"Hm?"
When the vaguely familiar yet slightly unfamiliar voice came from behind him, Kaiser paused for a moment. Then, as if recalling something, he turned around.
The next second, he saw someone silently coming down from the second-floor stairs of the antique shop.
It was a strikingly beautiful girl.
Her face still carried a trace of youthful softness, her slender frame lean but not frail—instead giving off the air of someone well-versed in combat, a mix of gentleness and steel, combining a young woman's softness with a warrior's poise. She was very easy on the eyes. Her delicate features held a subtle tension, instantly marking her as someone serious by nature. The fierce light in her eyes spoke of a firm will. Though her limbs were slim, her steps were strong and light. Any trained eye would see she possessed an exceptional level of martial skill.
Seeing her, Kaiser spoke her name almost without thinking.
"Himeragi!"
That was her family name.
Her full name was Yukina Himeragi.
Yes—the very same Yukina that Sayaka Kirasaka was always talking about.
"So it is you, Senpai!" Yukina's expression brightened with surprise and joy as she quickened her pace down the stairs.
"What are you doing here?" Kaiser asked instinctively as she came toward him.
But he had already guessed the reason she was here. He'd had a feeling before that this junior of his would eventually come to Itogami Island and appear before him.
And sure enough…
"Kirasaka must have already told you, right?" Yukari Endō said to Kaiser. "Your current mission is still to keep an eye on the girl who became the vessel for the Fourth Primogenitor."
"As for the two princesses staying on Itogami Island, we've arranged for a new monitor and caretaker to look after them."
When Sayaka had mentioned this before, Kaiser had already suspected the one being sent would be this beautiful junior Sayaka was so fond of.
And, sure enough, his hunch was right.
"I only reported in here today," Yukina said politely to her senior she hadn't seen in a while, greeting him with the same seriousness as always. "I was planning to find some time to meet with you for the handover, but I didn't expect to run into you here with Master."
It had been some time since they'd last met, and Yukina was still as serious as ever.
But Kaiser knew—this was already her "relaxed" state.
Back in the High God Forest, Yukina had been even more serious, more rigid, constantly on edge.
Her personality was pure and straightforward, filled with a strong sense of justice and responsibility. Though she could sometimes be impulsive, she also tended to fixate on trivial matters, which kept her constantly tense at the Sanctuary. She feared underperforming and disappointing those who had expectations of her.
Because of that, she had a reputation for being aloof and difficult to approach—at least to most people. Only Sayaka Kirasaka knew her roommate's truly endearing side. The only other person who'd caught a glimpse of it was Kaiser, who had read her tension during their sparring sessions and seen hints of her real nature.
That was why, in front of Kaiser, she didn't keep herself as tightly wound as she did with others. So when she saw him now, her surprise quickly turned to delight.
"So it really is you who came."
The moment the original story's heroine appeared before him in the flesh, Kaiser couldn't help but think wryly to himself.
"Kirasaka, that perverse woman, swore up and down it could never be you."
By rights, students graduated from the Sanctuary at fifteen—equivalent to finishing junior high. Yukina was only fourteen, the same age as Nagisa Akatsuki and Kanon Kanase, and still had about three months to go before turning fifteen. She hadn't reached the graduation age yet and was still supposed to be in training.
Sayaka, a year older than Yukina, had graduated a year earlier and was now working as a full-fledged Sword Shaman. Kaiser, in this world, was the same age as Sayaka, but without a known birthday, he was counted as sixteen from the start of the year. By rights, he should have graduated even earlier than Sayaka, but because of his unique status, the Lion King Agency hadn't allowed him to graduate until this year, when they sent him to Itogami Island.
So Yukina leaving early to come here could only mean special circumstances.
Yukari Endō explained as much.
"She still had a few months before graduation, but Yukina's grades are the highest in the Sanctuary—she's long since capable of handling things on her own," Yukari said matter-of-factly. "Considering the target we need monitored and guarded this time, the higher-ups unanimously decided the candidate should be selected from the Sanctuary."
Kaiser understood what she meant—her "target" wasn't La Folia, but Kanon Kanase.
La Folia would eventually leave with the royal family, but Kanon had decided to stay on Itogami. As an Aldegian royal herself, she was too important for the Agency to ignore. Since she was going to be in her third year at Saikai Academy's junior high, the most effective way to monitor her was to place someone close—in this case, a same-age classmate.
With Yukina's top marks, who else could they pick?
"She's already received her official Attack Mage license as a Sword Shaman," Yukari added, glancing at Kaiser. "You'll be working with her for quite a while. I called you here to have you take her under your wing."
Sword Shamans, unlike the assassination-oriented War Dancers, were pure combatants—sword-wielding shrine maidens who could overpower even demons. Trained in multiple weapons, martial arts, and close combat, they also possessed the ability known as "Spirit Vision," allowing them to see moments into the future. Their signature combat sorcery, the Eight Thunder God Styles, let them channel amplified mana into devastating physical strikes.
Yukina had been trained as a Sword Shaman from the start, and now, with her early graduation, she was officially one.
"I don't have a problem with that," Kaiser said, raising a brow. "But will Himeragi be okay?"
Sword Shamans excelled at offense, not protection—that was work for War Dancers like Sayaka. So his question was reasonable.
But in Yukina's ears, it sounded like doubt.
"Senpai, are you questioning my ability?" Her eyes flared with stubborn defiance. Serious, pure, and responsible though she was, Yukina was fiercely competitive.
"I don't recall losing to you in our sparring matches at the Sanctuary," she said, puffing her cheeks.
"That's because your Spirit Vision is cheating. You can always see a few seconds into the future, so no matter what I do, you read it in advance," Kaiser replied with a small grin. "Besides, I didn't win—but I didn't lose either."
Their spars had always ended in draws. At least, back then. Now, things would be different.
Yukari cut in with a pointed remark.
"I've told you before—you rely too much on Spirit Vision. Being able to glimpse the future is an advantage, but it also puts you on the defensive. If your opponent's power surpasses yours, you won't win by relying on it alone."
She gave a brief lecture, which Yukina accepted with bowed head. "Yes, Master."
But old habits die hard, Kaiser thought. That overreliance was why he could match her in pure martial arts even without magic or sorcery. The future wasn't fixed—knowing someone could see it was enough to find ways around it. And even if you saw it, that didn't mean you could react in time.
If he really went all out now, she'd see nothing more than herself getting blown away a fraction of a second later—too fast to even resist.
Satisfied, Yukari turned back to Kaiser. "Sword Shamans aren't ideal for guard duty, but Kanon already has the Aldegian Holy Ring Knights. What she lacks is someone who can fight at her side. Our goal isn't just to guard her—it's to keep her from causing or getting caught in trouble."
Which meant Yukina's mission was the same as Kaiser's: monitor a potentially dangerous person, and eliminate them if necessary.
"I've heard Kanon's likely to want to stay with you," Yukari continued. "The Aldegian royals will probably ask you to take her in. We're not thrilled about that—it gives Aldegyr easy access to the Beast King and the Fourth Primogenitor—but knowing that silver princess, she'll push for it. The rest will be up to the high-level negotiations."
She made her decision. "Given that, let Yukina go back with you."
Since Kanon was staying in Kaiser's home, her monitor would have to live there too.
"I'll be in your care, Senpai," Yukina said with a polite bow.
"Alright." Kaiser shrugged. He could use someone to watch Kanon's back.
And Yukina was, without doubt, a good choice.