Itogami Island — Akatsuki Family Apartment.
The first strand of sunlight slipped through the sheer curtains, bathing the room in a soft golden glow.
In the distance, the sound of waves crashing against the walls of the floating island could be heard, while the harbor slowly stirred from its slumber.
The cafés of Itogami were already opening their doors, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the salty scent of the sea — a familiar fragrance to the island's residents at dawn.
Inside a small apartment on the tenth floor, Kojou Akatsuki sat at the breakfast table, watching the steam rise from his cup of coffee before fading into the air.
The house was unusually quiet — no emergency calls, no magical explosions, no neighbors screaming about strange phenomena.
Just an ordinary morning… or so it seemed.
He cracked the window open slightly, letting in the cool ocean breeze that brushed against his face and tousled his silver hair.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath and muttered softly:
"Another day begins…"
But the peace didn't last long.
Soft footsteps approached from the hallway, followed by a cheerful, overly energetic voice:
"Kojou! You're already awake? I have something super important to tell you!"
He turned toward the doorway with a small sigh — there stood Nagisa, her long black hair swaying as her bright eyes sparkled with excitement. She was holding a pink flyer, waving it eagerly like a child.
"A school trip?" — Kojou raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the paper she held.
"Mhm! The school just announced it this morning!" — she said with a radiant smile, placing the flyer on the table. "It'll be fun to go shopping before it, don't you think?"
Kojou exhaled deeply, resting his elbow on the table.
"So it's that time again… the end of the year."
His tone carried a mix of weariness and quiet astonishment.
A whole year had already passed — a year that felt like a blink, yet heavier than a century.
Since the day he inherited the power of the Fourth Primogenitor, everything had changed.
He no longer lived as an ordinary student at Saikai Academy, but as a being caught between life and death, humanity and immortality.
And though only a single year had passed in this world, the battles and chaos he'd endured made it feel like an eternity.
"That's why I want you to come with us today!" — Nagisa clapped her hands together, trying to persuade him. "You haven't gone out since the festival, have you?"
He chuckled lightly, ruffling his hair carelessly.
"True. I've got nothing better to do anyway."
His tone was mildly bored, yet he didn't refuse. At the very least, going shopping with Nagisa and the others might be a nice change of pace.
Then, suddenly — the phone rang on the breakfast table, shattering the calm.
"Beatrice?" — he muttered, frowning at the name on the screen. "What could she want this early…"
He sighed, picked up the phone, and answered.
"Good morning, Beatrice."
{ Good morning, Kojou-sama. }
Her voice was composed, but there was a faint trace of tension beneath it.
"Why the early call?"
{ We received a report at dawn. The Magus Craft Laboratory was attacked by a man named Amatsuka Kou. }
{ His objective was to steal the Wiseman's Blood. He was detected early, but managed to escape before we could apprehend him. }
{ Worse yet… we believe he's planning to target Kanase Kanon — possibly to use her as a sacrifice. }
Kojou's expression darkened.
"Amatsuka Kou…" — he muttered coolly. "How considerate. At least he's saving me the trouble of hunting him down by coming here to die himself."
{ As expected of you, Kojou-sama. Shall we begin tracking his movements? }
"Not yet." — he replied, standing up and ending the call with his other hand. "Tell the others to stay on standby. I'll handle this myself."
{ Understood. I'll await your orders… Kojou-sama. }
The line went dead, and silence returned to the kitchen.
Kojou glanced at Nagisa, who was watching him with worried eyes.
He smiled faintly and said in a reassuring tone:
"Don't worry. Just a small matter — I'll take care of it later. We still have that shopping trip with you, Kanon, and the others, remember?"
Nagisa nodded softly, though the unease didn't leave her face. She knew her brother too well — whenever he said "just a small matter," it meant a storm was about to hit the island.
"Fine, but don't you dare ditch me this time, got it?" — she said, hands on her hips, pretending to scold him.
Kojou chuckled, picking up his coffee cup with a playful grin.
"Yeah, yeah… I'll be there, I promise."
His smile was calm, yet it couldn't conceal the heaviness in his thoughts.
Amatsuka Kou. The name alone was enough to irritate him.
That man had been the one who attacked Adelard's Monastery, slaughtering everyone — staff and children alike. Only Kanon had survived.
Amatsuka Kou was a homunculus, created by Wiseman, implanted with false memories of being human — and a desperate obsession to become human again. He had been used… yet he had chosen to kill thousands for his own goals.
To Kojou, that made him unforgivable — especially when he dared to target his woman.
"Thanks for the meal." — Kojou muttered with irritation as he finished his breakfast and went to his room to change. He had promised to accompany Nagisa and the others for shopping, after all.
_
"I'm tired…" — Kojou groaned, resting his head on the café table lazily, looking more like a piece of furniture than a person.
His eyes were half-closed, his face tilted toward his empty juice glass, as he let out a long sigh that sounded more like surrender than fatigue.
Across from him, Nagisa sipped her coffee quietly before letting out a small laugh.
"You really are pathetic, Kojou-kun." — she teased with a soft grin, leaning toward him. "We've only been to a few stores, and we haven't even reached the lingerie section yet."
He lifted his head slowly, as if dragging a mountain with him, and croaked out:
"Have mercy… I can't take any more."
The café was crowded, filled with chatter and the smell of roasted coffee and pastries.
Shopping bags piled beside him, the girls chatting around him — it was enough to make even an immortal vampire feel mentally crushed.
He could've easily stored everything in his Storage Ring, but his exhaustion wasn't physical — it was psychological.
Hours of wandering through boutiques, endless discussions about colors, fabrics, and sizes…
He picked up a spoonful of the expensive ice cream Nagisa had ordered "to cheer him up", eating it in silent gloom.
Then, a shy voice came from his right.
"We're really sorry for making you come with us, Onii-san…" — Kanon said, holding her juice glass with both hands, looking down apologetically.
She had been so excited at first, not realizing how draining it would be for him.
Kojou smiled faintly, waving it off.
"It's fine, don't worry. I'm not mad — just a little tired."
His voice didn't sound entirely convincing.
On the other side, Touka leaned over the table, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
"Senpai, aren't you supposed to be the strongest vampire in the world?" — she asked with a mischievous grin. "How can you get tired from a few hours of shopping?"
Then she leaned closer and brushed something from the corner of his mouth — a trace of ice cream — and popped it into her mouth with a playful smirk.
Kojou froze for a moment, staring at her blankly while Nagisa tried to suppress a laugh.
"Touka… are you enjoying teasing me in public?" — he said flatly, resting the spoon back in the cup.
She smirked.
"Maybe a little."
He sighed again, propping his head on his hand and muttering:
"Looks like even my true power can't save me from girls with unlimited shopping cards…"
Everyone laughed softly — even he couldn't help but smile in the end.
Despite the exhaustion, the atmosphere was warm… comforting in a strange way.
Moments like these — laughter, teasing, ice cream on a sunny day — reminded him that he was still human, no matter how far his power strayed from humanity's reach.
...
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