Rozen encountered Yukina in the elevator as he was leaving home.
"Are you going out, Senpai?"
The Sword Shaman appeared before the slowly opening elevator doors the moment it descended one floor below the penthouse, addressing Rozen with her usual seriousness.
Rozen could only sigh internally.
"I almost forgot about this stalker... no, this monitor of mine."
Just like before, Yukina showed no hesitation in following Rozen the moment he stepped out, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
In her own words—
"Because I am Senpai's monitor."
This was the justification she always used.
And this justification seemed to pique the interest of a certain kouhai within Rozen.
"I see, so this is what a monitor does."
Mash's murmur carried an air of studious observation, making Rozen slightly uneasy.
"Please don't tell me she's picking up bad habits..."
He couldn't help but worry.
But at this point, there was no way Rozen could send Yukina back—not that she would listen even if he tried.
Her mission as a Sword Shaman was to monitor Rozen, observing his every move. Asking her to leave was simply impossible.
Thus, Rozen had no choice but to bring Yukina along to his gathering with his friends.
It should be fine—they were all familiar with her anyway.
However, for Yukina, this seemed to be a challenge.
With Nagisa absent, Avrora having gone to Tokyo's Tanzawa region, Kanon busy with her own affairs, and Astarte serving as Natsuki's maid and assistant, Yukina was essentially a middle schooler intruding on a high school gathering. The pressure was palpable.
Fortunately, Asagi and Motoki had already grown somewhat accustomed to Yukina's presence, acting as if it were no big deal.
"Well, it's not like it's unusual for Nichiyo to have cute girls around him. I'll just enjoy the view," Motoki remarked with clear implications.
Though factual, his words inexplicably sent a chill down Rozen's spine.
"...Whatever. It's not the first time some weird girl has shown up around Nichiyo," Asagi said, deliberately feigning indifference.
It seemed Motoki was the only one truly unbothered—the genius programmer was clearly displeased.
Regardless, the group settled into a recently popular café, chatting idly while enjoying desserts and cold drinks.
Two months apart hadn't made the usually inseparable friends grow distant.
Even Rozen, who had been away for decades in other worlds, quickly readjusted to the familiar atmosphere, joking around with Asagi and Motoki as if no time had passed.
Only Yukina remained unable to blend into the upperclassmen's circle, silently sipping her iced tea like a well-behaved kouhai.
"So... this is how a proper kouhai should act."
Mash seemed to be learning something questionable again, her tone carrying an observational weight that made Rozen nervous.
That said, the two kouhai did share some similarities—both were somewhat obsessive, a bit naive, and even their voices were alike. The only real difference was their figures.
After all, Mash's proportions were rather... generous...
As this thought crossed Rozen's mind, Yukina suddenly frowned beside him.
"...For some reason, I feel like something very irritating just happened. Am I imagining things?"
Rozen wisely chose to stay silent.
He had almost forgotten—Yukina and Mash weren't entirely the same.
Mash was a Shielder, but Yukina was a Sword Shaman, a shrine maiden with exceptional spiritual sensitivity. Her intuition was frighteningly sharp, even possessing Spirit Vision that allowed her to glimpse seconds into the future.
It was better not to think too many dangerous thoughts around her.
Speaking of which, the Sword Shamans' Spirit Vision was quite fascinating.
While Rozen's Mind's Eye could achieve similar feats, he had only gained the ability to peer into the future after reaching its pinnacle. Spirit Vision, however, was a future-sight ability all Sword Shamans could utilize—incredibly practical and convenient.
Unfortunately, only shrine maidens with outstanding spiritual aptitude could use it. Rozen was no shrine maiden, and not even Foreign Mana's modifications could grant him feminine qualifications. Thus, even if the Lion King Agency's magical knowledge included methods to train Spirit Vision, he could never master it.
(If not for Mind's Eye having similar capabilities, I might have tried modifying this ability.)
Lost in thought, Rozen continued chatting with the others.
By the time noon approached, Kojou finally arrived—fashionably late.
"So hot... I'm burning up... gonna turn to ash..."
The moment he appeared, Kojou collapsed onto a window seat, groaning like a dying man.
His outfit was the same as usual—a white hoodie over his school uniform. The moment he sat next to Motoki, waves of heat radiated off him.
"Whoa! What happened to you? Why are you so hot?!" Motoki immediately scooted away.
"And you reek of sweat! How much did you even sweat?!" Even Asagi, sitting beside Rozen, grimaced in disgust.
Kojou didn't even have the energy to retort.
"First, remedial classes in a room with no AC—and Natsuki-chan hogged the only fan! Then, right after, I had to make up PE attendance by running a full 10-kilometer marathon under the blazing sun! Thank God I'm not a vampire, or I'd have evaporated!"
He glared at Rozen.
"Nichiyo, you traitor! Weren't you supposed to have attendance issues too? Why didn't you come to the make-up class? I thought at least you'd suffer with me!"
Rozen could only smile apologetically.
"Sorry, Natsuki-nee already exempted me from make-up classes."
He shrugged.
"Why?! Did she play favorites?!" Kojou looked outraged.
"Do you really think my sister would do that?" Rozen rolled his eyes. "I just finished all the piled-up worksheets and exams from the past two months. Perfect scores, by the way."
Kojou visibly deflated.
"...Damn honor student."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Rozen grinned shamelessly at the backhanded praise.
"Here, Akatsuki-senpai. Iced orange juice for you."
Yukina had thoughtfully ordered him a cold drink.
"You're a lifesaver, Himeragi."
Kojou looked at her with tearful gratitude.
"Damn lolicon!" Asagi immediately snapped.
"Who the hell is a lolicon?!" Kojou exploded.
But, objectively speaking, Yukina was still in middle school—barely out of the loli phase.