Small World — The Demon Realm.
Returning to this familiar place, Akua Shuzen stared at the bottle of tomato juice in her hand.
The craving to drink it surged once more.
She swallowed hard.
"No, I can't. There's only about four cups' worth left. I need to ration it—if I finish it now, there'll be none left."
She gave her head a quick shake, as if to shake the temptation away, and deliberately turned her gaze aside.
But like a magnet drawn to steel, her eyes inevitably returned to the red liquid in her hand.
Conflicting voices echoed in her mind.
"Drink it. Quickly, just drink."
"No! You mustn't."
"What's there to fear? Drink it."
"No means no!"
It was as though a pair of little angels—one black, one white—were quarreling inside her head.
Then, just as their tug-of-war reached its peak—
A third, more "mature" voice suddenly chimed in:
"How about just one sip? One sip won't hurt."
The two little figures froze, exchanged glances… and nodded.
It made sense.
If the heart said yes—then drink.
"Just one sip."
Akua Shuzen twisted off the cap, brought the bottle cautiously to her lips. The sweet, tangy aroma teased her nose.
Gulp…
Her red lips parted, and—
Down it went.
One sip became two.
Two became a steady ton ton ton rhythm as she drank greedily.
Moments later—
"Wait—no!"
Aiai suddenly came to her senses, hastily yanked the bottle away, and glanced inside.
"Ugh… o(╥﹏╥)o!"
Half the tomato juice was gone.
She fell silent, screwed the cap back on tight, and simmered with irritation.
Not at anyone else—
At herself.
How could she be so weak-willed?
Then, suddenly, the name Fujisaki Miyabi surfaced in her thoughts—
And that frustration flared into killing intent.
She really wanted to find someone to take it out on.
But remembering what Arthur had told her before, she hesitated.
Eventually, she forced herself to suppress that violent urge.
The very moment Akua Shuzen returned to the Demon Realm, Fujisaki Miyabi sensed it.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
The target… hadn't been brought back.
So, he went to find her.
"Fujisaki Miyabi!"
Akua Shuzen was on her way back to her residence when a familiar figure appeared before her, blocking her path. Her expression shifted slightly.
"You—hm?"
Miyabi smiled faintly, about to speak—when something in her eyes made his own narrow.
He could feel it.
That fleeting flash of killing intent.
Though it vanished in an instant, for someone of his level, it was impossible to miss.
Then, his gaze fell to the tomato juice bottle in her hand.
For just a moment…
A strange urge stirred within him—an impulse to drink blood.
And that was odd.
Because as a True Ancestor, even this mere avatar of his had long transcended such needs.
Unlike other vampires, he no longer required blood to stave off hunger.
Fascinating. Truly fascinating.
So, her little trip to the human world had brought back something interesting indeed.
Not only had she developed a killing intent toward him, but that bottle in her hand…
Could it be related to the one who possessed "her" bloodline?
And what exactly was that drink?
His curiosity was piqued.
But his expression betrayed nothing. With his usual elegant smile, he asked casually:
"Empty-handed, are we?"
Aiai's eyes flickered. Her face remained blank as ever, voice calm.
"Something unexpected came up. I'll head back to the human world in seven days. We never agreed on a strict deadline."
"Hmm, that's true."
Miyabi smiled faintly, nodding.
"In that case, let's set a deadline. I can't just wait forever, can I?"
"Three days."
"Ten days from now—if you haven't delivered what I asked for, our agreement will be void."
He leaned forward slightly, his tone smooth yet sharp.
"And you wouldn't want your dear grandfather to remain sealed away in eternal darkness, would you?"
Aiai's eyes hardened.
Just for a second, her composure faltered—but she quickly regained it.
"You talk too much."
"Ha ha, fine. I'll leave it at that."
With a smile, Fujisaki Miyabi vanished from sight in an instant.
He'd waited hundreds of years—
Waiting another seven days was nothing.
Though, in his mind, it wasn't seven days anymore—
but ten.
Because he already had a plan.
Akua Shuzen's eyes flickered faintly before she, too, disappeared, heading back to her dwelling.
Meanwhile, in the human world—
After finishing a chat with Machida Sonoko, Arthur had just taken control of his in-game character to begin his daily quests when—
Ping!
A new message popped up on his phone.
It was from Utaha Kasumigaoka.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Congratulations, Kouhai-kun."
"Third anime season confirmed, and over fifteen million copies sold."
"I'm honestly jealous."
Arthur: "It's fine. It was inevitable anyway. Nothing to be too excited about."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Tsk, tsk, tsk. If people heard you saying that, you'd get punched."
"Maybe I should tell them myself?"
"Even I'm feeling the urge to hit you right now."
Arthur: "o(﹏)o No, no, I'm sorry! My bad. I shouldn't have shown off. I definitely won't do it again next time."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "...Huh?"
She blinked at his message.
At first glance, she thought he'd said "I'll change next time."
But on a closer look, he'd actually said—"I definitely won't change next time."
For a moment, she couldn't help but laugh helplessly.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "So, Kouhai-kun—are you going to treat me to dinner?"
Arthur: "Why?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "To celebrate both things, of course."
Arthur: "What's there to celebrate? No need. I'll just add an extra egg to breakfast tomorrow."
"..."
Inside her luxury apartment in Taitō Ward, Utaha rolled her eyes.
Wrapped in a loose bathrobe, she looked at the message and sighed.
Of course she knew he wasn't actually a dense blockhead—he was doing it on purpose.
They'd known each other for over a year now.
They hadn't met in person too often, but they chatted frequently on LINE—
Enough to know each other well.
She typed a quick reply.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Then I'll treat. Consider it my way of celebrating for you."
Seeing that, Arthur's lips curled into a teasing grin.
Arthur: "Ah, you should've said so earlier. But I'm afraid I'm a bit busy lately—maybe another time."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Then pick a time you are free."
Arthur: "Why so insistent, Senpai? Don't tell me…"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Don't tell you what?"
Arthur: "Don't tell me you're after my body?"
"I…"
Utaha froze when she saw the message.
For a moment, she was ready to retort—
but then fell silent.
Because, truth be told…
He wasn't entirely wrong.
A faint blush rose on her porcelain cheeks, her eyes glimmering as she bit gently on her lower lip.
Then she typed back slowly—
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "That's right. I am after your body, Kouhai-kun.
So, will you give your Senpai… a chance?"
"Uh…"
Arthur stared blankly at the message, momentarily speechless.
He hadn't expected the teasing to turn real.
…
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