Strike the Blood - Volume 9 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE 

BLUE ELYSIUM 

1 

The water-drenched concrete reflected the sun’s rays, giving off a slippery glimmer. 

It was afternoon at the Saikai Academy campus, with the light of the sun shining on the drained outdoor pool. Standing at the bottom was Kojou Akatsuki, dressed in a gym uniform, deck brush in one hand. 

Gazing at the sky, so bright it hurt his eyes, Kojou sighed deeply. 

“…Man, it’s hot.” 

He unintentionally let out the murmur, but the air, wavering like a mirage, was making him melt. 

It was right on the eve of summer vacation. The pool was regularly cleaned once every six months. Its sides were slick with grime, tiles baking. The ceaseless ultraviolet rays pouring down on Kojou steadily robbed him of his endurance. 

“Certainly, the temperature is higher than the yearly average. There seems to be a warm winter this year.” 

Yukina Himeragi replied with a dead-serious tone, standing poolside. 

The transfer student was wearing a girl’s middle school uniform. Her true identity was one of the Lion King Agency’s Sword Shaman—an Attack Mage working for a special government agency dispatched to monitor Kojou. 

Yukina currently lacked the guitar case with the spear inside that she always carried. Rather, she was using a blue rubber hose to spray water on the sides of the pool. Surrounded by water spray, she was a refreshing sight, the polar opposite of the sweat-drenched Kojou. 

Staring with envy as a rainbow danced around Yukina, Kojou shook his head with a hollow expression. 

“I don’t think the temperature topping thirty degrees Celsius is something you can pass off as just a warm winter… Hey, wait, is this really winter? If this is actually summer, there’s not gonna be a winter break, so I don’t have to clean the pool, do I?” 

“…Now that you mention it, it is a normal winter on the mainland. We are past the middle of December, after all.” 

Yukina conscientiously rejected Kojou’s reality-evading delusions. 

Itogami Island was a man-made isle constructed on open water more than three hundred kilometers south of Tokyo. It was the Demon Sanctuary of eternal summer, floating smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

“Itogami Island is hot simply because its latitude exposes it to a lot of sun, not to mention the influence of ocean currents and trade winds. The weather is particularly nice today, isn’t it?” 

“If the weather’s that great, why do I have to clean this pool all by myself?” 

The deck brush went limp in Kojou’s hand as he posed the question to no one in particular. Yukina’s big eyes blinked as she gazed back at Kojou. 

“In place of supplemental lessons, isn’t it? You are short on attendance days due to repeated late arrivals and early departures.” 

“It’s not like I was skipping because I just felt like it… I mean, I only narrowly escaped death a few times, got cast away on an uninhabited island, and got locked in another dimension, you know, little things…,” Kojou grumbled, airing a string of excuses. 

In fact, ever since a ridiculous physical condition was shoved upon him—being the World’s Mightiest Vampire—most of Kojou’s unauthorized absences had come from being wrapped up in demon-instigated incidents. In other words, unavoidable circumstances. Perhaps it was because his homeroom teacher, Natsuki Minamiya, was well aware of those circumstances that she was permitting him to get around his inadequate attendance with no worse than pool-cleaning duty. 

“That said, making me clean under a blazing sun all by myself… What is this, bully-the-vampire day…?” 

Kojou wiped the sweat off his brow as he surveyed the water-drained pool. When full, it was twenty-five meters deep, and it felt like a frightening size for someone to clean single-handedly. 

Watching Kojou, languid and completely lacking in drive, Yukina seemed exasperated. She exhaled slightly. 

“Do not be like that. I’m helping, too, so let’s finish this as soon as possible.” 

“R-right… Sorry, Himeragi.” 

“You are very welcome.” 

Yukina stripped off her indoor shoes, going barefoot as she climbed down into the pool, hose in hand. Left with no choice, Kojou re-gripped the mop and began systematically eliminating every speck of impurity in the pool. 

Yukina gazed at the little puddle of water at her feet and shrugged her adorable shoulders. 

“But it really is hot today. It’s a bit of a shame to come to a pool and not be able to go for a swim.” 

For a moment, the sight of her stole Kojou’s eyes. 

“Come to think of it, you seem to be kind of an expert swimmer, Himeragi.” 

“You think so? Back at High God Forest, we had training in underwater combat, so I aspire to swim to some degree.” 

“…Underwater combat?” 

That’s different from the swimming I know on a pretty basic level, thought Kojou, bewildered. As it was, High God Forest was the name of the institution Yukina had lived at in the past. On the surface, it was a girls’ school from elementary to high school in the Kansai region, but it was apparently a Lion King Agency facility for training Attack Mages. 

“How about you, senpai? Do you swim?” 

“Er, no, I…well, I’m a vampire, see. Water kind of clashes with me a bit, and stuff…” 

The question made Kojou unintentionally struggle with his words. Seeing Kojou avert his eyes with awkward mannerisms, Yukina seemed slightly mystified as she stared. 

“I thought it was superstition that vampires are unable to cross running water…” 

“Er, is that so?” 

“Yes. Certainly, it restricts some special abilities such as turning into mist, and some Beast Vassal affinities may make it impossible to summon them in that state, but there should not be any great physical difference between them and normal human beings.” 

“Uh, but demons have individual differences, right?” 

Yukina quietly gazed at Kojou with half-lidded eyes as he earnestly clamored for any handhold. 

“Ah… Senpai, is it possible that…?” 

“N-no, it’s not like I can’t swim! It’s just not really my thing, that’s all!” 

“If you’d like, I could teach you how to swim on another occasion? After all, the World’s Mightiest Vampire being unable to swim presents something of an image problem.” 

“I never said I couldn’t swim—!” 

Kojou desperately continued his rebuttal in the face of Yukina’s apparently considerate proposal. Yukina giggled a little at the sight of Kojou seemingly backed up against the wall. No doubt, Kojou’s futile efforts to cover up his inability to swim were more amusing to her than the fact itself. 

“Understood. Let us leave it at that.” 

“G…gnn…” 

Kojou’s lips twisted as he groaned. After Yukina leaned forward for a while, shoulders shaking, she raised her head as if she’d suddenly remembered something. 

“Come to think of it,” she began, her tone abruptly changing, “I’ve seen a lot of advertisements around the pool lately. They said a private artificial island has been finished?” 

“Yeah, Blue Ely? There was a special about it on a talk show yesterday,” Kojou replied quickly, grateful that Yukina had changed the subject. 

Blue Ely, short for Blue Elysium, was a new type of subfloat constructed off Itogami Island’s coast. It was a small isle, not even reaching a radius of six hundred meters, but what merited special mention was that the entire subfloat was designed as a giant theme park. Attractions included resort hotels, leisure pools, roller coasters, and a special aquarium called Demon Beast Park that hoped to play the role of Itogami Island’s new symbol. 

“Right, they said they’re having a trial opening before the grand opening. Itogami Island hasn’t had a lot of leisure facilities like that yet, so it’ll probably be a hot topic for a while. Plus, it’s packed full of attractions, and the aquarium’s pretty decked out. I kinda wanna go, but it’s stupidly expensive…the entry fee I mean.” 

“You’re pretty well informed about it, senpai.” 

Yukina gave him a dubious look. She probably found it surprising that Kojou would harbor an interest in a tourist attraction. 

“Um, well, actually,” Kojou said, shrugging his shoulders, “Kirasaka was asking me about it over the phone lately, so I looked up a few things.” 

“…Sayaka was asking you about an Itogami Island leisure facility?” 

Yukina’s tone sounded even more suspicious than before. Her guarded demeanor seemed to say That’s almost like she’s asking you out on a date. However, Yukina’s misgivings flew right over Kojou’s head. 

“Seemed like she wanted to know public opinion about it, but she never told me why. Maybe she just likes pools?” 

“No. If anything, she dislikes swimming, I believe. She said she hates wearing a swimsuit because it makes her stand out too much. Also, Lustrous Scale’s abilities cannot be employed underwater.” 

“Heh, is that so……? Well, in her case, there’d be a lot of water resistance, too…” 

Kojou seemed oddly agreeable as he pictured Sayaka Kirasaka in a swimsuit. If Sayaka, blessed with a tall figure and stunning looks, wore a swimsuit, she would doubtlessly bewitch the eyes of many. The fact she had splendidly huge breasts disproportionate to her slender physique made that all the more so. But… 

“Water resistance?” Yukina’s brows abruptly furled as she overheard Kojou let out the awkward comment. 

Of course, Yukina was well aware of Sayaka’s figure. Naturally, she also understood the physical principles giving rise to the “water resistance” Kojou had mentioned. 

Beyond that, her gaze fell to her own, far more reserved, uniform-covered chest. 

“…Senpai. Earlier, you said I seem to be an expert swimmer?” 

“Ah? Er…no! I didn’t mean it that way at all!” 

Naturally, Kojou hadn’t meant anything bad by it, but he couldn’t overturn the cold, hard truth: Compared to the overwhelming mass of Sayaka’s chest, the water would resist Yukina’s very little. There was no reason for Yukina, younger in age, to harbor an inferiority complex, but that didn’t mean she found it amusing to be compared in that way. 

“Then how did you mean it…?” 

Glaring at Kojou with frosty eyes, Yukina trained the tip of the rubber hose toward him. Kojou, his face bathed in pressurized tap water, couldn’t stop coughing. 

“Bwah! W-wait, Himeragi. The water pressure in that hose is pretty rough so…gbaghb!” 

“I believe it is an excellent way for a vampire speaking such rude things to cool off!” 

Yukina’s cheeks were somewhat puffed up as she shot the line in a sulky tone. 

The water in Kojou’s nose made him cough fiercely. Why’d it have to turn out like this? he internally lamented. 

2 

I am not upset, insisted Yukina, but her sullen mood persisted for some time after she’d soaked Kojou to the bone. Foul mood notwithstanding, Yukina helped him clean the pool to the bitter end, which was one good thing about her. 

Thanks to that, they somehow managed to wrap up before the end of the school day, at which point Kojou headed home. 

Naturally, she was right there at his side. In the first place, Yukina, Kojou’s observer, lived in the apartment next door to the Akatsuki residence. Also, of late, Yukina had been regularly joining Kojou and his little sister, Nagisa Akatsuki, at their residence for supper. Nagisa was no doubt home preparing food and awaiting their arrival. 

Dragging along his body, weary from his labors, Kojou arrived at his own apartment with Yukina. 

The evil rays of the setting sun had abated, but there was no sign that the stifling heat would lessen. The room ahead held the promise of a refreshing, air-conditioned atmosphere; that alone held up Kojou’s spirits as he walked onward. But… 

“Huh…?!” 

The instant he opened the front door, the air flowing out was just as stiflingly hot as outside. If anything, the kitchen and home appliances made it even hotter than outdoors. 

“What’s with this heat…?” 

Kojou’s voice quivered, this being a far cry from the pleasant, cool air he had expected. And hearing Kojou’s voice, Nagisa, who’d been in the kitchen, popped her head out into the hallway. 

“Welcome home, Kojou! Welcome to you, too, Yukina! You’re pretty late. Supper’s already finished.” 

“Er… Nagisa?” 

With an audible patter of her slippers, Nagisa came out into the hallway to greet her brother and Yukina. Kojou, gazing at her appearance, dropped the schoolbag in his hand in a daze. When he belatedly looked next to him, he saw that Yukina’s eyes were as wide open in shock as his. 

The only thing Nagisa had on was a white apron with the single image of a duck sewn on. It looked like she wasn’t wearing a single stitch of clothing other than that. Her slender shoulders and pale thighs were fully exposed. 

“Wh…what do you think you’re doing?! What kind of outfit is that?!” 

“What do you mean…? It’s just a swimsuit apron. See?” 

Speaking those words, Nagisa lifted up the hem of the apron. A white swimsuit with a nominal amount of frills flashed into Kojou’s field of vision. Certainly, it meant she wasn’t buck naked, but— 

“You don’t need to show me! I’m asking why you’re going around dressed like that!” 

“Well, I mean, it’s still hot from the setting sun.” 

“What about air conditioning?! Why isn’t it on when it’s so freaking hot like this?!” 

Kojou pointed to the living room as he wailed. The poorly ventilated room had already long exceeded human body temperature, hot enough that it was dangerous to spend time in it without any cooling. 

Nagisa’s lips made a sullen pout. 

“Well, the power’s off. Didn’t you see the leaflet downstairs? It says they’re changing the building’s transformer. The elevators and auto-locks seem to run on a different circuit than domestic stuff, though.” 

“Th-the power’s out…?!” 

Kojou was rocked by the unexpected news. Now it made sense; the power was off, so of course the air conditioning was out. The gloom inside the apartment was apparently due to not being able to turn on the lights. 

“Changing a transformer… Why do that at a time like this?” 

“Some kind of breakdown. There was some really bad lightning in the northern district a little while back, right? Our apartment building’s an older design, so apparently that did a fair bit of damage.” 

“Er…” 

Unwittingly, Kojou met Yukina’s face with a conflicted expression on his own. He realized that the “really bad lightning” in the northern district was from the Beast Vassal the Third Primogenitor had employed against Kojou. In other words, Kojou was directly connected to the cause of the power outage. 

Yukina, realizing the depth of the situation, shifted her gaze to her own apartment. 

“A power outage… Then, my room’s air conditioner is also…?” 

If all power inside the apartments was off, it wasn’t just the Akatsuki residence that couldn’t use air conditioning. That meant Yukina retreating to her own room would solve nothing. 

“I’m pretty sure it’s out, too. They said they’d be finished at about ten PM-ish… Since you’re here, why don’t you change, too, Yukina? I’ll lend you a swimsuit.” 

“Th-that’s all right… Wearing a swimsuit here would be a little…” 

Yukina dug in her heels and shook her head at Nagisa’s invitation, made with an innocent smile. She could accept that a swimsuit apron was a logical way to deal with the heat, but embarrassment apparently won out in the end. 

In spite of that, Nagisa pressed her case further. 

“But that uniform has to be really hot, right? And it’d make Kojou happy, right?” 

“It would not. You go change, too. You have more decent clothing than that, don’t you?” 

Kojou, in danger of being pegged a swimsuit fetishist, flicked Nagisa’s forehead with a finger. “Ouchie,” said Nagisa, reddening as she covered her forehead and glared at Kojou with tearful eyes. 

“What? …I thought since we didn’t go swimming this year, I’d at least wear the swimsuit I bought. Kojou, you big liar, you said you’d take me to the beach when I got better!” 

“That doesn’t mean you’ve gotta wander around the house in it! I’ll take you to the beach sometime soon, so…!” 

“Sheesh… You don’t need to blush that much. All the middle schoolers are wearing stuff like this these days.” 

After saying that, Nagisa twirled around on the spot. From Nagisa’s point of view, she no doubt hoped to fluster Kojou and make him completely lose his wits, but— 

“I’m not blushing. Why do I have to blush at seeing a middle schooler in a swimsuit?” 

Kojou said it in a tone that screamed Whatever from the bottom of his heart. This was Nagisa, with a figure young even for her age, wearing a frilled bikini with minimal sex appeal, nothing that would make Kojou blush. 

Nagisa seemed a little crestfallen at Kojou’s unexpected reply. 

“Tch… Oh, fine already. Anyway, come have supper with us, Yukina!” 

“I told you, get changed first! Geez…” 

Kojou sighed as he watched Nagisa head back to the kitchen, still in her swimsuit apron. The very next moment, he felt a dark, repressed aura behind him, making him look over his shoulder. 

For some reason, Yukina, still standing at the front door, had an evil glint in her eyes as she continued half murmuring something to herself: 

“…So it won’t please you…… A middle schooler in a swimsuit isn’t……good enough for you?” 

“Uhhh, Himeragi? Something wrong?” 

“No, nothing at all. I am not upset.” 

Yukina replied to Kojou’s timid question in a businesslike voice that made his body forget the heat. 

“O-okay…… Well, that’s good.” 

“Yes.” 

She certainly looked upset, but Kojou, instinctively sensing that it was dangerous to pursue further, pretended not to notice. He left the corridor, which was dimly lit from the power outage, and headed for the still sweltering living room. 

Just as Nagisa had said, supper was already prepared for them. Sitting atop the dining table were a candle for emergencies to provide illumination and a large quantity of meals served on plates. 

“This is a pretty elaborate supper… Er, isn’t this kinda too much?” 

“I figured I’d use everything in the fridge before it melts or goes bad. There was plenty of meat, fish, and veggies, right? Plus, the curry and hamburg steak I cooked last week and the onigiri for late-night snacks.” 

Nagisa replied rapid-fire to the befuddled Kojou’s question. 

“…So you put them all together in this weird way… For that matter, it feels like the main course alone is enough for three nights’ worth.” 

“There’s no guarantee we can hold onto it, so eat everything you can, ’kay? Also, sorry, I ate all of your precious ice cream, Kojou. I couldn’t help myself. It was delicious, too.” 

“Nuahh… I can’t even eat ice cream in this crappy heat…?!” 

Sustaining heavy damage to his psyche from the sudden blow, Kojou washed his hands and took a seat. Before his eyes sat such a large quantity of food; he really didn’t know where to start. As Yukina sat beside Kojou, an expression came over her that made her seem equally at a loss. 

The very next moment, they heard a torrent of knocks coming from the Akatsuki residence’s front door. The sudden sound, echoing amid the darkness, made the faces of everyone present go stiff. 

“What…? Someone at the door?” 

Kojou, realizing the truth behind the loud knocks, exhaled in relief. Apparently, it was merely someone visiting Kojou and Nagisa’s place banging on the door. 

“Ah, right… The intercom isn’t working, either. Hello? Who is it?” 

Nagisa, too, seemed relieved, released from her stiffness as she called out and headed toward the front door. Then: 

“Nagisa, wait! You’re gonna head out looking like that?!” 

“Aah?! R-right… Kojou, please!” 

Nagisa stopped moving again when she realized she was still wearing the swimsuit apron outfit. Pushing his little sister toward her own room, Kojou insisted, “Go get changed, now,” and headed to the front door. 

During that time, the knocking continued without pause. Kojou felt a little annoyed by the boisterous echoes. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming… Geez, you’re bothering the neighbors!” Kojou shouted while forcefully opening the door. 

As he did so, a very familiar face popped into view. He was a teenage boy with short, greased, combed-back hair with headphones hanging around his neck. His lips were twisted in a sarcastic smile as he laughed in visible delight. 

“Heya, Kojou. What’s wrong with the intercom? Power out?” 

“Yaze? What are you doing here at a time like this?” 

Kojou gave off a suspicious glare at the abrupt arrival of the friend he’d known since middle school. 

He’d parted ways with Motoki Yaze in class just a few short hours before. On top of that, the man had blithely ignored Kojou’s request for help cleaning the pool, promptly running for the hills. Kojou thought he had some guts to show his face at all, let alone going all the way to his place to do so. 

However, Yaze’s chummy behavior proclaimed loud and clear that he’d conveniently forgotten about all that as he strode past the front door, letting himself in. 

“Yeah, sorry to impose all of a sudden, but… Er, whoa, it’s hot. What gives?” 

“The power’s out, so no air conditioner,” Kojou replied with a pained expression. 

Properly speaking, he didn’t owe Yaze that kind of friendly explanation, but he really didn’t want the guy to think the juice had been cut because they hadn’t paid their power bill. He couldn’t put it past the guy to find that so funny, he would tell the whole school about it. 

Yaze must have figured as much to begin with, because he nodded without any special show of surprise. 

“Huh… I see. So, Kojou…don’t tell me you took advantage of the heat to get Nagisa to wear a swimsuit apron or something?” 

“Hey, I didn’t make her do that!” 

Kojou unwittingly blurted the words out as Yaze’s hypothesis hit uncomfortably close to home. Even Yaze blinked for a moment as he did a double take. 

“…Eh? What do you mean…? Wait, you’re serious? Whoa…” 

In a completely serious voice, Yaze added, “I’m outta here.” 

Kojou’s keen annoyance made his voice grow coarse. “Oh, shut up! What’d ya come here for, anyway?!” 

“Oh, right. So instead of standing around talking here, how ’bout I come in?” 

“Don’t ask when you’ve let yourself in already.” 

Kojou stared blankly at Yaze’s back as he rudely trod into the apartment. 

When they got to the living room, Nagisa had finished changing and was just coming out of her room. She was going light, wearing a T-shirt and short pants, but surely that was a big improvement over a swimsuit apron. 

“Ah…? Yaze? What is it?” 

“Good evening, Yaze.” 

“Yo, Nagisa. Himeragi’s here, too, huh? That’s good, saves me some time.” 

Yaze spoke to the two underclassmen greeting him in a jovial voice. 

“Whaddaya mean, saves time?” Kojou interrogated his classmate, visibly guarded. 

Judging by Yaze’s way of speaking, it seemed he had something to tell them all, but Kojou wondered what was so important that phone calls or messages would not suffice. He was twice as suspicious, considering it was something involving Nagisa and Yukina. 

But Yaze looked back at the glaring Kojou and laughed, looking very proud of himself. 

“Hey, Kojou. I know it’s sudden, but would you guys like to stay at a resort?” 

“…A resort?” 

“Yeah. That Blue Elysium thingy.” 

“Whaaat?!” 

Nagisa let out a shout before Kojou could even react. She rushed right before Yaze’s eyes and replied in her characteristic rapid-fire manner. 

“B-Blue Elysium, you mean that Blue Elysium? The blue paradise? With an amusement park and a hotel and Demon Beast Park and nine types of pools—that Blue Ely?” 

“Yep. That Blue Ely.” 

Even while half-overwhelmed by Nagisa’s vigor, Yaze smiled boldly and nodded. 

“The formal opening isn’t till next year, but you’ve heard they’re holding an invite-only trial opening this month, right? It’s like a rehearsal to train the staff and drum up publicity.” 

Kojou’s face subconsciously scowled as he prodded, “…And you’re saying we’re invited?” 

The invitation was too good to be true, causing his distrust to run ahead of his delight. In the first place, an invite-only entry pass to Blue Elysium meant there would be very few people there, a platinum ticket worth tens of thousands of yen to a scalper. 

However, Yaze narrowed his eyes and leered; if anything, he seemed amused by Kojou’s reaction. 

“The entry pass is for three days and two nights’ lodging, zero fees. Pretty attractive offer, huh?” 

“Sounds more fishy than attractive. There’s a catch to this, isn’t there?” 

“No, no, no…… Actually, my family’s financially involved in a bunch of the facilities at Blue Ely. Anyway, there was a booking error and they’re short a few people all of a sudden. Lucky you, huh?” 

“…Maybe so.” 

Kojou grudgingly nodded. Even though it’d been fully booked, an error had left them with open slots. That certainly sounded like a common enough problem. 

“So that’d leave the facilities underutilized and that’d cause more problems, so we can’t leave the space unfilled. That’d make for nervous investors, and that’d be a responsibility issue for the booking department.” 

“So you want us to stay there instead?” 

“Well, put simply, yes.” 

Behind his flippant tone, Yaze spoke with a completely serious look. Finally, Kojou understood why Yaze had come all the way to visit. 

Yaze’s family name was synonymous with a leading conglomerate wielding no small influence over the Demon Sanctuary’s economy. It wouldn’t exactly be surprising for them to be financially invested in the construction of Blue Elysium, a whole new subfloat. Someone in Yaze’s family had probably asked him to fill the vacancies. Perhaps it was better for Blue Elysium’s prestige to have people stay for free than to leave rooms vacant. 

Around then, Nagisa, no doubt ignorant of the circumstances, forcefully raised a hand and jumped up and down. 

“Yes, yes! I wanna go! I wanna, I wanna! Hey, Kojou, let’s go. It’s the very same Blue Ely everyone’s talking about. Who knows how many tens of thousands of yen it’d cost normally?” 

“…You okay with it, too, Himeragi?” 

Setting aside his excited little sister, Kojou asked Yukina in a small voice. She was technically on duty, so he thought Yukina might turn down the chance to go have fun at a resort. But Yukina nodded her head without a moment’s hesitation. 

“Yes, I’ll go anywhere you go, senpai. I am your watcher, after all.” 

Yaze mulled over Yukina’s statement, which could be misunderstood in a wide variety of ways. 

“Watcher?” 

Yukina gasped, her face stiffening. 

“…N-no, I’m…just very happy to see him and his sister! I am grateful!” 

“I see, grateful. Gratitude is very important. Right, Kojou?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the invite.” 

Kojou blithely conveyed his gratitude in the face of his friend’s display of condescension. It still smelled kind of fishy, but Yaze’s free invitation to the latest, greatest resort was very attractive. Plus, Nagisa had only just complained that Kojou hadn’t brought her to the beach. If they were heading to Blue Elysium instead, even she couldn’t complain. 

“A deal’s a deal, then. Okay, I’m handing you the tickets and pamphlets. The rest is up to you.” 

These words spoken, Yaze tossed an envelope with tickets for three onto the table. Then, he made brief parting words and headed out of the apartment at a rapid pace. 

“Er…hey, Yaze!” 

“Sorry, I’ve still got a little errand to run. Later!” 

“…What’s with him?” 

Kojou absentmindedly watched Yaze leave in a hurry. He had absolutely no idea what the guy might be thinking. 

Nagisa gazed at the food on the table and sighed with visible regret. 

“Would’ve been nice if Yaze had eaten supper here, too… Maybe I should call him back?” 

The large amount of untouched cooking remaining was enough to add one more guest with a little room to spare. 

“Come to mention it, I never asked him when the ticket’s for… When do we need to head over to Blue Ely?” 

Kojou, realizing he’d let a crucial piece of information slip through his fingers, reached for his cell phone. He figured he’d confirm the date from Yaze, and then try to arm twist him into eating an evening meal with them for good measure. 

But Yukina, checking the contents of the envelope, reported with some bewilderment, “Senpai, the date on this ticket is…Saturday of this week…” 

Kojou took the ticket from her and double-checked for himself under the flickering candlelight. 

“This Saturday…?” 

He compared that to the calendar displayed on the screen of his cell phone. 

Yukina and Nagisa both went quiet as a momentary silence descended. Now, all present understood just why Yaze had gone out of his way to impose on Kojou’s own home, and so too why he had left without a moment to spare. 

The invitation date printed on the ticket to Blue Elysium was— 

“Wait, that’s tomorrow!” 

Kojou’s shaken voice reverberated throughout the electricity-deprived, dimly lit room. 

Thus began a hurried night of preparations for their morning departure to the resort. 

3 

Asagi Aiba turned over atop a nice, springy bed in a pleasantly cool, air-conditioned room. 

She was a female high school student with an indisputably fine face and an extravagant hairstyle. Even the oddly unsophisticated T-shirt she wore in her own room seemed more feminine just from her being the one to wear it. 

Her room was very girly, filled with Western clothing, fashion magazines, cosmetics, and a few choice teddy bears. Only one part, above her study desk, gave off a clearly incongruous air: an unrefined industrial-grade monitor and a super-high-speed PC cluster. For some reason, a female high school student had a cutting-edge computer in her room. It was a surreal sight, somehow. 

“…Mm, so what the hell are you planning here…?” 

Asagi posed the sour question into her voice-chat headset. 

The other party was Motoki Yaze. Her tone was unreservedly bitter, in part because she’d known him for such a long time, since before they even entered elementary school. It would be ridiculous to hold back now. 

“Whaddaya mean, ‘planning’?” 

Yaze replied with a question, trying to sound innocent. In a sense, it was precisely the response she’d expected. 

She coldly snorted. 

“You don’t have to play dumb with me. This invite ticket to Blue Ely—being short on people’s just a convenient excuse, isn’t it? What scheme are you trying to bring us there for?” 

“You’re making this sound bad. This time around, I’m kinda doing something for your sake, too. I mean, couldn’t staying with Kojou at a resort be your chance, in a sense?” 

That’s none of your damned business, Asagi thought with a twitch of her eyebrow. She was mostly annoyed at herself for being unable to completely blow Yaze off even though he was trying to get her seriously wound up. 

“Yeah, yeah. You really enjoy teasing people about stuff like that, don’t you? And anyway, it’s totally meaningless with Nagisa and that transfer student there with him!” 

“No, no. It’s better to have a few obstacles for this kind of thing.” 

Shut up, be quiet. Asagi jabbed at him with poisoned needles in her own mind. 

“In the first place, it’s totally fishy. You hate dealing with the family business, but this one time you’re singing their song?” 

“Had a slight change of heart. You’ve gotta use what you can to get what you want, right?” Yaze replied with a lighthearted voice, laughing. 

The head of the Yaze family, Akishige Yaze, was a well-known big shot of the financial world. And Yaze hated his father with a passion. Knowing this, Asagi couldn’t help but distrust Yaze’s demeanor. 

“Hmm… So this time you’re using us, then?” 

“No, no, no, that’s making it sound bad. Call it mutual assistance.” 

Yaze laughed and parried Asagi’s sarcasm-drenched suggestion. Asagi, judging that there was nothing to be gained by further pressing the matter, sighed with exhaustion. 

“Yeah, yeah, fine already. I’m a little interested in Blue Ely myself.” 

“That’s great. Well, on that note—” 

Verifying that Yaze had cut the connection, Asagi took off her earphone-style headset. She proceeded to slowly raise her upper body, sitting cross-legged on top of the bed. 

Her sudden slap of her cheeks with both hands was to restrain herself as her lips broke into a spontaneous grin. But even that effort was insufficient to keep the fulsome leer off her face. 

She’d be staying with Kojou at a resort. She hated jumping aboard Yaze’s bandwagon, but it really was a great opportunity for her. A liberating destination, pools and swimsuits, thrill rides—one might call it an unprecedentedly good situation for closing the distance with that dense, sister-complex, former-jock guy who’s totally ignorant of a woman’s heart. Yaze had said it himself; you should use whatever’s available to get what you want. 

“Blue Elysium, huh… The amusement park attractions are good, but it really does come down to the pool.” 

Asagi leaped off her bed and connected her PC to her favorite shopping website. She was searching for the latest swimsuits. If the seller was inside Itogami City, she could get it delivered by morning if she ordered immediately. The best bet would be to get the parcel delivered to where she’d be lodging at Blue Elysium, just to be on the safe side. 

“Well, these are all decent ones, but they’re kind of plain. I mean, it’s a pool at a resort, so I should go in with a bang… Er, er, no, this is just…” 

Asagi murmured in a very serious tone as she glared at the row of swimsuit images on display. A swimsuit for a pool was like the armor you took out to the field of battle. Naturally, Asagi had very strict standards for selecting a swimsuit. It needed to be cute enough to appeal to a complete blockhead like Kojou, but had to also have enough good taste that other women wouldn’t look down on her. It was quite a difficult balance. 

“Keh-keh…!” 

It was around then that Asagi, still brooding over the choice, heard a strange laugh in her ear. It was the synthetic voice of the avatar for the supercomputers that ran Itogami Island, the supporting AI that was Asagi’s hacking partner—nicknamed Mogwai. 

He looked like a teddy bear mascot on the screen, but his laughter sounded oddly human. 

“You’re really into this, li’l miss. How about I give you some advice on swimsuit selection?” 

“Oh, shut up, you pervy AI! I’m busy. Bother me and I’ll smack you with a DoS attack.” 

Suitably brushing off the sarcasm-loving AI, Asagi continued her swimsuit selection. Mogwai invaded Asagi’s residential LAN on his own initiative, seemingly just to tease Asagi, and said: 

“Judging from your last time on the scales in your home, this is your current weight and body fat index, dearie. And from calling up your measurement data from the Saikai Academy clinic from your physical measurements last spring, deducing your current three sizes, like so. From there, the swimsuit best fitting the li’l miss and likely to get the most attention is—” 

“Gyaaaaa—! What are you doing with someone else’s private information?!” 

Asagi’s scream reverberated through the residential district in the dead of night. 

And thus, the curtain fell, the rest of the night before the trip left unknown. 

“—Well, I think that worked out all right, don’t you?” 

Having finished the voice chat, Yaze spoke those words before fishing his smartphone out of his pocket. He was standing on top of a giant shopping mall in Island West—the roof of Thetis Mall. It was a place with some of Itogami Island’s most enjoyable nighttime scenery, making it one of the city’s standard date spots. Most of the people around Yaze were oodles of young couples on dates— 

That was why the two didn’t stand out. 

“Thank you for your hard work, Motoki. I pushed a rather troublesome job onto you, didn’t I?” The figure standing beside Yaze spoke in a quiet voice. 

She was wearing a plain T-shirt and a long, outdated skirt. She was a girl with looks that didn’t stand out, wearing glasses and carrying a thick book. Her tone was polite, but not stuffy. Indeed, her voice sounded teasing, almost like a laugh. 

“Hey, don’t be silly. There’s no way I’d turn down a request from you.” 

Yaze boldly laughed as he met her sidelong gaze, blatantly bad manners. The glasses-wearing girl made no reply. All that came from her was a wry, lonely smile, as if she was indulging a naughty younger brother. 

Yaze twisted his lips, seeming dissatisfied at her reaction. 

“This isn’t like you, though. Let’s set Kojou and Yukina aside. Why are you involving even Asagi and Nagisa?” 

“Simple insurance, to contain the damage to a minimum should the worst occur.” 

The glasses girl’s reply was blunt. Yaze raised his eyebrows in visible surprise at her unexpected answer. She acted like she could foresee everything that would happen in the future; thus, they were not words he expected to hear from her. 

“Insurance, huh. In other words, there’s risks involved that even you folks can’t control?” 

“We are playing every card we can… However, yes, this situation might be somewhat troublesome.” 

The girl’s words bore no sense of urgency, but that made the situation come off as all the more serious. Apparently, some place unknown to Yaze was causing an environmental change enveloping the Demon Sanctuary—a change that not even someone with her position and abilities could hold in check. 

“That really isn’t like you. That’s some pretty timid talk from someone who can go toe-to-toe with a vampire primogenitor.” 

Yaze spoke in a tone that seemed half-jest, half an effort to console. But the girl smiled self-effacingly and shook her head. 

“Being one of the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency might sound grand, but it means nothing more than being a cog of the organization. There are many things in which I cannot have my own way. In the end, I am merely a disposable commodity.” 

“Hiina…you’re…” 

The sudden revelation of the girl’s real feelings struck Yaze by surprise, shaking him. But the girl silenced Yaze by raising a single finger, as if to say you mustn’t do that. 

“Motoki Yaze, I am here as Koyomi Shizuka.” 

“Sorry.” Yaze glanced back at her with a shrug at her quiet rebuke. Then, a broken laugh suddenly came over him as he asked the girl calling herself Koyomi a question. 

“You’re going to Blue Ely, too, aren’t you? Can I at least hope to see you in a swimsuit?” 

“Underwater combat is out of my jurisdiction, same as you,” Koyomi replied in the same casual tone, her expression unchanged from before. 

“Well, you’re no fun.” Yaze strained a smile at her predictable reaction. 

Shortly after, Koyomi’s cheeks reddened below her glasses as she murmured with a fleeting voice, “And I detest swimsuits… I simply do not look good in one…” 

“What?” Yaze dryly said, but by the time he shifted his gaze without thinking, Koyomi was nowhere to be seen. She’d vanished without a trace, almost like no one had been there to begin with. 

However, the girl’s final words continued to burn in the back of Yaze’s mind, loud and clear. 

“Geez… A surprise attack is sooo unfair…,” he groaned, scowling. “Not cute at all.” 

It was the very first time that the girl had acted her own age in front of Yaze. There really had to be something stirring in the environs of the Demon Sanctuary. 

4 

Subfloat Blue Elysium had been constructed on the open sea about eighteen kilometers from Itogami Island proper. It was a small, fan-shaped island, somewhat resembling a sliced pineapple. A private ferry ran between it and Itogami Island, with about twenty minutes required each way. 

The interior of the freshly commissioned boat was beautiful, and the view from the deck was marvelous. Candy and drinks were provided free of charge. However, Kojou lacked any fortitude remaining to enjoy those amenities that day. 

“A-are you all right, senpai? The color of your face has become rather…” 

They were at Blue Elysium’s harbor, shortly after arrival. Kojou was squatting down on the pier as Yukina continued to rub his back with a worried look. 

He was facing the ground, his face so pale it was completely bereft of all signs of blood. In one sense, it seemed somehow fitting for a vampire, but it wasn’t that he was being assailed by the urge to drink blood. The cause of Kojou’s poor physical condition was seasickness. The ferry’s shaking did a number on his inner ear; he’d just finished spewing out all the contents of his stomach. It was a pathetic sight unbecoming of the World’s Mightiest Vampire. 

“I’m…I’m getting there… If I rest for a bit, I’ll recover…I think.” 

In spite of himself, Kojou put up a brave front with all his might to allay Yukina’s concerns. 

The silver lining was that it was still about fifteen minutes before they were due to meet up with Yaze. He’d arrived at Blue Elysium first to check in at the hotel and handle that and other annoying paperwork. So Kojou and the others were just waiting around at the harbor until he returned. 

Nagisa squatted beside Kojou, peering at the side of his face as she said, “Wow, this is kind of a surprise. Kojou, I had no idea you were prone to seasickness.” 

Kojou scowled in annoyance at the girl’s rapid-fire tone, even more high-tension than usual. 

“I don’t think I used to be, but I had a bit of a bad run-in on a boat. Maybe that’s why.” 

“…That so?” 

“Yeah.” 

Kojou’s vague words glossed over the fact he’d been chased around and shot at by Island Guard patrol boats, something he couldn’t just come out and tell her. Fortunately, Nagisa made no special effort to pursue the matter further. 

“Hmm… Anyway, wanna drink something? I just went to buy drinks from the shop.” 

As she spoke, she opened up a bag packed with plastic bottles. It seemed she’d gone out of her way to bring them when she’d seen Kojou in poor physical shape. 

Grateful for his conscientious little sister, Kojou reached toward the contents of the bag. 

“Suppose so. Any carbonated drinks?” 

“Yep. Which one would you like? There’s German potato soda and cola that’s vegetable juice flavor.” 

Bwah! went Kojou, unwittingly choking. The mere thought of those unpleasant tastes invading his mouth made him retch. 

“I’ll die if I drink something that awful in my condition! And who makes a cola that tastes like veggies, anyway?! If you’re gonna have that, just have a veggie drink to begin with!!” 

Kojou thought it a rather sensible objection, but Nagisa’s cheeks puffed up without a single hint of reflection. 

“Well, I don’t mind hot new products like this. They give you a sense of adventure.” 

“A lot of adventures turn into just another reckless challenge, don’t they?” 

“Well, Kojou, if you won’t drink it, Yukina will just have to become a casualty in your place. Fine with that?” 

“…Huh?!” 

Yukina, suddenly pulled into the conversation, froze as she stared at the ghoulish plastic bottle in Nagisa’s hand. It was a soft drink, but it retained the yellow color typical of a vegetable drink with bacon-shaped strips of some kind of milk-colored ingredient floating inside it. She granted that it was novel, but it didn’t look like a drink that would be accepted by the masses by any stretch. 

“Geez, even you’re calling it bein’ a casualty…” 

Kojou made the minor jab quietly so that the people concerned would not hear it as he discreetly left the scene. Yukina remained frozen stiff from Nagisa’s question, “So which one?” 

Sorry, apologized Kojou in his own mind. 

It was just a bit past nine AM. The amusement park and pools were yet to open, but invited guests continued to pour into Blue Elysium. It sure was the latest and greatest resort. 

Kojou sat down on a nearby bench, gazing at the various people as he waited for the nausea to begin anew. That was when he suddenly felt something pleasantly cool being pressed against his neck. 

“Whoa!” he exclaimed in surprise, looking over his shoulder to see Asagi, leering at him in fancy street clothes. She was pressing a white, cooling gel sheet for relieving fevers into Kojou’s neck. 

“Here, Kojou. Keep this on you and you’ll feel a little better.” 

“…Oh, it’s just you, Asagi? I’m in bad shape, so don’t scare me like that!” 

“Well, you sure got pathetic from a little seasickness.” 

Even though her words were sharp, she politely unfolded the sheet and applied it to the back of Kojou’s neck. It conveyed a pleasant coolness to the depths of his body, easing the difficult to bear sense of nausea. 

“Ohh, feels like that worked somehow.” 

“Neat, huh?” 

Seeing Kojou’s honest reaction, Asagi proudly tossed her chin. Then, she let out a little smirk as she held the pose. 

“…What?” he asked. 

“I mean, cooling off the Fourth Primogenitor to make his seasickness go away, isn’t that just totally lame? This is why I still can’t believe that whole World’s Mightiest Vampire business.” 

Asagi continued laughing in visible delight as she applied a second sheet to Kojou’s forehead. Now that she mentioned it, it was only very lately that she’d learned that Kojou had become a vampire. Normally, a thing like that would scare the stuffing out of someone, but Asagi’s behavior toward him since being exposed as a vampire hadn’t changed one bit. If anything, she found it a source of amusement, such as that very moment. It wasn’t that Kojou was ungrateful for Asagi’s reaction, but… 

“I don’t have this condition because I want to, geez! And just to say it, don’t talk to Nagisa about this.” 

“Oh, right…Nagisa has that demonophobia thing, huh…? Mm-hmmm.” 

After nodding once with a dead-serious look, the corners of Asagi’s lips rose into a leer. That expression made Kojou feel a twinge of concern. 

“Wh…what’s with that smug I’ve-got-something-on-you look?!” 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Besides, I’ve got plenty of secrets you can’t tell Nagisa besides the vampire thing. I mean, there was that time in the phys ed storage shed in the second year of middle school…” 

“Hey, cut that out! Shit, you made me remember something in my past I wanted to forget!” 

Kojou unwittingly clutched his head and moaned in anguish. Apparently, Asagi gave his dark secret from middle school the same weight as being a vampire. 

“Come to think of it, Yaze didn’t say one word about you coming, too…” 

Kojou changed the subject before Asagi needlessly dredged up other memories. 

“Well, that figures, it was really late last night when Motoki invited me out of the blue. Thanks to that, I didn’t have enough time to prepare, and the swimsuit I have for today isn’t the one I really liked.” 

“Nah, something like that’s no big deal…” 

Kojou easily brushed off Asagi’s grave-sounding murmur. Her cheek twitched. 

“Excuse me?! ‘Something like that’…? ‘No big deal’…?” 

“More importantly, what is Yaze thinking? Aren’t you suspicious?” 

“…Well, that was on my mind, too. There’s gotta be some kind of catch.” 

Asagi, seemingly knowing that far too well, twisted her lips as she agreed with Kojou’s statement. 

In contrast to his frivolous appearance, Yaze was a good friend who paid attention to even the smallest details. The flip side of that was that he paid too much attention, leading to him plotting strange schemes. 

One example was how, back at the ball game competition, he’d arm twisted Kojou and Asagi into a doubles pair. Doubtless he bore no ill will, but it was meddling nonetheless. Kojou and Asagi thoroughly suspected that the trip to Blue Elysium concealed a similar scheme behind the stage. And just then… 

“Er…Yaze?” 

“Sorry, sorry. Made you wait, huh?” 

Hearing Yaze’s voice with speak-of-the-devil timing, Kojou and Asagi turned to look. There was a vehicle parked in front of the harbor where Kojou and the others had arrived. It was a small, electric-powered cart, the sort often seen on golf courses. A teenager with a Hawaiian shirt was sitting in the driver’s seat, with closed-style headphones dangling from his neck. 

“Er, Yaze, you can drive?! Do you have a license?” 

Nagisa rushed over in surprise and posed the question to Yaze, sitting in the driver’s seat. Yaze stopped the cart right in the middle of the road. 

“Blue Ely is private property, so I don’t need a license. Besides, this thing drives itself.” 

Yaze pointed to the dashboard, where there was a simplified map of the interior of Blue Elysium and a touch panel for choosing destinations with a fingertip. There happened to be a coin slot on the side of the panel. Apparently, the electric cart was rigged to move when you put a five-hundred-yen coin in it. It was an odd clash of high and low technologies. 

“Now then, our next stop is the Japanese hotel district. Everyone, please get aboard the cart.” 

Suddenly transforming into a tour guide, Yaze indicated to Kojou and the others with his fingers. What’s with that way of talking? thought Kojou as he and the others all climbed aboard the cart. 

Yukina stopped, realizing midway that there weren’t enough seats. “Er…this vehicle seats four people?” 

Including Yaze, that made a total of five occupants. However, each of the electric cart’s four seats were designed for one person and came with its own armrests, so cramming more in didn’t seem viable. 

“Ahh, that’s all right, that’s all right. See, there’s a seat free right there?” 

He pointed to the back of the rear seats. Certainly, there was space there for carrying luggage; by rights, it was probably where you’d stick golf bags. Besides being so narrow that you could scarcely sit, it was tilted at a steep angle to make fishing golf clubs out easier. 

“The cargo box…? Who the hell would sit there…?” 

Kojou let out the halting murmur as he gazed at the cargo box with obvious anxiety. That instant, the gazes of everyone present fell upon Kojou as one. 

“Wait, me?! Wait a minute, I still have aftereffects from seasickness…” 

“Relax, the speed won’t be enough to make you carsick. Well, let’s go. Snap to it!” 

“Wa… I said to wait!” 

Kojou, seeming to be in imminent danger of being left behind, hastily climbed into the cargo box. That instant, the cart Kojou and the others were on suddenly jolted and accelerated. 

Certainly, the speed wasn’t all that fast—much slower when compared to a normal car, but… 

“Dwahh, it’s shaking, it’s shaking, I’m gonna fall, I’m gonna fall! Stop it, Yaze! At least lower the speed!” 

The cart’s protruding cargo box shook all over the place from the slightest imperfections of the road’s surface. It wasn’t built for people to sit on to begin with; thus, its design conveyed vibrations a great deal. 

“S-senpai…?!” 

Noticing that Kojou was being tossed about, Yukina looked back at him in concern. However, Yaze was scratching his head in a carefree manner. 

“Guess I miscalculated. Sorry, Kojou. Once this thing starts moving, it won’t stop till it reaches the next stop, so—” 

“Eh?!” 

It’s out of my hands, Yaze’s shrug of his shoulders seemed to say. During that time, the automated cart continued to robustly accelerate. 

“Make it stoooooooooooooop—!” 

Kojou’s bitter cry echoed through the air above the resort. 

Thus did the morning of their stay at Blue Elysium begin. 

5 

The cart setting out from the harbor advanced along a counterclockwise path along Blue Elysium’s fan-shaped exterior. 

The first thing that came into view was the part-aquarium, part-zoo dubbed Demon Beast Park. It was a group of facilities for keeping and researching demon beasts, with twenty-two hundred total from some three-hundred-odd species, including endangered species, from every corner of the globe. Many were open for visits by the general public. In particular, it boasted the largest number of aquatic demon beasts being raised in the world. 

Next was Blue Elysium’s biggest selling point: its huge coastal pool area. It was large enough to host international competitions, boasted waterslides over two hundred meters long, and had an elaborate arrangement of numerous types of pools so a person could play around in a swimsuit all day long. 

The amusement park stood next to the pools. Not only did it have standard attractions like a Ferris wheel and roller coasters, but it also played on the special nature of a Demon Sanctuary to have a genuinely haunted haunted house, and to top that, thrill rides so incredible non-demons weren’t guaranteed to come back alive. 

Then, after passing a shopping mall with restaurants and a line of stands out front, Kojou and the others reached the hotel area where their stay was planned. In the center of the giant Hotel Elysian, what many would call the symbol of Blue Elysium, rested numerous resort mansions and rentable villas placed alongside canals. 

It was before one of these that the electric cart came to a halt—specifically, a white, two-story cottage. 

Yaze, sitting in the driver’s seat, got out of the cart and leisurely stretched. “Well, at least we all got here safe and sound.” 

“Does this…look safe and sound to you…?” 

The reply came from Kojou, still squatting in the cargo box and speaking resentfully. It had taken about fifteen minutes to drive from the harbor to the cottage. Kojou’s physical condition was extremely poor from his internal organs having been continuously shaken during that time. His stomach, already significantly weakened by seasickness, was proclaiming its poor condition with all its might. 

However, Yaze casually brushed aside Kojou’s anguish. 

“Thanks to this, we’ve established that the electric carts still have room for improvement on the safety front. I’ll have to send the administration a report.” 

“…Why you little…” 

As soon as my body recovers a little, I’m giving that guy a smack, resolved Kojou. 

Meanwhile, Nagisa got out of the cart with her luggage and headed into the Mediterranean-style cottage. 

“Hey, Yaze. It’s really okay for us to stay here for a few days?!” 

“It’s a real piece of work, ain’t it?” 

Yaze smiled proudly as Nagisa gazed at it, making a sound of wonder. 

In point of fact, the interior of the brand-new cottage was far more lavish than Nagisa had expected, causing her mouth to gape. The interior was huge; the furnishings, ample. Even the fridge was jam-packed with cold drinks. 

“There should be beds to spare, so go ahead and divvy them up however you like.” 

“Yaaay! Wow, the second floor’s huge, too! It’s gorgeous! There’s working air-conditioning, the kitchen’s sparkly clean, the sofa’s so soft, and there’s even a sauna in the bathroom!” 

Nagisa busily ran around from room to room like an excited puppy. In contrast, Kojou, left by his lonesome outside, was frozen stiff in front of the entrance, the overly extravagant cottage overwhelming him. 

“—Seriously, Motoki, what are you thinking?!” Asagi pressed. 

“Eh, whaddaya mean?” 

“Don’t play dumb with me! Just because there’s a booking error doesn’t mean you can use a place as nice as this for free, dammit!” 

Asagi represented everyone’s viewpoint in that matter. 

Far removed from the Japanese mainland, prices were higher for everything on Itogami Island. That was all the more true for tourist traps like Blue Elysium—a popular resort with an avalanche of advance bookings. Even a trial opening period preceding the official opening couldn’t justify such liberal use of operating expenses. 

“Man, what a worrywart. I speak no lie—all fees are waived. Entry and lodging fees anyway.” 

Asagi’s hands were still grabbing Yaze by the chest as he raised both hands in surrender. The way he danced around the details only made the look in Asagi’s eyes grow graver still. 

It was at that moment that a new electric cart passed through the hotel area gate and approached. 

This cart was different from the one for arriving guests that Kojou and the others had ridden. Rather, this was a simple white cart for business use. 

Sitting in the driver’s seat was a young woman wearing a tight skirt. She was in her late twenties, or thereabout. Based on her tidy makeup and hairstyle, she looked like a caterer. She gave off the air of a capable woman running her own family restaurant or fast-food franchise. 

“Hi! Sorry to make you wait like that!” 

The woman called out to Yaze in a tone that was lighter and more feminine than Kojou had expected. 

For some reason, Yaze straightened his posture and lowered his head in a formal bow. 

“Ah, chief. Thanks.” 

“…Chief? Who is she?” 

What’s their relationship? wondered Kojou as he looked back and forth from Yaze to the woman. 

The woman got off her stopped cart and gave Kojou a look from head to toe. 

“So these children are the cavalry? Yes, yes, looks are so-so, but it’ll be a big help. We’ll have just enough people to fill out the end-of-week shifts. Get set by afternoon today, please.” 

“…Cavalry?” 

Kojou felt bewildered, unable to keep track of the conversation’s flow. Asagi and the others were just as confounded. Yaze, the only one who understood the situation, abandoned all responsibility to explain, whistling with an innocent look. 

“Hey, Yaze.” 

“What does she mean, shift? Don’t tell me you plan on making us work?!” 

Kojou and Asagi pressed upon Yaze from the left and right, questioning him in quiet voices. However, he did not look apologetic; indeed, the expression he displayed was a villainous smile. 

“Mm? I explained, didn’t I? There was a booking error, so they’re short on people.” 

“By short on people, you mean they don’t have enough workers?!” 

Even though Kojou was indignant on the spot, a corner of his mind found that it made perfect sense. Now that he thought about it, of course that was it. Blue Elysium was a huge tourist facility that expected to receive hundreds of thousands of guests per year. A booking mistake with guests was insignificant and wouldn’t be any skin off the organization’s back. It was certainly no reason to invite Kojou and the others to stay for free. 

It wasn’t guests that Yaze needed, but part-time employees to work at the facility. 

That said, the lack of employees had to be so sudden that they didn’t have time to recruit part-timers through normal methods. Besides, a lot of the information about Blue Elysium’s trial opening wasn’t meant for the public to know, meaning that you couldn’t bring people in to work there unless you could trust them to a certain degree. Thus, Yaze had set his eyes on Kojou and the others. 

“Why didn’t you mention something important like that at the start?!” 

“Well, if I asked you straight-up to work for free, Kojou might have, but you sure wouldn’t have, right?” 

“Damn right, I wouldn’t!” 

“Why is it okay for me to work for free here?!” 

Asagi and Kojou both objected with ferocious vigor. Having harbored concerns the whole time that Yaze was up to something, they were incensed now that the nature of his scheme had been revealed. 

For her part, Yukina, seemingly left behind, looked very out of place as she stared at Yaze. 

“Er…What should we do, then…?” 

“Ahh, you and Nagisa can just go play around however you want. Don’t worry ’bout these two.” Yaze fished out a number of ID cards with a Blue Elysium logo. “This is the key to the cottage and a free pass to the attractions. You can use that to get into pretty much every place here on Blue Ely for free.” 

“B-but…” 

“It’s all right, no need to be concerned. Either way, making middle schoolers work is against the law. Think of it as a present from Kojou, and lounge around with Nagisa, ’kay?” 

Yaze pressed an ID card into a reluctant Yukina’s hands. When he put it that way, Yukina had no reason to refuse. I’m sorry, her conflicted face said as she put all her effort into speaking words of thanks. 

“Wait…if Himeragi and Nagisa are splitting off, that means it’s only me and Kojou working?” 

Asagi, listening to Yaze’s conversation with Yukina, suddenly dropped the tone of her voice as she double-checked. But of course, said Yaze, sending a smile rich with implication back Asagi’s way. 

“I figured it could get pretty lonely, so I asked ’em to make sure you work in the same place.” 

“Hey, same workplace or no workplace, we haven’t actually said that—” 

—we’d work there, Kojou was going to say in rebuttal, but Asagi cut him off midway. 

“Fine, then.” 

“Eh? A-Asagi?” 

“We’ve come this far, so complaining won’t get us very far. If you’re gonna insist, then I guess I’ll lend you a hand.” 

“Ohh, what a sympathetic heart. I expected no less.” 

Yaze clapped his hands in praise of Asagi. All Kojou could do was gaze dumbfounded in the face of her sudden change of heart. 

Then, she gently narrowed her eyes and glared at Yaze. 

“In exchange, you will be paying me for the work. You understand, don’t you? I don’t come cheap.” 

“R…right… Totally get that…” 

Overwhelmed by Asagi’s gaze, a cold sweat ran over Yaze as he nodded. 

The lady who Yaze had called chief apparently saw that as settling the matter. With Kojou standing stiff, she called him over, taking baggage out of the cart and pushing it onto him. 

“Here are your staff T-shirts. You can wear swimsuits underneath. There’s no time, so change right away, okay?” 

Kojou, still unrecovered from all the confusion, stared in the silence at the pair of T-shirts he’d been handed. 

The sky above Blue Elysium was very clear; the strong sun rays caused thick shadows to fall. 

“…Seriously? Geez.” 

Kojou’s frail murmur vanished, carried away by a humid coastal breeze.