A War of Primogenitors

by Gakuto Mikumo

  “Really…? That sort of makes me both want to try them and not want to…”

  The “part of their assassination training” thing bugs me, though, thought Kojou as he turned straight toward Yukina.

  “Come to think of it, can you make sweets, Himeragi?”

  “Eh? …Me?”

  Kojou’s abrupt question caused Yukina’s eyes to waver, her bewilderment evident. However, she was not gazing at Kojou, but rather, behind him. Yukina’s lips trembled, as if wary of some danger.

  “Haachaa—!”

  “Whoa?!”

  The bizarre voice from behind came with the downward swing of some dangerous object, which Kojou just barely evaded. A five-kilogram sack stuffed full of office-gift chocolates passed just in front of his eyes.

  The one who had assaulted him with chocolate was a familiar face to Kojou—Motoki Yaze, the classmate he’d parted ways with at school not too long ago.

  “Yaze, why you?! What gives, poppin’ out like that all of a sudden…?! For that matter, don’t use office-gift chocolates like a blunt weapon! That’s merchandise, you know!”

  “What are you talkin’ about? All I’m doing is trying to deliver divine retribution to the traitor pretending not to have a girlfriend, nonchalantly tryin’ to get Himeragi here to make handmade chocolates for him.”

  “Huh? The hell? It’s not like I’m demanding chocolates from someone like Himeragi, you know?!”

  Without thinking, Kojou immediately refuted the accusation of a crime he did not remember committing. Upon hearing this, Yukina stiffened her expression, to the point where you could almost hear a glass-like crack.

  “Chocolates from someone like me… Is that how you feel…?”

  Yukina emotionlessly repeated her murmur in a voice almost too small for the others around her to hear. Yaze smiled with a smug, victorious leer.

  “Listen here, Himeragi. A guy like this doesn’t need anyone handing him a single nibble of chocolate. Not even if this guy was stranded on a snowy mountain, going a week without food or drink!”

  “Um, if I was stranded like that, at least gimme one chocolate to eat, geez…,” said Kojou, playing along despite his deadpan expression. “For that matter, what’s this traitor business? You’ve got a girlfriend of your own, dammit. Who was she, Koyomi in the third y—?”

  “Kojou…you dare say that to me…”

  Yaze groaned, thrusting a hand against a wall, leaning forward as if buckling under the strain of his misfortune. Kojou tilted his head, perlexed by just how easily his friend had fallen into such a blatantly crestfallen pose.

  “Uh… Yaze?”

  “My senpai goes to a cram school. Furthermore, she’s a third-year at our school, so when school attendance is voluntary, like right now, there’s no way she’d come to school!!”

  “O-oh… S-sorry then…”

  Feeling awkward, Kojou averted his gaze from Yaze. If she’s using cram school as an excuse to not even give him chocolates, can I really call her his girlfriend anymore? he questioned, but he thought better of saying that out loud.

  “Um, if that is the case, why are you at a chocolate market, Yaze?”

  Ascertaining that Yaze had no one with him, Yukina voiced a rather naive question. Now that you mention it, thought Kojou, eyeing his friend with suspicion.

  “Then, what the heck are you doing in a place like this? You’re not tailing us, are you?”

  “O-of course not, I came to buy chocolates! Chocolates, dammit!” Yaze frantically shouted, trying to vindicate his rather suspicious-seeming conduct and demeanor.

  “You? Buying chocolates…?”

  “Yeah. Lately, a new custom’s been making the rounds. It’s called Reverse Chocolates. Guys give ’em to girls instead of the other way around.”

  “Oh…okay.”

  Sounds like a cheap excuse, but I probably shouldn’t pry any deeper, thought Kojou.

  It was right around then that Nagisa slipped through a gap in the dense throng of female customers, returning with a Western sweetshop leaflet in hand.

  “Yukina, Yukina! Which chocolates are we giving to the class reps? The ones with eight pieces or the ones with fifteen? I guess I’m worrying about quality versus quantity, huh? The fresh chocolates over there are really tasty, but I feel like Itogami Island temperatures will make them melt in no time…”

  Perhaps because she was high-strung, Nagisa was speaking in an even faster rapid-fire pace than normal as she sought Yukina’s advice.

  “Hmm,” went Kojou, glancing at the leaflets she was distributing. “I like the ones that aren’t supersweet. Also, ones with nuts in them.”

  “…What are you talking about? Do you actually want me to give you chocolates, too, Kojou?”

  Her large eyes fluttering, Nagisa looked up at Kojou in surprise. Yukina and Yaze both shot Kojou a cold glance, as if scolding him for his sister complex.

  For his part, Kojou seemed thrown off by his little sister’s unexpectedly blunt reaction.

  “Er, I mean, um… We’re family and all!”

  “Hmm…but Kojou, even if you say that, you’ve been getting expensive chocolates from Asagi last year and the year before that, too,” his little sister said. “So I was thinking, it’s not like you really need me to go out of my way to give you any this year…”

  “Uh, well, Asagi did give me some, but she said they were discount chocolates she got from the supermarket. I figured she got ’em cheap ’cause they were really close to their sell-by date, or something. Wait, those were expensive?”

  “Discount chocolates…? Oh, Kojou, you are such a…!”

  Righteous indignation ran across Nagisa’s face as she exhaled in a huff.

  “There’s no way the chocolates Asagi gave Kojou were cheap! The reason they had a short shelf life was because they’re high-class products! Don’t you know even that much…?!”

  “Well, I guess I don’t! And didn’t you eat over half of last year’s chocolates yourself?!”

  “But they were so tasty— Uh, speak of Asagi, and she appears!”

  Abruptly stretching her back higher, Nagisa gazed into the distance. Using a shopping mall escalator, Asagi Aiba was headed toward the train station. Even from a distance, her tastefully askew school uniform lent the high school girl a glamorous air.

  “I wonder if Asagi came to buy chocolates, too. I’ll call her over!”

  “H-hey…!”

  Faster than Kojou could call out to stop her, Nagisa broke into a run in pursuit of Asagi. That girl just can’t stand still, thought Kojou, shaking his head with an air of resignation. Yukina giggled as she watched Kojou do so.

  However, an oddly serious look came over Yaze as he stared at Asagi in the distance.

  “What’s up, Yaze?”

  “Er… I’m just wondering, what’s Asagi trying to pull here…?”

  Kojou’s question brought an absentminded murmur out of Yaze that seemed more to himself than to Kojou. Kojou thought that was suspicious, but the sound of a wild patter of footsteps accompanied the sight of Nagisa returning from the station.

  “K-Kojou! This is huge! Come here for a minute!”

  “What’s the big deal?”

  “Just come! Quick!”

  With his little sister dragging him by the arm, Kojou relented and walked forward. Naturally, Yukina and Yaze accompanied them.

  Asagi had already exited the shopping mall and was standing at a fountain in front of the station. That fountain, decorated with a statue of a penguin, was one of Itogami Island’s standard meeting spots. There, speaking to Asagi, was a young man with a handsome face that seemed as sharp as a cold blade.

  The atmosphere was nothing like him spontaneously flirting. It seemed that the pair had intended to meet there together from the beginning.

  “See? Look! Who is that guy? What’s his relationship to Asagi?”

  Still holding Kojou’s arm, Nagisa pointed to them and raised her voice. However, Kojou did not respond to his li
ttle sister’s question.

  The scene was so shocking to him that he could not manage a reply.

  “That’s…Kira’s partner…”

  “Count Jagan…?!” Yukina picked up where Kojou’s broken murmur trailed off.

  The person Asagi was meeting was Tobias Jagan, aristocrat of the Warlord’s Empire—an Old Guard vampire and said to be Dimitrie Vattler’s right-hand man.

  And as Kojou and the others watched, Asagi began walking with Jagan. The two were headed toward a parked, high-end, two-seater sports car. Jagan acted as Asagi’s escort, helping her to her seat as he got in the driver’s side. The sound of its exhaust reverberated violently as the two-seater sports car sped off. Forgotten in the blink of an eye, Kojou and the others watched them go with bewilderment.

  “Why is…Asagi with a guy like…?”

  Kojou seemed half beside himself. Rather than nervousness or unease, what swirled inside his mind was pure doubt. The same seemed to go for Yukina beside him.

  As if to console the shaken Kojou, Nagisa smiled especially brightly at him. “Ch-cheer up, okay? Hey, Nagisa will definitely make chocolate for you this year, too, so…”

  “Um, Kojou… She’s my childhood friend, so like…sorry?”

  Wide-eyed and showing compassion, Yaze put his hand on Kojou’s shoulder, the latter standing rooted to the spot.

  2

  A girl with hair the color of steel ran down an unnatural-feeling corridor adorned with modern glass decor.

  It was difficult to place the girl’s age. On the surface, she appeared to be thirteen or fourteen. Her contoured face looked a little more adult than that, but if anything, that made the outgoing, innocent expression on it feel even odder still.

  The girl wore only a thin green patient’s gown for undergoing intensive tests. Beyond that, she wore not even a T-shirt, let alone a single pair of underwear. As the girl ran barefoot across the floor, the hem of the patient’s gown ran up her legs, exposing her thighs right up to her hips.

  “Glenda!”

  Wearing a doctor’s uniform, Shio Hikawa emerged from the back of the corridor, chasing the steel-haired girl down.

  With a short haircut that was longer on the sides, she gave off an impression of a rather determined girl. Thanks to desperately chasing after the steel-haired girl—Glenda—her breathing was a bit heavy. She had picked up the bra and panties that Glenda had stripped off. The people coming and going in the corridor stood still, blinking hard at the bizarre scene unfolding before them.

  “Wait! Hey, Glenda! Put your clothes on!”

  “Yaaaaaa!”

  As if to mock the pursuing Shio, Glenda swiftly ran down a flight of stairs.

  Glenda wore a big smile, if not much else. Apparently, during the course of running away, she was having loads of fun, as if she were playing a game of tag. Suddenly, she lifted her head, throwing her arms wide as she let out a sound of delight. She’d noticed a new girl standing near the building’s entrance.

  Wearing the school uniform of a famous girl’s school in Kansai, this schoolgirl gave off an elegant air.

  She was just a bit shy of 160 centimeters in height. Her medium-bob hairstyle made her appear very put together. The bangs that fell down the sides of her head were even adorned with ribbon-style hairpins. This was Yuiri Haba, Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency.

  “Yuiri!!”

  “Huh?”

  Hearing Shio call her name in a loud voice, Yuiri lifted her head in apparent surprise. The sight of Glenda sprinting full force at her made her go “Huuuh?!” as she prepared herself, still with no idea what was happening.

  “Yuiri—!!”

  Glenda leaped at Yuiri’s chest as if attempting a full body tackle. “Oof!” went Yuiri, staggering as she found herself unable to resist the impact. Glenda brought her face to Yuiri’s neck, nuzzling her as if fawning like a little girl. She looked less like a dragon than a little dog excited that her master had come home.

  “Yuiri, hold Glenda right there, would you…?!”

  “Sh-Shio? What’s going on?”

  “She…ran out here without wearing any clothes…”

  Fiercely out of breath, Shio wobbled as she finally caught up. Based on how Shio, a Shamanic War Dancer of the Lion King Agency, was totally exhausted, Yuiri could begin to imagine just how much of an ordeal it had been to chase after this girl.

  “Hey, you! Glenda, don’t move. And get off of Yuiri!”

  As Glenda stayed glued to Yuiri, Shio tried to dress her in her underwear. However, the dragon girl thrashed her body in defiance.

  “Yaaa, pool! Let’s go, relax!”

  Glenda earnestly pleaded to be let outside as she pointed to the scenery visible on the other side of the glass. Having experienced playing in a pool for the very first time the day before, she’d taken a liking to it and had kept going down the waterslides until the sun set. She’d no doubt trusted that she’d be able to go to the pool again that day, as if this was the natural course of events.

  “So the tests are done already, then?”

  “Somehow, yeah.” Shio nodded at Yuiri’s question.

  Three days earlier, the girls had visited the small island dubbed Blue Elysium.

  Blue Elysium, aka Blue Ely. Constructed off the coast of Itogami Island proper, it was a brand-new model of sub-float. To most people, it was known as a high-end resort, with hotels, pools, and facilities filled with all manner of attractions.

  However, of course Yuiri and the others had not come to that island to goof off. As part of a Demon Sanctuary, Blue Elysium also had special facilities that did not exist on the mainland. Rare demon beasts from all over the world were raised, and biological research was conducted upon them, at a large-scale facility known as Demon Beast Park.

  It was Yuiri and Shio’s current mission to use the instruments and staff at that research facility to uncover the truth about Glenda, whose true nature remained shrouded in mystery. To casual observers, they may have looked like nothing more than Glenda’s playmates, but part of their mission was to observe her and manage her physical condition, so it really couldn’t be helped.

  “All right. Let’s go to the pool, then.”

  Yuiri made a strained smile as she stroked Glenda’s hair. The annoyed stares of the research facility employees were getting on her nerves right around then anyway.

  Glenda lifted her face, eyes sparkling.

  “Pool!”

  “But first, you’re going to put on your clothes. We’re going to buy some delicious chocolates, after all.”

  “Choco!”

  Accepting a box of chocolates from Yuiri, Glenda immediately tore the paper wrapping off and dug in. Now that she had finally stopped resisting, Shio somehow managed to successfully dress her.

  “Sorry, Yuiri. You’re a lifesaver.”

  “Tee-hee, thank you for all your hard work. Let’s move this to the changing room, shall we?”

  “I suppose so. We need to get a swimsuit onto Glenda, after all…”

  With her cheeks stuffed full of chocolate, Shio led her by the hand and walked in the direction of the changing room. Now that she’d accepted they were heading to the pool, Glenda was far better behaved.

  “Yes, swimsuits. There are plenty on loan, so pick whichever you like, Shio,” Yuiri said.

  Just as they were arriving at the changing room, Yuiri opened the tote bag she had been carrying and spread out the contents. As they would be staying at Blue Elysium for some time, she’d gone ahead and rented a whole bunch of swimsuits. Many had cutesy designs, meaning that lack of suitable candidates would not be an issue.

  However, Shio shot these a scornful expression.

  “I’m fine. There’s a rash guard in my supplies and all.”

  “Huh?! You mustn’t. Chances to visit a high-class resort like this come once in a blue moon. If you wear a plain swimsuit like that, you’ll stand out even more!”

  When Shio tried to take out a most unflattering piece of marin
e sportswear, Yuiri hastily tried to stop her.

  “Er, but…”

  Shio seemed angry as Yuiri’s fingers lifted one of the loaner swimsuits. It was an audacious string bikini with minimal skin coverage that didn’t seem suitable for anyone short of a gravure idol.

  “—Wait, there’s no way I can wear a flashy swimsuit like that! Th-that’s embarrassing…!”

  “It’s fine, it’s fine. You’re slender and stylish, Shio. This much should be normal for you.”

  “We’re on duty, you know. I can’t carry spell scrolls for self-defense with this on!”

  “It’s all right. You can move easier without resistance from fabric, after all. You could just put the spell scrolls down your cleavage…”

  “If you really think that, you should wear this and hide them between your big breasts, Yuiri!”

  Yuiri was smiling as if it was someone else’s problem as she pushed the string bikini onto Shio. Shio’s unexpected counterattack made Yuiri’s face twitch.

  “Huh?! Me?! No way, no way, no way. My upper arms are too thick. And yesterday I ate too much when I was with Glenda, so I’ve got a little extra tummy pudge…”

  “That just makes you cuter, doesn’t it? I’m sure Kojou Akatsuki would think so, too.”

  “Th-this has nothing to do with Kojou!”

  “Even though you bought expensive-looking chocolates for him?”

  “Why do you know about that, Shio…?!”

  Yuiri lamented, crying out “Waaah!” as she shook her blushing face.

  “It—it’s not like that; I was thinking I could eat those together with Yukii…! So you’re wrong! And I mean, Shio, don’t you enjoy Kirasaka’s chocolates year in and year out?!”

  “I do not! Kirasaka calls that her leftovers… Hey, this isn’t about me anyway!”

  Finally, both Yuiri and Shio had become irritated during their heated war of words. Both had long forgotten what had sparked the argument in the first place. With the pair raising a ruckus in the cramped confines of the changing room, Glenda, the only rational person left, tugged on Yuiri’s school uniform.

  “Yuiri! I put on the swimsuit! Pool…!”

  The sight of Glenda as guileless as usual made Yuiri and Shio exchange a silent glance.