"Come over here, Izumi-chan."
In a corner, Fujiwara Chika noticed them arriving while chatting with her friends, so she called out to them as quietly as she could.
"Let's go over there."
He turned to Rikka and said.
The two of them went over to Chika.
"Izumi-chan, and Takanashi-san, are you joining a club too?"
Fujiwara Chika knew they were setting up a club, which was why she asked.
"We didn't know about this. We just happened to come by... Chika, did you come here to join a club?"
He shook his head, then asked her in return.
"I'm planning to join the Tabletop Game Club. I want to make games with everyone, then share them so they can play!"
Fujiwara Chika beamed and spread her arms wide. Those were the Wings of Freedom.
"It's too bad. I wish Izumi-chan could join with me."
Her gaze held a hint of expectation.
"I'm not interested at all."
He rejected the idea immediately, leaving no room for negotiation.
When this woman got enthusiastic, she was hard to handle. He had to nip this in the bud.
"Aww, what a shame~"
Her head drooped.
Some time later, the club orientation ended.
As they were leaving, the corner of Hasegawa Izumi's eye suddenly caught sight of someone familiar.
A person whose existence filled him with regret, an ancient mage who had once written the Black Grimoire.
—Mori Summer.
Mori Summer
I'm Nibuya Morika, an ordinary high school student.
Some things happened in the past that I never wanted to remember again, so I studied very hard and got into Shuuchuin Academy, a famous high school that students from my middle school almost never got into.
Now, I would say goodbye to the past and embrace a new life. I would fit in at this high school.
But this turned out to be more difficult than she expected. As a student from outside the academy, she felt out of place and found it hard to strike up a conversation with people from privileged families.
Still, she didn't lose heart.
If she joined a club, perhaps she could find some friends she could talk to.
As long as she wasn't bound by the past, she had an infinite future ahead of her!
After all, a pretty girl like her, tall and cheerful, ought to be popular anywhere!
This was only a minor setback.
"What club should I join? Cheerleading? Sports clubs are the most popular ones at Shuuchuin. Hmm, the other clubs seem pretty good too. I guess any of them would do, as long as it isn't the Anime Club at the very bottom? Maybe I should apply to join the Student Council. That sounds pretty good too?"
After the club orientation, Nibuya Morika got up and headed outside, thinking about what to do next.
As she gradually moved away from the crowd, a voice suddenly rang out behind her.
"It's been a long time, Mori Summer. I never expected to run into you here. What a long-awaited reunion."
Mori Summer?
Hearing that name, Nibuya Morika shuddered as if she'd been struck by lightning.
Why? Why?!
I'd gone out of my way to choose a high school with no one from my middle school, buried that dark past, and was about to take a new step forward!
Why did someone still know that name?!
"I don't know anyone by that name."
She replied without looking back and kept walking, quickening her pace.
But running away was not only shameful; it was useless too.
"I couldn't mistake you. Your special soul stands out so much in my sight. What happened to make you unwilling to face me, your fellow traveler? I did leave without a word back then, but as an ancient mage, you shouldn't hold a grudge over something like that."
In an instant, the voice was suddenly right beside her.
"So it really is you! Seeker of Truth!"
At such close range, she recognized the owner of that familiar voice. She stopped and turned around.
"That's right. It's me."
Hasegawa Izumi looked at her complicated expression and finally got a good look at how she'd changed.
She had a pink hair clip holding back her bangs, long hair falling to her waist, and a very short side ponytail. She dressed more fashionably now and seemed much more mature.
Was she trying to fit into the human world better?
"You actually dare to show your face in front of me, you culprit!!!"
He had thought their reunion after two years would be a heartwarming scene. But to his surprise, Nibuya Morika rushed at him as if he were her sworn enemy and grabbed him by the collar.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like that! Those people laughed at me so cruelly! Whenever I remember what happened back then, I want to slap myself! Give me back those wonderful days! Aaaah...!"
She vented all her feelings.
"Is that what you wanted to say to me? How weak, Mori Summer. Do ordinary people's opinions matter that much? You're an ancient mage who's over five hundred years old. I worked so hard to awaken you, and I don't want to see you sink so low."
Hasegawa Izumi frowned.
"Stop calling me that! I wish you'd never awakened me!"
Nibuya Morika said viciously.
"Listen carefully! I thought I'd never go back to the past. I was going to say goodbye to it! And you're not allowed to tell anyone else about this again. Otherwise, I'll curse you to death!"
With that, she slowly let go and walked away without the slightest hesitation.
Hasegawa Izumi didn't say a word to stop her, because he had other ideas.
"Mori Summer, if that's your choice, I'll respect it... But I believe you'll come back before long, guided by fate."
Someone who had reached that realm would find it hard to adapt to an ordinary life. Often, all it took was the right opportunity for them to return to where they belonged.
Besides, the tide of the times could not be changed in the end. No one could stand apart from it, especially not Mori Summer, a mage.
Takanashi Rikka and Fujiwara Chika, who had watched the whole scene from nearby, came running over.
"Did you have a fight with your friend, Izumi-chan? She looked really angry."
A friend? Probably.
But "fellow practitioner" felt more accurate.
A thought crossed Hasegawa Izumi's mind, and he replied, "We didn't fight. We just have different ideals. It's perfectly normal to make a wrong turn now and then in life."
"Is it that deep?"
Fujiwara Chika let out an "Eh?" and then laughed brightly. "Anyway, I hope you two make up soon!"
After offering her well-wishes, she said goodbye to them.
Takanashi Rikka asked him what had happened between him and Nibuya Morika.
"Because of my father's work as an archaeologist, our family moved around a lot..."
Hasegawa Izumi slowly explained.
He had lived in Tokyo for about eleven years. During the remaining years, he had moved from place to place. In his second year of middle school, he had transferred to the middle school Nibuya attended as a mysterious new student. There, he had discovered what made her special and, after several twists and turns, helped her awaken...
But during the winter break that year, his father finished his work, and he transferred back to Tokyo. There had been no way to contact her, so he'd left without a word.
That was nothing unusual. As an ancient mage, traveling alone was perfectly normal. She didn't need him looking after her all the time.
"There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Maybe she was influenced by the Bureau of Unseen Boundaries!"
After listening, Takanashi Rikka thought it over and offered her opinion.
"I didn't sense anything unusual about her... So let's leave her alone for now. She needs some time to calm down. We'll get our base built first, and she'll naturally be drawn back to us."
He made his judgment with confidence.
"Mm."
Takanashi Rikka agreed. There was something else that needed their attention right now.
In the school building.
Nibuya Morika leaned against the wall, clutching her head. She muttered to herself in despair, "I've had enough! I can't believe I ran into him here... I should've known. There can't be anyone else in this world who'd say something like that during a self-introduction! What should I do? What should I do? What am I supposed to do?!"
After a long while, she quietly stood up and walked away, her back looking forlorn.
"I absolutely cannot get involved with that guy again! Absolutely!"
"Otherwise, my high school life will be over too!"
The Day of Awakening Had Yet to Come
The first weekend after school started arrived.
Hasegawa Izumi stayed home and didn't go anywhere.
"It's ready, Kōko."
After making lunch, he turned and called to his younger sister, who was watching TV in the living room.
Today's lunch was yakisoba he'd made himself. The noodles were springy and chewy, and the crisp vegetables and diced meat, along with the mouthwatering aroma, were enough to make anyone drool.
He hadn't put much effort into it, but his cooking had improved quite a bit, and it was still delicious.
"Not bad. The offerings my other half has been presenting lately are getting better and better."
Kōko used a fork and spoon to pop a small serving of yakisoba into her mouth. The savory, spicy sauce satisfied her at once.
"But isn't something missing?"
She gave him a meaningful look.
"Give me a moment."
Hasegawa Izumi got up and went to the kitchen. He took a tomato out of the fridge, juiced it in the blender, poured it into a wine glass, and brought it over to set in front of his sister.
"Thoughtful of you,"
Kōko said approvingly, looking pleased.
After taking a sip of the tomato juice, she swirled the wine glass and said, "A virgin's blood really is delicious."
"It's just tomato juice,"
he said with a smile.
His sister's bloodline hadn't truly awakened yet. She hadn't become the Progenitor of Blood, so for now, she could only satisfy herself with tomato juice.
After dinner, Kōko went back to watching TV.
Once he'd finished washing the dishes, he sat down beside her on the sofa.
At that moment, the TV was showing an anime called Iron Necromancer. It had been the catalyst for Kōko's worldview awakening, and she'd chosen one of its characters, Resis, as the one she would play.
That's right, his sister had chosen the "role-playing method." It seemed to have limited potential for now, but once she got the hang of it, she could build up her combat power quickly.
Exactly when she would succeed, though, was hard to say.
Power that wasn't supported by a strong enough mind was extremely dangerous.
Before you continue