WE entered into a sudden truce with that Tsukiharu brat. It was actually only a verbal agreement added to our promise to share valuable information, meaning we won’t be letting down our guard around him. The truce allowed me to focus on completing my work for the Shiranui Family and finally drop by the mansion Azusa lives in. I hadn’t dropped by the mansion since the day Ichi found Azusa sleeping in Kouya’s room. It felt like forever since I last stopped by.
I went first thing in the morning, because I wanted to see Ichi as soon as possible. I arrived at 5:30 a.m. I unlocked the entrance and slowly opened the door. I assumed no one would be up this early, but my expectations were betrayed in the best way.
There she stood in the hallway seen from the lounge I had entered. Her quick gait sent her usually tightly tied back hair swaying. I’m always captivated by how she keeps her posture perfect to the T, even in the wee hours of the morning.
Now that I had her in my sights, I couldn’t let her go without greeting her, “Hitoka!”
She turned, her tight ponytail fluttering behind her with the movement.
Are those eggs in her hand? And why is she wearing an apron?
“Subaru? How many times, may I ask, have I requested you not to call me by my real name?”
“My bad. But it looks like it’s just us here right now. No problem in saying it now, right? You look cute today too,” I complimented with a grin.
“There is no hope for you,” my beloved returned with a laugh.
She’s cute. She is always so mature, which makes her youthful smile all the more tantalizing.
“While I may be cute, you will lose your chance at love if you continue to use those lines on your younger sister.”
I deeply resented the fact she is my younger sister by adoption.
I, Subaru Shiranui, am in love with Hitoka Shiranui.
And I have been since the day it was decided the Shiranui Family would take me in…
“You’re up early today, Ichi. Or are you always up at this time?” I asked to change the topic from who I love—I didn’t want to lie to her about it. The eggs she held caught my curiosity.
“I guess I am. Lately, I have been making breakfast with Azusa, which has me getting up around this time every morning.”
“You are cooking?”
“Don’t be rude, Subaru. You just thought I cannot cook, didn’t you? Not that you are wrong, but I believe I have become decent at it recently. Azusa is a good teacher.”
“Cool. I bet you will make a great wife someday. Would you be willing to cook me breakfast sometime?”
“For you, Subaru, I would cook anytime. Oh, would you like to eat with us today? I believe we can still add extra for more people at this stage,” Ichi happily suggested.
“I would love to,” I accepted with a grin.
Ichi nodded merrily and turned on her heel toward the kitchen. I followed her from behind.
Ichi is cute in an apron too, I casually thought, just as that scene suddenly unfolded before my eyes.
My best friend opened his mouth and made a cute, “Aah,” sound as he was fed.
My brain stopped working at the absurd scene I was witnessing. On the other side of the open kitchen door, Azusa was feeding Kou. You know, the act where couples lovingly feed each other? Their case was a one-sided feeding, not feeding each other, but my eyes met with Kou’s as he bent down to take a bite of some freshly baked sweet Azusa was holding.
Did he just nibble on her fingertip?
“A very good morning to you,” the shock got me greeting them like we were in some 1920’s period piece.
“You’re here?” is all Kou said with his trademark lack of expression. I could read the unspoken question of, “Why do you look so surprised?” from his pose.
“Azusa!” Ichi, having a hard time stomaching the situation, jumped in to chide Azusa, “Is that not the dessert meant to be eaten after breakfast? We will run out before we even get a chance to eat it like we did last time because you continue giving it to Kouya!”
“Don’t worry! I’ve been making extra just for Kouya lately!”
“You have been? As for you, Kouya, either quit snacking on our food before it is ready and help out, or go somewhere with Subaru!” she demanded in a foul mood.
She said they ran out before, which probably means this keeps happening… My thoughts were interrupted again because I spotted Kou quietly whispering in Azusa’s ear.
“Does tonight work for you?”
Whoa, that’s far enough!
Azusa bashfully nodded.
What the heck happened between them? Something had to have happened! I just know it! What should I do if they crossed the proverbial line?! Not that there’s anything to be done about it, but still!
I grabbed Kou’s collar when he came my way at Ichi’s insistence. I didn’t want to get into a brawl with him or anything like that, but I had to take action after what I had witnessed.
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go to my room. It’s good to have a chat like the best friends we are.”
“Chat about what? You can just say it here.”
“I don’t think this is a very good spot to talk about it!”
I yanked Kou by the collar, leaving him no other choice but to be dragged into my room. I got him to sit on the couch, a skeptical scowl on his face.
I lowered my voice and cut to the chase, “What happened?”
“What are you talking about? Explain so I can understand what’s going on here.”
“Did something happen between you and Azusa?”
“……”
“……”
“…Nothing happened.”
“Say so immediately then! You’re a lost cause as a liar! What the heck was that earlier? I thought I was daydreaming when I saw you being lovingly fed! And what was with that whole, ‘does tonight work for you?’ line? What’re you planning on doing with her tonight? Don’t tell me you’ve crossed that line!”
“There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“I’ll believe you! I can believe you, right?! It’s true I jokingly asked if you were in love with her before, but it’s okay for me to believe you have no such feelings for her, yeah?!”
“…I don’t.”
“Then don’t pause before you answer! How terrible of a liar can you be?”
My shoulders shook with heavy breathing and I collapsed back into the couch.
I get the feeling I’ve picked up on the situation here. In other words, it’s that—something like love. I knew it, was all I could think.
I had a hunch this would happen sooner or later. I want nothing more than for them to find happiness together. My best friend is skilled at letting go of happiness. It would be a very happy moment for me if he tried to become happy—if he desired to find happiness.
“So? What was your little whisper about?”
“……”
“If you don’t answer me, I’ll seriously take it as you’re going into her room to make love!”
“……”
“Anybody home?” I quipped at his silence.
“…I’m getting blood.”
“Huh?”
“Like I said, I’m getting blood from her,” Kou snapped.
I finally understood what was going on. The first words out of my mouth were, “Glad to hear it.”
Some years after we became friends I asked him, “Why don’t you drink blood?”
Kou forced a bitter smile as he said, “I can’t drink blood.” After he said that, he told me a bit about his past. At the end of his story, he smiled and said, “After enduring the regular impulses to drink for years, the thirst stopped altogether.”
He was shortening his own life. I could instinctively tell. A vampire refusing to drink blood is no different from a human committing suicide by refusing to eat and drink.
He was stronger and more feared than anyone else, yet he was chiseling away at his lifespan that should have been longer than most. He had accepted his fate. He once told me with a smile, “I don’t mind dying sooner.”
Kou hadn’t let go of his life yet, but he wasn’t attached to it either. I punched him more than once for the way he wasted his life. No matter how much I yelled and punched him, his stance never changed.
“It’s inevitable because I can’t get the blood down.”
How many times has he frustrated me by brushing everything under the rug with that one line?
The first thought that came to mind when I heard he drank Azusa’s blood during the fight with Tsukiharu was to make her his contractor. Of course, I always thought she should contract with someone to make the task of guarding her easier, but Kou was never on my list. However, things changed once he actually drank her blood. I planted the idea in her head, resulting in a contract between them. But Kou still chose not to drink her blood.
I honestly gave up for real this time. I couldn’t force it on him.
Kou’s life must have been miserable enough for him to never get attached to living.
And then this happened on the precipice of me giving up for good.
I couldn’t stop myself from punching him in the head. I hit him the same way he always hits me.
“Ow,” he groaned with a disgruntled look.
“Good for you,” I said.
“…Yeah,” he said with a slight nod.
I ruffled the hair on his head. And then it hit me.
“You haven’t gone on a wild rampage, right? You went crazy the first time you drank Azusa’s blood, didn’t you? Does that mean you are taking it in moderation?” I asked.
Kou lightly shook his head. “I probably won’t go on a rampage with her blood now. It’s a completely different quality blood from the lab sample.”
“Completely different? You mean you drank someone else’s blood at the laboratory then?”
“No. I got a different feeling when I drank her blood during the fight with Tsukiharu too. The flavor doesn’t change, but it’s like the quality does.”
“So the quality and nature of her blood changes depending on the time and situation? We’ve just stumbled on a monumental discovery here. Guess we should expect as much from the Ancient’s blood.”
“Subaru, I’m sure you already know this, but—”
“I know. I won’t report back on this. The most likely candidate for our third enemy is the nobles in the higher positions of power in our coven right now. I won’t do anything thoughtless.”
The look of relief on Kou’s face probably came from concern for Azusa. I could tell he was trying to decrease the chance of her being put in harm’s way and decided to have a little fun with him.
“All right, shall we exchange love stories now, Kou?” I laughed.
He punched me through the wall, leaving me to moan in pain with a look of utmost disgust as he left the room.