Strike the Blood - Volume 15 - Chapter Ep

OUTRO 

At a family restaurant in the afternoon, powerful sunrays poured mercilessly from the large window facing the sea. 

“So hot… I’m gonna burn. I’ll burn and turn to ash…” 

A boy wearing the hood of his parka deep over his head was slumped against the table, seemingly trying to escape from those sunrays as he let out a frail moan. 

Sitting beside him was a small-statured girl with a black guitar case placed at her side. In the seats opposite them were a boy with large headphones dangling around his neck and a girl with an extravagant hairstyle sipping on something. 

Study materials for high schoolers were haphazardly placed on top of the table, covering English, math, Japanese, science, sociology. All the books were thick. The geometric problem in the notes spread before the first boy was left abandoned and unsolved. 

Kojou lifted his head. “…Hey, technically, I’m king of a Dominion, right?” he asked as if he were soliloquizing. 

“Well, I suppose so. That’s what it amounts to, technically,” Asagi Aiba replied, toying with her smartphone. 

Kojou languidly put his cheek against his palm, gazing resentfully at the pile of study materials. 

“So why am I here doing the homework from before fall break in a place like this? And isn’t this way too much homework?! Plus, I’m cleaning all the campus toilets and weeding all the grass as community service! Is this any way to treat a vampire primogenitor?!” 

“Well, you don’t really have a choice…,” Motoki Yaze said through the straw in his mouth, a display of bad manners. 

“You were already in trouble for absences when you straight-up skipped almost a whole month of classes from late February on. If you weren’t king, you’d be repeating the year for sure.” 

“Like that could be helped! Damn that Natsuki; I told her I was so busy with all the formalities that came with joining the Holy Ground Treaty Organization and negotiations with the Japanese government that it nearly killed me—” 

“Sure, you say that, but you’re pretty much worthless as a politician, Kojou. In the end, you were just doing whatever Big Bro Kazuma and the higher-ups of the Lion King Agency told you to—” 

Asagi calmly laid out the facts. Setting aside how the way she said it burned him, he could not refute her. 

“Then, I shouldn’t have had to attend to begin with…” 

“Please stop complaining and solve the problem before you. Do you wish to be in the same class as Nagisa and me, senpai?” 

When Kojou sulked and turned his head away, Yukina Himeragi smiled. Kojou groaned, clutching his head as he turned back toward his homework once more. 

About a month had passed since the Holy Ground Treaty Organization rescinded its attack on Itogami Island. 

Through negotiations with the Japanese government, Itogami Island had been recognized as an independent nation; it had become a Dominion ruled by the Fourth Primogenitor. However, there would generally be free travel between it and Japan, making it possible to travel across the international border with about the same level of ease as moving into a new apartment. 

Legal and financial affairs were completely left in the hands of the Japanese government, with Japanese police officers and Attack Mages maintaining law and order on the island. The majority of food imports and economic activities would continue to run through Japan. The gist being, nothing would change in terms of the citizens’ daily lives. In the end, Itogami Island was still Itogami Island, treated as a Demon Sanctuary just like before. 

However, there had been changes, too. The presence of Cain’s legacy was one. 

The enormous artificial isle enveloping Itogami Island continued floating atop the sea perpetually. The Nalakuvera had all been destroyed in the fight against Vattler and company, but the pre-Cleansing technology Cain had left behind still remained. Aspiring immigrants were flooding to Itogami Island from all over the world in hope of researching that technology. 

In contrast, the emigrants from Itogami Island were surprisingly few. Most corporations and researchers were not only unafraid of the Fourth Primogenitor’s existence, they harbored a noncasual level of interest in him as a precious target for research. 

Though the identity of the Fourth Primogenitor was a secret to the general populace, it was said that the Search for the Fourth Primogenitor! tour, a travel company project, was always sold out, leaving many to eagerly await cancellations to get a spot. 

Though such talk was really annoying to Kojou, in that city, even the Fourth Primogenitor amounted to no more than that. 

It was a Demon Sanctuary, after all. 

“…Ah…well, that isn’t good…” 

Setting his empty drinking glass aside, Yaze put a hand to his ear. Apparently, he had detected an anomaly in the barrier he had deployed. 

An avatar in the form of a badly sewn teddy bear popped up on the screen of the smartphone Asagi was toying with. 

“Sorry, li’l miss. Emergency request from Natsuki.” 

“What, trouble again? What is it this time?” 

Her partner AI’s report made Asagi furrow her brows. 

“Seems a sorcerous life-form summoned from another world has escaped from a lab in Island North, Stratum B. The Island Guard is tying it down, but they can’t hold on forever.” 

Kojou’s expression hardened as he overheard the report from Mogwai. “Island North, Stratum B. That’s right next door to the hospital Avrora’s in, isn’t it?” 

Resurrected by transplanting her soul into the body of Hektos, Dodekatos—Avrora—continued to sleep, not opening her eyes even once since that day. 

However, this was normal sleep to recover her depleted demonic energy. He didn’t know how many weeks or years it might take, but someday, she would awaken. As an immortal vampire, Kojou had been granted all the time in the world to wait for that— 

“Guess I gotta head off to work…” 

Twirling his headphones around his fingertips, Yaze, director of the board of the Gigafloat Management Corporation, rose to his feet. 

“Well, I can at least evacuate people. Have fun taking on the sorcerous life-form, Kojou. You are the king, after all.” 

Asagi spoke those words as she took one final bite of the pancake she’d been enjoying before regretfully parting from it. Just then, a crimson robot tank arrived to pick her up. 

“Let’s go, senpai.” 

With the guitar case slung over her back, Yukina reached a hand out to Kojou to hurry him along. 

The silver ring gave off a soft glow. 

Kojou shot a reproachful look at the mountain of unsolved problems and the family restaurant bill left on the table. 

Outside the window stood an inorganic, artificial skyline. Spells running amok and sorcerous disasters were regular events on that island. 

Itogami Island, the Demon Sanctuary—here, monsters were no special thing. 

Not even the World’s Mightiest Vampire. 

“Gimme a break…” 

Mumbling to no one in particular, the boy walked forward. 

At his side stood the girl who watched over him. 

Amid an evening sky, red as blood, the two cast long, parallel shadows as they melted into the artificial city.