“Are you coming back with us, too?”
With Nagisa’s slumber leaving Kojou’s hands free, he pointed at the idling transport helicopter as he posed the question to Asagi. Apparently, on-site inspection related to the incident meant there was still a little time before the helicopter was set to depart.
“I’ll head back after I shop in the capital for two or three days. I went through all the procedures to leave the island, so it’ll be a problem if I don’t head back on a proper airplane.”
Asagi had already begun rapidly sifting through brand stores on her cell phone. Now that she was finally on the mainland, it seemed she intended to buy up some clothes, handbags, and cosmetics for her trouble.
“And what will you do, Tanker? That tank of yours is in pretty sorry shape…”
“I wait in anticipation of a recovery craft from Didier Heavy Industries. All the data gathered from this incident was well worth the effort.”
The redheaded girl straddling the legged tank replied to Asagi with a face overflowing with a sense of accomplishment.
“Well, if you’re happy with it, then that’s fine with me… Iblis? Er, where is Iblis…?”
Speaking those words, Asagi surveyed the area with a suspicious look. At some point, all sign of the foreign boy with them had vanished. In the end, he and Kojou hadn’t had any proper introduction. But that’s just fine, really, thought Kojou.
“Incidentally…,” he said, “…why are you wearing a swimsuit in a stupidly cold place like this?”
“Huh?!”
Kojou drawing attention to it made Asagi’s face redden in embarrassment as she finally remembered. She was wearing a pilot suit resembling a competition swimsuit that highly accentuated her curves; it even courteously provided a name space stretching right over her breasts.
“Th-there are various circumstances involved in… Wait, how long are you going to stare?!”
“Hey, you’re the lewd one here! You’re completely fine looking like that in public!
“Uwaa!”
Asagi let out a shriek and unleashed a short uppercut right at Kojou’s face. Launched out of the blue, the attack knocked him directly on his back. During that time, Asagi fled into the robot tank.
What the hell was that for? Thought Kojou as he wiped away his nosebleed and sat up.
As Kojou did so, a pretty, folded handkerchief was held out right before his eyes. When Kojou looked up in surprise, he saw Yukina standing there, smiling at him.
It was a strangely repressed, artificial smile.
“Speaking of indecent, senpai— You drank Miss Glenda’s blood, didn’t you?”
Yukina began roughly wiping Kojou’s bloodstained lips.
Instantly judging that clumsy attempts to gloss things over would backfire, Kojou desperately composed himself and said, “W-well, yeah. Couldn’t be helped ’cause we had to get out of that weird in-between Nod place. Besides, Himeragi, Glenda had changed into you at the time…”
“Changed into me…? You mean, she shape-shifted?” Perplexed, Yukina inclined her head a little and crouched down beside Kojou.
Kojou nodded. “Well, somethin’ like that. I think she read the memories of the blood in me to re-create what you look like…”
“Memories of the blood… I see…” Yukina pressed a finger to her lips as she made a little nod.
Then, as if just remembering something rather important, Yukina’s big eyes narrowed as she said, “But Glenda was naked at the time, wasn’t she…?”
“Ah, er, yeah, because she’d changed into a dragon. I mean, she’s a dragon, so being naked is no big deal for—”
Kojou desperately pressed the point. When she’d first appeared, she was very much in dragon form, so it was by no means a total lie.
However, Yukina gazed at the shaken Kojou’s face with frigid eyes as she said, “So Miss Glenda changed into me, meaning…… Senpai, did you see…?”
“What?”
For an instant, Kojou’s gaze wavered, not understanding just what Yukina was saying to him. With him like that, Yukina pulled very close to his face.
“Did you see me…naked?”
“Ahh… Th-that’s… How should I put this…?”
More precisely, he hadn’t just seen, he’d touched, too, but of course he couldn’t tell her that.
During the time Kojou did not answer, Yukina’s rage turned into an icy frost of bloodlust.
“Did you see anything?”
“Er, but it was Glenda on the inside…”
“Did you see anything?”
“……”
“Senpai?”
With Yukina glaring at him with that cold, bladelike gaze, Kojou was frozen stiff as he continued to sweat profusely.
“Gimme a break,” he unwittingly murmured under his breath. The murmur melted into the night sky and vanished.
“—Yuiri!”
As she got out of the transport helicopter, Shio Hikawa raised a cheerful voice as she caught sight of her good friend.
It was in the Tangiwa Mountains far removed from civilization. Thanks to the ferocious clash between the Cleansers’ Major Azama and the Fourth Primogenitor, traces of a giant explosion had been carved into the foothill; it resembled the vestige of a volcanic eruption.
Yuiri Haba was standing in front of a cabin left intact near ground zero of that explosion.
“Shio! I’m so glad you’re all right!”
“Yeah, same here!”
Reunited, the two joined hands with happy, smiling faces. Both had their clothes all torn up, but somehow, they had managed to make it through alive. Considering that they’d been surrounded by monsters like the prince from the Fallen Dynasty and the Fourth Primogenitor, their good fortune was truly miraculous. No one could blame them for rejoicing like ordinary schoolgirls, forgetting that they were Attack Mages of the Lion King Agency for that one moment.
“Yuiri!”
Watching the pair so worked up must have made the steel-haired girl want to copy them, for she rushed over and embraced them, too. Strangely, though they were a little surprised, they didn’t find it uncomfortable at all. Perhaps that was due to her expression being the innocent smile of a baby’s.
“Hey, Glenda! Shoes! Put those shoes on!”
Yuiri was fussing over the steel-haired girl as if she were her guardian.
The girl named Glenda dutifully sat down and commenced hand-to-hand combat with her shoelaces. Yuiri aided the girl with an unpracticed hand. The scene was heartwarming, somehow.
“That girl’s a dragon?”
“Yeah. Probably.”
“That so. Nice to meet you, Glenda. I’m Shio Hikawa.”
When Shio squatted next to the girl and spoke, the steel-haired girl’s face turned amiable. “Shio,” she repeated, practically singing the word.
Yuiri watched the interaction between the pair with a smile. However, Shio realized immediately after that Yuiri was periodically glancing behind her back.
At the end of Yuiri’s gaze were two children wearing uniforms of the same color. One was a small-statured girl with a silver spear; the other was a boy with a languid expression.
“Hey, Yuiri. Isn’t that…Yukina Himeragi?”
Shio posed the question to Yuiri with a nonchalant tone.
“Y-yeah.”
Yuiri gulped; her shoulders trembled as she nodded. “Hmmm,” Shio murmured, scrutinizing the pair that was the object of Yuiri’s attention.
Yukina Himeragi had her face very close to the boy’s; they seemed to be having some kind of argument. The atmosphere was plainly stormy, but despite that, the ambiance between the two seemed very relaxed. She felt very much like she was watching a bickering couple bothering those around them.
“That girl’s gotten…cute somehow? Well, ah, she had a pretty face to begin with, but…”
As Shio watched Yukina’s angry expression, she mumbled those words without realizing it. She didn’t even understand why she had thought that.
<
br /> However, Yukina agreed with a serious look, perhaps feeling the same.
“Yeah… You might be right.”
“Then…that’s Kojou Akatsuki, the Fourth Primogenitor…”
“…Yeah. He looks better than I expected. I’m actually kind of jealous…”
This time, when Yuiri murmured, seemingly to herself, her quiet words genuinely took Shio by surprise.
“Hmm, well, he does look like he’ll turn into a nice man in another twenty years or so.”
From a distance, she stared at the side of Kojou Akatsuki’s face as she subconsciously said exactly what was on her mind.
Then it was Yuiri’s turn to be surprised.
“Eh? Shio, don’t tell me you…”
Yuiri’s eyes opened wide in surprise, her voice trembling.
That was when Shio finally realized her verbal slip. After all, both had a very good idea of what a Kojou Akatsuki with twenty more years on him would look like…
Wait, no, Shio thought, shaking her head. Shio absolutely did not think kindly about that wicked, middle-aged lecher. There was no way she’d even dream of it.
“Eh? Ah… N-no, you’re wrong. Just forget what I said. It’s really not like that…! It’s not!” exclaimed Shio, her voice echoing across the dusky sky.
The same sky as Itogami Island—and the same, silver moon—silently looked down upon them.
Afterword
Since the previous volume, the publication pace has gone up ever so slightly (smug face).
It’s been a while. So Strike the Blood, Vol. 12 has finally arrived.
With the exception of one flashback story, Strike the Blood has been a tale taking place almost completely on Itogami Island; this time, the Japanese mainland became the stage. Furthermore, the season was winter. The lake was frozen, and there was even snow falling. Yes, it did occur to me that the rate of skin exposure was higher than normal for the girls (and one guy), but that’s, you know, a luxury—like eating ice cream in a warm room in the middle of winter. Either way, the Strike the Blood world being chillier was fresh on a personal level.
Speaking of freshness, this volume had many new characters. In particular, I had a lot of fun writing Yuiri and Shio, a new pair closer to normal people than the Lion King Agency characters to date. Though the two do not realize it themselves (causing considerable trouble to those around them), Yukina and Sayaka really do possess talent head and shoulders above others of their generation, so I thought I should finally write about those circumstances. I believe the Yuiri and Shio combo will have opportunities to shine in the story to come, so by all means, please give them your best regards.
Now then, the stage for the next volume is expected to return to Itogami Island. It’s about time for movers and shakers to gather together for big moves toward the story’s climax, right? In particular, I think it’d be great to finally make the production schedule speed up a wee bit. I’ve been energetically thinking of a few new developments besides the ones in this volume, so if you’re looking forward to them, great.
The comic version of Strike the Blood is still being serialized in Monthly Dengeki Daioh. To TATE-sensei, in charge of the comic adaptation, thank you very much, as always. With each serialization, the combat scenes become more dynamic, and the characters get even more charming. I’m moved by every issue. I think faithful readers of the original work will definitely enjoy it, so by all means, get your hands on the comic version of Strike the Blood!
To Manyako, the illustrator, thank you very much once again. Amid a busy schedule, with me changing the clothes worn by the cast left and right with no thought as to the consequences, and under the terrible working condition known as “multiple new characters,” I thank you profusely for putting the finishing touches on a charming work. This time, Yukina’s legs—er, I mean, the front cover—was absolutely fantastic!
Also, allow me to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone involved in the creation and distribution of this book.
Of course, all of you who have read this book have my sincere thanks.
I hope very much to see you next volume.
Gakuto Mikumo
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