Chapter 6

His heart was beating like crazy, although this situation really didn’t call for it. He would be her minion at this rate. Even if minions weren’t just plain slaves, and serving a master was an honorable profession, he still hated that this would decide the course of the rest of his life. “Oh, you’re quite salty. Have you been sweating? Oh, not that I’m complaining, of course.” The archbishop’s tongue trailed up his arm as she spoke, and he felt more of her weight on him. Was that her chest pressing against him? And since she was wearing the priestess outfit, her chest was being exposed quicker than anything else. I say exposed, but all I can see is her gym outfit… Wait, why is this turning me on…? W-wait! I’ve heard of a priestess fetish, and I’ve heard of gym uniform fetish, but I’ve never heard of seeing-a-gym-uniform-through-the-priestess-robes fetish! Is that even a thing?! Is that too specific?! Ryouta tried to shake his head in protest—he wasn’t that kind of pervert!—but his body wouldn’t move. It was the drugs. There was only one future he could see, and it would involve his blood getting sucked. But he hadn’t given up on hope yet. His (eventual) master was somewhere in this shrine! And as his master, Shiren Fuyukura was obligated to save him—probably! She had apparently gone to walk the grounds, but she’d come back inside the hall once she noticed the commotion—probably! If they followed the rules of anime and manga—no, the universal rules of drama—then the hero would come in as he reached the line between life and death and save him—probably! “All right then, it’s time for me to have some of your blood now, I suppose. Ohhh, how long has it been since I’ve had fresh human blood!” I know this should be the other way around, but, Shiren, help me! Chomp. Alfoncina XIII dug her teeth into Ryouta Asagiri’s right arm and started sucking his blood. Wait, help wasn’t coming for him??? Shiren wasn’t here. She was probably lazily wandering around right about now. Now that things had come to this, Ryouta really started panicking. Am I going to have to lead a second life as Alfoncina the Thirteenth’s minion…? Is that what the rules say…? But he couldn’t stand the idea. The odd mixture of pain and euphoria quickly enveloped him. Plainly speaking, it felt super-good! Really, super, incredibly good! His body was melting! Melting into fluff! Fluffy mush! “Doesn’t it feel good? Humans feel an overwhelming sense of euphoria when bitten by the Sacred Blooded. Plenty of gentlemen out there decided to become minions solely to experience this ecstasy.” He wasn’t totally clueless as to why someone would do that. The feeling was addictive. Wait, no, calm down. He’d never get home at this rate! “N-no, I already have someone in my heart I… O-Ouukkhha! Eee!” He tried calling out for Ouka, but he couldn’t. “Ohhhha! Oukyya! Ahhh, no! C-crap! Ah! Gahhh! Hrrrrg!” Ryouta clenched his teeth, somehow managing to keep his head and resist. From just his voice, it sounded as if he wasn’t thinking, only feeling, but that wasn’t the case at all. He could see the other side. And once he crossed over, there was no coming back. Like savoring sweet candy, the archbishop slowly bit into him. She bit then licked, licked then bit, over and over again. It was almost as though she knew doing it this way would put Ryouta in the most blissful state she could manage. “Does it feel that good? Then shall I try something on you that will make you feel even better once I completely make you my minion? …Oh dear, how embarrassing—never mind that one!” Her teeth pierced his skin again. At the same time, her nails dug into his other arm. It was as though she was trying to control him with both sensuality and torment, and more and more of Ryouta became the archbishop’s. Ryouta was losing the energy to fight back. There was probably some sort of paralyzing effect that was activated by a bite from the Sacred Blooded. “I think you should be my minion in about two minutes.” No, I can’t think anything anymore. I’m almost done for… Just when Ryouta was a bite away from giving in— “What are you doing, Archbishop?! Ryouta is mine!!!” —Shiren finally came back. “Oh dear, I’ve been found out.” The archbishop briefly stood and folded her hands toward Ryouta in a gesture of apology. Wait, that was it? She’d been biting him… “Alfoncina the Thirteenth is notorious for being the naughtiest archbishop in history. She’s also the one who set up the trap to drop a blackboard eraser and washtub on the Emperor during her coronation ceremony.” “Shouldn’t she be executed for that?” The archbishop giggled and scratched her head. Was this really the time…? “And I forgot that she’s the type to steal other people’s minions with a straight face… I bet she made up some random reason to make you her minion, like you’re a spy or something, didn’t she?” “Whoops, you got me!” “I know everything that goes on in that lewd mind of yours, Archbishop! Heh.” Shiren puffed out her nonexistent chest in pride, and Ryouta ever so slightly wanted to murder her. “If you knew everything, then you should’ve come to save me in time… She already bit me.” Shiren’s face went pale with shock. “It’s fiiine. I only bit him for a minute or so,” the archbishop reassured them. “O-okay… She can’t make you her total minion without a serious bloodsucking. Looking at you, it seems like she was only really nibbling at you, so you’ll be fine.” “Yes, only a nibble. You came back before I could get to the real biting.” Real biting? That sure felt like real biting to him. “But it’s clear he has the makings of a good minion. If you call him over with a very strong will, his minion power could pull him to you. Like, Sorry! Can you return my rental DVD?” “Do I only exist so you can avoid paying late fees? Do people even still rent DVDs around here?” “Anyway, you can’t do this anymore, Archbishop. If I grow up to be important one day, I’m throwing you in jail. And then I’ll call you by your real name for the rest of your life.” “N-no, anything but that!” The archbishop suddenly started bowing incessantly. She must really hate her name. “What’s her real name? Does she end up being cursed and controlled by whoever calls her by her true name or something?” “Matsuko Kimura.” “Wow, that was unexpected. And plain. And boring.” “Stop it! ‘Archbishop Matsuko Kimura’ just isn’t snappy! People will lose their faith! Just give me a break!” “Then never, ever do anything like this again. Okay, Ryouta, you can stand now, can’t you? Let’s go.” Shiren grabbed Ryouta’s hand and pulled him up. Wait, she didn’t pull my chain… Well, I guess this doesn’t hurt as much, so it’s fine with me. Ryouta staggered as he stood up. And her hand is weirdly warm… Nah, forget about it. “Hmm? What is it, Ryouta?” “…Uh, nothing.” Shiren’s arms then wrapped around him, as if she were desperately trying to steady a large pillar. “Huh?” “You are my minion. Even if someone else tries to drink from you, you’re still mine.” Shiren kept a tight grip on him, claiming her right over him. Ryouta was a little happy, but at the end of the day, he was still sad. In this country, he was an object. Even though he was no longer being targeted by every single woman, he was now seen as a thing that could be turned into a minion by every single Sacred Blooded. The archbishop was just one of many. And so was Shiren… “No one can replace Ryouta as my minion. Unlike you, Archbishop, I’m not okay with just anybody.” Shiren glared sternly at the archbishop. It was almost as though she was willing to face the consequences of disrespecting her. What…? Am I not an object to Shiren? “Fine. I won’t try anything for a week.” The archbishop smiled bitterly, acknowledging Shiren’s claim— Wait, one week is really short! Is she going to try to bite me again in a week?! Shiren tugged at his hand. “We’re going now.” “Right. Good-bye, Archbishop.” It was overall a terrible experience, but Ryouta respectfully bowed his head. She was still a person of authority. “Buh-byeeee. Oh, Shiren, that’s right. Your next inspection is soon.” “…Yeah, right.” Shiren looked just a smidge unhappy to Ryouta. Inspection? Who’s coming for that? “Got it?! You are not to let anyone but me bite you! Not even Her Majesty herself!” Shiren yelled at him the whole way home, only she was angry like a girl who’d caught her partner cheating. “I know. But she really knew what she was doing; I don’t think I could have gotten out of it… But still, thank you…” “Huh?” Shiren’s expression went blank. “You said I was irreplaceable. I could tell you would honestly treasure me as your minion, unlike the archbishop.” He had been thinking about running the moment he got his chance, but it might not be all terrible to stick around with Shiren, he thought. Not expecting the gratitude, Shiren froze. “Wha—?! O-obviously, this is exactly what a master…is supposed to do! I’m… I’m glad to see you’ve finally recognized my greatness, Ryouta—” “But I guess it could be fun serving the archbishop. Still, she goes to the same school as us, so maybe I can just call her Alfoncina. I mean, she’s gorgeous.” “Oh-ho. Is that a challenge, Ryouta? I’ll bend you if you say that again.” Shiren bent a finger in a direction it was not meant to bend. Ryouta’s finger, to be precise. “Owwwwwwwwwwwwwowowowowow! You’re not bending anything, you’re breaking it! Stop!” “Hmph! I was a fool to have believed you! You will make the most delicious dinner for me once we get home! At least serve me as my minion!” Then the text notification went off on Ryouta’s phone. In an effort to avoid getting homesick, he’d been making sure not to stop to look at his texts when they came in. Even though he’d texted his family to let them know he couldn’t come home, he hadn’t sent anything to his classmates. He was probably getting worried messages— TITLE: To the Greatest Ryouta MESSAGE: Dearest Ryouta, I am very, very, very, very, very worried about you, since you aren’t able to come to school. If you can’t come tomorrow, I will have to hole up in a temple and perform every incantation I know. How is life in Akinomiya? If possible, I would like to kill the vampire attached to your hip—beating, poisoning, punching, slicing, all of the above—but all forms of transportation in are cut off, so I can’t enter the country. To think that while we were innocently living our lives, a vampire was suddenly attacking you in the shrine…! Please forgive me for being so powerless. I will take all the relatives of the vampire that tried to rape you, from her grandparents to grandchildren, and throw them into the crimson flames of hell. Every last one of them! I will soon be by your side! Yours truly, Kiyomizu Jouryuuji It was unclear how she knew what was happening just a few moments ago. He hadn’t even mentioned he was in Akinomiya… Ryouta vowed to double-check that the Fuyukura household wasn’t bugged when they got home.