Selena, her expression unusually serious, said quietly, "Cancel the Eclipse Clarity spell. Once it's gone, Erika Chan's bloodlust will return… and she'll attack you and drink your blood."
Akira blinked and shook his head. "Not in a million years. If she needs my blood, can't I just collect it in a glass or something? There's no reason to make her lose control."
"She's unconscious, brother," Selena replied with a sigh. "In her current state, it's going to be hard for her to drink blood that way. The best option is to let her drink directly from you."
"Yeah, no. Not doing that." Akira said resolutely.
Selena tilted her head and smiled slightly. "You know, one way to fully activate the Sacred Gear is for her to drink your blood directly. What do you think?"
"No," Akira crossed his arms. "I'm not doing that."
Selena blinked, a little surprised. "Hmm. I thought you'd accept after hearing about the Sacred Gear."
Akira said firmly. "Doing that to a friend is wrong, and she might hate me if I do it."
A teasing smile formed on Selena's face. "Oh brother, since when did you start caring about others?"
"I do care about others, too, you know," Akira shot back.
"Is this the same guy who created weapons of mass destruction for the government that are still being used in wars?" Selena asked sweetly.
"Hey…this and that are different things!" he protested.
Selena let out a small sigh. "Brother, both you and I know you can't really feel deep emotions."
"That's not true. I do feel emotions." Akira said quietly.
"Sure," she said with a shrug, "you can feel mild ones. But love, sadness, anger, like those deeper emotions? You don't really experience them right? In your previous life, they made it that way when you were born, so you couldn't betray them."
"Sure, but that was a biological alteration," Akira argued. "Now I'm in a different body. I should be able to feel them normally."
"Maybe. But you never did manage to, right?" Selena's voice softened. "That's why you could never use Stellar Radiance, because you can't love anything deeply. And you know that. So don't overthink this. It's better for both you and her."
Akira looked at her firmly. "…That may be true. But even without emotions, I know what's right and wrong. She's my first real friend. Even I know doing this could make her hate me, and I don't want to do that to her."
Selena's eyes softened. "Maybe. But she's in danger, Brother. The longer you hesitate, the worse it gets. Isn't it a friend's job to save their friend with whatever means they have, even if they'll be hated in the end?"
Akira fell silent. He knew what she said was true; he also knew Erika wouldn't hate him completely even if he did that, but is it really the right decision? Even if she won't completely hate him, she would feel sad if he did it right, but not doing that might put her in danger too, for a moment, he is so conflicted.
Selena sighed, stepping closer. "Just do what I said, brother. Believe me, she won't hate you for it. I promise."
Akira exhaled slowly. "…First things first. I need to save Erika."
He nodded to himself. "Alright. I'll do as you say."
He moved closer to Erika and prepared to undo the magic.
"Idiot," Selena said sharply. "Are you just going to cancel the magic like that?"
Akira blinked. "Huh? What should I do, then?"
"Hug her," Selena said simply.
"…What?"
"Hug her, and make it so she can easily drink blood from your neck. It'll make things easier for both of you."
"...Oh. Sure."
He gently lifted Erika into his arms and hugged her close. Her body was ice-cold, way colder than what he felt before; he knew she was in serious danger.
"Alright," Selena said. "Now release the magic."
Akira took a deep breath. A magic circle flared to life above them, and the sound of shattering glass echoed faintly from within Erika's body. She stirred slightly, perhaps consciousness returned, or perhaps instinct.
Then, without warning, she clung to him tightly, her fangs sinking into his neck.
"Seems like she's in a blood frenzy state," Akira thought, wincing slightly. "Good thing Selena told me to hug her."
Warmth spread as blood began to drain from his body, and Erika's hold around him tightened further. The pain from the bite, however, quickly faded.
"Hey, sister", Akira called telepathically. "I didn't really feel any pain after the initial bite. Do vampires have something like draculin in their saliva, like vampire bats?"
"Are you an idiot, brother?" Selena shot back, irritation clear in her tone. "Is this really the time to think about that? Focus on Erika-chan. Make her feel better".
"How should I do that?" Akira asked.
"Give her head pats. Tell her 'It's okay, don't worry,' stuff like that". Selena said.
"Got it," Akira muttered.
He gently patted the back of Erika's head and whispered, "It's okay… don't worry. Everything will be fine."
He kept repeating those words as she drank. After a while, he felt something wet on his shoulder, but it didn't feel like blood. Then it clicked: Erika was slowly regaining consciousness… and crying over what she was doing.
Akira started to panic a bit. "Hey, sister, she's waking up! What do I do?"
"Put her to sleep before she fully wakes up", Selena replied calmly.
"Huh? But won't she stop drinking blood once she's asleep?", He asked in confusion.
"She's already started. She won't stop now, even asleep. Don't worry". Selena explained.
"Alright…"
Akira used a sleep magic spell, and Erika drifted back into sleep. Just as Selena had said, she continued to drink even unconscious, until eventually she stopped on her own.
"What now?" Akira asked, his voice quieter now.
"Lay her back on the bed," Selena said. "She can rest here. We'll talk outside."
Akira nodded. He gently placed Erika back onto the soft bed and lingered for just a moment, watching her breathing steady. Then he turned and followed Selena out of the room.