Himeragi Yukina sat in silence at the center of the worship hall.
A butterfly, its wings fluttering softly, landed before her and transformed into a photograph.
The photo showed a female student wearing a high school uniform.
It seemed someone had sneakily captured this picture of her sleeping cutely during class. Her expression was utterly unguarded, looking entirely vulnerable.
"And this photo is…?"
"She is the Fourth Primogenitor." A voice came from behind the sacred curtain in front of Himeragi Yukina.
"You mean the 'Kaleid Blood,' rumored to command twelve beast vassals—that Fourth Primogenitor?"
Himeragi Yukina held her breath. Any proper Attack Mage would fall silent for a moment upon hearing that name.
It was the title belonging to the world's strongest vampire.
Though nowadays, quite a few considered the Fifth Primogenitor to be even stronger.
She stared silently at the photo before her. The Fourth Primogenitor… was a student?
"But… I'd heard the Fourth Primogenitor wasn't real, that it was considered an urban legend."
"Indeed, there are only four publicly acknowledged Primogenitors: the 'Lost Warlord' who rules Europe, the 'Fall Gazer,' master of the West Asian Alliance, the 'Chaos Bride' reigning over North and South America, and the owner of the Mystic Eyes Collection Train—the 'Princess of the Moon.' Compared to them, the Fourth and Fifth Primogenitors possess neither their own bloodline clans nor territories."
The voice from behind the curtain continued, "But just half a year ago, the Fourth Primogenitor declared the location of their Night Empire—Itogami Island."
"We've also discovered that the Fifth Primogenitor's shadow looms behind the Fourth's sudden prominence."
Himeragi Yukina took a deep breath. She knew the crucial part was coming next.
"Himeragi Yukina, we need you to investigate the truth behind this, to monitor the Fourth Primogenitor, and preferably, to learn about those Mystic Eyes capable of killing a Primogenitor."
"You want me to handle this…?"
Seeming to notice Yukina's astonishment, the voice behind the curtain gently reassured her, "Don't worry, our relationship with the Fifth Primogenitor is quite friendly."
"Furthermore, the Mystic Eyes Collection Train has conveniently established a branch on Itogami Island. You needn't be overly concerned for your safety."
Quite friendly?
Really?
Himeragi Yukina was silent for a few seconds, then, as if realizing something, asked softly, "Might you have a photo of the Fifth Primogenitor?"
If the relationship was good, they should have a photo, right?
As her words fell, the voice behind the curtain suddenly went quiet.
A long moment passed.
"...For some reason, we are unable to record the Fifth Primogenitor's form on any imaging device. We can only tell you that she is a young girl with golden hair and red eyes."
And you call that a good relationship?
Himeragi Yukina looked skeptically at the curtain. "Might I ask, what exactly is the nature of our primary cooperation with the Fifth Primogenitor?"
"...We frequently purchase Mystic Eyes from the Mystic Eyes Collection Train."
So you're just regular customers!
Himeragi Yukina was momentarily speechless, stunned into silence as she sat there.
Her eyes reflected boundless doubt.
Seeming to realize how unreliable this sounded, the voice behind the curtain gave a light cough and handed out a long, silver spear.
"This is…?"
"The Mechanical Demon-Purging Assault Spear Mark Seven (Schneewalzer)—inscribed 'Snowdrift Wolf.'"
Himeragi Yukina knew the name.
The Mechanical Demon-Purging Assault Spear was a weapon developed by the Lion King Organization to combat demons with special abilities. It could nullify magical energy and sever bounded fields.
"You're… entrusting this to me?"
Himeragi Yukina accepted the proffered spear, asking in disbelief.
"Correct. We would have preferred to issue stronger equipment, but this is the most powerful weapon we could prepare. All the Mystic Eyes have already been allocated."
Himeragi Yukina silently regarded the now-silent curtain.
The Fifth Primogenitor. The Fourth Primogenitor. Transferring schools. Making contact.
Could it be… she'd been thrown into a huge mess?
She let out an unconscious sigh.
"Ah, one more thing." The voice from behind the curtain suddenly spoke again. "What are your feelings about her?"
"Huh?" Himeragi Yukina blinked, glancing at the photo of the golden-haired girl with the cute sleeping face. "She's… very cute?"
"No, I mean what are your feelings towards her? To put it another way, is she to your liking?"
"Wha… what?"
Himeragi Yukina retorted with displeasure, "Are you… making fun of me? Besides, we're both girls, how could that possibly…"
"...That's not necessarily true. The Fifth Primogenitor is surrounded entirely by girls," the voice behind the curtain muttered under its breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, it's nothing. The procedures for your transfer to Saikai Academy have been arranged. That is all."
--+--
"Himeragi Yukina. A new student transferring into your class. The Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency."
Minamiya Natsuki gestured with her chin towards the girl before resuming her meal.
Has the Lion King Matchmaking Service started making moves?
Arcueid Brunestud gave a slight nod and glanced towards the entrance. The 'Not Open Yet' sign was hanging clearly on the door.
This child… didn't she see it when she came in?
Across from them, Himeragi Yukina was stealing glances at the Kaleid Bloods.
Staring—
Catching herself being watched, she quickly averted her gaze, then peeked again—
But the other party's gaze hadn't shifted away at all.
"Why are they all looking at me?"
Himeragi Yukina muttered under her breath, looking down at her own attire.
Was her outfit that conspicuous?
And, there were… so many Fourth Primogenitors. There was even a small one. Which one was the actual target…?
Her brown eyes kept darting between the thirteen golden heads.
This shop was strange too. It was in a bustling area, yet there were no customers. It felt like it wasn't even open.
She'd spotted traces of the Fourth Primogenitor through the window and entered without a second thought.
The silence grew heavier. Himeragi Yukina became increasingly fidgety.
Seems… like I've attracted attention. Better look away.
Her gaze returned to the menu in her hands, and her eyes flew wide open.
"So… so expensive!"
The exclamation escaped her lips unbidden, her fingers tightening around the menu.
The accounting auntie at the Lion King Organization, perhaps because Yukina was being sent to deal with the Fourth Primogenitor and wanted her to die without regrets whenever the time came, had directly allocated ten million yen for her.
But the entire budget might only buy a single pair of Mystic Eyes here.
Such exorbitant prices left even Himeragi Yukina, who wasn't particularly sensitive to money, utterly stunned.
"Customer, that is the menu for mass-produced Mystic Eyes."
A voice brought Yukina back to her senses. A silver-haired maid was standing beside her, staring at her expressionlessly.
"Th-this price… and it's for the mass-produced type?"
"Correct." Trimmau nodded. "Additionally, for Mystic Eye transactions, please visit the outer shop. This café is not yet open for business."
"Eh? Not open…?" Himeragi Yukina glanced back at the sign by the door.
OPEN… But it says open…
Wait, this is inside the shop. Which means from the outside, it must clearly read as not open.
"My apologies." After an awkward cough, Himeragi Yukina offered a straightforward apology, her fingers quietly tightening their grip on the guitar case behind her.
"But I cannot leave. I need to monitor the Fourth Primogenitor."
Silence.
Stillness spread through the room, broken only by the sound of Avrora munching away.
After a long pause, Trimmau finally made a puzzled sound.
"...Hmm?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.