Hearing those words, Kojou Akatsuki immediately rolled his eyes.
"Like I care! Whether she greets me or not, it's none of my business."
Despite his defiant tone, Kojou couldn't help but feel a faint pang of disappointment inside.
Even though he had only just graduated from elementary school, his thoughts about boys and girls were already quite mature. To say that he had no interest in getting to know a cute girl like Eriri Spencer Sawamura would've been a lie.
"You're just being stubborn!" said Nagisa Akatsuki, making a funny face at him before running over to Gajou Akatsuki's side. Her small, delicate hands clung to his arm as she shook it playfully.
"Gajou-kun, Gajou-kun, I have a great idea! Want to hear it?"
Gajou, who had been deep in thought about Eriri and the matter of the Fourth Primogenitor, immediately turned his attention toward his daughter.
"Oh? A great idea, you say? Let's hear it."
"I want to transfer to Itogami Island for school! What do you think?"
Nagisa's bright eyes shimmered with anticipation as she gazed up at her father.
"That... hmm..."
Gajou stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment.
His contemplation didn't last long, though. After just a few seconds, he nodded slightly.
"I don't see why not. Shinka's already there, and since Kojou's about to enter middle school, it makes sense for you two to study on Itogami Island together."
If it had been the Itogami Island of the past, there might have been some danger involved. But ever since Natsuki Minamiya—the Witch of the Void—appeared, the island's security had become exceptional, arguably the safest place in the world.
Even with the recent appearance of the Fourth Primogenitor drawing global attention, Gajou was confident that as long as Natsuki was there, no chaos would break out.
Not to mention, with Eriri—an even stronger individual—also present, he couldn't imagine any force posing a real threat to Itogami Island.
That was why he felt entirely at ease sending his children there.
"Yay!" Nagisa cheered, jumping up in delight when she heard her father's approval.
She was already thinking about how she would find Eriri once she arrived on Itogami Island—and how to befriend her.
...
The next day arrived quickly. As expected, news of the Fourth Primogenitor's awakening spread across the world at an incredible speed.
Whether it was the three Night Empires, Japan's Lion King Organization and the Taishi Bureau, or the various kingdoms—including Aldegyr Kingdom—and terrorist factions, all of them learned of the shocking event.
The Management Bureau of Itogami Island immediately gave the matter top priority upon learning that the Fourth Primogenitor had appeared on the island.
If not for the fact that Natsuki Minamiya was accompanying the Fourth Primogenitor, they would have likely mobilized their entire force to monitor her every move, to prevent any possible threat to the island.
The Lion King Organization, deeply wary of the Fourth Primogenitor's strength, promptly dispatched their most skilled Sword Shaman to make contact and assess the appropriate attitude to take toward her.
As for the remnants of the Deva faction—those who sought to use the Fourth Primogenitor's power to open the Gate of Another Realm and conquer the world with their summoned beasts—they quietly began to move in the shadows.
Yet compared to the shock of the Fourth Primogenitor's revival, the sudden appearance of Eriri, this mysterious powerhouse, caused even greater astonishment.
According to the members of the ruins investigation team who had returned from the site, Eriri's strength surpassed even that of Natsuki Minamiya—and she likely possessed powerful spatial abilities as well.
However, most people found the report too outrageous to believe.
After all, the existence of someone like Natsuki Minamiya was already a miracle in itself. The idea of someone even stronger seemed impossible.
Nevertheless, the entire world began to stir restlessly beneath the surface, the balance of power trembling in anticipation of coming change.
...
In a quiet house in the northern district of Itogami Island, Kensei Kanase—the former Court Magus Technician of the Aldegyr Kingdom—was among the first to receive news of the Fourth Primogenitor's awakening.
As he finished reading the encrypted report, his expression darkened, his heart growing heavy.
In Kensei Kanase's view, there were only supposed to be three Primogenitors in existence. The emergence of a Fourth could only mean one thing: that a future threat so powerful it required the Fourth Primogenitor's strength to counter would one day appear.
Though Natsuki Minamiya was immensely powerful, that didn't guarantee that there would never be an even greater enemy in the future. Eriri, as mentioned in the intelligence reports, was a perfect example of that.
If someone stronger than Natsuki could appear, then it was entirely possible that beings on par with, or even stronger than, Eriri might emerge as well.
Thus, Kensei Kanase felt compelled to act—to protect this world, and to ensure that his beloved niece could live happily.
Drawing his thoughts back, Kensei turned his head toward the petite figure seated at the nearby desk, engrossed in a book. In that moment, he made a major decision within his heart.
...
In the southern district of Itogami Island, within the luxurious penthouse where Natsuki Minamiya resided, she sat alone on a single sofa, her eyes fixed on the news displayed on her phone.
Nearby, Avrora lounged idly, flipping through television channels in boredom.
Since Eriri, Arifureta, and Shinobu had returned to the Saekano world three days ago, only Natsuki and Avrora remained in this spacious penthouse.
Of course, when Eriri and the others left three days ago, they had taken both Natsuki and Avrora along as well.
The purpose of that brief trip was simply to introduce Avrora to everyone living in Eriri's mansion.
After enjoying a lavish dinner together, Avrora returned to the Strike the Blood world with Natsuki, as originally planned.
Currently, in the Saekano world, it was late November—about a month before the winter holidays. Having no plans to travel to other worlds for the time being, Eriri had resumed her regular school life.
For that reason, Avrora hadn't gone to the Saekano world to play recently. She stayed quietly in the Strike the Blood world, only visiting Eriri after school each day and returning here after dinner.
Three days passed quickly, and the population on Itogami Island had noticeably increased.
Through her surveillance of the island, Natsuki had already identified all the newcomers—and she was also fully aware of the human experiment soon to take place on the island.
After finishing the latest news, Natsuki turned her gaze toward Avrora, a sudden idea forming in her mind.
"Avrora, school's starting soon. Would you like to attend?"
"School? You mean that thing Eriri's been going to these past few days?"
Hearing Natsuki's words, Avrora immediately shifted her attention away from the television, her blue eyes turning curiously toward Natsuki.
"Do you mean studying together with Eriri at Toyogasaki Academy?"
There was a hint of eagerness in her tone. Compared to staying in the Strike the Blood world waiting for troublemakers, she'd much rather be with Eriri.
"Not quite. It would be at Saikai Academy. I'll be teaching there when the new term starts."
Upon hearing that she wouldn't be studying with Eriri, Avrora's enthusiasm instantly faded.
"I see... I'll think about it."
"That's fine. There's still about half a month before school starts. You can decide later."
"Mm, got it."
Avrora nodded casually, not taking the matter too seriously.
Natsuki didn't mind. She had only brought it up because Avrora seemed a little bored, nothing more.
Just then, Natsuki's expression shifted slightly. Her gaze turned toward the direction of the balcony.
At the same moment, a metallic arrow shot rapidly from afar, cutting through the air as it hurtled toward the penthouse.
In an instant, it crossed several kilometers, appearing right outside the glass window of the balcony.
Just as it was about to strike, Natsuki extended her delicate right hand and lightly clenched her fingers toward the empty air.
A spatial ripple appeared before the arrowhead, and in the next instant, the arrow vanished from outside—only to reappear neatly within Natsuki's grasp.
The next second, the Western-style arrow began to melt and shift, transforming into a sealed envelope.
Seeing the envelope in her hand, Natsuki's lips curved into a faint, amused smile.
On the front of the envelope, her name was neatly written. The sender's name read: Dimitrie Vatler.
For Natsuki Minamiya, that name was all too familiar. She had crossed paths with him several times before—and not once had she come away with a good impression.
From the memories she'd inherited, she knew that this Duke of Ordial from the Warlord's Dominion, a vampire whose combat prowess was said to be the closest to Primogenitor level, was an incorrigible battle maniac who delighted in stirring up conflict.
If given the chance, he would gladly start a war just for his own amusement.
And this time, his purpose in coming to Itogami Island was obvious—to obtain Avrora's blood, thereby strengthening himself even further.
Natsuki tore open the envelope, skimmed the contents of the invitation, and promptly incinerated it with a flick of her fingers.
Just as she had expected, Vatler's so-called invitation was merely a pretext to lure her and Avrora out. The letter explicitly stated that she should bring the Fourth Primogenitor along.
Of course, Eriri was also mentioned—her presence was "warmly requested."
Although Vatler held some doubt about the reports of Eriri's overwhelming strength, his curiosity had clearly gotten the better of him.
...
Time flew by quickly. By the time the clock struck past nine in the evening, there were barely ten minutes left before the banquet Vatler had mentioned was set to begin.
Roughly ten kilometers from Natsuki's residence, a massive luxury cruise ship gleamed brightly at the harbor, its opulent lights illuminating the water.
Through its broad windows, one could see the bustling activity inside—staff members moving to and fro, elegantly dressed young men and women chatting and laughing amid the lively atmosphere.
On the ship's wide deck stood a tall, blond young man draped in a pure white coat. His sharp gaze was fixed on the distant night sky, his expression calm and composed.
This man was none other than the ship's owner—and the host of tonight's gathering—Dimitrie Vatler.
Behind him stood two handsome youths who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. Despite their youthful appearances, both were over a century old—ancient vampires from the Warlord's Dominion.
They were noble-born and served as Vatler's personal attendants, fiercely loyal even though their strength was nowhere near his own.
Standing slightly apart from them was a striking woman with short hair and refined features.
It was Liana Caruana—the same woman who had accompanied Gajou Akatsuki to the ruins of the Fairy's Coffin three days prior.
As the heiress of the Kalyana family, a noble house of the Warlord's Empire, Liana had personally witnessed the Fourth Primogenitor's awakening. Now, under the orders of the First Primogenitor, she had come to Itogami Island alongside Vatler.
Tonight, unlike her usual professional attire, Liana wore an exquisite evening gown that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure.
At that moment, Vatler's expression shifted slightly. His gaze turned from the distant night sky to a point of empty air not far ahead.
In the next instant, space itself rippled—then, from that distortion, a dazzling, faintly green silhouette materialized upon the deck.
"My, my... it seems I'm the first to arrive."
Vatler's eyes gleamed with excitement. He immediately dropped to one knee, bowing deeply before the newly arrived figure. Yet, despite the gesture, a delighted smile spread across his lips—a smile born from encountering a formidable opponent.
Behind him, Liana and the two young attendants followed suit, kneeling with heads lowered, not daring to meet the newcomer's eyes.
"Welcome, Third Primogenitor."
The identity of the girl was clear from his words—she was none other than the ruler of the Chaos Territory, the so-called Princess of Chaos herself: the Third Primogenitor, Giada Kukulcan.
"I dislike such rigid titles. Just call me Giada, Dimitrie Vatler."
Her voice was smooth and alluring, carrying both warmth and authority. As she looked down at the kneeling Vatler, her beautiful face curved into a soft, knowing smile.
Her long, light-green hair shimmered like gemstones in the night breeze, while her emerald eyes radiated confidence and power.
—
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