ONE week passed since Azusa’s confinement within the vampire-owned mansion. She quickly adjusted to daily life there. At first, she worried what her life would be like, but as long as she had Ichi with her she could do almost anything within the mansion grounds without getting in trouble. Anything she asked Ichi for would be prepared immediately and brought to her by the next day at the latest. All things considered, they treated her well.
As such, she took it on herself to handle all her own cleaning, laundry, and cooking. Ichi constantly tried to stop her, informing her that the servants were there to handle those tasks, but Azusa would be bored to death if she let them do everything for her. She would be so bored she wouldn’t know what to do with herself. Upon hearing that, Ichi gave up with a smile and let her do what she wanted. Azusa felt guilty, but extremely grateful.
She took full advantage of her freedom to bake sweets again today.
“You are a fantastic cook,” Ichi commented, watching from where she stood near Azusa.
Azusa tilted her head, closely examining one of the freshly baked cookies in her right hand. “You think so? I often bake sweets rather than buy them because it’s much cheaper. You can make a lot of icebox cookies at once and save them in the freezer for whenever you feel like eating them again later. I always bake more when I run out. Anyone can make cookies; all you do is mix ingredients together after all. Want to try making some with me, Ichi?”
“No, I…” Ichi mumbled, not finishing her reason for saying no.
“Ah…” Azusa muttered, remembering what happened the other day.
Two days ago Ichi had offered to help Azusa bake sweets, resulting in her launching pie dough onto the ceiling, burning apples into sweet little piles of char, and over boiling sugar until it turned to molten rock—they were trying to bake an apple pie.
“I’m sorry. I have never cooked anything until now,” Ichi finally squeezed out.
“D-Don’t worry about it! Let’s begin with something simple next time!”
“Okay. Please guide me through the steps when the time comes.”
“Sure! I’m looking forward to it too.”
Azusa and Ichi bowed their heads at the same time. Azusa felt like she had established a good relationship with Ichi over the past week. However—
“By the way, Ichi, when can I see Dad again?”
“About that…”
Ichi would never give her a clear answer to this question.
“I do not know when either. I have put in a request to see him for the time being…” Ichi said evasively.
✦ ✦ ✦
Both her not knowing anything and having put in a request were probably true, but Azusa couldn’t escape the feeling she was hiding something from her.
“Is that so? I baked some cookies for Dad too. Can you give them to him for me? Along with this letter,” Azusa requested, handing Ichi some wrapped cookies and a letter.
They had decided in advance which days she would bake sweets and have a portion brought to her father. In return, Ichi always returned with a letter written in her father’s terrible handwriting. He typically confined his letter to one page detailing his current situation and heartfelt apology. She kept it a secret that she felt how much he loved her from his constant apologies, despite finding them unnecessary after a week.
“Sure. In that case, I will deliver this to his handler. Please do not move from here while I am away, Azusa.”
“Thank you,” Azusa said and watched Ichi leave the kitchen. It suddenly dawned on her—she was all alone now.
This wasn’t the first time she had asked Ichi to deliver sweets and a letter to her father. It was Ichi who always brought her sweets to the handler who directly delivered it to her father. But whenever she left, another person came to take her place—no one came today.
“Is this a sign they have started to trust me?”
Trust I won’t run away.
Azusa had no intentions of running away. She went running several times with Ichi over the past week, during which she confirmed Ichi wasn’t human from how she kept up with her full-speed run without breaking a sweat. She was still dubious about the people around her being vampires, but she had no choice but to believe they weren’t human when they kept showing off inhuman athleticism.
Azusa didn’t have enough confidence in herself to escape from someone who ran laps around her without tiring. And she didn’t want to destroy the trust they built up so far when she knew she couldn’t succeed in escaping. Thus, running away wasn’t an option Azusa was considering.
“I wonder if Dad will be happy with my cookies.” She imagined her father accepting the cookies. She baked his favorite ginger cookies this time. She was convinced he would like them.
Azusa no longer felt the same irritation she had when she first heard everything from Subaru. She wanted to hurry up and apologize for asking such a cruel question as, “Was I ever a daughter to you?” But their current circumstances didn’t allow her to.
Since Ichi still wasn’t back yet, she went ahead and brewed the coffee she was planning on drinking with her when she returned. Just as she took a seat at the table to enjoy her drink, she spotted a butterfly. Her vision blurred when the blue fluttering wings passed in front of her.
Did its scales get in my eyes? She thought, rubbing her eyes. She glimpsed something vaguely in the air. She heard voices as well.
“…Poor guy.”
“But isn’t it his own fault? If they’re going to kill him anyway, the least they can do is let him see his daughter one last time. Hasn’t he been saying how much he wants to see her?”
“Miss Azusa wants to see her dad too. At this rate, he’ll be killed before they see each other again.”
“It’s the end for him once the court of inquiry begins. No doubt Miss Azusa’s father will be killed.”
Through the vague image she saw in the air she made out three of the servants whom had been caring for her at the mansion.
“Dad is going to be killed?”
She overheard them discussing how he was going to be killed at the upcoming court of inquiry.
I have to save Dad!
She acted on a reflex—Azusa dashed off, not once stopping to think if the image she witnessed was real. The blue butterfly fluttered toward the door and disappeared as if it were sucked inside. Azusa followed behind it. She flung the door open and burst through it.