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 Neighbor Is a Black-Haired Bob-Cut Apprentice Sword Shaman ~The Girl Aiming a Gun and the Nosebleed Misunderstanding~
A clatter from the next room yanked Akatsuki Kojou back to reality.
It hadn't even been half a day since that black-haired girl had slapped him. His left cheek still stung faintly when he touched it.
"...Worst first meeting ever."
Kojou rolled over and stared at the ceiling.
Itogami Island. Three hundred thirty kilometers south of Tokyo—an artificial island floating in the Pacific where humans and demons lived side by side. About a hundred twenty square kilometers, population roughly a hundred eighty thousand. Ten percent of them were registered demons.
In the South Academy District, in a ten-year-old apartment building, Kojou lived alone in a corner unit on the second floor.
Three months ago, Kojou had become the world's strongest vampire—the Fourth Progenitor. Completely against his will. Ever since, he'd been hiding that power, desperately trying to hold on to an ordinary high school life.
And yet.
"My neighbor, of all people..."
That girl wasn't just any neighbor.
Kojou knew. She was an apprentice Sword Shaman of the Lion King Organization—an external agency of the Japanese government tasked with demon countermeasures and surveillance. A Sword Shaman: a warrior priestess trained in anti-demon combat rites and swordsmanship.
(A watcher, huh. What a pain.)
Kojou scratched the tip of his nose.
Rattle, rattle, rattle—more noise from next door. Probably still unpacking.
"...I'm hungry."
Kojou dragged himself upright. He checked the clock. Eleven in the morning. Saturday—no school.
He got dressed and washed his face at the sink. The face in the mirror looked a little pale from lack of sleep. He hadn't been able to drift off easily after last night.
(Is that girl next door even eating properly?)
He caught himself thinking it and gave a wry smile.
(No—that's not my business.)
But he couldn't stop wondering. A girl of maybe fifteen, living alone next door.
Kojou opened the fridge. Eggs, bacon, cabbage, tomatoes, and the milk he'd bought yesterday.
"...Well, it's just for my lunch anyway. Not like I've got any ulterior motives."
Who exactly was he justifying himself to? Kojou picked up an apron.
He made a little extra—more than a solo lunch needed. Tamagoyaki, bacon, toast, and cherry tomatoes. For a high schooler living alone, Kojou's cooking was actually pretty solid.
"All right."
He set the finished plates on the table.
That was when the doorbell rang.
"Uh, who's that?"
Kojou pulled off his apron and headed for the door. When he opened it, the person standing there was—
A black bob, the ends curling slightly inward. Dark eyes holding a serious light. Small, delicate frame. A sailor uniform from Saikai Academy's middle school division.
"...Good morning."
Himeragi Yukina stood there, spine perfectly straight.
"Oh—yeah. Morning."
Kojou froze for a second—he hadn't expected her to come to him.
"About last night... I'm very sorry."
Yukina bowed deeply.
"Huh? Oh—the slap. No, it's my fault too. I gave you the wrong idea."
"It wasn't a wrong idea. You got a nosebleed in front of someone you'd just met."
Yukina's face went red as she glared at him.
"I'm telling you, it's a condition. It's not like I got excited looking at you or anything."
"Either way, you're a pervert."
Yukina declared it flatly.
Kojou heaved a deep sigh.
"...So, what do you need?"
"I came to introduce myself as your new neighbor. This is a small token."
She held out a little paper bag. Inside were wrapped cookies.
"Oh—thanks. ...Wait, did you make these yourself?"
"No. I bought them at a shop by the station. Would homemade have been better?"
"No, store-bought is plenty. Sorry to make you go to the trouble."
Kojou took the bag.
Yukina glanced past him into the apartment. Her eyes landed on the lunch laid out on the table.
"...Wow. Did you make all of that yourself, senpai?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Living alone, I don't have much choice."
"...I see."
Yukina fidgeted, looking like she wanted to say something.
Seeing that, Kojou found himself speaking up.
"...Hey. Have you eaten breakfast?"
"Huh? No, not yet. I haven't finished unpacking."
"Then hang on a minute. I'll make you some too."
He turned back toward the kitchen without waiting for an answer.
"W-wait! I'm fine, really! I can manage on my own!"
Yukina hurried after him.
"Don't be shy. We're neighbors. Besides, food tastes better with two people anyway."
Kojou pulled out more eggs and quickly heated the pan.
"I told you, I have no intention of relying on you! I came here to keep watch on you!"
The air stopped.
Only the sizzle of the eggs remained, unnaturally loud.
Kojou turned around slowly.
Yukina had both hands clamped over her mouth. Her face said she'd just let something slip.
"...Keep watch?"
He asked it calmly, like it was nothing.
"Th-that's not—I just meant—"
Yukina had gone pale, stumbling over her words.
(She just blurted out her mission, didn't she.)
Kojou smiled wryly inside.
(Well. I already knew. From the start.)
He knew Yukina was an apprentice Sword Shaman dispatched by the Lion King Organization. He knew she'd moved in next door as his "watcher."
But if he admitted that now, things would only get complicated.
"...You're a funny one. Keep watch—you think I'm gonna do something bad?"
He played dumb on purpose.
"Huh...?"
"Whatever. For now, eat. You can't think straight on an empty stomach."
Kojou turned his back to her and slid the eggs onto a plate.
"...You're just going to pretend you didn't hear that?"
Yukina asked timidly.
"Hear what? I was hungry. Didn't catch it."
Kojou shrugged.
Yukina stared at him with a complicated look.
"Come on, sit down. Sweet tamagoyaki or salty—which do you like?"
"...I prefer salty."
She answered in a small voice.
"Hey, same as me. All right—special-order salty tamagoyaki, coming up."
Kojou grinned.
Yukina sat down hesitantly. Her guard wasn't fully down yet. But her eyes stayed fixed on the tamagoyaki he'd made.
"Dig in."
"...Thank you for the meal."
Yukina pressed her hands together politely, then picked up her chopsticks. She took a bite of the tamagoyaki.
"...It's good."
Her expression softened.
"Right? Even Nagisa approves of my tamagoyaki."
"Nagisa-san? You mean Akatsuki Nagisa-san? My classmate?"
"Oh, you know her? She's my little sister."
"Yes. She talked to me right after I transferred in. ...She told me a little about you, too."
"She didn't say anything good about me, did she."
"Fufu."
Yukina laughed—for the first time.
The moment Kojou saw that smile, he felt his heart skip, just a little.
(...Yeah. She's way cuter when she smiles.)
He hurriedly looked away.
"...Senpai, why are you being so kind to me?"
Yukina asked, her face serious.
"Huh? It's not like it's a big deal. Feeding the person next door, that's all."
"But I came here to watch you. To you, I should be an enemy."
She looked straight at him.
Kojou set down his chopsticks.
"...Do you think of me as an enemy?"
"What...?"
"I don't think of you as an enemy. At least right now, I think of you as my kouhai who lives next door."
He said it while looking into her eyes.
Yukina started to say something, then closed her mouth.
"...Anyway, don't overthink it. The food's good, right?"
"...Yes. Very good."
She gave a small nod.
After that, the two of them ate in near silence.
But it wasn't the prickly silence of last night.
If anything, it was a little comfortable.
When the meal was done, Yukina thanked him politely and went back to her room.
Alone with the dishes, Kojou found himself remembering her smile.
(A watcher, huh. So that's what it was.)
He scratched the tip of his nose.
(But she's so serious, so clumsy. Trying so hard to be loyal to her mission—and then she lets it slip.)
(...Can't just leave her alone.)
He smiled wryly.
This was a watcher and her target. He knew that.
And yet he couldn't see Yukina as just a watcher.
Evening.
Kojou was on the phone with his sister, Nagisa.
"Nagisa, what do you want for dinner tonight?"
"Big brother! Minestrone! And omurice!"
Nagisa's voice came bright through the phone.
"Greedy, aren't you. Fine. I'll make extra for tomorrow's lunch, so look forward to it."
"Yay! I love your omurice, big brother!"
"Yeah, I know. See you tomorrow, then."
"Mm! And don't stay up too late, big brother!"
He hung up and put on his apron.
To fulfill Nagisa's request, he checked the ingredients for minestrone and omurice. The fridge still had vegetables from yesterday.
"All right, let's cook."
Kojou started chopping with practiced hands. Onion, carrot, celery, potato. Minestrone was best when simmered slow.
Ton, ton, ton—the knife fell in a steady rhythm.
Then the doorbell rang.
"Hm? Who now?"
He opened the door, and there—
"...Good evening."
Yukina stood there looking slightly troubled.
"Yukina? What's up?"
"...Um, I kept smelling something wonderful from next door. I was curious what you were making."
She said it, embarrassed.
"Ah—I'm about to make minestrone. My sister requested it."
"Minestrone... That sounds delicious."
Her eyes lit up, just slightly.
"...Want to eat with me? I'm making plenty anyway."
"N-no! You already fed me lunch—I couldn't possibly!"
Yukina shook her head vigorously.
"Don't hold back. Food tastes better with two. Besides, you weren't planning to eat dinner properly, were you."
"...That's, well, I still haven't finished unpacking..."
Her eyes darted around.
"See, I nailed it. Come on in. I'll help you unpack after we eat."
"What!? You'd help me!?"
"I'm the type who can't leave someone in trouble alone."
Kojou invited her inside.
Yukina timidly took off her shoes and stepped up.
"...I'm sorry. Really, for everything."
"Don't worry about it. Here, sit and wait."
Kojou stood at the counter and resumed the minestrone.
Yukina knelt properly at the table, watching his hands the whole time.
"...Senpai, you're good at cooking."
"Well, yeah. Live alone long enough and you get good whether you like it or not."
"I can cook too, more or less. Just the bare minimum, from survival training."
"Survival training—so you really aren't an ordinary third-year middle schooler."
Kojou chuckled lightly.
Yukina caught herself and shut her mouth.
"...It's fine. Whoever you are, you're still my neighbor. More importantly—give me a hand? With the vegetables."
"Yes! I'll help!"
Yukina stood up, delighted.
"Then here's a knife—"
Just as Kojou held it out—
Yukina pulled something from her skirt pocket.
A black blade, glinting.
"...Hey, what is that?"
"A combat knife. I'm used to it from training. No problem for cooking either."
She said it with a perfectly straight face.
"No, no, no, there's definitely a problem! Just use the kitchen knife! Put that away!"
Kojou instinctively backed off.
"Kitchen knives have long blades and are hard to use. A combat knife is more maneuverable."
"That's not the issue! Combat knives do not appear in ordinary home cooking!"
"It's a matter of familiarity. Watch."
Yukina regripped the combat knife and brought the blade down on the onion.
Chop, chop, chop.
With a crisp rhythm, the onion became perfectly minced.
"...Oh—ohh."
Kojou couldn't help staring.
Her knife work was genuinely impressive. To cut vegetables that finely with a combat knife—
"How's that?"
Yukina turned around, looking pleased with herself.
"That's amazing. But I still want you to use the kitchen knife."
"...Why? It cuts perfectly well."
"It's a mood thing. I can't relax with that."
Kojou heaved a deep sigh.
After that, he somehow succeeded in getting Yukina to use the kitchen knife, and together they finished the minestrone.
"Wow... That looks delicious."
Yukina peered into the pot, happily.
"Right? And the vegetables you cut are in there, so it's extra special."
Kojou ladled out her portion.
The two of them sat facing each other.
"It's hot, so b
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