Chapter 1210: Kojou Akatsuki, Are You the Fourth True Ancestor?
The Hollow Eve Festival was essentially Itogami Island's version of Halloween, taking place on the last weekend of October just like its Western counterpart.
Its significance to Itogami Island lay in the island's strict control over entry and exit to prevent technological leaks. Ordinarily, procedures for entering or leaving the island were extremely cumbersome and required lengthy processing periods.
The Hollow Eve Festival was the sole exception—the only day when Itogami Island opened its doors to the outside world.
To attract more investment, some level of exhibition was necessary. This was the only time when entry controls were significantly relaxed to showcase Itogami Island's emerging technologies to the world.
According to data from the same period last year, the festival alone attracted a staggering 120,000 visitors.
Such was the purpose of the Hollow Eve Festival.
"So then, why did you all come rushing over here?"
Itogami Island Central Airport.
On this Friday, as the crowds were already growing dense, Kojou Akatsuki looked at the few troublemakers beside him with a headache.
"Don't mind us."
Kijima Yaze waved his hand with a laugh.
"We just wanted to see what kind of abnormal childhood friend would be with you... ahem, sorry, I spoke out of turn."
Eiji cleared his throat, cutting himself off mid-sentence.
"If you were really sorry, you wouldn't say you spoke out of turn—you'd admit you said the wrong thing!"
Kojou roared in frustration.
The surrounding pedestrians were shoulder-to-shoulder, noise rising from all directions. Even his desperate shouting drew little attention.
"I just came to see Agnella-chan."
Aso looked toward Kojou's side, her face breaking into a delighted smile.
There stood a girl who appeared no older than eleven or twelve, with golden hair that made her look foreign and a youthful face full of tension.
She tightly clutched the hem of Kojou's clothes, her blue eyes shrinking timidly as she surveyed her surroundings, like a newly hatched quail.
"Agnella-chan, you're so adorable!"
Aso rushed over and swept the girl into a hug, happily nuzzling her repeatedly.
"B-Bold! Your chest is smothering me, Aso!"
Agnella was startled by her affectionate assault, her slightly flushed face stiffening.
"Really?"
Instead of feeling embarrassed, Aso looked down at her own chest with delight.
It did feel noticeably larger than two months ago. Her newly purchased bra was already feeling tight—the year of drinking papaya milk hadn't been in vain!
"So this is the beauty Kojou's been hiding away? Come, let me have a look!"
Eiji smiled playfully as he reached a hand toward Agnella.
In Agnella's eyes, that large hand suddenly seemed to blot out the entire world, making her hold her breath involuntarily as an intense sense of suffocation washed over her.
"N-No!"
She shrieked and quickly hid behind Kojou.
Her trembling form looked utterly terrified.
"Hey!"
Kojou shot a disapproving look their way.
"Haha! Finally, someone who can see through Ali's scoundrel nature at first sight!"
Kijima Yaze clutched his stomach, laughing hysterically.
"What's so funny about me getting rejected?"
Eiji calmly withdrew his hand, his tone gradually turning dangerous.
"Should I tell Tsukishima that you're perfectly healthy right now?"
"Uh..."
Yaze Motoki was instantly rendered speechless.
Tsukishima Ren, the class president of Class 1-B, was the very person Yaze had just finished requesting sick leave from.
"Hey, Kojou, isn't that your childhood friend over there?"
Asagi suddenly pointed toward the airport exit.
There, a figure had just emerged from the exit and was waving excitedly in their direction, absolutely thrilled.
"Finally here, Yuma!"
Kojou Akatsuki also happily waved back at the person.
"She's actually a beautiful girl?!"
Yaze Motoki remarked with clear discomfort.
"Someone like Kojou actually has such a pretty childhood friend?"
Looking closely, she was unmistakably a beautiful girl in the prime of her youth.
Her lovely brown hair was styled into a short bob, with facial features as cute as Asagi's, and bright purple eyes that carried the energetic vibe of a sporty beauty.
"Let me introduce everyone—this is Yuma Saishūji, a friend I knew back when I still lived on the main island!"
Standing between them, Kojou Akatsuki introduced both sides to each other.
It was said that because Yuma's style was so boyish, Kojou had once mistaken her for a boy, leading to a cliché scenario straight out of a light novel.
"This is Motoki, Asagi, Hito, and Aghora!"
With Kojou acting as the intermediary, the girl named Yuma Saishūji politely greeted each of them in turn.
When introducing Eiji, the address "Hito" caused the girl to show a faint hint of confusion.
But when the introduction reached the last person, Yuma Saishūji's expression clearly changed.
"Aghora? You said this child is named Aghora?"
Yuma Saishūji stared intently at Aghora, her face full of disbelief.
"Yeah, what about it?"
Kojou looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Kojou, tell me the truth—could it be—"
Yuma shifted her gaze back to him, her expression serious and complex.
"Are you the Fourth True Ancestor?"
The scene fell into silence for a moment.
Motoki, Asagi, and the others were all stunned.
"Wha—what? Kojou, so you're the Fourth True Ancestor?!"
Eiji jumped up as if startled.
"Of course not! Why would I be connected to the Fourth True Ancestor?!"
Kojou let out another roar, his expression clearly displeased.
"Really, you're not?"
Yuma pressed him persistently.
"Absolutely not. I don't even know any Fourth True Ancestor, and I don't have any vampire friends, okay?"
Kojou muttered irritably.
"As for Kojou, I can definitely say he's not the Fourth True Ancestor."
At that moment, Motoki stepped in among the group.
"The school organizes monthly physical exams with blood tests. Kojou participates every time, and the results always show he's human."
After all, vampires were notoriously capable of increasing their companions.
By leaving a trace of their blood in someone's body while feeding, they could turn that person into their blood companion. This method of infection was so cheat-like that residents of Itogami Island underwent regular blood tests, with students tested monthly.
Kojou Akatsuki's blood test results, of course, showed he was human.
"I see..."
Yuma Saishūji slowly let out a sigh of relief.
"What's wrong with you? You look like you've been let off the hook, yet also seem a bit disappointed?"
"No, it's nothing. I just think this outcome isn't all that interesting!"
Kojou Akatsuki showed a pair of dead-fish eyes.
Yuuma Shidou's cheerful, grinning expression made him wonder if his childhood friend had developed a bit of a troublemaker streak after not seeing her for several years.
"This is my first time visiting Itogami Island, so please show me around!"
Yuuma Shidou pressed her palms together and grinned as she made her request to the group.