the need to come up with an excuse at the moment, but Sayaka seemed to take it quite seriously. She murmured in a quivering voice before going silent.
Kojou felt a little guilty and changed the subject. “Anyway, what were you calling for tonight?”
“It’s not as if I have any business that has to do with you!”
Sayaka’s reply came in the blink of an eye.
What’s her problem?
thought Kojou, beside himself.
“Geez, don’t call, then!”
“Th-this week I’m going to Itogami City again, so I just wanted to tell you that if you ask, it’s okay to meet up somewhere.”
“…Did that idiot Vattler do something again?” Kojou asked with the sudden onset of a bad premonition. Dimitrie Vattler was an aristocrat of the Warlord’s Empire in Europe. He was a pureblood vampire of the bloodline of the First Primogenitor, the Lost Warlord.
He was militant to the point you could call him a combat maniac. Sayaka was his watcher.
But Sayaka made a weary sigh.
“Separate case. A…VIP from the kingdom of Aldegia is coming that day, so I’m supposed to be her…escort and guide…
“…There’s been a bit of trouble, though.”
“Aldegia? What’s someone that far from Itogami City want here?” Kojou asked back with a dubious voice.
The kingdom of Aldegia was a small European nation on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Known for its beautiful natural environment andhigh-tech industrial power, it was especially famous for production of magical products. But thanks to the great distances involved, it had no deep links to Japan.
“I…can’t really say I don’t know the details, but they’re diplomatic secrets, you see…”
“Ahh. Yeah, they would be…”
Based on Sayaka’s oddly reluctant tone, Kojou took her words at face value.
“Getting assigned escorting a VIP from another country, though, you’re really something, Sayaka. Even though you’re the same age as I am…”
“Er, ah…thank you…” As if stricken by surprise, Sayaka spoke in a rather cute voice. After that, she hastily returned to her usual overbearing tone. “W-well…naturally. I’m not a half-baked Primogenitor like you are. This is the least expected of Yukina’s older sister.”
Not like you actually
are
Yukina’s older sister
, Kojou mentally interjected.
“If you’re escorting a big shot like that, you won’t have time to meet me or Himeragi, though. I’m sure it’ll be real busy. Figures it’s a totally different situation than us.”
“Er, yeah…” Upon hearing Kojou’s genuine words of praise, Sayaka murmured weakly, then groaned a low groan as if wanting to rebut him about something. “That’s right, that’s how it is! Go die, idiot!” she suddenly yelled defiantly and hung up.
What the heck did she really want, anyway…
, pondered Kojou, staring at the silent cell phone in bewilderment.
Oh well
, he immediately decided and went back to sleep.
2
It was the next day after classes. Immediately after finishing his lessons, Kojou headed to the middle school section. He was, of course, heading there to keep an eye on Nagisa.
Being an artificial construct, Itogami Island had a chronic shortage of land, so the site of Saikai Academy was by no means excessively broad. Many facilities, like pools and gyms, were shared between the campuses. For that reason, Kojou encountered no special suspicion as he arrived at the middle school campus.
He’d already confirmed that Nagisa had been in a club meeting during that day’s lunch break. Accordingly, if Takashimizu plotted to get close to her again, chances were good that he’d do it during the after-class period.
The problem was, how was he going to keep an eye on Nagisa without her noticing…?
“…What do you think you’re doing here, senpai?”
Kojou, having infiltrated the campus building while avoiding prying eyes, froze in place as a sudden voice brought him to a halt.
With a gulp, he turned his head toward the speaker. Yukina stood there with a
Kojou felt a little guilty and changed the subject. “Anyway, what were you calling for tonight?”
“It’s not as if I have any business that has to do with you!”
Sayaka’s reply came in the blink of an eye.
What’s her problem?
thought Kojou, beside himself.
“Geez, don’t call, then!”
“Th-this week I’m going to Itogami City again, so I just wanted to tell you that if you ask, it’s okay to meet up somewhere.”
“…Did that idiot Vattler do something again?” Kojou asked with the sudden onset of a bad premonition. Dimitrie Vattler was an aristocrat of the Warlord’s Empire in Europe. He was a pureblood vampire of the bloodline of the First Primogenitor, the Lost Warlord.
He was militant to the point you could call him a combat maniac. Sayaka was his watcher.
But Sayaka made a weary sigh.
“Separate case. A…VIP from the kingdom of Aldegia is coming that day, so I’m supposed to be her…escort and guide…
“…There’s been a bit of trouble, though.”
“Aldegia? What’s someone that far from Itogami City want here?” Kojou asked back with a dubious voice.
The kingdom of Aldegia was a small European nation on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Known for its beautiful natural environment andhigh-tech industrial power, it was especially famous for production of magical products. But thanks to the great distances involved, it had no deep links to Japan.
“I…can’t really say I don’t know the details, but they’re diplomatic secrets, you see…”
“Ahh. Yeah, they would be…”
Based on Sayaka’s oddly reluctant tone, Kojou took her words at face value.
“Getting assigned escorting a VIP from another country, though, you’re really something, Sayaka. Even though you’re the same age as I am…”
“Er, ah…thank you…” As if stricken by surprise, Sayaka spoke in a rather cute voice. After that, she hastily returned to her usual overbearing tone. “W-well…naturally. I’m not a half-baked Primogenitor like you are. This is the least expected of Yukina’s older sister.”
Not like you actually
are
Yukina’s older sister
, Kojou mentally interjected.
“If you’re escorting a big shot like that, you won’t have time to meet me or Himeragi, though. I’m sure it’ll be real busy. Figures it’s a totally different situation than us.”
“Er, yeah…” Upon hearing Kojou’s genuine words of praise, Sayaka murmured weakly, then groaned a low groan as if wanting to rebut him about something. “That’s right, that’s how it is! Go die, idiot!” she suddenly yelled defiantly and hung up.
What the heck did she really want, anyway…
, pondered Kojou, staring at the silent cell phone in bewilderment.
Oh well
, he immediately decided and went back to sleep.
2
It was the next day after classes. Immediately after finishing his lessons, Kojou headed to the middle school section. He was, of course, heading there to keep an eye on Nagisa.
Being an artificial construct, Itogami Island had a chronic shortage of land, so the site of Saikai Academy was by no means excessively broad. Many facilities, like pools and gyms, were shared between the campuses. For that reason, Kojou encountered no special suspicion as he arrived at the middle school campus.
He’d already confirmed that Nagisa had been in a club meeting during that day’s lunch break. Accordingly, if Takashimizu plotted to get close to her again, chances were good that he’d do it during the after-class period.
The problem was, how was he going to keep an eye on Nagisa without her noticing…?
“…What do you think you’re doing here, senpai?”
Kojou, having infiltrated the campus building while avoiding prying eyes, froze in place as a sudden voice brought him to a halt.
With a gulp, he turned his head toward the speaker. Yukina stood there with a
Similar Books
The Unexpected Salami: A Novel
Laurie Gwen Shapiro
Death Comes as the End
Agatha Christie
The Next Move
Lauren Gallagher
Lena
Jacqueline Woodson
The Last Time I Saw Her
Karen Robards
None of this Ever Really Happened
Peter Ferry
Valley of Lights
Stephen Gallagher
The Taken
Inger Ash Wolfe
Ties That Bind
Natalie R. Collins
Working It
Cathy Yardley