"Gulp…"
Sayaka Kirasaka stared in shock at the footage transmitted by the Shikigami monitoring Kojou Akatsuki. Her eyes widened as she swallowed hard in disbelief, her body trembling so violently that she lost her grip on her longbow, which clattered to the ground.
In the image relayed by the Shikigami, Kojou Akatsuki sat on a hospital bed, calmly talking with a woman with long, emerald-green hair.
It was an utterly ordinary scene, like someone visiting a patient in a hospital. If Sayaka Kirasaka hadn't known that the two figures in the footage were the legendary Fourth Primogenitor and Third Primogenitor, she might have taken it at face value…
"This is bad!!!"
She shouted instinctively, venting the shock and fear surging inside her. Snapping back to her senses, she hurriedly pulled out her phone to report to her superiors.
Over the past few days of monitoring Kojou Akatsuki, Sayaka Kirasaka had found his behavior completely indistinguishable from that of a normal teenage boy. She had even started to suspect that the Lion King Organization might have gotten their intelligence wrong. No matter how she looked at him, he didn't resemble the legendary Fourth Primogenitor at all.
She had already decided that once Kojou Akatsuki left this heavily guarded Magic Research Institute, she would meet him in person, introduce herself as the monitor sent by the Lion King Organization, and aim for a peaceful coexistence.
Until twenty minutes ago, that had been her plan…
What had she just witnessed?
The Third Primogenitor, who had rarely appeared before the World Fusion, had shown up in Kojou Akatsuki's hospital room and was speaking with him as an equal.
Considering what the Lion King Organization had told her about Kojou Akatsuki being the Fourth Primogenitor, there was no way this wasn't part of something bigger.
Her fingers flew across the screen as she dialed, anxiously waiting for the call to connect. But then Sayaka Kirasaka suddenly frowned as a realization struck her.
If Kojou Akatsuki truly was the genuine Fourth Primogenitor, and he was involved in some kind of conspiracy with the Third Primogenitor, then his behavior over the past few days must have been an act.
Which raised the question, who had he been trying to fool?
If it had been her, then the fact that he was now openly talking with the Third Primogenitor meant he no longer needed to keep up the act, or that he simply did not care about hiding it from her anymore.
"Clack!"
The sound of a door sliding open suddenly came from behind her, snapping Sayaka Kirasaka out of her thoughts. Her nerves, already stretched thin, immediately tensed.
Someone had approached her from behind without making a sound.
Had her suspicions been exposed? Was this an assassin sent by Kojou Akatsuki to eliminate her?
The thought flashed through her mind, but her body reacted instantly.
At the first sign of movement, she let go of her phone and rolled to the side to evade a potential attack. As she moved, her left hand reached for the longbow that had fallen to the ground, while her right hand slid to her inner thigh to draw an arrow. Regaining her footing, she immediately aimed toward the source of the sound, nocked the arrow, and drew the string in one smooth motion.
The entire sequence flowed seamlessly.
And yet, just as she was about to release the arrow, Sayaka Kirasaka abruptly stopped and forced the drawn arrow back.
Her lips parted slightly, her face filled with even greater shock than when she had seen the meeting between Giada and Kojou Akatsuki earlier. Slowly, she lowered her bow.
"Yu... Yukina, what are you doing here?"
The one who had just entered was none other than Yukina Himeragi.
And only Yukina Himeragi could approach her so silently without being noticed.
After all, the two of them had been classmates and roommates for years. Unless they were deliberately on guard, neither would instinctively suspect the other.
Seeing Sayaka Kirasaka go through that series of movements, Yukina Himeragi's face turned pale, her teeth sinking into her lower lip.
"Why?"
"Ahaha… Yukina, I… it was just a reflex. A natural defensive reaction. You don't have to take it like that…"
Yukina Himeragi stared straight at her, tears welling up in her eyes. Sayaka Kirasaka's voice gradually faded, growing softer and softer until, unable to bear the gaze, she guiltily turned her head away.
"Why?"
Yukina Himeragi asked again.
"…I'm on a mission."
Hearing the seriousness in Yukina Himeragi's tone, Sayaka Kirasaka hesitated, then gave up trying to laugh it off.
"What mission?"
"Yukina, I… I can't say. My master told me not to."
Not wanting to drag Yukina Himeragi into this mess, Sayaka Kirasaka made up an excuse. But after hearing her answer, Yukina Himeragi only forced a faint smile.
"I know. This mission is to monitor the Fourth Primogenitor, right?"
It sounded less like a question and more like a statement, leaving Sayaka Kirasaka silent.
As Sayaka Kirasaka turned her head away, unable to meet her eyes, Yukina Himeragi suddenly threw herself into her arms.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Burying her face against Sayaka Kirasaka's chest, Yukina Himeragi's tears quickly soaked through her clothes.
Startled at first, Sayaka Kirasaka soon came back to her senses. She gently placed a hand on Yukina Himeragi's back and began to stroke it softly.
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't given up this mission, you wouldn't have been chosen for it, Sayaka… and you wouldn't have…"
Her voice broke off. After venting her emotions, Yukina Himeragi stayed pressed against Sayaka Kirasaka's chest, her words muffled by quiet sobs, filled with guilt and self-blame.
"It's okay, Yukina. I volunteered for this mission. And look, I'm perfectly fine, right? I'm not missing any arms or legs."
Sayaka Kirasaka continued to comfort her, maintaining the gentle, soothing motion to help her calm down.
"No, Sayaka… you don't understand. You really don't…"
Yukina Himeragi shook her head, her tone heavy with despair.
Before Sayaka Kirasaka could make sense of what she meant, Yukina Himeragi pulled away from her embrace. As if she had made up her mind, she looked at Sayaka Kirasaka with firm determination.
"Sayaka, I'll help you."
"Huh?"
Sayaka Kirasaka blinked, completely confused.
"I said, I'll make sure you can break free from this predetermined fate, just like I did."
Now Sayaka Kirasaka was even more lost.
"Yukina… what are you talking about?"
"Sayaka, there are things you're better off not knowing. But don't worry, I will help you. Just wait for me."
Placing both hands on Sayaka Kirasaka's shoulders, Yukina Himeragi gave a firm nod. Then she turned and left, leaving Sayaka Kirasaka standing there in confusion.
...
Walking down the apartment corridor, Cid stretched his body, silently evaluating his performance in today's Hell training.
Rias had been pushed to the brink twenty-three times, Akeno Himejima twenty-five times, and Koneko…
A figure slumped in the corner caught Cid's attention.
"Yukina Himeragi?"
After recognizing her, Cid thought for a moment. In the end, considering she could at least be counted as half a friend, he decided to walk over and check on her.