He pushed the bicycle, walking alongside the two girls. Kei Shirogane, anxious and curious, looked between them. "UmRei Ao-senpai and Sakurajima Mai-senpaiare you two really close?"
"Practically inseparable," Rei Ao answered immediately.
"Eh?!"
Such wording sounded so over-the-top. "That's an exaggeration," Mai said dryly. "We're dating."
"Wow!!" Kei's eyes went wide. They were so frank about it.
"S-sorry!" Kei apologized again, assuming she'd asked something intrusive.
""
Mai saw that Kei was a well-behaved kouhai. Suddenly
"Gruu"
"Huh?"
Rei Ao heard a strange noise coming from Kei'sstomach.
"Ugh!!!"
Instantly, her face went red like an apple. She'd slept in, missing breakfast, so she was hungry.
Sensing the situation, Rei Ao pulled out a sandwich Tohru had prepared. "Looks like you didn't eat breakfast. Here."
"EhI, I'm fine. Really," Kei protested. But her eyes locked on that sandwich, which looked so appetizing. She felt guilty making her senpais do so much already.
But Rei Ao pressed the sandwich into her hands, smiling: "No breakfast means no energy for class. Consider it a friendly gesture from a senpaiyou wouldn't turn me down, would you?"
" "
Kei stood holding the sandwich, looking conflicted. "Thank you"
She gently unwrapped it and took small bites. It tasted amazing and warmed her heartsuch kindness from an upperclassman.
~~~
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Chapter 265: Seraph of the End Starts!
Another World
On the school rooftop, a black-haired boy was standing off against Hiiragi Shinoa.
The black-haired boy was Yichir Hyakuya, Shinoa's surveillance target. This was the first time he had approached Shinoa of his own accord.
"Youhave been watching me?"
Yichir's gaze was frigid.
Shinoa had been monitoring him all alonghe wasn't surprised that he'd noticed.
Shinoa produced her Imperial Demon Army ID.
"Yes, I'm from the Imperial Demon Army. I was assigned to keep an eye on you."
Though lately, she hadn't really been paying much attention to the mission. Her focus had shifted to strengthening herself.
"Imperial Demon Army"
Yichir's expression flickered with emotion.
He'd always wanted to join the Imperial Demon Armyonly by enlisting could he personally fight vampires and avenge his 'family!'
He held a deep hatred for vampires, one etched into his very bones.
His real name: Yichir Amane.
In childhood, his parents sold him for money to the "Hyakuya Sect" as a test subject for the "Seraph of the End" experiments. His parents' insanity and the brutality of human experimentation inflicted severe trauma on Yichir. To ensure the smooth progress of the experiment, the Hyakuya Sect repeatedly tampered with his memories, leaving him outwardly unbroken but stripped of any real will to live.
On Christmas Eve, he was sent by Saito to Hyakuya Orphanage, renamed Hyakuya Yichir, and greeted by "Mikaela." After some "small incident," he quickly fit in, accepting the orphanage kids as his new family.
However, that relatively nice life didn't last. The cataclysmic virus broke out. Some paramilitary troops surfaced on the surface to gather human children. All the orphans at Hyakuya Orphanage were taken away to the vampires' underground city, Sanguinem, where they spent four years as blood donors.
One day, Mikaelawhose blood was highly favored by the vampire noble Ferid Bathorystole a map of the underground city. All the Hyakuya orphans tried to escape Sanguinem using that map. But it turned out to be a trap orchestrated by Ferid! Hyakuya Akane, Hyakuya Chihiro, and the others were all slaughtered.
Yichir nearly died, but thanks to Mikaela sacrificing himself, Yichir escaped the underground city and was taken in by the Japanese Imperial Demon Army.
He joined the fight, determined to get revenge on the vampires who'd murdered his "family." But Guren (an influential figure in the army) wouldn't allow him into the Imperial Demon Army.
Shinoa raised an eyebrow.
"You want to join the Imperial Demon Army?"
"Of course. I want to kill those damn vampires!"
Yichir's eyes flashed with fierce hatred.
"The Vampire Extermination Unit's training has already begun," Shinoa said suddenly.
"Huh?"
Yichir blinked. "It started already? Then I"
"Too bad. You don't qualify."
Shinoa lifted a hand; suddenly, a scythe materializedher Cursed Gear, "Shikama Dji."
"???"
Yichir stared in confusion. He was astonished that Shinoa had simply produced a scythe from thin air. Magic? He didn't have the mental room to care about that, though; he just demanded:
"Why am I disqualified? Even if I just serve as cannon fodder, as long as I can kill vampires"
Shinoa gave a cold laugh.
"Even though I'm not exactly fond of the Imperial Demon Army right now, they're still undeniably an elite force of humanity. A mere human can't even wound a vampire, let alone kill one."
" "
Yichir's face darkened. It was truethe vampires were terrifying monsters, and normal means couldn't kill them.
"So how does the Imperial Demon Army exterminate vampires, then?"
Shinoa pointed to what was in her hand. "The answer's right here."
"That blackish-green scythe?"
From Yichir's perspective, it didn't look especially remarkable except for how abruptly it appeared.
"This is Cursed Gear, also called a 'Demon Weapon.' Vampires have incredible regenerative power, so only demon weapons can inflict real damage or kill them."
She casually explained, her tone icy:
"Without a demon weapon, you don't even qualify as cannon fodderyou'd just be a vampire's blood bag."
"!!!"
Yichir's eyes lit up, staring intently at her scythe.
"So, if I get my hands on Cursed Gear, I can join the Imperial Demon Army, right?"
"Huh?"
Shinoa frowned. She sensed his gaze turning sharp and greedy. Yichir dashed right at her, reaching for her Cursed Gear.
"If I can just take it!"
He tried to snatch Shinoa's demon weapon. But Shinoa vanished before his eyes in a manner he couldn't begin to track.
"How reckless."
Her voice came from behind him.
Yichir's pupils shrank. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blackand then Boom!! In the next instant, he was sent flying, crashing hard against the rooftop wall.
"Guh!!"
He coughed up blood violently, energy immediately fading. Shinoa withdrew the scythe she'd used to swipe at him. In a cold tone, she continued:
"Cursed Gear is forged by binding and sealing a demon god inside a weapon through demon magic. It's the only method humans have to fightor killvampires. Because there's a demon inside, only a person who meets certain conditions can form a contract to use it. It's meaningless to try and snatch someone else's Cursed Gear."
Shinoa walked up to him, looking down at the pained Yichir with a frosty stare.
"Harsh conditions yield powerful strengthand serious risks. The wielder has to form a contract with the demon that dwells in their weapon, granting power beyond that of a normal humanseven times more, at least. But if you don't have enough mental fortitude, you could become a demon yourself."
" "
This was the first time Yichir had heard of such a bizarre object. It explained why Shinoa's speed and strength were off the chartshe hadn't stood a chance. Clutching his chest and panting, he asked in a low voice, "Then where can I get Cursed Gear?"
Shinoa wondered whether to tell him, in line with her superiors' instructions. She hesitated.
All of a sudden
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!"
A piercing scream echoed through the school grounds, unleashing a frantic commotion.
~~~
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Chapter 266: Shinoa Hiragi Trade Request!
"See you, senpai!"
Thanking them once again, Kei Shirogane departed. As they watched her go, Mai suddenly asked, out of nowhere,
"Rei Ao, you're not interested in that kouhai, are you?"
"Heh, Mai, you always have this eerie knack for guessing my innermost thoughts. It's almost scary."
" "
So he admitted it?! Mai immediately felt a wave of fatigue. How did she end up liking such a shameless lecher?
"Forget it; let's get back to class."
At least she knew Rei Ao wouldn't use any underhanded methods, so she wasn't going to bother scolding him this time. As for Rei Ao, he had only been joking aroundhe wasn't desperate enough to pester that girl non-stop. Let things unfold naturally; it suited him better.
Service Club.
"Yukinon, I'm here!"
Like always, Yui Yuigahama arrived at the Service Club during the mid-morning break. Normally, Yukinoshita would keep her head down in a book and only respond curtly. But this time, she not only closed her book but also lifted her head and stared intently at Yuienough to make Yui uncomfortable.
"Yukinon, why are you staring at me? Do I have something on my face?"
Yui was about to take out a handheld mirror. However, Yukinoshita shook her head and said,
"I'm just wondering if you're really Yui right now, or Yui's mother."
"Ugh"
Yui froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Yukinon, of course I'm the real Yui! Ugh, don't tell me you can't even recognize my personality?"
" "
All right, from the way she talked, she did sound like Yui. Even so, Yukinoshita couldn't help being curious.
"Yui, is your Adolescence Syndrome all cleared up?"
"Mm, not entirely sure, but I think so," Yui replied after thinking it over. "I haven't swapped bodies with Mom again since that day."
"How bizarre."
Imagining what it must be like to swap bodies with someone else made Yukinoshita sigh in astonishment.
"Yui, could you share what it feels likementallyto have that sort of Adolescence Syndrome?"
"Huh? You're that interested, Yukinon?"
"Yes. According to Rei Ao, I'm at the age range where it can occur."
A dark cloud flickered across Yukinoshita's expression. She absolutely did not want her life messed up by some weird Adolescence Syndrome. Whether it was Mai vanishing from existence, Futaba Rio's split-personality issues, or Yui's body swapping, none of it appealed to her in the slightest.
"Ah, geez"
Yui broke out in a cold sweat. She understood Yukinoshita was basically viewing her as a negative example!
Aside from that morning's minor mishap involving Kei Shirogane, the rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Once classes ended in the afternoon, Rei Ao had yet to leave his seat when Michiru Hyodo came over with a hesitant look. Megumi Katou also walked up curiously.
"What's going on, you two?" Megumi asked.
"Umit's just, I wanted to invite Rei Ao-kun to watch my band's official performance this weekend," Michiru Hyoudou said, shyly brushing her hair aside. "But if Rei Ao-kun's busy, never mindI shouldn't have mentioned it."
"A formal band performance? I'd love to go. After all, you're inviting me personally," Rei Ao said with a smile, emphasizing that detail.
This emphasis made Michiru's cheeks redden slightly with embarrassment.
"A band performance, huh? I rarely see those. Could I come too?" Megumi suddenly interjected, now understanding the situation.
"Of course you can. In fact, if Katou-san also comes, I'd be very grateful," Michiru said. The more people in the audience, the betterno reason to refuse.
"All right. I'll go together with Rei Ao-kun," Megumi said, giving Rei Ao a "playful" little wink with her lovely eyes. On her otherwise blank expression, though, that wink was so subtle that most people might not catch it. But Rei Ao noticed right away. Megumi was special like that. Even when they wereintimate, she remained reserved by nature, but in those moments, she was exceedingly adorable. She likely just wanted to spend some time with him; they hadn't hung out much recently. Rei Ao intended to make it up to her.
"Okay, let's settle it then," Michiru concluded.
After they made arrangements, each person went their separate way. Rei Ao had just stepped out toward the hallway, where Mai was waiting, when suddenly:
[Ding! Shinoa Hiragi has initiated a trade request!]
[Trade Content]: Eliminate the vampires invading the school.
[Ding! Please select your trade terms!]
"Huh?"
Rei Ao looked surprised, and Mai took note of it.
"What is it?" she asked, perplexed.
"Just got a trade request," he replied. Then he went ahead and chose the trade conditions. If it wasn't urgent, Shinoa probably wouldn't be asking for a trade. After all, her "Shikama Dji" carried the First Progenitor's might. Even if she couldn't fully tap into it, it should have been enough to handle ordinary vampires.
Sure enough, events had unfolded exactly as Rei Ao deduced. During daylight, a large group of vampires had suddenly barged into the school. Shinoa, with no hesitation, grabbed her scythe and started slaughtering. She'd already killed dozens of vampires. But the school was being overrun, with panic erupting everywhere. Worse, the vampires treated the students like playthings in some twisted game.
Logically, having killed so many of them, the rest should have fled. Yet an overwhelmingly strong vampire appearedone who completely overpowered Shinoa.
"Huffhah"
Blood-splattered and exhausted, Shinoa was breathing hard, her face pale. The area around her was a wreck, one whole school building already collapsed. The cause? Her desperate battle against the man standing across from her.
He wasn't human: pale skin, sharp ears, red eyes, hair red in front and black in back, tied into a long braid. A vampire, and a powerful one at that.
Shinoa had been locked in combat with him for half a day. She was covered in wounds, while he had nothing but a few tears in his clothesotherwise unscathed. He called himself Crowley Eusford, the Thirteenth Progenitor, and from the start, he had just been toying with her. Shinoa knew that.
"This is all you've got?" Crowley smiled. "I'm a bit bored now. As punishment for getting in our way, I'll turn you into a new vampire, my servant."
Indeed, the reason Crowley had played with her like a cat and mouse was that such a weak human had dared provoke him. He was furious, though he wore an outwardly sunny grin that sent shivers down Shinoa's spine.
Clutching her scythe, her hands trembling, she had almost no strength left to fight. If this went on, she wouldn't be able to resist at all. Watching Crowley approach, step by step, she chose her final resort:
She initiated a trade request to Rei Ao.
