The rest of the day flew by.
After saying goodbye to Tsubaki, Yuu and Yue had explored much of the city. They visited bookstores, cafés, and even a small street theater where a local troupe performed a romantic tragedy.
Yue didn't understand much of the acting, but she seemed engrossed… until the protagonist died in the heroine's arms. Then she tilted her head in visible displeasure.
She didn't like that ending. In fact, she hated that sad ending.
Later, they went into a movie theater.
"That one?" Yuu asked when she pointed to a romance film.
"Mm… looks interesting."
Throughout the movie, Yue never tore her eyes from the screen. Well, almost never, she occasionally glanced at Yuu from the corner of her eye, especially during scenes where the leads held hands or kissed in the rain.
She seemed fascinated by Yuu's lips.
Yuu smiled, amused, noticing how this pretty vampire tilted her head slightly toward him with curious eyes.
When they came out, the sky was already tinged orange. The city bustle remained strong.
Just then, a strange girl approached them.
She dressed like someone handing out flyers, but to any other passerby, she looked decidedly suspicious.
"Here you go."
Her smile was wide as she pressed a paper ticket into Yuu's hand.
Without waiting for a response, she slipped away and vanished into the crowd.
Yuu looked down at the paper.
It was an ordinary-looking ticket, at least on the surface. In its center was a faintly embossed magic sigil and a phrase scrawled in crimson:
[Your Dream Will Be Granted]
Yuu let out a small snort, mocking it.
"A wish-granting ticket?"
He thought it over, and though he knew it wouldn't work, he dared to hope. He closed his eyes and willed, 'I want to recover my emotions.'
When the ticket remained inert, he cracked an ironic smile.
"Yuu… this ticket's suspicious. Should I go find that woman?"
Yue suspected the strange girl had given Yuu a trap, because she could sense mana in the ticket.
He didn't reply immediately, but instead extended his senses, channeling a small amount of energy to scan the structure of the magical seal.
For someone who had lived millions of years and studied many strange runes, it wasn't really difficult to reach a conclusion. He understood at once that it wasn't a trap.
"Don't worry, Yue. It's just an invocation seal."
A spell that responds to the deep desire of a soul, linking its will to another being.
"…"
He closed his eyes, focusing his awareness through the bond.
In that moment, his extrasensory perception traveled along and connected to the spell's origin. A scene formed in his consciousness.
In it, he saw a crimson-haired girl, her pale skin barely covered by droplets of water. She stood in a shower, eyes closed, concentrating on the stream of water sliding down her forehead.
Yuu narrowed his eyes and sighed, withdrawing his consciousness from the bond.
"Well, well… so it's her."
"Who is 'her'?"
A hint of suspicion crept into Yue's voice. She was right beside him, matching his pace.
"Rias Gremory. She's the girl Tsubaki mentioned."
Yuu knew well that Kuoh City was under the protection of the heirs of two powerful devil clans.
Sitri Clan and Gremory Clan.
Rias, the younger sister of the current Lucifer, was her family's visible steward in the human world.
It didn't surprise him that, having appeared out of nowhere in such a delicate territory, Rias would be interested in him.
Besides, there was another reason…
'…And if Koneko told her about me, that also explains it.'
Koneko, as one of Rias' peerage, had undoubtedly already informed Rias about the new transfer student. Yuu smiled mockingly.
'Next time I see her, I'll have to tease that kitten a bit.'
For leaking secrets. Of course, that was really just an excuse to poke fun at her.
He'd love to see her reaction on that impassive face.
Soon they reached the edge of a calm river. That spot had a stretch of green grass and scattered trees, where a few couples chatted while sitting on blankets, watching the water sparkle in the last rays of the sun.
Yuu and Yue chose a solitary tree. They sat side by side, legs crossed and backs leaning against the trunk.
"How was your day on Earth?" Yuu asked, turning to look at her. "Did you like it?"
Yue barely pursed her lips, then a gentle curve formed at the corners of her mouth.
"Mm… I did."
What had just happened could undoubtedly be considered a date.
Yue had never gone out with anyone or felt romantic interest before. As princess of the Avatarl vampire nation, her fiancé should have been chosen by her family, not by her.
Yet, before that day could come, she'd been betrayed by her uncle and confined to the depths of an abyss.
She ended up alone, imprisoned for hundreds of years in darkness.
Now, thinking it over…
She could even feel grateful for that tragedy.
Yes, she'd suffered. A great deal. But it was because of that suffering that she escaped an imposed fate and met Yuu.
And with him, at last…
She breathed the air of freedom again.
Yue remained silent for a while, watching the orange sky's reflection on the river.
The breeze blew gently, and her golden hair fluttered like silk threads in the sunset.
Suddenly, without turning to face him, she murmured:
"Thank you, Yuu."
"Why are you thanking me again?"
She leaned forward and, without warning, rested her head on his crossed arms.
"For everything." Yue made herself more comfortable, closing her eyes with a peaceful expression. "Mm... I had a lot of fun with you today. I'd like… to do it again."
Yuu gazed at her for a few seconds. The small, sincere smile that had blossomed on her face was warm, serene, and happy.
He smiled too, reaching a hand to her head, gently tousling her hair.
"Of course. Anything for my little vampire."
As the last rays of sunset filtered through the tree's leaves, tinting the grass with golden hues, a figure took shape not far off.
High in the branches of another tree, something watched them in silence.
×××
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