Giada withdrew her gaze, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
"If I stay any longer, things may get a little dangerous for me. It's a shame, but it seems I won't have the chance to take part in this banquet. I hope you enjoy yourselves over the next few days."
She left those words for the other three, though from her tone, she did not seem nearly as disappointed as she claimed. If anything, she looked to be in an excellent mood.
Before leaving, she deliberately gave Vattler and Iblisveil one extra glance.
There was a hint of ill intent in her smile.
"Let me offer you two a bit of friendly advice. Don't look too deeply into the owner of that killing intent... If you die now, you'll miss a great many far more exciting things to come."
And with that, the Third Primogenitor left Itogami Island with a smile.
It could be said that she was extremely satisfied. The trip had been well worth it.
At the same time, she had also withdrawn from this Blazing Banquet.
Compared to a banquet that had been held more than once, she had already witnessed something far more satisfying.
This trip really had been the right decision. As expected, there were benefits to going out more often.
The one slight regret was that the person did not want her participating in this banquet. They did not even want to see her set foot on Itogami Island. Since that person was on the island, this banquet would surely be the liveliest and most spectacular in history, and yet she could only make an early exit.
As for whether Vattler and Iblisveil would listen to her advice afterward, or whether they would be unable to suppress their curiosity and try probing that person, that was no longer her concern.
She had already warned them. If they refused to listen, could anyone really blame her?
Though she did think that sort of development would be quite interesting.
...
"Mm... Looks like she left obediently."
Inside the room with the lights already turned off, the only usable light source was the clear silver moon beyond the window.
Ciel was wearing pajamas. That was normal, wasn't it? It was already this late. Any normal person would have gone to bed long ago.
Yet she had not sunk into curry-flavored dreams. Instead, she kept herself awake, gazing outside through the glass window.
Tonight's sky was very clear, and she could see the twinkling stars. But Ciel was in no mood to admire the moon or stargaze. The ones preventing her from setting aside all her worries and sinking into bed were those tactless idiot vampires.
Especially a certain Third Primogenitor who liked wandering the streets, changing her appearance, and running all over the world, completely unlike the other two Primogenitors who preferred staying at home.
"I was thinking that if that bastard didn't know what was good for her, I'd reward her with a Neco cannonball and send her to the event horizon."
The girl casually said something very terrifying.
Neco-Arc: "Meow? Isn't abusing cats illegal? When will the day come when every cat can freely bask in the sun and hiss under the protection of the law?! It's because none of you cherish cats that we have Pardofelis, who died four times, Sephie, who died thirty million times, and me, whom FGO players have fired toward the event horizon who knows how many times!"
There was no need to pay attention to the strange creature's incomprehensible complaints.
A wave of drowsiness surged over her like the tide. Ciel could not help stretching both arms and giving a lazy, full-body stretch, the motion fully revealing the supple lines of her body.
Her slender waist arched back slightly. Her full chest traced a graceful curve beneath the thin sleepwear. Her long, straight legs tensed and then relaxed, even her toes curling and stretching in comfort.
"Hah... Time to sleep. Staying up late isn't good for the skin."
She wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.
Sleep. In order to greet a brand-new morning, she would throw all her worries away into yesterday.
Even with the window shut the whole time, the chirping of birds outside could still be heard.
Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the overly scorching morning light.
This morning was a little too dazzling. Only then did Ciel remember that she might have forgotten to draw the curtains last night.
Before getting up, she first picked up her phone and checked the time and date.
She had woken up earlier than usual today, all because of this sun that seemed intent on turning the earth into a steamer.
It was too late to go back to sleep. The instant she opened her eyes and let the sunlight stab into them, Ciel was already fully awake.
"...Let's add this debt to the Third Primogenitor's tab too."
If Giada had not come to Itogami Island last night, she would not have woken up in the middle of the night, and she would not have forgotten to close the curtains after opening them. Then she would not have been woken by the morning sun the next day.
Ciel had already decided that the next time they met, she would reward Giada with a Guillotine and let her enjoy a sleep as peaceful as a baby's for the first time in ages.
The girl changed clothes quickly and efficiently. After all, she could not possibly go to school in pajamas to teach. What kind of teacher would that make her?
Usually, Ciel was always the first to get up. Then she would wake the others one by one and prepare breakfast while waiting for them to come out of their rooms. However, there were exceptions.
For instance, today... Before Ciel had even gone to wake Natsuki Minamiya, she saw that small figure in the living room.
Dressed in a white one-piece dress, the girl, who looked like the most exquisite doll, sat on the living room sofa with her eyes closed as if waiting for someone, wearing a displeased expression.
The way she huffed with anger seemed to say that if Ciel did not yield first, she absolutely would not change her attitude. In truth, that look of hers was quite adorable. A rose had to have thorns, after all. It was just that Ciel felt if she said such an offensive thought out loud, she might die an even more miserable death.
"Good morning, Natsuki-oneechan. Why are you up so early today? I didn't even need to go to your room and wake you."
"Good morning, Ciel. You're up rather early today too. It seems you slept well last night?"
"Well enough, I guess. I dreamed I inherited Mom and Dad's shop and was selling bread..."
"Oh? Is that so? Your older sister didn't sleep very well last night, though... because someone released that sort of killing intent on the island as if it were nothing. Even Kanon's school sent a notice saying classes are canceled today. How wonderful that you, Ciel, still managed to sleep so soundly."
What a sharp remark. All of Itogami Island had been disturbed by her killing intent, and yet she, the person responsible, had enjoyed a good night's sleep.
Hearing Natsuki Minamiya put it that way, Ciel really had no excuse... Natsuki-oneechan's lecture was perfectly reasonable. This was indeed Ciel's own problem.
Giada might only have come to Itogami Island for a casual stroll, yet Ciel had released such terrifying killing intent. She really had been too impulsive. Whenever she ran into a Primogenitor, she was prone to losing her head.
"Kanon doesn't need to go to school today?"
"That's right. Tensou Academy has many demon students. Your control over killing intent is masterful, so ordinary people without ability weren't affected in the slightest, but everyone else wasn't so lucky. Especially the vampires. Some of them are still unconscious even now. If you turn on the television, you should see the relevant news."
The main target of Ciel's killing intent last night had been the Third Primogenitor Giada, but even if she had deliberately controlled it, it was impossible to prevent any of that killing intent from spilling or leaking out as it spread. Vattler and Iblisveil, who had been closest to Giada, had been affected.
And although the residual force that the demons on Itogami Island had to endure was certainly far less than the killing intent that had reached Vattler and Iblisveil, their strength was naturally far inferior to Vattler's and Iblisveil's as well.
Vattler was a duke of the Warlord's Empire. Though he had been born a noble-class vampire, he had devoured two Elder-class vampires of his own kind.
Iblisveil was the Ninth Prince of the Fallen Dynasty, a blood relative of the Second Primogenitor, Fall Gazer.
Both were vampires whose combat power came extremely close to the Primogenitor level.
"So Kanon doesn't have class today. That's basically an extra day off. Good news... right?"
Ciel shook her head, sounding uncertain even to herself.
Was this really good news?
"How could that possibly be good news, you idiot! Where is the sense of responsibility you should have as a teacher? This sort of laxness will spread to the students."
Natsuki Minamiya frowned in displeasure.
Ciel actually really wanted to say that, logically speaking, both teachers and students should look forward to vacation. Were there really students in this world who loved studying from the bottom of their hearts? She certainly had never seen one.
Precisely because she was a teacher, Ciel understood that assigning homework was hard on the students and even harder on the teachers. Those ridiculous answers really could make a person's stomach hurt from anger. Even if she deliberately tried to nitpick, she could not come up with answers like that. The students' bizarre trains of thought always made her vision go dark.
Teachers as responsible as Natsuki Minamiya were already very rare.
Everyone worked for the money. Only Natsuki Minamiya treated work like a hobby.
Since Kanon Kanase did not need to go to school today, that was perfect. She and Avrora could stay at home. With Kanon watching her, Avrora should behave a little better too.
At home, there were all kinds of safeguards set up by Ciel and Natsuki Minamiya, so there was no need to worry about safety. Even if something did happen, the two of them could come rushing back with a whoosh.
During breakfast, Ciel's proposal to eat curry was rejected without the slightest surprise, leaving Ciel deeply disappointed.
Ciel's love for curry was enough to give Natsuki Minamiya a headache. She had even considered hiring a chef to replace Ciel and take charge of the cooking, but the food Ciel made was truly delicious. A chef hired with money might not necessarily be able to match her.
Ciel suggested to Kanon Kanase that since there were no classes, she still had the chance to return to her room after breakfast and catch up on sleep, but Kanon shook her head and refused.
She was worried Avrora would be bored alone and wanted to spend more time with her.
Kanon Kanase's thoughts reminded Ciel of something.
Kanon Kanase was still a student, while she and Natsuki Minamiya had to teach at school, so neither of them had much time to keep Avrora company.
Avrora was not an ordinary child either. They could not hire a babysitter to look after her.
When Ciel had gotten up that morning, she had checked the date. Today was Friday, and tomorrow was the weekend.
So she looked toward Natsuki Minamiya, who had already finished breakfast and was enjoying her black tea.
"Natsuki-oneechan, tomorrow is the weekend. How about the four of us set aside work and take Avrora and Kanon out somewhere? An amusement park, the movies, a shopping mall, something like that."
Natsuki Minamiya shot her a sharp look. She gently set the teacup down on its saucer, her voice steady.
"I do indeed have no plans to tutor students this weekend, but I still have Attack Mage work to finish. It's all because of this so-called banquet. It's increased my workload for no reason at all."
From that complaint, it seemed the odds of her agreeing were not very high.
Ciel could only probe again.
"Then... what if your little sister is the one inviting you? Natsuki-oneechan, you wouldn't refuse to go out and have fun with me, would you?"
Ciel gazed at Natsuki Minamiya. The instant their eyes met, Natsuki Minamiya saw a light called expectation in her eyes.
After a long silence, Natsuki Minamiya closed her eyes, forcibly breaking off their eye contact, and turned her head away with an expressionless face.
"I'll see whether I can push off all the work I have on hand. I should still be able to make one day free. If those fools are always looked after by me, it won't be good for their growth anyway."
Ciel smiled and stared hard at Natsuki Minamiya's profile.
The gaze directed at her made Natsuki Minamiya somewhat irritated.
"...What? Why are you smiling so creepily?"
"Because Natsuki-oneechan is so cute. I ended up staring without realizing it."
"Hmph! Sweet talker..."
Natsuki Minamiya blushed and glared at Ciel, then turned her head away again, deciding not to look at that irritating smile on the other girl's face. Out of sight, out of mind.
...
After a brief discussion, they ultimately decided to go to an amusement park that weekend. Shopping malls and movie theaters could be visited anytime. Since it was rare for the four of them to go out together, an amusement park would be better.
Who knew whether Natsuki Minamiya could ride height-restricted attractions like roller coasters? Otherwise, she might have to ride the carousel together with Avrora and Kanon Kanase.
Ciel remembered something from the past. Someone had reported that a groper had appeared on a train, and that this groper only harassed middle school and elementary school girls. So at the time, Natsuki Minamiya had changed into Saikai Academy's middle school uniform, disguised herself as a middle schooler, and lured the groper into showing himself.
Ha! Every time Ciel thought of it, she found it hilarious. She even wanted to take a picture of Natsuki-oneechan like that and send it to Natsuki-oneechan's students. Unfortunately, the reward was not worth the cost, so she could only think about it.
Leaving Kanon Kanase and Avrora at home, Ciel and Natsuki Minamiya took the train to Saikai Academy.
The closer they got to the academy, the more students in uniform there were around them.
One by one, they recognized Ciel and Natsuki Minamiya as teachers and greeted them, either nervously or happily.
Imagine coincidentally running into your teacher on the way to school. What kind of feeling would that be?
Ciel was the type with a personality skilled at closing the distance with others and putting people at ease. Not long after graduating from Saikai Academy herself, she had stayed on as a teacher, so her legend still circulated around the academy. Because of that, when students greeted her, they were generally quite relaxed.
But it was different with Natsuki Minamiya present. She had always adhered to the principle that "strict teachers produce excellent students," so when the students faced her, awe outweighed affection.
Ciel responded to every student who greeted them with a smile.
When the train passed a certain station, several more students wearing Saikai Academy uniforms boarded the car, and they immediately caught Ciel's attention.
"Kojou, playing basketball was already the only thing you were good at, so what do you mean by quitting the basketball team now? Without that one good point, you really will be completely useless."
"Shut up! Don't reduce a person to being worthless that easily, okay?"