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Itogami Island – Immigration Checkpoint
From behind the reinforced glass, Natsuki Minamiya's face twisted slightly as she glared at the officers on the other side.
This was Itogami Island, the Demon Sanctuary.
A man-made island built to house rare demon species, their families, supernatural research subjects, and research facilities. Floating in the middle of the Pacific, around 330km south of Tokyo, Japan.
Given the sensitive nature of its residents, the island had extremely strict border controls.
Blood samples, fingerprints, iris scans, DNA authentication, magical signature verification—and to top it off, each demon was issued a tracking bracelet upon entry.
Over the decades, these procedures had become routine.
And yet now, out of nowhere, Ryo shows up—a rule-breaking, absurdly powerful Fourth Primogenitor.
And guess who gets to help this tyrant bypass every single rule?
Yep. Her.
Natsuki gritted her teeth. 'He is treating me like some errand girl!'
Meanwhile, the man himself—dressed in a simple t-shirt, windbreaker, and jeans that somehow looked runway-ready—glanced over and asked calmly. "Still not done?"
The officers nearby, both dressed in full combat uniforms, looked completely done with this situation. They glanced at Natsuki helplessly.
"This is… difficult, ma'am," one of them muttered.
As a senior instructor with the island's security forces, Natsuki had personally trained these two.
She'd drilled "impartial law enforcement" into their heads for years.
And now… she was about to bulldoze that very system herself.
Natsuki sighed and waved them off, trying not to think about her reputation going up in flames.
"Let him through. I'll report it directly to the Artificial Island Management Board later."
"I'm fucked," she thought grimly. "Tomorrow, the whole island will probably be gossiping about how their law-abiding, by-the-book instructor sold out to some hot guy."
The officers hesitated for a moment, then finally stepped aside.
Ryo shot them a quick glance before strolling out of the airport like he owned the place.
Natsuki followed behind him, her expression stormy. Her whole authoritative image, shattered in one afternoon.
Meanwhile, Liana—still stuck at the blood test station—watched the two leave with pitiful eyes. She looked exactly like a puppy abandoned in the rain.
"Alright," one of the agents said as he returned, raising his magical gun like a doctor might raise a syringe, "your turn. Let's get that blood sample, shall we?"
"...Fine," Liana muttered, face full of complex emotions.
...
Outside, Ryo walked toward the taxi stand, pulling out a pocket watch from his coat.
The needle pointed to the number "2."
That number represented the influence he had accumulated since forming a contract with Avrora.
In this world's eyes, Ryo Yagami was now the Fourth Primogenitor.
No impersonation. No bluffing.
The moment the contract was sealed, the world itself had accepted him as the real deal.
He chuckled softly.
"So 'being a trendsetter of the era' really does mean becoming the main character, huh?"
After jumping through two different worlds, Ryo had begun to understand how 'influence' worked:
You either shaped key people's fates, stirred the course of the world, or took the main character's place—and did their job better than they ever could.
A main character was someone who flipped the script. Someone who achieved things nobody else could.
In Bleach, that might mean overthrowing Soul Society—or upholding its rule.
In Demon Slayer, it was taking down Muzan and eradicating all demons.
And here in Strike the Blood? It probably meant stopping the so-called "The Cleansing"—something only the Fourth Primogenitor was even capable of handling.
Ryo wasn't 100% sure yet, but that was the direction.
In fact, taking over the protagonist's path and absorbing their narrative momentum was probably the fastest way to rack up influence.
Still… that kind of thing—stealing someone else's destiny—felt dirty.
He didn't see himself doing that.
"I guess I'm more of a Saint Seiya type, huh…"
He smiled faintly and tucked the pocket watch away, then hailed a cab and climbed into the back seat—without bothering to close the door.
A moment later, Natsuki arrived. She stood there, staring at the open door like it personally insulted her, took a deep breath, folded up her parasol, and climbed in beside him.
The cabbie glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "Where to?"
Ryo turned to her and asked, casually, "Where do you live?"
Natsuki's eye twitched. 'He wants to stay at my place? Seriously?'
She fought down the urge to kick him out and replied stiffly, "Faculty Housing, Building C-16. Just drop us there."
"Alright, that's our stop then."
Ryo leaned back against the seat, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
The Hōgyoku was still steadily boosting his cosmos, but Ryo wasn't the type to rely on cheats alone. If he wanted to truly awaken the hidden potential of his cosmos, training and meditation were irreplaceable.
The Hōgyoku couldn't help him tap into all the strange, cosmic powers out there.
Seeing him fall silent, Natsuki stayed quiet too.
She didn't speak again until they reached her apartment complex.
As Ryo stepped out of the cab, Natsuki followed, then called out to him in a low, serious voice: "I'll provide whatever support you need. In exchange... protect Itogami Island. Deal?"
A great battle was inevitable now.
The island's government, the Lion King Agency, even Japan's higher-ups were practically waiting for the Blazing Banquet to begin.
Natsuki was just one person. Even with her power, she couldn't stand against entire organizations.
Her only hope was standing right in front of her: a Fourth Primogenitor she could talk to. Maybe—just maybe—he could protect her home.
Ryo glanced back at her, drawn out his reply with an amused tone. "Hmm? I thought you'd stew over it for another day or two."
Natsuki's pupils contracted slightly.
Ryo didn't comment on her shock. He just turned his gaze to the apartment building ahead and smiled.
"You're much smarter than that idiot vampire. At least you know how to make a deal when you need something."
Natsuki fell silent, but inside, her guard was now fully up.
This man wasn't like anyone she'd ever met. He wasn't just powerful—he was completely on a different level.
And then, Ryo looked at her with a sly expression and said. "From now on, you don't need to call me 'Fourth Primogenitor.' If it's you, I'll allow you to call me by name—Ryo Yagami."
Ryo Yagami? Natsuki narrowed her eyes.
Strange. That name didn't bring her any sense of familiarity—only deeper confusion.
So she kept her thoughts to herself and replied calmly. "Natsuki Minamiya. Just a regular English teacher."
"Oh? So you are a teacher, huh?" Ryo shot her a teasing smirk. "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, Natsuki-Sensei~"
That "Natsuki-Sensei"... the way he said it sent shivers down her spine.
It didn't sound respectful in the slightest—just playful and a little mocking.
She would've preferred her students calling her "Natsuki-chan" over that.
...
As they approached the building, Ryo casually tossed out one last statement—his voice light and carefree. "Let them all know—the Blazing Banquet has officially begun. Right here, on this island."
Natsuki froze in place, his words echoing in her mind.
"So it's war..." she thought.
And all she could do was sigh.
.
.
.