Strike the Blood, Vol. 11: The Fugitive Fourth Primogenitor

“Er, umm…”

“Mm. That came out pretty well.”

In contrast to Yukina, unable to conceal her distress, Mimori smiled, satisfied. Kojou glared at his mother with a sharp look.

“What the heck are you up to…?”

“Alrighty. Yukina, I’ll give this camera to you. I found it when I was cleaning the room earlier.”

“You mean you stuffed it in the closet by mistake, don’t you?”

Kojou’s harsh jab didn’t even elicit a twitch from Mimori.

Yukina accepted the compact, digital camera and its metallic silver case. The device was no bigger than a small smartphone model, yet its lens was very large. From all appearances, it was an expensive, state-of-the-art camera.

The camera’s manufacturer was MAR—the international conglomerate Mimori worked for.

“Is it really all right to give me something like this…?” Yukina asked, bashful.

Mimori displayed a teasing smile. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Think of it as an impromptu New Year’s gift. In the first place, it’s a prototype from work that I got for free. Besides, if I give it to Kojou, he’ll use it for nefarious purposes, like taking pictures of you while you’re changing, taking pictures of your underwear, taking pictures of you in the shower…”

“Like hell I will! How poorly do you think of your own son?!”

Kojou made a show of his objection to being treated like some sort of peeping tom.

A small, knowing smile escaped Yukina. “If that is the alternative…thank you very much.”

“Whaddaya mean that?” Kojou grumbled, twisting his lips in displeasure.

Mimori, seeing Yukina so reserved and happy, gently narrowed her eyes.

“Mm-hmm, human memories are surprisingly hazy, so it isn’t so bad to make your memories tangible. Important moments that you don’t realize you’ll miss until you lose them…”

“Miss Mimori…?”

Yukina lifted her face, giving Mimori a look of deep respect. However, Mimori, a glutton for praise, got carried away as she said:

“Well, I’m a psychometer anyway, so I’m completely fine without photos at all, you know!”

“Like we need to hear that! What are you so proud of?!”

Kojou muttered, visibly annoyed by Mimori’s childish behavior. Unsure whether or not Kojou and Mimori had a good mother-son relationship, Yukina couldn’t help but giggle.

With a smile on her face, Mimori continued stuffing her suitcase full of things and closed the lid of the overflowing case with one hard push.

“Okay, packing complete. Kojou, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Hey! Wait—are you planning to run?!”

Naturally, when Kojou saw his mother darting across the cluttered apartment, he tried to stop her. However, when Kojou barred her path, Mimori sent him flying with the suitcase.

“H-Himeragi! Stop her!”

“Yukina, take care of Kojou in the New Year, ’kay?”

“Eh?! Ah, yes… Eek!”

Yukina jumped a little as Mimori, passing through, gave her butt a little pat. The opening allowed Mimori to slip past Yukina and charge out the front door, her sandals flopping around as she ran.

Dumbfounded and drained of strength, Kojou and Yukina watched the woman flee.

The damage Mimori had wrought did not stop with the bedroom. The living room, the kitchen, and even Kojou’s and Nagisa’s rooms had been ravaged in equal measure. It looked like a localized tornado had passed through. Putting everything back into its original state would require much more time and effort than the average cleaning.

“So…in the end, it’s my job to clean this whole thing up?”

Kojou, sluggishly rising to his feet, felt a twinge of despair as he shook his head. As he did, Yukina stood beside him, frailly letting out a sigh.

“No, senpai. It’s our job.”

4

It took the two of them quite a while to clean up the wreckage inside the apartment. It was nine fifteen PM. Only two hours and forty-five minutes remained in the year.

Right after Kojou took a shower, finally washing off the sweat and dust, the doorbell rang. The monitor displayed the face of his friend Motoki Yaze, who was quickly becoming an eyesore.

“Heya, Kojou. I’m here.”

Sporting a pair of earbuds around his neck, his spiky-haired classmate let himself into the apartment. He was holding a convenience store bag with both hands.

“What’re you doing here at this time of day?”

Kojou narrowed his eyes as he toweled his damp hair and greeted his friend.

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Yaze, in apparent disappointment, continued, “We all promised to make the first temple visit of the year together, right? We were supposed to meet up at your place for it.”

“Oh yeah…” Kojou nodded. “Guess we did.”

Thanks to the extra lessons and the cleaning piled on top of that, the scheduled meet up had slipped right out of his mind. Plus, losing touch with Nagisa had done a number on Kojou’s ability to concentrate.

“Come to think of it, what’s got you all worn out, Kojou?”

“Ah…well, a bunch of stuff happened not too long ago.”

“Ohhh?”

For some reason, Yaze’s eyes glimmered in a show of heavy interest.

“Well, allow me to intrude. I just bought sweets and drinks, after all.”

“Not that I mind but… Come to think of it, where are the others? Wasn’t Asagi with you?”

“They should be here any moment, I think. There, see?”

At the same time Yaze pointed behind him, new figures appeared at the entrance. One was a female high school student with an extravagant hairstyle; the other was a small-statured elementary school girl. With unsteady, precarious-looking steps, they both somehow made it to the Akatsuki residence’s front door. Kojou’s eyes went wide at their luxurious outfits.

“What are you two doing in those getups…?” Kojou asked in a bewildered tone.

Normally, extravagant hair was Asagi’s trademark, but this day, it felt even showier than usual. She wore a long-sleeved kimono with countless flowers scattered over thin, pale-scarlet fabric.

Led by the hand was Yume Eguchi, also wearing a long-sleeved kimono. Hers was made with a bright blue-green checkered fabric featuring a pattern that depicted a cute collection of treasures.

Either way, they were dazzling outfits most suited for greeting the New Year…were they not on an island of never-ending summer in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that is.

“W…well, it’s New Year’s Eve, so I thought Why not wear something really colorful for once?”

“D-do they look good on us, Mister Kojou?”

After going to such lengths to get dressed up, Asagi and Yume were eager for words of praise. However, their smiling faces were hollow, and their eyes slightly out of focus. The excessive heat was robbing them of their senses.

“Oh, I was just thinking that long sleeves were a no go with this island’s climate. You girls doing okay…?” he asked, concerned.

Asagi and Yume appeared wobbly and they weren’t even sweating anymore—clear signs of impending heat exhaustion. Small wonder, given that they were walking around wearing long-sleeved layered kimonos as New Year’s outfits on the tropical Itogami Island.

Even so, Yume put on a reassuring smile and said, “W-we’ll be all right. As long as we drink plenty of water…”

“However, if you felt the need to lower the temperate on the air conditioner a little, I wouldn’t complain,” Asagi said as she lumbered into the living room and plopped down on the sofa.

Kojou sighed and adjusted things with the remote control. “Well fine, but you’re sure you don’t just wanna change clothes? I can loan you some.”

“It’s fine. We’ve made it this far, and we have our pride as women to consider.”

“The first one to give in loses.”

“Um, there’s nothing competitive about the first temple visit of the New Year, so…”

Kojou, gazing at the fruitless antagonism burning between Asagi and Yume, shook his head in resignation. Then a different voice called:

“Aiba, have some water. Yume, you, too.”

“Miss Yukina…?”

“She came out of Kojou’s kitchen like it was nothing, didn’t she…?”

Yume’s and Asagi’s cheeks twitched as they noticed Yukina coming in carrying glasses of ice water.

Wearing street clothes and an apron, Yukina blended naturally with the Akatsuki residence’s scenery, giving off the impression that this was where she belonged. Seeing Yukina like that caused the spirit of competition to burn even brighter within Asagi and Yume.

“Er, no, with Nagisa gone for homecoming, I thought I’d help prepare for New Year’s in her stead…”

Yukina hastily excused herself, but this only heightened Asagi’s and Yume’s sense of defeat. The two had gone to extraneous lengths to get dolled up in a roundabout attempt to win Kojou over, yet Yukina had infiltrated and occupied Kojou’s kitchen ahead of them. Naturally, they were seething over their strategic error.

Yaze, gazing at all this from afar, realized that the room smelled of Yukina’s shampoo and made a leering, amused smile as he said:

“Oooh… Yukina, you’re pretty sexy when you’re just out of the bath.”

“Eh? I-is that so…?”

The joking way Yaze made the assertion threw Yukina off a little. Yaze touched his hand to his chin, nodding like a detective in a rocking chair just after making a clever deduction.

“Wait a minute… Nagisa’s gone, so that means Kojou and Yukina have been here all this time by themselves. For some reason, the two were worn out, had already bathed, and on top of that, the bedroom door, which is usually closed, is open for some reason… Ah!”

“‘Ah,’ my ass! It’s just spring cleaning, or rather, my mom ransacked the whole place, and cleaning that up is why we’re exhausted—that’s all!”

“What are you saying in front of an elementary schooler, idiot?!”

Yaze let out an anguished groan as Kojou and Asagi slapped him from both sides.

“That hurt. Geez, all I said was Ah!”

“Oh, shut up.”

Ignoring Yaze’s objection and his painful groan, Kojou, thoroughly exhausted, turned to the kid. “More to the point, why is Yume with you anyway?”

“Ah…well, that’s because my big bro is li’l Yume’s guardian on paper, y’see. So since Tensou Academy’s elementary school dormitory is closed for New Year’s Eve, the Yaze family’s takin’ care of her. Then li’l Yume said she reaaaally wanted to see you, so I went all out of my way to—”

Yaze, trying to explain even though no one had asked him to, shouted “Ow!” and pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose as he reeled backward. Yume had used the sleeve of her kimono like a whip to smack Yaze in the face.

“Please do not speak of things that do not concern you. Also, I believe I have asked you not to use that weird nickname.”

“Ugh…”

That little brat, Yaze thought as he glared at Yume, his lips pursed in frustration. “Hmph,” Yume fumed, turning her face aside, spurning Yaze. Ever since their first meeting, they just hadn’t gotten along very well.

During all that time, the water came to a boil. On Itogami Island, land of eternal summer, New Year’s soba was still normal soba noodles. During the time Yukina was boiling the noodles, Kojou was preparing green onions and other condiments.

“Kinda late to notice this, but since I’ve been on this island, New Year’s Eve never really feels like a celebration.”

Kojou listened to the voices of crickets outside the window as he unwittingly let his true feelings slip. As a Demon Sanctuary, Itogami Island inevitably had a large overseas-born population, and thanks to the climate, there was little to separate the seasons. He’d seen the excitement on a music TV channel on public broadcasting, but it felt like something happening in a far-off nation.

“I suppose so. Motoki and I have lived here since we were kids, so we’re used to it, I guess.”

“Thank you for the meal,” said Asagi before having some of her noodles.

“We might be doin’ the first temple visit, but the countdown to New Year’s fireworks is the main event,” Yaze said. “It’s a pain in the neck, so I’ll just loaf around at Kojou’s place. It’ll be about time to tuck li’l Yume into bed by then, too.” Lying slovenly on the sofa, he gave Yume’s head a little pat.

She brusquely brushed Yaze’s hand aside and insisted, “Please do not treat me like a child. I have no trouble with staying up late. I’m a succubus, after all. You could even say that I’m currently in my element.”

“You just want to see the fireworks.”

“I—I do not!”

When Yaze made this assertion, Yume’s face went scarlet as she shook her head.

However, behind her strong statement, she seemed sleepy even then, perhaps physically worn out from wearing the long-sleeved kimono. She was blinking more frequently, and she’d barely touched the candy.

“It sure would be nice for it to cool down a bit so we could go out in these outfits, though…”

Asagi seemed to be speaking to herself—and not out of any consideration for Yume—as she let her real thoughts slip. Where’d that ‘pride as a woman’ run off to? thought Kojou, smiling a bit.

“Well, having you endure it and collapse won’t do anyone any good. How ’bout changing clothes?” he asked.

“S…sure…”

Asagi appeared conflicted as she put a hand on the cord and belt keeping her waist taut. To Asagi, a glutton in spite of her appearance, the fact that she couldn’t eat a meal as she pleased while wearing a long-sleeved outfit was an unexpected miscalculation. The issue of whether she’d already succeeded in her objective of showing off to Kojou in her outfit seemed to weigh heavily on her mind.

“Um…if you are going to change clothes, how about I take a picture first?”

As Yukina spoke, she brought out the digital camera she’d just gotten from Mimori. Apparently, she thought she should photograph Asagi and Yume after they had put so much effort into their appearances.

Asagi, her interest piqued, went “Wow!” as her eyes sparkled. “That’s an MAR Zeta 9, isn’t it? You bought it?”

“No, it was a gift. Mimori said it was in lieu of a New Year’s present…”

“You’re kidding me. I’m a little jealous. That model isn’t even on sale in Japan…!”

Asagi’s brows furled as she gnawed her chopsticks in envy. Asagi, a computer nut, had a soft spot for rare digital devices.

“Er, in other words, that camera’s pretty good stuff?”

For his part, Kojou had little interest in such gadgets; if anything, he was more interested in how Asagi ate.

Asagi nodded strongly. “Yeah, very much so. It’s water-resistant and impact-resistant—the sensor’s HQ is connected to the Net, and the imaging system specs are pretty high up, too…but the real selling point is definitely the new model of DSP. These have proprietary MAC units… They say processing efficiency is increased by two orders of magnitude.”

“R-right…”

I get that I don’t get it at all, thought Kojou, nodding weakly.

During that time, Asagi continued to gaze covetously at Yukina’s camera when she said, “Right. After you take the photo, how about you send it to me later?”

“Ah, yes. If you teach me how, then certainly…”

Yukina nodded a half-hearted yes. Yukina had a great deal of knowledge about anything related to rituals, but when it came to operating machinery, she was all thumbs.

“Ah, right… We’d have to pair it. Himeragi, do you have a PC?”

“No.” Yukina shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.” Asagi’s shoulders dipped in dismay. Normally, the Cyber Empress walked around with multiple devices—notebook PC, tablet, etc.—but unsurprisingly, that was not the case while she walked around in a kimono.

“Kojou, don’t you have one?”

“Ah… There’s the one Nagisa uses once in a while.”

Kojou opened a cabinet standing in a corner of the living room. Inside was a hand-me-down laptop from Mimori. For people living on Itogami Island, whether it was clothing, pets, or sports gear, if you wanted anything even a little exotic, you had to get it online. That was how Kojou and Nagisa came to acquire bare-minimum computing skills.

“Can I borrow it?”

“Sure thing. It’s not like it’s Nagisa’s alone.”

“I’ll help myself, then.”

With his permission, Asagi opened the laptop. Then, the instant she turned on the power…

“Uwaa…”

Asagi murmured as she knelt on the spot. Stickers with what were apparently Nagisa’s username and log-in password were stuck on the top of the computer keyboard. To Asagi, an expert in cracking passwords, the level of security was so wide open that she must have wondered if someone was playing tricks on her.

“Simply logging in like this is kind of a blow to my pride as a hacker, but…”

Grimacing at the indignity, Asagi connected Yukina’s camera to the laptop. For all its high specs, the MAR digital camera had numerous install options that needed to be set, and inputting all that was a chore. Using a laptop greatly reduced the time and trouble involved.

“Well, fine. For now, I’ll just do the camera settings, select Himeragi’s photo, and send it to my address… Hmm?”

Asagi was tapping away at the settings when her hand came to a stop, like she’d just noticed something.

“What is it?”

Kojou peered over Asagi’s shoulder. I don’t like this, her bitten lip seemed to suggest.

“This account… It looks like it’s synchronized with Nagisa’s smartphone account…”

“Synchronized?”

“It’s set so data is exchanged between the smartphone and the computer. It’s convenient because you can check the e-mail inbox and appointments put into the calendar and so on from both ends.”

“Ahh, that I get, but…”

In other words, she was apparently able to browse part of the data on Nagisa’s smartphone. The feature may have been convenient, but in terms of privacy, it was dangerous, too.

“Is there some kind of bad data in there…?”

“Not the kind of bad you’re imagining.”

When Kojou leaned forward, anxious about e-mails from boys or similar things, Asagi sullenly brushed him aside. Then Asagi opened an image file.

“See, Nagisa took this photo from her smartphone. The data’s corrupted, so it’s only displaying about half of it…”

“…Huh?” Kojou furled his brows, unable to grasp the image’s significance. “What the hell?”

The photo’s date and time were from about a week prior—the day Nagisa arrived at Tangiwa, her grandmother’s hometown. It was also the day after all contact with her had been cut.

The lower half of the image had damaged data, taking on a mosaic pattern. And the upper half of the image was the night sky.

The image was probably taken through a car window. A mountain ridge cut through the winter sky. The moon and stars were not visible above it. Darkness spread across the screen as if it was the deep ocean floor.

And an odd pattern was floating within that darkness.

There were concentric circles, layer upon layer. Sorcerous runes were inscribed on their inner edges.

The giant pattern of glimmering light covered the whole nighttime sky…

…like a net, trapping Nagisa and others within.

“That’s—?!”

“A magic circle…?!”

Kojou and Yukina met each other’s faces as their breath caught in their throats.

It was the night of December 31—the Demon Sanctuary of Itogami Island, far removed from the mainland.

One hour and fifty minutes remained until the New Year…