Yukihime was a great leader, who had formed a highly efficient and well-organized group from scratch, by herself, to fight the widespread injustice in [Fumetsu].
Despite being the founder of [New Dawn], they were more than autonomous, capable of acting without her constant presence. In fact, during the leaders' meetings, she was the quietest and most inactive, except on certain occasions.
What was the reason for this choice? Simple: the vampire had lived for over two centuries and had seen many things.
Groups of [mages] and [esper], too centralized around a single leader, ended up having only two fates: they either self-destructed or were torn apart by external forces once their central figure was lost.
Therefore, the woman had chosen to rely on a more democratic system, composed of multiple heads, to manage everything so that someone capable could continue her work if she were to die.
In [New Dawn], besides being the founder and the one with the most raw power, Yukihime served as a figure who instilled confidence in those beneath her.
Almost half of them had agreed to oppose the [Black and White Corps], solely because they knew they would have a [Omega mage] on their side.
But if she were to fall, would many leave the group out of fear? The answer was no.
She had lived long enough to know that once a revolutionary or rebellious feeling was born, it was rarely suppressed by the death of a single individual.
But what if the worst happened, if Yukihime fell? Hoshi, Jun, Izumi, and Mitsuru would turn her into a martyr, to push even more people to oppose Goto and his accomplices.
Besides being a good leader, capable of planning scenarios after her death, she was also many other things.
As already mentioned, she was a [mage] at the top of the food chain, with few chosen ones who were even remotely comparable in terms of power. Despite this, she lacked the pride, madness, bloodthirst, or arrogance typical of those at her [Rank].
She was an exception. Normally, behavior typical of someone at such a level would be more like Veronica's than Yukihime's.
Her lack of negative traits was due to her kind and compassionate heart.
She had never forgotten what it meant to be weak and alone, so she naturally felt anger when she saw innocent people suffering from injustices, as she had in the past.
She couldn't help but help anyone she met along her way, even if often this did not benefit her—in fact, she often put herself in danger for the greater good without ever asking for anything in return.
She was a heroine in many people's hearts. The evil she had faced over the years had never corrupted her. People like Goto, unfortunately, were more common than they thought, and she had personally made sure to stop their malicious actions many times—so many she had lost count.
Despite Yukihime not being human, she was still a person; despite her vampiric nature, she was capable of making mistakes or poor choices.
Now, she had to face the consequences of one such mistake—specifically, having benched Hajime after his last mission.
"We should kill him, Yukihime-sama! We can't let him live; he knows too much! He's a threat to our cause!"
Hoshi, one of the heads of [New Dawn], was a 28-year-old woman with fiery hair like the sun and striking light blue eyes. She would have been highly sought after if she hadn't chosen this life, and if she didn't have a very short fuse. Her outbursts were as frequent as the waves of the sea.
Right now, her [magic] was spilling out of her body, raising the temperature of the room by many degrees.
"Hoshi, stay calm. You can't decide in a moment of fury whether to kill a teenager or not."
Jun, the second strongest member of [New Dawn] after Yukihime, was trying to calm her. Among all four, the 33-year-old was the most faithful supporter of the [Omega mage].
"I agree with Jun. I wouldn't want to give the order to kill a teenager unless it's our only choice!"
Izumi, like Yukihime, was very dedicated to not shedding more blood than necessary in their war against Goto, especially if it involved a young boy.
"We have to do it! He was about to speak! We don't know if he's a Goto spy! He might already be—" (Hoshi)
"Yukihime-sama has already ensured that this isn't the case. Otherwise, he wouldn't be one of us. It's a fact that Kamijo-san made a mistake, but I believe it's pointless to kill someone so precious—" (Jun)
"He still remains suspicious in my eyes! I want real proof that he's not in cahoots with his stepfather!" (Hoshi)
Yukihime, who had been silent until now, decided to intervene.
"Hoshi, do my words not suffice? Even Fumio is sure that what he said is true. It's established that his hatred for Goto is as strong as that of many of us."
Hoshi glared angrily at the founder of [New Dawn], and Izumi and Jun immediately understood from how the room's temperature rose that her anger had reached a new level.
"Oh, is that so? Then why didn't you tell us what he did in his last mission? You kept it hidden! Don't try to say otherwise!" (Hoshi)
"It was irrelevant......." (Yukihime)
"No! It wasn't! The son of our worst enemy was about to reveal everything he knew about us, and you didn't tell us!? It was more important than anything else!" (Hoshi)
Hoshi was overreacting with her outburst; if Hajime had wanted to betray them, he would have done so less obviously, and by now, the entire organization would have the [Black Corps] on their heels.
But it was a fact—Yukihime had kept it hidden. It was a clear mistake; if she hadn't, her actions wouldn't have been doubted this way, and this fracture within the group wouldn't have occurred.
(I didn't say anything because I wanted to protect him!)
That was what Yukihime wanted to shout, but she didn't; she decided to let her silence speak for her.
She regretted being so harsh with Hajime, especially given the situation.
Maybe she had projected her father's image onto her son? Possible. She had demanded that the 17-year-old be a hero, ready to sacrifice everything for others, without even telling him. It was unfair and mean-spirited to punish him more for not living up to her standards than for his actual mistake.
"(How many mistakes have I made lately......)" (Yukihime)
"You're compromised, Yukihime-sama."
The one who broke the uncomfortable silence was the youngest of the [New Dawn] leaders: Mitsuru.
"No offense, but your personal feelings are interfering with your decisions, and we can't allow that........"
"Jun! You can't......!" (Mitsuru)
The reproach from Jun, directed at his young colleague, was stopped by the very person who had triggered all this.
"You're right. I just realized that now... I am not capable of making wise decisions when it concerns him. I apologize. I owe you all an explanation. Hoshi, what should Kamijou Hajime do to dispel your doubts about his reliability?"
The woman in question, emerging from her stunned state caused by Yukihime's apology, responded.
"He needs to kill a [Black Corps]. Not just any patrol member, but someone important and deserving of it!"
"Very well. I will inform Fumio. He will choose the target for the murder."