Strike the Blood: The Fourth Progenitor Can't Fall in Love
The Fourth Progenitor Can't Fall in Love
Three months ago, Akatsuki Kojou's life went off the rails. He inherited the power of the world's strongest vampire—the Fourth Progenitor—and now he can't sleep at night, dozes through class, and gets nosebleeds at the slightest provocation. All he wants is a quiet, peaceful life. Too bad the universe has other plans.
When a beautiful transfer student named Himeragi Yukina moves in next door—and then declares herself his watcher, sent to monitor the Fou
Strike the Blood: The Fourth Progenitor Can't Fall in Love - The Fourth Progenitor's Morning: Tardiness, Nosebleeds, and Mysterious Noises
"I'm gonna be late! Nazuki-chan's gonna kill me again!"
The instant he bolted upright, his forehead slammed into the window frame. A dull ache echoed through his skull. Akatsuki Kojou squinted at the wall clock through sleep-blurred eyes. 8:12. Eighteen minutes until class. From his apartment to Saikai Academy was a fifteen-minute sprint at full speed.
"It's over... my peaceful life is over."
Kojou clawed at his short black hair and rolled off the bed. His dark brown eyes were barely half open. A cowlick sprang up at the back of his head. No time to even change properly into his Saikai Academy uniform. He shoved his arms through a white shirt, threw on the black blazer, and looped the red tie around his neck.
He splashed water on his face at the sink. The cold jolted him awake. Catching his reflection in the mirror, Kojou let out a sigh.
(Until three months ago, I actually got up at seven like a normal person.)
Three months ago. Since that day, Kojou's life had been a disaster.
The world's strongest vampire, the Fourth Progenitor. He'd inherited that thing. He hadn't wanted it at all, but his body now demanded late nights on its own. He was hopelessly sleepy during the day. And on top of that, the slightest stimulus gave him a nosebleed. Just great.
Kojou stuffed tissues into his pocket. Without them, he couldn't survive a single day.
"I just want to live in peace."
As he muttered and moved to leave his room, he heard a sound from the unit next door.
Thud. Rattle-rattle-rattle.
The sound of something being dragged. Then a dull thump, like a cardboard box hitting the floor.
"...That room was supposed to be empty, right?"
Kojou tilted his head. This apartment building sat in the residential district of Minami Gakuen Ward—three stories, ten years old. His unit was at the end of the second floor. The one next door had been vacant for three months straight.
Thud. Another sound.
(A burglar? No, first thing in the morning?)
He was curious. But he didn't have time. Kojou shoved his feet into his shoes and burst out of the building.
The moment he stepped outside, a lukewarm sea breeze brushed his face.
Itogami Island. Three hundred thirty kilometers south of Tokyo. An artificial island floating in the Pacific. About a hundred twenty square kilometers. Population roughly a hundred eighty thousand. Of those, about ten percent were registered as demons. A rare place in the world where humans and demons lived side by side.
The Demon Sanctuary. That's what they called this island, home to vampires, beastmen, and all sorts of other races. And Kojou stood at the very top of that hierarchy. The Fourth Progenitor.
(Not that I've told anyone.)
How could he? His little sister Nagisa had demon phobia. If she found out, who knew what would happen. Kojou scratched the tip of his nose without thinking.
Morning in Minami Gakuen Ward moved as usual. Crowds of students in uniform filled the school route. The smell of fresh bread drifted from Kotoha Bakery. The Lumina café in the shopping arcade was still setting up for the day.
Kojou wove through the crowd at a run. His body, honed by basketball, didn't even get winded at this distance.
"Big brother! Late again!?"
A familiar voice flew at him from behind. He turned to find his little sister standing there in her sailor uniform, hands on her hips. Akatsuki Nagisa. One year younger than Kojou, a third-year at Saikai Academy's middle school division. Same class as Yukina.
"Nagisa, morning. No—I'm not late. I'm about to make it."
"Yes you are! It's 8:20! You're gonna get yelled at by Nazuki-sensei again!"
Nagisa was a nag. She had far better life habits than her brother. Her black hair, grown to her shoulders, swayed as she marched right up to him.
"It's fine. Nazuki-chan will understand my passion."
"The moment you call her 'Nazuki-chan,' I don't think she's understanding anything."
Nagisa looked up at Kojou with cold eyes.
The two of them ran. They cut through the residential district of Minami Gakuen Ward and slipped through Saikai Academy's front gate at 8:28. Just barely safe.
Standing in front of the classroom was a tiny woman in a frilly dress. Nanamiya Nazuki. Kojou's homeroom teacher, a national attack mage who claimed to be twenty-six. Known as the "Witch of the Void"—the one person at this school you did not want to anger.
"Akatsuki. Late again."
Nazuki blocked Kojou's path completely with her small frame. She barely reached his chest. And yet her presence weighed more than the classroom door. Her jet-black dress was trimmed with frills, making her look like a porcelain doll.
"No, come on, Nazuki-chan, this counts as safe, right? I made it by 8:30."
"I've told you not to call me '-chan.' I am twenty-six."
Nazuki's temple twitched.
"That really is your real age, right...?"
"I can hear you. Every single morning, you manage to string together the same excuses."
Nazuki snapped open a folding fan and hid her mouth behind it. Her eyes weren't smiling.
"They're not excuses. Today there was a weird noise from the room next door, and I just—"
"Oh? A noise from next door. What a momentous reason for being late."
Nazuki took a step closer.
"Remedial lessons again after school today. Don't run."
"Seriously? I was actually gonna go home and clean today."
"I couldn't care less about your room. Get inside."
Nazuki pushed him in the back, and Kojou tumbled into the classroom.
The room was already buzzing with morning chatter.
"Kojou, another morning date with Nazuki-chan?"
The one who called out in a casual tone was his best friend, Yaze Motoki. Soft brown hair, perpetually sleepy-looking droopy eyes. But those eyes actually moved quite a bit. One of the few people Kojou could truly relax around.
"A date? That was an execution."
Kojou dropped heavily into his seat. Second from the back by the window. Asagi's seat was diagonally in front of his.
"Well, that's 'cause you're late every morning. What're you doing, staying up all night?"
"Staying up... more like a physical condition thing."
Kojou trailed off. No way he could say, "I became a vampire so I can't sleep at night."
Motoki laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Anyway, did you hear? There's a transfer student coming today. To the middle school."
"A transfer student? At this time of year?"
"And a girl, too. Black bob cut, supposedly super cute. She's in Nagisa's class."
"Nagisa's class... did she say anything?"
"Who knows. But she's your sister, right? She didn't tell you?"
Kojou shook his head. Nagisa didn't talk about that kind of stuff with him much. Or rather, she got mad whenever he tried to pry.
That's when Kojou felt eyes on him from the seat diagonally ahead.
Aiba Asagi. Blonde hair, turquoise-blue earrings. A flashy-looking classmate. She kept glancing his way, like she wanted to say something.
"...Hey, Asagi. Something up?"
"Huh!? N-nothing! Not at all!"
Asagi turned bright red and whipped around to face forward. She opened her notebook and started scribbling furiously.
"What's with her? Weirdo, first thing in the morning."
"You really don't notice anything, do you."
Motoki gave him a look of exasperation.
"Notice what?"
"Nothing. Just stay the way you are."
Motoki headed back to his seat, laughing.
Asagi's back was still a little red.
(Did I say something weird?)
Kojou tilted his head. He'd been in the same class as Asagi since the start of first year, and they talked quite a bit. Blonde hair, earrings, flashy on the outside—but surprisingly serious underneath. And she ate a ton. Just the other day she'd polished off five buns from the school store.
(Whatever, I guess.)
Kojou started getting ready for class.
After school.
Having survived Nazuki's remedial lesson, Kojou walked through the shopping arcade in the fading light. The sky was stained orange, and the wind off the sea carried a slight chill. Passing by Lumina, he caught the smell of coffee. He knew Asagi often did her programming at that café.
(Speaking of which, Asagi's a programmer, huh.)
Apparently she was a genius. They called her the "Empress of the Electronic." She hated that nickname with a passion. When Kojou had brought it up once, she'd gotten genuinely furious.
When he reached his apartment building, the elderly landlord couple emerged from the first-floor office.
"Ah, Kojou-kun. Good timing. We've got a new tenant for the room next to yours."
"Next door? So someone's actually moving in?"
"They've been moving things in since this morning. A girl. Young, and quite pretty."
"A girl..."
Kojou remembered the noises from that morning. So the rattling had been moving day.
(But why this old building?)
Ten years old. Pretty average for the Minami Gakuen residential district. Reasonable rent. Not a bad place for a student living alone.
But something nagged at Kojou.
Three months ago, he'd become the Fourth Progenitor. Since then, he felt like the eyes around him had changed. It wasn't that anyone was actually watching him. But sometimes he sensed something approaching.
(A new neighbor, huh. Might not be someone I can let my guard down around.)
Kojou scratched the tip of his nose as he climbed the stairs.
Back in his room, he changed into his tracksuit and started on dinner. A night alone is a long one. He turned on the TV and casually watched the news.
Itogami Island's local news was, as always, all demon-related topics. A new facility in the North Research Ward. Revisions to the demon registration system. New equipment for the Sanctuary Guard.
"I'm a resident of that side now, too."
Kojou pulled eggs from the fridge. He'd make a simple fried rice.
That's when it happened.
Thud.
Another noise from next door. Clearer this time. A big sound, like something falling over.
"...You okay in there?"
Kojou set down the frying pan and stepped into the hallway. The corridor was dim. The door next door was shut.
Rattle-rattle-rattle.
Again. This time in succession.
(Are they moving something heavy? Or...)
Kojou stood in front of the neighboring door. He hesitated over whether to ring the bell. But barging up to a neighbor he'd never met and saying "you're too loud" felt rude.
Then he heard footsteps from the stairwell.
Someone was coming up.
Kojou turned around.
Standing there was a girl with a black bob cut.
She looked fourteen or fifteen. Wearing a Saikai Academy uniform—the middle school sailor style. Small and slender. But her eyes were sharp, fixed straight on him.
(So this is the new neighbor...?)
The instant that thought crossed his mind, he felt something strange at the back of his nose.
Drip.
A warm liquid trickled from his nose.
"Huh—wait, you've gotta be kidding me."
Kojou frantically pressed a hand to his nose. He fumbled for the tissues in his pocket. Too late.
Nosebleed dripped between his fingers.
"W-what!?"
The girl's expression changed.
"N-no, it's not what it looks like! It's a condition! It's not like I got excited looking at you!"
"You pervert!"
Smack!
A sharp crack echoed through the dim hallway.
Pain shot through Kojou's left cheek.
"Ow! What the hell!?"
"You're the worst! Getting a nosebleed at someone you just met and calling it a 'condition'! You absolute hentai!"
The girl glared at him with a bright red face, then fled into the neighboring room, slamming the door behind her.
Kojou was left alone in the hallway.
The nosebleed hadn't stopped. His cheek stung.
"...I didn't even do anything."
Kojou stuffed tissue up his nose and crouched down right there.
(Okay, fine, I got a nosebleed. I'll admit that. But that's a condition. It's not like I got excited seeing a girl or anything.)
His excuses reached no one.
From the room next door, the rustling sounds continued.
(Am I gonna be able to get along with this neighbor starting tomorrow...?)
Kojou let out a deep sigh.
Night deepened over Itogami Island.
The world's strongest vampire, t
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