Chapter 11: Joining the Fight and Reunion

—The people of the Tohno family are not human.

A long time ago—so long ago it feels distant now—Akiha Tohno remembered her father teaching her that.
Back then, she merely felt that her father looked sad.
But thinking about it now, he must have been scared.

As the descendants of mixed-bloods, once the Tohno people's powers awaken, they cannot control them, and the gears of their humanity begin to spin out of control. No one can endure the collapse of the ego, where one is no longer oneself, and the people of Tohno are always short-lived.

And so, her father did that to Kohaku.
To satisfy nothing less than the primal desire to survive.

When Akiha learned what her father had done to Kohaku—when she learned the darkness of the Tohno family—she made her decision.

To act like a human being… until the very last moment.

She knew Kohaku was plotting something.
It was likely something that would bring about the downfall of the Tohno family.
She had vaguely sensed it ever since Kohaku offered her own blood to suppress Akiha’s mixed-blood impulses.

But Akiha accepted it.

From the day she took on the burden of her brother's life, it was decided that her lifespan would be shorter than others. Even if she could successfully control the mixed-blood ability that had manifested, she probably wouldn't last long, just like her father.

That's why she forcefully overruled her relatives' objections and brought her brother back to the Tohno house. She wanted to spend a short but peaceful time with her beloved brother while she was still human.

When she heard that a vampire was operating in Misaki Town, she immediately thought of —something—.

Many emotions welled up in her at that moment, but Akiba Tohno made a decision. She would do anything to protect the daily life where Shiki Tohno existed, yet—

"Ah..."

Warm, sticky red liquid splashed onto her hands.
The smell of blood stung her nose, and color drained from her face.
Her legs trembled like those of a newborn fawn.

She had prepared herself.
She understood this from the start.
As a mixed-blood, she was not a proper human being.

—And yet, I swore I would do anything to protect the daily life I share with Nii-san… and look at me now.

"...You are trembling, aren't you?"

Exhausted from overusing her ability, and despairing that she was simply going to be killed, Ciel—for reasons unknown—handed Akiha the rapier she had been using and, at the same moment, drove it deeply into her own right eye.

Even with the blade piercing her eyeball and exiting the opposite side of her head, Ciel spoke calmly to Akiha in a tone no different from soothing a child.

"It seems you are different from the vampire causing trouble in this town. You cannot kill a person."

Shink, Ciel pulled out the sword, and blood dripped from her eye, but the wound immediately began to regenerate.

"Goodbye, Akiha-san."

Winking with her uninjured eye, Ciel swiftly left.

Akiha watched her retreating figure in a daze.
Then she mulled over the words Ciel had spoken.

—Truly… how pathetic.

"Akiha-sama... are you injured?... Are you safe!?"

Kohaku finally rushed over from the edge of the courtyard, which had been reduced to a scorched earth. Triggered by her voice, the tension broke, and Akiha leaned against a nearby tree. Since she hadn't consumed Kohaku's blood tonight, she might need more than usual today.

"To immediately think of blood when I see Kohaku... I'm just like a vampire, aren't I?"

No, I am a Tohno, she corrected herself with self-deprecation. The word "vampire" made her suddenly recall the name of the person Ciel had mentioned.

"Tohno-kun is smitten with Yumizuka-san, but I suppose I'll meet her again and ask her..."

"Satsuki Yumizuka..."

"Eh?"

Satsuki Yumizuka. Akiba knew this name from the investigation before she brought her brother back to the Tohno house, where it had come up several times.

She was initially jealous because Satsuki was close to her brother, but since they weren't in a romantic relationship, Akiba hadn't strongly concerned herself with her. However, if this girl was to become the reason to destroy the daily life with her brother, Shiki Tohno, then she had to be eliminated.

"Heh, heheh... Kohaku, investigate Satsuki Yumizuka."

"Y-yes. But Akiha-sama, why...?"

Akiha's face, now an eerie smile, like a vengeful spirit, opened her mouth to address her perplexed attendant.

"Oh, it's decided. I'm going to eliminate that Joro-gumo (Spider Woman) clinging to my brother—"

Thus, Akiha Tohno entered the night of Misaki Town concerning the vampires.

Thanks to the sudden stop in Ciel-senpai's pursuit, I somehow managed to escape. But when I sensed the presence of the dead again and rushed to the scene, I encountered the worst executioner for all vampires, Arcueid Brunestud, and prepared for a confrontation.

However, Shiki rushed over, and we agreed that neither of us could defeat the vampire troubling Misaki Town alone. Since Arcueid-san also agreed, we followed her to the park, where we are now.

"Now, there are things I want to ask about Satsuki, but first, let's give Shiki a lecture about the [Dead]."

The weakness Arcueid-san showed a moment ago was gone, and she now spoke with an air of authority. It's said that beautiful women look good no matter what they do, and it's annoying how well it suits her.

"So, tell me, was that earlier one a vampire, too?"

Shiki, whom I hadn't seen in a while, hesitantly questioned Arcueid. A strange feeling surfaced when I looked at him, but fortunately, the vampiric impulse to bite his throat didn't appear.

But why is it? I can't help but notice his face. We hadn't been apart for that long, yet my gaze naturally focused on him, and I paid attention to his every move.

"No, that was just a subordinate. The [Enemy] increases them to accumulate power, so I just turned it back to dust."

"...Arcueid, what's the difference with a vampire? You haven't really explained, or rather, I haven't heard any of this."

"Ah, that's right. I haven't talked to Shiki about proper vampires, and Nrvnqsr was special."

Recalling this belatedly, she continued her explanation.

"The vampire that you humans imagine—one that sucks human blood, turns the victims into vampires, and is weak to the sun, like Satsuki."

Arcueid looked at me with meaningful red eyes. Shiki, too, turned his head nervously toward me, who was standing beside him.

Tension instantly filled the air between the three of us. Ugh... this is awkward. And Shiki looks like he's saying, "I trust you."

"Well, um. I haven't sucked blood from anyone besides Ciel-senpai... and I usually stick to blood packs."

I stated the honest truth. It's true that sometimes I feel an uncontrollable urge to attack people and suck their blood. Unconsciously, I've even stalked targets as if I were hunting prey.

Sometimes, I recall the taste of Ciel-senpai's blood with the sensation of having eaten a delicious meal. Ciel-senpai's blood, perhaps because she's a magus, was the finest taste... apart from the curry-soaked odor.

So, for now, I haven't done anything beyond accepting blood packs due to an autosuggestion.

"...It seems you aren't lying."

Arcueid said this after a brief pause. The tension finally lifted, but what would have happened if I had attacked someone and sucked their blood?

"So, when one is sucked directly by a vampire, the vampire's blood is transmitted. That makes them a familiar submissive to the vampire's will—you could call them a zombie, Shiki? That's what a [Dead] is."

"Wait, but what about Yumizuka?"

Shiki seems to have noticed my anomaly.

"This is where exceptions exist for everything. If one has high innate spiritual potential, they become a vampire immediately. But in Satsuki's case, it's frankly abnormal—a talent comparable to the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors."

Even though I am an anomaly myself, hearing this again really highlights just how absurd original-Satsuki was.

"So, let me ask you: is your [Parent] the Serpent?"

Her red eyes fixed on me. To Arcueid, Roa is only an object of hatred, and she ruthlessly pressures me, his progeny.

The pressure was tremendous; my stomach clenched, and I felt nauseous. Furthermore, the vampire consciousness inside my body threatened to surface, but I desperately held it back and answered the question.

"I don't know. I was suddenly bitten from behind, and when I realized it, I was like this."

"I am increasingly astounded. You've become independent without even seeing the face of your Parent, seriously."

Arcueid's awe at my absurdity dissolved the pressure again. Well, considering I could use a Marble Phantasm ability even more broken than original-Satsuki’s Reality Marble, even if it's a double-edged sword that pulls me toward the vampire side whenever I use it.

“My mind’s changed. Why don’t you become mine?”

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

As we were talking, I thought I heard an incomprehensible word. Uh, well, what exactly does that mean? I feel like I just heard a word that suggests the possibility of a "Yuri" moment (an intimate relationship between women).

"Arcueid... are you one of those, or is that a joke?"

Shiki asked Arcueid with a touch of exasperation.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shiki, but no. I'm asking if you'll become my familiar."

She instantly denied it, though she probably didn't understand the meaning of [those]. Wait, can she even do that? And if I became Arcueid's familiar, would [Black Len] be my senior...? A clumsy high school girl vampire being bossed around by a taciturn cat loli—that's quite surreal.

"If you make a contract with me, Roa's influence on you should decrease, and maybe I can recover a little of my power. See, two birds with one stone."

She even flashed a cheerful smile and leaned in. If I were a man, I would have been smitten, but since I transitioned (TSed) and am now a woman, I understand: that sunflower-like smile is the kind of trap meant to deceive foolish men, even if she's not aware of it herself. Also, for a contract, didn't I have to drink the True Ancestor's blood?

“Hey, are you refusing?”

I regretted instinctively backing away, but it was too late. My clearly negative attitude made me feel like the temperature in the park had dropped again. Why is she getting so angry over something so minor?!

"I, of all people, took a liking to Sacchin. Why don't you want to be mine?"

This whole thing is quite ridiculous. Besides, why is she so fixated on me? She's like a child. Wait, a child... If I think about it, the current Arcueid was essentially born after being killed by Shiki.

As the original Arcueid herself said, she may have the knowledge but lacks the experience, so her mental age might still be like a child's. However, as the one dealing with her, this is exhausting, but I should answer honestly.

"I'm happy you like me, but I can't accept being suddenly made into a familiar. And I don't know you well yet, Arcueid-san, so I'd like to start as friends."

"............"

The silence was heavy. Shiki, who had been ignored until now, was stunned, unable to follow the exchange. Arcueid looked not so much disappointed but surprised—freshly surprised.

"Friend? Friends, huh... Then, fine! Let's start with that, Satsuki!! Let me say it again: my name is Arcueid. Let's defeat the [Enemy] together first. Nice to meet you, Satsuki!!"

"Eh, oh, yes!? Nice to meet you too..."

She grabbed both my hands and shook them vigorously. She seemed to have gotten strangely attached, leaving me utterly confused.

"Ah, it's good that you've become friends, but can we get to the main topic now?"

Shiki, who had been left out until now, urged Arcueid to get to the point.

"Ah, that's right. So, the Dead are the power source for the parent vampire. That's why we need to deal with the Dead to chip away at the parent vampire's power, but there are about a hundred of them."

"What? A hundred! That many!?"

Shiki shouted in surprise. I agree; it's unbelievable. Even with some kind of effort, a hundred Dead are too much.

"Arcueid, let me ask one thing: is this [Enemy] strong?"

"Hmm. Maybe about five times stronger than the Dead earlier."

She answered cheerfully, as if going for a stroll.

"But don't worry. Sacchin and I will finish it in two or three days."

Two or three days, huh? Was it about the same time frame in the original? Wait... did Arcueid-san just call me by a nickname?

"So Shiki, you can go back to your normal life. Sacchin and I will solve this together instead."

Arcueid-san told Shiki this with a smile so dazzling it felt blinding. Logically, even though Shiki uses abnormal abilities and unique martial arts, it's dangerous for a mere human to be moving around in the current Misaki Town. In fact, he almost died against Nrvnqsr, and this problem is Arcueid Brunestud's own. It might be cruel to say this to someone she's spent the last few days with, but any wise person would agree with Arcueid-san here.

“You idiots!! Both of you!!”

“Eh? Shiki?”

“I’m included!?”

But Shiki shouted at a volume that echoed throughout the park.

"Ugh, I'm mad at my own idiocy! Both of you, shut up and just let me help! Even if you say no, I'm going with you! Damn it, I can't believe I'm saying this after what happened with Nrvnqsr."

Shiki, usually gentle, spoke harshly for once. Is he worried about me, too, and not just Arcueid? My heart is racing... Wait, my heart is racing? Isn't that what a girl in love feels?

"————Eh?"

I noticed the strange feeling budding inside me, then looked over at Arcueid-san beside me, who was just staring blankly.

"Yumizuka."

"Ah, yes!?"

I hadn't noticed because my eyes were averted, but I realized my hand was being held by Shiki. Being held by the hand is not inherently unnatural, but thinking about it, this is the first time a man has held my hand.

Despite his frail health, Shiki Tohno's hand felt like a man's—bigger and firmer than my current one. As I remembered my previous life, a sincere and straightforward determination radiated from his warm skin.

But at the same time, my heart rate accelerated. I couldn't believe it—a man was making my heart pound.

“I’m never letting go again.”

A tremendously corny line was uttered. Normally, I would burst out laughing as the listener, but Shiki was looking at me with a serious expression I had never seen before, and I was flustered.

I was confused—
not because I disliked it,
but because I didn’t know how to respond.

I truly couldn’t believe it—
that I would feel so—

"Take that!"

"Cough!!"

Before I could form a hypothesis about the emotion born within me, Arcueid-san delivered a deep body blow to Shiki's stomach.

"Ugh, cough, cough... A-Arcueid, you're gonna—"

"A handshake!"

"Huh?"

Arcueid-san, with puffed-out cheeks, extended her hand to Shiki.

"It's not fair for just Sacchin! I want a handshake too."

Her behavior was completely like a child throwing a tantrum. But it's this lively appearance that is the Arcueid Brunestud I [know]. And why do I want to see more of it? Is it because I [was a fan] or because I'm [her friend]?

"Sorry, you're right. I look forward to working with you too, Arcueid."

"Yeah...! With Shiki and Sacchin, there's nothing to be afraid of!"

Arcueid happily shook hands vigorously with Shiki. Seeing such simple, unadulterated emotional expression up close makes me happy too.

However, a dirty, selfish thought budded in my heart: that I might survive now. The self-loathing that I had finally dragged Shiki into this stimulated my conscience. Yet, my reason understands that I can't possibly fight Roa alone.

So, I thought, maybe it's okay to rely on them a little for now. Since a path to a happy ending has been created, aiming for it isn't bad.

In any case, an unfounded confidence and joy filled my heart, and I looked up at the starless night sky and thought so.