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Inside Max's personal mirage realm.
After sensing that Max and Akashiya Moka weren't just casual acquaintances, Shuzen Kahlua finally decided to explain why she was here.
She had teamed up with another high-ranking member of Fairy Tale—Fujisaki Miyabi.
Their deal was simple: she'd help him find someone.
She didn't know who exactly, only that using a certain stone would lead her to them.
That trail had brought her out of the Monster Realm and all the way here.
What she didn't expect was that the person she was looking for… would turn out to be Akashiya Moka.
"So that's how it is," Max murmured thoughtfully.
Fujisaki Miyabi—on the surface, the head of Fairy Tale's First Division in the Monster Realm.
In secret, he was known as the Masked King.
But his true identity… was the first True Ancestor in the Rosario + Vampire world—Alucard.
More precisely, Fujisaki Miyabi was Alucard's split-off incarnation.
His power was on another level entirely.
One-on-one, almost no one could defeat him.
At his peak, it took him only seven days to turn the entire human world into an inferno—he nearly succeeded in wiping out humanity.
In the end, three powerful beings joined forces to seal him away.
Those three later became known as the Three Dark Lords.
Moka's mother, Akasha Bloodriver, was the strongest of them.
The Second True Ancestor, the Undying Swordmaster.
When Alucard was defeated and sealed, he split his soul into three fragments, and one of them escaped—
That fragment took on new identities over time: first the Masked King, then Fujisaki Miyabi.
Through those guises, he founded the Huang family and Fairy Tale, his twin forces in the shadows.
As Miyabi, he lived among others, working in secret toward his true goal.
And now, it seemed, sending Shuzen Kahlua to find Moka was part of his plan—to use her True Ancestor power to break Alucard's seal.
Realizing this, Max withdrew his "Royal Dominion" field.
Back in the living room, he glanced toward the master bedroom upstairs before turning to Kahlua, who now stood quietly before him.
"Moka's my familiar now," he said calmly.
"Your… familiar?!"
Kahlua's expression shifted instantly.
The thought that Moka had become someone's familiar made her instinctively angry.
But remembering how easily Max had defeated her earlier, she bit down her emotions hard.
A dangerous thought crept into her mind—
Did this guy… force Moka into it?
After all, his strength was overwhelming.
She could feel it during their fight—
Bottomless. Unfathomable.
He hadn't even been serious, yet he'd crushed her like it was nothing.
It was precisely because she understood the gap between them that she decided to stay quiet.
To survive, she had to cooperate.
And besides, she could tell—Max had truly considered killing her before.
That wasn't a feeling she wanted to experience again.
"Yes," Max replied with a slight nod. Then, calmly, "So, what are you planning to do now?"
"I want to see Moka."
Kahlua hesitated a moment, then said softly, "Don't worry, I won't hurt her."
Since she now knew Fujisaki Miyabi's real target was her sister, she'd already decided to end their cooperation—
Even if Miyabi had promised to help her save her grandfather.
"Alright," Max said, eyes narrowing slightly. "Wait here."
He turned and started up the stairs.
He believed her.
Because she was clearly the sister type—the kind who'd do anything to protect family.
Not that it mattered whether he trusted her or not.
With him here, she couldn't do anything even if she tried.
"…What's happening to me?"
Watching Max's back as he went upstairs, Kahlua suddenly placed her hand over her chest and frowned.
Her heart was beating faster than usual.
Being this close to him… there was something about him that drew her in.
At first, she couldn't quite place it.
But then, as a faint hunger stirred deep inside her, she realized what it was—
A thirst.
For his blood.
For the first time in her life, she wanted to drink someone's blood.
As a vampire, thirst was natural—it was instinct, like how humans need food and water.
But she had never, ever felt this particular craving before.
That realization unsettled her.
Fortunately, as Max walked farther away, that craving slowly quieted—
Not gone, just… sleeping.
Waiting to wake again.
——
Upstairs, in the bedroom.
Max stood beside the bed, looking at the sleeping Moka.
After a moment's hesitation, he used Sky Magic on her.
"Mmm…"
Moka's delicate brows knit slightly, then relaxed.
Her lips curved into a faint smile, like she was having a pleasant dream.
"Moka, wake up," Max said gently once her fatigue had been healed.
After a few calls, Moka slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was him.
Her sleepy, adorable voice came out soft and dazed:
"Max… what's wrong?"
Ever since their rather detailed talk about reproduction back in the mirage realm, she'd started calling him that.
Max smiled tenderly. "Your sister, Shuzen Kahlua, is here."
"My sister…"
Hearing that name, Moka froze.
In the sealed space of her rosary, Inner Moka's eyes flickered with emotion.
After a brief silence, her confusion faded, replaced by surprise—and joy.
"Kahlua's here? It's been three years since I last saw her!" she said excitedly, sitting up. "Where is she?"
"Downstairs," Max said with a small smile. "She wants to see you. Get dressed first."
"Okay!"
Moka beamed, tossing off the blanket and hopping out of bed.
The scene before Max almost made his self-control crack again.
He forced his mind back into order.
"I'll go down first," he said, turning away as she started getting dressed, closing the door gently behind him.
When he returned to the living room, Kahlua was still standing in the same spot, motionless—quiet and obedient now.
Max raised an eyebrow. "Relax. Sit down."
Even though she'd attacked him earlier, he hadn't sensed any killing intent from her—so he'd only given her a light punishment.
Besides, she was Moka's sister. No need to keep things tense.
The past could stay in the past.
"…Thanks," Kahlua murmured, glancing at him before sitting down on the sofa.
"Want something to drink?" Max asked casually. "Oolong tea, barley tea, mineral water, or juice?"
"Anything's fine."
Still feeling awkward about earlier, Kahlua didn't want to be picky.
"Alright then," Max said with a slight smirk.
He went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and poured two glasses of his special tomato juice.
It wasn't ordinary juice—it had a few drops of his blood mixed in, filled with life energy.
A rare delicacy for any vampire.
Moka could vouch for that.
"....."