“HERE you go, mackerel simmered in miso,” Azusa said placing the simmered miso mackerel, freshly cooked white rice, and simple vegetable soup in front of Tsukiharu.
“You’re a good cook, huh, Azusa? Thanks. I look forward to trying it.”
“I didn’t make it for you, but go ahead and eat it.”
Azusa and Tsukiharu were sitting in a large stone building adjacent to the church. The building had been used either as housing for nuns or as an orphanage at one point. It had been gorgeously remodeled into a two-story, stately manor equipped with a basement and modern amenities. They sat across from each other eating at a dining table in the kitchen.
“I’m such a lucky guy to get to eat your home cooking.”
“I merely cooked for myself because I didn’t think my stomach could withstand eating rich full course meals three times a day, every day.”
Three days quickly passed since Azusa was brought to the church. The silver-haired man, known as Shiro, controlled servants with fleas to cook and tend to their every need. Each meal they prepared was luxurious enough to be mistaken for three-star Michelin French cuisine. The rich, hearty full-course meals were served three times a day, regardless of whether they had an appetite.
Azusa endured the food at first, but the bare thread holding her patience together finally snapped on the third day of recurring heartburn and indigestion. She snatched the ingredients and kitchenware from the servants and set about cooking for herself over an hour ago. The mackerel meant to be cooked as meunière, was instead simmered in miso paste. The vegetables meant for some grand white sauce sauté were stewed. She wrapped up the freshly baked bread and stored it in the freezer for later—rice and soup replaced it.
“But I’m happy you made some for me as well. Thank you.”
“Even you eat food like a normal person, right? I just had extra to spare.”
“Yeah. This is nice. It feels like we’re a family,” he smiled, sipping at his soup. Azusa thought he looked like an ordinary high school student when he smiled that way.
Tsukiharu cheerfully ate several bites of his food before he noticed another set of dishes at their table. “Oh, you made some for Shiro too? Thank you. But he won’t eat with us.”
“I only made extra because I thought it would be weird to make you some and not do the same for the silver-haired guy. It’s fine if you leave it. I’ll just eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.”
Tsukiharu stared at the extra mackerel sitting in the pot. “I’ve invited him to eat with me several times, and he still won’t. I was kinda lonely. So I’m happy I’ve had the chance to eat with you lately.”
“I see.” Azusa averted her eyes from his smile. She wanted to show she had zero interest in getting any friendlier with him.
“Oh dear. You didn’t pity me after hearing that? You didn’t think, ‘he doesn’t have anybody to eat with. Poor thing’? You didn’t sympathize with me at all?” Tsukiharu purred, further rubbing Azusa the wrong way.
“…I did not. Someone who is really hurting wouldn’t jest about it.”
“I see. How philosophical of you.”
“……” The way he mocked her irked Azusa.
Tsukiharu smiled as if to say not to be angry with him. “Sorry for poking fun at you. But I really am happy. Thank you, Azusa.”
“……”
“Now that I think about it, weren’t you brought up in a normal household?”
“You weren’t?”
“The only person to ever escape the laboratory was the woman pregnant with you. The Blue Coven lab rats secretly transferred the person who gave birth to me to another facility. I was born and raised in that facility. I never met my parents or had a home. All I’ve ever known are people in white lab coats and the cold sanitized four walls of my room. That’s why I’m a little envious you know what it’s like to have a family.”
“…I see,” Azusa responded, a little choked up. Tsukiharu’s gloomy face instantly blossomed into a brilliant smile.
“Did you sympathize with me this time?” he beamed.
“…You’re sick.” Azusa was ashamed of herself for sympathizing with him a little. Agitated, she glared at him, only to get a full view of his unconcerned expression.
“Anything works for me. Sympathy, anger, hatred. Obviously, nothing compares to love, but I’ll take any emotion that will make you stay with me.”
“You’re crazy.”
“You think so? But I haven’t once lied to you. I’m just desperate.”
“Because you don’t want to die?”
“Yeah…that’s a part of it,” Tsukiharu mumbled vaguely.
That’s not all of it then? Azusa wondered.
BANG! The window shattered into a hundred fragments. The room filled with flames. The flames spread between Azusa and Tsukiharu as if to separate them on purpose.
“A Molotov cocktail? I’m someone who’s about to become a vampire!” Tsukiharu yelled, covering his mouth with his sleeve to avoid inhaling the billowing smoke.
At the same time, someone yanked on Azusa’s arm. The momentum pulled her to the chest of the person who grabbed her before she could even scream.
“Kouya?!”
“…Don’t talk. You’ll inhale the smoke.” Kouya swiftly raised his arm. The flames followed the movement of his arm and assaulted Tsukiharu, swallowing him whole in a matter of seconds. Another glass shattered and the flames tripled in size.
“Let’s go.”
Kouya tossed Azusa over his shoulder and jumped out the broken window.