readytorunbook Chapter 775 - 775
Chapter 775 - 775
Kojou Kojou was a boy who liked wearing white hoodies and had a rather unremarkable appearance—the kind that would quickly blend into a crowd.The way he was slumped over the desk looked extremely lazy.
But to the three people who knew him well, it was likely the exhausted look of someone worn out by worry over his hospitalized sister.
"Is Nagisa okay?"
Eiji turned around, his gaze passing through his sunglasses to rest on Kojou's face, which looked completely burnt out.
His words expressed concern for Kojou Nagisa.
Aiba Asagi, sitting in front of Eiji, and Kijima Yaze beside her also looked over with concern.
"Yeah, she collapsed yesterday afternoon and was already taken to a MAR-affiliated hospital."
Kojou forced himself to perk up, responding to his three friends' worries.
"Her old problem again?"
"Yeah."
Kojou slumped back down, not really wanting to say more.
In truth, he didn't know what else to say.
Kojou had a younger sister named Kojou Nagisa, just one year younger than him, but her constitution was quite weak. She would occasionally faint and often needed to be hospitalized for recovery.
It was said that during her entire first year of middle school, she attended less than half the classes of other students.
This maritime city designated as a Demon District had highly advanced magical technology. The many demons living there as residents were also, in a way, research subjects.
Although politically known as Tokyo's Itogami City, Itogami Island was actually a special administrative zone with an independent political system, established to protect endangered demons and study their physical structures and special abilities.
Therefore, the island was filled with numerous research facilities, and various magical technologies were far more advanced than the outside world.
Kojou Nagisa's illness shouldn't have been a big deal.
That's how it should have been.
But unfortunately, even with Itogami Island's technology, they couldn't completely cure Kojou Nagisa's condition. They couldn't even determine why her constitution was so weak.
This was the root of Kojou's mental exhaustion. His constant worry about his sister's health remained unresolved, becoming a burden on his mind.
"Nagisa will definitely be fine! You need to cheer up too!"
Asagi moved around Eiji, waving her fists to encourage him.
"Right! If Nagisa sees you moping around like this, it'd be terrible if your gloomy mood affected her!"
Eiji also put on an "I'm doing this for your own good" attitude.
Just as Kojou was about to say thank you, he choked on his words and glared at Eiji with clear displeasure.
"Minamoto Eiji, if you don't know how to comfort people, you can just not say anything!"
"It's not that he doesn't know how to comfort people—he's just messing with you for fun!"
Yaze chimed in with an instigating laugh, clearly enjoying the situation.
"Ah, such poor choice in friends!"
Kojou sighed wearily and slumped back onto the desk.
"Hiahiahiahia!"
Eiji let out a mischievous laugh, drawing many strange looks from around.
"Ding dong!"
A clear ringtone suddenly sounded, and everyone's eyes turned toward the source.
Yaze pulled out his smartphone from his pocket, glanced at it briefly, then quickly turned off the screen.
"What was that message?"
Eiji asked.
Though he couldn't see his face, as a friend who had known him for years, Kisaki Yaze could tell he must be wearing a smiling expression.
"Ah, just some boring information."
Kisaki Yaze laughed without changing his expression. "Seems to be related to something about the Fourth True Ancestor."
He was always maintaining a frivolous attitude, as if he didn't care about anything. That smile seemed like a silent mockery directed at someone who wasn't present.
"The Fourth True Ancestor... Legend says they have no kin, the only one of their kind, solitary and noble, the world's strongest vampire... But isn't that just an urban legend?"
Asagi Aiba voiced the legend of the Fourth True Ancestor based on her vague impressions.
However, her face showed a dismissive expression.
"Exactly! After all, the three existing True Ancestors each rule their own 〈Night Empire〉. Only the Fourth True Ancestor lacks not just records, but even a name. They're practically a phantom True Ancestor - nobody would believe in something like that!"
Kisaki Yaze laughed heartily, equally scornful of the urban legend, earning Asagi Aiba's agreement.
These two were childhood friends who had grown up together and were quite compatible in certain aspects.
"Did I just see words like 'surveillance' earlier?"
Eiji suddenly spoke up, his kind smile unfortunately hidden behind his mask.
"Did you?"
Hearing this, Kisaki Yaze tilted his head in confusion.
"Probably just someone's prank. Some mystery enthusiast trying to learn about the Fourth True Ancestor or something. There are plenty of idle people like that online these days. Doesn't matter anyway!"
"You're probably right."
Eiji nodded in agreement.
Even in this Strike the Blood world where various demon tribes like beastmen, elves, homunculi, and giants constantly emerged, vampires were still recognized as the most powerful demon tribe.
Their endless lifespan and powerful familiars had forged their fearsome reputation.
Especially the three "True Ancestors" standing at the pinnacle of countless vampires, serving as the origin of all vampires, who had lived for hundreds or thousands of years - they possessed terrifying power capable of destroying cities and nations.
Each of the only three True Ancestors was exceptionally prominent, with every minor action becoming an internationally discussed topic.
And the potentially existing "Fourth True Ancestor" had become a very popular urban legend, with many people extremely interested in it. Numerous individuals treated it as a mystery to solve, using it to pass their idle time.
"Morning class is starting, everyone quiet."
Soon, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom, and the chaotic chatter quickly died down.
Middle school classes were quite boring, especially in Japanese middle schools where the teaching content remained at simple trigonometry and linear equations with two variables.
Even for someone as academically disinclined as Eiji, this was simply too elementary.
Unlike in the Type-Moon World, where he openly showed his face - that suffocating divine charm made everyone follow his every word, even Heroic Spirit teachers obeyed him unquestioningly, and skipping class was commonplace.
But in this Strike the Blood world, he had an agreement with Natsuki that "he absolutely must not show his face outside," so he kept himself thoroughly covered up. Naturally, this made it difficult for him to skip classes.
There was a silver lining though - teachers usually didn't call on him to answer questions. It seemed because of his special circumstances that teachers typically chose to ignore him.
Eiji simply stopped paying attention in class, sketching out a new armored suit on paper based on the vague image in his mind.
Kabuto had already been proven outdated—he needed to redesign a cool enough armored suit.
The morning classes passed by in idleness.
Noon.
"Eiji, what are you planning for lunch today?"
During the lunch break, Yaze Motoki came over.
"After all, I have a pretty unreliable guardian at home!"
Eiji spread his hands, utterly helpless.
"Guess there's no homemade bento for me—might as well just grab a meal at the cafeteria!"