Beneath the night sky, Misaki Town had fallen utterly silent.
Just as rumors that spread far and wide often needed real sources and examples to take root in people's minds.
The rumors of vampires at night that had suddenly sprung up in this suburb, a place untouched by fashion or trends, were not solely the result of a certain princess's carelessness.
The recent string of serial murders was the source of it all.
After the upheaval of the Fifth Holy Grail War, the authorities, having received considerable information through the cooperation of the Mage's Association and the Church, had deliberately suppressed reports of deaths involving tooth marks on the victims' necks as supernatural incidents.
But although conformity and unequal access to information made the public slow to react, they had their own particular wisdom.
After hearing that a nearby street had been the scene of considerable commotion last night, followed by news reports of a gas explosion, they needed no reminders to leave work and school early of their own accord.
For that very reason, although it was only eight in the evening, the windows of the buildings were already dark.
There were no pedestrians on the roads either, and the occasional car that passed with its headlights on sped along as though rushing to race on Mount Akina.
"Tap, tap-"
Yet in this tranquil night, crisp footsteps rang out at an inopportune moment.
Ensuring that supernatural incidents did not interfere with ordinary life in the Misaki area was the duty of every head of the Tohno Family.
Although the branch families and her teacher had fulfilled that duty in her place when she was young, once she had gained the ability, she had begun handling it personally to prove she deserved the title.
And so, after Kohaku compiled the