Second day of the school term.
Yuu woke up… and didn't go to class.
"I'm officially a bad student."
He stretched as he said it, gazing at the clear sky through the window of the house.
'It'd be a shame to miss Tsubaki's tea… and I'd like to tease Sona, too.'
But he didn't move.
Because beside him, on his bedroom bed, Yue slept as if she had not a care in the world. Her arms were wrapped tightly around one of his, her golden hair tousled in every direction—and for some reason, nothing covered her.
"…"
The previous night, after Yue had fed on his blood in the bath, she had fallen into a deep sleep—perhaps because the warm, soothing bath, her full stomach, and Yuu's gentle touches had relaxed her completely. It had been the perfect recipe for sleep. As a responsible man, he'd dressed her in a T-shirt and shorts, carried her to bed, and lay down beside her.
And everything was fine—until sometime in the early morning, when something happened…
The T-shirt was gone. The shorts were gone. Now she lay sleeping like an angel fallen from the sky, completely naked.
Her arms were also trapped between her soft, fluffy breasts. They weren't large—in fact, if he tried to cup them, they fit perfectly in his hands.
In short, they were small breasts. Though he wouldn't say that out loud and hurt her feelings.
"Mmm. I like small breasts. They are cute."
In the end, he said it aloud.
"…Nn~"
When Yue finally woke, she let out a soft yawn and looked around in a daze.
Once her clouded eyes focused enough, the first thing she did was stare at Yuu's handsome face. She opened her arms, crawled closer, and hugged him tighter.
"Yuu… good morning."
"Mm. Morning."
"Yuu… I'm hungry."
Her voice was calm and sleepy as she buried her face in his neck.
"Hey, you can't say that when you're naked and hugging me."
"Mm. I don't see the connection." She didn't bat an eye. Her crimson eyes narrowed, shining with amusement. "Besides, Yuu… you've already seen me naked… You've touched me. Yuu, pervert."
"Yeah, yeah." Yuu didn't have the energy to argue something he knew he'd lose.
"Also, I'll take you somewhere, so it's better to have an empty stomach."
He skipped class because he couldn't leave a vampire with zero knowledge of the modern world alone. He also didn't want her to feel abandoned in this lonely house.
He might have lost his emotions, but that didn't mean he didn't understand how others would feel.
So he took the day off to show her the city. Well, actually… the idea of spending a bit more time with her didn't seem so bad, either.
Seeing she wouldn't get any blood that morning, Yue pouted and lightly tapped his chest with her fists.
There was no real force behind her hits. They were slow, gentle—like a frustrated kitten's.
"Protesting like that?"
"Mm…"
Yuu gave her a gentle pat on the head. That was enough to calm her down. It seemed to always work—not just on Yue, but on Jin-Ah as well.
He eyed his hand with mild suspicion. Since when did it have that power?
"First, clothes."
As he got up, he pointed to the side of the bed where he'd already placed that day's outfit.
He'd made her something simple in the morning: a white shirt, a black skirt falling above the knees, long socks, and black boots.
"Today we're going shopping. We can find you better clothes there."
Of course, he could snap his fingers and create her a princess-worthy dress, but…
'What fun would that be?'
Window-shopping, feeling the fabrics, trying things on—he wanted her to experience and enjoy the process.
Yue looked at the simple outfit and nodded.
"Mm… but I like what Yuu made me."
"Yeah, yeah."
She could say whatever she liked, but she'd surely be staring at the mannequins with bright eyes once they reached the mall.
"Let's go. First we'll stop at a restaurant to eat. Are you curious about what food in this world is like?"
"Mm… I want to go with Yuu."
'…That phrase is starting to become her mantra.'
Yuu rubbed the back of his neck and let out a resigned sigh.
And so, a few hours later, the two of them were walking down a moderately busy shopping street in Kuoh City.
Despite her simple clothes, Yue did not go unnoticed.
Her golden hair cascaded in soft waves down her back, shining in the morning light. Her unusual crimson eyes caught more than a few glances—though she paid them no mind. Her porcelain-white skin looked utterly bloodless.
She walked calmly, her fingers interlaced with Yuu's. She had taken his hand the moment they left the house.
"You have to promise you won't attack anything today, okay?"
"Mm… I'll keep that in mind."
"That's not a promise."
"Fufu~"
Yuu turned his head slightly to look at her. She pretended to be looking elsewhere, clearly proud of her evasive answer.
×××
Soon they arrived at a restaurant that looked neither too crowded nor too empty. High ceilings, glass windows, pleasant décor with potted plants here and there. Soft instrumental music played in the background.
The place was quiet enough to converse without raising their voices.
Yue stepped inside and looked around. The servers moved gracefully between tables. People chatted leisurely over breakfast.
'…It's so different.'
In Tortus, the world she'd come from, the norm was cold fortresses, battle camps, and wars raging everywhere.
The world might have changed in the two hundred years she'd been imprisoned in the abyss, but in her time there were no places like this.
Places where you could sit without looking over your shoulder. Where no one needed to wield a weapon.
This peace…
Yet she was curious about one thing. She swept her gaze around while circulating her mana to her eyes.
'…They don't see it?'
She saw things others couldn't.
It was too unsettling, and before her discomfort grew, she cut off the mana flow.
To clear her vision, she turned her gaze to Yuu's profile. He was already seated across from her, casually browsing the menu.
Unknowingly, a small smile curved her lips.
'…I like this feeling.'
Yuu chose a table by one of the large glass windows. From there, they could see the street and the cherry trees in bloom.
"You can pick whatever you like," he said, sliding the menu across with a gentle smile.
"Mm…"
Yue took the menu with curiosity. There were so many unfamiliar names: karaage, tonkatsu, agedashi tofu, gyudon, yakitori, takoyaki…
The pictures showed vibrant, colorful dishes, sauces and sides making her mouth water.
As princess—and later queen—of the vampire nation Avatarl, she'd tasted hundreds of banquets. But the food here was very different.
"…I want this, and this. Oh, and this too."
She ended up ordering yakitori, tonkatsu, agedashi tofu, and a bowl of white rice with miso soup. Yuu wasn't surprised. She seemed to have a healthy appetite for someone so petite.
Not long after, the waitress brought their dishes. Yue gazed at them with bright eyes.
Even as a vampire, she could eat normally. Food, at least, was not a problem.
Yuu began eating calmly with his hashi.
Yue watched him for a few seconds, then tried to imitate him. She picked up her chopsticks awkwardly and attempted to grasp a piece of meat…
The pork slipped and fell back onto her plate with a plop. Yue pursed her lips, pouting.
Then she heard Yuu's low laugh.
"Pff… sorry. But that was pretty clumsy."
Yue looked away. She pressed her lips together, clearly offended.
"…That's not funny."
"Come here. I'll show you."
Yuu set his own chopsticks down on his plate and leaned toward her. He gently took her right hand, guiding her finger placement.
"Like this. The bottom stick stays still—only the top one moves. Grip it here…"
His voice was calm, and his breath was so close she could feel it brushing her cheek. Yue glanced at him from the corner of her eye, without moving her head. Their eyes met for a second, and her heart beat faster than usual.
'…He smells so good.'
She almost forgot about the chopsticks for a moment.
But she focused.
"…Like this, right?"
"Yes. Try moving just the top stick now."
"…Mm."
The piece of meat fell again.
"…"
"Fufu~ Don't look at me… I failed again… Teach me more…"
×××
You can read advanced chapters by joining my Patreon.
patreon.com/OlwinMoriarty