Strike the Blood - Volume 21 - Chapter 1.7

7

Kojou and Yukina were taking their familiar school commute back home.

Though they were concerned for Asagi, who’d left Saikai Academy; Shizuri, who’d no doubt been evacuated due to her injuries; and Nagisa and the others left at Tensou Academy, Kojou and Yukina had nearly hit the limits of their endurance. They were heading home to rest for the time being.

Their apartment building was in the Third Primogenitor’s domain, but ironically, this made the area the safest place on Itogami Island at present. Now that Kojou had lost his vampiric powers, he could move through her domain in the light of day like any ordinary civilian.

Walking at his side, Yukina carried a black guitar case over her shoulder like always. Of course, a certain silver spear was also folded inside the case.

“I’m glad she didn’t confiscate the lance.”

Kojou glanced at Yukina’s back as he spoke.

The letter Koyomi Shizuka had sent was actually a document with new orders for Yukina. Her mission was to continue observing Kojou. In the end, they had only Kojou’s subjective testimony that he’d relinquished the power of the Fourth Primogenitor, not objective evidence. Accordingly, he required further observation, which was grounds for her to remain his watcher.

If she was formally continuing her mission, there was no need to return the equipment she’d been granted. This was why Shio and Yuiri had returned to the Lion King Agency branch office without taking Snowdrift Wolf.

“I suppose I am as well. I have grown rather fond of Snowdrift Wolf, though I feel a little bad that it is useless in my hands.”

Yukina spoke with a somewhat conflicted expression. Kojou scratched his head, feeling vaguely responsible.

“Sorry, Himeragi. It’s my fault you can’t use it anymore.”

“It is nothing for you to feel bad about, senpai. This weapon was for killing you to begin with.”

“When you put it like that, then yeah, who cares…”

A pained expression came over Kojou. Yukina didn’t sound like she was joking in the slightest.

He’d heard straight from Yukina that she’d been given the right to instantly eliminate Kojou if she deemed him a threat. To be honest, the question of whether she still held that authority was weighing a bit on his mind now that Kojou wasn’t Fourth Primogenitor anymore.

“Besides, as you are now, senpai, a normal lance can impale you to death without need of the Divine Oscillation Effect.”

“Why are you assuming I’m gonna get impaled to death?! I haven’t done anything, so isn’t that a little weird?!”

“…I do not think it would be strange for you to be stabbed to death at any moment. Particularly if it’s from Aiba.”

Yukina glanced up at Kojou soberly. For whatever reason, Yukina had been sympathetic to Asagi ever since she’d stormed out of the room in anger.

Kojou made a sullen face as he arrived at the memory of what had happened just before and after that.

“Asagi, huh… I admit it’s no wonder she got angry back there.”

“Huh,” went Yukina, blinking as if someone had slapped her in the face.

“You understand why she’s upset?”

“Even I can tell that much. I just thought it’d be awkward for Asagi if I said it in front of everyone, so I kept my mouth shut.”

“I-is that so? You do have a point.”

Yukina nodded, still wearing an expression of surprise on her face. It seemed she found Kojou appreciating Asagi’s feelings quite atypical of him.

“I mean, of course Asagi’s unhappy about stuff. She’s busy with cleaning up after the Electoral War and getting Itogami Island back on its feet, so when I asked her to help save Avrora… I can understand why she’d wanna complain about me dumping extra work on her shoulders.”

“…Huh?”

Yukina’s face stiffened. Kojou didn’t notice her reaction as he nodded to himself, figuring he had to be right.

“I’d really like to help Asagi. I’ve got my hands full saving Avrora right now. It figures she’d get bent out of shape over me putting Avrora over her.”

“Um… Senpai, are you seriously saying Asagi is angry because you are being partial to Avrora?”

“Isn’t that what she meant when she asked if I’ve fallen in love with her?”

“I think she probably meant something else.”

Her voice filled with disappointment and reproach, Yukina replied emotionlessly.

Kojou exposed his teeth as if he was pouting.

“Why was she angry, then? It’s not like she’s jealous or anything.”

“No, what I mean is, why do you think she would not be jealous?”

“I mean, Asagi and Avrora are in completely different positions, right?”

When Kojou replied without missing a beat, Yukina stared squarely at him with confusion.

“Er… What do you mean by this…?”

“Avrora’s like a piece of my body or like a little sister I’m related to by blood.”

“…So you do not love her? In a…romantic sense.”

Yukina inquired about this in a small, tense voice.

Kojou sank into silent, serious thought for a time before finally shaking his head.

“That’s ’cause the only memories I have of being with her are fragments. To be honest, I don’t really know the answer.”

In contrast to the gravity of his words, Kojou’s tone was simple and frank. He’d already brooded enough over his loss of memories associated with Avrora. If he couldn’t come to an answer after all that, he didn’t think there was any point ruminating on it further.

“I get the impression she’s a high-maintenance little sister, though.”

When Kojou got that off his chest, Yukina bit her lip a little with a pitying look for a single instant. She then smiled in a way that seemed both slightly peevish and malicious.

“Senpai, given how you treat Nagisa, should I not take this as a confession of your burning love?”

“Wait a sec. How’d you land on that?”

“I am joking.”

Tee-hee, went Yukina as she giggled, immediately sighing a tiny bit.

“I think Aiba is worried about you, senpai. When she saw you insisting you would risk your life to save another girl, perhaps she felt irritated but also some kind of stirring deep inside her chest… Ah, um, this is mere speculation on my part.”

“So she got pissed I said I was gonna do something reckless? But I really am just a powerless civilian at the moment, so I wouldn’t even stand a chance against Asagi if she was fighting seriously…”

“If that is what you think, it is enough, senpai.”

At her wit’s end, Yukina lowered her shoulders. Kojou, of course, was a little put off as he stared back.

“Just to make things clear, even I get that me going to Nod to bring Avrora back is reckless. If someone else rescues her, that’s fine by me… If there is some do-gooder out there who fits the bill.”

“I believe there is no reason to be pessimistic about that.”

Yukina replied with composure about this.

“A situation where MAR can use the Fourth Primogenitor is an unmistakable threat to humankind, so there should be a fair number of people thinking of taking Miss Avrora back from President Ren’s clutches. Depending on the circumstances, however—”

“Chances are they’d try to destroy her instead of rescue her, huh?”

Kojou picked up where Yukina had trailed off.

“Yes,” replied Yukina, her face stiff.

Since the Fourth Primogenitor was an artificial vampire created by the Devas, it was highly likely that Shahryar Ren, a descendant of the Devas, possessed some means of controlling Avrora. Without knowing the fine details, it was only natural for people to think she should be destroyed rather than brought back alive and unharmed. In his current state, Kojou had no power to prevent that decision.

“I…really am powerless.”

He clenched his hand into a fist as he unwittingly let his true feelings slip.

Asagi had preeminent hacking skills and the power of the Priestess of Cain.

Yaze was the successor to a giant corporate conglomerate and held great influence as the chairman of the Gigafloat Management Corporation.

Yukina and her peers had combat abilities that put even those of demons to shame.

Compared to them, Kojou was helpless at present. Having failed to obtain the cooperation of the Gigafloat Management Corporation, the Lion King Agency, or Asagi, he couldn’t even reach Nod, much less rescue Avrora. It ate at him. After a single night, there he was, longing to take back the power of the Fourth Primogenitor he’d found such a pain in the rear.

“—It will be all right.”

Yukina gently wrapped her hands around Kojou’s trembling fist. The softness of her touch made him lift his face in surprise.

“…Himeragi?”

“Let’s rest…senpai. Going from vampire to human must have put your body under a great deal of stress. You won’t think of anything wiped out like this.”

“Er…but there’s not much time until the gate to Nod ope—”

“So let’s take a breather and come up with a plan later. You are not immortal anymore, senpai. You must conserve what physical energy you can.”

“…I see… Guess you’re right.”

Kojou gave in and accepted Yukina’s proposal. Now that he thought about it, he had no recollection of getting any rest since arriving back on Itogami Island, save for when he’d exhausted his strength and collapsed. Just as Yukina had said, the right course of action was undoubtedly conserving his energy for now. Even if there was no time to spare, there was nothing to be gained from collapsing at a crucial moment.

Fortunately, the city seemed peaceful, and public transportation was running as usual again. On top of the Electoral War dying down, all the belligerent demons were gathered around Keystone Gate.

Their apartment building hadn’t sustained any visible damage. It looked the same as it had back when Kojou and Yukina left on their trip.

After disposing of the flyers clogging their mailboxes, they went into the lobby and got on the elevator. When they arrived at the seventh floor, Yukina suddenly came to a standstill and grabbed Kojou’s wrist.

“—Senpai.”

“Himeragi? Something wrong?”

Kojou glanced back with a questioning look.

All expression had vanished from Yukina’s face; she looked like a beautiful doll as she glared at the Akatsuki residence. Suppressing her aura like a predator nimbly hunting its prey, she addressed Kojou in a hushed voice.

“I sense people in your apartment, senpai—”

“Not…my parents, then?”

The scent of hot butter flowing out from the ventilation fan brought a guarded expression over Kojou, too. Both his parents, the legal guardians of the Akatsuki household, had abysmal domestic skills. The fact that someone was trying to cook a proper meal made it clear this was another person. He thought the odds that this was a robbery were pretty low, but given the commotion of the Electoral War, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched if a squatter had settled into the unoccupied Akatsuki residence.

If that was the case, he could only say that this stranger had atrocious luck. After all, Kojou had a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency on his side, a woman who could beat down a beast person with her bare hands.

Kojou and Yukina traded glances. They split to the right and left of the front entrance, preparing to breach the apartment. Kojou was to open the door, after which Yukina would charge inside.

The front door had been carelessly left unlocked. This made Kojou even more suspicious that he had an intruder on his hands.

Silently nodding to each other, Kojou opened the door. Yukina kept her back against the wall as she peered at the state of things inside when—

“Ah, Yukina? And Kojou, too. Welcome back!”

Nagisa popped her head out in response to the sound of the opening, waving and looking mystified as she stared at Kojou’s and Yukina’s strange poses.

“Nagisa…?!”

Kojou stared back in bewilderment at Nagisa in her apron.

He’d heard from Yukina and the others that she was okay, but it had been days since he’d seen her safe and sound in the flesh—this was the first time he’d laid eyes on her since getting wrapped up in the Electoral War. Nagisa was supposed to be under the protection of the Tensou Academy Domain, so he didn’t understand why she was home. He felt like he was seeing a ghost.

Kojou slipped off his shoes and wobbled over to her as if making sure she was really there.

“Nagisa… Is that really you, Nagisa? I’m…so glad you’re safe!”

“Wait a se… Kojou, what’s wrong with you? Making such a big deal out of… Hold on—is there something different about you?”

When Kojou hugged her with visible relief, Nagisa patted him on the head as if to say, There you go again. Yukina glared at Kojou’s backside, her deep exhale bearing a message of You Siscon, you.

“Don’t worry—I’m fine. I had really dependable bodyguards with me.”

“…Bodyguards?”

His little sister’s unexpected words threw Kojou off.

“Yeah. They said they had something to talk to you about, so they’ve been waiting here all this time.”

Nagisa flashed him a proud little smile and shifted her gaze to the living room behind her.

That was when Kojou finally realized there were people other than her in the living room. Nagisa had been in the kitchen baking confections for the guests.

“Bodyguards? But who would…?”

Kojou cocked his head and headed toward the living room. Yukina followed right behind him.

The people on the sofa noticed Kojou and company and waved at them. They were a couple consisting of a young man and woman.

The former was a tall man with a tight and toned physique. The latter was a gorgeous woman with red hair that bordered on blond—

“Huh?! Wait, why are you two…?”

“Y-you are…”

Kojou and Yukina were struck senseless by the sight of guests so terribly out of place. In fact, the scene was so shocking that they didn’t get frightened or go on guard. They were simply surprised out of their wits.

“Heya. So we meet again, boy.”

Glancing back at the agape Kojou and Yukina with vivid amusement, the man waved a hand like they were old friends.

As far as the public was concerned, this was the genuine World’s Mightiest Vampire.

He was the Lost Warlord, First Primogenitor, and liege of the dominion known as the Warlord’s Empire.

Ki Juranbarada—this was the name of the tall man who was Kojou’s unexpected guest.