From the Warlord's Empire (11 page)

Yukina glared at the mysterious, young aristocrat with a very serious look on her face.

“Do you intend to assassinate Kristof Gardos?”

“Not at all. I intend nothing that is so troublesome. In the first place, my Beast Vassals are not oriented toward such delicate work. Their specialty is more along the lines of burning cities to the ground.”

Vattler slipped away from Yukina’s cross-examination like an eel. “Proud of it, huh?” Kojou muttered with a quiet sigh. However, it was the blunt truth that vampire Beast Vassals weren’t oriented toward precision attacks. If Vattler wasn’t minded to do battle with the terrorists, that was a relief…but the moment Kojou allowed himself a sense of relief…

“But you know, if Gardos’s side should come to try and kill me, I will be forced to engage them. I would be exercising self-defense. Isn’t that so?”

As if sneering at Kojou for lowering his guard, Vattler spoke, seeking his agreement. That was when Kojou, too, finally realized what he was up to.

Vattler, who had slain the leader of the group of radicals known as the Black Death Emperor Front, was a target for their revenge, so to speak. Surely the remnants of the Black Death Emperor Front were awaiting their opportunity to take revenge upon him even now.

If Gardos did truly obtain the power to slay a primogenitor, he’d go straight for Vattler. Vattler, too, sought this.

“So you came to Itogami Island to taunt the terrorists to draw them out, huh? Coming aboard this ridiculously conspicious ship too…”

“No, no…my primary objective was to meet you, my beloved.” As Vattler spoke those words, he turned an insistent look upon Kojou.

Kojou’s voice grew ragged. “Like this is the time to kid around. If you wanna wage war, do it in your own country. Don’t bring trouble to other people’s cities!”

“Of course, I wish such trouble may be avoided. Should the Counter-Demon Agents of this city capture Gardos, I have no complaint. It would be nice if I was saved the trouble. That, of course, is
if
they can catch him.”

With a small shake of his head and a shrug of his shoulders, Vattler made an exaggerated sigh.

Then, he turned a handsome, smiling face toward Kojou that made him shiver.

“But the nine Beast Vassals that obey me… Should danger befall me,
their master, who knows what they might do? Sinking this island is no great concern to them. That is why I thought I should apologize to you…in advance.”

“Wha…?!”

This time, it was Kojou who exclaimed.

Vattler had just made clear he was fine with sinking Itogami Island. Should mere dozens of terrorists come after his life, he’d destroy the island and everyone on it.

And he made this declaration right in front of Kojou. This doubled as his declaration that Kojou could do nothing to stop him. If Kojou got in his way, he’d take Kojou down, too…

These, hidden behind his frivolous, superficial words, were the true feelings of Dimitrie Vattler.

It wasn’t that it didn’t piss him off. But in truth, Kojou didn’t have any way to stop Vattler.

For even should Kojou attempt to stop Vattler by force, the resulting fight between them would do immense damage to Itogami Island by itself.

So long as Vattler claimed legitimate self-defense, neither Yukina, nor Sayaka, nor the Lion King Agency could raise a hand to stop him. The mere fact that terrorists were after the life of Vattler, an official foreign emissary, was insufficient cause to expel him from Itogami Island.

With the situation providing no escape hatch, Kojou began to sink into despair when…

“If I may say so, you need not be so concerned, Duke Ardeal.”

It was Yukina who offered her opinion in a clear, chilly voice.

“H-Himeragi?”

“…What could you mean, I wonder? Surely you do not suggest Kojou might take care of Gardos in my place? I think even my Beast Vassals are better behaved than the Fourth Primogenitor’s…”

Both Kojou and Vattler had surprised looks as they asked their questions in reply.

A look of quiet determination came over Yukina’s graceful features as she nodded.

“I suppose so. Therefore, I will apprehend the Black Death Emperor Front remnants in the Fourth Primogenitor’s place.”

“…Yukina?!” Sayaka shrieked. As talented as she was, when Yukina
was concerned, her reserve seemed to fly out the window. But Kojou understood why she was nervous all too well.

“Why does it have to be like that?! Taking on this Gardos guy in my place or whatever…”

“Please be quiet, both of you. As a watcher, it is the obvious conclusion. I cannot permit the Fourth Primogenitor to come in contact with terrorists, after all, particularly since they seek to kill primogenitors.”

Yukina spoke in a hard, flat voice. To an impartial observer, she would appear levelheaded, but this was the look she always gave off when digging in her heels. Having such a serious personality, she was quite obstinate once she set her mind on something.

Also, Vattler looked over Yukina as if somehow wary of her.

“Hmm…I see. Interesting…perhaps I should say, as expected by my rival in love?”

“Eh? No, it’s nothing like that at…”

Yukina’s stiff expression softened as she let out a perplexed-sounding voice.

But the young aristocrat seemed to take pleasure in it as he made what somehow seemed to be a cruel laugh as he made his declaration.

“Very well, let us first see the might of the Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency. Show me whether you are worthy of being Kojou’s companion.”

“That ain’t for you to decide dammit,” muttered Kojou, but Yukina and Vattler completely ignored him as they glared at each other.

Glancing to the side, he saw Sayaka was in a light daze, still frozen in shock. Apparently Yukina telling her to be quiet had delivered quite a shock to her.

Yukina made a quiet nod toward the young aristocrat making a taunting smile at her.

Those were the circumstances of that night’s rendezvous with Vattler. Upon that note ended Kojou and Yukina’s late-night meeting with the envoy from the First Primogenitor.

And then…

“Kojou! Oh, Kojou!”

Suddenly hearing a voice right at his ear, Kojou’s eyes twitched in surprise.

It was certainly not a disagreeable voice. Indeed, it had an intimate ring to his ear. But he still had a very bad feeling about this. Why was he hearing
her
voice here…?

“How long are you gonna sleep for? Hey, if you don’t wake up soon, you’re gonna be late.”

With his body violently shaken, Kojou slowly opened his eyelids.

Perhaps his mind still being foggy was because he’d had a long dream. It didn’t really register that there was a girl in his field of vision. Her hair was nicely done up; her eyelashes were very shapely. She had a surprisingly nicely made-up and elegant face. It was the warmth of her soft body and the scent of soap that made Kojou wake with a start.

“A-Asagi?”

“Good morning, Kojou. You’re late.”

It was morning in the Akatsuki residence in his own very familiar room. Looking down upon the freshly woken Kojou, Asagi Aiba smiled.

It was said that a surprise came from the degree of difference between an unexpected event and normalcy, but when the difference was too great, one was all the calmer because the situation was simply too absurd.

As surprises went, having a girl from his class show up on top of his own bed was far more shocking to him than any meeting with a larger-than-life aristocrat from the Warlord’s Empire.

Mounted atop the thoroughly dumbfounded Kojou, Asagi flicked the tip of Kojou’s nose.

“Why, Kojou, you… If you keep sleeping like that, I’m gonna play pranks on you!”

“…What are you doing? Did you eat something weird…?” Kojou moaned out as her all-too-cute conduct felt all the more ominous for it.

Based on facial looks alone, Asagi could only be classified as a straight-up beauty, but she wasn’t the type to be courteous to boys, whether by accident or design. She was moody, paid no attention to the opposite sex, and demanded no special concern in return. If Kojou had to describe her, he’d have to categorize her as closest to “one of the guys.” Though it’d be awkward to say it out loud, Kojou considered that one of
her selling points. Having someone like that suddenly act all cute toward him only made him wary.

Asagi herself seemed to realize that it was indeed hopeless, returning to her usual cynical tone of voice.

“I did not. Guys like this kind of thing… Er…that’s what they say on the Net and stuff.”

“I’m not really sure, but I think there’s probably a few flaws in that info.”

“Ah…you think so, too? It seemed a little odd to me.”

“Geez,” Asagi went, looking at the ceiling, sighing as if finding it all troublesome.

Looking at her behavior, Kojou was now sure of it. Asagi had invaded Kojou’s bed with some other objective in mind. No doubt that objective was nothing good…

“By the way, could you move already? You’re heavy.”

“You sure don’t mind saying rude things loud and clear, do you? I was moving whether you said it or… Er, what’s this, it’s hard…?”

With a small sound of effort, Asagi, sitting astride Kojou, who was lying faceup, moved to get off the bed when she inclined her head as she casually touched something unfamiliar near Kojou’s lower abdomen. Asagi’s slender hand had gripped with ease a part of his flesh that became lively as a normal physiological reaction in the morning.

“K-K-K-K-Kojou!”

Realizing the true nature of what she was touching, Asagi let out a yell mixed with a shriek.

Asagi, who had sisters but no brothers, had an unwitting fear of
that
. Kojou felt slighted as she leaped off the bed.

“What’re you getting mad at me for?! You’re the one who decided to crawl all over me!”

“Oh God…how could you make me touch it. That hard fleshy feeling…ughh, gross!”

“Well, don’t blame me!!”

Hurt by Asagi’s reaction, Kojou objected as well. As he tried to calm the worked-up girl down, they both ended up flopping onto the bed together.

“…Asagi, sorry for pushing this on you. I have to go to cheerleading club, but did you manage to wake up Kojou?”

At that moment, Nagisa roughly opened the door, barging in with a
rapid patter. Her smiling face froze stiff when she saw Kojou and Asagi entwined on top of the bed.

Kojou and Asagi, too, froze in their current entangled position. A stifling silence came over the middle of the room.

“…What are you two doing?”

It was Nagisa’s dignified question that broke the silence.

“N-Nagisa?! I see, you’re the one who let Asagi into the house on your own…!”

Kojou somehow or other grasped the situation. Taking a moment to think, of course that was it.

Even Asagi wouldn’t be audacious enough to enter Kojou’s private room on her own. Not unless there was someone who’d invited her into the house.

But her coconspirator, Nagisa, had surely not imagined that Kojou and Asagi would engage in behavior quite like this.

“I don’t remember asking her to get in bed with you, though. What part did Asagi grab, Kojou…!”

“What, this is my fault…?!”

Taking the blame for a clear act of God, Kojou felt like crying. And, as if to kick him while he was down, from behind Nagisa’s ferocious visage, a small silhouette unexpectedly poked its face in.

“…Senpai? What are you doing?”

“Ah, don’t! If you look at these impure people, it’ll stain you, too, Yukina!”

“…Eh?”

The moment Yukina peered into the room, eyes blinking with a puzzled look, her eyes instantly lost all emotion. Both of their faces, side by side, had doll-like, expressionless eyes, instilling all the more terror for it.

“Wait a minute! Why’s Himeragi in the house, too…!”

“It’s because you were bad for sleeping so long! I couldn’t make her wait in the heat outside so I thought I’d let her in so she could be cooler!”

Kojou was silent as she made her rapid-fire rant.

So that was it. It wasn’t that Nagisa was trying to ensnare Kojou out of malice, apparently.

But what was the atmosphere enveloping Kojou’s room, then, that made him want to flee?

Asagi, who remained in what looked like a partially pinned-down position, put the ready-to-run Kojou in a headlock, as she shot Yukina a defiant look. In contrast, Yukina’s expression was unreadable.

“I’m sorry, Yukina… Are you…upset?”

“No, not particularly.”

The Lion King Agency’s Sword Shaman replied to Nagisa’s nervous, concerned-sounding question with a gentle shake of her head.

Then, Yukina nodded to Kojou and Asagi as if nothing at all had happened.

“I believe I will wait outside after all. Senpais, please take your time.”

She slowly departed the room, leaving those words behind her. Her attitude was absolutely cool and ordinary.

But about thirty seconds after Kojou sensed the entryway door being closed…

He heard a thunderclap-like
thud
sound that made the entire building tremble.

It was like the impact of a karate master slamming his foot into the wall before him out of pique. Kojou trembled from the nonsensical chilly sensation he felt run down his spine.

Asagi looked between Kojou’s reaction and the direction Yukina had departed in with deep interest.

“I wonder if that’s jealousy talking?”

“Not likely. It’s not like we’re dating or anything.” Kojou replied without any particularly deep thought. For some reason, Asagi’s eyes were wide as she looked at Kojou.

“…Right. It’s not like you’re dating or anything.”

After that murmur, seemingly storing the thought in her memory, Asagi pointed in the direction Yukina had left in as she asked. “What kind of girl is she, anyway?”

“What kind? She’s what she looks like. She’s not a bad person. She can be trouble sometimes, though.”

Kojou made a light sigh as memories concerning his being watched passed before his eyes.

“Kojou, does that girl have something on you?”

“S-something on me?”

“Yeah, a secret you can’t tell anyone else.”

Asagi crept closer to Kojou’s face as she asked.