The car ride started quietly. As soon as Akira and Erika slipped into the back seat, Akira immediately glanced toward the driver, a composed-looking woman in a suit, sunglasses, and neatly tied hair.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "...Who's she? Does she know about... You know... us? Can she be trusted?"
Erika leaned back, sighing. "Relax. She works for the Tōgi family. She's one of their private drivers. Completely trustworthy."
"Whew… alright," Akira leaned back, finally relaxing. "That's one less thing to stress about."
Then Erika side-eyed him, grinning. "By the way… I guess you are still the cutest creature in the world."
Akira groaned like someone had just stabbed his pride. "Ugh… not you too…" He slumped against the window, dead inside. "I always knew I'd grow up good-looking, but this… this is not what I signed up for."
Erika tried to stifle her laugh. "Really?"
"I was aiming for…, you know... cool, mysterious, handsome vibes like Archer from the Fate series," he waved his hand dramatically. "But the universe went: 'Nah. You get Hideyoshi.'"
Erika burst into laughter, nearly choking. "Pfft, oh my god, I can totally see it!!"
"I even tried magic, you know," Akira grumbled, glaring at the roof. "Just a little tweak. Grow taller, maybe a bit more masculine frame. Something subtle. But nooo. Mom caught me mid-ritual and directly threw her frying pan straight from the kitchen and scolded me with the 'Don't mess with your natural growth, young man' speech." He groaned louder.
Erika wiped her tears. "Honestly… It's still so very you. But you still look just like you used to, just taller, can't imagine you looking any different."
Deciding she'd teased him enough, Erika shifted the topic. "So… how did you stop my bloodlust earlier? What was that?"
"Oh, that?" Akira sat up a little, brightening. "It's a magic I developed. I call it Eclipse Clarity."
"Eclipse… Clarity?" Erika repeated.
"Yeah. It's a magic that suppresses... well, let's say 'evil urges.' Specifically, things like bloodlust, primal instincts, and mental corruption, you know, stuff like that." He explained.
"Wait." Erika blinked. "How did you even come up with something like that? Did you catch a stray vampire or something to test on?"
Akira smirked. "Remember that big fight with the werewolves? I got cursed with lycanthropy after that?"
Erika's eyes widened. "I almost forgot about that….Wait. Don't tell me... You tested it on yourself?!"
"Yup." Akira shrugged like it was the most casual thing in the world. "I was the perfect test subject. It took a few tries, but I managed to complete the magic."
"Wha…Hold on. Wait, do you still have the werewolf curse?!" Erika asked with concern.
"Nah, I cured it a long time ago," Akira waved off. "But... I kept some of the cool abilities. It would've been a waste to throw all of it away."
Erika stared at him in disbelief. "You're unbelievable…Well, I guess you are always this crazy even back then."
"Yeah, yeah, enough about me." Akira leaned forward. "Let's focus on you now. I'll teach you the magic."
"Huh? Here? In the car?" Erika blinked.
"Yup. It's fast."
As he said that, a blue holographic screen suddenly materialized in front of them, floating in the air. It looked like a computer system interface.
Erika's eyes went wide. "Wait... is that...?"
Akira grinned. "Yup. Archives Magic. Remember? I was working on this back then. I finished making it."
With a few flicks, windows popped open, icons, folders, spell files. A little window labelled "Eclipse Clarity.zip" floated up, with a big glowing "Send?" button below it.
Akira turned the screen toward Erika. "Accept it."
A matching blue screen popped up in front of Erika with the text:
"Hoshino Akira wants to share [Eclipse Clarity]. Accept? [Yes] [No]"
"Wha…This is literally Bluetooth," Erika muttered.
Akira grinned. "Go on. Press yes."
After a moment's hesitation, Erika tapped "Yes."
Immediately, a smaller window appeared in front of her with a loading bar:
"Downloading Spell… 12%... 43%... 100%... Transfer Complete."
A brief glow enveloped her for a second, then faded.
"...I-I just… learned a spell… by downloading it?!" Erika stared in disbelief, remembering all the troubles she went through when learning magic.
"Yup," Akira smirked, leaning back smugly. "Welcome to the future."
Erika sat back in awe. "That's... kinda insane."
"Yep. But remember," Akira added with a serious tone, "Eclipse Clarity only suppresses the urges, it keeps the bloodlust dormant, but you still need to feed. You are still a dhampir. So don't forget... regular blood intake is non-negotiable."
Erika slumped slightly. "Ugh... I was hoping I wouldn't have to anymore..."
"But at least you don't have to worry about... losing control," Akira smiled.
Hearing that, Erika looked at him, her expression softened. "...Thank you."
Akira waved a hand. "No need for thanks between us, but more importantly, you're going to school, right? Tell me, is it as fun as in the anime?"
Erika smiled softly and started telling him about school and other important things happened since they separated. And soon they started catching up on five years of life, adventures, and everything in between.
And not long after, the car slowed to a stop.
"...We're here," the driver announced.