Strike the Blood, Vol. 6 (light novel): Return of the Alchemist

by Gakuto Mikumo

  But Asagi seemed to be paying it no special heed.

  “Maybe that alchemist founded it? Or maybe it was the name of the abbess…?”

  “Well, I mean, ain’t it weird for an alchemist to found a convent to begin with?”

  “Not at all. Alchemists are strongly influenced by pagan magic, and a lot of spells get banned for being too dangerous. So many make heavy donations to kings and churches to avoid getting persecuted.”

  Didn’t you read that in middle school history class?! she added in silent shock, but Kojou did not reply. He had a vague memory of having heard something like that; apparently it was beginner-level knowledge that was part of a Demon Sanctuary’s core curriculum.

  “Guess money really does make the world go round…”

  “Pretty much. Actually, royals and church officials hard up for money recruit alchemists themselves. It happens quite a bit.”

  As Asagi said this, she reached toward a second plate with pasta piled on top. For such a slim girl, she was quite a glutton. Two servings of pasta were practically starvation rations by her standards. Sitting next to her, Kojou felt like he’d get full just from watching.

  “There was a big incident at the place way back, right? You don’t know what caused it?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I can’t remember that much. I mean, I was in elementary school then—they said it was dangerous, so I didn’t get too close to it.”

  “Yeah… It’s five years ago after all…” Kojou slumped his shoulders, visibly deflated.

  Five years ago, Kojou was in grade school and hadn’t even arrived on Itogami Island yet. Not many of his classmates would have even known about it at the time. Kojou had gotten his hopes up a bit for Asagi, who had lived her whole life in the Demon Sanctuary, but it looked like things wouldn’t be that easy.

  “Ah?”

  Asagi, fussing with her smartphone while eating one-handed, made a noise as she glared sullenly at the display. She was trying to look into the incident, but apparently it wasn’t going well.

  “What?”

  “My search isn’t showing any results… The data’s been erased?”

  “It’s an old incident, so maybe there’s just no data for it?”

  Asagi waved away the thought. “These are the Gigafloat Management Corporation’s archives. It records everything down to how many steamed meat buns were bought at convenience stores on the island on any given day.”

  Kojou scratched his face, finding those words downright eerie. “Well, that kinda sucks. It’s like we’re being watched.”

  “What’s the big deal?” That’s an information society for you, her look said.

  “But then why is only this data missing?”

  “Someone deleted it on purpose, I’m sure. If I checked the logs at the Gigafloat Management Corporation, I might find out who… But it might be best not to stick my nose in that far. Feels kinda dangerous.”

  “Meaning, the Gigafloat Management Corporation might be the one pulling the strings here…?”

  “Or it could be an even more dangerous group.”

  That said, Asagi cut the power to her smartphone.

  Only a few people close to her knew, but Asagi’s specialty was hacking. She possessed a genius level of skill to the point that the Gigafloat Management Corporation’s Department of Security paid especially high fees for her services. If Asagi said it was bad, no doubt it really was.

  First the red-and-white alchemist from the day before, then the Management Corp’s data revision—apparently, the incident at Adelard Abbey hid greater secrets behind it than he had expected.

  Asagi pursed her lips as she voiced her complaints. “So why’d you call me over to talk about an incident several years ago, anyway? Didn’t you have anything else to ask about? Like, ah, plans for tomorrow maybe—”

  “Ah…,” Kojou murmured as an afterthought. “Sorry, Asagi. Something’s come up. Gotta go for a bit.”

  Dumbfounded, she watched Kojou stand up with his tray.

  “Sorry, could you make up a good excuse for me missing afternoon classes?”

  “Kojou, just a…! Hey, you, wait up!!”

  Asagi wolfed down the remaining pasta on her plate and got on her feet. She caught up to Kojou before he reached the shoe locker at the entrance, with strides a gold medalist sprinter would be proud of.

  “What are you followin’ me for?!” he hissed.

  “What about you, what do you think you’re leaving school for?!”

  Asagi pressed the point with a bloodcurdling glare. Kojou averted his eyes as he tried to find the words.

  “I’m just going to the ruins of the abbey. There’s something on my mind so I’m just gonna check it out.”

  Kojou rapid-fired his statement and immediately headed outside the campus building.

  However, Asagi put on her shoes and followed right behind him. “What do you mean, something on your mind?”

  “Er, well, um…cats.”

  “Huh? Cats?”

  Asagi’s mood worsened at this non sequitur. Now that she was having a hissy fit, it was no longer possible to persuade her. Kojou had no doubt she’d keep her eyes on him until his objectives were complete, even if it killed her.

  Well that’s not so bad, Kojou thought.

  Kojou had two objectives at the abbey. The first was to check out the scene of the incident. After all, even if five years had passed, he still might be able to find some sort of clue.

  Cats, however, were his other objective.

  In the past, Kanon had cared for abandoned kittens at the ruined abbey. At the time, Kojou and Nagisa had helped find new homes for all of them.

  However, it had been several weeks since then. Given Kanon’s personality, there was no guarantee she hadn’t picked up more strays. That would be bad. After all, there was that alchemist, too.

  If the red-and-white alchemist knew Kanon was going in and out of the ruined abbey again, he’d no doubt merrily attack her. Kojou wanted to prevent that at all costs—though at the moment he could only see whether any cats were there. If there were, he’d just have to take them somewhere other than the ruins.

  One way or another, it was a low-risk operation. Asagi being in tow shouldn’t cause a problem. With such thoughts on his mind, Kojou climbed a hill with a splendid view, when—

  “Yeowch?!”

  —An impact suddenly assailed Kojou’s flank and sent his body flying. A moment later, a dull thud reverberated inside his recoiling skull.

  It was an invisible impact that had come without any warning whatsoever, as if someone had sent a blunt object through space to smash against him.

  Asagi hastily rushed to his side as he collapsed.

  “K-Kojou?!”

  She hadn’t noticed the mysterious attack at all. She must have thought Kojou, walking normally, had merely tripped on some kind of vegetation.

  “Stay back!” hissed Kojou, trying to keep Asagi at a distance. But his face froze over when he noticed a silhouette at the very edge of his vision.

  “Asagi—!”

  With Kojou suddenly pulling her by the hand, Asagi completely lost her balance.

  “Eh?! Ehh?!”

  Kojou held her down, her back against the ground, and put a hand over her mouth. As Asagi squirmed and tried to speak, Kojou roughly whispered into her ear, “Be quiet and don’t move!”

  “W-we can’t… Not in a place like…”

  Asagi’s words and movements offered little resistance. Her eyes were faintly tearful as she looked up at Kojou with tenderness.

  However, Kojou didn’t pay even the slightest attention to her.

  Bewildered by his lack of response, Asagi glared and grumbled, “……Kojou?”

  “What’s with those guys?”

  “Eh?”

  The young woman slowly turned her head and followed Kojou’s gaze.

  It was a small, verdant, tree-filled park practically on Saikai Academy’s doorstep. She could see a small gray building there.
That was the abbey Kojou and Asagi had been heading to.

  And she could see men with guns and body armor surrounding the place. Judging from their equipment and their situational awareness, they were clearly well-trained combat personnel.

  As the two students watched in bewilderment, they heard a quiet voice from behind say, “…Guardians from the Island Guard.”

  The voice had a slight lisp, an oddly charismatic tone, and a mysteriously strong presence. When Kojou turned around, his eyes beheld the sight of a woman wearing an extravagant dress accessorized with a frilly parasol.

  “N-Natsuki?!”

  As Kojou ran his mouth, Natsuki Minamiya thrust her fan straight into his forehead. It didn’t look like a very powerful attack, but Kojou made a guoah sound, groaning as his head snapped back.

  Natsuki spoke with an air of sarcasm: “You have a lot of guts, Kojou Akatsuki, playing hooky and making moves on a classmate in a place like this. I thought you were clumsy about such matters, but I must revise my opinion of you…critically.”

  Apparently, it was an attack from her that had caused Kojou to trip. If she hadn’t attacked, they’d have been discovered by the guards monitoring the abbey, no doubt leading to a troublesome investigation. He supposed she had helped them out…technically.

  Not that it changed that he’d been caught skipping class by his homeroom teacher.

  “Aiba, you really should pick someone better. This is why you’re on track to be a bitchy lifelong virgin with nothing but good looks…”

  “Ugh, just leave me alone,” Asagi muttered weakly. “And I’m not bitchy…”

  Apparently, even though it was an awful thing to say, even she couldn’t completely refute it.

  Kojou, letting Asagi go now that she had calmed down, quickly continued on. “Anyway, Natsuki, what’s going on here? What’s the Island Guard doing in a place like this?”

  Natsuki snorted with disdain. “It’s bad for you to clumsily sniff around, so I’ll tell you. Don’t tell anyone else, especially not the middle schoolers.”

  That said, she lashed out with her fan once more. There was a squishing sound as a small animal fell at her feet.

  When Kojou looked closer, it was an origami paper squirrel. Complex spells and magical symbols were drawn on the sides of the paper, in Yukina’s methodical handwriting. Apparently, her shikigami had been monitoring Kojou and Asagi from the moment they’d left the school.

  Natsuki striking it down meant she didn’t want Yukina to overhear what would follow.

  “You remember Kensei Kanase, yes?”

  Natsuki’s abrupt question made Kojou recall the face of a gloomy-looking sorcerous engineer. “That’s Kanase’s dad, right? I heard he pled down and got a reduced sentence?”

  “That’s right. As a suspect in the incident involving the Masked, he was sentenced to probation at a Management Corporation facility.”

  Kojou had a bad feeling as he murmured, “Did something happen to the old man?”

  Why was Natsuki bringing up Kanon’s dad in a place like this—?

  “The day before yesterday, Kensei Kanase was attacked by someone. He’s alive, but heavily injured.”

  “Attacked?!”

  Kojou stood up in surprise. If Kensei Kanase had been attacked, and then the next day, his daughter had been targeted…there was no doubt the two were connected.

  “…Did an alchemist with red-and-white checkered clothing do it?”

  Natsuki raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You know Kou Amatsuka?”

  “I didn’t know his name, but I met the guy yesterday. Seemed like he was after Kanase.”

  “I see… Understood. I have Kanon Kanase under guard, but don’t let her know that Kensei was attacked. I want them to go on the field trip exactly as planned. It’s probably safer that way.”

  I see, thought Kojou. “So that puts them off the island and out of harm’s way…”

  Itogami Island was isolated, over three hundred kilometers south of the mainland and surrounded by deep water. Strict security checks were conducted at every airport and harbor. If Kanon escaped off the island, it was nigh impossible for the perpetrator to follow suit. It wasn’t a bad plan at all.

  “At any rate, she won’t be allowed to see her father, Kensei Kanase, while he’s serving his sentence. Letting her know he’s been injured will only make her worry. Besides, her safety comes first here.”

  “If that’s so, then I won’t tell her… But if the culprit ain’t caught by the time she comes back, aren’t we right where we started?”

  The corner of Natsuki’s lips curled up in mild amusement as she looked at Kojou. “And what of it?”

  “Isn’t there something I can do?” Kojou replied with rare eagerness. “What should I do?”

  Natsuki chortled as she cleared her throat. Her smile afterward was wry.

  Asagi clutched her head. Aah, you idiot, why’d you have to—

  But it was already too late.

  “I see, you want to be helpful?” Natsuki asked. “I was just thinking about how nice it would be for you two to take remedial lessons for three times the amount of class time you’ve skipped.”

  “Not that!”

  A pathetic look came over Kojou as he, too, bent over in dejection.

  Asagi jabbed Kojou in the side and then looked up at the sky, sighing. The small earring in her left ear twinkled gently as it reflected the color of the sky.

  7

  After school that day, Kojou had finally managed to finish his supplemental lessons and was leaving campus when he found a young woman waiting for him at the gate. The sun, falling ever lower in the sky, shone vividly upon her cheeks—and the guitar case on her back.

  Her almost too-perfect face was as beautiful as always, but her aloof, standoffish aura was even stronger than usual. Apparently she was still in a prickly mood.

  What in the world’s going on? Maybe I should just pretend not to notice and walk right past her. Hesitating, he was still pondering the idea half-seriously when the girl approached on her own, robbing him of any avenue of retreat.

  Yukina’s voice was calm and unemotional. “You are rather late today, senpai.”

  Kojou, a bit taken aback by the chill she was giving off, nodded shortly.

  “Y-yeah. In the end, Natsuki dragged me back and made me do extra lesson work, so—”

  “Extra lessons, was it…? All alone with Aiba, was it?”

  “Well, I suppose technically it was all alone with her, but—” Noticing that Yukina’s eyebrows were raised sullenly, Kojou quickly corrected himself. “Errr, she finished her part real quick and went off somewhere on her own. So for most of it I was alone by myself, yeah.”

  “Is that so?” Yukina demanded with a quiet exhale. “Incidentally, what were you two thinking when you skipped school to go to the abbey?”

  “I was worried about cats and stuff. I mean, I figured it’d be dangerous if Kanon was keeping strays there again, since she might run into someone like Amatsuka—er, the alchemist from yesterday.”

  “And what were you going to do if you really had encountered someone?”

  “Umm…”

  Having never considered that, Kojou was at a loss for words. Now he felt like he understood what had the girl in such a sour mood.

  Kou Amatsuka’s ability to transmute matter made him an extremely dangerous opponent to fight. After all, he only needed one touch to transform his enemy into metal. If caught by an ambush, even Kojou would likely go down in one shot. And yet, he’d thoughtlessly taken Asagi, an ordinary person rather than an Attack Mage, to a place where such a dangerous man might be lurking—

  “Sorry, Himeragi. I didn’t think it through.”

  Kojou felt extremely guilty as he hung his head in shame. Yukina, on the other hand, looked like a day-care worker scolding a wayward preschooler. “No, you didn’t. Reflect on this, please.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “If you were attacked again, it would have been Asag
i that was put in greater danger.”

  “Probably, yeah. Sorry.”

  “And you mustn’t skip your classes and leave school like that.”

  “Well, that’s true, too…”

  “Also, you’ve been doting on Asagi a little too much lately, senpai. At lunch you were together the entire time, speaking with your faces extremely close like that—”

  “Eh?!”

  Kojou weakly objected to the turn of conversation. “Well, I couldn’t help that. The cafeteria was packed and that table was cramped…”

  “Reflect! On! This! Please!”

  “Err… Sorry.” Kojou, not entirely convinced, nonetheless succumbed to Yukina’s overbearing demeanor and lowered his head. He easily buckled to scolding.

  “Goodness, you really mustn’t make me worry like that. The important thing is that you’re both safe and sound.”

  Upon saying this, Yukina slumped her shoulders slightly. Kojou, who kept his head bowed, felt like her mood had improved just a little.

  “I will be with Kanase during the field trip. So please behave, senpai. Do not poke your nose into anything you shouldn’t, even out of worry.”

  Kojou’s face twitched. Still, he nodded and haltingly assured, “R…right. I’ll do that. Thanks.”

  He’d meant to keep Yukina in the dark about the attack on Kensei Kanase. Like Kanon, Yukina would be away from Itogami Island for four days starting the next morning. Giving her unnecessary information would only worry her; they’d simply have to catch the alchemist without them, and before the girls got back.

  Yukina, perceptive as always that something was off, admonished Kojou once more. “Of course, you may not drink the blood of other girls while I’m away.”

  “Got it. It’s all right. I promise. We can bet on it if you want.”

  Kojou’s declaration was clear as day. It wasn’t like he had any plans to drink someone’s blood regardless, so even putting money on it wasn’t a problem. He went on to add, in all seriousness, “It’s been a while since you’ve had a break, so go have fun and don’t worry about other people, ’kay? And make sure Nagisa doesn’t fall for anything too crazy, please.”

  His Watcher seemed to finally lower her guard. Yukina giggled a bit at the sight of Kojou’s genuine concern for his little sister.