wounded. “Certainly, the town High God Forest is in is no city, but it does sell hamburgers at least.”
“…High God Forest? Is that the school you were at before?”
“Yes. On the surface, it’s a girls’ school for Shinto adherents.”
Yukina’s explanation was oddly roundabout. Kojou made an
mm
sound and lifted his face.
“On the surface—meaning there’s something behind it?”
“…It’s a training ground for the Lion King Agency. You know what the Lion King Agency is, right?”
“No, not a clue.”
As Yukina saw Kojou shake his head, she blinked.
“Why don’t you know of it?”
“You say it like of course I’d know about it, but…this is the first time I’ve heard the name.”
Kojou spoke with a conflicted expression. Yukina murmured, “Huh?” with a perplexed look.
“The Lion King Agency is a special agency established by the National Public Safety Commission.”
“Special agency? So you’re civil servants?”
A pretty extravagant name for a government institution
, Kojou thought. He wondered if that name carried some kind of special meaning.
“Yes. The agency conducts information gathering and strategic sabotage to stop large-scale magical terrorism and catastrophes. As its roots go back to the Takiguchi Musha, the guards who protected the Inner Palace from evil spirits and apparitions during the Heian period, it is an organization older than the present government of Japan.”
“I don’t know about the roots thing, but…the gist is, it’s like a police force?”
Kojou could understand it in those terms.
If regular police forces had special squads for dealing with organized crime and terrorist organizations, it was no surprise that there was a government agency besides Counter-Demon Agents that dealt with magicalterrorism and catastrophes. That’d explain why Natsuki referred to the Lion King Agency as “the competition.”
No doubt the vague-sounding “special agency” bit was because demons were its opponents. After all, a lot of people with counter-demonic abilities, like psychic mediums and sorcerers, didn’t like dealing directly with the government.
“So, Himeragi, since you came from their training ground, you’re part of the Lion King Agency, too?”
“Yes. Though as an apprentice,” added Yukina frankly after a humble nod.
Figures
, thought Kojou as he nodded once more. She was still just a junior high schooler, after all.
Thanks to her explanation, he somehow understood the true nature of that spear Yukina carried. It had to be some kind of special antidemon weapon developed by the Lion King Agency.
“So why were you tailing me around, then, Himeragi? That special agency thing’s job is dealing with magical terrorism and catastrophes, right? What does that have to do with me?” Kojou asked in a blunt tone. Yukina’s eyes bulged a bit. “Huh?”
“Yesterday. You were tailing me, right?”
“Don’t tell me you noticed…?!”
“Wha? Er, did you think I wouldn’t notice
that
…?”
It was the fact
she
was surprised that surprised
him
. Yukina made a faint
ugh
sound.
“That being the case…er, Akatsuki…senpai…? Perhaps you really don’t know?”
“Know what?”
He felt like he wasn’t going to get used to Yukina calling him
senpai
.
“Senpai, your very existence is treated identically to war or terrorism.”
“Huh?”
“The Primogenitors who rule the Dominions each possess, by themselves, the might of a national army. The Fourth Primogenitor is treated the same way, of course. If you were to cause trouble within Japan’s national borders, Senpai, it would be seen not as a criminal act, but an act of war. I think that is why it is the Lion King Agency, and not thePolice Administration’s Counter-Demon Section, that is acting,” Yukina explained to Kojou with a tone of concern.
“Treated the same as an army… What the heck…? Who the hell decided that…”
As might be expected, Kojou couldn’t hide his
Meg Silver
Emily Franklin
Brea Essex
Morgan Rice
Mary Reed McCall
Brian Fawcett
Gaynor Arnold
Erich Maria Remarque
Noel Hynd
Jayne Castle