She took the train toward the upscale residential district to the west.
The instant the doors opened, the heat outside rushed into the car even more eagerly than the passengers trying to board.
This was Itogami Island. Located in the tropics and influenced year-round by warm currents, the island's climate remained stable; even in the depths of winter, the average temperature stayed above twenty degrees Celsius. It was what people called an island where summer lasted all year.
Selling ice cream in a place like this would probably make a fortune.
Ciel and Natsuki had a large house in Itogami Island's upscale residential district. Only Ciel and her older sister, Natsuki Minamiya, lived there. They had no other relatives.
On top of that, as a teacher at Saikai Academy, Natsuki Minamiya even had her own private office on campus—one more spacious and luxurious than the principal's office.
Anyone could tell that an ordinary English teacher would never receive that sort of treatment. Aside from being an English teacher, Natsuki also had other special roles, though she herself always said teaching was her main job and everything else was a side job.
Ciel had walked this road so many times that there was naturally no chance of her getting lost, unless some special situation occurred where space itself went haywire and turned all of Itogami Island into a maze.
When she returned home, a reprimand thick with dissatisfaction immediately reached her ears.
"You're too slow. Didn't I tell you to come home immediately after school? Don't tell me you went off fooling around somewhere again. From a teacher's perspective, a little sister who won't listen to her big sister seems to be in dire need of discipline."
In stark contrast to the authority in her tone, the owner of the voice was a cute, petite girl with long black hair and blue eyes.
Even at home, she wore a black Gothic Lolita outfit. An open lace fan covered half her face, leaving only her slightly narrowed blue eyes visible as she studied Ciel intently, like an older sister watching a naughty, troublesome little sister.
However, if someone who did not know the two sisters saw Ciel and Natsuki standing together, they would definitely think Ciel was the older sister and Natsuki was the younger. Although Natsuki Minamiya's clothes and tone both seemed mature, her face and figure were less those of a grown beauty than of a pretty young girl—or perhaps even a little girl.
Her features and build were both small. The black-haired girl sat gracefully on the sofa, looking exactly like a doll.
Understanding that Natsuki was worried about her, Ciel felt she needed to explain.
"I didn't. It's just that my classmates and teachers were all too enthusiastic. I couldn't just ignore them and leave."
"...Tch! Those troublesome slackers again?"
Natsuki clearly knew how popular her little sister was at school, and she made no attempt to hide the disdain in her eyes as she spoke.
When addressing Ciel, Natsuki's tone shifted into one of exasperated disappointment.
"Honestly, you. The next time someone asks you for help, can't you just refuse them outright? It's not just the students now—even some of the teachers come to you whenever they run into trouble. Are you trying to turn them into useless layabouts who expect everything to be handed to them?"
"It's fine. I do it because I like it. Being able to help everyone makes me feel fulfilled. And the teachers really do think seriously about the school and their students. Natsuki-oneechan, I don't quite agree with what you just said."
Ciel refuted Natsuki to her face, but Natsuki paid her words no mind at all.
"I know better than you what that lot is usually like."
Natsuki lowered her eyes, apparently unwilling to continue arguing with Ciel on this point.
Still smiling, Ciel used the tea set on the table to brew Natsuki a cup of black tea, and the rich fragrance of tea spread through the air.
Natsuki liked black tea very much, especially black tea produced in Kandy, Ceylon. When drinking it, she would add mint to deepen the aroma, which meant the air in the house was always steeped in the refreshing scent of black tea.
Though she could not appreciate black tea the way Natsuki did, after spending all these years together, Ciel more or less understood her older sister's tastes and knew what to do to brew tea that satisfied Natsuki Minamiya.
Compared to black tea, Ciel actually preferred milk tea, especially coconut jelly milk tea.
For all her complaining, how did Natsuki truly feel?
In truth, Natsuki Minamiya had always been proud to have a little sister like Ciel.
Knowledgeable, understanding, excellent in both conduct and grades, accomplished in both academics and athletics—she was so perfect she hardly seemed human.
Everyone at school, teachers and students alike, was curious about what sort of education Minamiya-sensei had given her little sister to raise such a perfect person.
But Natsuki knew very well that she had done nothing, and that there was nothing she needed to do.
From the moment they first met, Ciel had already been this perfect. Her personality had always been consistent, and when it came to studying, she could place first in her grade even without reading the textbooks.
She was perfect to the point that one could not help wondering, Isn't going to school a waste of time for her?
At first, Ciel had protested, saying that compared to being a student, she was clearly better suited to becoming a teacher who educated others.
But Natsuki held the opposite opinion. She truly could not feel at ease letting Ciel take charge of an entire class of students, so she wanted her to start as a student instead.
In the end, Ciel's performance far exceeded her expectations.
"So, did you call me home in such a hurry today because something happened? I turned down an invitation from my classmates to go eat curry and rushed straight back, you know."
"Stop obsessing over that curry of yours. Of course I called you back quickly because there's something important. Go to your room and pack. You're coming with your big sister on a long trip."
Long trips were nothing unusual for Natsuki.
Aside from her "main job" as an English teacher at Saikai Academy, Natsuki was also an active professional Attack Mage who served concurrently as an instructor for the Island Guard.
Natsuki Minamiya, the "Witch of the Void," struck fear into countless demons across Europe.
She was bringing Ciel out of concern.
Not concern that something would happen to Ciel, but concern that Ciel would cause something to happen.
Because Ciel had once caused an incident that shook the entire world, Natsuki simply could not relax if Ciel was too far away from her. That was also why she had Ciel attend Saikai Academy.
After Ciel graduated, Natsuki even intended to arrange for her to stay at Saikai Academy as a teacher and become her assistant.
"Another mission? Natsuki-oneechan, you really are as busy as ever. Where are we going this time? By plane or by ship?"
"Gozo Island, in the Republic of Malta. It's part of the North Sea Empire and the world's oldest Demon Sanctuary. It's rather far, so we'll be flying. I've already booked the tickets for tonight. Pack early so we can leave early."
"Who's the client?"
Ciel suddenly asked out of curiosity.
Strangely, Natsuki, who had been answering smoothly up to that point, suddenly fell silent at this question and started trying to talk around it.
"...That isn't something you need to worry about."
Natsuki realized something was wrong.
It was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out in an instant. Every deep breath felt like blades slicing open her lungs.
She had been too naive, thinking that would be enough to hide it from Ciel. As expected, whenever that lot was involved, Ciel's intuition became frighteningly sharp.
"...Is it vampires?"
The gentle, smiling, understanding older-sister figure had vanished without a trace. If the teachers and students at the academy saw Ciel as she was now, they would surely find her unrecognizable.
She gave off heavy hostility and killing intent. In this moment, Ciel was no longer Saikai Academy's perfect upperclassman, but a hunter skilled in tracking, exterminating, and slaughtering vampires.
This was why Natsuki could not feel at ease letting Ciel out of her sight, and why she refused to let Ciel become a teacher.
Even after all these years together, Natsuki still did not understand it. When facing other demons, Ciel was repulsed by them, but she would not show anything too extreme. Yet only when facing vampires would Ciel become like a mad dog, determined to annihilate them down to dust.
This world had many kinds of demons: vampires, beastmen, succubi, giants, and more. Among them, vampires held the most special position.
They were hailed as the strongest demons, occupying an almost hegemonic position among demonkind, one nearly impossible to shake.
And the Kings of Vampires were the Primogenitors.
In the past, the ones who had ruled over war were always those three vampire Primogenitors. They were the oldest and most powerful beings, and other races could only survive in the gaps between them, clashing with one another.
After a long war, the three great Primogenitors gradually grew weary of a world filled with meaningless conflict. Thus, through the efforts of the First Primogenitor, the various races reached a peace agreement known as the "Holy Ground Treaty," with the three great Primogenitors and the "Holy Ground Treaty Organization" mutually supervising its implementation.
One could say that the pinnacle of power and authority in this world was held by the three vampire Primogenitors. At international conferences, no matter what resolution other nations reached and no matter how many countries supported it, those three Primogenitors could reject it without giving any reason. In other words, they held veto power.
As mentioned before, Ciel had once caused an incident that shook the entire world. In truth, that incident had begun when Ciel learned that this world had three vampire Primogenitors who ruled the dominions of the night, then immediately charged alone into the territory of the First Primogenitor, the Lost Warlord, and fought him.
Quite a few old-generation vampires died, including nobles, elders, and even second-generation vampires.
There was no point hiding it any longer. Doing so might even lead to something worse. Better to make things clear now.
"The client for this mission is that snake-wrangling Snake Charmer from the Warlord's Empire. He's commissioned me to go to Gozo Island and track down the remnants of the Black Death Emperor Front. I don't like being ordered around by that snake-wrangling bastard either, but the Black Death Emperor Front is full of unhinged terrorists. They're genuinely worrying."
"The remnants of the Black Death Emperor Front? They really are a dangerous bunch no one can relax around..."
The "Black Death Emperor Front" Natsuki mentioned was a group of extremist terrorists who adhered to beastman supremacism. Their goal was to completely destroy the Holy Ground Treaty and seize control of the Warlord's Empire from the First Primogenitor. Their leader was called the "Black Death Emperor."
However, their leader had recently been killed by a vampire noble of the Warlord's Empire—the "Snake Charmer" Natsuki had mentioned, Dimitrie Vattler. Now only a pack of remnants remained, stirring up trouble everywhere like a bunch of shit-stirrers.
"They may only be remnants, but one of them is a close aide of the Black Death Emperor. A fairly troublesome character, and worth making the trip myself."
"More than those terrorists, I'm actually more concerned about someone else... I really can't stand accepting a commission from a filthy vampire, so can I go kill that snake-wrangling bastard first?"
"You want to kill the client before the commission even begins? What are you trying to do? Besides, Dimitrie Vattler is a duke of the Warlord's Empire. Are you trying to start a war by attacking a duke without authorization?"
"So, Natsuki-oneechan, what you mean is... I should kill the First Primogenitor first?"
"Get that dangerous idea out of your head this instant! If you do that, you really will start a world war!"
Natsuki covered her face. Not even the fragrant black tea could soothe her exhausted heart now.
This little sister of hers was wonderful in every way, except that whenever vampires were involved, she seemed to become an entirely different person.
"All vampires are walking troublemakers. Without exception, they are beings that should never appear in peaceful cities. They are the source of chaos, unrest, and disaster. And because they look just human enough and have no sense of boundaries whatsoever, the moment you encounter one, you have to destroy them down to the atomic level!"
Ciel made that declaration, her words brimming with intense malice toward vampires.
Vampire Primogenitors always made Ciel think of a certain blonde royal True Ancestor who had absolutely no awareness of being a vampire and loved causing trouble for others. No matter how much Ciel rejected that person, they would always come over with a smile as bright as a blooming flower. Truly, it was rotten fate...
If they were going on a long trip, Natsuki was worried Ciel would cause trouble outside, but leaving her on Itogami Island made Natsuki even more uneasy.
Last time, two demons with no sense had tried to hit on Ciel. Ciel had realized they were demons, but she did not know which races they belonged to specifically, so she politely declined their advances. As a result, the two demons decided to force the issue. One beastman began transforming into a beast, while the other vampire displayed a vampire's distinctive way of fighting.
And then...
That beastman was flattened by Ciel's punch, while the vampire was beaten half to death by her.
If vampires were not so tenacious, if Ciel had not been unarmed at the time, and if Natsuki Minamiya had not arrived in time, that unlucky vampire would have been beaten to death by Ciel on the spot.
---
T/N: heuehuheuh earcuied, ciel has a bigger butt than arcuied canonically
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