Chiba City, Central District, Leo's manor.
In one of the rooms of the manor house, Yukinoshita Yukino lay on a luxurious large bed, covered by a meticulously crafted quilt, sleeping peacefully... Well, actually, Yukinoshita Yukino was not sleeping peacefully at all.
Her face was somewhat pale, and her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were trapped in a painful nightmare, even her body was curled into a ball.
In her dream, Yukinoshita Yukino once again returned to that time, seeing the Fallen Angel with an arrogant and ruthless expression.
"You must die today."
After a familiar declaration, the malevolent Fallen Angel threw the Spear of Light in his hand.
Yukinoshita Yukino could only watch helplessly as the Spear of Light shot through the air, piercing her body... "Ah!"
A scream echoed in the room, and Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly opened her eyes, springing up from the bed, breathing rapidly.
"I... I'm not dead...?"
Her pupils trembled, and Yukinoshita Yukino instinctively reached out, touching her abdomen, but found no wounds or bloodstains.
"...Was it a dream?"
After much effort, she finally calmed down, and Yukinoshita Yukino began to murmur to herself, yet the fear in her heart never faded.
"No... Where is this?"
At this moment, Yukinoshita Yukino belatedly realized something was wrong and looked around.
What met her eyes was not the familiar scene of her apartment bedroom, but an unfamiliar room she had never seen before.
"Did someone save me?"
Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but have this thought and lifted the quilt covering her.
As a result, the body that appeared beneath the quilt was completely naked, startling her. She immediately grabbed the quilt and covered herself again.
Being stripped naked in an unfamiliar room... This scene was indeed somewhat frightening for a girl, making Yukinoshita Yukino unable to help but have some strange thoughts.
"I haven't had anything strange done to me, have I?"
With this worry, Yukinoshita Yukino bit her lip, struggling for a while, but ultimately unwilling to lie there and fret, she chose to get out of bed.
Of course, she didn't let go of the quilt on her body, wrapping the thin sheet around herself, before getting up and standing on her bare, pale feet.
To figure out where she was and if she was safe, Yukinoshita Yukino didn't leave the room directly. Instead, she first went to the window and pulled open the curtains.
But just as Yukinoshita Yukino was about to look out the window, soft sunlight streamed in, falling on her body.
"Ugh..."
Bathed in the soft sunlight, Yukinoshita Yukino not only didn't feel comfortable but instead felt particularly unwell, as if her skin was being scorched.
"This... why does it feel so bad?"
Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but take a few steps back, moving out of the sunlight's range.
She found that she not only wanted to avoid the sunlight but also felt a repulsion towards daylight, feeling weak all over.
"What exactly is going on?"
Had she turned into a vampire?
Yukinoshita Yukino's expression was uncertain.
"Knock knock knock..."
At this moment, there was a knock on the room door.
"Who?!"
Yukinoshita Yukino's heart tightened, her hand gripping the quilt tightened, and she couldn't help but raise her voice.
However, the person outside the door didn't respond at all, directly opening the door and walking in.
It was a pretty woman dressed in a maid's uniform, likely around twenty years old.
The woman was holding a pile of clothes, which were Yukinoshita Yukino's original uniform.
The uniform seemed to have been washed clean, emitting a fresh scent, and was presented to Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Who are you? Where is this?"
Seeing that the person who entered was a woman, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, then began a barrage of questions.
"..."
The woman did not answer Yukinoshita Yukino's questions, silently handing her the clothes.
This made Yukinoshita Yukino frown, and she asked a few more questions, but still received no response.
Helpless, Yukinoshita Yukino could only first take her uniform and quickly put it on. Only then did the maid walk out, seemingly wanting to take her somewhere.
Yukinoshita Yukino hesitated for a while, then followed the maid's footsteps.
Led by the maid, Yukinoshita Yukino walked out of the room, down a long corridor, and finally arrived on the first floor of the mansion, heading out the main door.
"Ugh..."
Outside, Yukinoshita Yukino once again felt uncomfortable with the soft sunlight, but she was relieved that she didn't turn to ash from the sunlight, so she shouldn't have become a vampire.
But her body had become strange; that much was certain.
Eager to know what had happened to her, Yukinoshita Yukino, led by the maid, arrived at a corner of the garden outside the mansion.
There was a pavilion here.
Inside the pavilion, a person who made Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes widen was sitting there like a young noble, sipping the tea poured by the beautiful maid bending beside him, and smilingly looking at her as she approached him.
"Good morning, Yukinoshita-senpai."
Leo greeted Yukinoshita Yukino with a brilliant smile.
"It's you?!"
Yukinoshita Yukino's expression changed dramatically as she spoke.
"Indeed, it's me." Leo nodded meaningfully and smiled, "Besides me, who else do you think would show up after you got embroiled in such a bizarre incident?"
What he said... was truly irrefutable.
At least, Yukinoshita Yukino's state of mind was completely different from yesterday, so much so that upon careful thought, she couldn't deny Leo's statement.
"So... you saved me?"
Yukinoshita Yukino confirmed that what happened yesterday was not a dream.
"You don't need to thank me." Leo looked at Yukinoshita Yukino, whose expression was changing and looked complicated, and continued with a smile, "Anyway, I've already received my due reward."
Saying that, Leo pointed to the seat in front of him.
"I know you have many questions now, but you should sit down first, have a cup of tea to calm your mind, and then we can talk."
The maid standing beside Leo immediately stepped forward at the perfect moment and poured a cup of tea in the seat opposite Leo.
Yukinoshita Yukino paused for a moment, then walked into the pavilion and sat down in front of Leo.
"Try it, this tea is brewed with very precious black tea leaves, you know?" Leo stirred the black tea in the teacup in front of him with a spoon, and said leisurely, "Although I don't understand black tea at all, I trust Sona's taste. She wouldn't keep inferior black tea in my house."
Who is Sona?
Yukinoshita Yukino swallowed the question that almost escaped her lips, silently picked up the black tea in front of her, and took a small sip.
With just one sip, Yukinoshita Yukino was captivated by the taste of the black tea.
She didn't know if the black tea was truly precious, but she could confidently say that all the black tea she had ever drunk before was not as delicious as this cup in her hand.
Whether it was the fragrant aroma or the sweet yet delicious taste, it could be said to be the finest of black teas. Even someone as picky as her couldn't find a single flaw.
"Where is this black tea produced?"
By the time she reacted, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but ask.
"Who knows?" Leo, however, looked uninterested and said, "I already told you I have no research on black tea at all. Maybe it was brought from the Underworld?"
What kind of dark humor is this?
No, given the current situation, perhaps this really isn't a joke?
Yukinoshita Yukino held the teacup, her expression complex.
Silence fell upon the pavilion.
After a long while, Yukinoshita Yukino finally spoke.
"Yesterday... did you really save me?"
Yukinoshita Yukino asked this question with a complex expression.
"What? Find it hard to believe?" Leo glanced at Yukinoshita Yukino, saying with a half-smile, "Or do you still can't accept that fact and think you're dreaming?"
"...I don't want to escape reality." Yukinoshita Yukino lowered her eyes, completely lacking her usual assertiveness, and said somewhat weakly, "Even if I don't want to admit it, reality won't bend to my will, so I can only accept it."
"As expected of Sobu High School's Winter Flower, your awareness is higher than ordinary people." Leo clapped his hands, praising and smiling, "Given your backbone, ask any questions you have, and I will answer them one by one."
"Then I won't be polite." Yukinoshita Yukino didn't miss this opportunity and asked very directly, "Who was that person yesterday? Why did he want to kill me?"
This was what Yukinoshita Yukino most wanted to know.
"He is a Fallen Angel, a being born when angels who once served God fell by following their own desires. He is also a member of one of the three factions that have historically opposed angels and devils. Even ordinary people should have heard legends and anecdotes about this race, right?"
Leo didn't beat around the bush and explained clearly.
"As for why he wanted to kill you, the reason is actually very simple: it's because you harbor a power called a Sacred Gear within you, making you a dangerous element in their eyes."
Sacred Gear?
What is that?
"It's a unique power created by God, you know."
Leo answered as if he could hear Yukinoshita Yukino's thoughts, before she even asked.
"Many famous figures in history were Sacred Gear wielders. They used the power of Sacred Gear to make their mark in history, and even now, many people become famous by relying on the Sacred Gear residing within them. You are one of them."
Then why was she considered a dangerous element?
"Because the Sacred Gear within you is extraordinary and could potentially cause unprecedented harm." Leo continued to see through Yukinoshita Yukino's confusion, saying, "Do you remember anything strange happening around you on the first day of school?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was first stunned, then recalled the events of that day...