Perhaps believing that a simple peck on the cheek was a remarkably cheap price to pay to keep the vampires away forever, Himegami Aisa stood on tiptoes and lightly pressed her lips against Yuuya's cheek. Her dark eyes remained completely glazed over and expressionless.
"Is the payment complete now?" she asked flatly.
"You're surprisingly decisive when you make up your mind," Yuuya said, slightly taken aback as he looked down at the innocent miko, whose cheeks were now faintly flushed with a subtle crimson tint.
"Alright, a deal's a deal. Here, take this," Yuuya said, manifesting a paper talisman in his palm and handing it to her. Printed on the yellow parchment were two bold, brushed kanji characters: Hakurei.
"This is an absolute ward against abnormal or malevolent auras," Yuuya explained casually. "Although it was crafted by a notoriously greedy shrine maiden from another realm, the quality is top-tier. It doesn't just repel vampires; it completely suppresses monsters, ghosts, and malicious spirits."
Aisa looked at the paper charm in her hand with a puzzled expression. "Can a single piece of paper really block the Deep Blood fragrance?"
"Of course it can. It's completely waterproof, fireproof, and conceptually indestructible unless someone intentionally tears it apart," Yuuya assured her.
The charm was something he had pulled from a Bronze Treasure Chest a while back—a leftover item from a certain red-and-white shrine maiden in Gensokyo who was famously rumored to be bribeable for 100,000 yen. He had originally assumed the item was useless since standard youkai didn't exist in Academy City. However, since traditional vampires fell under the classification of youkai in Gensokyo's system, the conceptual logic held up perfectly in this world.
"Oh... thank you," Aisa said naively, clutching the amulet tightly with both hands as if she were holding her entire future.
Beside them, Index paused, her green eyes narrowing as her cheeks puffed out indignantly. She opened her mouth, revealing her sharp canine teeth, and lunged.
CHOMP!
"Ow—!"
Walking down the street toward Misawa Cram School, Yuuya gently rubbed the distinct tooth marks left on his face. Thanks to his passive defenses, it didn't hurt, but the imprint was still faintly visible.
"Yuuya, do you honestly think I can be so easily bribed with three boxes of cocoa cookies?!" Index huffed, matching her steps to his as she glared up at him. "You were just trying to distract me so you could flirt!"
"Well... I mean..." Yuuya started to reply playfully, but when he noticed Index's eyes flashing dangerously, he quickly pivoted with a laugh. "I can't help it! For some reason, I just keep running into girls through the most bizarre coincidences imaginable."
Ever since he had acquired World Rejecter, he seemed to bump into three or four prominent heroines almost every single day. If he didn't possess spatial movement to teleport away when things got chaotic, he'd probably be surrounded by a massive harem within a month.
'At this rate, people are going to classify me as womanizer,' Yuuya thought with a wry smile.
Aisa walked beside Yuuya, looking at the pair in mild bewilderment. 'A Christian nun and a vampire walking together so casually? They seem to get along remarkably well. Aren't religious sects supposed to be mortal enemies with non-humans?'
"Yuuya doesn't even need to make excuses," Index said, pouting as she looked away. "The authority of your right hand carries a passive attraction effect. In short... you possess an absurd, unnatural amount of romantic luck."
Yuuya didn't bother arguing. Instead, he simply shrugged and focused a portion of his mind on his internal System Space, where the Silver Treasure Chest he had harvested from Aisa was waiting.
'System, open the Silver Treasure Chest.'
> [Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have opened the Silver Treasure Chest and obtained the Silver-Grade Ability: Projection Magic.]
> [Projection Magic: A specialized form of magecraft originating from the Type-Moon universe. It allows the user to materialize physical objects from pure mana based on past memory and structural comprehension. Standard projections are fragile and temporary unless reinforced by an Origin or reality marble.]
'Projection Magic...?' Yuuya raised an eyebrow, analyzing the incoming knowledge stream.
In standard Type-Moon lore, basic Projection Magic was considered a thoroughly impractical, bottom-tier spell because the projected items were empty shells that dissolved quickly. The reason Emiya Shirou and ARCHER could use it to wreck entire holy grail wars was entirely due to their specific Origin ("Sword") combined with the structural repository of Unlimited Blade Works.
'However...' Yuuya's eyes lit up with calculation. 'The reason Projection Magic is useless for ordinary magi is that they lack structural comprehension and unlimited energy. But I have Imperial Privilege.'
Using Imperial Privilege to grant himself absolute structural comprehension of any weapon or concept, combined with Projection Magic to materialize it... the synergy was practically broken. He could instantly trace and project high-tier noble phantasms or sci-fi weaponry without needing an entire reality marble.
"We have arrived," Aisa's quiet voice brought Yuuya back to reality.
He raised his head, looking up at the imposing, grid-like architectural structure looming before them in District 10.
"Misawa Juku... the largest private prep school chain in Japan," Yuuya muttered.
He recalled that this specific branch was secretly owned and operated by a radical cult fanatical about science—the "Science Religious Group." They recruited top-tier students from across the country, grooming them into devout believers of pure scientific rationalism.
Science-worshipping cults were surprisingly common internationally, particularly in North America. These organizations shared a bitter rivalry with Academy City's official board, often attempting to sabotage Aleister's operations from the shadows. As for how a science cult managed to establish a massive facility right inside Academy City itself—the answer was simple: they were fabulously wealthy and had purchased prime commercial real estate, including this massive, grid-shaped complex.
Yuuya strolled into the main lobby with his hands tucked into his pockets. Because it was summer vacation, dozens of students taking supplementary courses were walking through the halls, yet not a single one of them seemed to notice the three of them entering.
'Interesting...' The corners of Yuuya's mouth curled up.
Aureolus Izzard had been hiding inside Academy City for a while now, setting up a massive alchemical barrier around the entire complex.
"Ah! There is a powerful boundary active here," Index noted, her tone turning serious as she looked around the lobby. "We have been moved into the inner Phase. This is the 'Other Side' of reality."
She reached out her hand to touch a student walking past, but her fingers passed straight through the girl, creating ripples across the air like a stone dropped into a quiet pond.
"Since we stepped through the front entrance, the barrier shifted our spatial coordinates into the inner realm," Index explained. "This is the signature world-building technique of the Zurich School of Alchemy. It divides the building into two distinct sides of a coin—the 'Outer World' and the 'Inner World.' Although we can visually observe the people in the Outer World, we cannot physically touch them, and they cannot perceive us."
"Hahaha! Spot on, Little Sister! You saw through the alchemical formulation with a single glance!"
Suddenly, a loud, dramatic laugh echoed down the central stairwell, followed by the crisp, rhythmic clatter of leather dress shoes against marble.
A tall young man with vibrant green hair, dressed in an immaculate, pristine white suit, stepped down from the landing above, looking down at them with a triumphant smile.
"I never expected everything to align so perfectly..." Aureolus Izzard declared, his eyes locking onto Index and Yuuya. "To meet the Index Librorum Prohibitorum once again... right here in my domain!"
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Give me powerstones.
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