The Sacred Gear's Holder

Chiba City, Chuo Ward. Leo's estate.

In one of the rooms in the mansion, Yukino Yukinoshita lay on a luxurious bed, covered by a blanket that was clearly exquisitely made. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully...

Well, actually, Yukino Yukinoshita was anything but peaceful.

Her face was pale, and her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were trapped in a painful nightmare. Even her body had curled into a ball.

In her dream, Yukino Yukinoshita had returned to that moment once more, and saw the Fallen Angel whose expression was filled with arrogance and cruelty.

"You have to die today."

After that familiar declaration, the wicked Fallen Angel threw the Light Spear in his hand.

Yukino Yukinoshita could only watch helplessly as the Light Spear shot through the air and pierced her body...

"Ah!"

A scream rang out in the room. Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes flew open, and she sprang upright in bed, breathing hard.

"I... I'm not dead...?"

Her pupils quivering, Yukino Yukinoshita instinctively reached for her abdomen, but found no wound or blood.

"...Was it a dream?"

At last, she managed to calm down a little and began murmuring to herself, but the fear in her heart refused to fade.

"No... Where am I?"

Only then did Yukino Yukinoshita belatedly realize something was wrong. She looked around.

What met her eyes wasn't the familiar sight of her apartment bedroom, but a strange room she had never seen before.

"Did someone save me?"

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help wondering. She lifted the blanket covering her.

Beneath it, she was completely naked. Startled, she immediately grabbed the blanket and pulled it back over herself.

Being stripped naked in an unfamiliar room... It was a frightening situation for a girl, and Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help letting her imagination run wild.

"I wasn't... touched in any strange way, was I?"

With that worry in mind, Yukino Yukinoshita bit her lip and wrestled with the thought for a while. In the end, she couldn't bear to stay there agonizing over it, so she got out of bed.

Of course, she kept the blanket around herself. Wrapping the thin cover around her, she climbed out of bed barefoot.

To figure out where she was and whether she was safe, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't leave the room right away. Instead, she went to the window and drew back the curtains.

But just as Yukino Yukinoshita was about to look outside, the gentle sunlight poured in and fell across her.

"Ugh..."

Basking in the gentle sunlight didn't make Yukino Yukinoshita feel comfortable. Instead, it felt as if her skin were burning, leaving her terribly uncomfortable.

"Why... does it feel so awful?"

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help taking a few steps back, out of the sunlight.

She realized that she not only wanted to avoid sunlight, but seemed to feel repelled by the daytime itself. Her whole body was weak.

"What on earth is going on?"

Had she turned into a vampire?

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression shifted uncertainly.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita tensed. Her grip on the blanket tightened, and her voice rose despite herself.

The person outside didn't answer at all and simply opened the door and walked in.

She was a pretty woman in her early twenties, dressed as a maid.

The woman was carrying a pile of clothes: the uniform Yukino Yukinoshita should have been wearing.

The uniform seemed to have been washed. It smelled fresh, and the maid brought it over to Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

Seeing that the person who had entered was a woman, Yukino Yukinoshita relaxed a little, then fired off a series of questions.

"..."

The woman didn't answer. Without a word, she handed Yukino Yukinoshita the clothes.

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned and asked a few more questions, but still received no response.

With no other choice, Yukino Yukinoshita took her uniform and quickly put it on. Only then did the maid turn and head outside, apparently intending to lead her somewhere.

Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a while, then followed the maid.

Led by the maid, Yukino Yukinoshita left the room, walked down a long corridor, and finally reached the first floor of the Western-style Mansion, heading out through the front door.

"Ugh..."

Once outside, Yukino Yukinoshita again found the gentle sunlight uncomfortable. Still, she felt relieved that she hadn't turned to ashes in the sun, so she probably hadn't become a vampire.

But there was no doubt that something had changed in her body.

Eager to find out what had happened to her, Yukino Yukinoshita followed the maid to a corner of the garden outside the Western-style Mansion.

There was a gazebo there.

Inside, someone who made Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes widen sat like a young nobleman. As a beautiful maid beside him bent to pour his tea, he sipped it and smiled at Yukino Yukinoshita as she approached.

"Good morning, Yukinoshita."

Leo greeted Yukino Yukinoshita with a brilliant smile.

"You?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita exclaimed, her expression changing dramatically.

"Who else?" Leo nodded solemnly and smiled. "Apart from me, who do you think would show up after you got caught up in some inexplicable incident?"

It was... hard to argue with that.

At least, Yukino Yukinoshita's feelings had changed completely since yesterday. Thinking about it, she couldn't deny what Leo had said.

"So... you saved me?"

Yukino Yukinoshita confirmed that what had happened yesterday hadn't been a dream.

"No need to thank me." Leo looked at Yukino Yukinoshita, whose expression had shifted into one of confusion, and continued smiling. "After all, I've already received the reward I was owed."

As he spoke, Leo gestured to the seat in front of him.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but sit down first and have some tea. It'll help you settle down."

The maid standing beside Leo promptly stepped forward and poured a cup of tea at the seat across from him.

Yukino Yukinoshita stood still for a moment, then walked into the gazebo and sat down in front of Leo.

"Give it a try. This tea was brewed from some very precious leaves," Leo said leisurely, stirring the tea in his cup with a spoon. "I don't know anything about tea, but I trust Sona's judgment. She wouldn't keep inferior tea in my house."

Who was Sona Sitri?

Yukino Yukinoshita swallowed the question that had almost escaped her lips, silently picked up the cup before her, and took a small sip.

With just one mouthful, Yukino Yukinoshita was captivated by the tea's flavor.

She didn't know whether the tea was really precious, but she could say with certainty that no tea she had ever tried tasted as good as the one in her hands.

Its fragrance, its sweet yet rich taste... It was clearly among the finest teas. Even someone as particular as her couldn't find a single flaw.

"Where was this tea grown?"

By the time she realized it, Yukino Yukinoshita had already asked aloud.

"Who knows?" Leo said, looking utterly uninterested. "I told you I don't know anything about tea. Maybe it was brought from the Underworld?"

What kind of hellish joke was that?

No, given the situation, perhaps it wasn't a joke at all.

Yukino Yukinoshita held her teacup, her expression complicated.

The gazebo fell silent.

After a long while, Yukino Yukinoshita finally spoke.

"Yesterday... it really was you who saved me?"

Yukino Yukinoshita asked the question with a troubled expression.

"What? Is it that hard to believe?" Leo glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita, his smile faintly teasing. "Or can you still not accept what happened, and think you're dreaming?"

"...I don't want to run away from reality." Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her eyes. Gone was her usual assertiveness; she sounded a little fragile. "Even if I don't want to admit it, reality doesn't bend to my will. So I can only accept it."

"As expected of Sobu High School's Ice Flower. You're more clear-eyed than the average person." Leo clapped and praised her, then smiled. "Since you've got such courage, ask whatever you want. I'll answer everything."

"Then I won't hold back." Yukino Yukinoshita seized the opportunity and asked directly, "Who was that person yesterday? Why did he try to kill me?"

That was what Yukino Yukinoshita most wanted to know.

"He was a Fallen Angel, a being born when angels who once served God fell after giving in to their own desires. They're also one of the members of the Three Factions, which have opposed angels and Devils since ancient times. Even ordinary people should have heard the stories and legends about their kind, right?"

Leo didn't keep her waiting. He readily explained.

"As for why he wanted to kill you, the reason is simple: your body hosts a power known as a Sacred Gear, which makes you a dangerous person in their eyes."

A Sacred Gear?

What was that?

"It's a special power created by God."

As if he could hear Yukino Yukinoshita's thoughts, Leo answered before she could ask.

"Many famous people throughout history were Sacred Gear holders. They made a name for themselves through their Sacred Gears' power, and even now, many people have become famous thanks to the Sacred Gears inside them. You're one of them."

Then why was she considered dangerous?

"Because the Sacred Gear inside you is extraordinary. It could very well cause unprecedented harm." Leo continued to read Yukino Yukinoshita's doubts and answered, "Do you remember anything strange happening around you on the first day of school?"

Yukino Yukinoshita froze, then remembered what had happened that day...