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With the moving company's swift efficiency, all the items were soon carried upstairs.
Surprisingly, Yukina Himeragi had brought very few personal belongings.
Specifically, just a single small cardboard box—about the size you often saw in TV dramas, where a fired office worker would pack their personal desk items before leaving in embarrassment.
All the other items—such as washing machines, air conditioners, and other necessary furniture—were purchased and provided by the Lion King Organization.
Bokue stood near the apartment doorway, hands in his pockets, merely observing as the movers worked diligently. Yukina's small cardboard box of personal belongings sat quietly by his feet.
He had no interest in checking what was inside. It wasn't hard to guess: typical girl items—like towels, toothbrushes, cups, underwear—nothing he hadn't seen before countless times.
Not particularly exciting stuff.
Soon, accompanied by the sharp buzzing noise of drills installing furniture inside the bedroom, Yukina came out from the room after finalizing the placement arrangements and approached him hesitantly.
"Um…"
She seemed to hesitate, unsure of how to phrase her thoughts.
Bokue raised an eyebrow calmly:
"What's the matter? If you've something to say, just go ahead."
"Alright, then I'll just say it."
After another brief hesitation, Yukina finally spoke carefully:
"It's about the furniture—the Lion King Organization seems to have ordered only a single set…"
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
A confused look crossed Bokue's face.
Only one set of furniture? Wasn't this a single apartment in the first place? Wouldn't just one set of furniture be enough anyway?
"Things like the air conditioner… and the bed… there's only one of each."
Yukina bit her lip, clearly feeling awkward, but quickly forced a smile and waved dismissively.
"But it's not a big problem, really! At worst, I'll just run to a nearby supermarket to buy another futon and bedding. Even if we're sharing one room, I can sleep on the floor. However, there is something that's been bothering me…"
"What's bothering you?"
"Well… Before we departed, I clearly confirmed your participation with High God Forest. Yet, despite knowing two people would come, the Lion King Organization still provided furniture for only one. It's quite an unusual oversight…"
The young Sword Shaman frowned slightly, clearly confused.
Bokue shrugged it off casually.
"It's fine, you don't need to sleep on the floor. I won't actually be staying here anyway, so if you'd prefer, you can have the bed entirely to yourself."
"Eh?"
Surprised, Yukina looked up at him.
"Then… Bokue, you're planning to…?"
"I'll simply return to Kyoto every night."
Bokue explained casually:
"Since I can teleport us both instantly here to Itogami Island, naturally I can teleport myself instantly back to Kyoto. I'll sleep comfortably at home each night and teleport back in the morning. It's no big deal."
"But frequent teleportation over such long distances would surely drain your magical energy greatly—"
"Maybe for a normal Onmyōji, sure. But for me, such minor magic consumption is practically negligible."
Bokue glanced out through the open door towards the neighboring apartment unit.
"If I had to say, even if I'm not here during the day, it'll hardly matter. After all, the Fourth Primogenitor lives right next door. You can slowly make contact with her. I've left a spiritual imprint on you, so if your aura ever enters a combat-ready state, I'll immediately appear at your side."
"I see… If that's how it is…"
"And you don't need to call me 'Acting Head' anymore," Bokue added. "Just use my name directly, like Yura and the others do. Constantly hearing 'Acting Head' feels quite awkward."
Yukina hesitated briefly:
"Then, how about… 'Bokue-senpai'?"
"Uh…"
Bokue had been about to suggest dropping even the "Senpai," but at that moment, a slight sound from the hallway outside interrupted him.
Ding!
The elevator bell rang softly, announcing someone had arrived on their floor. Two seconds later, cheerful footsteps quickly approached their apartment.
Instantly, Bokue fell silent, sending Yukina a subtle signal with his eyes. The Sword Shaman girl understood immediately, returning a knowing nod.
Moments later, a young girl's head cautiously peeked inside their apartment doorway.
She had a youthful, middle-schooler's face, lively and innocent features, and an unmistakably familiar short black ponytail.
Bokue raised his eyebrow immediately.
Wait… isn't this—?
"Huh? New neighbors?"
Peeking inside, she quickly realized Bokue and Yukina were staring straight back at her. Slightly startled but also a little embarrassed, she quickly smiled apologetically:
"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to pry. It's just that another family used to live here, but they suddenly moved out a few days ago. Then today I heard drilling noises and saw your door open—so I couldn't help being a little curious."
"Oh, right! My name's Nagisa Akatsuki. I live next door!"
Exactly as expected from the photo, Nagisa, the black-haired, ponytailed girl, was bright and friendly. In just a few sentences, she effortlessly closed the distance between them.
Judging from the plastic bag she carried, she'd obviously just returned from grocery shopping for lunch.
Bokue gave her a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Bokue Himeragi, and this is my younger sister, Yukina Himeragi. We just moved here today."
"Eh—Bokue-senpai?!"
Yukina jumped, completely caught off guard by Bokue's sudden introduction. She certainly hadn't expected him to introduce her with his surname changed as well.
Nagisa quickly noticed the confusion in their dialogue, cocking her head in mild puzzlement.
"Sen…pai?"
Bokue simply shrugged playfully:
"Ah, well… our family situation's a bit complicated—blended family, you see. Yukina isn't used to calling me 'big brother' yet, so for now, she's sticking with 'senpai.'"
"Oh, I see! Well, the two of you still seem to get along very well!"
Nagisa nodded understandingly, lifting her plastic bag slightly.
"Oh, by the way—I accidentally bought a bit too much food today. If you two don't mind, how about coming over to my place for lunch later? Usually there's no one else home, just me, so summer vacation can be a bit boring. Plus, you two just moved in, so you probably haven't prepared anything to eat yet, right?"
"Ah…"
Yukina hesitated, thrown off by Nagisa's sudden and friendly invitation, unsure how to respond.
But Bokue, entirely at ease, quickly flashed a cheerful "OK" sign:
"Well then, we'll graciously accept your invitation~"
"Great! Then it's decided!"
Nagisa waved brightly, turning back towards her apartment next door. Before leaving, she called back happily:
"Don't forget to come over later for lunch!"
"Don't worry," Bokue called after her. "Once we've finished arranging everything here, we'll come help."
Seconds later, the apartment next door opened and closed, signaling Nagisa's departure.
Just as Yukina exhaled a relieved breath, about to speak again, another "ding" echoed from the hallway—the elevator arriving once more.
Then came the aggressive clatter of footsteps rapidly approaching, accompanied by the furious voice of a certain blonde girl clearly on the verge of losing her cool:
"Mogwai—it's definitely here, right?!"
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