Yuiri and Shio's thoughts were, of course, completely unknown to Rozen and Yukina.
Rather, it was more accurate to say they had been completely forgotten.
Rozen and Yukina didn't even remember that the two were present, and began arguing as usual.
And this time, Yukina seemed intent on venting all the pent-up frustration she had accumulated along the way. She looked furious and determined to lecture Rozen.
But naturally, Rozen had no intention of letting himself be lectured by his junior, so the two of them engaged in their usual heated debate, completely oblivious to their surroundings.
Especially Yukina—she seemed unwilling to let Rozen leave any more indelible scars on the land of this country, expressing herself as such:
"Anyway, now that we've found Nagisa-chan and Avrora, let's bring them back to Itogami Island together!"
That was Yukina's stance.
Although Yukina was not indifferent to the situation at Shinjin Lake, nor unconcerned about Vatler and Iblisveil's movements, which she also found troubling, above all else, she was more worried that Rozen would cause yet another outrageous incident.
If Rozen kept causing such unrestrained destruction on national soil, it would inevitably damage his relationship with the government.
And if his relationship with the government deteriorated too much, the Lion King Agency—as a national special operations agency—would have to take action against Rozen.
If it ever came to the point of having to turn against Rozen, then what would they do?
Yukina didn't want that to happen.
That's why she felt she had to try and stop him somehow.
Besides, Kuraki Shirona and the Lion King Agency's people were already here—this incident could be left to them.
Though Yukina didn't like standing by and doing nothing, after weighing her options, she ultimately made that decision.
However…
"I'd like to, but since that so-called 'The Cleansers' has shown up, I feel like I have to intervene for Nagisa and Avrora's sake,"
Rozen thus rejected Yukina's proposal.
"Both Nagisa and Avrora have connections to the legacy of 'The Cleansers.' Especially Avrora—she is one of their legacies. If that faction is really what the 'Queen of Blessing' claims it is, then eventually we'll all be involved with them, particularly me and Kojou."
Rozen shared his thoughts with Yukina.
"So, I have to go find the dragon at the bottom of Shinjin Lake. I believe those Cleansers are looking for it too."
Upon hearing that, Yukina had no grounds to object.
In truth, Yukina also wanted to stay and see this incident through to the end.
So she was quite conflicted and unsure what to do.
Rozen seemed to see her hesitation and smiled slightly.
"We've come this far. If you backed out now, you'd regret it too. Just follow your heart—things will sort themselves out."
Rozen's tone even carried a hint of persuasion.
Though Yukina was still a bit uneasy, she couldn't bring herself to leave either.
So she could only sigh deeply.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Senpai. Please, try to resolve things with gentler methods. You're not a vampire—you're an Attack Mage who can use magic and jujutsu. If you can settle this with that, then don't summon your Beast Vassals, alright?"
By this point, Yukina was practically pleading with him.
Rozen simply replied with one line.
"I'll try."
His lighthearted reply made Yukina roll her eyes.
"I'm serious, Senpai. I really am counting on you."
Yukina continued to warn him repeatedly, to the point that even Rozen rolled his eyes in return.
Of course, Rozen wasn't some destruction-crazed maniac. In past battles, he had often held back from summoning his Beast Vassals or using excessive force out of concern for collateral damage. But this time, because he was fed up with the Lion King Agency's methods—and because they were in an uninhabited mountain area—he felt like teaching the agency and the country a lesson, so he wasn't holding back as much.
And even then, what he showed was already a restrained version. If Rozen really wanted to wreak havoc, more than just Shinjin Lake and the surrounding area would have vanished—possibly all of Tokyo or even the entire country.
So in reality, Yukina was a bit worried for nothing.
Given the power Rozen had shown, as long as the country and the Lion King Agency weren't completely irrational, they wouldn't fall out with him over that small amount of damage.
And if they really did want to turn on him—then at that point, Rozen wouldn't hold back.
With that in mind, this time, Rozen intended to show the Lion King Agency and the government exactly what would happen if they targeted the people around him or made him their enemy.
For that purpose, Rozen would stop holding back and reveal just the tip of the iceberg of his power—to intimidate certain schemers.
That was the reason behind Rozen's more aggressive behavior.
Otherwise, he was actually rather easygoing. (laughs)
After finishing their argument, the two finally turned to the side.
There, Yuiri and Shio were still frozen in stunned silence.
"What's wrong, you two?"
Yukina immediately grew suspicious.
Yuiri and Shio finally snapped out of it.
"N-nothing at all, Yukina!"
"...Yeah, don't worry about it."
Yuiri gave a poor attempt at deflecting the tension, while Shio looked puzzled, making Yukina tilt her head in confusion.
At that moment, Rozen finally took a serious look at the two girls.
"And you are…?"
Rozen blinked, speaking in confusion.
Hearing his words, Yuiri and Shio immediately tensed up again.
Only Yukina relaxed, and introduced them as if speaking to an ordinary upperclassman.
"They're my seniors from the High God Forest, a year above me and in the same grade as Sayaka. They used to take good care of me. They're outstanding Sword Shaman and Shamanic War Dancer."
Yukina explained to Rozen.
"I-I'm Haba Yuiri! A Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency!"
"I-I'm Hikawa Shio! A Shamanic War Dancer of the Lion King Agency!"
Yuiri and Shio nervously introduced themselves, their attitudes making it seem as if they were facing some terrifying big shot.
If it were any other time, Rozen might have laughed.
But now, Rozen was staring at the two girls, thoughtful.
"Haba Yuiri and Hikawa Shio… huh?"
Rozen studied them, muttering in apparent puzzlement.
"Why do those names sound familiar…?"
Indeed.
To Rozen, their names—and even their faces—felt familiar somehow.
Could it be…
"Have we met before?"
Rozen asked that question.