The Long-Delayed Beginning of the Story

"What does it matter? We've already seen everything we needed to see, and Mahiro- chan is the only boy around..."

Misaki Akatsuki quietly defended herself; for a woman who had been single for several years, she no longer cared about such things.

Oh no, she never cared in the first place.

But Nagisa Akatsuki cares.

"No way, Mahiro is already too old. What if he accidentally causes someone's death? And you can't be so shameless!"

"Oh."

Ultimately, Misaki Akatsuki was forcefully pushed out of the restaurant by Nagisa Akatsuki.

But soon after, Nagisa Akatsuki's scream rang out again.

"Ugh! How did you make such a mess of the room again?! I told you not to leave your underwear all over the place! I just tidied it up for you last night!"

The people at the table didn't seem to care much about this; they were already used to it.

The reason why Misaki Akatsuki moved in is also quite subtle.

Just after destroying the soul of the First Primogenitor Fourth Progenitor and ending the Feast of the Flame, Nagisa Akatsuki awoke from her coma.

But at that time, she had lost her memory.

She hadn't forgotten what had happened recently, nor had she forgotten her brother, Kojou Akatsuki, but she had forgotten her scumbag father Jou Akatsuki, and her stupid mother Misaki Akatsuki.

When Misaki Akatsuki learned that he had been forgotten, he cried bitterly.

She cried and Nagisa Akatsuki, hoping to rekindle the memories that once belonged between her and her mother.

And so, the woman moved in with a strange and assertive attitude.

Considering that Misaki Akatsuki paid a high amount of child support and accommodation fees every month, Mahiro did not object.

But because of this, every morning becomes chaotic because of Misaki Akatsuki.

After breakfast, Mahiro, having tidied his school uniform, teleported to the school with Est and Aye.

Yuuma Sengakuji and Nagisa Akatsuki didn't like this method, so they chose the most ordinary way: walking to school. Fortunately, the distance wasn't far, only about a 20-minute walk.

Incidentally, after the Feast of the Flame, Avrora Florestina chose to drop out of school.

Because there was no room for the other eleven entities in the class, and they would be difficult to manage if they got into trouble, Avrora Florestina decided to become the leader and guide the other eleven entities.

Although it still caused quite a bit of trouble.

Upon arriving at the classroom, Mahiro ran into an acquaintance.

"Good morning, Mahiro- senpai! I never thought we'd actually be in the same class!"

"Can you please stop teasing me with this kind of thing? Or I'll go home and take a nap right now."

While Mahiro, Mahiro went to his familiar back row window seat, pulled out a chair and sat down. Upon hearing this, Asagi Aiba immediately raised her hands in surrender, indicating that she would not say anything more.

However, a faint smile still lingered on her face.

The current Asagi Aiba is far more confident than the girl who cried in the hospital corridor back then; she is even uniquely dazzling.

Her striking hairstyle and makeup style teetered on the edge of school rules and regulations, and the black-rimmed glasses she used to wear had long been replaced with contact lenses.

The school uniform they wore had undergone extensive alterations.

How should I put it? It's almost like a delinquent girl who doesn't go home late at night and wanders around Kabukicho.

But in reality, this girl is surprisingly innocent.

I don't understand why I dress myself up like this.

In addition, the sly smile she always wore made her seem to lack a bit of feminine charm.

Besides her, the Mahiro's class was Yuuma Sengakuji, who wore a high ponytail. She no longer imitated Aye's hairstyle and truly lived her own life.

Then there's a boy named Motoki Yaze, and Nagisa Akatsuki's older brother, Kojou Akatsuki.

Kojou Akatsuki was alright, only occasionally asking him about Nagisa Akatsuki and her mother, Misaki Akatsuki, while Motoki Yaze would try to strike up a conversation with him whenever he had nothing else to do.

It also carries a hint of covert surveillance.

If he hadn't already known this guy's background, he probably would have thought that Motoki Yaze was just like that snake charmer, a scoundrel from Nantong.

However, after learning the purpose, Mahiro didn't bother to pay any attention to the other party.

Just as he was slumped over the table catching up on sleep, the long-dormant Lion King Agency finally began to move.

In the midsummer forest, more than 300 kilometers from the artificial island in the suburbs of Tokyo, lies a secret training camp belonging to the Lion King Agency, where people are specifically training adopted priestesses.

The blazing bonfire illuminated the shrine grounds in the Yotsuba Miya, while the pale moonlight streamed into the worship hall.

The air carried a slight chill, probably thanks to the barrier surrounding the shrine.

The once noisy chirping of insects is now almost completely silent.

A black-haired girl sat silently in the center of the spacious hall.

She was a pretty girl, though she still had a touch of naiveté.

She is slender and thin, but she doesn't give the impression of being weak. Instead, she is like a finely crafted blade, exuding a strength that is both soft and resilient.

All of this was due to her tightly pursed lips and the intense light in her eyes.

The girl was wearing a white training uniform.

Her breasts aren't large, but her body is very slender!

Three people were sitting inside the main hall, their figures obscured by a royal curtain.

However, the girl already knew their identities beforehand.

They are the elders of the Lion King Agency, the supreme beings known as the Three Saints.

Although the Three Saints are all top-level psionicists or mages, the aura surrounding them is very tranquil, without any sense of oppression or magical power; that is rather terrifying.

The girl unconsciously clenched her sleeves, nervously watching the three people behind the curtain.

"Miko, please state your name."

A voice came from the other side of the curtain, serious in tone but not cold; it belonged to Koyomi Himgari.

At the young age of sixteen, he had already secured one of the Three Saints, making him arguably the most outstanding genius in the history of the Lion King Agency.

She's just as good as Touka Fujisaka in the day!

"My last name is Himehiira, Yukina Himeragi."

A second later, the girl answered softly.

Nervousness caused her voice to tremble slightly, but the woman on the other side of the curtain paid no attention and continued to question the girl.

"And your age?"

"I'll be fifteen in six months," the girl with long black hair continued in response.

"Is that so... Yukina Himeragi. You started your training seven years ago, right? Right after you turned seven... On a cold, snowy night, you were brought to the Lion King Agency all alone. Do you remember what happened that day?"

The woman on the other side of the curtain seemed to be talking to herself when she suddenly asked Yukina a question.

Yukina felt a chill run down her spine, an overwhelming extrasensory oppression, an attack on her mind!

The mental defenses that had been set up beforehand were breached in an instant.

Yukina's face paled for a moment, but she still shook her head defiantly, unwilling to answer her question.

"Your strength seems quite good; your grades should rank you at the top of this year's shrine maidens."

Koyomi Himgari withdrew his power, nodded slightly as if in approval, and continued:

"We have a very important task for you, but we must first ascertain your capabilities."

"Hmm?"

In an instant, Yukina felt a strong killing intent surge and surround her, and then she leaped into the air.

She slammed her foot on the wooden floor, flipped over, and landed backwards.

It's not an action conceived through thought; it's an instinctive reaction to danger, where the body moves unconsciously.

The slashing blade cleaved through the air, sweeping across the spot where Yukina had just been sitting.

If she had been even a fraction slower, Yukina would certainly be dead.

That was a strike delivered with a real sword, a strike without reservation!

Two tall, armored warriors appeared as if forged from the darkness.

A faceless samurai wielding a rough katana, and a four-armed samurai drawing a bow with both hands.

They do not possess physical form, but are shikigami created through incantations.

It's likely that one of the three people on the other side of the curtain is controlling them.

But before she could understand these things, Yukina switched from defense to offense.

Without time to think, Yukina chanted a short incantation, concentrated her magical power in her palm, and then, through the armor of the shikigami, channeled her spiritual power directly into the two shikigami.

One of the armored warriors vanished instantly, leaving only the katana he had been holding.

Yukina caught the katana that was being used as a catalyst for her shikigami in mid-air.

She used the stolen katana to defend herself, blocking the attack of the second armored warrior, and then slashed horizontally at the waist, cutting her opponent, who had just fired an arrow, in two.

The second armored warrior was quickly eliminated.

Although it took less than ten seconds, it was extremely dangerous.

"Excuse me... what do you mean?" Yukina asked, slightly out of breath, as she raised her katana towards the curtain.

She had no intention of fighting the shikigami again.

If the battle drags on, Yukina, who is at a disadvantage in strength, will not have a chance of winning.

Even if the opponents are the elders of the Lion King Agency, if they want to continue their amusement, Yukina will have to subdue the caster directly, that's her assessment.

Suddenly, an invisible force burst forth from inside the curtain, blasting Yukina back more than ten steps. She coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Do not be rude."

Unlike the aged voice of Koyomi Himgari, which came from behind the curtain.

Yukina knew perfectly well that the voice belonged to her master.

"Your spiritual power is abundant; you are indeed an excellent shrine maiden. Please accept it, Yukina Himeragi."

A woman passed an item through a gap in the rolled-up curtain.

Bathed in light, a silver spear emerged from the darkness.

Yukina knew the name of the gun.

"Seven-Style Assault Anti-Demon Machine Gun... Schneewaltzer!!"

Yukina gripped the silver gun barrel tightly and said blankly.

"Once you've mastered its use, we'll summon you again. Remember, this mission is unprecedentedly dangerous, so please make sure you use it thoroughly."

Hearing the Three Saints say this, Yukina's throat moved slightly, and she gripped the Schneewaltzer in her hand tightly again, her gaze gradually becoming resolute.

They also clearly understood the importance of this mission.

But is that really enough to deal with that man?

Koyomi Himgari, behind the imperial curtain, was unaware of the situation, but the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released, even if it was a desperate gamble.

Yukina Himeragi was the one they chose, and moreover, she was the outstanding orphan brought back by Touka Fujisaka after sacrificing herself.

I just hope that Yukina Himeragi can use her charm to win over that man.

If we can do that, there's still room for maneuver.

If that's not possible, I'm afraid...

Koyomi Himgari slowly closed his eyes.