Chapter 14: A Certain Way to Refuse an Absurd Request

The three of us headed to a shopping mall in the neighboring town.

It was one of the few places around here where you could find everything you needed—and also one of the rare hangouts aimed at young people.

As soon as we got out of the car in the parking lot, I turned to Hikari with a question.

"...The sun's blazing. Are you really okay?"

We'd left home late, and the sun was now directly overhead.

It was hot—too hot even for something you'd call proper summer weather. Just standing still was enough to make sweat pour out.

Of course, being on a concrete surface that soaks up heat didn’t help either.

But vampires are generally supposed to be weak to sunlight.
So I couldn’t help but worry—could Hikari really handle this?

Then, Hikari stuck just her hand out of the car window.

"...Yeah, I should be fine with this much. Looks like the sunblock... is working."

"As long as you’re sure."

"I heard about it from Yosuke, but you’ve really got it rough too, Hikari-kun. Maybe it’s because your skin’s so pale—almost albino?"

"Hmph... My devastating beauty is such a burden..."

Leaving aside the dumb stuff she was saying...

That “sunblock”...

That was Hikari’s answer to my unspoken question—“How can a vampire walk around in broad daylight?”

Of course, that was just a convenient term. It wasn’t anything like actual sunscreen.

It was apparently more like a barrier, coating her whole body in a thin layer of light-based magic to neutralize sunlight.

And Hikari was the only vampire who could do that.

She said it was a special technique only she could pull off because she’d once wielded the power of light as a hero—and had mastered how to control it.

"But it burns through magic fast, so I might end up being a burden to Yosuke..."

Heave-ho.

With that little sound, she stepped out of the car and tottered over next to me, then whispered quietly.

She was wearing the same oversized tracksuit as last night, but her long silver hair was tied back into a ponytail.

At a glance, she looked like some sporty girl from overseas.

That outfit was actually Mom’s idea—figuring that even if we didn’t have proper clothes to shop for clothes in, at least Hikari wouldn’t stand out too much like this.

"Don’t worry about it. I promised, didn’t I?"

"Yosuke, you’re the best! So generous!"

Honestly, it was no big deal for me.

If it meant Hikari could move around freely like this, instead of being cooped up all day, that was obviously better.

"...But just don’t go for my neck, okay?"

"Aww, boo..."

"What are you two doing? Let’s get going already, okay?"

Just then, Mom called out, fanning herself with her hand.

...Yeah, she was right. No point standing around chatting in this blazing heat.

We nodded and left the parking lot together.

Once inside the mall, the place was packed, but the air-conditioning was pleasantly cool.

Thanks to that, my sweat quickly dried.

It felt like paradise in here... which was great, but—

"First, let’s check out some underwear for Hikari-kun. It'll be inconvenient to try on clothes without any, after all."

"…Then I’ll just go kill time at the bookstore or something. Let me know when you’re done."

As soon as Mom said that, I tried to make a smooth exit.

But someone grabbed my arm and held me in place.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

It was Hikari.

She clung to me with her big ruby eyes, pleading like a lost puppy.

"Yosuke, come with me?"

"No no no. That’s definitely something you two should handle alone! I’m out!"

Then, the way she looked at me suddenly changed.

It was the jitome—that flat, half-lidded glare.

As if I were some cruel traitor, she stared at me with resentment, like I’d just betrayed her trust.

"You said you’d come with me and keep watch…!"

"That was about clothes! This is on a whole different level!"

The women's underwear section.

It was… a certain kind of place for a normal male high school student.

Even just passing nearby made me instinctively avert my eyes.

I mean, it’s not like anything’s in them, so staring probably isn't a moral offense or anything, but...

Yeah.

It’s… that.

That’s really the only way to describe it—that kind of place.

So much so that your vocabulary shuts down from secondhand embarrassment alone.

And now I’m being asked to "keep watch" there?

If I were to run into a girl from my class or something, that would be socially fatal.
Even if it’s technically not against the rules, I’d be done for.

It was such an absurd demand, I almost screamed right there in public.

"I'm embarrassed too, you know..."

Then, on the verge of tears, Hikari spoke.

To anyone passing by, it probably looked like I was bullying an innocent girl.

…Well, to be fair, everything I just said also applies to Hikari, who is technically still a guy, so I do get where she's coming from.

But even so, right now, she looks like a girl.

Unlike me, she wouldn't be getting any weird stares from strangers.

"Please, just let me off the hook... I’ll do anything to make it up to you."

Knowing I’d betrayed her expectations, I bowed my head.

"Oh, really? If you’ll do anything, then I guess I’ll forgive you."

Suddenly, Hikari’s expression brightened completely.

…What happened to the teary eyes from a second ago?

…I got played.

And by the time I realized it, it was already too late—

In the end, I wasn’t released until I nodded in agreement to the condition she laid out.