-1067- The girl on the top of the building

Himeragi Yukina's affairs weren't really on Rozen's mind.

Ever since sealing the Fourth Primogenitor within himself, Rozen had mentally prepared himself to face the influences from various forces worldwide. He knew they would inevitably target him in one way or another. As long as their actions weren't too extreme, Rozen didn't bother to intervene.

The Lion King Agency was no exception. Rozen had anticipated their interest in him. As long as they didn't go too far, he would just give them a warning or two and let it go.

Of course, if the Lion King Agency persisted and tried to do more, Rozen wouldn't hesitate to take action.

Basically, Rozen didn't have a favorable view of the Lion King Agency.

After all, why did the "Blazing Banquet" incident occur? The country's intelligence agencies also played a part, didn't they?

Even though Natsuki had told Rozen that their actions were to mitigate disasters preemptively, for the sake of the nation, they could sacrifice people in the old Southeast region, proving they weren't benevolent. If necessary, they might resort to any means.

In summary, the Lion King Agency and the Management Cooperative were birds of a feather.

How could Rozen have a good impression of them?

But Rozen wasn't inclined to eliminate them just because he didn't like them. He wasn't a senseless murderer.

So, a verbal warning was Rozen's bottom line. If they disregarded it, he had no reason to be lenient.

With this mindset, Rozen directly used space manipulation to return to his luxurious car heading home. He reported to Natsuki with his Attack Mage license.

"After this, do as you please. If you want to join the Attack Mages Bureau, it's fine."

Natsuki gave only this response.

The Attack Mages Bureau was under the police department, so Natsuki's work was with them. Being a Special District Security Guard instructor was just an assigned duty.

If Rozen joined the Attack Mages Bureau and became a national attack mage, he would be Natsuki's colleague and junior. Natsuki had trained Rozen for this purpose, but circumstances changed. If Rozen joined now, it would be sensitive, so Natsuki had been troubled for a while and ultimately let Rozen decide.

Rozen naturally didn't want to join the Attack Mages Bureau.

At least, not now.

"Otherwise, those folks at the Management Cooperative might be delighted to freely exploit my abilities for their own purposes."

In conclusion, Rozen wouldn't join the Attack Mages Bureau and become a national attack mage.

Natsuki wasn't disappointed.

"Anyway, you're only a first-year high school student. Your future path is up to you."

Natsuki wouldn't restrict Rozen's development, only urge him to improve. As for what path Rozen chose, it was his own business.

So, Rozen informed Avrora, Nagisa, and Kojou about obtaining his license and let them organize a small celebration for him.

By the way, Nagisa and Kojou still lived in Rozen's house. Due to their special circumstances, even though their original residence was repaired, Natsuki let them stay. They had grown accustomed to this life and didn't want to leave.

Moreover, Nagisa and Kojou's parents were extremely lenient, even irresponsible, letting them continue living there naturally, spending their days with Rozen and Avrora, adding to the liveliness.

Gajou and Mimori still provided a considerable amount of living expenses, though Natsuki's expression when seeing the amount was dismissive.

Thanks to this, Nagisa and Kojou believed that the salary of national attack mages was high, they lived in the top floor of luxury apartments, filled with antiques, and had luxury cars for transport. Even Natsuki's office at Saikai Academy was as luxurious as a palace, elevating their perception of the status of attack mages significantly.

And Rozen could only say...

"Other national attack mages can't live as extravagantly."

This was the truth that Asagi discovered when she hacked into the Attack Mages Bureau's database out of curiosity about why Natsuki and Rozen could live so lavishly.

According to her, the salary of attack mages couldn't support such a lifestyle, but a staggering amount flowed into Natsuki's bank account every month, leading to this result.

Rozen had once asked Natsuki about this, only to receive a casual response.

"This is tribute from the Management Cooperative. As long as I'm on this island, they won't and can't mistreat me."

Natsuki said this casually and never mentioned it again, leaving Rozen curious but unable to delve deeper.

By the way, even though Natsuki was wealthy, Rozen's monthly pocket money remained fixed and wasn't much or little, typical treatment for a high school student.

She claimed...

"Letting minors have too much money will only affect their sense of value. Spend within your means."

That's how Natsuki put it.

Rozen didn't mind.

Anyway, with Rozen's abilities, if he needed money, he had plenty of ways. Besides gaming, he didn't have many hobbies, so his pocket money was sufficient.

So, despite a few twists, Rozen's life remained relatively unchanged.

Until, that night, before Nagisa went to sleep, she puzzledly said something.

"It's strange. We were supposed to have a welcome party for the new transfer student today, but we can't contact her. Where does she live? Even the phone number we got from the teacher doesn't work? Could she be out for a nighttime stroll? Could it be that she looks so proper but is actually a delinquent?"

Such a statement caught Rozen's attention.

Afterward, Rozen learned something that left him somewhat helpless.

Then, Rozen walked out of the door and headed back to the rooftop of the Keystone Gate.

...

"Whoo——!"

The wind howled here.

Although Itogami Island was a perennial summer island, the nighttime could get chilly due to the sea breeze. The temperature difference between day and night could be significant, and today seemed to be one of those days.

In this howling sea breeze, a girl huddled in the center of the rooftop, holding her body, shivering from the cold.

Even so, the girl stubbornly endured the cold wind, as if unwilling to admit defeat. However, her eyes and expression looked somewhat dim and lonely.

Such a girl seemed inexplicably pitiful, making people feel sorry for her.

"...I didn't expect you to still be here."

At some point, a somewhat dumbfounded voice came from behind the girl.

Just like when they met today, it was silent and sudden.

"Minamiya Nichiyo...!?"

Himeragi Yukina's reaction was extremely exaggerated. She almost reflexively reached for her guitar case, intending to retrieve her strongest weapon.

However, due to being exposed to the cold wind for too long, the girl's body had become somewhat stiff, and her movements were not agile. Before she could successfully draw her weapon, her suddenly bouncing feet didn't obey her, causing her to stagger.

"Huh?"

Himeragi Yukina made a sound of confusion, and then she fell down.

Right into Rozen's arms.

Reflexively, Rozen reached out and embraced the girl who fell into his arms.

The air froze at this moment.