«Do you have any idea how huge a favor you're asking me? Just being here with you is already risky—let alone agreeing to your request,» Vincent Carreaux says, staring straight at Shin.
Vincent is tall and muscular, with fiery red hair and a stern look. He sits with Shin and Kagura in a private room on the top floor of a three-story restaurant in Paris.
"Room" hardly does it justice—Kagura booked the entire floor for privacy.
«Oh, come on, my dear Vincent. Don't tell me you're not willing to do a favor for an old friend. Now that you're the director of HESPARC's French division, granting my request should be easy enough,» Shin replies.
«You know better than I do what would happen if anyone found out I did something like that. At best, I end up like you—Shin Tendo, ex-director of HESPARC's Japanese division. Worst case, they might just bring back the guillotine.»
«If you're just scared of losing your job, that's nothing to worry about!» Kagura cuts in. «I don't need to remind you, but I've got more than enough money. I'm already supporting Shin and his son—one more mouth to feed won't change a thing.»
«When you say it like that, it sounds awful. You make me sound like a total freeloader…» Shin mutters.
«I'm sorry, but I can't help you. Thanks for the dinner.»
Vincent starts to stand up from the table, but Shin stops him.
«I figured you'd say that, so I've got another favor—something a little… less compromising.»
«What is it?»
«Your daughter—Chantal Carreaux—is the same age as my Hakuto, if I'm not mistaken, right?»
«Yes—so?»
«There's no way the daughter of HESPARC France's director could go to a public school. Private schools are expensive these days, especially the prestigious ones.»
«I've told you a thousand times to stop beating around the bush. Get to the point!»
«Alright, alright… you've gotten even gruffer than I remembered. As a member of the Carreaux family, Chantal is surely following in your footsteps, so… I'd like her to attend the same high school as my son and Kagura's daughters. Of course, we'll cover room, board, and tuition. I'm sure Hakuto and Chantal would be thrilled to see each other again after almost six years—and they'd have plenty to learn from each other, especially with parents like us.»
Vincent sits back down, eyes narrowing.
«What are you planning?»
Shin smiles.
«I'll tell you now.»
♡♡♡
«Sorry to keep you waiting! I found the perfect outfit for your first cooking lesson!»
Yuzu comes back wearing a white kitchen apron. That wouldn't be a problem—if she weren't completely naked under it. Most of her breasts spill out from the sides, the apron barely covering anything below, the back completely bare.
«W-What kind of outfit is that?!» Hakuto grumbles.
«To make sure you stay focused on the lesson and don't get distracted!» yuzu replies.
Stay focused? This is going to have the exact opposite effect…
«Anyway! Now we're making omurice—with ketchup and mayo on top! So simple even a three-year-old could cook it!»
Yuzu whips the mayo while Hakuto chops onions. Surprisingly, it goes well—at first.
«Come on, Hakuto! At this rate, we'll be eating omurice for breakfast!»
«I-It's not my fault…!»
Tears stream down his face. He's never cried this hard in his life.
«Let me show you how to slice onions properly.»
—BOING!
Yuzu presses her chest against his back, wrapping her hand over his to guide the knife. The apron is thin, and with no bra, he can feel everything.
«Y-Yuzu… what are you doing?!»
«Teaching you to cook, duh. What else?»
She's so casual that Hakuto actually starts feeling guilty.
Wait… is she actually serious this time? So why am I the one thinking dirty stuff?!
«Big bro, you're hopeless in the kitchen…» Yuzu sighs. «I'll handle the onions. You whisk the mayo and check the noodles. And don't overcook them! I don't like soft stuff in my mouth—I like it firm.»
«Why do you have to make everything sound so wrong…?!»
«Who said I was talking about cooking?»
«Yuzu…!!»
Hakuto furiously stirs the mayo in a big bowl, eyes burning.
Damn onions… I can't see a thing!
«B-Big bro… what did you do…?» Yuzu's voice comes out soft—almost like a teasing moan.
With a wild flick, Hakuto accidentally splatters a blob of mayo onto her chest and face. The thick white mess drips down between her breasts and under the apron.
«S-Sorry, Yuzu! I didn't mean to! Let me clean it!!»
Still blind, he grabs a cloth and scrubs frantically.
«Oh, Hakuto… so forward. If you keep rubbing like that, I might—aaah…»
«Forward? What—?!»
Only then does Hakuto realize—he's been groping her breasts like crazy. Blinded by onion tears, he hadn't noticed how intimate it looked.
Panicking, he stumbles away as Yuzu adjusts her apron, unfazed.
After Hakuto's cooking fiasco left them with no dinner, takeout was the only option.
«Ugh… what's the delivery guy doing, crawling here on a turtle?! I'm starving to death!» Yuzu complains.
«Yuzu, it's only 7:30, and the food's supposed to be here by 8. Complaining won't make it come faster!» Rika snaps, clearly irritated.
—DING DONG!
Rika doesn't even finish her sentence before the intercom buzzes through the living room.
To keep delivery guys from wasting five minutes crossing the huge garden, the villa has a second entrance on the west side—the only one facing the road. The two intercoms make different sounds, so it's easy to tell whether someone's buzzing from the north side—like Hakuto and Shin did on their first day—or from the delivery entrance.
But that DING DONG isn't from the west. It's from the north. And not from the gate, either—it's from the front door of the house. Which means whoever rang it had to climb over the gate and walk through the entire garden. They all realize it at the same time.
A moment of silence follows. They exchange confused looks.
«Who could it be at this hour? Maybe Kagura and Shin came back early from their honeymoon?» Yuzu mouths.
Hakuto shakes his head.
It's not them. If it were, they wouldn't need to ring—they have keys. So who the hell could it be…?
The intercom rings again.
Hakuto gestures silently for the girls to hide. Something about this feels off. He walks slowly toward the door, each step careful. He gulps, fists clenched, ready to fight if he has to.
He leans in, peeks through the peephole, and…
«Itzu…?!» Hakuto exclaims, yanking the door open.
«Yo, Hakotto… bet you didn't see this kind of surprise coming!»
Itzu's grinning far too playfully—like a clown at a funeral.
«I've told you a million times my name is—» Hakuto stops. «Forget it. What are you doing here? And how did you even get in?»
«Yeah, I'd like to know that too! You do realize this is trespassing, right?!» Rika snaps.
She and Yuzu step out of hiding, Rika immediately recognizing Itzu's voice.
«You better have a damn good excuse or I'm calling the cops!» Yuzu adds, phone already in hand.
Itzu raises both hands in surrender, putting on a dramatic frown.
«Didn't expect such a cold welcome.»
As he says that, blood starts dripping from his palm. Only then does Hakuto notice the deep cut across Itzu's hand, still bleeding.
«Itzu, what the—» Hakuto freezes.
Itzu's eyes aren't brown anymore. They glow an unnatural scarlet red.
Hakuto steps back, stunned.
Rika and Yuzu drop to their knees, terrified. They cling to each other like the world just ended.
Itzu mouths something, and his blood floats up, glowing like crimson energy.
It swirls above his palm… and becomes a sharp rapier.
Itsu grabs it as if it weighed nothing. His smile turns dark and sadistic. He points the blade at Hakuto's throat.
«I'm here for the Kurotsuki sisters. Play nice, and maybe I'll let you live. I actually like you, no kidding. So let's keep it simple: I take the two half-demons behind you, erase your memories, and boom—happily ever after.»
The two half-demons behind me…? Yuzu and Rika… They're demons?!
«Come on, they're the daughters of one of the richest and most powerful women in Japan. Stuff like this happens all the time. You and your dad inherit the Narkhalis fortune. Sounds like a win-win, right?»
«Hakuto, run! That thing… he's a vampire!» Rika cries, her voice shaking. She clings tightly to Yuzu—who stays completely still, empty-eyed, as if her soul had already left her body.
A… vampire?!
Hakuto stares into Itzu's glowing eyes, his expression firm.
«I don't care if they're demons or not. Rika and Yuzu are my sisters. That's all that matters. I won't let you touch them!»
«H-Hakuto, you idiot…!» Rika sobs, her heart pounding—not just from fear, but from his words.
Itzu raises his rapier toward the sky.
«So, you've chosen death. Too bad for you!»