou and Yukina, but even at that distance, they felt a distinct supernatural aura surrounding their opponent. 

Rather than bloodlust or hostility, it felt like the calm before the storm. At the slightest provocation, it threatened to morph into a raging hurricane that would mow down all in its path. 

“Senpai, please be careful… That person is dangerous,” Yukina warned, a slight hint of fear evident in her voice. 

“Y-yeah…but they’re not actually doing anything—” 

They’re not even carrying a weapon, Kojou thought, but in the very next moment, there was a soft ting sound as the figure in the cloak leaped. The figure closed the distance with Kojou and Yukina, moving bizarrely, as if ignoring the laws of gravity. 

“Snowdrift Wolf!” 

A pale light enveloped the silver spear Yukina poised. This was the radiance of the Divine Oscillation Effect, able to rend any barrier and nullify demonic energy. 

That radiance scattered odd particles as Yukina leaped forward. Defending Kojou as he stood dumbfounded, she moved to intercept the person in white. 

However, the figure wavered and dissipated right before Yukina’s eyes. 

The feat was achieved through an optical illusion created by high-speed motion of one’s center of gravity as well as a leg feint. 

Yukina’s attack exceeded the reaction speed of beast peoples’, but the figure in the white mantle had evaded it with ease. Yukina instantly twirled her spear around, launching multiple rapid-fire attacks, but even so, she could not land a hit on the person in white. 

As if to mock Yukina’s sense of urgency, the figure in white slipped past her barrage, landing right in front of Kojou as he stood still. 

Kojou reflexively went on guard when he was caught by the fingertips the figure in white trained toward his chest. The fingertips unleashed an invisible blade woven from magical energy. 

“—?!” 

With an incoherent cry, Kojou’s body was sent flying. His uniform was spectacularly torn over his chest, and fresh blood spilled from his throat. Were Kojou not an immortal vampire, he would have died right then and there. 

“Akatsuki-senpai!” 

The sight of Kojou wounded brought fresh rage to Yukina’s eyes. She slammed the butt of her spear into the ground, utilizing the recoil to close the distance with the figure in white in one bound, using her body weight as she unleashed a blow at maximum speed. 

Then, with its back still turned toward Yukina, the figure in white eluded that attack with ease. 

The gap in their strength was dizzying. Yukina, a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency, was being toyed with. The difference was too great. 

The slight shake of the head beneath the white hood denoted the assailant’s disappointment. Then the slender silhouette twinned itself, making Kojou feel like he was seeing double. 

“The hell…? What gives…? Now there’s two of ’em?!” 

Kojou’s jaw nearly hit the ground as the cloaked person’s body copied itself before his eyes. This was no momentary afterimage, but rather, a true double. The person had magically created a clone so as to defeat Kojou and Yukina simultaneously. 

The two figures in white cloaks each extended their left arms. Countless spheres of light appeared amid their outstretched palms. The spheres gradually increased in radiance, transforming into sharply tapered arrows of light. 

“Spirit archery?! That technique, it can’t be—!” 

Yukina’s expression stiffened in fear. 

Beneath the hoods that covered their heads, the figures’ red-dyed lips curled upward. 

“—I, Maiden of the Lion, Sword Shaman of the High God, beseech thee!” 

Retreating, Yukina re-brandished her spear, lowering her eyes as she quietly got her breathing under control. A solemn chant trickled out from her lips. To protect Kojou, unable to move due to his injuries, she was deploying a barrier to nullify magical energy. 

No matter how powerful the magic of the white-mantled figure, it could not breach a Divine Oscillation Effect barrier. However… 

“Too slow—” 

Before Yukina could complete her barrier, the ground at her feet split open. 

Emerging from the crevice was a moving corpse bound by a rusted chain. Flesh had rotted and fallen from its entire body, leaving intact only the sinews connecting the bones to one another. Its skull was a hollow cavity, containing neither eyes nor a brain. And yet, the skeleton raised a rusted spear, impeding Yukina’s ritual spell. 

“Ku… Aa…!” 

Snowdrift Wolf in hand, Yukina parried the blow from the spear wielded by the skeleton. Still, the skeletal soldier continued swinging its weapon with overwhelming brute force. The small-statured Yukina was sent flying helplessly through the air, landing hard on the asphalt road. 

“Himeragi?!” 

Kojou dragged his wounded body along as he forced himself to his feet. 

The skeletal soldier that had assaulted Yukina was a magical familiar belonging to the cloaked figure. It was much faster than it looked, and it possessed overwhelming strength impossible for any normal living creature to match. 

However, it was neither the skeletal soldier’s characteristics nor its physical strength that made Kojou gape. Rather, it was the fact that the skeletal soldier poised its rusted spear with the same movements as Yukina. Their stances were the mirror image of each other. The attacks delivered while in those stances were the same, too—the attacker’s familiar was employing the techniques of a Sword Shaman. 

“Shit… From this distance…” 

Kojou glared, clenching his jaw as the ferocious battle between Yukina and the familiar continued. If he employed the power of a Beast Vassal—a summoned beast dwelling within his own vampiric blood—defeating the skeletal soldier would be simple. 

However, Kojou could not use a Beast Vassal as long as Yukina was nearby. After all, Kojou’s Beast Vassals were too powerful; he was sure that Yukina would inevitably suffer collateral damage. 

“Apologies, but I am your opponent.” 

One of the duplicates looked down at the injured Kojou while coldly making that statement. To Kojou’s surprise, the voice sounded feminine. The tone of voice had a teasing, unconventional resonance that left Kojou perplexed. Somehow, he felt like he’d heard that voice before. 

“You will behave yourself for the moment, Fourth Primogenitor. I insist.” 

This spoken, the young woman in the white cloak waved her left hand. 

The countless arrows of light she unleashed traced a complex arc as they flew through the air, assaulting Kojou from all directions. Even with a vampire’s reaction speed, it was impossible to evade them all. 

“Ugh—?!” 

Both arms and limbs were simultaneously shot, sending Kojou tumbling to the ground. It didn’t hurt as much as he’d expected. Just as the woman had stated beforehand, he could not move. The arrows piercing his four limbs had pinned Kojou to the ground. 

“Sen…pai…!” 

All light vanished from Yukina’s eyes the instant she saw the bloodied Kojou. 

Seizing the opportunity provided by her moment’s hesitation, the skeletal warrior thrust its spear. From its base, the tip of the rusty spear was sliced apart like soft candy, and the pieces fell to the ground. 

Without warning, Yukina thrust her spear forward and reduced the skeletal soldier’s entire body to dust. 

The white-mantled figure controlling the familiar showed signs of disquiet for the first time. 

“Ah… Aaah… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!” 

Yukina’s voice was strained. It was neither a cry nor a shriek, but a sad, painful scream. Snowdrift Wolf unleashed a beam of light so brilliant that it hurt to look at. Arrows of light loosed by the figure in white were all engulfed by the beam, vanishing. 

“Himeragi…?!” Kojou murmured in shock as he lay pinned to the ground. 

The two clones launched a simultaneous attack against Yukina. These throwing-blade attacks were the same as that which had gouged a hole in Kojou’s chest with a single blow. However, in spite of the countless optical illusions that came with these attacks, Yukina evaded each and every one. 

Yukina leaped and, in a flash of light, drove her silver spear straight through the second white-mantled figure. 

The mantle covering the body of the assailant made a dry sound as it fell to the ground. 

The clone vanished, and the remains of the skeletal soldier also disappeared like in a puff of smoke. The arrows pinning Kojou to the ground vanished as well. 

Confirming this, Yukina’s body wavered, depleted of strength. The radiance emitted by Snowdrift Wolf faded as well, and Yukina, unable to bear the spear’s weight, dropped to her knees. 

“Himeragi?! Himeragi, keep it together…!!” 

As Yukina’s ragged breathing resumed, Kojou raced to her side. 

Gazing at the sight of the pair, the assailant pulled off her white cloak as she sighed. 

The unveiled face of their assailant was that of a beautiful woman. 

She looked young, but Kojou couldn’t place her actual age. She had skin so pale that it was almost translucent. She had light-green hair—and eyes of the same color. The bridge of her nose made her face seem deeply chiseled. And she had pointed ears. She was a demon—an elf. 

They were exceptionally rare demons, to the point that Kojou, resident of a Demon Sanctuary, was setting eyes upon one for the first time. 

“Goodness. When I heard you had employed Divine Possession against Natsuki Minamiya, I thought perhaps this was the case. This power… It is indeed so, I take it, Yukina?” 

The elven woman posed the question as she stroked the black cat in her arms. As Yukina borrowed Kojou’s shoulder, her entire body went rigid like that of a frightened child. 

Kojou clenched his jaw, shifting an angry gaze toward the elf as he growled, “You… Why do you know about Himeragi…?!” 

“Ma…ster…” As if interrupting Kojou’s question, Yukina addressed the elven woman in a trembling voice. 

In response, the tall elf’s green eyes shot Yukina a frigid stare. 

Kojou glanced back and forth between the pair’s faces with a thoroughly confused expression on his own. Kojou knew of only one person Yukina addressed as master: Yukari Endou of the Lion King Agency—the individual acting as Yukina’s mentor. 

“Master… Huh? Meaning, wait, you’re the actual person behind Professor Kitty…?!” 

This time, it was Kojou who gawked while staring at the cat in the elven woman’s arms. The cat had glossy black fur and golden eyes. Its slender collar was adorned with chrysoberyl. He certainly remembered the cat; it was the familiar controlled by Yukari Endou. 

“Surely you knew. When did you first realize it, Yukina?” Yukari inquired. 

Yukina, trembling, said nothing in reply. Averting her eyes from her master, she did nothing but bite her lip. 

“Now what shall we do? Though, having confirmed it with my very own eyes, it is not something I can simply overlook.” 

Speaking those words, Yukari crouched down and reached for the silver spear. Yukina gasped, clutching Snowdrift Wolf against her chest, resisting Yukari’s attempt to take it away. 

“You mustn’t… Master, I can still…!” 

“Yukina!” 

Yukari scolded Yukina with a sharp voice. However, Yukina did not let go of the spear. 

“Hey, hold on! Why the hell is Professor Kitty attacking Himeragi?!” 

Still unable to comprehend the situation, Kojou wedged himself between the two. He thought if he simply sat and watched, combat between master and disciple might recommence at any moment. 

As he did so, Yukina gently drew her lips close to his ear. Then, she spoke sharply and rapidly, “Senpai, we need to run!” 

“Huh?! Run—?” 

How? Kojou meant to ask, but before he could, Yukina scattered ritual scrolls from the hem of her uniform. 

“Tch.” Yukari clicked her tongue. Naturally, she hadn’t expected the overly serious Yukina to defy her at a time like that anymore than Kojou had. 

“Reverberate—!” 

During the momentary opening left by Yukari’s delayed response, Yukina finished activating the ritual scrolls. The metallic shikigami scrolls transformed into a flock of birds that swarmed Yukari. It was the sort of long-range attack that Shamanic War Dancers of the Lion King Agency, not Sword Shamans, specialized in. Because the attack was so unexpected, Yukari needed additional time to counter. 

Meanwhile, Yukina created a huge wolf shikigami and hopped on its back, intending to make her escape astride it. Of course, Kojou was right there with her. Tracking magic worked poorly against Yukina thanks to Snowdrift Wolf. Even with Yukari’s abilities, it would be difficult to pursue them further. 

And so, using the long-range attack magic that normally gave her such trouble, Yukina escaped from Yukari’s grasp. 

It was a method of fighting Yukina would never even have considered half a year ago. 

There was no mistaking that Yukina had grown, and at a speed surpassing even Yukari’s wildest expectations. She wondered if Yukina herself realized what misfortune this unexpected rate of growth would bring her— 

“Yukina…you’ve…” 

The elven Attack Mage narrowed her beautiful green eyes as she sighed. 

The black cat she held in her arms looked up, offering up a soft meow to the dusky sky.