Fumika gasped as Akiha shoved her back, the momentum carrying her into the wall. His hands pinned her wrists beside her head before he even realized what he was doing.
The dull thud echoed softly through the room.
Then—silence.
They were close.
Too close.
Akiha could feel the heat of her body through his sleeves, the uneven rhythm of her breathing, the tremor running through her arms where he held her. Her eyes were wide—not with fear, but shock.
And confusion.
What am I doing…?
His heart hammered so violently it made his vision pulse.
But he didn't let go.
"I'm done," he said suddenly. His voice came out steadier than he felt—colder than he meant. "I'm done pretending this is nothing."
Fumika swallowed.
"…Aki-kun?"
He leaned closer, just enough that escape became impossible.
"If I tell you," he said quietly, forcing each word into place, "what I'm about to tell you—there's no undoing it."
Her breath hitched.
"You'll hear things you can't unhear," he continued. "And once you know, you'll be involved whether you want to be or not."
This is it.
The line I can't step back over.
His grip tightened—not to hurt her, but to keep himself from shaking.
"Can you keep a secret," he asked, voice low, "that you'd have to carry to your grave?"
For a moment, the world seemed to stop.
Then Fumika's expression changed.
The doubt didn't vanish.
The hurt didn't disappear.
But something steadier surfaced beneath it.
Resolve.
She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze head-on.
"If it's you," she said without hesitation, "then yes."
Her voice didn't waver.
"I'll keep it. No matter what it is."
Akiha searched her face desperately—for fear, for second thoughts, for anything that would let him stop.
There was nothing.
Damn it…
Why do you always make things so hard?
He didn't answer.
Instead, he leaned in.
Closer.
Fumika stiffened. Her breath caught, sharp and shallow. Her eyes fluttered shut—not in trust, but in instinct, bracing for something she didn't quite understand.
A kiss?! she thought.
He could see it on her face. Feel it in the way her body unconsciously leaned forward, just a fraction.
I'm sorry.
His jaw tightened.
Something inside him shifted—an instinct awakening that he no longer fully controlled. Pain flared briefly along his gums as his fangs slid free, unnatural and sharp.
Before he could rethink it—
He bit down on the side of her neck.
Not gently.
Not cruelly.
Desperately.
The sensation was sharp—sudden.
Not deep enough to tear flesh, but enough to sting, enough to draw a thin bead of blood—and enough to wrench a breathless sound from her throat.
"Hngh—!"
Fumika's eyes flew open. "A-Aki—?!"
Her voice snapped him back to himself.
Akiha recoiled instantly, releasing her wrists as if he'd been burned. He stumbled back a step, chest heaving, breath ragged.
"What—what was that?!" Fumika gasped. One hand flew to her neck, fingers trembling as shock and confusion warred across her face. "Why would you—?!"
His mouth tasted faintly of iron—
Sweet. Tasty.
Damn it—why does it taste like that…?
The room felt too warm. Too tight. His heart slammed violently in his chest as the Blood Craving meter flickered at the edge of his vision, ticking upward in silent warning. He forced himself to breathe, to push the sensation down before it took root.
Calm down.
Now.
Before you lose yourself.
This was it.
He had crossed the line.
Fumika stared at him, eyes shining—not with tears, but with something rawer. Hurt. Fear. And stubborn concern tangled together.
"Why would you do that?!" she demanded, her voice shaking. "Aki-kun… what's going on with you?"
He looked at her.
Really looked.
The faint mark on her neck was already fading, the skin knitting back together unnaturally fast under the lingering effect of his saliva. The sight twisted his stomach.
There was no running anymore.
No half-truths left to hide behind.
The secret had already drawn blood.
"Fumika," he said hoarsely, "I— I'm not… exactly human anymore."
The air went still.
"…Not human?"
She repeated the words slowly, as if testing them, her fingers brushing the place he'd bitten. The pain was already gone—leaving only warmth, and confusion that refused to settle.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked quietly. "Aki-kun… care to explain?"
Akiha swallowed hard.
This was it.
No more evasions. No more carefully chosen lies. His heart pounded so loudly he was sure she could hear it.
You chose this, Akiha.
Now see it through.
"…I'll tell you everything," he said. "From the beginning."
He stepped back, deliberately giving her space, then leaned against the bedframe as his legs threatened to give out.
"It started yesterday morning," he continued. "Before we were summoned here. Back in Japan. I… met someone."
Fumika listened, tense but silent.
"In a dream," he said. "She was a vampire. A real one. Terrifying. Beautiful—more than anything I've ever laid my eyes on—Her name is Carmendeil. She said she's a Primordial Vampire or something—sealed somewhere in this world."
He closed his eyes briefly as the memory surfaced, vivid and unsettling.
And deep within him, something old and bound stirred—watching, patient, and quietly pleased.
He closed his eyes briefly, the memory resurfacing with frightening clarity.
"She asked me to free her," he said. "Said the seal was unjust. That she'd been betrayed by the very people she saved—people who feared her power, convinced it would one day turn her into their next calamity."
Fumika inhaled sharply.
"And in return?" she asked.
"She promised me everything," Akiha replied. "Her power. Her authority."
He hesitated, his gaze dropping.
"Her… love."
The word felt heavy on his tongue, like something he hadn't earned the right to say.
"I didn't even fully understand what I was agreeing to," he admitted. "But I promised her I'd free her."
He looked down at his hands, fingers curling slowly.
"Then she bit me—In the dream." His voice tightened. "And when I woke up… it didn't end."
Fumika's eyes widened, realization dawning.
"So when we were summoned—"
"That's when it finished," he nodded. "'A covenant, sealed in blood,' she said. Then she told me to check my pocket later." He let out a dry breath. "That's where the coin pouch came from."
He straightened, forcing himself to continue.
"I only realized the rest last night. My body changed. My race changed." His jaw clenched. "I'm not human anymore. I'm a Dampir. Half-human. Half-vampire."
He explained it quickly, almost clinically—like tearing off a bandage before he could hesitate.
"The advantages are obvious. Enhanced senses. Rapid regeneration. Less need for sleep." His eyes flicked to her neck. "My saliva can heal minor wounds—like what just happened to you."
Fumika instinctively brushed her fingers over her skin.
There was nothing there.
No mark. No pain.
Akiha's jaw tightened.
"The disadvantages," he continued, "are worse. Sunlight burns me. Literally." He exhaled shakily. "I just learned that the hard way earlier. And there's something else. Something called Blood Craving."
Her fingers curled into the fabric of her sleeve.
"Blood… Craving?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like," he said bitterly. "I crave blood. There's a meter. It keeps building up—constantly. The higher it gets, the worse it becomes. Restlessness. Aggression. Losing control." His voice dropped. "If it reaches the limit, I enter a 'Feral State'."
He didn't say how hard it was to hold himself back.
Didn't admit that even now, the effort felt like gripping a fraying rope.
"…Then why keep it secret from me?" Fumika asked quietly.
Akiha nodded, as if he'd been waiting for that question.
"She warned me," he said. "Not to speak of her. Not to reveal my connection to anyone unless I could trust them absolutely. She said if the wrong people learned of her existence, the backlash would fall on me…"
His hands clenched into fists.
"And probably would fall on anyone close to me, too."
His voice cracked despite his effort to keep it steady.
"That's why I didn't tell you. Not because I don't trust you." He swallowed hard. "But because I was afraid that trusting you would put you in danger."
Silence settled over the room.
Heavy. Unforgiving.
And for the first time since he'd spoken, Akiha dared to look at her—waiting to see whether the truth had finally pushed her away, or bound them together even tighter.
Fumika looked at him—not with fear, not with disbelief, but with something heavier.
Thoughtful.
"…That's a lot," she said at last.
"I know."
She exhaled slowly, as if setting something fragile down inside herself, then lifted her gaze again.
"So," she said, voice steady despite everything, "you bit me because…?"
Akiha's shoulders tensed.
"Because my control slipped," he admitted.
"And because…" He hesitated, then forced himself to continue. "I needed proof. For myself. That this was real. That I couldn't keep pretending in front of you anymore."
Her lips parted slightly, a response forming—
—and then his vision shattered.
A translucent window slammed into existence before his eyes.
Bright. Intrusive. Impossible to ignore.
Not summoned.
Forced.
—————————————————
System Notification
Congratulations!
You have fulfilled the hidden prerequisite for a System Quest.
Condition Met:
• Consumption of blood from a sentient being
Quest Unlocked:
"Crimson Covenant"
Objective:
• Successfully perform a Blood Binding
Designated Target:
• Nakamura Fumika
Description:
A Blood Binding is a sacred and perilous contract formed through blood and will.
It intertwines fate, power, and trust—granting strength, protection, and shared resonance to both parties.
This bond cannot be forced.
Consent, trust, and emotional connection are mandatory.
Reward:
• New traits — Daywalker
Warning:
Once formed, this bond cannot be undone.
—————————————————
Akiha froze.
…You've got to be kidding me.