There was no post-mission cheer. With the mood suddenly stiff, Shichen brought the three of them back to school.
He hadn't expected Himeragi Yukina to say something that cutting—it genuinely surprised him. Yukina herself was mortified. Only after the words left her mouth did she realize what she'd said; she never imagined she could sound that snide. That wasn't her at all. Just thinking about it made her burn with shame, so she kept her face tense and pretended nothing was wrong.
Thankfully, Aiba Asagi and Kirasaka Sayaka didn't pile on; they were shocked too. Asagi thought Yukina's line had been a bit too lethal. Sayaka, meanwhile, couldn't accept that her Yukina would say something like that.
"Sensei, I'm going back to class," Yukina said the moment they reached campus, then turned and ran for the middle division without looking back.
"Asagi, you should check in with your class too," Shichen told her.
Even with all the commotion, nothing major had happened to the school—no classes were canceled. Life on Itogami was like that: living alongside demon-kind meant incidents like this weren't rare anywhere, and the school had operatives to keep order.
"I know. I'll head back…" Asagi glanced at Sayaka before leaving. It was her first time seeing the girl and she had no idea why she'd been with Sensei. She was very pretty, and her figure was very good—enough to put Asagi on alert. Still, in broad daylight nothing should happen to worry her.
"Sayaka, come with me," Shichen said once Asagi's silhouette disappeared into the classroom building, and turned to go.
"W-where?" Sayaka followed, tense. His offhand "we'll finish this later" was ringing in her ears.
"Just follow me. I'm not going to hurt you."
"O-okay…"
He led her to the middle division's faculty offices—specifically, to Minamiya Natsuki's private office. He'd sensed she was back.
Her reputation and rank were well known; she had her own office on the top floor.
"Natsuki~" He pushed the door open to find the petite Minamiya Natsuki seated behind her desk with a cup of black tea. Astarte stood beside her, expressionless.
"Brother Chen," Astarte greeted first.
"All taken care of?" Natsuki looked up at him—then frowned when she saw who came in behind him. "And who's this little girl? Another one you picked up?"
Her tone cooled noticeably.
"The Witch of the Void—Minamiya Natsuki!" Sayaka blurted, startled. She knew the name and her connection to Shichen, but it was her first time meeting in person.
"Rude child," Natsuki said, raising a brow.
"S-sorry!" Sayaka bent at the waist and hurried into a self-intro. "Minamiya-san, I'm Kirasaka Sayaka, a War Dancer from the Lion King Agency."
"Another Agency girl? You've got a real knack for running into them," Natsuki said, side-eying Shichen.
"Ahem. Sayaka monitors Vatler—and she and Yukina are close," Shichen explained.
"'Sayaka,' huh? On a first-name basis already?"
"Jealous, Natsuki?" Shichen grinned.
"What would I have to be jealous of?" she replied coolly.
"Then why harp on it?"
"I want you to rein yourself in. Don't make trouble for me."
"As if."
Shichen had Sayaka sit on the sofa and moved behind Natsuki to knead her shoulders. She relaxed into the chair and asked evenly, "What about Gardos?"
"Turned to ash," he said plainly.
"Mm. Dead is dead. He invaded a school—he earned it," Natsuki said without a flicker of concern. "What 'trouble' do you want me to handle?"
"The remnants of the Black Death Emperor Front. Gardos is gone, but the rest need cleaning up."
"…Aren't you an operative?"
"Who still treats me like one?" Shichen said, helpless. The authorities obviously knew he was the Fifth Primogenitor; he couldn't exactly take Agency jobs now. He could fool outsiders, maybe—not her.
"Adding to my workload again!" Natsuki swatted his hands away, stood, and left with Astarte. Cleanup was the annoying part; she'd be busy for a couple of days.
"She just… left?" Sayaka asked, blinking.
"What else? You want to tidy up the rest yourself?" he shot back.
"Forget it. It's not my assignment; I shouldn't meddle."
"Let's go too."
"Go where?"
"To pick up where we left off," he said with a teasing smile.
Sayaka tensed, but didn't voice a refusal. This was for keeping her Yukina safe, she told herself—not because she wanted it.
Shichen took her back to where they'd been. Without giving her time to steel herself, he pulled her in and kissed her. Interrupted earlier, he now took his time tasting Kirasaka Sayaka. He'd even thought about doing it in Natsuki's office, but decided against it—just in case.
Even with a little experience now, Sayaka was entirely on the receiving end; she could only let him lead. She hadn't expected it to tug at her heart the way it did—like an electric current running through her, tingling and hot.
When his hands roamed later, she didn't stop him—not just because she lacked the strength, but because she lacked the will. He slid a hand under her clothes, feeling her pounding heart.
Why was he so practiced…?
…
After school, Shichen headed home with Yukina and the others. Sayaka had returned to Vatler's yacht to resume surveillance.
"Sensei, when did Sayaka leave?" Yukina asked on the way. Asagi also looked over.
"In the afternoon," Shichen said evenly.
"Really? But why were you with her, Sensei?" Yukina pressed.
"She popped up out of nowhere—probably to see you," he improvised.
"Is that so…" Yukina was half convinced.
"If you don't believe me, ask her," he said. He and Sayaka had already synced their stories.
"No, I believe you," Yukina said quickly.
"Really? Because you don't sound like you do," he said, wounded.
"That's because you suddenly seem so close to Sayaka."
"Do I?"
"You're calling her by her name…" Yukina pouted.
"I just don't like saying surnames. If you don't like it, I'll switch back."
"No—call her however you want. Don't worry about me," Yukina said at once. If he changed because of her and Sayaka found out, talk about awkward.
"That Kirasaka girl—is she your friend?" Asagi asked.
"Yes. Sayaka was my roommate," Yukina nodded.
"Roommate? Aren't you the same age? And you were both carrying weapons earlier—what are you two?" Asagi demanded.
"Um…"
"Let's go to my place. I'll explain everything," Shichen said.
"Okay."
Back home, he laid it all out for Asagi: that he was the Fifth Primogenitor, and that Yukina and the others were Lion King witches. It was a lot, but she accepted it quickly.
She'd already known he wasn't ordinary and had heard the Fifth Primogenitor rumors; put together, it wasn't a shock. What did irk her was him hiding it from her. As compensation, he promised to take her shopping again next weekend.
She stayed for dinner. Afterward, he walked her home—and lingered a bit. Their relationship had already advanced; Asagi wasn't shy anymore. Right at her door she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
Bold and heated—he loved it, though it gave him a small headache too. Just making out wasn't enough. He'd had "meat" before—and plenty. After so long in this world without the real thing, and after the last few days of constant sparks, he was about to burst.