From the Warlord's Empire (15 page)

“Kojou Akatsuki! Stop this…!” Sayaka shouted while brandishing her sword. That sword’s protection was no doubt why she was fine despite the same supersonic boom as had hit Asagi crashing over her as well. However, unlike Yukina’s Snowdrift Wolf, it apparently couldn’t completely negate Kojou’s magical energy.

The destruction of the rooftop, unable to withstand the release of such enormous demonic power, accelerated.

“Asagi!”

Kojou raised his voice in anguish as he realized Asagi’s body, lying on the rooftop, would be caught up in the destruction.

That instant, he heard a shrill
ting
sound, like two pieces of metal meeting each other, and a small shadow danced above Kojou and Sayaka’s heads.

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

Her school uniform’s skirt and her black hair fluttering as she landed, a schoolgirl poised a long, silver-colored spear. As if dancing, she waved the spear about, thrusting the tip into the rooftop, which itself was on the verge of shattering.

“Oh, divine wolf of the snowdrift, let the echoes of thy thousand howls become a shield and repel this calamity!”

As if responding to her solemn incantation, the silver-colored spear emitted light.

This was the glow of the Schneewaltzer, the Lion King Agency’s secret weapon, able to rend any barrier and to nullify the demonic energy of a primogenitor.

As if cowed by its radiance, Kojou’s release of magical energy ceased as well. The ground tremors and atmospheric sounds made by the Beast Vassal on the verge of awakening vanished as well; Kojou’s sense that his own blood was on fire also eased. Though he had not succeeded in controlling the Beast Vassal, the danger of it running wild seemed to have passed for the moment. Though the rooftop looked like a ruin, with cracks everywhere, Asagi was safe, if not by much.

Kojou and Sayaka, their strength exhausted, simultaneously sank down where they had stood.

They were still like that as Yukina slowly approached.

“What are the two of you doing in a place like this?”

Speaking very curtly, she thrust the end of Snowdrift Wolf into the ground right before their eyes.

No doubt she’d sensed Kojou and Sayaka fighting and had rushed out of class. Yukina’s slender shoulders seemed to make little bounces up and down as she breathed.

“Er, that’s… Miss Jealousy here launched an unprovoked attack…”

“Th-that’s not true. This pervert was engaging in indecent behavior behind your back…”

Like puppies being scolded, Kojou and Sayaka pointed at each other as they spoke.

Yukina put a hand on her hip, speaking as if she was a sister several years older.

“I can largely guess what happened here, but…Sayaka.”

“Y-yes?”

“Watching the Fourth Primogenitor is
my
mission. Do you wish to interfere with that, Sayaka? Do you trust me so little?”

Sayaka’s back shook like a scared little girl as she vigorously shook her head.

Yukina exhaled rather deeply.

“And senpai…of course, you understand what would happen if a Beast Vassal went berserk in a place like this. How would you take responsibility if something happened to all the students here?”

“…Sorry. I’ll do better. Sorry.”

Kojou felt like vanishing as he bent his back forward.

If Yukina hadn’t come when she did, Asagi would definitely have been hurt from Kojou’s magical energy running wild. When he pictured that, his body was gripped by a great deal of fear.

Compared to his fear of losing Asagi, Yukina’s bitter scolding felt like the gentle reproach of an affectionate mother.

But Kojou’s relief lasted no longer than that.

“Yukina! You ran out so fast and hard, are you all right?!”

Kojou heard agitated footsteps when a schoolgirl in a middle school
uniform poked her face out. It was Nagisa’s familiar voice. In surprise, Nagisa looked over at Asagi, lying on the half-destroyed rooftop, and Kojou and Sayaka in the middle of reflecting on their sins.

“What happened? Wow, what is this? Why’s the rooftop all messed up?! And, Asagi?! Is she hurt?! What’ll we do?!”

“…Both of you, please reflect on what you’ve done for a while. Nagisa and I will bring Asagi-senpai to the clinic room, so please go. Take care of Snowdrift Wolf for me.”

Yukina, speaking in a quiet voice, handed the spear over to Kojou in its neatly folded carrying form.

Certainly they couldn’t just leave Asagi lying down like that; but having said that, she couldn’t waltz into the clinic room with her spear in hand. As she would also have to administer first aid to the unconscious Asagi, Yukina and Nagisa would bring Asagi together with them to the clinic room. As Yukina’s plan was quite logical, Kojou had no special objections.

With one exception.

“Eh? By reflecting together…you can’t mean, me and Miss Jealousy here?!”

“Wh-wh-why do I have to be with this indecent man?!”

Kojou and Sayaka hurled insults at one another as they fiercely objected.

Yukina looked down at both of them, her eyes as frigid as a glacier.

“Is there a problem with that?”

Kojou and Sayaka silently shook their heads, both kneeling formally then and there to display their willingness to consider their mistakes.

There was no sign of the special needs teacher in the clinic room; there, substituting for her in her absence, was Astarte.

Astarte was normally quite close to the clinic room; apparently Natsuki had picked up on the girl’s usefulness, dragging the girl home as her own personal maid.

Currently, the homunculus girl was clad in a somewhat perverse maid outfit, complete with a white apron, leaning over the side of the bed as Asagi slept.

Originally, she was a homunculus designed by a pharmaceutical producer for drug experiments. She had the knowledge required to function in a medical setting burned into her flash ROM as part of her basic setup. It was said she had a high degree of medical knowledge equal to a freshly certified doctor.

“—Medical check completed.”

Having completed a simple check, Astarte raised her expressionless voice.

“I deduce light shock caused by a shock wave and a sudden change in air pressure. There need be no concern about aftereffects. However, I recommend rest and quiet for the remainder of the day.”

“Understood. Thank you very much.”

Yukina exhaled in relief, thanking Astarte now that her diagnosis was complete.

Even Yukina’s hardened cheeks regained just a bit of their softness. That Asagi had not been seriously injured was good news. If Kojou learned Asagi was not all right, he would surely be hurt deeply.

And half hiding behind the relieved Yukina’s back, Nagisa was fidgeting about.

“Y-Yukina, it’s a maid. I’ve never seen a real maid before. Why is there a maid in the clinic room? Or is that a new style of white gown? Some kind of freebie for the students? Yukina, do you know her?”

“Er…”

Yukina was a bit at a loss for Nagisa’s rapid-fire questions. They were all questions to which Yukina was uncertain what response to make. So, in place of the distressed Yukina…

“Astarte is a maid in my employ, Nagisa Akatsuki.”

Natsuki, suddenly entering the clinic room, tossed her statement out without compunction.

Nagisa glanced over, her eyes widening in shock.

“Ah, Ms. Minamiya. Thank you for always taking care of my brother. Those clothes are very pretty.”

“A very polite girl, I see, quite unlike your brother.”

Natsuki returned Nagisa’s polite bow of her head with a brazen, haughty smile. Even the ever-vainglorious Natsuki was happy when complimented for her clothes.

Then Natsuki glanced back at the still-sleeping Asagi.

“And this is the result of your lack of rigor as a watcher, transfer student.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

Yukina made no excuses and lowered her head. “Hmph,” Natsuki snorted, seeming annoyed. “Then I’ll leave cleaning up this mess to you. I’d really like to go pay that fool Kojou Akatsuki a visit right now, but I have an urgent matter to attend to.”

“…You know where the Black Death Emperor Front is hiding?” Yukina furrowed her eyebrows as she asked.

“The sub-float currently under construction. It’s a straight-up hideout. I understand how you feel, but do not stick your nose into this. Handling these terrorists is our job.”

As Yukina nodded in acknowledgment, Natsuki made a composed smile.

“I’ll leave Astarte here. If you’re short on nurses, use her.”

Natsuki left her comment behind as she immediately left the room.

In the meantime, Nagisa had begun treating the sleeping Asagi.

Treatment didn’t mean anything special; while adjusting her blankets and checking the position of her pillow, she looked jealously upon Asagi’s long eyelashes, making a sigh of lament, and sniffed her perfume just a little.

Yukina couldn’t help but make a strained smile at how Nagisa’s form made her muse upon Nagisa’s blood ties to Kojou…

…The next moment, Asagi suddenly opened her eyes.

“Er…where is this? The clinic room?”

Asagi winced in pain as she put a hand to her head, slowly getting up.

In front of her, Nagisa leaned over with great vigor.

“Asagi, you’re awake? You know who I am? How many fingers do you see? Does it hurt anywhere? Did Kojou do something to you?”

Asagi was taken aback for a while at Nagisa’s forceful inquisition.

“It’s hard getting grilled like that just after waking up. Mm, what happened, anyway?”

“Errr, seems like one of the roof’s pipes ruptured. That’s when you fainted from shock.”

“Pipe? Rupture? Ahh, come to mention it I think I heard this high-pitched sound.”

Asagi furled her eyebrows as if recalling the unpleasant experience.

“Mm, but I thought Kojou was being chased around by some weird chick with a sword… Where’s Kojou?”

“I’m sorry, Aiba. She’s a friend of mine. Akatsuki-senpai is safe as well.”

Yukina timidly stepped out in front of Asagi as she spoke.

As if perplexed, Asagi’s eyes batted at Yukina’s sudden confession. Asagi didn’t seem to understand what Yukina was doing here in the first place.

“…Err, you’re Himeragi, aren’t you? What was your friend doing attacking Kojou?”

Yukina became a bit incoherent at Asagi’s highly legitimate question.

“That’s, I think…jealousy directed at Akatsuki-senpai, perhaps?”

“Jealousy? What, because I was together with Kojou?”

“I suppose so. That is one cause, I think.”

Sayaka’s jealousy was directed against Kojou for stealing Yukina from her, but of course Asagi knew no such thing. More simply, Sayaka was jealous because she and Kojou were getting along—Asagi understood that to mean, in other words, Sayaka was fond of Kojou.

That moment was when Asagi internally pegged Sayaka as “foe.”

And of course, Nagisa, who had the same misunderstanding, drew close to Yukina, seeming quite full of interest.

“What’s the meaning of this? She’s not a Saikai Academy student. She’s very pretty, but since when did Kojou know her, anyway? Was it good to leave Kojou together with her? There’s not going to be some weird chemistry between them…?”

“Eh? R-right. I think Akatsuki-senpai and Sayaka will be all right now but…”

The tail end of Yukina’s words petered out, no doubt because she couldn’t reject the possibility that both would resume their dispute. However, her halfhearted answer only annoyed Asagi further.

“How can you just dismiss it like that?”

“…Asagi?”

Nagisa raised her voice in surprise at Asagi’s tone of voice, which had become very sharp.

Asagi shrugged her shoulders a little.

“This has been bothering me for a while. What kind of relationship
do you have with Kojou? Kojou’s always sneaking around with you, but what do you know about Kojou?”

“That’s… I’m sorry, I cannot answer that.”

Yukina firmly shook her head. Asagi glared at Yukina further, making a sound of displeasure.

“The heck is that. Fine, I’ll just have to ask Kojou myse—”

“No, er, Asagi-senpai…!”

Yukina nervously moved to stop Asagi as she pulled off her blanket and rose up.

Astarte, having so far not said a word, took that moment to wedge herself into the girls’ conversation.

“—Warning. I have detected the presence of intruders within the school.”

“Intruders?”

Asagi, of course, froze in shock at the completely unexpected words, but Yukina did as well.

“Two intruders in total. Based on their movement speed and endurance, I deduce that they are unregistered demons.”

Astarte steadily continued her warning. Yukina’s eyes immediately rose to the rooftop.

“Demons?! They couldn’t be after Akatsuki-senpai?”

“Negative. I anticipate that this location, the Saikai Academy Clinic Room, is their intended target.”

“Eh?”

For a moment, Yukina could not comprehend the meaning of what Astarte’s words conveyed.

As she stood there, someone suddenly clung to her back.

“No way…,” Nagisa murmured as her entire body shook violently. Hearing her voice put Yukina in shock.

She was muttering weakly, as if a completely different person than her usual lively self.

Nagisa’s terrified face was completely pale; her fingertips were cold, as if they’d lost all blood flow. This was clearly no ordinary condition.

“Nagisa?”

“What’ll we do, Yukina…? I’m…scared…”

Yukina was bewildered, embracing Nagisa, who continued to shudder like a newborn chick, with one hand.

She had heard that the residents of Itogami Island, a Demon Sanctuary, made them accustomed to the existence of demons. In fact, even when the people on the island saw demons with their demon IDs in the city, it gathered little attention. Middle school girls wearing short skirts were subject to far more intense gazes.

The crime rate among registered demons was well below average; if demons committed a crime, the well-armed Island Guard came out in force to restore order. The ordinary residents of the island had no reason to fear demons.