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[Crossover] Ch 189: Preparations Before Departure
🕑 Added 2025-08-08 20:06:54 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Itogami Island – Top floor of Keystone Gate
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Aiba has arrived."
Liana Caruana, dressed sharply in a tailored suit and holding a folder, gently pushed open the office door and bowed as she spoke.
"Let him in."
Sitting on the couch near the massive floor-to-ceiling window, Ryo gave a simple nod.
At his words, Liana opened the inner door fully, revealing the man standing just behind her — Sensai Aiba. With his stern expression and dark attire, he looked more like a yakuza boss than a Prime Minister.
Sensai stepped into the office and stopped about six meters from Ryo. The door closed behind him with a soft thunk.
"Take a seat."
Ryo flipped through the documents in front of him, gesturing to the sofa across from his desk.
Sensai walked over in small strides, sat down with his briefcase on his lap, and began pulling out a few papers.
"We've finalized the trade agreement for agricultural goods with Japan. They've agreed to sell at prices 30% lower than before," he reported. "But considering their limitations, I've also secured procurement deals with the Chaos Zone to balance the playing field."
Ryo skimmed the documents, mentally noting the details. Once confirmed, he nodded and said, "Nice work, Prime Minister Aiba. I know I gave you just ten days—must've been tough pulling this together in time."
"You flatter me, Your Majesty. If not for your trust and promotion, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Sensai's tone was full of conviction, his demeanor respectful and steady.
Regardless of what he truly thought inside, he played the part of a loyal subordinate exceptionally well. Time and again, he delivered results that exceeded Ryo's expectations.
"I only gave you a platform to stand on," Ryo replied, shaking his head, clearly not interested in lingering on that topic. "So—how are things going with the secret agreement involving the Three Primogenitors?"
He was referring to the plan for military technology sharing with the three Demon Empires. It had been a bold, even outrageous idea—to let the Dawn Empire, which started with virtually nothing, freeload off centuries of magi-tech development from the Primogenitors.
When Ryo first proposed it, it shocked nearly everyone.
But he knew: as long as the opportunity to access Little Garden was on the table, the Three Primogenitors wouldn't turn him down.
Sure enough, Sensai gave a strange expression and explained, "The main framework is settled. We expect to fully absorb the technology within two years."
Itogami Island had always been strong in research—especially in magi-related tech. So, even though the military advancements of the Primogenitor Empires were beyond impressive, Itogami's labs could still crack the code.
Most notably, the Technical Development Bureau led by Asagi Aiba stood out.
Ryo had essentially copied over an "evil science department" straight out of Bleach and put Asagi in charge—despite heavy objections. And recently, her results had been outstanding.
For example: she'd cracked and partially reproduced a Deva Artifact—originally just a transport unit from the War era, but with surprising resistance and combat potential.
Clustered together, these units could reach six-digit combat power, with the potential to threaten five-digit opponents. In the Strike the Blood universe, that was high-tier weaponry.
But in Little Garden? These would be essential tools to shore up [No Name]'s weak front-line power.
Ryo recalled something he'd heard: "The North Area is already working on large-scale magical machinery to fight Demon Lords. Some say their strongest units can rival even four-digit beings."
Clearly, there was still a long way to go in the research department.
Ryo nodded and said, "Asagi really is something else. I feel a lot more at ease having her handle this."
At that, Sensai couldn't help but mutter, "Well, you say that, but she's been calling me nonstop lately—complaining about all the overtime and how she doesn't even have time to go on a date."
Ryo blinked, then burst out laughing.
"So that's her way of dropping a hint, huh?"
"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll make time for her this afternoon."
"That'd be ideal. I'm too old to deal with her whining," Sensai joked with a chuckle. After wrapping up the remaining tasks, he stood, bowed, and took his leave to return to his own work.
Once he was gone, Ryo let out a long breath and slumped deeper into the couch.
"Avrora, give me a massage. My head's been overworked lately…"
Moments later, a pair of cool, soft hands began gently pressing his temples.
Feeling the touch, Ryo raised an eyebrow, then reached up to catch one of the hands.
"That technique doesn't feel like Avrora's…"
When he looked up, he was greeted by a familiar face—childish, arrogant, and full of mischief.
It was still Avrora's face… but the personality behind it could only be Cyrora.
Surprised, Ryo said, "Wow. You know how to give massages now?"
"Live long enough, and you pick up a few tricks," Cyrora replied flatly, pulling her hand back, only to continue the massage anyway.
"You still planning to leave No. 10 and No. 12 behind?" she asked while working on his head.
She was referring to the two familiars Ryo intended to leave behind in this world for protection.
No. 10 was meant to gradually win over Glenda, who still carried Cain's legacy. And No. 12 was a pure deterrent.
Ryo had sealed a portion of his Cosmo into No. 12, giving it sustained combat ability on par with a Sixth Sense Silver Saint—enough to fight for a full week straight.
That was his last-resort insurance. He'd only unleash it in true emergencies.
For daily matters, either Cyrora or Avrora alone could easily control a familiar strong enough to keep everything in check.
After all, the Fourth Primogenitor wasn't called the strongest for nothing—especially not when directly controlled by the original soul. Just Cyrora alone could crush the underwhelming Kojou from the original story.
The Cosmo was just Ryo being cautious.
When Cyrora brought up No. 10 and No. 12, he nodded. "Yeah, just those two. The rest, I plan to take with me. Who knows? We might stumble across some unexpected benefits."
"How soon are you leaving?" Cyrora suddenly asked.
"Probably in the next few days…"
As he answered, Ryo suddenly froze. He could feel two sharp little fangs brushing against his neck—trying to pierce his skin and drink his blood.
Anywhere else, he might've questioned Cyrora's intent.
But not in Strike the Blood.
Here, when a vampire bites you, it only means one thing.
"You... you've been eyeing my blood this whole time, haven't you?"
"Relax your neck and let me have one bite. Just one. Avrora got to drink, and I didn't. That's not fair. Just one sip, come on…"
Cyrora's eyes glinted with a mix of playful malice and something deeper—an urge she'd clearly been holding back.
Ryo sighed. "You're impossible…"
He let down his guard, allowing her to bite. A soft, contented swallowing sound followed.
Just then, a spatial ripple appeared in the room, and Natsuki suddenly blinked into view—only to stop dead in her tracks at the scene.
"...My bad. Carry on."
She started backing out awkwardly.
Ryo, however, patted the sofa beside him and said, "You're just in time. You were going to report on the alert squads, right? Sit here and fill me in."
"...Seriously?"
Natsuki looked from Cyrora —who still had her fangs sunk into Ryo's neck—to the man himself, and groaned. "You want to hear a report now? Of all times? What's wrong with you?"
"Look, I'm still willing to listen and help make decisions. In a few days, everything will have to be handled remotely, remember?"
With a deep sigh, Natsuki sat down beside him, pulled out her paperwork, and got to it.
And so the room was filled with a strange symphony: the back-and-forth of administrative talk… and the cute, greedy sucking of a satisfied vampire.
Time slipped by quietly, until the day finally came—Ryo's day to return.
To Little Garden.
.
.
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